[I will give you the location of the child you are looking for.]
Pale stared at the sentence displayed on his wrist terminal for a long moment. His gaze remained fixed solely on those few words.
The phrase "the child you are looking for" gnawed at him.
'How did they know I was looking for a child?'
On the surface, the operation was framed as rooting out illegal ACU users. The official pretext was to eliminate individuals with magic power signatures lurking in the Underground Level, while raiding unlicensed clinics and organ-trafficking rings. It was merely a plausible cover story.
In fact, that was exactly how he had briefed his subordinates, sharing the child's name with only a select few.
Even then, he had avoided direct names, merely describing the target as someone carrying the residual signature of a Seraph-unique circuit.
Yet this anonymous sender knew Pale was searching for "someone."
'Is it a trap?'
That possibility sprang to mind first.
If so, who was behind it?
A faction within Seraph trying to keep him in check?
The remnants of the old board trying to keep the target alive, or an operative from another Megacorp behind this proposal?
Or perhaps a mercenary lying low in the Underground Level.
If not any of those...
Pale's eyes narrowed.
For some reason, the young man he had seen in front of the street stall flashed through his mind.
Purely by instinct.
'Could it be him?'
It was possible, but he couldn't be certain. After all, the Underground Level was crawling with sneaky rats.
Pale tapped his wrist terminal, attempting to trace the route of the incoming message.
[Route trace failed.]
[Multiple proxy networks detected.]
[Origin point unknown.]
His attempt fell apart almost instantly.
"Not bad."
A subordinate watched his reaction and asked cautiously:
"Sir Pale, what would you like to do?"
Pale did not answer, keeping his eyes silently locked on his terminal device.
Soon, his wrist terminal chimed again.
[Underground Level 15. Closed Residential Area C-9.]
A brief set of map coordinates followed, and Pale verified them.
Underground Level 15.
A closed residential area where the magic power supply was notoriously unstable. Over half the surveillance network was offline, and virtually no civilian residency records existed.
It was a prime hiding spot for squatters and criminals, making it just as ideal for luring someone into an ambush.
A rather obvious trap.
However.
Pale knew what he was capable of.
6th Rank.
It was not a title the upper echelons handed out lightly. Simply possessing the ability to handle an ACU of that scale guaranteed immense wealth and authority.
Up to the 5th Rank, one might scrape by through sheer fortune and deep pockets.
But from the 6th Rank onward, the playing field changed entirely. Rather, it belonged to a completely different league.
From then on, they were classified not as "people," but as "strategic assets."
A force capable of suppressing the entire Lower Sector of a city on its own, and the core weapon of a corporate Security Office.
A magic user whose name was committed to memory by high-ranking executives in the upper echelon.
Pale was a man who stood at that very threshold.
Trap or not, he could simply crush whatever stood in his way and walk right through.
Even so, he was no fool.
"Get ready."
His subordinates sprang into action immediately.
Pale brought up the layout of Underground Level 15 on his wrist terminal. Left neglected without updates for years, the blueprint would likely have plenty of discrepancies with the current reality. Still, the major corridors, drainage pipes, ventilation shafts, and transit routes wouldn't have shifted drastically. For now, that was enough.
Tapping several spots on the screen, he swiftly began stationing his men at key vantage points.
"Team 1, take the north entrance of C-9. Team 2, seal the drainage pipe junction. Team 3, lock down the south staircase and the emergency lift shaft."
"Understood."
"Do not deploy any drones. If they can reroute a signal this cleanly, they can easily backtrack a surveillance drone."
"Understood."
"Switch the Magic Power Detectors to manual. Shut off auto-scan, and even if you pick up a signature, do not rush in immediately."
One subordinate spoke up.
"What are our rules of engagement?"
Pale answered curtly.
"Do not take anyone presumed to be the target alive."
A brief silence fell as the subordinates exchanged glances.
Pale swept his gaze across them, gauging their resolve.
"Confirming the corpse comes first. If the target is breathing, put an end to it on the spot."
"Yes, sir."
"What should we do with anyone else?"
As the subordinate asked again, Pale tightened his gloves and replied.
"If they get in the way, kill them."
"Understood."
Casting one final look at Sector C-9 of Underground Level 15, he proceeded under the premise that this was indeed a trap.
It could be false intel, or merely bait designed to lure him into the open.
None of that mattered.
Whoever sent this undeniably had ties to the target.
"I'm entering through the central corridor."
The subordinate asked hesitantly:
"You are going in yourself?"
Pale turned and shot him a piercing glare.
"Do I have any reason to hide in the back?"
"Not at all, sir."
"You men seal the perimeter. Do not enter until I give the signal."
"Understood."
The coordinates displayed on the terminal glowed faintly on his wrist.
[Underground Level 15 Closed Residential Area C-9.]
Whatever or whoever was there, he would settle this today.
..
..
Checking his terminal, Pale headed toward the central corridor.
The residual trace of mana was faint, but its presence lingered unmistakably.
A trace remarkably close to the resonance of the Seraph-unique circuit he had been searching for.
"Report deployment status."
Pale keyed his radio, and an immediate response came through.
- Team 1, lockdown of north entrance complete.
"Stand by."
- Team 2, arrived at drainage pipe junction. Thermal readings normal. Magic power signatures are also...
Pale stopped in his tracks as Team 2's briefing cut off mid-sentence.
"Team 2."
He sensed that something was going awry.
"Team 2, respond."
A moment later, Team 3's briefing came through on the same channel.
- Team 3, securing south stairway. Approaching emergency lift shaft... Wait, what was that just—
Kzzzt.
Static burst through the radio before the transmission went completely dead.
"Team 3."
When no answer came, he worked his terminal to check each squad's vital signs.
[Team 1 Communication Unstable]
[Team 2 Signal Lost]
[Team 3 Signal Lost]
The last remaining squad, Team 1, soon flashed red as well.
[Team 1 Signal Lost]
Pale stared down at the radio for a moment, then muttered to himself.
"Useless trash."
Though irritated by his subordinates' incompetence, he did not panic.
He always made a habit of anticipating the worst-case scenario. Of course, that didn't mean he accepted the situation with ease.
Maintaining his composure, Pale proceeded deeper into the central corridor.
Right then.
Flicker.
The Magic Lamp on the ceiling went out, then flickered back on.
In that brief darkness, a small silhouette appeared deeper down the corridor.
Recognizing the figure, Pale slowly curled the corner of his lips.
White hair, a petite frame, and blue eyes visible beneath a worn hood.
It was undoubtedly the target.
She stared at Pale from the end of the corridor, then turned and took off running.
Pale laughed inwardly as he watched her.
"Found you at last."
Her fleeing pace was slow, so he didn't bother rushing.
Pale walked slowly... leisurely closing the distance to the girl.
"Running won't do you any good."
His voice echoed through the corridor.
"Wherever you go, wherever you hide... time will always drag you out into the open."
The small shadow ahead began to run faster, but Pale casually followed behind.
"Things would have been so much easier if you had just died on your own."
After all the stress he had endured, he wanted to savor this moment to the fullest.
"Because you survived, you've caused a lot of people unnecessary trouble."
The girl didn't reply, continuing to flee.
However.
She eventually reached a dead end.
Pale slowly walked up to the girl.
"This is the end."
There was nowhere left to run.
Pale raised his fingers lightly, weaving threads of blue mana.
"I need to leave the corpse as intact as possible, so I'll make the pain brief."
At that moment.
She turned around.
"...?"
Sensing something odd, Pale paused his hand.
Even though the girl had been running continuously until a moment ago, her breathing wasn't ragged in the slightest.
Above all, she didn't look like someone backed into a corner.
"You seem pretty relaxed."
Pale's eyes narrowed.
"...?"
The small frame before him wavered faintly, its form shifting.
Into a young man with black hair and black eyes.
The bastard he had seen at the scrap market on Underground Level 19.
The young man took off the hood and dropped it to the floor.
"For someone who couldn't even see through a basic disguise, that is."