Authority: Unregistered의 모든 챕터: 챕터 81 - 챕터 90

The ramen shop was small but lively.Warm light spilled from the windows onto the sidewalk, and the smell of savory broth drifted out every time the door opened. Lucien pushed the door with his shoulder, a bell chiming overhead."Perfect timing," he said.Nox followed him inside. The shop was busy enough that no one paid them much attention; a few office workers occupied the tables while two students sat at the counter, watching the cook prepare noodles. Lucien slid into two empty seats near the end without even glancing at the menu."Two spicy miso," he told the cook.Nox looked up at the menu board anyway. "You decided my order.""You look like someone who eats spicy miso ramen.""That statement has no logical basis."Lucien shrugged. "I've known you for most of my life.""That still doesn't make it logical."The cook set two glasses of water in front of them. Lucien leaned back slightly in his chair. "You know Mira is absolutely watching the street right now.""That seems likely."

By noon, the strategy room felt smaller than usual.It wasn't that the physical dimensions of the room had changed; it was that the world outside had shifted on its axis. Kaida had the wall display split into six different screens, a fractured mosaic of a country in transition. On three of them, KAMB headquarters was a portrait of pure chaos.Registration lines wrapped around the plaza like a living, breathing serpent. Reporters were practically climbing over one another to get a better angle, and temporary stations had been set up outside just to handle the overflow of people seeking answers or an audience.Mira stared at one screen, then another, her eyes wide. "...That is an absolutely horrifying number of people.""It's still increasing," Kaida said, her voice clinical but underscored by the rapid-fire tapping of her fingers against her tablet."That does not make it better."Lucien leaned back in his chair, his hands laced behind his head, though his posture remained tense. "How

Aurel Rowan and Lyra Vossen arrived eight minutes early.Mira checked the time on the wall screen, then peered at them through the glass of the training floor doors. "They're either incredibly responsible or deeply afraid.""Both," Seris said, not looking up from her notes."That's fair."Lucien opened the door before Mira could invent a third option. "You're early."Aurel straightened his shoulders immediately. "We didn't want to be late.""Good instinct," Garrick noted, his deep voice echoing slightly in the high-ceilinged room. That somehow made Aurel stand even straighter, his posture bordering on rigid.Lyra gave a small, respectful nod to the assembled team. "Thank you for seeing us again."Kaida closed her tablet case with a sharp snap and pushed herself off the railing. "Before we begin, let's clarify something." That got both applicants' undivided attention. "This is not an acceptance. It's not a duel, and it's not a performance test. Today is a practical assessment."Lucien

The first floor looked very different when it was full of cameras. Aurora's reception space had hosted visitors before, meetings before, even Elias once, but this was louder. More crowded. And significantly more annoying. Lucien stopped just short of the glass doors and looked out at the press packed behind the barriers."...I changed my mind. Kaida can do all of it.""No," Kaida said. "You'd be better at it.""I'd be less patient.""That sounds like their problem."Mira leaned in from behind them. "You both look important and exhausted. It's very convincing."Seris pulled her back by the shoulder. "Do not hover.""I'm morally supporting.""You're obstructing."Kaida glanced at Orion. "Are we live the second the doors open?""Yes," Orion said.Lucien let out a slow breath. "Great."Nox stood a little behind them, expression unreadable as always. Lucien looked at him once. Nox said, "Keep it simple.""That would've helped ten minutes ago.""It still helps now."Kaida closed her tablet

By the time Aurel and Lyra stepped onto the training floor, Mira had already decided something was wrong.She watched Lucien for exactly twelve seconds, her head tilting like a bird of prey, before she leaned toward Seris and whispered, "He looks like he lost a war in his sleep."Seris didn't look away from the med kit she was meticulously reorganizing. "That's specific.""It's accurate."Lucien, unfortunately, heard both of them. "I'm fine."Mira stared at him, unimpressed. "You said that like a man being held together by caffeine and denial.""That's because he is," Kaida said, not looking up from her tablet.Lucien looked genuinely offended. "Why is everyone like this today?""Because you look terrible," Kaida said flatly.Aurel stopped short near the door, glanced at Lyra, and whispered, "Should we come back later?""No," Lyra whispered back, her eyes scanning the room. "This might be normal.""It is not normal," Mira chimed in, having overheard. "But it is frequent."That did not