Did she steal it?!

   The car hummed quietly as it moved along the forest road. Bel, sitting in the middle, was peering out the window, his tail wagging slightly as the scenery zipped past. Luna, on the other hand, was as composed as ever, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

   “Now that I think about it," I said. "I’ve never seen you own a SUV before. When did you buy one?”

   Zephyra glanced at me in the rearview mirror, a sly grin spreading across her face. 

   “Oh, I didn’t really buy it. It’s more like... I found it.”

   “Found it? Where could you find...?” 

   My voice trailed off as realization hit me. 

   “Wait a minute. Don’t tell me—”

   “It was in terrible condition, but after replacing a few parts and adding some of my own touches, this boy is as good as new.”

   I stared at her, horrified. “Shouldn’t the police have taken the vehicle along with the bandit and the mana weapons? You know, as evidence in the case?!”

   Zephyra waved her hand dismissively. “Calm down, there’s nothing to worry about. My old friend has high position in the police department, so it’s all good.”

   “Friend? Wait... Now that I think about it, one of the policemen was talking something about his chief sending regards or something like that…”

   After that incident with the bandits, Zephyra called the police to investigate. They secured the evidence, together with the only bandit who had somehow survived—even after what I’d done to him in my rampage. 

   I remember making a casual remark to Zephyra that day, saying that the guy must be incredibly lucky, if he survived that. But her expression was rather unusuall. As if caught between pity and discomfort. I didn’t know why, since I didn't get a chance to see him, but it made me wonder what kind of state that man had been left in...

   Let's go back to the story.

   Zephyra nodded with a chuckle. “We go way back. He used to chase me for 2 years during my ‘escapades’ when I was a kid at the orphanage. He never managed to catch me, though.”

   “I’m starting to feel sorry for him...” I muttered under my breath.

   Zephyra, ignoring me, continued. “Eventually, we made a deal. He and the other police officers would never pursue me in the future. In exchange I’d help him out from time to time.”

   Luna, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up. “So, Ms. Zephyra was working as an informant?”

   “More or less. I collected information, gave them insight into what a thief would do in certain situations, that sort of thing. It was mutually beneficial.”

   I finally countered, “So, in the end, he outplayed you.”

   Luna and Bel looked at each other, confused by the statement. 

   “Outplayed?” they asked in unison.

   “So you noticed, huh?”

   Luna, curious, turned to me. “What does that mean, Master?”

   “If he really wanted to arrest her," I explained. "He would’ve done it long ago. There is no police officer who would run alone after criminal for such a long time, without backup, even if it is about a kid. He could’ve easily called for others and combed the area. Instead, he chased you all over the place by himself. That’s not exactly professional—unless he wanted to give you the false impression that you had the upper hand, only to offer you a deal so favorable that you felt no reason to refuse.”

   Bel, sitting between us, piped up, “So he did this to make her his informant?”

   I shook my head. “That's only half of the truth. Right, Zephyra?”

   She sighed, smiling in amusement. “That old geezer knew what he was doing. I thought he gave up, but he just changed his strategy. Bit by bit, he reshaped the way I thought—about people, about myself. Honestly, if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have accepted Lucian’s offer either. That’s why I don’t hold it against him.”

   Luna tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. “So he was like a parent?”

   “Seems like it. Looking back, he might’ve been the closest thing I had to a father.”

   I leaned back, crossing my arms. “He sounds like an interesting guy. I’d love to meet him.”

   Zephyra chuckled. “You’ll have the opportunity soon.”

   “Great,” I said, then muttered under my breath, “I finally get to give him my condolences.”

   “You said something?”

   “No ides what you’re talking about.” I said, playing fool. 

   “Anyway," I changed the topic. "Changing the subject. I understand that we will go to the city, but where exactly?”

   Zephyra glanced at me in the rearview mirror, her tone casual but clear. “Didn’t I say earlier? We’re going to The Vermillion territory.”