15 Lieutenant Rosa

The person who had halted Cyrus's progress appeared to be a young woman in her mid to late twenties. She wore a vest that looked like a cross between military and law enforcement attire, which hugged her slender frame perfectly. Her lips were small, with a thin lower lip and a top lip that came together to form a heart shape. Her brown eyes were the deepest he had ever seen, and they matched the color of her hair, which was styled in a bun. Cyrus couldn't help but admire her flawless pale skin, which was free of any imperfections. As he took in her features, he felt increasingly flustered, a sensation he had never experienced before.

As she waited for Cyrus to respond, he remained motionless and looked back at her. Abruptly, one of the men who stood behind her stepped forward and spoke up in annoyance.

"How dare you ignore the chief!"

Cyrus stuttered and stumbled over his words as he snapped out of his daze.

"I-I'm sorry... Who are you guys?"

"Move aside, cadet!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

he man who had interrupted quickly stepped back behind the woman upon hearing her command. She approached Cyrus slowly, causing him to feel uneasy.

"You..." he stuttered.

"What happened inside? Why are you so badly injured?"she asked, scrutinizing Cyrus's body.

"I'm sorry?" Cyrus replied.

"Why is your skin burnt like that? Did you sustain those wounds inside the gate?"

"Oh, no. These are old wounds," he explained.

"I understand. I apologize for bothering you, I know you must be exhausted and wanting to rest, but would you mind sparing me a few moments of your time?"

"S-sure..."

"Thank you for speaking with me. My name is Lieutenant Rosa, and I'm an officer from the military and Hunter Association. I'm here to investigate the disappearance of over a hundred hunters in this gate over the past few days. It appears that you are the first person to have emerged since these cases began."

He understood exactly why she had been dispatched there, her words did not confuse him. He had faced the cause of the missing hunters himself. "My team and I were about to enter the gate to investigate, but you came out just as we were going in. Did you encounter any anomalies inside?" she asked.

He replied, "Actually, I was planning on speaking with the guard about a strange encounter I had inside the gate."

"A strange encounter?" she asked, intrigued.

"Yes, I came across a Queen Ant."

"!"

"STOP TALKING NONSENSE! THE QUEEN ANT WAS KILLED YEARS AGO!" one of the men beside Rosa shouted.

"I am telling the truth," he insisted.

"Enough!" Rosa sternly commanded, silencing the frustrated men beside her.

"Are you saying there was a Queen ant inside the gate?" questioned one of the group members.

"Yes, the name tag displayed 'Queen ant', so I am certain," replied Cyrus.

The group leader seemed unsure but eventually decided, "We'll have to find out for ourselves once we enter the gate. Let's go."

However, before they could move, the Cyrus revealed, "Actually, I've already taken care of it."

Silence followed as the group tried to process this information.

"You killed it?" the leader asked incredulously.

"Yes, I did. I didn't have the proper tools to dissect it, but its corpse should still be inside. I was planning to inform the Association to send a team for the task and sell the parts."

The group leader still seemed skeptical, "We can't just take your word for it. Everyone, let's enter the gate and verify this information."

"YES MA'AM!"

The men who had been following the lady obeyed her orders without hesitation and hurried into the gate. But the lady herself did not follow them immediately. Instead, she regarded Cyrus with both curiosity and caution.

"I'm sorry, but the corpse is mine. I will report you if you try to take it from me," he warned.

"I work for the Military branch of the Hunter's Association. You don't have to worry. If the information is true, I will make sure you are personally rewarded for your achievement," Rosa reassured him.

After facing numerous hardships, Cyrus found it hard to trust anyone. However, there was something different about her that made him believe that he could confide in her. Despite his reservations, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and hope that his intuition about her was accurate. Although he couldn't quite put his finger on it, the feeling he had when he first met her was a positive one, and he hoped it wasn't misguided.

"Okay," Cyrus responded nervously.

"What is your name?" the Lieutenant asked. "I will reach out to you after everything is done."

"C-Cyrus Strongmen." Cyrus stammered. "Don't you need my number for that though?"

"I'm a Lieutenant." Rosa replied confidently. "I can find everything about you with just your first name."

"T-then... I will be on my way, Miss Rosa." Cyrus corrected himself.

"Huh?" Rosa looked slightly surprised.

"Please address me as Rosa, not 'Miss'," she requested. "I'm not that old. I'm only 24 years old."

"Ah, then I'll be awaiting your call, Rosa," Cyrus stuttered before saying goodbye and quickly leaving.

As he departed, the other person murmured to themselves, "Cyrus Strongmen... If he really managed to kill such a monstrous creature on his own, then I better pay close attention to him."