"Hey, don't be nervous. Is this your first mission?"
A gentle female voice came from behind her. Angel turned and saw that it was the accompanying Ms. Lorotta.
Her right hand continued flexing and extending while her left patted Angel's shoulder reassuringly. "Your whole body looks stiff. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I was just... well, a little shaken afterward." Angel did not want the other woman to think she was unprofessional, so she hurriedly denied it.
Lorotta stepped forward and headed for the stairs beside her. She lowered her right hand to rest it and switched to flexing and extending her left arm.
"Don't worry. '2-049' is only a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact, so it isn't terribly dangerous. Its effects may be silent and the consequences serious, but we have excellent countermeasures. As long as we act together like this, there's absolutely no need to fear its harm."
As if protesting her assessment, the iron box Borgia carried in front suddenly went thump, thump, as though something inside were rapidly and violently pounding against its walls.
Angel, who had been watching the box, jumped in fright and nearly pulled out her revolver to put a few rounds into it.
"Um... it does that sometimes. But don't worry, it doesn't make it any more dangerous."
Lorotta explained somewhat awkwardly.
"Even with countermeasures, this Sealed Artifact is still extremely dangerous, isn't it? Why bring it along for today's mission?" Angel asked in confusion.
"Ah, I forgot your captain hadn't told you about this yet." Lorotta turned to look at Dunn Smith, who was bringing up the rear. Only after seeing that he did not stop their conversation did she continue. "Today, we're looking for a notebook—the Antigonus Family's notebook."
"And this Sealed Artifact's full name is the 'Antigonus Puppet.' Its only