Although the process was a bit... chaotic, luckily we managed to catch up in the end.

It was 13:54, and the location was the underground parking lot of Hengdu Department Store.

In a corner of the parking lot where the camera couldn't reach, there were two figures.

One was slightly shorter, wearing a black hooded windbreaker, while the other also wore all black attire but without a hat, instead opting for a pair of sunglasses.

"Can you hear me? Mr. Amagi."

Crepes·Clair's voice came from Ryuto's clothes.

"Yeah, I can hear you."

Ryuto responded quietly.

"Is that so? It seems there's no problem. Although it's a mini communication device and hidden inside the clothes, the sound quality seems to be better than I expected."

"Yes, that puts my mind at ease."

Perhaps sensing Ryuto's unease in his voice, Crepes·Clair tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Amagi. Later, we'll be following behind. If everything goes smoothly, we'll be able to pinpoint the exact location of the terrorists' hideout with this mini communication device. That way, we can successfully capture the terrorists."

"Is that so..."

Ryuto could only respond with a wry smile.

What if things don't go smoothly? What then?

This couldn't really be considered a reassurance.

Well, for now, all we can do is hope for the best, even though the odds seem slim...

"By the way, I have a question for you, Mr. Amagi, if you don't mind..."

"Huh? A question?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's alright, but the time is almost up, isn't it?"

"Of course, it won't take much time."

"Is that so..."

Since the other party put it that way, Ryuto didn't have much more to say.

So Ryuto asked directly.

"So, what is it?"

"It's about what just happened."

"What just happened?"

This surprised Ryuto quite a bit. After all that, she was still pondering over what had just happened?

How should I put it, that's quite rare...

"Well, everything happened just as you said, Mr. Amagi, but I don't understand why, under the name of Count Delance, those two won't retaliate against that little girl."

"So that's it... In simple terms, it's because in their eyes, you and Count Delance have different statuses."

"Status?"

"Yeah, you're the captain of the Special Security Team, in other words, representing the government, and your responsibility is to maintain the country's order. As for Count Delance, although he's also a government official, he's different from you."

"Different?"

"Yes, besides being a government official, he is also a count. Although the title of count is bestowed by the Holy Heir, which is the government, this title belongs to Count Delance personally, as long as the government has not revoked his title."

"That's what you say, but what does that actually signify? Although I'm not a noble, I don't understand because I know that this has nothing to do with the privileges of the nobility."

"Let me put it this way, because Count Delance is not just a noble but also a noble overseeing a slave factory, while you are just a captain maintaining order. This means that unless it's an act of law, you have no power over them, but Count Delance is different. His duty is not to maintain order but to contribute to the country, so he can do many things that you cannot."

"Things I cannot do?"

"Yes, because in their eyes, you represent peace and justice, while Count Delance is in charge of the slave factory, representing evil. If Count Delance wishes, under the pretext of contributing to the country, he can retaliate against them anytime and quite easily, regardless of whether they have violated the law. It's not the case for you as the maintainer of order, as you yourself cannot violate the law, and even if Count Delance does, it doesn't matter. At least that's how they see it. The key point is that they fear Count Delance, while towards you, they feel merely helpless."

"So, at that moment, the threat is more effective than legitimate prevention."

As he answered, Ryuto's voice grew quieter.

"Exactly, in that situation, evil is more effective than justice, because... what evil fears is not justice, but evil that runs even deeper."