Several hours ago, the team of mercenaries hired by Cocolia had received several instructions from her.
According to Cocolia's orders, they were divided into three groups and dispatched to Nagazora City's television tower, a necessary route to the television tower, and the vicinity of Raiden Mei's apartment, respectively.
The detailed instruction for the team near Raiden Mei's apartment was to 'break into Raiden Mei's home and capture her after she has sustained a certain amount of injury'.
Honestly, this order was not a common one.
Generally, when dealing with such targets, the employer would, depending on the target's importance, either request the mercenaries not to harm the person or to capture them alive with no other stipulations.
Tasks that specifically required injuring the target before capturing them existed, but they were truly rare.
However, the employer's orders had to be carried out.
Although they had their doubts, mercenaries were, fundamentally, all about the money.
Never mind injuring a JK; as long as the price was right, they wouldn't refuse even if Cocolia told them to go fuck a leather couch.
And now, looking at the injured girl, this mercenary nodded with satisfaction.
Though the lights weren't on, the mercenary, equipped with night-vision goggles, had still managed to hit Raiden Mei's shoulder with his superb marksmanship.
While injuring her, the pain from her shoulder wound would also prevent the girl from concentrating fully on fighting them.
As for the bamboo sword in the girl's hand...
Heh, what kind of threat could a toy like that pose to mercenaries armed with guns?
With that thought, the mercenary aimed his gun at Raiden Mei's other shoulder.
Once I injure this shoulder, this little brat who knocked out our comrade will be...
"What!"
The mercenary was stunned to see that the girl's movements hadn't slowed in the slightest after being injured.
Soon, however, he realized what a grave mistake he had made.
In this cramped apartment, a single moment's lapse in concentration was enough to decide the outcome.
Unable to pull the trigger in time, the mercenary was struck in the throat by Mei's attack, completely incapacitating him.
Meanwhile, the injured Mei, enduring the pain from her shoulder, immediately turned on the apartment lights.
At this moment, Mei dared not act rashly.
As she saw it, if the fight remained inside the apartment, the confined space would sooner or later force both sides into close-quarters combat.
But if she ran outside...
Unprepared, she'd probably take a few bullets before she even found the enemy.
And the sharp pain in her shoulder was a constant reminder of just how great a threat the bullets were to her.
*Calm down, Mei.*
*Only two of them have come in, which means their team isn't very large.*
*I'm not without a chance to win.*
*If I can just calm down and find an opportunity...*
"You! Who the hell are you!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Forget the little brat inside—Ah!"
Just as Mei was preparing to calmly deal with the impending enemies, she suddenly heard a commotion from outside.
*What... What's going on?*
*Is this a trick to lure me out?*
*Or perhaps...*
"Whew, that woman."
At the entrance of the apartment, a handsome, white-haired man appeared before Mei's eyes.
Seeing Mei's clear pupils, Siegfried finally breathed a sigh of relief.
*Thank goodness, she hasn't entered the Herrscher awakening stage yet.*
"Um..."
Seeing that this one-armed man before her bore no hostility, Mei, though still gripping her weapon, did not intend to take any further action.
"Raiden Mei, right?"
Looking at the girl before him, Siegfried said with a smile.
"I'm a friend of your father, Raiden Ryoma."
"Father's friend?"
Hearing this man introduce himself as a friend of her father, Mei almost let a joyful expression show.
But soon, the burgeoning look on her face was replaced by a trace of vigilance.
"What proof do you have of what you're saying!"
*Wow, she's so vigilant.*
*That's great.*
*Ryoma was worried his daughter was too gentle... Ha, isn't Mei a remarkable child?*
"Oh, believe it or not, your father and I do know each other."
Taking out a photograph, Siegfried pointed at the two men in the picture.
"This is a photo of me and your father from a few years ago."
"This is..."
Suddenly noticing Siegfried's eye and hair color, Mei asked with a hint of doubt.
"What... is your relationship with Kiana?"
"Kiana? That's my daughter."
*I knew it.*
*No wonder I thought he bore a slight resemblance to Kiana.*
"Um, Uncle."
Having now confirmed that he was indeed on her side, Mei finally relaxed a bit.
"I have two questions..."
"Ask your questions later. What you should be doing now is leaving this place with me."
Seeing the unlucky fellow Mei had ambushed under a blanket stir, Siegfried raised the Judgment of Shamash and silenced him with a single shot.
Watching Siegfried's action, Mei realized that she... actually wasn't too perturbed by seeing someone killed before her eyes?
*Since when did I become so accepting of this?*
"Alright, don't worry about anything else."
Seeing Mei suddenly space out, Siegfried immediately said.
"A lot of people are after you now. I have to get you out of Nagazora City."
"Only when you're outside can you be considered temporarily safe."
*I'm... being targeted by a lot of people?*
*When did Father offend so many terrifying people?*
*And, Kiana's father...*
*Although I also feel these people deserved to die, judging from his actions, he's already quite accustomed to taking lives.*
*Sigh, what on earth has happened?*
For now, however, Mei chose not to press Siegfried for answers, instead following his instructions and walking out of the apartment with him.
*I won't overthink it. Let's just get out of here first.*
*But, if I do that, I can't go to school tomorrow.*
*If I disappear...*
*Will Leo Ash worry about me then?*
....