Chapter 260

"That's all. I still can't figure it out."

After all, Yukina was just a high school student, and her education from childhood had little to do with business management. These huge piles of documents gave her a headache. However, Yukina didn't need to worry about this. She had already handed the original over to Shinomiyami Nami, and now a professional team should have taken over the matter. Yukina brought back some photocopies to look at purely to pass the time and try her luck.

Yukina neatly stacked the ledgers in chronological order, pushed back her chair, and lay down on the bed next to her, burying herself in the soft pillows.

This is Naoko's bedroom. Naoko's unique fragrance is squeezed out from the cotton and envelops Yukina's nose.

"Naoko..."

Yukina squinted, hugging the pillow to her chest. Thud—the slipper hanging from her toes fell to the floor. Yukina used both hands and feet to hug the not-so-large pillow tightly in one go, gently inhaling its faint fragrance. Her fingertips tightened their grip, as if she wanted to meld the pillow, imbued with Naoko's scent, into her body.

A day has passed; I wonder how Naoko is doing?

When we were together all the time, this feeling wasn't so strong; in fact, I complained more than I missed him. But now, even being apart for a day is enough to torment me and keep me up at night.

She longed to be with Naoko right now, but she lacked the strength to match her intense longing. All she could do was wait in a safe place, unlike everyone else, while the dangerous work was left to Naoko.

Yukina turned over, raised her hand, and the Butterfly Hairpin shimmered with a dull silver-gray light under the lamp.

She stared intently at the Beacon that had brought countless changes to her life, her mind flashing back to the memories of the past month with Naoko, finally settling on the day she first met "Efnir" in the gymnasium.

Codename H, she brought this Beacon, which should have been kept securely at headquarters, to her. Even now, when she thinks back, Yukina can still recall what Codename H looked like.

"H..."

Yukina murmured, tears welling in her eyes, "Why did she give me the Beacon...?"

Turning to her side, Yukina gazed at the hair clip lying quietly in her palm. Unconsciously, her eyes became dry, and fatigue washed over her.

When she got home, she suddenly heard from Kanade Kotone that today was the school festival. Naoko's birthday was in two days.

After preparing for so long, we missed the school festival, and the most important person wasn't there either.

Yes, everything is different now.

Taking a light sniff of the faint, hazy fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose, it felt as if Naoko was quietly watching over her right there.

"Naoko..."

Yukina drifted off to sleep.

The night Beyond the Boundary was filled with the starlight, and the cool, moist air covered the skin. As the white mist shrouded the horizon, layers of thin veil-like fog gradually spread.

The temperature dropped after the rain.

Efnir leaned against the half-collapsed wall, reviewing all the clues she knew over and over again, trying to find a breakthrough. Not far from Efnir, an armored vehicle with the Hamikawa City emblem painted on it was parked in the middle of the road. Majian was there, with Flying Swallow and Jin behind her. Flying Swallow was still wrapped up tightly, and Jin's restraint had not diminished in the slightest.

The three women were discussing the findings of their daytime investigation.

However, it was clear that their investigation had yielded nothing, so their intelligence exchange was destined to be fruitless. Therefore, Efnir did not participate in their conversation, but simply listened from the sidelines.

"It seems like nothing's been accomplished for everyone..."

When spared the pressure from Efnir, Majian proved to be an experienced agent. After a moment's hesitation, she reopened the map and quickly sketched a few lines: "The south, which Miss Efnir is in charge of, is completely empty. The central and western regions are my responsibility..."

She paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, then continued, "And nothing was found either."

"Senior... since we've spent a whole day without any results, should we continue the investigation?"

The question was asked by Jin, "The commander wouldn't want us to be away from the city for too long."

Majian glanced at her electronic bracelet; it was already past 10 p. m., meaning that twelve hours had passed since the three of them arrived, but they hadn't found a single valuable clue in those twelve hours.

Continuing this futile search is not a good idea. Generally speaking, returning to the city to report the current situation and make a long-term plan is the best course of action. After all, staying overnight in the dangerous Beyond the Boundary region is not a reasonable choice.

In the past, she would have gone home without hesitation.

But now...

Majian pursed her lips, cautiously and casually casting her gaze at Efnir, meeting Efnir's indifferent eyes for a moment before looking away.

This small movement did not escape the eyes of Majian, who had been watching Mako closely.

"We... will stay," Majian said after a moment's hesitation.

"But... what about the commander's side..."

"I'll explain things to headquarters when I get back; they'll understand."

Majian did not give Jin a chance to speak.

Jin fell silent, feeling a little uneasy. Normally, Majian wouldn't act so arbitrarily, but after meeting that Efnir, Majian- senpai suddenly seemed like a different person... She bit her lower lip lightly, her gaze seemingly glancing in Efnir's direction, but Efnir only glanced at her before looking away.

Jin stopped speaking, Flying Swallow gestured in confusion, and Majian made up an excuse.

Efnir continued to ponder silently, and after a while, she lightly tapped her boots and walked alone into the night. Seeing this, Majian told Jin and Flying Swallow to stay behind to guard the camp, and then he followed Efnir away.

Jin bit her lip, her gaze fixed on Majian's retreating figure.

14. Shard and Obedience

The night Beyond the Boundary carried a chilling darkness. Without the light and warmth bestowed by civilization, the silent countryside and the desolate ruins left by the old century were permeated with layers of indescribable desolation.

Efnir gazed at the desolate wilderness at the edge of her vision, a faint purple light flickering beneath her eyes.

There was no sign of human presence here, only a few wild nocturnal animals watching from a distance. However, those beasts showed little interest in Efnir and her companions, or rather, they were simply unwilling to approach the vicinity of the town. This was because places once inhabited by humans often concealed Dregs or even Erosion Entity. While the beasts were unaffected by Corruption Energy, the Dregs and Erosion Entity would not ignore them.

Strangely enough, the Erosion Entity and Dregs rarely attack organisms other than humans on their own initiative, and excessively high Corruption Energy does not cause them to Mutation unless some external factor intervenes.

Why do Erosion Entity and Dregs tend to attack humans? This is a topic that human researchers have been debating for a long time.

The pitch-black night wouldn't have much of an effect on the agent, so Efnir chose to have the conversation under a tree.

"It seems you've reached a consensus?"

She looked at Majian, whose face was filled with unease, with a half-smile.

"Um..."

She heard Majian's voice behind her and followed closely, speaking cautiously.

"I'm the captain, they won't disobey my decisions..."

This result was not unexpected by Efnir.

Through Efnir's careful observation, she found that the situation of Anilas and Majian was particularly concerning compared to that of the others after being affected by the Collapse Radiation. She was very compliant and quiet, and did not verbally abuse or attack others due to emotional outbursts. Instead, her submissive attitude towards Efnir has continued to this day.

It's as if all the accumulated emotions were transformed into a driving force, reinforcing the psychology of "obedience." Majian almost always complies with Efnir's requests, provided that these requests do not excessively deprive Majian of himself, such as committing suicide, which is something he cannot do.

Currently, the Shard have brought Efnir considerable convenience. However, this eerie power also sends chills down Efnir's spine—according to records from the Underground Research Institute, the Collapse Shard are likely just a small part peeled off from some Ruins, but the incredible and mysterious functions they contain are far beyond our comprehension.

Interfering with the flow of the Order Force within a certain range causes the agent to lose energy and become unable to fight. At the same time, it also causes the agent's emotions to fluctuate excessively in some way, and can also affect the power Codename J. If the Shard are like this, what would the complete form be like?

Throughout the day, as Efnir observed Majian's behavior, her doubts only deepened.

She didn't dwell on her doubts for long. She suppressed them and decided to return to the Underground Research Institute to continue searching for clues. Her immediate priority was to quickly find clues about Codename H and Codename J, as well as the Apostle Organization.

"The way you and your team members interact is truly unique. Don't they know your identity? Or... are they also Apostle?"

Efnir leaned against the tree trunk, gazing at the Majian before her, and then glanced meaningfully in the direction where Violet and Flying Swallow were.

Majian opened his mouth, his expression complicated.

"They're not..." Majian sensed the coldness in Efnir's words and pursed her lips awkwardly. "They're just ordinary agents..."

"I think I would believe it?"

The Majian shut its mouth.

Saying anything at this point would be futile, and even if she did, Efnir would have no reason to believe her.

After spending a day together, Efnir had already figured out why Majian and the others had come here. In short, they were here to investigate the strange occurrences in Hezhe Town, but Efnir didn't think things were really that simple.

Similarly, Efnir remained wary of Violet and Flying Swallow. She knew nothing about the situation in Hamikawa City, and she had to temporarily assume that all three agents were involved with the Apostle Organization.

"Let's exchange information too. Of course, there's no need to repeat the usual platitudes. Let's talk about things they don't know."

Efnir smiled.

The daytime "interrogation" was interrupted by Sumire, and no valuable information was obtained, but now they finally have plenty of time to talk slowly.

"Well then, you can start—you look like you have something to say."

Majian hesitated, her lips moving slightly before she spoke, "Actually... I found something interesting on the water tower in the middle of town—some combat equipment..."

She was unaware of what Efnir was thinking at that moment, and while speaking, she carefully observed Efnir's eyes.

"Those ones..."

"Oh, that's mine."

Efnir didn't hide anything, "I arrived long before you and have been here for about four days."

Partly true, partly false.

Majian didn't seem surprised by the answer, so she didn't reveal her discovery when she was discussing it with Jin and Flying Swallow. After hearing Efnir's answer, she finally understood that Efnir had already been to this town before she met them, which explained the things they had discovered so far.

Looking at Majian's expression, Efnir suddenly spoke up, "Judging from your expression... you don't actually think I'm the one who caused everything that happened here, do you?"

"Why?"

Majian was taken aback—could it be?

"I know what you're thinking. Let me put it this way: there's another force existing outside of us." Efnir looked at her and smiled enigmatically. "Indeed, I arrived here yesterday. But perhaps you've misunderstood something—I'm not Apostle."

The agent is also Eligible and can use the Apostle Beacon; Majian naturally understands this, so there's nothing surprising about it.

But she never understood how Efnir discovered her identity, or what she was planning. However, these questions were no longer relevant to her.

As for "other forces," Majian had absolutely no clue. She simply pursed her lips and remained silent, adopting a very humble attitude in front of Efnir.

"I just happened to come here to pick up some things..."

Efnir then recounted some of the events that had occurred since she arrived there yesterday.

She did not lower her guard because of Majian's obedience, so she concealed many details, deliberately distorted and hid the mission's purpose, and told a half-truth while carefully observing Majian's expression.

But in the end, she couldn't glean anything from Majian's expression—clearly, either Majian was hiding something very well, or Majian truly knew nothing.

15. The Beacon from six years ago

Efnir's words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, making it difficult for Majian to discern her true intentions.

She had no choice but to keep quiet; whatever Efnir asked, she answered.

Soon, Efnir roughly figured out Majian's identity.

Majian is indeed a member of the Apostle Organization. She infiltrated Hamikawa City under the guise of an Erosion Disaster. The way she infiltrated Hamikawa City is exactly the same as the way Codename H and Sakurai Sachi entered Xijing City.

After spending more than three years in Hamikawa City, Majian was soon discovered to possess the potential of Eligible, so two years ago she voluntarily applied to join the ranks of agents. In general, through Majian, Efnir has also learned that there is indeed the influence of the Apostle Organization within the Hamikawa City Orderkeepers Organization, which is not much different from Xijing City a month ago.

What Efnir was concerned about was that Majian joined the Hamikawa City Orderkeepers Organization two years ago, but she entered Hamikawa City as an informant six years ago.

Six years ago, Majian was only thirteen years old, just a little girl, but precisely because of that, no one doubted her.

Within the Apostle Organization, girls like her are not uncommon.

Efnir didn't believe Majian was lying. Her slow-developing body was proof that she had come into contact with the power of the Apostle at an early age. That's why, even though she was already an adult, she still looked like a middle school girl.

"You and I are about the same age, though I'm a little older," Efnir turned to Majian, scrutinizing her. "You've been exposed to this power far too early; it will only deprive you of future possibilities."

The most suitable age for an agent to undergo First Synchronization is between fifteen and twenty-five years old. If it is too early, the body has not yet fully developed and cannot fully withstand the changes brought about by the full power to the Eligible, thus failing to achieve the best results. If it is beyond this age range, the depth of Synchronization will be greatly reduced, and the power cannot be brought to its fullest potential.

For this reason, cities generally do not force Eligible under the age of fifteen to join the ranks of agents.

Majian was only thirteen years old when she first entered the Synchronization, which limited her potential for growth. If Majian had grown up normally, her strength as an agent would have reached an even higher level.

"It's alright..." Majian looked at Efnir cautiously, biting her lower lip, and said in a voice that was almost squeezed out of her throat, "Whether in the Human Federation or the Apostle Organization, not many people care about this kind of thing."

For example, Flying Swallow suffered greatly from her adoptive parents during her childhood.

Or perhaps Saori or Rin, neither of them were under fifteen years old when they joined the agency.

Efnir glanced at her. "--Are there many girls like you in the Apostle Organization?"