As the sunlight outside gradually faded and was replaced by crimson moonlight, the Tingen City Nighthawks Squad finally prepared to take action against Madam Sharon.
At dinner, Seeka Tron came to the break room to relieve Leonard Mitchell, who had remained silent after their brief conversation, and also brought Angel her second meal at Blackthorn Security Company. The warm and talkative Ms. Seeka had originally wanted to continue discussing topics like "A Few Things About Tingen City's Beyonder Squads," but seeing that Angel was in low spirits, she did not disturb her and silently read the newspaper nearby instead.
During that time, Angel also went to the washroom on the company's third floor under Seeka's guidance and met Daly Simone, the somewhat mysteriously dressed "Spirit Medium," who had just woken up.
According to Seeka, contrary to Angel's earlier guess, Daly did not belong to the Tingen City Nighthawks Squad. She was a Nighthawk from Enmat Harbor in East Chester County and had come from Enmat Harbor because a mysterious incident involving a Beyonder Item required the help of a Spirit Medium.
So the six combat personnel of the Tingen City Nighthawks Squad did not actually include Daly Simone?
Angel removed Daly from the list of Nighthawks in her mind and found that left three vacancies. However, she did not continue questioning Seeka. It would look like she was deliberately fishing for information, which would be rather suspicious with the Nighthawks about to launch an arrest operation.
But soon, in the Blackthorn Security Company reception room after dinner, she met most of the Nighthawks Squad's combat personnel.
"The meeting time agreed upon in Madam Sharon's invitation with Ms. Granger is eight tonight. To avoid her standing us up and alerting Madam Sharon, we will begin the operation at seven."
Dunn Smith, no longer wearing the black-and-white checkered police uniform issued by the Tingen City Police and instead dressed in a long black coat, sat in a high-backed chair and flipped through his palm-sized old notebook. The other Nighthawks stood or sat around their captain, while Angel had also left the break room and listened in from a sofa by the wall.
"Frye, Royale, Seeka, the three of you will ride with me by carriage to Sharon Khoy's home on Olsner Street and carry out the arrest. I have already applied for authorization to use Sealed Artifact 2-105. Once we reach the destination, Frye will carry and use it. Kenley is guarding Chanis Gate today, so he will not participate. Leonard, you and Daly will remain here to protect Angel Granger until the operation is complete."
This was Angel's first time hearing the term "Chanis Gate." There were no clues about it in her memories. It seemed to be some special facility within this building, one that required someone to guard it at all times.
Frye and Royale were the other two Nighthawks who had arrived around dinner. The former was a pale-skinned man in his thirties with a high nose bridge and few words. He merely nodded to indicate that he understood when Captain Dunn mentioned him. Royale, on the other hand, was a cool-looking woman with long black hair, deep blue eyes, and slender brows. When assigned her task, she quietly replied, "Understood."
Seeka had been sitting beside Angel all along. Upon hearing that she would participate in the arrest operation, she smiled and nodded slightly.
Leonard Mitchell, who had previously asked Angel whether she wanted to join the Nighthawks, stood by the entrance with his back against the wall. His emerald-green eyes occasionally swept over the room. Hearing that his task was to remain behind, he looked calm, as though he had already known.
With the Kenley Dunn mentioned last, the roster of the six-person squad was finally complete before Angel.
The "Extra Personnel" Daly still wore her black robe and sat in the high-backed chair opposite Dunn Smith. She radiated a lazy air, as if she had yet to fully wake up. Learning that she would not participate in the arrest operation, she looked up at Dunn before lowering her head again to study the crystal pendant in her hand.
Madam Sharon's residence was on Olsner Street in Tingen City's East Borough, not far from Blackthorn Security Company in the North Borough. By carriage, it would take roughly fifteen minutes to get there. Leaving at seven gave them plenty of leeway while avoiding exposing themselves by arriving too early. Rather than sending out the entire squad against a known target, Dunn Smith had cautiously left some personnel behind to guard their base and protect the important "witness." It was enough to show his prudent style.
"Captain, didn't you say that once everyone arrived, you would give us a detailed introduction to Madam Sharon's abilities?" Seeka Tron, sitting beside Angel, raised her right hand and asked.
"Ah, sorry, I almost forgot..." Dunn froze for a moment before replying. He flipped through his notebook, found the relevant section, cleared his throat, and began recounting the Beyonder Abilities Angel had told him about.
The other Nighthawks seemed accustomed to it and listened to their captain without any change in expression.
Was this guy really reliable...? The faint admiration Angel had just developed instantly vanished.
"...Those are the abilities we currently know about. The greatest threat to us is the Witch's invisibility. Once she enters an invisible state, we lack area-of-effect attacks and will be dragged into a difficult fight. Therefore, I will first attempt to pull her into a dream from afar. If I succeed, the rest of you will enter the residence directly and subdue her. However, Madam Sharon likely possesses the strength of Sequence 6, and I cannot guarantee success. If we are forced into a direct battle, Frye must use 2-105 to attempt to steal Madam Sharon's invisibility. As long as she cannot turn invisible, her other abilities pose no threat to us as long as we are prepared. At that point, I will restrain her, and your objective will change from capturing her alive to killing Madam Sharon on the spot. Our own safety is the most important thing."
Dunn Smith quickly finished introducing Madam Sharon's Beyonder Abilities and assigned the combat team's tasks.
Using Cole Granger's memories of Madam Sharon, Angel placed herself in Dunn Smith's battle plan and ran through it in her mind. She felt that Madam Sharon would have no way to escape this time.
Against Madam Sharon, who was likely Sequence 6, Dunn had said only that he could not guarantee success. Dunn Smith probably possessed abilities no weaker than Sequence 7. Once he successfully pulled Madam Sharon into a dream, she would become a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter. Whether to kill or capture her would be entirely up to the Nighthawks. Even if Dream Invasion failed and they entered direct combat, the Sealed Artifact "2-105" he mentioned could steal her invisibility, depriving her of her greatest means of escape or counterattack. Her curses could not be used or take effect immediately, and her flame and Frost abilities might not surpass firearms in close combat. Four against one, with the advantage of surprise—even against a Sequence 6 Madam Sharon, their odds of victory were extremely high.
And Tingen City alone had three squads with this kind of combat capability. According to Seeka Tron, the Mandated Punishers had an even more aggressive style, while the Machinery Hivemind also had no shortage of heavy firepower. No wonder unofficial Beyonders kept their heads down. Once exposed, they had almost no chance of winning against a planned arrest operation by an official Beyonder organization. Even if they focused solely on fleeing, they might not get away.
Lighting a figurative candle for Madam Sharon's tragic fate, Angel also understood why Dunn Smith opposed her participation in the operation to arrest Madam Sharon. Everyone in this room was a Beyonder, and she might well be the weakest among them. An Assassin's close-combat ability would not be of much use in this operation either. Going would only cause trouble.
If she had the strength of Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6, she would have long since stormed Madam Sharon's home with a gun. Why would she need to wait here for the Nighthawks' results to determine her own fate?
Angel secretly sighed. Even if she had the chance to increase her strength, could she really become an Assassin and Instigator with a clear conscience, advancing by stepping on the flesh and blood of innocents?
The four members of the "operation team" soon departed. After preparing their firearms and ammunition, Frye, the black-haired, blue-eyed man, brought along something shaped like a blood vessel stripped from a human body. The four filed out through the main entrance. Before long, the sound of wheels rolling over the stone road came from downstairs, gradually fading away alongside the crack of a whip.
Angel also met one of the Nighthawks' clerical staff, a middle-aged man named Bredt. He had a thick beard, wore a suit and top hat, and had a faint smile on his face. Compared to a member of a Beyonder organization, he looked more like the butler of some wealthy household.
Clerical staff like Bredt did not participate in external operations. He was responsible for everyday reception, cleaning rooms, paperwork, and guarding the weapon, material, and document repositories. Like the Beyonders guarding Chanis Gate, they also had to take turns standing night watch.
"We originally had seven clerical staff, including Old Neil, who transferred from being a full member to clerical work. Five people took turns watching the weapon and material repositories. Kenley, the one on duty at Chanis Gate today, chose to become a Sleepless, while Viola did not renew her contract. Now they are having trouble keeping the rotations going."
After the four departed, the reception room felt somewhat empty. Angel, Daly, and Leonard sat around the central table. Once Bredt had brewed tea for them, he returned to continue guarding the armory. Watching his departing back, Leonard sighed.
"A newcomer arrived this week too. Like you, he got caught up in a mysterious incident. Although he isn't a Beyonder, he luckily survived and decided to join the Nighthawks. Rozanne thought he would become clerical staff and was overjoyed. But the captain told me that after joining, he won't participate in rotations for the time being. Rozanne still doesn't know... Oh, Rozanne is one of our clerical staff too. She is on duty tomorrow, so you will meet her."
Why are you telling me all this...?
Angel maintained a polite smile as she listened to Leonard introduce the clerical staff's work arrangements, but she felt slightly puzzled. During their conversation that afternoon, Seeka had avoided talking about the Nighthawks' internal affairs, which suggested they had restrictions in that regard. Yet Leonard was completely unguarded, laying everything out for her. Was there some special reason?
Daly Simone, sitting nearby, seemed uninterested in these matters. After Dunn Smith and the others departed, she had fallen into a low mood. She either stared at the tea leaves floating in her cup or seemed to look toward the other two, though her gaze was not focused at all.
"Oh, right. The captain asked me to return your weapons, and I happen to have a question." Leonard had nearly reached the history of Chanis Gate when he suddenly clapped his hands as though just remembering. He took a wooden box from his pocket and placed it on the table. It was the box of special bullets taken from Angel earlier.
Leonard also took out the two revolvers, one large and one small, and placed them beside the ammunition box. Then he picked up a "Storm Convergence" bullet engraved with complex patterns and the Evernight Goddess's holy emblem, placing it beside one of his Demon Hunter Bullets for comparison, just as he had in the carriage during the day.
"The church-produced Demon Hunter Bullet gains additional lethality against Beyonder creatures through engraved Hermes Script used for rituals, along with the holy emblem pointing to the Evernight Goddess." He pointed at the smaller silver-white bullet, which was clearly more exquisitely crafted and looked expensive.
Angel straightened slightly and listened to his explanation. Daly, who had been staring blankly with unfocused eyes, also focused her gaze on Leonard.
"But I carefully studied your bullet this afternoon. The patterns on it are orderly and should be another type of engraving with an effect similar to a Demon Hunter Bullet. They are not Hermes Script, nor do they belong to any language I have ever seen. Like the Demon Hunter Bullet, it ultimately uses the Evernight Goddess's holy emblem, but I am very curious. What exactly does it say?"
Of course it doesn't belong to any language you've seen. It's English, and in cursive at that...
Angel felt somewhat helpless. During the day in the carriage, she had cleverly muddled through under the test of that lie-detecting Sealed Artifact. She had thought Leonard would not bring it up again, but the young Nighthawk with his scholarly spirit still remembered it and had even carefully studied the patterns on the bullet.
Thankfully, that Sealed Artifact has already been put away. Daly needs to rely on a Sealed Artifact to detect lies, which means she herself does not have that ability, or cannot use it immediately. Time to test whether I can lie without blushing or missing a beat...
After quickly preparing her explanation, Angel was about to steer this nonexistent language toward some ancient faith when Daly suddenly frowned, looked around, and stood up directly.
"Something isn't right. The nearby Spirit Bodies are filled with unease..."
Before you continue