Task Force

79

Lucia paced back and forth, her beautiful blue dress sweeping the floor, her lovely black eyes, with a hidden purple gleam, slightly swollen.

Her hair was disheveled, the tiara she used to wear was tossed onto her bed, and her breathing seemed a bit erratic.

"You finally came." Lucia looked at the governess, sighing in relief.

"Did you express my concerns to the King?" Her voice sounded quite urgent.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but His Majesty the King remains unavailable. The Princess will have to wait," the governess lamented, giving Lucia a look of sympathy.

"All right. As soon as the King is available, express my wish to see him. Don't forget to emphasize the urgency of seeing him," Lucia took a deep breath and said while running her fingers through her messy hair.

"As you wish, Princess. I will do exactly as you ordered." The governess bowed before politely withdrawing.

With the governess's departure, Lucia walked to the window, looked down, and shook her head in distress. She turned around and saw the sheet covering her soft bedand a plan formed in her mind.

"Why do I feel this tightness in my heart? I felt exactly the same when Father disappeared… I wonder if something terrible has happened to someone close to me?"

***

Tiffany sat on her bed in her new room, assigned to her by the Galax Aiz Guild. She had just signed the contract and moved in.

She seemed restless. Tiffany wondered why she felt this way. Something was bothering her, and she couldn't tell what it was.

If she were to compare it to her room in her family's mansion, this one was not only much smaller but also lacked decoration and luxury. Yet, that was definitely not what was bothering her.

Tiffany picked up her phone and scrolled through her contact list until she found her sister's number. She wondered if she should really call, but after a moment, she decided to make the call.

"Hello, sister."

***

Alex's eyes slowly opened, a completely white ceiling greeting him. He turned his head with great effort.

"A hospital?"

Alex was lying on what seemed to be a hospital bed. There was a bag of a strange substance connected to his veins. His body felt very cold as the substance flowed through his veins, numbing him.

Alex's eyes caught sight of a figure he hadn't seen before. He blinked to clear his vision.

"That was fast, you woke up!"

The woman's voice reached Alex's ears with a tone of fascinationor perhaps simple surprise.

Alex's head hurt badly.

"Who are you, and where am I?" Alex forced the words out with great difficulty.

Before the woman could answer, Alex added more questions.

"What happened? Where are the others?" There were simply too many questions running through Alex's mind, and he wanted to understand everything.

"You should take it easy. I don't want you to stay agitated in this condition. I'll answer your questions, but you must calm down first."

Alex's eyes met the woman's. They were bright green, with black circular lines artistically carved within them. Her golden curls gave her a refined appearance.

Looking at the patterns in her eyes, Alex knew he had seen that design somewhere before.

"Felicia Platinum Omegathat's my name. I'm an agent of the Hunters Association, which is where we are now," Felicia said calmly, her beautiful voice spreading through the room.

"We're at the Hunters Association?"

Felicia nodded in response to Alex's question.

"We're in the medical wing of the Hunters Association. You'll end up here often if you keep acting the way you did earlier."

Alex saw Felicia's pupils contract and retract as she stared at him. He wondered if those eyes were humanor some kind of implants.

"You're recovering well," Felicia said softly.

"John, Feliciana, and the other agents who were under my commandhow are they?" Alex asked, guilt and worry pricking his heart like a needle.

"I told you not to get agitated," Felicia said in a reprimanding tone.

"There's no need to worry. They're all alive."

Alex sighed in relief upon hearing Felicia's words.

"And how are they?" he asked, still showing some concern.

"They're better than you. They're going through the detoxification process. If it weren't for the General's blood manipulation, you'd all be dead for playing with a poison that could easily kill a three-star hunter."

Alex seemed more relaxed now.

"You said 'General'?"

Felicia nodded and said.

"She's the one who saved you and your team. If it weren't for her, you'd all be dead."

It was the second time the beautiful General had saved Alex's life. He made a mental note to thank her when he had the chance.

"How is the mission in other areas? Is there any news?" Alex trembled slightly as he spoke those words.

Felicia looked into Alex's eyes and said with regret,

"She hasn't been found, if that's what you want to know. The mission is over, but the professor's daughter wasn't located at any point during the criminal dismantling."

Hearing this, Alex clenched his teeth so hard that a bit of blood trickled from his lips.

"I need to talk to Felix. Is that possible?" Alex's gaze carried a hint of anger that he didn't bother to hide.

"Felix anticipated your wish to speak with him. He asked me to apologize on his behalf and said he wouldn't rest until he found Lucia."

Felicia looked at Alex's anger and spoke calmly,

"Felix keeps all his promises without exception. He's probably looking for your sister as we speak. He won't hesitate to use the Association's resources to achieve that."

Alex felt the conviction in Felicia's words and decided to calm down a bit.

"You're very angry. Try to relax. Why are you angry at Felix?"

Hearing Felicia's question, Alex shook his head, grinding his teeth.

"I'm not angry at Felix. On the contrary, I'm grateful to him for doing everything he can to bring my sister back."

Alex took a deep breath, his eyes turning slightly red.

"I'm angry at myself for not being able to save my sister. The feeling of being powerless, of having nothing to do but depend on othersit's truly frustrating."

"Impotence. It's normal to feel that way, but if you really want to be of help, then you must focus on your recovery," Felicia said, trying to reassure Alex, who nodded while attempting to calm his emotions.

"Why are you here, and how long was I unconscious?" Alex asked, trying to organize his thoughts.

"You were unconscious for exactly three days and seven hours. Felix asked me to take care of you until you recovered, so I haven't left your side until now," Felicia said, shrugging lightly.

Alex looked at Felicia in surprise.

"I was unconscious for that long? And you didn't leave my side?" Alex asked, a bit skeptical.

***

Two more days had passed.

"How are you? I'm sorry for putting you all in danger," Alex apologized, trying to bow to John and Feliciana.

"You don't need to apologize. We knew the risks when we decided to stay. Even if we didn't save your sister, lives were still savedand that's what matters," John said with a reassuring look.

"John's right. The leader isn't to blame for what happened. Hunters get hurt all the time," Feliciana said with her head lowered.

"Thank you for not blaming me, but even so, I still feel guilty somehow, and I'd like to make it up to you," Alex said, shaking his head, determination flashing in his eyes.

Feliciana and John exchanged glances; the girl's cheeks turned slightly red, and she looked away.

"If that's the case, then we'll have to make a request for the sake of your conscience's peace, right?" John said, slapping his chest.

"You don't intend to steal anything from me or something like that, do you?" Alex said jokingly.

"Look, you just gave me a great idea," John said, making both of them burst into laughter, while Feliciana giggled softly.

"All right, you can ask for anything within my reach, and I'll definitely fulfill it," Alex said, dreading what might come next.

"Feliciana and I were talking while we were recovering, and we came to a conclusion," John said, pausing dramatically before continuingmaking Alex swallow hard.

"We want to be part of your task force."

Feliciana supported her partner's words with a firm nod, determination shining in her eyes.

"A task force?" Alex asked, confused; he didn't know what that meant.

"You don't know what it is, do you?" John and Feliciana had strange expressions on their faces, while Alex simply shrugged.

"All right, I'll explain it to you," John said, regaining his composure and began explaining everything to Alex.

To John and Feliciana, it was strange that Alex, being a lead agent of the Hunters Association, was unaware of such basic knowledge taught in the first year at the New Agents Academy.But it was undeniable that Alex was a mid-level agentand a capable team leader.

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