I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 284: Visitors to Solarys

"So, this is Solarys? Capital city of Concordia." Hawk says as he steps out of the plane.

"This is your first time in Concordia, Hawk?" J.C., getting off the plane behind him, asks.

"Yes. Even though I’ve been to Solarys once for a mission, I never had the chance to explore the city. I was stuck inside the military base the whole time," Hawk explains.

Taylor, Carter, and Ethan step out of the plane behind them.

It’s not surprising that not many of them have been to Solarys. Compared to other countries, Concordia is among the smaller ones.

Even though most countries buy Aegis from Montrose Corporation, this is not a fact that is shared among their citizens or even most military officers.

Aegis is part of those countries’ defense systems, and those governments are not particularly fond of revealing who their defense contractor is.

And each country always asks Montrose Corporation to tweak their version of Aegis so it isn’t exactly the same as the ones used by others.

This reduces the possibility of the system being hacked.

That’s why Arthur is more famous than Julian, because Arthur can be considered the first Sentinel.

Meanwhile, Liam is famous for being one of the strongest Sentinels in the world.

"Then I’ll show you guys around," J.C. says.

"But first, we must check into our hotel and rest. We have an appointment with the Baroness tomorrow for lunch. We can’t appear sloppy," Ethan reminds his members, who are clearly eager to explore Solarys’s nightlife.

"Don’t be a party pooper. I told you, I don’t care about any Baroness. I just want my vacation and to look for that white-haired princess," Hawk says.

The five Hunters walk toward the baggage claim belts, chatting casually.

"Hey, Bartlett. Do you know where Rhaenas is? I mean, where they live and everything?" Hawk asks with a grin.

Ethan looks at Hawk in disbelief.

"We are not here to hunt for women. We’re here for work. Today we rest, and tomorrow we go meet the Baroness."

Hawk makes a face. "Yeah, but come on."

"That’s an order." Ethan looks at Hawk firmly.

Hawk may co-lead the Hunters with him, but Ethan is still the leader.

Hawk looks at Ethan, displeased, but he doesn’t say anything. He knows Ethan is stronger than him.

Hawk values strength above all else, including loyalty.

Teacher is right. I need to stay the strongest, Ethan thinks inwardly.

He feels slightly uncomfortable. Hawk has been getting more and more difficult to control, because he believes that he is the strongest after Ethan.

The rest of the Hunters say nothing. They all acknowledge Ethan as their leader.

It was because of him that they can wield magic.

They have not forgotten that.

After getting their luggage, the Hunters head toward their hotel.

They start engaging in conversation with the taxi driver.

"Have you heard of Rhaenas, sir?" Ethan asks.

The taxi driver lights up. "Of course! They are our heroes!"

"Oh?" Ethan replies. "Why is that?"

"You guys don’t know?!" The driver looks delighted that he gets to tell his latest favorite story.

"They saved Solarys from a mutated level eight dungeon! And not just that! Do you know they cleared that dungeon with only five people?! When seventy-seven officers from Solarys DEU already went in and still failed to clear it."

"Imagine! Five!" The driver grins and shows Ethan five fingers.

"Impressive," Ethan responds.

"What’s Solarys DEU?" he asks again.

"You guys are not from around here, are you? Not even from Concordia," the driver says.

"What makes you say that?" Ethan asks. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Because you don’t know DEU. It stands for Dungeon Emergency Unit. It’s the unit the city calls when there’s a dungeon that can’t be cleared by a normal Sentinel team," the driver explains.

The ones sitting in the back glance at J.C., silently checking the driver’s explanation.

J.C. nods.

Seeing that, Ethan continues charming the driver.

"Wow, so they really are the heroes of this city. But you said Rhaenas managed to clear the dungeon when those Sentinels couldn’t? Did I hear that right?"

The driver nods enthusiastically. "Yes! They are amazing, aren’t they?"

"Rhaenas must be like celebrities now," Ethan comments.

The driver sighs. "True. But not many people have actually seen them. I mean, their photos were shown on the news and everything, but no one has seen them walking around. Rumor has it they are holed up in their place, resting."

He sighs again. "I guess that makes sense, after all the work they’ve done."

Ethan lowers his voice into a conspiratorial tone.

"You know where they live? I mean, we’d like to pass by, even if it’s just passing. We’re curious."

The driver thinks for a moment.

"We’ll make sure to appreciate your help," Ethan says, taking out some cash to show his appreciation.

The driver grins. "Okay! I’ll drive you there. We’ll pass by their residence!"

Ethan leans back. He exchanges glances with Hawk, who gives him a thumbs up.

Ethan slowly smirks.

------------------------------

Theo and Alicia step out of the elevator on the first floor and head straight toward the entrance.

"I just realized, there are no Sentinels guarding the entrance," Theo comments.

Alicia looks at him. "Sentinels guarding the entrance? Whose Sentinels? Why would they guard the entrance?"

Theo grins. "You don’t remember fighting Sentinels when you tried to force your way in here?"

Alicia frowns, thinking.

"Looks like you don’t remember. No worries. Anyway, Claudia sent a few Monfort Sentinels to guard the entrance because reporters have been trying to break in to interview us," Theo explains as they arrive at the double glass doors.

The firefighters outside are dumbfounded when they see both of them.

Theo walks to the control panel on the left side and inputs a number sequence to unlock the door.

Then the two of them step outside and meet the firefighters.

The Fire Chief immediately recognizes Alicia.

"Chief Lutherford! You’re in here? Are you safe? Where’s the fire?" he bombards Alicia with questions.

She raises both palms, calming him.

"Relax, Chief. False alarm. It’s a false alarm. I’m sorry. There’s no fire here. And thank you for your fast response. We really appreciate it."

Alicia speaks in a calm and apologetic tone, trying to de-escalate the tension.

The Fire Chief knows Alicia well enough to believe she wouldn’t lie about something like this, so he orders his men to start clearing their equipment.

Then he turns back to Alicia.

"What happened?"

"Before I answer that, what made you come here in the first place? I mean, the fire alarm inside the building didn’t activate," Alicia asks. She remembers they still need the information.

"Oh, there was a call from a pedestrian who walked past here and noticed a strange heat coming from the building."

Alicia and Theo exchange a glance.

"Strange heat?" Theo asks.

"This is..." the Fire Chief says, looking at Alicia.

"Oh, this is Thea Montrose," Alicia replies simply.

The Fire Chief immediately recognizes the name.

"Oh my God! I should’ve known! The white hair! I’m sorry, Ms. Montrose, but I’m a fan. Thank you for saving the city and those DEU officers," he says, flustered, his cheeks turning red.

Alicia blinks, amused.

Theo simply replies, "Thank you. But I didn’t do it alone."

He clears his throat.

"Is the pedestrian here? If it’s possible, I’d like to speak with him."

The Fire Chief stammers, "Oh yes, yes, yes. He’s here."

He looks back and scans the crowd.

There is a crowd of citizens, police officers, and reporters standing outside the police line, which has been set up to make sure non-firefighter personnel don’t interfere with the firefighters’ work.

The Fire Chief waves, and a pale-looking man approaches.

"This is the pedestrian."

Theo asks a few questions of the intern, while Alicia explains what happened to the Fire Chief.

"Wow, Mr. Julian Montrose is working tirelessly to keep us safe. Please tell him to be more careful. Is he okay? Does he need medical attention?" the Fire Chief asks.

"Thanks, Chief. But everyone is okay. They’re only embarrassed. Especially Julian," Alicia says with a smile.

"Don’t be. Mistakes happen. Besides,. I can’t believe Mr. Julian is still working," the Chief says.

"Thank you, Chief," Theo says. He has finished questioning the intern.

"You sure everything is okay?" the Fire Chief asks one last time. His men have already begun clearing the area.

"Yes, we are. Thank you again, Chief," Theo replies.

"Return quickly. You don’t want to hold up traffic to the hospital for too long, do you?" Alicia adds.

The Fire Chief nods. "You’re right, Chief. And please return to work soon. We miss you."

"There’s an interim chief, right?" Alicia asks.

"Yes, there is."

"What’s wrong with him? I heard he’s very capable," Alicia says again.

"He is. I’m not saying he’s not. And I know he’s the leader of Rhaenas. You can’t trap me," the Chief says with a smile.

"But he’s not you," he adds.

Alicia only smiles. She doesn’t say anything about returning to work, because she knows she won’t.

But she doesn’t want to break the news just yet.

She hasn’t submitted her resignation letter.

The police begin dispersing the crowd, their priority now to clear the road.

The fire trucks also start leaving the area.

Theo and Alicia watch all of this while reporters snap photos of them.

"You’re okay with your photos being taken by reporters?" Alicia asks.

Theo grins and looks at her. "They won’t get anything."

"What?"

"I made sure their cameras malfunctioned," Theo explains.

Alicia scoffs. "Wow. I’m speechless."

Theo only grins.

But suddenly he feels someone watching him.

Intently.