“The village... it’s all gone.”
“...there’s nothing we can do.”
Three months had passed since the Brass Ox attacked. The physical scars had been patched, but the villagers’ fear remained.
“Let’s leave before that monster returns!”
“Right. No more hunting or anything!”
Hunter after hunter trickled out, and after a few media reports, the village grew loud with panic before falling into a heavy silence. Once everyone had left, there was nothing more to say.
“At least the bus isn’t crowded.”
“Yeah... at least we can travel in peace.”
“Still, they really have a school just for Resolvers...”
I pulled out the student ID Meursault had given us.
Resolver Vocational Primary School, Grade 5: Kim Ji-Hoon, Race: [Liberi].
“Kim Ji-Hoon... I feel like I must revere this name...”
I didn’t know why, but the name demanded reverence.
“What about me? I-Hese? Is that a foreign name or a Danguk name...?”
“Judging by your hair color, you’re clearly mixed-blood.”
“You can’t judge mixed heritage by hair color!”
Right, this is Terra. Hair comes in every imaginable color. Besides, my own hair looks like a black-and-white Oreo.
“Anyway, what kind of place is this Resolver Academy?”
“You didn’t hear the explanation from Meursault?”
“No, I was daydreaming while you were talking.”
“You really...!”
Too bad... I was just so sleepy...?
“Sigh... It’s a school that specializes in training people who take on missions for others, just like us.”
“Insane. A mercenary school.”
Apparently, the school associated with our fake names had already closed down, making it the perfect cover to keep our identities hidden.
“Wake me when we arrive. I need to catch up on sleep. I guess this hat makes it easy to sleep comfortably.”
Meursault had practically begged me to keep the hat on. In this heat, I had no idea why...
“What about me?!”
“You sleep too. Good night!”
“...Wake... up... get... up!”
“Ugh? Sigh... ow... ow! You can’t sleep on a bus... you’ll ruin a child’s spine...”
“Let’s get off. The driver’s going to be mad...”
Sure enough, the bald driver's head was turning a bright shade of red.
“Thanks.”
“Th... thank you for the ride!”
We fled the bus and finally laid eyes on the cityscape.
“Hmm... a city is definitely nice.”
If the village we left was a mix of the Joseon era and the 1980s countryside, this city blended traditional Joseon architecture with a modern society.
And of course, this wasn’t Earth, but Terra—the people here had animal ears or tails.
“I see a lot of Felines and Ursus.”
“Danguk considers Felines and Ursus its founding races. Next come us Liberi, and a few Egir are mixed in as well.”
“Really? You know your stuff.”
“I studied before coming.”
“Huh? You’re not from here?”
“I’m from Karan. That’s why it’s so hot...”
Karan is where God☆Eunjae’s True Silver Punch resides, right?
“Really? You came from that far away.”
“Well... I had my reasons.”
I supposed there must have been a reason to travel so far. I wouldn’t pry.
“Anyway, the question is where to find that guy... Should we start poking around the back alleys?”
“I’m not sure... Since he’s said to target students, we should check near the school.”
School. What did schools look like here? The only students I’d seen in-game were Jima, Rosa, and Goom—all from Ursus—and that had been depressing enough.
“I’m actually kind of looking forward to it. A school.”
Faust and Lee Sang were teaching the basics, but Sinclair wasn’t studying?
“Aren’t you studying?”
“I am. Believe it or not, I’ve already mastered Letanyen.”
“What? Really?”
Letanyen. The home country of Arts, based on German-speaking nations of the real world. Faust was from there too. The Sword Sect was surprisingly a multinational group.
“You’re from Karan and quite the elite yourself~”
Karan was one of the most isolationist nations in Terra, so unless you were from a noble family or worked in translation, you wouldn’t receive that kind of education.
“Hey, look over there! L-let’s go!”
“......Okay.”
I must have touched a nerve. The moment Sinclair abruptly changed the subject and hurried away, I saw hesitation, fear, and utter despair in his pupils.
Someday I’ll hear it straight from his lips.
Yeah. That’s for the best.
“Oh... looks like a busker.”
“Yeah. They even have those here.”
It really felt like a slice of cultural life. Was this place like a metropolitan city back in Korea?
“By the way, those people are carrying weapons.”
“They’re Resolvers. Naturally, they can’t go on a mission without them.”
“Then why do we have to hide ours!”
Our swords were wrapped in cloth and stored in instrument cases. Life wasn't fair.
“Well, if our blades are found by the trackers, we’re in trouble.”
True. We were the ones being hunted. Still, I couldn’t use just any sword. The one issued by the Sword Sect acted like a staff for Casters to channel their Arts. It was the most suitable weapon to carry our will into an attack.
“Ugh... I’m hungry...”
“It’s already lunchtime. We should eat soon.”
Right, mission after meal. You have to eat to survive.
“In that spirit, let’s find a restaurant first.”
“Yeah. Otis isn’t here, so a little snacking should be fine, right...?”
“Absolutely! If she were here, she’d be lecturing us, ‘Kids, you shouldn’t eat this, think about your health!’”
“Haha! What’s with that? Still, you sure act like her.”
“Achoo! Is that a cold... ?”
“Are you okay? Have some tea. It might help warm you up.”
“Thanks—what are you, Don Quixote?”
“Heh~ I’m just worried about you, Sinclair, and Baekhyun! I know everything!”
“Puhaha!! Nonsense!”
“You’re not being honest, Otis.”
“Ahem... I was just thinking about our future.”
“Indeed. This time was dangerous, especially that Wakashu fellow.”
“Yes. It seems the Black Cloud Society has been promoting high-level cadres recently.”
“...And yet you sent the children?”
“Don’t worry. In a backwater like this, their reach is limited. The trackers will still be in the south.”
“Right. More importantly, the two children’s growth rate has outpaced even my expectations.”
“I admit it. They might soon surpass you, Don Quixote.”
“Then I must redouble my efforts!”
“Focus on the Black Cloud Society instead. Do you remember that incident?”
“I do remember.”
My memory returned to a spring night three months ago.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register