The Hound Dreams of Rebellion

Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Symbol of the Empire

Sector 24.

It is the place where the escaped prisoner Ekano's residence is located.

A vibrant market and a small park blend naturally with the city center.

This area is pleasant enough to live in.

The lower the sector number, the more affluent the lives of the residents become.

By the time it reaches number 24, the proportion of the middle class is relatively high.

As proof of that, drivers riding air bikes instead of old bicycles could often be spotted.

'That bastard Ekano. He built his nest in a district far too good for his status.'

Ered let out a snort.

I suppose he was once a gang leader who fared well in his day.

"It is over there."

He followed the direction Isel's finger was pointing with his eyes.

It is a two-story residence.

It wasn't at a grand level, but it belonged to the fairly high-end category.

It was modest, but it even had a front yard.

"We have confirmed that Ekano's family members are inside the residence. Ekano has not appeared yet."

He listened intently to Isel's report while looking around the perimeter of the residence.

"From the front gate, the left and right side walls of the residence, to the back gate. Monitor them without any gaps. Report immediately if you discover Ekano."

"Yes."

The agents scattered individually at Ered's command.

In the meantime, he entered the residence with Isel.

A presence was felt inside the house.

The sound of busy footsteps.

Noises like rummaging through objects were also mixed in occasionally.

Within that, chaos and urgency could be sensed.

As if being chased by something.

Ding-dong.

Isel pressed the front door doorbell.

The residence became silent in an instant.

The presence vanished completely.

Isel quietly pulled out her pistol.

She seemed to have sensed that the atmosphere was unusual.

She pressed the doorbell again, but there was no response this time either.

There is no time to leisurely wait for the owner's answer.

Crash!

Ered broke down the door without hesitation and entered.

"W-What, who are you people!?"

A woman standing beyond the front door cried out in horror.

She was roughly the same age as Ekano.

A rifle was held in her hand.

"Please, just stop! Just how long do you intend to keep harassing us!?"

It seemed some kind of misunderstanding had occurred.

"Lower the gun. Don't do something you'll regret."

Ered urged calmly, but the woman did not budge.

"Don't come closer! You think I won't shoot!?"

"Words won't work on her."

He clicked his tongue and ignored the woman's warning.

It would be fortunate if she even had the courage to pull that trigger—

Bang!

He reflexively raised his hand.

He opened his clenched hand.

The bullet, which had lost its momentum, lay dormant in his palm.

"H-Heok."

The woman slumped down with a face full of despair.

She must have felt as if she were possessed by a ghost.

Since she witnessed him catching a flying bullet with his bare hands.

"I-I-I am sorry!"

She was startled and threw the rifle away.

Whether she had finally come to her senses, she began to scrutinize Ered and Isel carefully.

Soldiers in uniform.

Red eyes.

The woman's complexion turned pale.

She must have slowly grasped the situation.

What she had done, and to whom.

"I, I thought you were more people sent by that man and got scared... Please forgive me!"

The woman prostrated herself and begged.

"That man? Are you talking about Ekano?"

Ered threw the bullet held in his hand onto the floor and tossed a question.

"T-That's right...."

"Your name is Jane Little. And you're that man's wife?"

"Yes...."

"I guess you didn't become a gang leader's wife for nothing. Seeing as you fire a gun without warning."

To be honest, I didn't think she would actually fire it.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I have committed a sin deserving of dea—"

"Quiet."

Jane flinched and then blocked her own mouth with her hand.

"Raise your head."

Now she finally listens.

It must be because she instinctively felt that it was the only way to survive.

"Hmm."

Ered furrowed his brows.

I can tell just by looking.

Why Jane hates Ekano.

Scars were numerous all over her body.

There was no need to even ask who the person who inflicted the violence was.

The period Ekano was imprisoned in Alkaz was approximately half a year ago.

The fact that the wounds have not yet healed even though quite a long time has passed means she suffered terrible things over such a long period.

Or it was violence committed by the people Ekano had sent.

In any case, it seemed certain that those scars carved into her body were caused by Ekano.

Ered examined the overall interior of the residence.

'It's a mess.'

Unlike the decent exterior, the inside of the residence was a shambles.

Seizure stickers were attached to every piece of furniture.

It's not a particularly big deal.

Ekano is a serious criminal who earned funds through all sorts of illegal activities.

'A property confiscation order must have been issued.'

It will only be a matter of time before Ekano's residence passes over to the Empire.

In the middle of the living room, a large travel suitcase existed.

Crumpled clothes and daily necessities were stuffed haphazardly inside it.

"You were in the middle of preparing for a trip."

"I heard a rumor that that crazy man escaped. I thought he would definitely come here...."

When Ered asked while gesturing with his chin toward the suitcase, Jane replied stutteringly.

"You've lived well in the house your husband bought by selling drugs until now, and only now? I suppose you hated your husband but liked the money?"

"It's not that I didn't leave, it's that I couldn't. Even though he's in prison, he frequently sent people to watch us...."

"Listen carefully."

I crouched down in front of Jane to match her eye level.

"Normally, you would have been headed for prison. It's attempted murder. Since you dared to try to shoot and kill a soldier of the Empire. You might even have a cozy prison life with your beloved husband."

"H-Hieek."

"However, if you just cooperate quietly, I will specially pardon that crime."

He pointed toward the kitchen table and continued speaking to Jane.

"If even you go to prison, that child will immediately be sent to an orphanage. If the rumor spreads that she is the daughter of a criminal, life there won't be smooth."

Under the table, there was a young girl crouching while blocking both ears with her hands.

"N-No! I'll do anything you ask, just tell me!"

"It's nothing much. Just stay quietly inside the house without leaving."

There is a high probability Ekano will appear here.

If we wait patiently, we'll be able to catch the fellow.

However, Ekano was merely a side branch.

Even if we catch him, the gain will be meager.

Naturally, the main dish is Spark.

Therefore, Ered intended to leave the arrest of Ekano to Isel and focus on Spark himself.

-Ekano discovered at the back gate of the residence. He is approaching this way.

...The timing is excellent.

Since it turned out like this, it's better to move to the next step after personally resolving the Ekano problem.

"Go to the back gate window."

Ered instructed Jane.

That way, Ekano will come running in one breath after seeing his wife.

-Shall we arrest the target?

An agent waiting outside the house asked for Ered's intent.

"Leave him to enter. I will handle him personally."

-He is loitering around the residence. He seems to be hesitating.

Unless he is a fool, he will naturally be wary.

When a criminal flees, his family is always the first to be poked and prodded by the police.

"Wait in silence."

Ered demanded patience from the Obsidian agents.

'This is fishing. And we have a very attractive bait.'

He felt certain as he looked at Jane standing by the back gate window.

-The fellow is coming again.

As expected, he took the bait.

No matter how much caution Ekano exercises, there is no way he would notice the presence of the elite Obsidian agents lying in ambush.

Ered exchanged hand signals with Isel without a word.

I stood leaning against the wall alongside her with the back gate between us.

Ekano's footsteps gradually drew closer.

At first, wariness was imbued in his steps, but as time passed, his presence became flagrantly clear.

He became certain of his safety.

Without knowing he was entering the tiger's mouth.

Thud!

The door opened roughly as if it would break.

A man rushed inside while panting for breath.

Ekano. It was the first encounter with the fellow.

"Jane! I know you're there! Take the brat and quickly—"

"Welcome."

I greeted toward the back of Ekano's head.

Ekano's shoulders flinched as if startled.

The fellow slowly looked back this way with a stiffened face.

"I was waiting."

Ekano had an expression as if the world had ended.

I gave a wide smile to such a man.

"This shit!"

Ekano turned his back and fled.

'Where do you think you're going.'

I lunged at the fellow's back.

Crunch.

I trampled the head of the fellow, who had collapsed forward, with my military boot.

"A real family man has arrived. To think you'd come looking for your wife even while being chased."

"Keuk...!"

Ekano was wearing shabby rags instead of a prison uniform.

It seemed he had changed clothes in a hurry somewhere.

"Don't squirm. Unless you want the back of your head split open."

When Ered applied force to his foot, Ekano finally became quiet.

"...Damn it."

A sense of despair like an abyss could be felt from the fellow's single word.

"Stand up slowly. It'll be better for your well-being not to play any tricks. I don't warn twice."

I pushed the fellow into the corner of the wall.

The pupils of Ekano, who faced him, momentarily dilated.

Complex emotions were tangled within his eyes.

"I'm sure this isn't the first time you've seen me. Since you would have seen me while fleeing outside the prison's front gate."

"...As expected, you knew. It's just as he predicted."

Even though Ered pointed out the core, Ekano was not that surprised.

"He? Are you talking about Spark? I suppose that guy left some kind of miraculous prophecy?"

When I interrogated Ekano, he confessed readily.

"That guy asserted it. That the red-haired Prominence would soon find out the method we used to escape. Saying that if you can't even figure that out, you don't even have the qualification of a Prominence."

For someone who isn't even a Prominence to talk about the qualification of a Prominence.

"Tell me everything. What happened during that time."

Then, resignation was smeared on Ekano's face.

Soon, the fellow began to spill everything.

There were no particularly surprising parts.

One day, the Invisible Man came as a visitor and offered a sweet proposal to let him out of here, and Ekano induced a riot within the prison as he was told.

"...Immediately after leaving the island, I parted ways with those guys. After that, I was quietly holding my breath while avoiding the eyes of the police. I took the opportunity to come this far."

Ekano, who finished his confession, let his shoulders slump.

"Is there anything you heard while traveling with those guys? For instance, the next destination."

Ered repeated questions tenaciously.

Of course, I know.

That there's no way Spark would have blabbered such stories carelessly in front of Ekano.

Still, shouldn't I try to dig for anything?

"If I tell you? Will I get any crumbs?"

"Crumbs? Of course."

I placed the muzzle of the gun against the forehead of the snickering Ekano.

"Instead of being summarily executed on this spot, you can gain a golden opportunity to return to the cozy Alkaz."

When I threatened him, the urgent Ekano began to talk incoherently.

"Y-You're killing me? By whose authority! I may have committed a crime, but I'm not a death row inmate! Are prisoners not even human!?"

"Human? You? You're telling a funny joke."

"No matter how successful a soldier you are, you can't just kill a person at your whim—"

"I can."

I pulled the hammer of the pistol back. As if I would fire right now.

"You are not a human. You are a beast wearing the mask of a human. What's the problem with shooting and killing a mere beast?"

"Let me see my wife and child. That was the only thing I wanted...."

Ekano, suppressed by the momentum, lowered his tail.

"I refuse. A deal is made when both parties are in an equal position."

Ekano's request itself is not difficult.

However, I hated the sight of a mere criminal acting tough without fear.

I had no intention of granting the fellow's request.

"You want to see me!? With what face!"

...It was like that until Jane suddenly appeared and shouted.

"How much more do you have to ruin my life to be satisfied!?"

"What? I brought a bitch who was rolling around in bars and let her live in luxury, and you don't even know gratitude!"

What a damn couple's fight.

"Lieutenant."

I called Isel while pressing my throbbing forehead.

Even though I didn't state my business, Isel understood at once what he wanted.

Isel took the wailing Jane and the child outside.

"What a terrible marital love. Why don't you start opening your mouth? My patience is right before running out."

"...I heard a conversation they were having."

When Ered spoke sarcastically, Ekano muttered weakly.

"That he would ruin the Empire with his own hands or something. Saying that if he destroys the symbol of the Empire, there would be no opening ceremony as exquisite as that...."

The fellow looked at my reaction and then hastily added a few more words.

"I'm saying this just in case, but I had no intention of joining that plan. I may be a criminal, but I have no intention of becoming a traitor...."

I fell into thought while leaving Ekano, who was constantly babbling as if making excuses, alone.

'If it's Spark, he would have expected it. That Ekano would be caught again soon.'

Nevertheless, Spark blabbered important information in front of Ekano's face.

'It is quite intentional.'

Ekano was a messenger.

'I will destroy the symbol of the Empire. That is the core. He wanted to convey those words to me.'

With this, my business with Ekano was over.

...No, one thing still remained.

"Who killed them?"

"...Killed? Suddenly what—"

"The captain and crew of the Waverunner."

"T-That is...."

Ekano's pupils rolled left and right.

My heart cooled down.

That reaction alone was enough of an answer.

"I-It wasn't me!"

"To tell a lie in front of a Prominence. Do you truly wish to die?"

"Because those guys told me to! I only followed because I had no choice! They told me to prove my resolve, that only then would they let me off the island...!"

I wanted to put a bullet into Ekano's face right now.

I actually intended to do so.

'...This too is Spark's plan.'

I relaxed the strength in my index finger, which was about to pull the trigger.

Ekano faithfully performed the role of a messenger according to Spark's intention.

In other words, he has outlived his usefulness.

Hunted once the rabbit is caught.

Why did Spark specifically order Ekano to kill the captain and the crew?

Even though it would be much easier and faster to handle with his own abilities.

'He intended to dispose of Ekano using me.'

When I filtered out the emotion of anger that flared up momentarily, Spark's purpose hidden beneath it was revealed.

If I kill Ekano here, it is like being played by Spark.

"U-Ugh...."

When Ered withdrew the gun, Ekano sat down powerlessly.

A yellowish liquid was flowing down Ekano's pants.

I left the soul-less Ekano alone and went outside the residence.

Isel, who was calming the agitated Jane, discovered him and approached.

"Lieutenant. I'll leave the finishing to you."

"Yes. As you command."

At the moment I was about to move away from Isel, I faltered.

I felt a gaze.

Jane's daughter was staring intently this way.

Would her age be around 10?

'During my orphanage days, I used to be so envious of children with parents.'

I thought that having parents might not necessarily be a good thing.

'If I had a father like Ekano....'

It was terrifying just to imagine.

'Well, at least for this child, she has a mother who cherishes her dearly remaining, so it's a blessing in disguise.'

She's a woman who knows how to treasure her own child, even if she fires a rifle at a person she meets for the first time.

"Who is that lady?"

The child, who was gazing blankly at Ered, suddenly spoke to me.

"...Lady?"

Ered tilted his head.

'Was she not looking at me? Moreover, a lady. Who is she talking about?'

He followed the direction the child's finger was pointing with his eyes.

There was no one there.

"...Ah. I'm sorry. I was mistaken."

The child hastily lowered her gaze.

"P-Please don't mind her. This child sometimes says eccentric things...."

Jane prattled on while hugging her daughter in her arms.

"Is that so."

Ered shrugged his shoulders and then moved away from them.

'Now. Let's organize my thoughts.'

Spark intentionally left traces so that he could be tracked.

It's not a good phenomenon.

Because it's like moving according to the fellow's intention.

However, for now, there was no choice but to follow even those traces.

'The symbol of the Empire?'

It's a vague expression.

'...Surely it's not the Imperial Palace?'

The possibility of that is slim.

How could he, with the Imperial Guard standing firm?

It's the same as saying he'll commit suicide.

'...Wait.'

Suddenly, a single possibility flashed through his mind.

Something that was overtly a symbol did exist in the center of Neustadt.

To be precise—

Boom!!

A loud sound of an explosion pierced his eardrums.

It's a sound derived from a point somewhat distant from here.

Nevertheless, it was heard vividly and eerily.

Swish.

Ered jumped up to the rooftop of a nearby building in one breath.

Fierce flames were emitting black smoke.

The screams of people and urgent siren sounds were echoing all together.

The sight of the crowd scattering in all directions, frozen in fear, was visible.

The stage where the fire occurred was the Gaius Grand Plaza.

'These crazy bastards.'

The Statue of Gaius, snapped in two, was visible.

Above the waist, not even a trace could be found.

The face of the first Emperor, fashioned from bronze, was slammed into the floor of the Grand Plaza.