Meeting Her Again IV

After lunch, Carolyn gave Lety a letter with daily training plans for the intelligence officers and key notes. She wouldn't be as free during weekdays because of work, so Lety would take over for her during that time. Naturally, it would be difficult for Lety to perform with the same level of athleticism, so she would be carried by Derrick during the running phase of training, and the children would play hide-and-seek among themselves with her as an additional seeker. Carolyn had originally planned to ask Benedict to oversee their training, but Lety insisted that this was an internal matter, and while the Priest was like an advisor, he wasn't a member of the organisation. Lety's participation was also something Carolyn had originally disagreed with, but her sense of responsibility convinced Carolyn to let her try.

Derrick didn't make any complaints about carrying Lety, but since it would add to his burden, Carolyn allowed him to stay at the back of the group so he wouldn't have to run as hard. The efficiency of their training would go down, but as long as they were serious, they would still be on track to complete basic training by the end of next month. Nutrition was also a worry, but Carolyn had already discussed it with Lety, and they came up with an idea. There was some risk involved, but Carolyn agreed because this risk was one that had to be assessed from early on.

Once she was done talking with Lety, Carolyn left the church. It was earlier than the previous day, and she wasn't in a rush, so she decided to pay someone a visit.

Carolyn's legs brought her to a cemetery in the mixed district. Vernum City's dead were buried in three locations: a pit inside the slums district which served as a mass grave for non-residents and criminals, a cemetery in the mixed district for residents and a chapel at the edge of the noble district for local nobles and those deeply involved with them. There was a gravekeeper assigned to the mixed-district cemetery, but they only showed their face at night, so Carolyn didn't see anyone else as she walked through the rows of graves. Though she didn't visit often, she didn't need to stop to look at the names on the tomb stones because the grave she was looking for was in a small spot at the eastern edge of the cemetery.

"Hi."

Carolyn stopped in front of an ordinary rock. There was nothing marked on it, but it did stand out among tombstones. The one buried beneath this rock was someone Carolyn had never spoken to while they were alive; she didn't even know their name. This was the first time she had paid a visit since burying them. She would be glad if they had already passed on, but if their spirit still lingered, then she hoped she could bring it peace with her words.

"I don't know if you've heard yet, but that drug dealer was caught, and the government's planning to use him to negotiate for tax amnesty. If it goes well, this city might finally regain its former prosperity. The damage he caused, will become the basis of the effort to free us from these grim circumstances.

I wonder, would that make the death of you and your child any less miserable?"

The one buried here was the pregnant woman whose corpse Carolyn had seen while Anthony was distributing drugs in the slums district. Just by asking around, Carolyn was able to figure out how she had died. Losing the baby's father and economic troubles left her unable to maintain her residency status or leave the city, so she ended up in the slums district. She had managed to stay out of trouble for a couple of weeks, but an addict killed and robbed her while she was on the way to the well.

Feeling compelled to give her a proper resting place, Carolyn had covered her body with nearby cloth and carried it to this cemetery. Since she was likely a non-resident and Carolyn didn't even know her name, normally she wouldn't be allowed a grave, but Carolyn paid three times the normal cost just for a space to bury the body. The whispers in her head called her a hypocrite and self-absorbed for burying this woman but ignoring everyone else; however, Carolyn simply couldn't ignore a dead mother.

The addict who robbed her had died from overdose soon after, so with Anthony's arrest, the main causes of her death had been dealt with. However, if her soul still lingered in this world, would truth and justice be enough to sever her attachments? Carolyn sincerely wished to know the answer.

Carolyn stayed in front of the rock for a few more minutes before turning to leave the cemetery, but on her way out she spotted a familiar face. It was Andy kneeling in front of a tombstone. Given that this was likely a sensitive moment, Carolyn planned to silently leave, but Andy called out to her before she could.

"Is that you, Executive Carol?"

Given that he had said her name, Carolyn knew there was no point in trying to fool him. She turned around and approached Andy as he remained kneeling before the tombstone.

"Good evening, Andy. How did you know it was me?"

"Good evening. I saw you when I arrived, but you seemed occupied, so I didn't bother you. Are you available to speak now?"

"Yes. I actually had something to discuss with you, so this works out well, but are you sure you want to do this here?"

"It's fine. I'm sure they wouldn't mind us talking here."

Andy then stood up and turned to face Carolyn. Just as she remembered, he seemed like a polite young man, but his eyes held little emotion. Still, she could faintly sense ardent desire within him. As for whether that desire would be harmful to Lety or herself, she was clueless. She didn't want to treat him unfairly just based on suspicion, but Carolyn's mood was almost as gloomy as the setting, so it was difficult not to have pessimistic thoughts and keep her guard up.

"I see. Would you like to go first?"

"Thank you, Executive. My sisters and I are glad to be part of the organisation and do our duties as custodians, but we wonder if there's anything else we can do to provide support."

At face value, Andy sounded like a loyal member of the organisation, but Carolyn's cynical side deduced that he was testing her and Lety. Though they were employees, since the organisation hadn't started yet and their only duty was cleaning up where they lived, Lety hadn't provided any rewards to the custodians. The intelligence officers were in a similar position, but in a sense their training could be considered an investment by the organisation, so they would naturally be highly valued. On the other hand, the custodians were easily replaceable as long as a better venue was discovered. Of course, Andy had agreed to join them knowing that he wouldn't receive pay before they officially started, but leaving the custodians as is would be a poor decision. Fortunately, Carolyn and Lety had something prepared.

"You have good timing. Executive Letira and I recently discussed giving the custodians a new duty. You see, for my training to have maximum effectiveness, nutrition is also important, so we plan to buy food to ensure the trainees get three meals a day. Though we could store this food at their current residence, Executive Letira has decided that for the sake of the organisation's future, it would be better to store it at our office for the time being. What do you say?"

Given that he had just asked for more responsibilities, it would be tricky for Andy to refuse here, but this wasn't a role to accept lightly. If other slums' residents saw Andy's family hoarding food, there would definitely be thieves aiming for them, so they would either need to be careful about hiding it or get some form of protection. Carolyn thought that Andy would need time to think about it, but to her surprise he soon responded with his own proposal.

"Naturally, we custodians accept this mission. However, would you be willing to leave the purchase of the food to us?"

Carolyn immediately furrowed her brows in response to Andy. He should know that his request would be treated with much suspicion, so she couldn't understand why he would take that risk.

"That depends on why you're asking."

"Though I may not have resided in the slums district for as long as Executive Letira, I believe I'm more familiar with the people around our office, and I have connections to some food merchants. If I play my cards well, then it should be possible to buy ingredients at a cost below the current market price without alerting any greedy thieves."

Once he explained himself, Andy's proposal did sound appealing, but it was still risky, so Carolyn couldn't make a decision on the spot.

"I see. I can't promise anything, but I'll speak with Executive Letira about it."

"That alone is enough. Thank you."

After giving gratitude, Andy left the cemetery, leaving Carolyn in front of the grave that he was at. She knew this was probably done on purpose, but she still read the words carved on the tombstone and understood who was buried here. It wasn't a surprise, but there was a lingering unease.