HIFH | Chapter 60

Episode 60

Hearing Lu call my name was nothing new.

But today… somehow, his voice felt different.

It was gentle. Gentle and soft. And at the same time, it carried a trace of sorrow.

As if every word Lu spoke was both sincere and true.

Gulp.

Without realizing it, I swallowed dryly.

I was slightly afraid of what Lu might say next.

It wasn’t long before he slowly parted his lips.

“I don’t know if it’s because you were asleep for so long…”

“Hm?”

“Your face is really puffy. So cute.”

“…….”

Give me back my tension.

I glared at Lu.

“Do you really think that’s what you should be saying right now? Hm?”

“This is the only time I get to tease you, so I have to do it now.”

“You little…!”

I was about to lunge at him, but Lu gently pressed down on my shoulder.

“Don’t move suddenly. Just stay lying down.”

And then, he added,

“I’ll call the physician first. Since you’re awake, you need to be examined.”

He wasn’t wrong, so I nodded.

I had already checked how much time had passed since the bombing, so there was no reason to keep him here.

“I’ll be back soon. You can rest in the meantime.”

I was going to sleep anyway.

Just being awake for a short while had already exhausted my entire body.

“Oh, Charles.”

Lu, who was about to leave the room, suddenly turned his head.

“You can’t stay in bed for too long again.”

Then, with a bitter smile, he added,

“Otherwise, I’ll be really sad.”

“……”

Was he truly sad, or was he exaggerating?

I didn’t really care either way.

But… a part of me wished he was sincere.

Because it felt good to have someone rooting for my life.

So…

“Ughhh…”

It took a full four days after waking up before I could finally get out of bed.

Groan. I stretched with a soft sigh.

“This is going to take a while to fully recover.”

Just stretching left me out of breath.

Tch.

Looks like I’ll have to start running again tomorrow. Muttering to myself, I stretched my side once more.

Then, something caught my eye.

A newspaper on the table.

“It’s probably another ‘Hero Charles’ nonsense.”

It wasn’t the first time, so it didn’t surprise me anymore.

In fact, I was getting sick of it.

But ignoring it completely wasn’t an option either, so I picked it up and skimmed through it.

“……Huh?”

Something was strange.

[A New Era of Railways: The High-Speed Train Faster Than Carriages!]

[Music Fills the City Square: Street Performances Bring Life to the Capital!]

There wasn’t a single mention of the terrorist attack.

I searched through every newspaper in the pile, but all I found were articles about how peaceful the empire was.

As if someone had deliberately erased all traces of the attack.

“Why…?”

Confused by the situation, I mumbled to myself.

And just then—

Tok—

A faint tapping sound.

Tok— Tok—

I set the newspaper down and turned around.

There, right in front of the window, sat a bird.

A mechanical bird from Catacle.

I hesitated for a moment, then quickly gathered myself and walked toward the window.

Through the camera in its eye, someone was watching me. I couldn’t afford to show any weakness.

Reminding myself of that, I opened the window.

With a flutter of its wings, the mechanical bird waddled toward me.

Its black eyes, embedded with cameras, glowed faintly red. I stared at that light.

[Charles.]

A familiar voice came through the microphone on its neck. It was, of course, Baylor.

“Yes, Captain.”

Thump thump. My heart pounded.

I never expected Catacle to contact me first.

Was he angry that I stopped the attack?

Was he going to threaten me to spill everything I knew?

Whatever it was, I needed to stay sharp. I took a deep breath.

[You’ve lost so much weight.]

But what he said was completely unexpected.

[I wanted to visit you, but the security around your estate was too tight. I hope you’ll forgive me for not coming in person.]

He… was worried about me?

Baylor?

My eyelids trembled slightly.

[You did well. If not for you, the citizens of the empire would have suffered greatly.]

“……”

Anyone listening would think Baylor was genuinely praising me and worrying about the empire.

But I knew the truth.

I knew that Cataclysm was behind the racetrack bombing.

And yet…

‘Why is he talking like this?’

I held my breath and thought.

Baylor was pretending.

He was lying to my face, saying that Catacle had nothing to do with the attack.

If this were the past—if I had still blindly trusted him—I might have believed his words.

But now, I knew too much.

So I couldn’t take his words at face value.

[Charles? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering?]

“Ah.”

I shook my head a couple of times.

“No, it’s nothing. Thank you for your concern, Captain.”

There was no point in saying, ‘I know Catacle was behind the attack.’

Right now, it was better for Baylor to see me as nothing more than an obedient pawn.

That way, I could stay by his side, observe his every move, and learn his plans.

“Thanks to your concern, I’m recovering well. I should be able to move freely in a few days.”

[Good. That’s a relief.]

Baylor’s voice was warm, as if he truly cared.

If I were in front of him, he might have even gently stroked my head.

[That being said…]

Then, he continued.

[How did you figure out the attack was going to happen?]

Ah.

So this was what he really wanted to know.

I forced myself to stay calm and smiled faintly.

“I overheard a conversation while passing by. Just in case, I went up to the VIP room, and that’s where I found the bomb.”

It was an obviously weak excuse.

But there was no proof that it was a lie.

No matter what I said, Baylor had to pretend to believe me.

[……I see. Well done.]

Just like that.

I let out a breath of relief. My shoulders relaxed slightly.

[But, Charles. My dear.]

Flinch. My fingers curled instinctively. I lifted my gaze back to the mechanical bird’s eye. Its smooth, lifeless surface stared back at me.

[Always be careful.]

“……”

[Your missions are important, but your safety comes first. Make sure you don’t get hurt. Do you understand?]

If I hadn’t realized Baylor’s true intentions, how would I have reacted?

I would have taken his words at face value, strengthened my resolve to sacrifice everything for him.

Like a fool.

But not anymore.

Now, I knew.

Baylor was only using me.

His ambition for power would lead to the deaths of many.

So…

‘I can’t let my guard down.’

I suppressed the fleeting hope that maybe, just maybe, some of Baylor’s kindness was real.

“Yes, Captain. Understood.”

[Good.]

Baylor then said,

[Once you’ve recovered, return immediately. We need to investigate the ones behind the attack.]

The ones behind it? I frowned slightly.

Wasn’t the mastermind the very person I was speaking to?

I wanted to say that out loud. But I held back.

[From what we’ve gathered…]

Unaware of my thoughts, Baylor continued,

[This attack was likely orchestrated by the Guardians.]