Do You Believe in Miracles?

Volume: Volume 2

Title: Chapter 2 Do You Believe in Miracles?

“Junior, whatever happens next, I won’t be responsible for it,” Anna declared.

She gazed up at Ewan, her eyes meeting his.

Her prominent chest pressed against Ewan’s, a sight that, combined with the faint outline of her collarbones, the elegant curve of her neck, and her swan-like grace, was particularly captivating from his vantage point.

Tilting her head slightly, her clear eyes curved into crescents, a tear mole at the corner adding a unique allure. A mischievous smile played on her lips, which were as red and enticing as ripe cherries.

As Ewan inhaled her familiar scent, his gaze fell upon Anna’s crimson lips. His breathing suddenly grew heavy.

The sun had only just begun to rise, and the city remained largely asleep, cloaked in silence. Despite the words she had just uttered, Ewan could distinctly hear the tumultuous pounding of his own heart.

Anna seemed to sense his turmoil, yet she did not pull away from his chest. She remained with her head tilted back, her trembling eyelids closing softly.

Suddenly, Ewan found his mouth dry. He began to regret not having showered, not having rinsed his mouth, and not having chewed a few more mints before coming. He’d spent too much time among those rats, reeking of sweat.

But at a moment like this, he couldn’t possibly back down.

Ewan reached out, gently wrapping his arms around Anna’s waist, then slowly leaned in.

Just as they could each feel the other’s breath on their lips—

Clang!

A street vendor on the alley’s edge began their day, striking a gong to welcome customers.

The intoxicating atmosphere shattered instantly.

Anna’s eyes snapped open, a flicker of annoyance and alarm in their beautiful depths.

Ewan’s movements shifted abruptly. His lightly embracing arms tightened, fiercely pulling Anna close and drawing her into the shadow cast by the nearby sunlight.

Disregarding the girl’s stiff body in his arms, Ewan peered through a gap in the wall, scanning the alleyway not far off.

Figures in trench coats moved through the alley, rapidly closing in.

“It’s the Silent Watch. They’ve found us.”

“Already? How could they be so fast?”

Nestled in Ewan’s embrace, Anna’s cheeks were flushed.

“If I could find you, it was only a matter of time before they did too,” Ewan said, his eyes calmly lowering.

“Fortunately, I prepared in advance.”

“Prepared?”

Anna pinched Ewan’s arm, slipping from his powerful embrace, and then peered through the gap herself.

Her beautiful eyes slowly widened.

With the rising sun, a thin mist still clung to the alley in front of the academy grounds.

This had always been a desolate, secluded place, so sinister that even vagrants avoided it. Yet, at this very moment, as if in response to a silent clarion call, the entire street suddenly burst into life.

Beggars, prostitutes, vagrants, boatmen, stablehands, peddlers… countless ordinary people appeared from seemingly nowhere. Most were dressed in tattered clothes, their expressions vacant. Yet, they all converged, as if by unspoken agreement, onto a street they had never before trod.

The street became bustling and vibrant, much like any ordinary lively thoroughfare. The sounds of hawking and chatter filled the air, bringing with it a sudden surge of life.

The figures in trench coats quickly found themselves ensnared in the surging crowd. Some were stopped by enthusiastic vendors, who smiled and asked if they wanted a hot breakfast, while others were embraced by scantily clad prostitutes, pulled towards dark alleyways.

The daunting members of the Silent Watch were astonishingly held back by these ordinary people.

“This is…”

“Just a small trick. It should buy us some time,” Ewan said with a self-deprecating smile. “Rather despicable, wouldn’t you say?”

Ewan turned, bracing himself for the anger he expected from his senior.

But there was none.

Instead, he met a pair of gentle eyes.

“Junior.”

Anna suddenly reached out, cupping Ewan’s cheek. She studied his astonished face intently, a hint of heartache in her eyes.

“I haven’t had a chance to properly look at you. You seem to have changed quite a bit in this time.”

“Have I?” Ewan stroked his chin. “Perhaps I forgot to shave, making me look older.”

“You’re lying.”

Anna pulled Ewan’s head into her embrace.

She gently stroked his hair, her eyes filled with tenderness.

“You’re lying.”

Ewan’s body trembled slightly, then he fully indulged in the permitted softness and fragrance of her embrace.

Unfortunately, time was pressing.

Reluctantly, Ewan lifted his head from that exquisitely sacred haven. “We should go.”

“Mm.”

Anna nodded softly, then rose first, stepping out of the shadows.

She spun in a circle, shedding all negative emotions, then extended a hand to Ewan, offering an invitation just as he had done moments before.

“Let’s go.”

Ewan paused, surprised. “Where to?”

“Didn’t you ask me to ‘conquer’ you, Junior?”

In the soft sunlight, Senior Anna’s lips curved into a charming smile. “We’re going on a date.”

****

“Good sir, please, have mercy. I haven’t eaten in three days.”

Amidst the bustling crowd, a ragged beggar clutched the hem of a middle-aged man’s trench coat, holding out a broken bowl and pleading pitifully.

“Damn it!”

The pale-skinned middle-aged man, looking as if he hadn’t seen sunlight in ages, glared at the beggar. A vein throbbed on his forehead, and his fist slowly tightened.

‘To dare interfere with the Silent Watch’s duties, you lowly commoners…’

The man pulled out a few banknotes from his pocket, stuffing them into the beggar’s broken bowl. “Get lost!” he growled impatiently.

“Yes, yes.”

The beggar hobbled away, quickly disappearing.

“I thought you would have just killed him.”

A cool voice drifted from nearby.

The middle-aged man turned his head, looking at the stunning silver-haired figure leaning against the wall. “Princess, you jest. No matter how ruthless the Silent Watch may be, we wouldn’t casually slaughter ordinary civilians.”

“Is that so, even if they disrupt your mission?”

“That’s debatable. And our current priority is those cultists hidden deep within Berland, isn’t it?”

“Valid point.”

Celicia looked up, her gaze calmly fixed on a distant building.

At the highest point of a gap, two familiar, yet indistinct, figures seemed to flash by.

“Speaking of which, I don’t even know your name.”

“Jinze,” the middle-aged man said after a moment of silence.

“Jinze… a good name. It doesn’t quite match your demeanor, though.”

“Is Your Highness praising me, or mocking me?”

“Of course, I’m praising you.”

Celicia turned back, continuing, “Since you’ve told me your name, why not be generous and tell me the Silent Watch’s upcoming plans as well?”

“…”

“Am I, your temporary overseer, not even qualified to know?” Celicia asked coolly.

With the palace’s tacit approval, the Silent Watch wielded almost unlimited power when confronting evil god forces.

However, to counterbalance this power, the palace would dispatch an overseer for every major operation to supervise the Silent Watch’s actions.

As the sole bystander at that meeting, Celicia had naturally become the overseer for this mission.

“For such matters, Your Highness must ask that person directly.” Jinze seemed to have little regard for her role as overseer.

“That person?”

Celicia turned her head, her eyes glinting as she looked at the black carriage at the end of the alley.

While an overseer certainly held royal authority, in the presence of that old man, it seemed… almost inconsequential.

****

Inside the carriage.

The old man, who appeared to have one foot in the grave, his skin covered in age spots, lifted his ancient, cloudy eyes to look at the incredibly respectful Jinze before him.

“How did it go?”

“She escaped.”

“Is that so?”

The old man showed no emotion, closing his eyes again, appearing to drift into slumber.

Jinze, however, continuously scratched at his knees, filled with unease.

“Is there a problem?” the old man asked.

“Sir, I don’t understand. We had so many opportunities to capture Anna Campbell, why did we deliberately let her go? She is clearly a key figure in the evil god’s plan.”

“…” After a long silence, the old man suddenly sighed.

“Jinze, do you believe in miracles?”

“Miracles?”

Jinze was taken aback. He never expected to hear such a question from the Sword Bearer, a man renowned for his ruthlessness.

After a moment of bewilderment, Jinze replied, “I don’t believe in miracles. I only believe in what I can touch.”

“…I don’t much believe in them either, but when one grows old, one tends to dream unrealistic dreams.”

As he spoke, the old man tapped the tabletop lightly. A silver, half-human-sized sealed box appeared before Jinze.

“This is…”

“This is your new mission. On the night of the eclipse, you will not join the main force to eradicate the cultists, but rather…”

The old man shifted into a more comfortable position, speaking as if in a trance: “Use this to kill Anna Campbell before everything is settled.”