Watching the burned man who had just come in and started babbling nonsense before even warming his seat, the middle-aged man felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
He had stayed up all night to regain his confidence, only to have half of it ruined by a "hot potato" sleeping at the door. Now, the burned man was openly supporting that "hot potato" to become the new leader in front of him, the current leader. *The confidence he had left was once again cut in half.*
*Damn it... everything was supposed to be moving toward the goal he had planned. So why was it all going awry all of a sudden?*
"Heh heh, Teague... old man, you're joking..."
While the middle-aged man was rubbing his temples in frustration, Leon, who was being harassed by the burned man, could hardly keep his composure, his expression growing stiff.
*Seriously, you're the Rebels who have made the Capital City restless. Can you at least be a bit more reliable in your actions? Why would you slap 'the imperial robe' on someone and force me to take the position as soon as we meet?*
*If I really became the leader while undercover, what would the director think of me when I return? How would Yisha view me, racing around with secret police, trying to capture rebels? What about the Princess, who's engaged to me and has been targeted by rebels several times?*
*Could we not do this? This job truly doesn't suit me!*
"Heh heh, I don't joke."
After taking another deep breath and greedily sniffing the scent coming from "Little Baskin," the burned man, grinning like a perverse creep, said,
"Amazing! The smell is truly amazing!"
"Just sitting next to you, I feel like my head is in the tiger's mouth... Little Baskin! Be honest, do you have the capability to kill me instantly?"
"Uh... my name is Little Baskin..."
"That's not important!"
Patting Leon on the shoulder, the burned man said eagerly,
"My nose tells me you're a true powerhouse! Strong both in methods and in heart. And don't be fooled by your smiling face at me; deep down, you look down on me, and Nathan too!
"Ahaha! By the way, your scent is exactly like Nathan's back in the day!
"It's just a pity he's lost it now and turned into a pile of stinking dog shit while losing the fragrance you're carrying! Little Baskin! Make sure you hold onto it and not become as unbearable as he is!"
*I do look down on what you rebels do, and I certainly look down on that leader of yours who leads you in chaos, but is that something you could smell?*
Reflecting on the burned man's words, Leon realized there might be some deeper meaning veiled as insane rants, and he became instantly wary.
*This madman's Ability... could it possibly be some sort of beast-like instinct?*
However, just as Leon was speculating about the burned man's problem and prepared to probe his Ability, he felt a slight rise of the hair on his back, and his right ear caught a sharp rushing sound.
With a pop as the air displaced, the burned man, who had been laughing toward Leon, leaned back slightly to dodge something rushing toward his mouth. That peculiar object, shrouded in momentum, embedded itself into the wall with a thud, sending a large chunk of plaster bursting out in pieces.
*Was that... a lead pellet from a slingshot?*
Seeing what was embedded in the wall, Leon felt a slight itch on his shoulder, remembering another lead pellet that had been shot from three kilometers away and still managed to shatter his shoulder blade.
Stooping as she walked out from a small rainbow-painted door, the bald, slingshot-wielding woman said furiously,
"If I hear you speak of Lord Nathan that way again, the next pellet will definitely aim for your temple!"
"Heh heh, as you wish."
"Never mind, sit down first!"
Raising his hand downward to make a calming gesture, just as he was about to introduce someone, he saw the door behind "Little Baskin" twist and shift continuously as five people—three men and two women—successively came in through the door.
Turning to look at the arriving members, Leon couldn't help but mull things over and notice these Rebel Anomalous Object holders were rather evenly distributed.
In the Secret Investigation Bureau, there was the tall scarred face director, a short man who snatched bodies at Ryan Manor, a pot-bellied middle-aged man resembling a wealthy merchant, and a lean young man, covering all height, body types, and ages.
Then, there were the beast-like burned man, the bald woman with a slingshot, an old lady with orange peel-bumpy skin and gray hair, and a bewildered young girl, rounding out the spectrum of gender, age, and physique.
There were twelve known Rebel Anomalous Object holders, apart from these eight "tall, short, fat, and thin, male, female, young, and old" people. The others known were the bandaged woman whose bandages he had taken, the heartbeat man caught and sent to headquarters, and the leader who could open doors anywhere...
So, was there still one person missing?
But strangely, just as Leon was looking at the main door to see who the twelfth rebel might be, he heard the middle-aged man in the main seat clap his hands and announce,
"Everyone, since we're all here, let's begin."
Was everyone here already?
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Leon's brow slightly raised.
*Although from the perspective of personnel, I'd like to know what this last Anomalous Object holder looks like to facilitate the arrest by the Bureau later.*
*But due to the lack of Intelligence now, I worry that asking 'why is one person missing' might result in 'how could you not know XXX does such and such' and thus prematurely expose my identity.* So Leon simply turned around honestly and looked up at the middle-aged man in the main seat, however...
"Little Baskin, can you answer a question for me?"
Watching Leon, who had been staring at the door until he said "everyone was here" and only then turned around, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly and asked calmly,
"You seemed to think... someone else was coming in?"
*Hell! I just turned back a bit late and I'm already suspected? Could it be that you're paranoid?*
After secretly cursing the overly cautious Rebel leader twice, Leon shook his head and said with a normal expression,
"I was just curious about your Ability, Leader. It's just so magical how you can fold space to let us travel from such a far distance just by opening and closing a door."
After hearing "Little Baskin's" explanation, the middle-aged man nodded ambiguously and continued staring at Leon as he asked,
"I thought you wanted to see her... By the way, it's been so long since she's come to attend a meeting that I can hardly remember her name. Could you remind me of it?"
*Is this... him starting to suspect me?*
Hearing what essentially was an "I suspect you're an imposter" question, Leon's heart skipped a beat.
"Leader, are you joking with me?"
Sensing the changing gazes of the rebels in the room, Leon slightly frowned, desperately trying to devise a strategy while attempting to delay with evasive small talk,
"Yesterday, Uncle Owen told me it seemed you held some hostility towards me, and I thought he'd just had too much to drink. But now it seems you really..."
"Stop, we can discuss that later."
Interrupting "Little Baskin's" ramble, the middle-aged man said slowly and clearly,
"I just want to know, what is her name?"
*How the hell would I know that person's name?*
Feeling the less-than-friendly gazes directed at him, Leon sighed and was just about to give a "I don't know" answer to enjoy the Rebels' binding package when a thought suddenly struck his mind, recalling what the middle-aged man said earlier.
"I thought you wanted to see her..."
*So this last Anomalous Object holder is someone I... or rather Little Baskin knows?*
Given Little Baskin's solitary nature, likely having a social circle not even filling one hand, the person's identity could probably be deduced from Uncle Fatty's family.
Last night, Uncle Fatty knew staying might be dangerous, yet he claimed they couldn't leave, that even if he and Aunt Fanny could go, but...
Holding an approach of always filling in the answer card regardless of whether the answer was correct or not, Leon looked up to meet the skeptical gaze of the middle-aged man, boldly making up,
"Her name is Nicole."