When faced with an utterly unexpected situation, people tend to freeze.
Like when a truck suddenly appears from nowhere in an alley, and you’re so shocked you can’t even move—just getting hit in the end.
This reaction is commonly referred to as the freeze response, and for me, realizing that Greg was in danger triggered exactly that.
It was a scenario I’d never considered during the month he’d been away from the city.
"You said you’d be back soon. And now this?"
I clenched my fists tightly as the memory of my last moments with Greg replayed in my mind.
His words, saying he’d be back in no time and that there was nothing to worry about, were still vivid in my head.
As if a tide had receded, my initial shock quickly gave way to a flood of emotions crashing over me all at once: worry, anger, frustration, anxiety, irritation, and unease.
I couldn’t stay still like this.
Feeling like my insides were boiling, I burst out of the office, ready to rush outside.
“Wait, hold on. Where do you think you’re going?”
“...!”
Or at least, I tried to.
Raven’s hand gripped my shoulder so tightly it ached, stopping me in my tracks.
What are you doing? Don’t stop me!
I glared at Raven, feeling both the sting of pain in my shoulder and a small sense of betrayal.
But his cold, emotionless gaze met mine, freezing me in place.
“Do you even know where Greg is? Running out without a plan isn’t going to solve anything.”
“....”
“So calm down. If you act impulsively now, you’ll only make things worse. Trust me.”
Raven’s expression was icy, devoid of his usual playfulness.
His unshakable composure forced me to take a step back and see myself more objectively.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst, and my breathing was ragged as if I’d just finished a sprint.
Plan? Of course I didn’t have one. If Raven hadn’t stopped me, I probably would have aimlessly scoured the city with telekinesis.
And that would’ve solved nothing—just a foolish action driven by emotion, making the situation worse.
Realizing this, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stop.
Noticing my shift, Raven slowly let go of my shoulder.
He seemed to think I wouldn’t recklessly run off anymore.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
But even though I’d regained some rationality, my emotions hadn’t subsided.
The gnawing feeling in my stomach, like someone squeezing my insides, was still very much there.
“Calm down for now. I know Greg’s important to you, but he’s important to us too. We won’t ignore this. And... there’s still a way to help him.”
“...?”
How?
I stared at Raven with doubt, my expression full of questions.
In response, he held up the communicator screen for me to see.
“Look closely at the message Greg sent. It wasn’t sent via an ID number but through an internet service. Convenient, yes, but it also means his IP address could be traced.”
“...!”
“Normally, companies offering such services ensure strict security, so accessing it would be tough. But we have someone who’s great at cracking these kinds of things.”
Without hesitation, Raven opened his communicator and sent a message, likely to David—probably lounging around unaware it was Sunday.
Such an efficient boss. I love it. Let’s keep this going!
I nodded, ignoring the dull ache in my shoulder. Seeing this, Raven glanced at me and spoke.
“Hey... your shoulder, is it okay?”
“...?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you that much.”
What? Why apologize for that? This was my fault.
Seeing Raven, who’d glared at me just moments ago like he was ready to kill me, now awkwardly scratching his neck and apologizing, I shook my head firmly.
It wasn’t like I’d been upset about it anyway.
If anything, I owed him thanks for stopping me before I could make an irreversible mistake.
To show my gratitude, I headbutted Raven lightly in the stomach.
Cats apparently use headbutts to show affection, so I figured he’d get the message.
“Ugh... haha, okay, I get it. You’re not the type to dwell on little things. Good. Now go change. As soon as David replies, we’re heading out.”
“...?”
“Why else? You want to help Greg, don’t you?”
“...!”
Of course, I do!
At Raven’s rare, dashing smile, I nodded enthusiastically, then dashed off to my room.
I hurriedly changed into my usual maid outfit, throwing off my current clothes without a care.
With everything neatly in place, I returned to the office and sat quietly on the sofa, waiting.
The longest way around is often the shortest way home.
I pressed down the restless emotions threatening to bubble over as I waited patiently.
[Mama... are you okay?]
Tesseract’s hesitant voice broke the silence, as if sensing my unease.
But I was fine now.
Raven told me to trust him, and I would. After all, Raven was the protagonist.
Still, in the unlikely event that Greg ended up seriously injured...
I wasn’t sure if I’d remain as composed as I was now.
The ticking of the clock echoed in the quiet office.
The lingering unease hadn’t entirely vanished—it stayed, watching me in silence.
*
As I quietly meditated on the sofa, Raven emerged from the back.
He had clearly changed in the meantime, now wearing his usual dull suit for work.
“Good news. David managed to trace the IP and found Greg’s location.”
“...!”
“Greg is in Belmond, a coastal city that’s about a half-day’s drive from Night Haven.”
So, he really was outside Night Haven.
But a half-day by car? That would take far too long!
I frowned, my expression darkening with concern.
It was a relief that he wasn’t in another country, but the sheer distance was still a problem.
We can’t make it in time at this rate.
As I wrestled with this thought, Raven continued in a serious tone.
“If we left right now, we’d probably reach the city by early morning tomorrow. Considering we don’t know what’s going on over there, that’s not exactly ideal.”
“....”
“Which is why we won’t be taking a car. We’ll use another method.”
Another method...?
It wasn’t like we could easily get a train or plane ticket right now.
Wait, can I even board without an ID? Or... could a fixer make it happen?
Puzzled, I placed my hands on my knees and looked at Raven, urging him to explain further.
He casually answered, as if it were no big deal.
“Do you remember Lurica? We met her a while back. Turns out, she has a private jet scheduled for an overseas trip today. We’ll hitch a ride on her jet, which should cut travel time down to about two hours.”
“...!”
A miracle—reducing half a day to just two hours!
As expected, flying beat driving by a long shot.
And with a private jet, there was no hassle of securing tickets. Since we weren’t traveling internationally, there was no need for passports either.
But would she really just let us board without any strings attached?
As I tilted my head, wondering about the conditions, Raven cleared his throat and added.
“She did say she’d like to use you and Alice in another music video sometime. Apparently, the last one got quite a good response.”
“....”
“Anyway, that’s how it is. Let’s head out. We need to be at the airport by six, so we don’t have time to dawdle.”
With Raven urging me on, I had no choice but to follow him hurriedly.
As we walked, Raven carefully explained the plan.
We would reach the city as quickly as possible, find traces of Greg, figure out what was going on, and help him in any way we could.
However, since Belmond wasn’t as welcoming to non-humans as Night Haven, Alice and David wouldn’t be joining us.
But Alice could pass for a human, couldn’t she? Wouldn’t it be fine?
I made a motion of drawing my sword, as if to say Alice would be okay, and posed the question to Raven.
Shaking his head, he reminded me that her body emitted magic, which would require her to wear a suppression collar—something that would draw unwanted attention.
Ah, that’s true. It’d definitely stand out.
Nodding to show I understood, I realized that it would just be me and Raven. The thought felt oddly weighty.
Fortunately, the city’s efficient transportation meant we reached the airport well before the six o’clock departure time.
“Hey, we’re here,” Raven greeted casually.
“Oh, if it isn’t the guy who only calls when he needs something... and Yuria! You remember me, right?”
“...!”
“Geez, such preferential treatment,” Raven muttered.
I raised my hand cheerfully to greet Lurica, who seemed genuinely friendly.
She felt similar to Alice in some ways, and her affable demeanor didn’t feel overbearing.
At least she didn’t suddenly hug me or sniff the top of my head like Alice.
In fact, her approachability made her easier to be around in some ways.
“Thanks for letting us board your jet. This really saved us,” Raven said, scratching his neck.
“Hmph. I didn’t do it for you. I only agreed because of Yuria and Alice. You should be thanking them, not me. Why would I help someone as dull as you otherwise?”
“Yeah, yeah, sorry for being boring.”
Lurica rolled her eyes but pointed to the jet with her thumb.
“Well, go on and board.”
Inside the private jet, there were more people than I expected. According to Lurica, they were staff members and employees for her overseas shoot.
Apparently, taking a private jet was more convenient for large-scale shoots with dozens of crew members.
For her, renting a jet seemed less like a luxury and more of a practical necessity.
“Oh, Yuria, Raven.”
“Huh? You’re...”
“...!”
“It’s me, Aisha! Haha, is my makeup that unrecognizable?”
Surprisingly, Aisha, another familiar face, was among the passengers.
As part of Lurica’s agency, she was likely expanding her recognition through overseas shoots.
Not long after, the jet smoothly took off.
Thankfully, no one questioned my identity—perhaps it had been arranged beforehand.
It was my first time on a plane, something that should have been thrilling, but my thoughts were too preoccupied with Greg to enjoy the experience fully.
Wait, didn’t she say this was for an overseas shoot? Can they just drop us off partway?
As I pondered this, the answer to my question became clear.
“Alright, we’re going ahead. Good luck with your shoot. Let’s go, Yuria!”
“....”
With the jet’s door wide open, Raven and I stood at the edge, parachute bags strapped to our backs.
This isn’t a battle royale game, is it?!
Who just jumps out of a flying plane with a parachute?
Before I could even scream, Raven and I leaped into the roaring wind together.
No matter how urgent things were, who decides to skydive out of a moving plane?
Raven really wasn’t normal.