Chapter 19
In the late afternoon, Zekart was walking through the shopping district at a somewhat leisurely pace. The scenery passing by him felt strangely unfamiliar as it moved more slowly than usual. Well, it wasn’t a place he visited all that often to begin with.
The streets were crowded. Perhaps it was because of the curfew that would be enforced in a few hours. People needed to buy their dinner supplies beforehand. Shouts from vendors echoed everywhere, making the streets even more bustling.
It was then that Zekart came to a stop.
Someone walking a short distance ahead of him had stopped.
Edit Lindel.
As expected, the one who had led him here was that woman. Unaware that she was being followed, she stopped in front of a fruit stand and spoke to the shop owner with an innocent expression. He couldn’t hear her voice, but judging by the shape of her lips, she was probably saying hello.
“Would you like something?”
Someone spoke to him while he was watching her. It was the owner of a bakery. Without intending to, Zekart had stopped right in front of the display. He was about to shake his head, but instead ended up buying a bag of cookies laid out on the counter. It was a rather unexpected purchase for someone who loathed sweets.
In the meantime, the woman also seemed to have finished shopping, receiving a bag from the fruit vendor.
She started walking again, and Zekart resumed following her.
She walks so slowly, yet so diligently, he thought—a new impression of her forming. The way she wandered from shop to shop reminded him of a honeybee chasing flowers. Her lemon-colored dress and shining blond hair only strengthened that image. Her shopping finally came to an end after she bought a set of baby clothes.
After leaving the shopping district, the woman sat down briefly on a bench in front of the plaza fountain. The heavy shopping basket must have been tiring. Zekart watched her pat her shoulders for a while before quietly sitting on the bench across from her. With the fountain between them, they sat facing opposite directions. Even at this fairly close distance, she still hadn’t noticed his presence.
A dull woman.
She doesn’t even notice this level of surveillance, yet she’s so fearless.
In truth, he shouldn’t have been there. The aftermath of the incident had been significant enough within the organization that operations were temporarily suspended. Zekart, too, had planned to lie low—stay at the hideout and keep quiet until things settled down. He didn’t care much about the organization’s internal affairs to begin with, but he couldn’t completely ignore Rachel’s persistent scrutiny.
However, when he heard that Hermann Miller’s funeral had been scheduled following the autopsy, the woman naturally came to mind. He was a little curious. What had happened to her now that she had lost her target?
It had been nothing more than a passing thought—but when he came to his senses, Zekart found himself sitting in the driver’s seat of his car. Even as he let out a scoffing laugh at himself, he didn’t turn the car around. In the end, he came to find her.
“May I sit here?”
A voice suddenly reached his ears. Glancing sideways, he saw an elderly woman speaking to Edit. Edit, who had been sitting in the middle of the bench, shifted toward the edge. Her long hair, loosely tied, swayed gently.
“Oh, yes. Please have a seat, ma’am.”
Once the old woman sat beside her, Zekart turned his gaze forward again. From behind him, the sound of quiet conversation drifted over.
“I don’t recognize your face.”
“I’m staying with relatives for a while.”
“Did you come here to earn money?”
“No, I came to visit.”
“But with something like this happening… what an awful world we live in.”
“There’s a funeral tomorrow, so once that passes, things should calm down soon, right?”
“I hope so.”
Listening to the clear, gentle voice of the woman—who should have been captured and tortured by now after eliminating Hermann Miller—Zekart opened the bag of cookies he had bought at the shopping district. A strong sugary scent wafted out. He picked one up and brought it to his mouth. As he lightly bit down with his front teeth, the crumbling fragments melted on his tongue.
The cookie was overwhelmingly sweet.
Much like the peace of the woman living a time rewritten by his own hands.
＊＊＊
By the time Edit nearly arrived at Sasha’s house, the sky—cloudy all day—finally began to pour rain. As she opened the front door and stepped inside, Sasha greeted her, drenched to the bone, with a large towel in hand.
“Oh dear, you’re soaked.”
Sasha looked at Edit’s lips, already turning blue, with concern.
“I was worried because you were so late. The curfew’s coming up soon.”
“I had to buy a few things. I’m sorry.”
Setting the shopping basket down, Edit rummaged through it and pulled something out, spreading it out in front of Sasha. It was a tiny set of baby clothes.
“Ta-da! What do you think?”
“Oh my goodness!”
Around that time, Karon and Perel emerged into the living room one by one. Karon reacted with excessive delight, followed by Sasha scolding him for being ridiculous.
Leaving the cheerful commotion behind, Edit headed to the kitchen. As she took out the fruit she’d bought and began washing it, Sasha soon followed her in and started unpacking the basket.
“What’s this?”
Edit’s gaze shifted to the bag in Sasha’s hand.
“Oh, that…”
She trailed off briefly, then spoke awkwardly.
“They’re cookies. A stranger gave them to me on the way.”
“A stranger?”
“Yes.”
They were from the elderly woman by the fountain—who had spoken endlessly about her daughter who died in the war.
That was why she’d returned later than expected.
“Can I eat them?”
“No. Just in case, don’t eat them. You said they were from someone you don’t know.”
It might have been an overly cautious response, but there was no harm in being careful. Especially since Sasha was pregnant. Seeing Sasha look disappointed—apparently craving something sweet—Edit sliced up a washed apple and handed it to her. The uneven shape bothered Edit, since she’d cut it in a hurry, but Sasha accepted the gesture with a bright smile.
Preparing the meal took time. Sasha was heavy with pregnancy, and Edit was slow due to her lack of cooking skills. By the time all the food was ready and the four of them gathered around the table, it was already well past dinner time.
“Please eat a lot.”
“Yes. Thank you for the hard work.”
“Sasha did most of it.”
“We’ll take care of the cleanup.”
After exchanging pleasantries at the table filled with delicious aromas, the four began eating slowly. Edit was the first to reach for the bread beside her. Various bits of everyday conversation passed back and forth. It was only when the meal was nearly over that Edit finally spoke.
“Everyone.”
All eyes, relaxed from fullness, turned toward her. Her calm voice settled over the table.
“I didn’t want to talk about work today of all days, but it can’t be helped.”
A trace of regret showed on Edit’s face. In truth, today’s meal had been the “party” they hadn’t been able to hold earlier—the party they’d promised themselves before undertaking something big. She had wanted, just for today, to forget the heavy cause and enjoy a moment of peace. But with the sudden change in plans, there hadn’t even been time to properly check everyone’s positions.
Fortunately, all of Stiftz’s attention had been focused on Hermann Miller’s residence, where the incident occurred. With all personnel pulled there, it had ironically made movement easier elsewhere.
Perel stood up and roughly cleared the table. In the space where the dishes had been, Karon spread out a map.
“This is the route of the funeral procession. During the procession, all carriages and vehicles will be completely restricted, and Stiftz personnel will continuously conduct inspections. After the procession, the actual funeral will be held in the city hall auditorium. They’re combining it with the previously canceled commendation ceremony. Hermann Miller will also be awarded a posthumous medal. At that point, I’ll infiltrate disguised as Gross Günter and activate the detonator.”
Perel picked up where Karon left off.
“The bomb I’ll handle—installed near the rear entrance of city hall—will detonate first, before Karon’s. Since it goes off first, most personnel will rush to the back entrance. Amid the chaos, Karon can escape.”
The reason for using such an extreme method, despite not carrying out an assassination, was to draw attention. Since they needed people to believe in something they hadn’t actually done, the performance had to be dramatic.
“When the confusion reaches its peak, a large Berg national flag will be unfurled beneath the clock tower. That will be my role.”
Finally, Edit quietly stated her part. Worried gazes immediately gathered on her. Though all she had to do was cut the rope holding the pre-installed flag, her task was the most dangerous since it would happen last.
“I’ll join you as soon as I finish at the back entrance,” Perel said.
Edit shook her head, her expression firmer than ever.
“No. Don’t worry about anyone else. As soon as you finish your own task, leave city hall immediately. I’ll be doing the same.”
Heavy sighs scattered across the table. Contrary to what Edit had hoped, the “party” ended in somber silence.
“Then… good night, everyone.”
A night that might be the last.
Edit slowly rose from her seat.
