14. Joining the Night Watchers?

"Knock, knock—" A gentle knocking sound came from outside the break room door.

"Come in." Angel, who was daydreaming in the break room of Blackthorn Security Company's second floor, got up from the sofa by the window. Her right hand subconsciously moved towards the hem of her skirt before she remembered that all her weapons had been entrusted to a young night watcher named Leonard Mitchell.

The doorknob turned, and a person with white hair, dressed in a black trench coat, carrying a wooden lunch box, walked in.

At first glance, Angel thought it was an elderly person. However, when the visitor fully entered the break room, she realized that beneath the long white hair was the face of a woman in her thirties, not particularly striking in appearance but with a calm and serene demeanor, and black eyes that seemed to see through everything.

"Seeka Tron, night watcher," the white-haired lady briefly introduced herself, "The captain sent me to bring you lunch."

The captain was that stern-faced Dunn Smith… So, this was the female night watcher he said would be arranged to "monitor" me? Angel quickly went up to her and took the lunch box from Seeka Tron's hands.

The box wasn't large, containing a piece of oatmeal bread, a small bowl of stewed vegetable soup, and a few slices of thin bacon. The portion wasn't much, but it was a reasonable mix of meat and vegetables.

This "Blackthorn Security Company" didn't seem to have its own kitchen, she guessed the lunch was delivered from a nearby restaurant.

Because she hadn't eaten breakfast, it had been nearly a day since Angel last ate. Other than coming to the break room to drink two cups of hot water, her stomach was already empty. She couldn't care less about the presence of someone else and started to wolf down the food as soon as she placed the lunch box on the table.

Seeka Tron quietly sat on a sofa nearby, casually picking up a copy of the "Awwa Evening News" from a few days ago, hiding her gaze behind the newspaper.

But Angel always felt that her attention was still on her.

A woman's appetite is far less than Angel's, who had a big stomach trained over time. Despite feeling extremely hungry, after finishing off most of the oatmeal bread with the stew, she already felt about eighty percent full.

Slowing down, she gradually finished the last bit of food, then picked up the napkin under the bread to wipe her mouth and hands, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Seeka Tron lowered the newspaper, glanced at the empty lunch box with raised eyebrows in surprise, making Angel's cheeks feel a bit hot.

I've been hungry for almost a day, so finishing off a meal is quite reasonable, right? Besides, this lunch wasn't even that luxurious; in the past, I could have easily finished off three servings in one go…

"Where should I put the lunch box?" Angel asked, trying to break the awkwardness.

"Just leave it here, someone from the restaurant will come to clean it up in the afternoon," the white-haired night watcher replied with a smile, "I just think that you having an appetite in this environment is very... um, impressive."

As long as I'm not the one feeling awkward, it will be the other person who feels that way... Angel's gaze darted around, trying to change the subject.

"You 'security company,' I mean 'Night Watchers,' how many people do you have in total?" As soon as she finished speaking, Angel regretted it, realizing her attempt to shift the topic was too abrupt.

However, Seeka Tron didn't seem to mind. She simply put down the newspaper, positioned her long legs comfortably under her trench coat, leaned back against the soft backrest of the sofa, and pondered for a moment before answering:

"Including me, there are six combatants. I think you've already met some of them, and with the administrative staff, there are more than ten of us in total."

Her answer was vague, perhaps to avoid revealing any secrets?

Angel silently recalled the "Night Watchers" she had met: the Captain, Dunn Smith; Daly Simone, who dressed like a "Spirit Medium"; the young Leonard Mitchell; and Seeka Tron in front of her. That made four already. When she first arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company, Dunn had Leonard go to find two other members who were on leave, indicating that these were all the combat forces of the "Night Watchers" in Tingen.

Though not many in number, if they were all Beyonder, they would undoubtedly form a formidable team. Even if they were all Sequence 9, each had their unique abilities, and the combination of different Beyonder abilities in team combat could greatly trouble their enemies.

"Only six combatants, won't you be too busy?"

Angel pursued further, very curious about this, especially since just last night, for the investigation of Cole Granger's case, three Night Watchers had come to her house, deploying half of their combat personnel. Excluding those resting at home and those on duty, it almost amounted to full mobilization.

Seeka Tron chuckled, her eyes narrowing, making her look much younger.

"In fact, we're quite free. Tingen doesn't have many supernatural events to deal with. Including your case, there have only been four in June. And it's not just us 'Night Watchers' working. We're only responsible for the north, and west districts, while other areas are handled by 'Punishers' and 'Machinery Hivemind' Beyonders."

"Had you not reported to the Saint Selena Church, it wouldn't have been our turn to handle this."

The "Punishers" of the Lord of Storms Church and the "Machinery Hivemind" of the Steam and Machinery Church are to their respective churches what the "Night Watchers" are to the Church of the Evernight Goddess. It seems the power divisions among the three major true god churches in the Loen Kingdom are quite clear, which at least prevents conflicts or fights when dealing with related cases.

Seeing that Seeka Tron was willing to answer every question, Angel asked many more about the Beyonders teams in Tingen City. It seems Seeka's concern about "leaking secrets" was only limited to her own Night Watchers team. When it came to the other two Beyonders teams in Tingen City, she was very open, providing detailed answers, which was quite enlightening for Angel.

——————

"...Because those individuals were followers of the Lord of Storms, the 'Punishers' also rushed to the scene. It had been a month since they had last been in action, and seeing that the captain and I had already resolved the issue, their eyes widened in astonishment, almost leading to a confrontation with us..."

Sharing embarrassing stories of others is indeed one of the best ways to foster friendship. Angel and Seeka Tron quickly got into a conversation. When Leonard Mitchell, who was casually wearing a black vest over his uniform, pushed open the door of the rest room and walked in, Seeka was in an undignified pose, clutching his stomach, almost rolling on the couch.

"Cough... Cough." Seeing someone come in, Seeka Tron instantly resumed a proper sitting posture, as if the previous disheveled image was just an illusion, "Leonard, what brings you here?"

He looked at the lunch box on the table and realized, "Are you here to collect the lunch box?"

Leonard Mitchell almost couldn't maintain his posed cool demeanor, pausing for a moment before answering, "Of course not. The waiter has already cleared the utensils outside; they must have forgotten those here. I'm here because the captain asked me to notify you to attend a meeting in his office, regarding tonight's operation."

Hearing it was related to tonight's operation, Seeka Tron became serious, standing up from the couch and straightening her trench coat.

"Then I'll go to the captain first, can you cover for me?" Seeka gestured with her eyes to Angel sitting on the inner couch. Leonard nodded, "No problem, I won't be participating in tonight's combat anyway."

He naturally sat on the couch that Seeka had just rolled over, picking up the "Awwa Evening News" that was left behind.

Seeing Seeka Tron preparing to leave, Angel also stood up to bid farewell, "Ms. Tron, thank you for your company during this time."

Remembering that the "Night Watchers" were all followers of the Evernight Goddess, she added, "May the Goddess protect you."

"May the Goddess protect you." Seeka Tron made a gesture of the crimson moon on her chest, then left the room.

The room fell silent again, Leonard Mitchell seemed to have come over just to read the newspaper. He crossed his legs, holding the "Awwa Evening News" in both hands, intently focusing on the pages as if the news contained some secret to fortune.

Angel found him too serious and inquisitive, so she didn't strike up a conversation but instead pulled out a newspaper from a nearby shelf, returning to the couch by the window to pass the time.

It was an "Intis Post" newspaper, dated a week ago. It seemed that the rest room's newspapers were not updated very frequently, but the "Night Watchers" spending time there didn't mind this much.

She focused her gaze on the front-page headline:

"Shocking! Multiple students from Tingen University mysteriously disappear, and it's related to a female literature teacher?"

What is this?

Angel frowned and set the newspaper aside, uninterested in sensational headlines. If such headlines could make it to the front page, the newspaper must not be very authoritative.

But after a few seconds, she picked up the "Intis Post" again, curious if the article mentioned Cole Granger. After all, this guy, with his "Instigator" ability, had tricked many students into skipping class to head to the northern Awwa County's York Mountains. It's been a month without news; it's not quite right to say they disappeared. Angel thought they were probably dead, maybe even carried off by wolves.

After reading through the text, she concluded it was a worthless piece of news, filled with the speculative style of tabloid journalism, written to attract attention by using various fictitious "informants" to anonymously leak information, cleverly avoiding legal issues with words like "possibly" and "maybe."

Flipping through the pages, she found one sensational headline after another, covering topics across all industries in the northern continent, with the only commonality being their speculative and sensational nature.

Just as she was about to throw the newspaper away, Leonard Mitchell, who had been buried in the paper looking for the "secret to wealth," suddenly spoke up.

"It seems you get along well with Seeka. What's your first impression of her, and of us 'Night Watchers'?"

His tone was casual, not looking up from the paper, as if asking offhandedly, but having experienced conversation with him on the carriage, Angel believed he had some purpose.

"Mrs. Seeka Tron seemed a bit cold at first, but after talking to her for a while, you can tell she's actually very warm-hearted," Angel replied thoughtfully.

"As for the Night Watchers, honestly, my first impression wasn't good. After all, you broke into my house in the middle of the night and directly invaded my dreams. If I weren't a Beyonder person myself, your captain, Dunn Smith, probably wouldn't have even offered me the chance to talk, but would have prepared to extract all the information directly in the dream, right?"

She first shared her feelings as a "normal citizen," then shifted her tone:

"But since it's to combat Beyonder criminals, I shouldn't complain too much. Putting aside personal feelings, I do think highly of your professionalism and action."

"Normally, we would visit with the local police. This time it was late at night, and it was an emergency situation. Mrs. Daly is leaving Tingen tomorrow, so the captain was in a hurry to close the case as soon as possible."

Leonard Mitchell did not expect Angel's review to be so blunt, explaining with an embarrassed expression.

"Compared to us 'moderates,' the 'Punishers' tend to kick doors down, capturing first and asking questions later; 'The Machinery Hivemind' is even accustomed to holding guns and striking crime in the streets, I believe you wouldn't like their methods."

As if recalling some past experiences, Leonard's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to laugh but held it back.

He straightforwardly put down the "Awwa Evening News" he hadn't flipped through, swapped the direction of his crossed legs, and stared at Angel with his emerald eyes.

"Based on your current impression, would you be willing to join the 'Night Watchers' if you had the chance?"

Join the Night Watchers? Me?

Angel looked at Leonard, trying to find a hint of jest on his face, but Leonard's expression was calm, his gaze steady.

He seemed serious...

Angel frowned. As a former Templar Knight, her initial impression of the Evernight Goddess's Beyonder armed force "Night Watchers" wasn't bad. The negative review was largely to create the persona of an "ordinary person full of complaints about violent institutions." From the standpoint of fighting crime, their decisive, no-nonsense style became an advantage.

But what does this have to do with me? My current identity is just a witness submitting a complaint letter. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow to find myself in prison under Mrs. Sharon's testimony, and now you're asking me if I'm interested in joining the "Night Watchers"... Do you not look like a "suicide squad"?

She pondered Leonard's purpose without answering immediately.

"Heh, I was just asking casually, don't take it to heart."

Seeing Angel's changing expressions and her lack of response, Leonard did not press further.

"Being a 'victim' of supernatural incidents like you, the departments that take over usually have to arrange for protection, to prevent further victimization or the leakage of secrets. Since you're already an Beyonder, you'd have a broader range of choices. Once Mrs. Sharon is captured, the captain will likely have a detailed talk with you."

A victim? When Mrs. Sharon is caught, denying the existence of "Angel Granger" and revealing the effects of the Sequence 7 potion "Witch" would make it a question of who gets to the gallows first. By then, if I say "I'm also a victim, Cole Granger died in the ascension ceremony, and I'm a foreign soul that possessed his body," would anyone believe me?

Although she had prepared for the worst in dealing with Mrs. Sharon once and for all, thinking of such a frustrating possibility made the bit of good mood Angel had gained from chatting with Seeka Tron evaporate like dew under the scorching sun. She picked up the "Intis Post" filled with gossip and tabloid news again, immersing herself in the fictional news to pass the time.