After secretly confirming Ao Jue's death, Platinum ultimately chose to come to Rhodes Island with Revy. Although Revy had told Platinum on the way that Qingjin, as an Infected individual, would likely not have remains left after death, the distraught Kuranta girl couldn't quite take it in. Perhaps for her now, with the obsession of revenge gone, she could only drift with the current—she didn't want to return to Kazimierz, a place that would only use her like a consumable, just as it had used Qingjin.
Revy had no objection; in fact, he hoped that Platinum could establish some cooperative relationship with Rhodes Island, as an assassin as strong as her was rare even on Rhodes Island. Of course, Platinum remained noncommittal on this point—she had no intention of forgiving Revy. In her view, if she hadn't been entangled in Revy's affairs, Qingjin wouldn't have lost her life.
Revy didn't force her, nor would he force himself—the trip to Yan left him exhausted; an intense sense of fatigue almost swept through the Sarkaz man's soul. Knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing. One could say that if it had been any other operator who came to Luoyang City this time instead of Revy, only a body bag would have been sent back to Rhodes Island.
(Seventh Prince... Damn it, who leaked the secret?!) Thinking this, Revy gnashed his teeth.
Revy and Platinum parted ways in Rhodes Island's reception room—the Kuranta girl hadn't yet received permission to board the island and needed to wait for Amiya or other central personnel's approval, while Revy needed to report directly to Kal'tsit. Some confidential matters, not even Amiya needed to know. Or rather... neither Revy nor Kal'tsit... wanted Amiya to know...
"Revy, there's something wrong with this incident. We were already targeted long before we went to Great Yan." Theresa's voice sounded in his mind at the right moment: "If it weren't for the Seventh Prince's unique nature and the demands made by that old Dragon King, we probably would never have imagined that a Prince of Great Yan could have any connection with Rhodes Island."
"This wasn't that Ao Jue's scheme... That old Dragon King was the real mastermind behind it," Revy sneered silently. "Poor First Prince, he thought he was so clever, but in reality, he was simply being toyed with."
"So he died in the end?" Theresa's tone carried a hint of speculation: "Perhaps it was because he saw through his own predicament, or couldn't bear the despair of failure, so he simply committed suicide?"
"No, that kind of person is never short of courage to face failure." Revy stated confidently: "The old Dragon King wouldn't kill him—after all, fundamentally speaking, though still a bit green, he was still the most outstanding among the old Dragon King's heirs."
"Then why did he still..."
"Is it simply because he didn't want to become like his father? Perhaps... but I'm more inclined to believe that his death was actually part of the old Dragon King's plan—I mean, the outcome of his death, the outcome for Rhodes Island,"
"..." Theresa did not answer, or rather, didn't know how to answer. If things were truly as Revy said, then this game of chess was far too grand—if Rhodes Island hadn't gotten involved, she would have even advised Revy to stay as far away as possible. Although Revy's strategic vision and command ability were almost on par with the Doctor's, Revy was, after all, only one person. Even with Rhodes Island behind him, they were still far from matching Great Yan, one of the world's most formidable giants.
"...Don't worry, that guy doesn't have the guts to make a move on me," Revy said faintly, as if to comfort Theresa: "To kill me, he'd have to gamble not just his own life, but all of Great Yan... If I were so easy to kill, would Theresis, that dog, have tolerated me for so long?"
Theresa fell silent. She truly didn't know how to respond. She clearly understood that Revy's hatred for her brother was deeply rooted, but she also knew Revy's inherent madness, and how much impact it would bring to Kazdel, a nation that was only just forming a concept. Revy did not love Kazdel; he only loved Theresa—Kazdel without Theresa meant nothing to Revy.
"Revy, I..." Just as the girl began to speak, preparing to persuade Revy, the Sarkaz man's personal terminal on his waist rang unseasonably. Revy slid open the terminal—the screen displayed an encrypted message.
With just a brief glance, a smile appeared on the young Sarkaz man's face.
"...It seems we don't need to report anymore."
— — — — Divider — — — —
Eyjafjalla had been feeling somewhat restless lately. Confirming her relationship with Revy and learning her idol and boyfriend's deepest secret was supposed to be a dreamlike experience. However, Revy had suddenly received orders to leave for half a month, leaving no information behind and making no calls, which made the Caprinian girl feel a bit anxious and uneasy.
At this moment, she was still idly standing in front of her work—for a volcanologist by profession, Rhodes Island didn't have many suitable tasks for her. Although she had already mastered combat techniques that qualified her as a Senior Operator, she still felt that paperwork suited her better.
But soon after, the door to the personnel department was pushed open, and a soft footsteps sounded. Eyjafjalla's brow furrowed slightly. Generally, outsiders rarely disturbed the personnel department during work, and she was feeling a bit bothered and didn't want to be disturbed—so she pretended not to hear, even though her hearing and sight were far beyond ordinary people at this point.
There were only two breathing sounds in the office. The newcomer seemed in no hurry and stood quietly in front of her desk.
?In a brief silence, Eyjafjalla's body suddenly stiffened, and the pen in her hand silently dropped to the floor.
"...Senior?"