Gunshots echoed through the empty street. Only after Charlotte watched Gervais Lambert topple backward and slump motionless on the ground, rather than turn into glass shards and vanish again, did she let out a long breath and relax.
There had actually been an element of luck in her ability to counter his substitution technique.
Had she not met a real Demoness shortly after transmigrating-Henriette, a Mid-Sequence Beyonder of the Assassin Pathway-and heard the shattering sound of Mirror Substitution taking effect during the battle with the monster that had lost control at the suburban Hunting Ground, as well as learned the ability's name from Henri, she might really have frozen momentarily when her opponent shattered under a single shot, allowing Gervais to escape after flashing into the shadows at the street corner.
Of course, escaping a Sheriff's jurisdiction was quite difficult. Even if Gervais had successfully left just now, Charlotte would very likely have followed him, setting off another chase, though it certainly would not have been as easy as this.
No, the greatest credit should go to this revolver Roselle made. Gervais must have had quite a lot going through his head when he saw me fire continuously, killing the horses and forcing the carriage to stop... Muttering silently, she surveyed her surroundings with the empty pistol in hand. She noticed that most passersby had fled into the distance amid the successive shots, which had sounded like a gunfight between several people. The theater had remained undisturbed thanks to its relatively good soundproofing. Apart from herself, the only person left at the scene was the coachman who had thrown his whip to try to stop Gervais from shooting.
The man had already climbed to his feet, covered in dust from tumbling out when the carriage overturned. His hat had fallen