"I’m really very sorry!"
Looking at the robber siblings with their hands tied to the chair by belts and their faces looking exceptionally grim, the security chief who rushed over from the auxiliary cabin couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat off his forehead and then bowed deeply without hesitation.
"It’s our inspection that wasn’t up to par, causing you such a fright!"
"It’s all right, it’s not your fault."
Upon hearing this, Leon smiled and then, while playing with the fake gun in his hand, spoke:
"The guns they’re holding aren’t real, not even made of metal. They’re painted wood, probably disassembled into parts and smuggled up mixed in with the baggage clutter.
Because there were no metal pieces to begin with, the strong magnetic scales you use to check the luggage didn’t cause the weights to change, allowing these two fake guns to be smuggled on board.
For such a method of bypassing inspection, unless you can search every traveler’s luggage, it’s something that can’t truly be avoided, so you did your best."
"This... incredibly sorry, thank you for your understanding..."
Seeing that Leon didn’t seem intent on pursuing the matter further, the security chief of the Sky Clipper exhaled a long breath, gave a fierce look at the robber siblings, then indicated for the security team behind him to grab them, and again bowed to Leon and the lady reporter saying:
"Your Excellency Prince, regarding today’s incident, we are deeply, deeply sorry. I’ll take these two away for now and ensure an explanation for you!"
Raising a hand to gesture downward, blocking the security guard wanting to make arrests, Leon smiled and said:
"There are some questions I’d like to ask them. I wonder if there is a quiet private room on the airship. If so, could you please arrange one for me?"
Hearing Leon’s request, the security chief hesitated for a moment before reminding:
"But these two are, after all, hijackers of the airship. If you were to be harmed staying in the same room with them..."
Leon shook his head, replied firmly:
"If I caught them once, I can catch them again. Just go ahead and arrange the room."
"This... since you insist, alright then."
Seeing His Excellency the Prince adamantly insistent, the security chief, who still drew a salary from the Kingdom’s transportation department, naturally dared not continue opposing.
But fearing Leon might be careless and truly overturn on the hijackers, the security chief directed someone to fetch several thick ropes used for tying air bags from the storage, bound the robber siblings like dumplings, and only then led Leon and the lady reporter to a small room, earnestly introducing:
"Your Excellency Prince, this room was originally for balancing weight to prevent the airship from rolling, though it’s a bit off-center, it’s definitely quiet enough. I’ll keep watch at a distance, ensuring no disturbance for you."
Nodding in thanks to the security chief, Leon closed the door from inside, then, smiling, addressed the robber siblings tossed on the cabin floor, bound like two grub larvae:
Seemingly angered by Leon’s smile, the robber brother, successfully becoming a grub, scooted on the floor to shield his sister, glaring at Leon with anger, replied:
"You liar! We’ve got nothing to chat about with you!"
"Saying I’m a liar is a bit too much, don’t you think?"
Leon, hearing this, blinked, then smilingly retorted:
"Since you appeared, I haven’t uttered a single false word, have I? How does that make me a liar?"
"Besides, I don’t even know you guys. I was just on an ordinary trip, yet you pointed guns at my head, threatening me to do this and that. Even if I actually deceived you under such circumstances, it doesn’t seem really wrong, does it?"
Hearing Leon’s retort, the robber brother couldn’t help but feel uncertain, mumbled twice and closed his mouth.
Meanwhile, the robber sister, whom he shielded, observed Leon’s expression for a moment, then stared fixedly into his eyes, took the initiative to speak:
"Sir... if you let him go, I can take you to find Crolock Kingdom’s palace!"
Hearing the robber sister’s words, Leon raised his brow slightly, giving her a surprised look.
This kid... seems a bit capable?
After failing to hijack an airship and being tied like a grub, most people’s minds should already be overloaded, but not only did she calm down, she even had the capacity to think through her idea and was actually trying to negotiate.
Although kids in this world tend to mature early, for a child around twelve or thirteen, who hasn’t experienced much, this calmness and rationality are no ordinary feats...
At least she’s already surpassed Nicole.
"She’s addressing you, why are you staring at me?"
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under Leon’s gaze, instinctively feeling he might be thinking something inappropriate, the lady reporter couldn’t help but glare back, then turned her head slightly, curiously asking:
"How do you know the two of us are trying to find Crolock Kingdom’s palace?"
See, that’s what I said.
Seeing the robber sister slightly relax her tense body, showing a hint of joy in her eyes after hearing the lady reporter’s question, Leon couldn’t help but shake his head, looking somewhat helplessly at the lady reporter.
Your brain... truly got beaten by this kid.
Before you asked this question, she didn’t even know what you wanted, she was just making a blind guess and probing. I could have coaxed a bit and probably extracted the answer.
But with your question, she now knows what we want, she’ll certainly clutch onto her only bargaining chip. Without a substantial promise, like releasing her brother, she’s certainly not going to talk.
After glancing at the slightly clueless... innocent-looking reporter, the robber sister, while thankful for the not-so-smart one here, began to flatter, saying:
"With your temperament, both of you do not seem ordinary, nor appear to have ruthless dispositions, it’s unlikely you’d waste time on two failed robbers.
So I surmised you might be trying to find something out, and among what I know, the only thing that might help ’distinguished people’ like yourselves is the location of the Crolock palace."
After listening to the robber sister’s explanation, the lady reporter nodded with a face of realization, then glanced in Leon’s direction, her bright eyes sparkling with some surprised light, exchanged a look meaning:
Leon, see, this kid, she’s so smart!
We should say, perhaps it’s not her being clever, but a bit of your... naiveté?
Watching the lady reporter being dexterously led around by a half-grown kid, Leon couldn’t help but rub his temple, feeling this fieldwork might not go all too smoothly.
Let’s not mention anything else, but for Nicole’s brains to survive in the Clean-up Bureau thus far, likely with a lot assistance from her dad.
I can already imagine when she was out executing tasks, the Aquarius Director trailing behind, helplessly and hastily cleaning up after her, and now this task of cleaning up has plainly fallen onto my shoulders.
Come to think of it... I’m doing the work her dad should be doing now, so does this make me her... step...