Ignis Demara.
The small card bore a false name and date of birth, its address listed under the Cunning Hares.
The only real thing on it was his photo—a dark, broad face and a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes.
The name printed on this New Eridu resident ID was the first local text he had ever learned to recognize, something Nicole had taught him when she handed him the card that morning.
Still, she had actually written "Demara" as the surname. He wasn't sure what kind of relationship she had registered under social status—it couldn't seriously be adopted son, could it?
Ignis recalled that late night a few days ago when he'd worn the clothes Nicole had prepared and gone to a hospital in Fourteenth Street for a medical examination.
When the tests were completed, the doctor in charge came clean with Nicole.
The giant's report was completely unusable.
A mess of strange organs, two hearts, three lungs, an unidentifiable blood type, and those unexplainable black openings all over his body.
Nicole had been completely dumbfounded. She had thought smoothing things over with the New Eridu Public Security would be enough—as long as she could hand in a proper medical report from a registered hospital, it'd be fine.
But to her horror, not a single item in Ignis's report passed inspection.
If it had only been extreme height, immense weight, and low body fat, she could have spun a story about him being a reinforced Thiren.
But those internal scans—organs that clearly didn't belong to any human or Thiren—that was impossible to explain away.
Fortunately, the doctor had clearly done this sort of thing before. He suggested hiring an actor, and said he had connections.
After a discreet extra payment, the doctor made a call and brought in a real reinforced Thiren.
Luckily, Nicole's connections were indeed strong enough. Using a report that contained nothing authentic except the photo, she managed to secure Ignis a legal identity.
Remembering the look on Nicole's face as she paid in cash—as though parting from a beloved child—Ignis felt he owed her effort in return.
At least now, Ignis was already in the cargo compartment.
That morning, Nicole had announced that she'd found a lead on the missing safe, and Billy had finished his repair work.
She immediately assembled the Cunning Hares' best four members and set out to meet Phaethon.
When Billy rolled open the cargo door, Ignis stepped out and stretched his body, realizing they were once again in the garage behind Phaethon's video store.
He turned to see Nicole talking to Phaethon's twin siblings while Anby kept muttering, "Be professional, be professional…"
"The safe's location has been confirmed. How's the thing I asked you to handle?" Nicole asked confidently toward the two Proxies.
"The data disk is repaired," Wise replied. "Just as you suspected—it contained the numeric password for the safe."
"Alright everyone! Thanks to our Proxy friends, all the prep work is complete." The boss of the Cunning Hares was practically jumping with joy. "Time for the next step!"
"Anby! Explain the plan!" Nicole's energy was infectious as she waved her hand, drawing everyone's attention to her foster daughter.
Anby nodded firmly and pulled out a map of New Eridu from her tactical suit.
"Everyone, please take a look at this map of New Eridu," she said, unfolding it for them to see.
"Our operation plan is: enter the Cretan Hollow, defeat the upper-class Ethereal: Dullahan, and retrieve the safe."
Her tone was serious, her bright eyes full of confidence.
Overall, the plan didn't sound wrong—but what about the details?
Five pairs of eyes fixed on the girl, waiting for her to continue with a more detailed explanation. But after several seconds of silence, they realized she wasn't going to add anything more.
Wait… that's it? That's the entire plan?
"And then?" Ignis asked flatly. "That part's fine. What's the specific course of action?"
"There is no 'then.'" Anby's tone was honest.
Ignis felt a chill. He suspected this might be a poorly timed joke to lighten the mood—but the sincerity in the girl's eyes told him otherwise.
She was dead serious.
"Then… what's the point of spreading out the map?" Wise blinked, equally confused.
"Nicole said we needed to look professional," Anby replied, turning to her foster mother. "Otherwise, our partners might think less of us, and it'll be hard to bargain afterward… uuuu…"
"Why did you have to say that out loud?!" Nicole quickly reached out and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Billy, weren't you watching her?"
"Not my fault, Boss Nicole! I was opening the door for Ignis just now," Billy protested, crawling out from behind the truck. "I didn't know Anby's 'professional' briefing would be like this…"
"Ah!" Billy suddenly tugged his own hair. "That explains why she was watching all those police briefing scenes from detective movies earlier!"
Can this crew even be trusted?
Ignis couldn't tell whether Anby was being unintentionally naive or Billy was deliberately making things worse.
As for Nicole—well, at least the boss was reliable when it came to the big picture… probably.
"We can hear everything, you know," Belle, Phaethon's younger sister, said, barely suppressing her laughter.
Nicole cleared her throat, crossed her arms, and steered the topic back. "Anyway, the objective is as clear and simple as Anby said—find the safe, and take it back!"
How many steps does it take to put an elephant in a fridge?
Step 1: open the door.
Step 2: put the elephant in.
Step 3: close the door.
Don't ask if it fits—just agree the steps are correct.
"What's wrong? You look like a conscript ordered by a dumb officer to sweep a minefield barehanded," Wise said, noticing Ignis's expression.
"I'm merely reconsidering the future of this operation," Ignis sighed. "The last time I saw a battle plan this short was… the last time."
"Can I ask how that battle turned out?" Belle asked, intrigued.
"Not well. The fewer the words, the bigger the disaster," Ignis said matter-of-factly. "The mission was to hold the position for three days. No one told me the squad would be facing an endless horde."
"But you succeeded, didn't you? You're still alive and kicking." Belle pressed on.
"At least the retreat was a success," Ignis nodded. "Over half the warriors made it out, and we eradicated a vast number of beasts."
"Oh, that's amazing!" Belle's eyes shone with admiration.
"Anyway!" Nicole cut in, interrupting the conversation. "Since there's no way to monitor real-time conditions inside a Hollow, guidance and support inside will be your responsibility."
"Got it, got it," Belle said as she walked back into the store. A moment later, she returned carrying their Bangboo—Eous—with a scarf marked '01'.
"Don't bully it, okay? Last time it complained to me for hours."
She handed Eous to Ignis standing by the Cunning Hares' truck.
The Bangboo recognized the giant who had poked it relentlessly last time and radiated pure rejection.
Its stubby limbs flailed as it tried to wriggle free, but Belle still managed to set it down inside the cargo hold.
As soon as its owner closed the door and the sunlight disappeared, Eous collapsed weakly onto the floor, like a child being dropped off at kindergarten—its world ending the moment the parents left.
"Don't worry, little one. I'll protect you."
Ignis's voice rumbled through the darkness. Eous jumped in shock, springing up and sticking itself flat against the wall.
After fumbling around and realizing there was no escape, it let out a long sigh of resignation and settled beside Ignis's feet.
"What's that supposed to mean? Don't pity me just because I'm a delicate flower?" Ignis poked it twice—the soft, bouncy texture was oddly satisfying.
"Ehne… ehne…" Eous mumbled a few noises, then went completely still.
For the rest of the ride, Ignis didn't bother the little Bangboo anymore. Instead, he began running battle scenarios in his head.
The Bangboo, realizing the giant had lost interest, finally found a spot to sit down.
Even without lungs, Ignis could feel the Bangboo exhale in relief.
By the time Billy opened the cargo door again, Ignis had simulated countless tactical drills.
He'd considered every possible encounter with Ethereal types he'd seen before and adjusted for every outcome.
If there was one thing missing, it was that he desperately wished he had access to a Fragstorm Grenade Launcher—against large numbers, explosives were always the best solution.
He needed to earn money soon, buy a forge and an anvil. Even without machinery, he'd handcraft explosives if he had to.
"Testing, testing, can you hear me?" Belle's voice came from within the Bangboo's body.
"Loud and clear, Phaethon. Comms are stable," Anby replied.
"Alright, everyone—let's go get that safe," Nicole said, leading the charge.
Anby and Billy followed close behind. Phaethon turned to look at Ignis still standing still, tilting her head.
"What's wrong? Something the matter?"
"No. Just… a strange feeling," Ignis replied, securing his helmet. "Something tells me things might not go smoothly."
"Don't worry. You can trust me." Belle, through Eous, raised a small hand. "I'm the great Phaethon—New Eridu's finest Proxy. No matter what happens, I'll get you all out of that Hollow."
"That's… reassuring," Ignis said, stepping forward into the swirling black-violet veil.
A strange sensation wrapped around him, like a membrane clinging to his entire body. Thankfully, it only lasted a moment. When his vision cleared, Billy was already waving at him.
"Finally! Took you long enough," Billy shouted. "Boss Nicole and Ignis—we thought you two got dropped somewhere else!"
"This is a stable entrance. No chance of separation," Eous said proudly, patting its chest. "What? Don't trust my route?"
"Of course not, Boss—Proxies of your level are totally reliable," Billy said quickly.
"Alright, enough chatter. Let's move—find that safe," ordered Boss Nicole.
And with that, the operation began.