The Transmigrated Author

261  Montclair Mansion (2)

Vanessa moved silently through the corridors, avoiding any contact with the guards.

Now that she had a lead, she planned to rest in the staff lounge until it was time to act.

Turning a corner, she spotted the guards who had tried to enter the jammed door earlier. She paused, schooling her expression into one of polite indifference.

"Hey, have you seen that girl before?" one guard asked the other.

"No, but I won't lie, she's pretty."

"How about we find her after our shift?"

"Haha, sounds like a plan."

Vanessa's face tightened as she passed them, but she was finally out of their sight.

"Those bastards will pay," she muttered under her breath.

Suddenly, a voice crackled through her earpiece. She quickly adjusted it and changed the channel.

"Vanessa! I need your h-help... please," Christian's voice pleaded, strained and desperate.

"Christian, are you okay?!"

"No..."

A chopping sound echoed through the earpiece. "Uwah! Please... stop... I can't..."

Static filled the background, and Vanessa's expression hardened. If Christian was in danger, she needed to hurry.

"Christian, I'm pinging your location. I'll be there as soon as possible."

She gritted her teeth and hurried down the hallway, searching for his location. Suddenly, his voice came through clearly.

"No... you see, I'm not good at cooking, and the head chef is speaking to me in a language I don't understand..."

Vanessa stopped in her tracks, her hand flying to her forehead. Seriously? She felt exasperated.

She distinctly remembered Christian boasting about his culinary skills when Yang had been assigning roles.

Of all the things to go wrong... I knew I should've taken the chef role. Creak!

Turning down another corridor, she found herself on the second floor, overlooking the mansion's main lobby and entrance. The doors creaked open slowly.

"Welcome to the Montclair Mansion!" the head servant's voice echoed.

Vanessa sensed eight people and four strong presences entering the building. Peeking over the railing, she saw a group of teenagers in the foyer.

"One, three, five, eight... nine?" she counted, confused at the situation.

Did I miss someone? She prided herself on her ability to detect presences, and this miscount made her doubt herself.

Am I sick?

She checked her head, neck, and pulse, but she felt fine.

19:32 Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It must be the artifacts messing with my senses. Looking over the railing again, she recognized a few faces.

"Oh, it's Jan Ates, Legion's future recruit," she thought. "There's the daughter of Freya, the Sword Saint, and the two Villerions, Louise and Lan."

As she observed the students, she felt a strange presence watching her.

Vanessa flinched, realizing Jan was staring right at her.

An overwhelming sensation washed over her, making her shiver and sweat.

Then, as he looked away, the feeling vanished.

What was that?

 She couldn't believe the power she sensed from him.

He was the highest-ranking recruit among the first years, and the most valued across all years. I wonder how I would fare against him in combat... I'll probably find out in the future.

She continued observing the group, recognizing the other notable figures: Jae Yoona, Alice Elizabeth, Bazz Wong, and... then she paused.

And immediately her gaze locked onto a boy with messy black hair and droopy blue eyes.

Wait, a minute! I swear I've seen him before!

She racked her brain, trying to place the familiar face.

Then it hit her.

He looked remarkably like the boy she'd encountered at L'Institut des Lumières Academy.

But he couldn't be here... could he?

She dismissed the thought recalling that he most likely lived in France.

I must be mistaken.

She knew that there's a mission to focus on.

But still, she couldn't help but steal another glance at the boy.

"He doesn't look bad," ***

[Earlier today after the mission briefing.]

After leaving the headquarters, the sun was finally up and shining, though something that remained constant was this chilly breeze.

I didn't understand this country's weather, but I wasn't curious enough to find out.

Tucking my hands in my pockets, I felt the winds grow even hastier as I treaded towards the bench near the cul-de-sac.  I needed to get to the Navigli District to meet up with everyone else, so I figured I'd call an Uber.

"I heard you're staying at the client's place today, Axel? Or should I say, Rel?" a voice whispered in my ear.

I spun around and jumped back in surprise.

It was Yang, our squad leader. I was momentarily scared of my identity being revealed, but thankfully, there weren't any other mercenaries around.

"Relax," she assured me. "Everyone's on missions today. They won't know."

"I see," I replied, relieved.

I leaned back on the bench, relaxing my shoulders. But then I felt an eerie stare on me. I turned to see Yang looking at me with a smirk.

"Need a ride?" she asked, pulling out her keys. I was just about to decline her offer but I realised I hadn't even called an Uber yet.

Honestly, I wasn't even left with a choice. If I called one now, I'd be closer to being late rather than being early.

"Yes, please..."

"Okay, wait here." She smiled and quickly returned with a BMW i7.

"Get in."

I opened the backseat door and sank into the plush seat, enveloped by the car's comforting warmth. It was almost hypnotic.

"Where to?" Yang asked.

"Navigli District," I replied.

She stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped off smoothly. I couldn't help but wonder why she offered me a ride.

"I heard from Jaxon that you're staying at the client's place for the weekend," she explained. "So, I did some digging on the organization and found that one of their guards has been smuggling artifacts during work hours. Since you have a different role from CA25B and VE4B, you'll need to find and execute the smuggler. After that, you'll take his clothing and act as a guard."

The information overwhelmed me. Execute someone?

I didn't think that was even in the original novel. The thought made my hands tremble. I'd never done anything like that before. Could I really do it?

"You understand, Axel?" "Ah... yes," "Good. We're here at the Navigli District." Yang stopped the car.

"If you need help with your task, don't be afraid to ask one of us. Now, see you later, Rel."

 She waved with a smile and sped off.

Haah... What a bother...