Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Clearly, I was the first_1
Wolfie was somewhat surprised, as he had originally agreed to meet Rebecca at the planned restaurant—the one where their squad used to gather often, not far from the apartment Rebecca had rented.
But now, Rebecca had suddenly appeared here.
"Have you been waiting here for me?" Aiden asked.
"I finished work at the office early, so I just clocked out. Figuring you might not have left yet, I came here directly—anyway, it’s pretty much on the way, so let’s walk together," Rebecca said with a smile.
"What if I had left early too? Wouldn’t you have waited for nothing?" Aiden chuckled, "Alright, let’s go together."
"Hmm..." Rebecca nodded, then noticed Veronica, who was standing behind Aiden, looking puzzled, "Who is this?"
"She is Veronica, a jail guard working under me. She took care of you when you lost your memory; you should have some recollection of that," Aiden timely introduced her, then turned to Veronica, "This is my junior at the Inquisition Bureau, Rebecca, the one who exchanged bodies and lost her memory with Presia."
"Hello, you..." Veronica hesitated before responding and greeted the other party.
"I do have some recollection, but I always feel like I’ve seen you somewhere even earlier..." Rebecca blinked twice, then suddenly remembered, "Ah, you’re Officer Wolfie from the mounted police, right? It’s you, isn’t it?"
Talking, she reached out her hand to Veronica.
"I am..." Veronica took the offered hand, somewhat puzzled, "How do you know me?"
"Do you remember last year’s beast disaster incident? The nine-headed hydra that emerged from Zerr Swamp, caught by the joint efforts of the Inquisition Bureau and the mounted police! We met then!" Rebecca shook hands with her enthusiastically.
"Ah!" Veronica seemed to recall.
"What, you knew each other before?" Aiden looked back and forth at them.
"Did you forget? Wasn’t there a beast disaster outbreak on the outskirts of the city last April? The Inquisition Bureau and the mounted police were both dispatched, with the Inquisition Bureau responsible for the assault, and the mounted police for evacuating the civilians." Rebecca explained to him, "Later on, the mounted police saw we were under too much pressure and came over to support us. Officer Wolfie went up with us. She fought bravely, even more fiercely than us judges. The city council gave her a medal specially, and the chief mentioned more than once how such talent should join our Bureau."
Aiden recalled a bit and nodded, "Yeah, there was such an incident."
In April of last year, he was sitting in his office, reading about this big news in the newspaper—after all, the incident had nothing to do with his prison.
He saw it a second time in Veronica’s file.
"Eh? How did you end up working in a prison?" Rebecca suddenly remembered this point.
"In March, I got involved in a homicide case. I was falsely accused by someone within my own unit and sent to prison, but my superior overturned the case for me, and then I was transferred here," Veronica explained in a low voice. She wasn’t the especially sociable type and wasn’t quite comfortable with Rebecca’s warmth at the moment.
"Turns out, there was such an incident," Rebecca realized, casting glances between Aiden and Veronica, both intentionally and unintentionally.
"Didn’t you see the newspapers? It was written about," Aiden interjected.
"I get sent on missions all the time, not like you’ve got it so easy since switching divisions," Rebecca pouted at Aiden.
"My work now is not the least bit leisurely, it’s just that I spend more time in the office," Aiden countered.
Indeed, many people had the stereotypical notion that work in the prison was relaxing. Previously, "Rebecca" impersonated by Presia had mentioned this, and now it turned out that Rebecca herself thought the same.
"Um, both of you..." Veronica looked nervously back and forth between the two, "Do you have...plans for the evening?"
"Ah, she said she wanted to thank me for the incident before, so she invited me to dinner," Aiden nonchalantly replied.
"I see... that’s how it is." Veronica’s expression stiffened upon hearing this.
She hadn’t thought of that move, of inviting Aiden to dinner...
No, actually, she had thought about it, but back then she wasn’t very familiar with Aiden, and the idea of suddenly asking him to dinner seemed a bit...
It was me who—of course, I’m only referring to being saved by Aiden—it always felt like I was falling behind others when it came to social graces.
"It’s getting dark, we should head out," Aiden said as he took out his pocket watch to look at the time, then turned to Rebecca, "Do you want to wait for the public carriage? You must have walked a distance to get here."
"It’s no trouble, just a few steps away. Let’s walk over, you’re not in a hurry, are you?" Rebecca pointed in that direction.
"Alright then." Aiden turned his head, preparing to take leave of Veronica, "We’ll go ahead then, which way are you heading, Veronica?"
"Ah, actually..." Her eyes suddenly lit up, "I’m also headed that way, I live on Lavender Road..."
"Oh, you live quite close to each other then," Aiden observed the two, "Are you going to take a carriage home?"
"No, I’m used to walking back," Veronica quickly answered.
"Then why don’t we walk together?" Seeing her respond in that manner, Aiden could only go along with it. It would be too awkward if acquaintances who were going in the same direction walked separately without any interaction.
"Sure," Veronica agreed immediately.
Rebecca looked at her but didn’t say anything.
The three of them walked along the footpath toward the lower district. Suddenly, a man wearing a top hat and carrying a cane, looking down as he walked, came straight toward Aiden.
Aiden stepped to the left to give way, and the man also moved in that direction.
Acting on instinct, Aiden sidestepped to the right, and the man mirrored the movement—as if caught in one of those awkward sidewalk encounters.
Just when Aiden was about to stop and step aside to let the man pass, the man seemed to be infuriated, snatching up his cane and lunging forward. A dangerous silver glint flashed from the end of the otherwise ordinary cane.
Aiden was alarmed and reflexively stepped back, his wrist turning as he swung his own cane with the technique of swordplay to parry the lunge.
Before he could organize his next move, Rebecca and Veronica, who were on either side of him, rushed forward with speed difficult to catch, their feet striking the man’s body.
The man was kicked by both of them together, his feet lifting off the ground as he was forcefully sent flying back and slamming into a lamppost behind him.
"Senior—" "Commander—"
""Are you all right!?"" Both of them turned back in unison, exclaiming with one voice.
"I’m fine..." Aiden replied, still in a daze.
But the person you kicked flying, he seems to be in a lot of trouble!
