Chapter 165
Anguis Regina’s manager changed frequently. Not long ago, she had fired the last one, leaving the position currently vacant.
‘The reason for dismissal: Anguis Regina’s whims.’
However, it seemed she maintained an amicable relationship with her former managers without any lingering resentment.
I went to meet each of Anguis Regina’s former managers.
“Anguis Regina? She hasn’t come to me. If you’re asking about our relationship… I was her former manager, lover, and friend? Sometimes, when she feels lonely, she calls me over to her mansion. She’s a pitiful girl in many ways. Want a cigarette?”
A woman whose face was covered in phosphorescent makeup spoke while smoking. A cat with shimmering rainbow-colored fur sat on her lap.
I indifferently refused her offer. Ilay came to mind for no particular reason.
“I don’t smoke.”
“You’ve got the look of someone who drinks, smokes, and does drugs, but you’re a non-smoker? That’s funny.”
The woman chuckled. She was a former psychological counselor. Perhaps because of that, she had been Anguis Regina’s manager the longest—though that still only amounted to a year.
Anguis Regina’s managers all had unusual backgrounds. Gang members, psychological counselors, chefs, ex-military personnel—each one was different.
I observed the woman’s demeanor. She wasn’t lying.
“Does she often disappear like this without informing the company?”
“She frequently cuts off contact and does whatever she wants. Most of the time, the Equessians are the ones searching for her, and occasionally, a private investigator like you shows up looking for her.”
By private investigator, she likely meant an Akies Victima user hired by Jafa. It seemed they had also been sent to track down Anguis Regina at some point.
“Because of work stress? If this keeps happening, she’ll end up quitting and running away.”
“That’s not it. Anguis Regina isn’t that immature. She takes her work seriously. She’s a professional with a strong sense of duty. Her schedule is probably clear for now. Even if you don’t go looking for her, she’ll come back at the right time.”
“You used to be a psychological counselor, right? You must have heard a lot about Anguis Regina’s worries.”
The woman laughed and took a deep drag of her cigarette, her cheeks hollowing in. A moment later, smoke billowed into my face.
“She only forms superficial relationships and locks her deeper thoughts away in a vault. Even with people she shares a physical relationship with, she doesn’t open up. The most she ever worries about out loud is what to have for dinner.”
“You were close to her for a year. Nothing stands out to you?”
"I'm not a psychic. How am I supposed to see through someone who never opens up?"
The woman snapped coldly. She had a point. I had said something foolish.
"Let me know if you happen to see Anguis Regina."
I said as I left her home. It wasn’t like I actually expected much.
Most of the other managers also had a generally favorable view of Anguis Regina. Some, however, were outright hostile toward me and refused to speak.
Of course, none of them were close enough to her to keep their mouths shut in the face of violence. Their relationships were, quite literally, superficial. No one was willing to take risks to protect Anguis Regina.
Bang!
I kicked the bed after arriving at the home of her former military manager. Underneath it, there was women’s underwear.
There was a faint trace of Anguis Regina’s scent on it. That might sound strange, but I was only referring to the smell of her perfume and cosmetics.
"Unless you have a hobby of cross-dressing, there’s no reason for this to be here."
The former soldier sighed at my display of force.
"She said she wanted to see the ocean. There’s a port on the east side of Border City. Try heading that way. She left about half a day ago."
"Did she say anything else? Like about marriage or something?"
"Marriage?"
"No, never mind."
"Oh, but she did say this—her childhood dream was to be an astronaut. Though, I remember her saying she wanted to be a doctor before… She changes her story every time we meet."
After hearing that, I kept moving.
Once I got back to the road, I hailed a two-wheeled taxi. The eastern port wasn’t far, but the poor transportation network meant the ride still took around thirty minutes. More than once, I thought I could’ve gotten there faster on foot.
Border City’s road system was a complete mess due to rampant unplanned development. There were hardly any roads wide enough for large vehicles, so small cars and motorcycles were the primary means of transportation. Efficiency was nonexistent in this city.
I wandered around the port, watching the waves rise and fall. At the pier nestled within the cape, logistics workers busily moved about.
The salty air carried from across the sea felt unfamiliar.
‘The ocean.’
I never thought I’d see it like this. Even in the Accretia Empire, lakes were rare. The horizon was something I had only ever seen in photos and videos.
‘It’s bigger than I thought.’
The eastern port of Border City was massive. With the high volume of logistics traffic, it was naturally a bustling area.
‘Based on the testimonies I’ve gathered, Anguis Regina is a complicated woman.’
If she had run off without a plan, I would have been at a loss. Border City was a metropolis. Without access to satellite imaging or surveillance systems, finding a person here would be nearly impossible.
However, Anguis Regina had left behind just enough clues as she moved.
‘Marriage, astronaut.’
These were the words she had spoken to two different managers she had slept with. When I put them together, a single building came to mind.
I arrived at a high-rise structure built on a coastal cliff. It housed the offices of various travel agencies. Among them was one named Honeyspace.
Honeyspace operated an orbital hotel beyond the atmosphere. It was a popular honeymoon destination for the wealthy.
As expected of a travel agency complex, the view was stunning. That was probably why they had chosen to build it on a coastal cliff.
Even from the entrance, the ocean was visible in all its vastness. If I looked from the rooftop, the scenery would be spectacular.
I checked the building’s layout on the lobby directory. The rooftop was a garden. On special occasions, it was also used as a banquet space. A sign indicated that wedding reservations were available.
Clank, clank.
I climbed the emergency stairs to the rooftop garden.
‘Rusty and worn down.’
The entrance to the rooftop garden was not what I had expected. It seemed like it hadn’t been properly maintained for years. The door’s lock and hinges were broken, leaving it unsteady.
The flowers and trees from the promotional posters were nowhere to be found. Instead, scattered junk and abandoned shoes littered the area. It had clearly been neglected for a long time.
Rather than a garden, the rooftop was a desolate ruin.
“Anguis Regina?”
I spoke, looking at the woman sitting on a bench. She turned to face me, her gaze shifting away from the horizon.
Even with a hat and mask obscuring her face, the signs of Anguis Regina were evident. Her eyes gleamed excessively, almost unnaturally glossy.
"…Finding me in just two days? That’s a new record."
Anguis Regina pulled down her mask as she spoke. Her skin was unnaturally pale, likely from meticulous cosmetic procedures, and her lips were a smudged, paint-like shade of pink.
"I’m just that good."
I leaned against the doorframe.
As expected, Anguis Regina had deliberately left clues behind. And she was fully aware that Jafa had hired a new detective.
"You’ve proven your skills, so now leave. Tell Jafa that I’ll return when it’s time for me to resume my activities."
"Jafa told me to find you and bring you back. That’s my job, nothing more."
"I just want some time to myself, away from the interference of a tyrannical employer. Turn a blind eye just this once, and something good will come your way later."
Anguis Regina smiled seductively. I was well acquainted with that kind of businesslike smile. It reminded me of Martina the Diva. Of course, unlike her, there was no old crone hiding beneath Anguis Regina’s surface. She was a real woman, with living flesh and blood.
I didn’t make any hasty moves.
‘She’s barefoot.’
Anguis Regina sat on the bench with no shoes on. If she took just two steps forward from where she was, she’d go right over the edge. There was a safety railing, but it was only waist-high—easy enough to climb over.
‘Looks like this place is a suicide spot.’
I had noticed the discarded clothes and shoes lying around earlier. Some sections of the railing were broken. Below was the coastal cliff, where the waves would swallow any body that fell.
"No matter how I look at it, I need to take you back now. I have a deal with Jafa."
"Do you even know what Jafa does to me? He’s a monster. He abuses me…"
Anguis Regina’s face twisted with distress. Her hands and feet trembled slightly.
But I let out a dry laugh. It was all an act.
"That’s a load of crap. Don’t lie to me. This is our first time meeting. You don’t even open up to the people who’ve been around you for years. If you were the kind of woman who could so easily confess to being abused, your managers would have noticed something by now. Besides, Jafa hasn’t forced you into anything, even after you disappeared multiple times without a word. He hasn’t implanted a tracker in you either. That’s the truth."
As I spoke, I slipped my hands into the inner folds of my coat, crossing my arms.
Swish.
Anguis Regina stood up from the bench. She glanced down at the ground far below before turning her gaze back to me.
"…You’re different from the others who’ve come before. Listen carefully—this is between Jafa and me. It has nothing to do with you. So if you don’t want to see my corpse, get lost. I really can jump, I’m not joking."
I laughed. Her radiant smile didn’t match the venomous words she delivered so casually.
"I know you’re capable of killing yourself. You once jumped off a 19-story mansion, trusting nothing but some unreliable guy to catch you. You live with the idea that, if things go wrong, it’s fine to die. I get it, a hundred times over, a thousand times over. I throw myself into reckless situations for the same reason. Life is just one bad thing after another, and the world is miserable, isn’t it?"
At my words, Anguis Regina’s eyes widened slightly. Her pupils shimmered excessively, as if filled with starlight.
"You actually get it. If you understand, then…"
Her voice trailed off deliberately.
I narrowed my eyes and accelerated my thoughts. If I sprinted at full speed from here, could I catch Anguis Regina? It seemed possible. But I wasn’t certain.
‘If she falls off the cliff, can I save her?’
I had no idea how treacherous the terrain was below. If I was unlucky, I might die trying.
At that moment, I recalled Kinuan’s advice.
‘When you’re covered in unnecessary baggage, your decision-making slows down. The more things you have to protect, the more situations you need to avoid, the more inefficient your thinking becomes. Instead of taking the fastest solution, you waste time circling around it, because this won’t work, and that won’t work either.’
There was no need to waste time circling around the fastest solution.
…Anguis Regina wasn’t my girlfriend. She wasn’t my family. She was a complete stranger. There was no reason for me to risk myself for her.
Beep.
My retinal display activated.
- Non-lethal mode, species: human, target: disable mobility.
Setting the auto-tracking pistol was simple. The aiming reticle locked onto the target on its own.
Click.
With my hand still inside my coat, I moved my finger and pulled the trigger.
Two gunshots rang out, muffled slightly by the fabric.
A burst of red exploded from both of Anguis Regina’s knees. Her legs, suddenly robbed of stability, buckled and twisted in unnatural directions.
Thud.
She collapsed to the ground.
"Ah…"
Her reaction was delayed. It seemed she had never experienced this kind of violence before. Right now, she probably wasn’t even feeling the pain yet.
She tried to stand but foolishly fell back down. As she stared at her dangling, useless knees, her expression gradually crumpled. This wasn’t an act, nor was it a mask. It was raw, genuine emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"You said it yourself earlier, didn’t you? That I seem different from the others who came before. You were right. I’m not like anyone you’ve met before. I’ll never move according to your will."
I pulled the auto-tracking pistol out from inside my coat and stepped closer. As my coat swayed, empty casings clinked against the ground.
…A beat late, Anguis Regina finally screamed.
For someone who made a living singing and dancing, her voice was piercingly loud.