A cloak, a Crow Mask—the standard Street Sweeper outfit. But it was her voice Annan recognized.
Playful, a little husky, and a Street Sweeper...
"Centurion?"
"Oh, you recognized me."
Annan suddenly reached for the Centurion's mask. She started to dodge, then stopped and let him lift it.
At the sight of the familiar tousled brown-orange hair and vicious scar, Annan pressed the mask back into place. "What are you doing here?"
The Centurion swatted away Annan's fumbling hands and adjusted her Crow Mask. "I was transferred to the Royal Capital."
"No..."
Annan had seen the Centurion in Breeze City only a few days ago. However fast she was, she couldn't travel faster than a Legendary Mage's Teleportation. He arrived at a reasonable conclusion. "Are you twins?"
"Who knows?"
Apparently, she intended to stick to her story. Annan returned to his earlier question. "Why am I still not qualified? I killed countless Bread—uh, Ratfolk—in Breeze City and stopped them from overthrowing it. Isn't that enough to make me a Centurion?"
The Centurion said nothing. She merely watched Annan with amusement through her Crow Mask. Uneasy, he deftly changed the subject. "What's going on in the Royal Capital?"
A waiter arrived with a tray of food at just the right moment, easing the awkwardness.
"Don't you already know?"
"That's why I'm asking. The entire King's Capital—the Mage Tower, the Street Sweepers, the Holy Grail Knights, the knightly orders, the Academy, the Royal Family—are just letting the Ratfolk march straight in? And don't forget, I'm the one who warned you the Rat Plague was coming."
The Centurion ignored his bid for credit. "The Royal Family is dealing with it."
"Are you sure? When I arrived, everyone was celebrating the Ratfolk's defeat... Ratfolk burst up from beneath the Royal Capital and attacked me, and