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Thanks to Urki, we were able to escape the guards unscathed.

We crossed a large hallway, and for now, hid in a remote space under the stairs.

Only after confirming that no one was pursuing us from behind could we breathe a sigh of relief. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Ashmir… How long must we keep running like this?"

"We must continue to hide until the meeting starts. When Judge Arc calls for a witness during the meeting, we will appear in the meeting room at that time."

"Um… so essentially we're crashing the meeting, right?"

"Let's call it a dramatic ploy to draw people's attention."

"Heh!"

Not knowing whether her response was a joke or serious, I let out a hollow laugh.

Could this be the same meticulous Angel I've always known? The plan was such a mess, it was dubious.

"I know very well that this plan is reckless. But Judge Arc emphasized that we cannot delay any longer."

Judge Arc subdued innocent guards to allow us in. There was no doubt that he wanted my participation in the meeting badly enough to use such extreme measures.

So what can I do?

At first, it was bewildering and ridiculous.

But considering the earnestness of Judge Arc and Urki, I seriously pledged to attend the meeting.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

The sound of multiple footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway. Tension filled the faces of Ashmir and me again.

Before the footsteps got closer, I hurriedly whispered, "What should we do now?"

"Um… I don't think we can just keep running forever."

"Then what??"

"Follow me."

Ashmir spoke with a serious tone. I swallowed hard and quietly followed her.

-Tatat!

Ashmir quickly climbed the stairs. As soon as she reached the upper floor, she slightly leaned her head towards the hallway to check for the presence of guards.

"It looks like the search hasn't started here yet."

I also peeked around from her side. There were many doors along the quiet corridor.

"What is this place?"

"This is a private waiting room for those attending the meeting. People like Judge Arc or high-ranking officers use it."

As Ashmir explained about the place, she started walking along the corridor. We encountered several people on the way, but fortunately, none of them seemed suspicious of us.

After scrutinizing the doors on both sides of the corridor, she stopped in front of one.

Then she knocked on the door there.

Knock, knock, knock!

After a while, a soft male voice came from inside.

Who is it?

"Officer Kirwan, it's Ashmir."

-Um? Officer Ashmir

"Yes."

In the short conversation, a confused atmosphere was palpable. Footsteps were heard from the inside, and then the door opened slowly.

"So it's really you, Ashmir. I've heard you're with Judge Arc. What brings you here?"

"There's a bit of a complicated situation. I know it's an impolite request, but may we come in and continue the conversation?"

"Impolite? If it's Officer Ashmir, you're always welcome. Come on in… Huh! Who are you?"

Kirwan, who was about to let Ashmir in, discovered me a bit late and showed a surprised reaction.

I was just as surprised on the inside.

It was the Angel who had helped seal the rift when I went to Earth with Kaneff to get a birthday gift not long ago.

"Hello, nice to meet you again."

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon… please, both of you come in."

Kirwan led me and Ashmir inside.

The room was a simple office-type space.

There was a large desk by the window, a large wardrobe next to it, and in the middle of the room was a comfortable-looking chair for guests.

There were piles of documents on the desk, and a cup of steaming tea indicated that he had been reading until just recently.

"Please sit here and wait a moment. I'll call someone to prepare some tea for you."

We hastily responded to his offer to call someone.

"That's alright."

"I'm, I'm fine too."

"Hmm? Is that so?"

Perhaps because our reactions were slightly awkward, Kirwan tilted his head in confusion but did not question or make a fuss about it.

Kirwan took a chair from his desk and placed it near us.

"I'm a bit taken aback. Your name is Sihyeon, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"When you helped seal the rift, I told you we would meet again soon. But I didn't expect it to be this soon, and in the waiting room of Assembly Hall."

"Haha, indeed."

I responded with an awkward laugh.

Kirwan's comment wasn't simply expressing surprise. It seemed to be asking, ‘Why are you here?'

Kirwan, who had been scrutinizing me, turned his gaze to Ashmir.

"Officer Ashmir, what brings you here? I thought you were assisting Judge Arc."

"There's a bit of a complicated situation."

"There's still time before the meeting begins. Let's take our time to hear your story."

"That’s…"

Just as Ashmir was about to speak…

-Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was a knock on the door.

Both Ashmir and I tensed up reflexively. Kirwan's eyes, which had been closely watching us, silently shone.

-Knock, knock. Knock.

-Sir Kirwan? I'm from the Assembly Hall security team. If you're inside, could you please open the door for a moment?

A voice from the security team could be heard from beyond the door.

Kirwan slowly rose from his seat and turned towards the door. Ashmir, becoming anxious, tried to call out to him.

"Officer Kirwan…"

"Shh!"

"…!"

"……!"

He raised his index finger to his lips, silencing Ashmir. Then, he slowly moved his finger to point toward the side of his desk.

There was the large wardrobe we had seen when we first entered. Ashmir, who seemed to catch on, nodded her head and pulled my arm.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

-Sir. Kirwan!

The knocking on the door by the security guard became more insistent. Kirwan signaled us to move quickly, intentionally making a loud false coughing noise.

"Ahmm, hmm! Just wait a moment. I spilled my tea while getting up hastily from reading. I'll quickly clear up the important documents first."

As he said this, he tilted his teacup and spilled it on the desk. By the time his act of hurriedly cleaning up the documents was over, we had successfully hidden in the wardrobe.

Thump!

"I apologize. I was a bit late coming out because I spilled the tea."

"It's okay, sir."

"But what's the matter? Has there been an issue with the meeting?"

"We are in pursuit of an Angel woman and a black-haired human male who has unlawfully intruded into the Assembly Hall building."

"……"

"We obtained information that two people with similar descriptions have passed through this area. Haven't you, by any chance, seen the intruders?"

To the guard's question, Kirwan answered in a calm voice.

"I did not see them."

"Hmm…… There was a definite testimony that they were headed this way. Did you not sense anything strange?"

"Well, I was too focused on going through the documents to notice anything. I'm sorry I couldn't be of help."

There was a brief silence between Kirwan and the guard. In the wardrobe, I held my breath with bated breath.

Eventually…..

"Understood. Sorry for disturbing you while you're busy. Please let us know if you spot any suspicious individuals."

"Yes. I will do that."

"Then I'll take my leave."

"Take care."

After the guards had withdrawn, the sound of the door closing followed.

"You should not move yet."

Kirwan warned us in a barely audible voice. Ashmir and I continued to hold our breaths, waiting inside the wardrobe.

Footsteps outside the door continued to be noisy for a while. The guards seemed certain that we were hiding somewhere nearby.

But it didn't matter.

Unable to find any trace of us, the guards gradually left to search elsewhere, and silence returned to the corridor beyond the door.

Whoosh!

Bright light poured into the dark wardrobe. Standing before us, Kirwan, who had opened the wardrobe door, wore an ambiguous expression.

"The guards seem to have all gone. You can come out now."

"Yes……."

Kirwan, who assured us it was safe to come out, returned to his seat first. Then he sat with his arms folded, observing us.

Ashmir and I left the wardrobe and headed to where the chairs were.

It felt like going to the principal's office after doing something terribly wrong, perhaps?

Anyway, we sat down with a considerable sense of discomfort.

Without a word, Kirwan watched us before finally letting out a big sigh.

"Sigh…….?"

Shudder!

Ashmir's body shivered significantly.

She, who rarely reveals her emotions to the point of being expressionless, looked incredibly tense just from her profile.

Breaking the silence, Kirwan spoke first.

"I heard there were complicated circumstances, but…………… I didn't think you would create such a headache."

"I apologize, Officer Kirwan."

Ashmir deeply bowed her head, expressing her apology. Kirwan watched this with a very uncomfortable expression.

"What happened? If it's the Ashmir I know, she wouldn't recklessly commit such an act. Could it be……."

Kirwan's doubtful gaze shifted to me. Before I felt unjustly accused, Ashmir stepped in to explain.

"Sihyeon is not at fault in any way. Rather, he just got involved because of my rash actions."

"Sigh…………… Then what on earth made you do such a thing?"

"I'll tell you everything.”

Ashmir began to calmly recount everything that had happened from the entrance of the Assembly Hall building.

As her story went on, Kirwan's expression became increasingly serious.

CH 398-407 (Subduing the Angels) $2CH 408-417 (Farm family, Assemble) $2CH 418-424 (The END) $2

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