Guiding the Male Lead out of His Trauma - Chapter 29.2
As I hurried my pace, the plaza gradually receded behind the buildings.
When I slipped into an alley from the busy street heading toward District 2—
Tap!
Realizing he might lose me, my watcher broke into a run.
Once I was in the alley, there were no more people around. There was no need to lure him any further. It was time to drop the act.
Instead of going straight at the corner, I stepped onto a crate full of firewood and easily climbed up the wall.
Before he could catch up, I hid myself in the shadow on the roof.
“She definitely came this way…?”
While he was distracted by my sudden disappearance, I took advantage of the moment and jumped down onto the watcher from above.
Our eyes met as I pinned him down.
He was clearly not used to being on the receiving end of such an ambush.
Without hesitation, I twisted his arm behind his back to keep him from escaping, wrenching it hard.
“Aagh!”
“Shh. It’s better for you if you keep quiet.”
He must be one of the crown prince’s underlings.
Did I really need to go easy on him…? Probably not.
But this loyal watcher fought back fiercely and wouldn’t submit easily.
Though there was a difference in strength due to our builds, I simply twisted the arm I’d caught with a crack.
“Hrrraaaagh!”
When I pressed his head to the ground as he screamed, he finally quieted down.
It was my first time being this rough with someone, but I guess my resentment toward the crown prince was deeper than I realized.
Still, I had to act like I knew nothing about this guy.
Feigning ignorance, I asked dully,
“A spy in the very heart of the capital?”
“Ghk, hhk…”
“It’s not Igriendos, is it? Did Zenabart send you? Or Uskal?”
His pupils shook violently at my questions.
He probably wanted to correct me and say he wasn’t a spy. But of course, he couldn’t do that.
If he did, he’d be forced to reveal his real identity, and the crown prince might discard him to cover up this pathetic mess.
Then he might really end up being branded as a spy.
Well, it didn’t matter what he said. My only goal was to buy time.
If I kept him pinned here, the other watcher would surely come this way too.
Then, while pretending to catch the ‘spy’, I could just…
‘Use my mana.’
If I used mana without authorization, the authorities would be alerted and the custodians would show up in no time to detain us.
‘And then, through them, I’d get taken straight to the palace, making a mess and scratching some royal pride on the way.’
On the surface, it’d look like we only used mana out of necessity while subduing a spy.
Any punishment would have to be mild.
Just thinking about how I could both mess with the crown prince and get to the palace quickly made me feel lighter.
Now, I wondered how Acteon was doing on his end.
The watcher under me didn’t seem likely to talk.
I could just call a custodian and report him without using mana, so I was about to pull him up when I felt someone’s gaze and jerked around in surprise.
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot—something I should never have heard—made my skin crawl.
From the opposite alley behind me, I heard someone fleeing after missing their shot.
And in that moment of distraction, the watcher I was pinning managed to break free and take off running.
I chased after him immediately.
‘Stay calm. They just fired as a warning!’
My heart pounded in my chest.
The moment I heard the gunshot, an image flashed through my mind.
A woman I’d seen through Acteon’s eyes.
Claire Brondearn.
“No way…”
That sound was something Acteon would never be able to forget…!
Feeling anxious, I picked up my pace as I pursued the watcher.
Soon, I was out of breath.
But instead of catching my breath, I pulled out a small vial and swallowed a pill the size of a fingernail. Nexium.
‘The one left in the plaza must be the one watching Acteon. So what’s Acteon doing right now?’
If he was sharp, he might have sensed something was off.
If he’d stopped watching Acteon and started moving toward me, then—
‘Acteon must be chasing him. So all I have to do is catch the one who got away from me.’
Just as I finished organizing my thoughts, I spotted the street I’d passed earlier.
It was a U-shaped alley, with a wall at the back connecting to the other road.
As the watcher I was chasing veered left and disappeared, I vaulted over the front wall, using a trash can for a boost.
At that moment—
On the other side of the wall, I caught sight of Acteon and the man with a gun from my elevated vantage point.
The one I’d let escape was now recklessly charging at Acteon.
Acteon, who’d worn a cold expression, froze when he saw me.
The gun was aimed at me.
Mana, which I could use thanks to the drug, surged into my heart through my inner circuit.
Bang!
It was impossible to tell whether the incoming bullet would reach me first or whether the crackling white current would deflect it.
Everything seemed to slow down, and I saw Acteon’s control stone bracelet flare bright red.
At the same time, a crystal shard, sharp as glass, materialized in the air.
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