Chapter 102: Launching Project Pound Seven

Misfortune is like a vulture circling high in the sky—usually, you hardly notice its presence. But at certain moments in life, when you stumble even slightly, you become painfully aware of its fierce descent, its sharp beak striking you—that last image your eyes behold.

Reflecting on that morning days later, Victor admitted that ill omen had been there all along. The first sign was a crow cawing directly at him as he stepped outside. In response to such an annoying nuisance, he snapped his fingers, summoning “Katherine” to deal with it.

Next, he noticed a large slug at his feet. The boy went to the kitchen to fetch some salt and gently sprinkled it over the creature. Then a black cat meowed at him; a small dried fish bribed it into silence. Even the breaking of a strap brought a small measure of relief—it meant he could replace it with a new one.

...

Two days after “Aiven’s heartfelt confession,” while jogging in the morning and drinking a snake pie energy tonic, Victor ran headlong into Siegfried, the Rose Knight, who was leading a fully armored squad of knights.

Approaching Victor with a stern expression, Siegfried said, “It’s good to see you. Come with me—I need your help now. If you haven’t forgotten your promise last time, this is the moment.”

Victor had not forgotten. After the previous Batman incident, when Siegfried had sought his aid and been refused, Victor had promised to help him if ever needed again. Judging by Siegfried’s seriousness, this was no small matter; he had even brought out his protective shield and cocked his crossbow.

“What’s going on?” Victor asked, joining Siegfried’s group without hesitation.

“There’s been a bank robbery in the trade district. The Squirrel Gang is involved—they have dozens of hostages and are currently facing off against the city guards.”

Victor’s expression remained unchanged as he continued, “Do you know who’s leading them?”

“Of course—it’s that damned scoundrel Aiven.”

...

Though he had sensed something on the way, arriving at the scene alongside Siegfried left Victor speechless. Surrounded by city guards was indeed the Vivaldi Bank.

The Rose Knight conducted a brief inspection. Sandbag barricades sealed all entrances and exits. “Jesoro,” a man fond of weed powder, was on site commanding a squad.

At the same time, all known information began to connect in Victor’s mind: the Squirrel Gang’s dealings with the Fire Lizard gang, the guerrillas frequently changing equipment, Aiven’s habit of never paying for commissions, and the dwarf banker Goran Vivaldi.

The truth had always been before him; he had simply failed to piece it together into what was, in fact, an “inside job masked by outsiders” bank heist.

After the inspection, Victor had a rough grasp of the situation. He overheard the Rose Knight curse, “Let’s move! These damned bastards sure pick their moments—always when the king’s away...”

“Why does it matter that the king’s not here?” Victor asked as they followed Siegfried toward the “temporary command post” diagonally across from the bank.

“The king is attending a banquet at La Valerdi Castle, accompanied by the Blue Iron Guards, Captain Jacques, and Advisor Merigold. Now the city is under Mayor Verelad and Princess Yada’s jurisdiction. Neither is willing to order an assault, fearing responsibility for any hostages lost.”

At that moment, Victor spotted a familiar figure being dragged inside, bound hand and foot—it was the “Elven Scout” who had traveled with them just two days prior.

Then Victor heard his name called sharply, “Wick!”

The voice belonged to Anguran, who ran up shouting, “I’ve finally solved the mystery! I know what’s going to happen. They want to—”

She stopped abruptly, noticing the captain’s subtle expression.

Victor apologized with a glance at Siegfried, who understood and politely nodded at Anguran before stepping back to give them privacy, standing a short distance away.

Grateful, the girl forced a smile at the Rose Knight, then discreetly slipped a piece of white paper into Victor’s hand, whispering, “The Squirrel Gang wants to rob the Vivaldi Bank.”

Victor glanced down at the note. It mostly contained information he already knew or was witnessing firsthand—except for one detail that others had yet to realize: the Squirrel Gang had infiltrated the city through the sewers, once inhabited by a vampire lady, a passageway opened by an unnamed monster hunter apprentice.

During a previous graveyard cleanup of ghouls, the apprentice had discovered the sewers led outside the city. The labyrinthine tunnels had never been thoroughly explored by humans; only the Fire Lizard gang had established a smuggling route.

Now the Squirrel Gang exploited this blind spot, emerging directly beneath the bank in the wealthiest district of Vijima City to stage a major incident.

Without a word, Victor slipped the note into his herbal pouch and leaned closer to the girl, locking his blue eyes onto her brown gaze. He whispered, “They’re in full swing—Operation Pound Seven!”

Anguran’s pupils dilated slightly. She had only just solved the riddle and intended to inspect the Vivaldi Bank mentioned in the letter casually. Yet the situation had already escalated, and after delivering the news to the captain, the code “Pound Seven” was being activated.

The designated password “Pound Seven” was a special, grave directive: “Immediately leave Vijima and proceed to the safe house in the western satellite town. If the captain fails to rendezvous by nightfall, follow the specified route to Lindenville in the Wilen District. Lay low there for ten days. If still no contact, cross the border to the Limping Inn series in Norvigre and wait.”

When the plan was made, Victor had resolutely declared that although he had never been to the “Northern Pearl,” the Limping Inn chain undoubtedly existed. At the time, he mocked the captain for such fanciful talk, convinced the arrangement would never be needed.

Now, a solemnity devoid of humor filled his deep blue eyes.

Anguran had witnessed incredible alchemy, and Victor had explained its rarity. Although she did not believe in the foolish notion of invincibility, she did not doubt the possibility of an emergency.

“Immediately” meant exactly that. In a blink, the team embraced their captain and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Tal, head of the Intelligence Bureau, observed the entire scene clearly—from Victor and Siegfried approaching the command post, to Victor receiving the note from Anguran, reading it, and hiding it in his herbal pouch, to Anguran’s departure. The King’s Eye monocle recorded every detail meticulously.

Turning to his subordinates, he ordered, “Take a few men to Victor’s home. Keep Anguran under surveillance. Do not lose sight of her. Avoid violence unless absolutely necessary.”

Watching Anguran leave, Victor said to Siegfried, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Did she come to ask what we’re having for dinner?”

Siegfried chuckled lightly, saying it was no trouble, and the two entered the temporary command post side by side.

...

Inside the command room, sitting at the head was Mayor Verelad, beside him Princess Yada. Nearby were Captain Vincent of the City Guards, the Lily Knight Roderick, and Tal, who had just descended the stairs.

The elf scout they had seen moments before knelt bound and gagged on the floor. Victor noticed his eyes were bloodshot and swollen, his clothes stained with blood that was not his own.

The elf shouted a few curses at Princess Yada before Roderick struck him hard in the nose, knocking him to the ground.

Victor caught sight of the monster hunter apprentice nearby.

Then the elf bellowed, “Victor, I knew you were unreliable—a bastard raised by dogs! You betrayed us, didn’t you?”