Their helicopter took a little over twenty hours to arrive in Fuyu. Quite the trip, but even with the long-distance travel, all the passengers were awake as they were preparing to land.
It was dark outside, and just about 10:30 when they landed. A man was waiting outside the landing zone as division 12 deposited from the helicopter.
"And who might you be?" Maria asked, she wasn't told there would be someone expecting their arrival.
"I'm one of the Royal Guards, here to escort you to the Citadel." The man said.
"So this is Fuyu... it's bigger than I thought it'd be." Archer said as he looked at the beautiful buildings that were brightened by the lights surrounding them, along with the cold breeze that bounced off the glass windows in the night.
Fuyu was a beautiful country indeed, although its size was a fraction of Kashitama. It still carried its own originality that differed from Kashitama.
You can tell that you're in a different country just from stepping outside, the smell alone was more than enough to signify that. The scent of saltwater and flowerbeds filled the air around the citadel.
The Citadel was quite large, an extravagant contrast compared to the country itself. They were walking by the outside gates of the Citadel, which were heavily guarded. But they found themselves in a far less conspicuous area on the outside.
"We believe this is the entry point where the assassin entered." The man said as he pressed onto a secret door on the outside walls. They all looked inside of it, and it appeared almost pitch, like an underground tunnel.
"How would he know it was there?" Maria asked.
"That's a good question. Only the family and Royal Guards know about this entrance." The man said.
I'm surprised he went straight into the investigation without even a shred of formalities..., Maria thought.
"Now, where will my team be staying?" Maria asked.
"Oh, right this way." The man said.
He then led the group back towards the front entrance.
"What is your name again?" Maria asked while the rest followed along.
The garden was quite beautiful as they walked in, and the crickets could be heard singing lullabies. The brick path led straight into these large golden arches.
"I'm Toshiro Nakajima, but you can just call me Toshiro. Now, to your rooms." Toshiro said as he opened the doors.
"Who was here when the assassin was captured?" Maria asked.
The halls within the Citadel were well embroidered in pink diamond and gold patterned about.
"It was me and a few other guards on their shift during the assassination attempt. The culprit is dead now." Toshiro said.
This information left the 12th Division speechless, if he was dead then why don't they have more information than this? And why wasn't this information in the report given?
Why the hell would they kill the assassin, wouldn't they want to know who sent him?, Maria thought.
"So where's the body?" Patti asked.
"Here is your room." Toshiro replied.
Toshiro then opened a door within this illustrious hall, it is a room with multiple beds and a good study as well as a great window view. The view alone could be worth more than the entire youth building.
"This room was used as the country's infirmary before the country was as developed as it is today." Toshiro said, giving the group somewhat of a history lesson on the Citadel.
"Great view." Vivian said.
Why am I thinking of this now of all times... After seeing Jiro back at HQ... Heck even now, all I could think about is Jiro's face... What happened to him that gave him that face... Maybe he lost someone close to him like I did... Maybe that's it... I never expected someone like him would care for someone the way I did for you, Dad..., Yuki thought.
The sight of Jiro stained his mind. He somehow found Jiro relatable even though he hadn't spoken a single word to him. He couldn't imagine how this criminal felt familiar. He even thought of sharing his own story with Jiro, as if they've known each other prior to today.
"Yuki?" Asami said, cutting his irrational thoughts short in the process.
"Huh?" Yuki said.
"You ok? You haven't said much since we were briefed on the mission back at HQ." Asami said.
"Yeah... I'm ok." Yuki said as he forced a smile.
"To answer your question from before, the body is in the Fuyu morgue now. I will help you more in the morning as I have other things to attend to now. Goodnight." Toshiro said before closing the door, leaving division 12 for the night within their own privacy.
"We'll all have to be prepared by tomorrow morning so get some rest everybody. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day." Maria said,
It isn't everyday you see Maria show a sight of leadership, after all, this is her first mission as a captain.
Now she seems different... I never expected her to be any good at this right away..., Patti thought as she already chose her own bed, also choosing Jiro's bed in the process right alongside hers.
Maybe sleep will get my mind back to normal..., Yuki thought.
Yuki began to question his own pity while he laid down across from Patti's bed.
How could he feel guilt? How could he sympathize with this criminal that sat across from him?
He couldn't understand this defiance, nor was he prepared for this.
YOU ARE READING
Nemesis, Vol. 4
ActionIt's official! Yuki is now an agent of the IJA and a member of the 12th Division. His first mission as an agent is to investigate a recent assassination attempt on a princess from another country! It isn't so simple as it was within the youth progra...
