Chapter 123

‘……It’s quiet.’
Ekidna looks up at the unfamiliar ceiling. A white glow illuminated the room. No fancy chandeliers, no humble incandescent bulbs, just practical LED lights.
The walls are spotless, not a cobweb in sight. The air is clean, the bed sheets are unwrinkled and straight. It was a much more comfortable environment than I expected.
But I couldn’t rest easy.
“What should I do?”
What to do in the first place. What can we do.
I lost it all. Money and status. Weapons and men. Old relationships…. Everything that made him who he was was gone in a single day.
Old memories are replayed within the brain.
Do nothing, Ekidna.
You are an ornament. Like your mother, you are an ornament of high quality.
As long as you are true to yourself, I will take good care of you.
Don’t take over a person’s seat. Unless you want to be abandoned.
The images of my hometown imprinted in my mind were deeply disgusting.
It was a land where you were labeled a lunatic for trying to be sane. Worse yet, holding a gun in front of you would make your alcohol- and drug-soaked mind go blank for a moment.
– Ekidna, I sincerely apologize. I-I must have gotten carried away. Now that you’re not here anymore, okay? I’ll be more careful from now on. We’re family.
– I have a child. I have a son who is only 5 years old! How should he live if I die? Please have mercy on me just once….
I didn’t mean to! It was an order from the boss…….
Excuses, begging for life, excuses again.
The film of memory was cut in the middle and jumped across time zones. After the wills of the insane and unscrupulous, it was his own voice that followed.
Shut up and follow me. There’s nothing to see in the village of Idaat. We eat naraka.
Abject self-righteousness.
……I want to live. Help.
And once again, begging for life.
“What’s the difference, bitch?”
Ekidna curled up on her bed. She felt like she was about to burst into tears.
She needed a goal. Something worthy of living for, something that had to die ugly.
As it is, it’s left to rot.
Tick, tick, tick.
She heard a knock on the door, but didn’t feel like answering it. Ekidna chose to lie there like a dead mouse. Leave her alone, she thought, and she’ll find her way back.
Thump! Thump, thump!
“Ha, what a mess this is.”
She wiped away the tears that had sprung to her eyes with her hand. She forced her heavy body up and opened the door.
Kim Yi Hyun was there. The man I’m more afraid to face than anyone else in the world right now.
“I’m done registering permissions or whatever… what’s left?”
“Not really. I have personal business.”
“Sorry, I don’t have one.”
“I’m here, and I’m going to bother you every day until you listen.”
Kick him out or not, he’s got a do-it-yourself attitude. What a hateful bastard. Ekidna glanced at Kim Yi Hyun, who was as impassive as ever, and then turned away.
“…… Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
The door closes, cutting me off from the outside world again. Naturally, I had an uneasy feeling.
Echidna had always questioned why Kim had saved her. In her own mind, Ekidna’s current “use” for humans was extremely limited.
You have no weapons in your hand. No tools that could be transformed into spells. You shuddered, but your fears were unfounded.
“I’ll cut right to the chase. I’m not going to interfere with what you’re doing here.”
“What?”
“Was that hard to say?”
The puzzled reaction is met with more puzzlement.
“Whether you decide to run away one day or wake up one day and realize the rewards of hard labor, it’s up to you. If there’s a country you want to go to, I can send you there.”
“…In return? What do you want from me?”
“What’s the price. I’m going to take something from the poor.”
Kim scratched his head frantically.
“Whatever. Maybe it was a fun day with you guys, or maybe I’m taking responsibility for bringing you all this way. I’m confused myself, but who knows.”
“…….”
“If you feel like this is all my fault and you hate me, you can try to kill me. Of course, I won’t stand idly by. If you fail, your head will be blown off, and you’ll have to deal with it.”
He sighed, and his eyes sharpened.
“But just keep this in mind. There are some people you should never touch.”
Emotion flashes across his expressionless face.
“If you’re going to do it, do it to me, and if you’re going to do it to someone I care about, I suggest you do it to yourself. This is a lab, and there’s a lot of weird drugs out there, and I’ll show you just how low a person can go. I will.”
Gulp.
Ekidna swallowed dryly, secretly, as did I.
It was the first time she’d ever seen him like this. It was a far cry from the laid-back, understated demeanor she knew.
“I didn’t realize you were like this. Were you putting on an act for us?”
“I was working rather than acting.”
Yes, it was work.
In Banzar, Kim acted with purpose from start to finish. There’s no denying that there was an exchange of emotions, but that’s about it.
What if he had changed his mind halfway through and wanted to save them? Obtaining the artifact would have been impossible, and he would have had to convince Ekidna to give up Naraka.
It wasn’t that bad.
And in the first place.
Even if they succeeded in convincing him and tying him to Kavarati, once he left Banzar, he’d probably cross Naraka again. That’s the kind of person Ekidna is.
Finally, we’re left with the realm of the possible and the impossible.
Kim Yi Hyun didn’t have the ability to take on a dozen demigods right away, so he used Nuova Era as bait. He used death to his advantage. Just like the professor’s ‘strategy’, just as efficiently.
There’s no reason for Kim to be criticized in the process.
It was Ekidna herself who provided the justification.
“That’s it. I’ve interrupted your rest. And….”
“…Are you done yet?”
“Don’t die alone. It makes me feel dirty.”
Having finished what he had to say, Kim gave a final wink and left the room. Much to Ekidna’s concern, his demeanor was cold as a knife. She couldn’t help but sigh as she was left alone.
“What are you doing, man.”
* * *
I think I did something out of character.
Up to this point, Kim had been coldly formulating a plan and carrying it out. He shouldn’t have let Ekidna live. To say that he would give her a chance to get revenge was the height of foolishness.
Choices made solely by emotion, not reason. Like pity or guilt. A corner of ethics that hasn’t yet been completely worn out.
Humanity, so to speak.
“Shouldn’t this be happening?
It was hard to judge for myself.
If you can do it like a machine and do it emotionlessly, is that really a desirable change?
What was “me” like a year ago, two years ago.
“I don’t know.
The decision is already made. It’s too late to regret it. What will the agents think if I bring him to the lab and kill him outright? I’ll have to live with the consequences.
The lab’s private rooms are well secured, so you don’t have to worry about being raided in your sleep. Even with Ekidna’s abilities factored into the equation, she can handle most situations.
You can’t dig any deeper than that. It’s actually something I can do because I’m stronger than before, and I can afford it. Not long ago, I couldn’t even take care of myself.
I consciously reframed my thinking.
“Chelsea, you’ve gained a few pounds since I last saw you.”
“You crazy man.”
Chelsea’s eyes widened as she chomped down on her jerky. The look on her face was murderous. It was enough to make Kim, who was no longer intimidated by any threats, pause for a moment.
“…but I think you’re still underweight. Eat more.”
“Careful, really. You’re already stressed as it is.”
“Stress? Why.”
“It’s probably because of him.”
The answer came from Asterike’s mouth.
“You know that kid who can’t shoot that I used to work with?”
“Tatalia?”
“Yep. Chelsea’s been coaching him.”
“It’s the devil’s gift, it’s like a bullet just deflects.”
“At that point, it’s just a matter of aptitude, you don’t have to stick to the guns.”
“But he’s also very passionate.”
He didn’t even seem to hate it.
She’s not the kind of person who would dismiss someone who’s trying hard. The Tatalia Kim remembers was a bit of a pushover, but everyone’s compatibility is different.
“Looks like you were doing well anyway. Aria is….”
I shifted my gaze to the side. My eyes locked with Arya’s, who was glancing over.
“Hic!”
Arya lay on the ground in a heap. Chelsea and Astericke didn’t seem to mind, just gave him a look that said, “He’s fucking up again.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“We don’t know.”
“I thought it broke every two or three days?”
A breakdown,” Arya said, swallowing a bitter taste in her mouth.
“A posture of submission.”
“…This is how it’s supposed to be?”
“Yeah, well, this is a first for me. Arya, what’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid of humans….”
“Who’s afraid. Hyun?”
He nods and looks away.
Clearly struggling. Their gazes shifted from Arya to Kim.
“What did you do to her?”
“You can’t bully me, Hyun.”
“What did I do? You’ve only just gotten back.”
Kim was genuinely frustrated.
He left for Banjar almost as soon as I brought him to the lab, so I hadn’t really built a relationship with him. I couldn’t figure out why she was scared.
In fact, Arya has no memory of Kim Yi-hyun. But she’s a wild woman who’s just beginning to adapt to civilization, and she’s more likely to act on instinct than reason.
His brain was so pure that he didn’t even realize he’d drugged himself to sleep and kidnapped her to the lab. She was vaguely aware that something had been done to her by the man in front of her.
Things no one else can know.
At the same time, it was probably a good thing.
“Just feed him for a few days. Then he’ll behave.”
“Is that enough? When do you eat it?”
“Five meals a day, as you wish.”
“Wow, she’s eating well. Kids should be.”
Kim nodded in understanding.
The smile was a relief to Asterike. His expression, which had always seemed somewhat grim, had relaxed.
If you’ve made that change.
That was very gratifying.
“Thank goodness.
* * *
Basement 8, Crafting Workshop.
“What, what, what, what, what…!”
Tamtam’s hand on the blade twitched. Even his pupils dilate like an earthquake. His panic quickly moves to the next level, and he glares at Kim with fury.
“I said… what did I say, did I forget?”
“I told you to take care of it.”
“Yeah, you didn’t forget, did you?”
“I’m confident in my memory.”
“I see, ah-ha-ha.”
“Right. Haha.”
Tam Tam’s expression turned cold.
“…Are you laughing? Are you laughing?”
“Well, hmm.”
Her eyes squeezed shut and opened like a goal was about to be scored.
“I get it, I get it, they’re out there, they’re fighting, they’re scared, and this is a tool to help them do that, and I’m sure they’ve been to Banjar and had to deal with some rough stuff.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“But you don’t understand this, asshole!”
He straightens his blade and thrusts. It was a dangerous move, but Kim couldn’t help but notice. The blade was dull and jagged like a pinking saw due to the teeth falling out.
“Did you scrape it against a rebar, did he make you do a senga showdown, because otherwise it doesn’t make sense!”
As expected, there was a lot of nagging.
The answer was to prepare the way out. Kim nudged Edwin with her elbow, who looked as uncomfortable as if he were sitting on a thorny cushion.
Edwin, impatient, hesitated.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Who are you, don’t interrupt, this is serious.”
“That’s what I did.”
“Hey, you son of a bitch!!!”
I can see how you could do that at first.
‘There’s a lot of crazies out there.