LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 76
When a person unexpectedly faces a situation, it’s natural for their body to freeze up.
For instance, it’s like when someone is caught off guard by a truck suddenly darting out from an alley, leaving them unable to dodge and getting hit instead.
This reaction is often dubbed the ‘frozen phenomenon,’ and for me, the realization that Greg was in danger was just such a moment.
In the month since he left the city, I hadn’t once thought anything like this could happen.
‘He said he’d be back soon, right? After saying that, is he really doing this?’
I clenched my fist tightly as I recalled our last moment together.
His carefree smile, assuring me he would be back soon without any trouble, remained vivid in my mind.
As the initial shock faded away like a receding wave, a torrent of emotions surged within me, bubbling up fiercely.
Worry, anger, disappointment, anxiety, irritation, dread…
I couldn’t just sit still any longer.
Fueled by a boiling frustration I couldn’t contain, I dashed toward the door.
“Wait a moment! Where do you think you’re going?”
“…!”
I was about to run out.
If Raven hadn’t grimly grabbed my shoulder so tightly it hurt, I might have.
What the hell? Don’t get in my way!
I shot him a glare, feeling a jolt of pain and a twinge of betrayal from his grip.
But he merely looked back at me with those cold, emotionless eyes.
“Do you even know where Greg is? Running out without a plan won’t solve anything.”
“…”
“So just… don’t make things worse by being reckless. If you get in the way now, it’ll only create unnecessary problems. Trust me.”
Raven’s face showed no warmth, just a chilling seriousness that was completely different from his usual playful demeanor.
Thanks to that, I could finally see my own situation objectively.
My heart was pounding in my chest so violently I thought I might explode, and my breath came out in sharp bursts.
A plan? I didn’t have one. If Raven hadn’t stopped me, I would have probably been racing around the city with my telekinesis.
‘And that would have… solved nothing and only made things worse, in sheer emotional chaos.’
Realizing this, I bit my lip and willed my legs to stop.
Maybe Raven sensed this change in me. He slowly released his grip on my shoulder.
He must have thought that I wouldn’t bolt off recklessly anymore.
But even though I had regained some semblance of reason, my emotions were still in turmoil.
The tightness in my chest felt like someone was choking my insides.
“First, calm down. I know Greg is precious to you in many ways, but he’s also someone we’re connected to here, so he won’t simply be ignored. Plus… there’s still a way to save Greg.”
“…?”
How could one message for help make a difference?
I looked at him, my eyes filled with confusion.
Then Raven presented his screen to me and said, “Look closely at this message Greg sent. Strangely, it wasn’t sent via an identifiable number but rather through an internet service. This method is quite convenient, but… it comes with a security concern because the IP is assigned.”
“…!”
“Normally, the companies that provide services make sure that such information is well-protected, making it difficult to access from the outside. But… we have someone who’s incredibly good at this sort of thing, don’t we?”
Without hesitation, Raven opened his terminal and sent a message somewhere.
That person was probably David, who might be slacking off since today is Sunday.
What a wicked boss. I love it. Let’s proceed just like that!
Trying hard to ignore the urging pain in my shoulder, I nodded as Raven looked at his terminal while messaging David.
“Uh… how’s your shoulder?”
“…?”
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to hurt you too much.”
What’s with the apologies? This is my fault, not yours.
Seeing Raven, the guy who was glaring at me like he would kill me earlier, now apologizing and rubbing his neck, just made me shake my head.
What’s this? Good cop, bad cop routine?
Besides, I wasn’t even hurt. There was no need for him to apologize at all.
In fact, I should be thanking him for preventing me from making an irreversible mistake.
So, to express this sincerity, I bumped my forehead against Raven’s belly, like cats do to show friendliness. Surely, he’d get the hint.
“Ugh, haha, I guess you’re not the type to dwell on trivial things. Alright, get changed. We’re leaving as soon as David gets in touch.”
“…?”
“Why? You’re going too! You want to help Greg, don’t you?”
“…!”
Of course!
I vigorously nodded at Raven, who rarely smiled, radiating an unexpectedly handsome grin.
Then I dashed to my room without a second thought.
I tossed my clothes aside and quickly changed into my usual maid outfit.
Sitting upright on the office sofa in my crisp, wrinkle-free attire, I reminded myself that the longest way is often the quickest.
Stifling the emotions that were trying to burst out from within, I patiently waited on the sofa.
[ Mama… are you okay? ]
Tesseract cautiously spoke up, as if it could sense my anxiety.
But honestly, I was perfectly fine right now.
Raven told me to trust him, and I could really believe that would be the right choice.
After all, Raven is the protagonist.
Of course, if something truly did go wrong…
I wouldn’t know if I could stay this calm, even then.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The silence of the office was only punctuated by the clock’s ticking, keeping time as my unease silently lingered.
*
After meditating quietly on the sofa for a while, Raven walked in.
He must have changed clothes in the meantime because he now wore a heavy suit that he used when working.
“I have good news. David successfully traced the IP and found out where Greg is.”
“…!”
“Greg is in Belmont. It’s a coastal city that takes about half a day to drive to from Night Haven.”
I half suspected it, but it really was outside Night Haven.
But a half-day drive? That’d make us too late!
I frowned, serious concern creeping onto my face.
It was a relief that it wasn’t another country, but still, the distance was too great of an issue.
At this rate, we shouldn’t waste time.
Seeing my worry, Raven continued seriously.
“If we leave now, we might reach the city by early morning tomorrow. Not knowing what the situation is over there, this certainly isn’t a great scenario.”
“…”
“So instead of traveling by car, we’re going to take another route.”
Another route?
Train or airplane tickets would be hard to get on short notice.
I mean, I don’t even have a proper identity, so can I get on one?
No way, could a fixer make that possible?
I looked at him, hoping he would elaborate on the method that I couldn’t figure out.
To my surprise, Raven calmly said, “Do you remember Rurika from earlier? She happens to have a schedule to go abroad today, so we’re going to borrow her private jet. That way, we can reduce the travel time to about 2 hours.”
“…!”
A miracle, transforming a half-day into just 2 hours!
No doubt, planes were faster than cars.
Plus, with a private jet, we wouldn’t even need to fuss about arranging plane tickets.
As the destination isn’t overseas, a passport wouldn’t be necessary either.
But wait, would she really allow us to use it just like that? No strings attached?
As I reflected on this, Raven cleared his throat and added, “By the way, she said she wants to use you and Alice in her next music video when she has the time. Apparently, the previous one we made got a good response.”
“…”
“Well, that’s settled! Let’s head out immediately. We have to reach the airport by 6, and there’s no time to waste.”
With Raven hurrying me along, I had no choice but to hurry after him.
As we walked, Raven explained our plan step by step.
We would head straight to the city, look for any traces of Greg, who had been unreachable, and somehow figured out how to help him.
However, since Belmont isn’t as friendly to diverse races as Night Haven, it seemed Alice and David wouldn’t be able to join us.
‘But Alice is almost indistinguishable from humans; wouldn’t it be alright?’
Suddenly questioning this, I mimicked drawing a sword from my waist and asked about Alice.
But he shook his head, explaining that power flows through her body, so she would need a magical restraint necklace.
Ah, thinking about it, that’s true. She would indeed stand out unnecessarily.
I nodded to Raven, signaling that I understood.
So it’s just me and Raven going together. That felt like a heavy burden on my mind.
Due to the smooth traffic, we reached the airport without taking too much time.
We thankfully arrived before the 6 o’clock departure time.
“Hey, we’re here.”
“Oh, you’re the piece of trash who only contacts me when you need something… Yuria, hello. Do you remember your sister?”
“…!”
“This is surprisingly pleasant treatment…”
I waved my hand cheerily at Rurika, who seemed strangely friendly.
She reminded me of Alice, and her amiable demeanor didn’t feel overwhelming at all.
At least she wasn’t the type to hug me and sniff my hair like she was obsessed, which was good.
Raven, feeling sidelined with the warm reception I was getting, rubbed his neck after watching me and Rurika and casually thanked her.
“Thanks for letting us use your jet today. We had an urgent matter, so it really saved us.”
“Hmph. I didn’t agree to this for you; it’s for Alice and Yuria. Thank them instead. Why would I give a ride to a dull person like you?”
“Yeah yeah, sorry for being dull.”
“…”
“Now, let’s board.”
Rurika gestured to the private jet with her thumb.
To my surprise, there were quite a few people onboard. Apparently, they were staff or crew members.
It seems like it’s common for crews to accompany the dozens of people sent out for overseas shooting.
Maybe to her, renting out the jet was actually easier than expected.
“Oh! Yuria, Raven!”
“Huh? Who are you…?”
“…!”
“It’s me, Aisha. Haha, is the makeup a bit awkward?”
To my astonishment, Aisha—a familiar face—was among the passengers in the private jet.
She was part of the same agency as Rurika and seemed to be expanding her recognition through the overseas shoots.
She also must have struggled a lot in her own ways. I hoped everything went well for her.
Before long, the jet smoothly took off from the airport.
It seemed that the staff didn’t ask for my identity, thankfully.
Since this was my first time being on a plane, I should’ve been filled with excitement, but…
I still had Greg on my mind, which kept me from enjoying it fully.
Oh, hold on, they said it was an overseas shoot, right? Would they just drop us midway?
As that thought graced my mind, I was soon about to uncover the answer.
“Alright, I’ll be off first. Work hard on your shoot. Let’s go, Yuria!”
“…”
Wooosh!
At the open door of the jet, before I knew it, Raven and I were strapped with parachute bags on our backs.
What the heck? This isn’t some battle royale game!
Who jumps out of a plane with a parachute attached?
As those thoughts whirled in my head, I couldn’t even scream before jumping into the roaring wind beside Raven.
No matter how urgent it was, who even thinks of jumping out of a flying airplane with a parachute?
Raven definitely wasn’t normal, that’s for sure.