Exiting the Red Chamber, the group waited in the lounge for the person Remi had called. Remi seemed out of sorts, possibly from the 30 minutes of relentless questioning by Yen from inside the Red Chamber to this very lounge. Jun approached her and inquired about her well-being.
"Remi, are you okay?"
"I'm a terrible person..."
"Not okay, then."
Perhaps I should have stopped Yen. While Jun muttered to himself, the rhythmic footsteps of someone approaching echoed in the room. When Eda turned her head towards the direction of the door, a man in the United Mining's navy blue military uniform, similar in build to Jun, opened the door and walked in.
Locking the door behind him and standing in front of the group, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Pfhoo! Pfuhahaha... Well, well, if it isn't our madam. Pfuhahaha! No, seriously, what's going on here, my lady... Pfuhahaha!"
A very familiar voice to Eda and Jun resonated. The man in the military uniform continued to laugh as he removed the gas mask and headgear he had been wearing.
"Bones!"
"Noble fella, long time no see, huh? And the Miss Witch over there, or should I say, umm… What should I call her now? Lady Grant?"
Bones, with many wrinkles on his face, shook hands with Jun, seemingly delighted. Then, turning to Eda, he spoke with a hint of confusion in addressing her.
"Just call me as before."
"Alright, Miss Witch. And these kids... Oh, are these your children?"
As Bones' gaze turned to the children, they cowered behind their parents, visibly frightened. Unlike Lamar, who was just a big guy, Bones was a real soldier with a face that could easily intimidate anyone.
Jun, understanding this, began to explain patiently to the children.
"Kids, this is Bones, the person I occasionally talked about. Despite his tough appearance, he's not a bad person. Want to say hello?"
"Tough appearance?"
When Bones glared at Jun as if dissatisfied with the explanation, the children became even more frightened and huddled together. At that moment, Remi, who had regained her composure from behind, stepped forward.
"Hey, Laurie!"
"Ouch."
Remi walked up and gave Bones a light slap on the back. Thanks to the military uniform providing protection, only Remi's hand hurt, but she didn't back down and expressed her displeasure.
"What are you doing? The kids are scared!"
"Well, I was just being myself..."
"Shut up! Quickly apologize to the kids!"
As Remi scolded him, Bones surrendered first.
"Oh, yes. I should follow Lady's orders. Sorry for scaring you, young friends."
Bones apologized with a smile, and Kay and Shan stepped forward to greet him.
"Hello. I'm Kay Lee, the first son of the East Ocean Lee Clan...!"
"I'm Shan Lee, the second son of the East Ocean Lee Clan."
Following them, the daughters also greeted him.
"Nice to meet you… I'm Fey Lee, the first daughter of the East Ocean Lee Clan."
"Um, hello..."
Too young to remember the greetings, Yen offered a very ordinary greeting, but Bones didn't mind and continued to laugh.
"Hahaha, sure. Laurence White, the Director of Security directly under the United Mining Chairman, and in charge of various tiring tasks. Nice to meet you, little friends."
Adjusting his gas mask, Bones spoke.
"Now, shall we go? There's a precaution: don't call me Bones when others are listening. Just refer to me as a security guard. The atmosphere around here is a bit strict these days."
"Well, is it that serious? Bringing the kids might have been risky."
"As long as you follow my lead, it's safe. Now, let's go see the Chairman."
"Oh, Bones. Before we go, there's something I want to tell you..."
/
"...Jibin. I can't help but think that coming here might have been a mistake."
"Yeah, Ken. Honestly, Ironwind is new territory for me too..."
Ken, runner from the East Ocean. And jibin, a pilot. They came to Ironwind to recruit their new teammate. Despite facing many challenges, including getting into a scuffle with the passing United Mining fleet, they somehow managed to reach their destination.
However, the real trouble began after their arrival. Whenever they tried to inquire about the witch, they received one of three reactions: being ignored, evaded with a change of topic, or met with growls of anger. Ken and Jibin, who had no idea how Ironwind operated these days, was bewildered. The only thing they knew was that this place was relatively easier to find a witch.
"Um... Has that guy Jun given any advice on this stuff?"
"He said he started by joining a team that already had a witch from the beginning."
"Darn it. What should we do? We came all this way; we need to achieve something."
Leaning against the wall, the two contemplated their next move. The prospect of having to re-plan everything from scratch was daunting. However, at that moment, a sound pierced the air, capturing everyone's attention.
Bang!
/
Layla, with her brown short hair, was once a witch candidate. Well, during her candidacy, she didn't even have the name Layla; she was simply called #119. Layla was the name given to her by the adoptive parents who took her in after the collapse of the Witching Tower.
Layla, or #119, was an ordinary girl during her candidacy. She had decent talents and maintained moderately friendly relationships with her peers. Her own personality, which didn't seek attention, was not a problem either.
Ironically, it was #108 who had many problems. Initially hailed as having the greatest talent ever, #108 faced isolation after developing a throat problem that left her unable to sing. Well, she was an outcast even before the throat issue. Back then, teachers liked her talent, and there were a few kids who tried to befriend her, attracted by her talents, which made it a bit less severe. However, the majority were envious of her overwhelming abilities right from the start.
The same applied to Layla. Despite putting in so much effort that blood dripped from her palms to transcribe the Terra hymnal, #108 effortlessly wrote it after sleeping. Though it didn't seem like she directly copied others' work, as the kids who particularly disliked her claimed, Layla, nonetheless, wasn't particularly fond of #108.
So, when #108 had her witch candidate status revoked, Layla couldn't help but feel a certain satisfaction. Looking back now as an adult, she might have done terrible things as a bystander, but Layla, at that time, couldn't even think about such matters.
Anyway, Layla diligently continued her path as a witch candidate. It was only a bit surprising when she heard that #108 had become a disciple of Red Grant, a member of Council of Elders. Why would she take in a child who couldn't even sing?
She had never really thought about what would happen if she became an official witch. Layla, after all, was a fate-bound orphan sold to the tower. However, in the midst of it all, the war ended, and the Witching Tower collapsed.
Layla took her adoptive parents' hands and followed them, scattering away from the other witch candidates. The last thing she saw before leaving the tower was #108, crouched next to the tower's door, sucking her thumb. She considered saying a last goodbye before leaving, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What could she be doing now? If nothing significant happened, she might have been adopted by Red.
Layla liked her adoptive parents. They gave her a name, treated her like a real daughter. At least, she thought, they were much better than her birth parents who sold her for money. Their household wasn't wealthy, but Layla had no complaints. She felt a sense of stability and happiness that she had never experienced in the Witching Tower. However, her happiness didn't last long. Burglar came, and both of her adoptive parents were murdered. Layla became an orphan once again.
If things had gone differently, Layla might have ended up as a street child marked by all sorts of crimes. Fortunately, or unfortunately, after the war, a group of wandering witches took her in. Layla was an immediate asset for them since, just before the collapse of the Witching Tower, she had left a trace as an official witch. It just needed a bit of teaching. Layla had no peers within the group of witches from the Witching Tower.
The group of witches that took her in claimed to be the successors of the Witching Tower, seeking to cooperate with United Mining again. Despite their humble posture, they believed that only United Mining could ensure their safety. Layla had no choice. If she disagreed, she would end up on the streets.
United Mining, perhaps sensing their potential usefulness in the future, secretly accepted them. Layla didn't like it, but she cooperated with various tasks according to United Mining's instructions. From inspecting lumen facilities to exploring caves, the workload was immense. The witches had no grounds for complaint and had to do as they were told. During this time, Layla came across a book.
"Red Reflections: Witches & War" was a book written by Red, detailing her experiences. It contained insights and attitudes towards new era witch. The witches within United Mining disliked Red, labeling her as a hypocrite pretending to be kind despite being someone who had killed more people than anyone else in the war. Naturally, Red's book was prohibited, but Layla managed to secretly obtain and read it.
The reason was simple; she just wanted to know what Red was thinking. She was curious about why Red took in a child who couldn't even sing as her disciple. After thoroughly reading Red Reflections, Layla found herself empathizing with Red's ideology. She still didn't understand why Red took in #108 as her disciple, but she liked the content of the book. She also felt envy for #108, Red's disciple. Layla thought that it would have been better if she had become Red's disciple instead.
Only then did Layla realize that there were some new era witches who followed Red's teachings. However, deeply associated with United Mining, it was impossible for her to break free. Despite the increasing stress, Layla read Red Reflections multiple times. The book became her only solace.
As time passed, in the year 855, Galactic Calendar, Layla, enduring the grueling labor without any additional compensation at Ironwind, faced the greatest crisis of her life today.
It was all because of a short-haired man who grabbed three people, including her, as they passed by, and initiated a hostage situation.
Bang! Bang Bang!
"Shut up, all of you!"
Bang!
The man brandished a gun, firing into the air while making threats. With pistols in both hands, he had three hostages kneeling in front of him. Despite the arrival of United Mining security forces and police surrounding the wide square, they could only encircle the area without approaching. The reason being, one of the hostages was the daughter of a high-ranking official from United Mining.
"Don't talk to you bastards! Bring this bitch's father here!"
"P-please... spare me..."
The gun in the hostage-taker's hand pointed forward, while his other hand pressed the muzzle against the head of one of the women, making threats. Among the hostages—two women and one man— the one with the gun against her head was the high-ranking official's daughter, the target of the hostage-taker. Layla and the other man were merely caught by chance as they happened to pass by.
"I'm sorry... please spare me..."
The official's daughter was trembling.
"S-Sir, I have nothing to do with this..."
The man next to her pleaded for his release, but the hostage-taker paid no attention.
"..."
Layla, feeling pessimistic about her tumultuous life, lowered her head deeply. Inside, she cursed everything.
The hostage-taker, threatening with a gun against the head of the official's daughter, was none other than the son of the official who had initiated the construction of the Second Grand Crusade Memorial but failed and was expelled. The father of the woman with the gun pointed at her head was his father's adversary.
"Damn it, because of this bastard's father, my father was driven out of the company where he spent his whole life and suffered until he passed away!"
The man shouted continuously, filled with resentment.
/
"Hey... What's going on here?"
"It's a hostage situation."
"I'm not asking because I don't know it's a hostage situation!"
Ken and Jibin were watching the situation near the entrance of the square. While Jibin was bewildered by the sudden dire circumstances, Ken remained calm.
"Why are you so calm? Is this how Oceaners are?"
"I used to be the target of a noble clan as a guardian. Now I'm just a runner. If you're wondering what a guardian is..."
"I can guess roughly; you don't have to explain. Anyway, what do we do?"
Ken calmly observed the situation ahead. The surrounding forces had surrounded the hostage-taker, who were shouting loudly, and the three hostages.
"We're just civilians, so for now, we should stay quiet. I'm more concerned about the hostages. They shouldn't unnecessarily provoke the hostage-taker."
At that moment, someone broke through the surrounding forces, holding a megaphone. Then, addressing the hostage-taker, he spoke.
"I am Laurence White, the Director of Security directly under the United Mining Chairman. What do you want?"
/
"What? You brought a few of your guards?"
Going back in time, when Eda and Jun's group met Bones, Jun spoke to Bones about the Lee Clan's guards who had followed them.
"Yeah. I'm not at ease, so I'd like to bring at least one in. Is that possible?"
"Well... one should be fine. Where is him?"
"Here."
"What?"
"Come out."
Zing.
From a corner of the lounge, the faint sound of a vibrating motor could be heard, and a figure began to reveal itself. Like a chameleon, using a technology that projected and disguised the background onto the suit he was wearing, he had used a form of transparency. It was a new technology developed by the East Ocean Imperial Family.
The Lee Clan's guards were waiting separately on a ship anchored at the pier, but this person had been specifically called by Jun.
"...?"
Bones looked puzzled as he stared at the suddenly appearing sturdy man. When the man was completely revealed from head to toe, he knelt down and shouted.
"The Guardian of the Lee Clan, Jin Tian, greets the clan master and his kin!"
"Hmm. Just wait a moment."
Bones gave Jun a questioning look. Even though his eyes were not visible due to the gas mask he was wearing, Jun calmly responded.
"It's a new technology developed by the East Ocean Imperial Family. The emperor gave me a suit to test it out. It uses refraction of light utilized by the gravitational effects of lumen, they said. It's not only for visible light but can also cloak in other wavelengths. The emperor specifically ordered me to bring it along, saying that if there's ever a need to go to Ironwind, I must accompany him. He insisted it would be definitely useful."
Bones, who had been looking at the Guardian with a serious expression, snapped his fingers.
"Oh... wait a minute. I remember. The chairman clearly said that you guys would bring something incredibly unique. It's the result of collaborative research with the East Ocean Emperor."
"What? It wasn't developed independently by the Imperial Family?"
Jun recalled the time when Dan had given him the suit, acting like it was a big deal. Dan had cautioned him to handle it carefully since he had worked hard to create it, and Jun couldn't help but suspect that it was another odd creation following the shape-shifting mask from the Imperial Palace. Looking back, Dan never explicitly claimed to have independently developed it by the Imperial family. He simply led Jun to think that way by skillfully maneuvering the conversation.
'...Fooled again.'
As Jun muttered to himself, Bones nodded and said, "The chairman already knows, so it should be fine to go together."
As the group attempted to open the door to leave the launge, a piercing sound tore through the air.
Bang!
Everyone in the vicinity was startled and unsettled by the gunshot. Bones, who recognized the sound of gunfire, immediately stopped the group trying to exit.
"...Everyone, back inside."