Chapter 96
Chapter 96
13. The Donghae Gate Incident -7
The spy elf raced through the forest like the wind, turning only her head to look back. Countess Yeon Arang was closing in. The pursuit was faster than she had expected.
Whoosh—!
Surfing across the ground.
She had assumed that trick wouldn't work in a place thick with trees.
Crash—!
Yeon Arang veered as sharply as she could to dodge, and when that wasn't enough, she wrapped herself in water and smashed straight through, doggedly pursuing the spy elf. The chase looked set to continue.
The elf traced a route over the map in her head. The plant forces, the locations of the monster breeding grounds, the difference between her own speed and Yeon Arang's—she weighed it all as she measured the gaps. Rather than flee with a tail pinned to her, it would be better to cut the pursuit off once.
Up ahead were two 『Erect Violets』. If she triggered them at the same moment Yeon Arang passed the point, the countess would be caught in the flying roots and suffer serious injury.
What drew the scheming spy elf's attention was a remark from the pursuing Yeon Arang.
"You—do you even know what's inside that safe?"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
Was she fishing?
Naturally, the spy elf knew nothing about the contents. But answering honestly here would be a poor move. She had to act as though she knew, of course.
The spy elf deliberately replied with an air of mystery.
"Who knows. Do you think I'd have laid hands on it without knowing that much? At the very least, it's clear that what's inside is something precious to you, Yeon Arang."
"⋯⋯So you're saying you like the fawn too?"
"?"
What?
The spy elf answered with a straight face. No matter how dire the situation, she couldn't let an insult like that slide.
"⋯⋯What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to rattle me by running your mouth because things are urgent? How childish!"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
Yeon Arang let out a sigh. She doesn't know. What's inside the safe.
Right. Of course there'd been a misunderstanding. There was no way a powerhouse like that would lose her mind over mere Noah Won merchandise.
Earlier, the heat had rushed to her head and her thoughts had flowed in the most infuriating direction. Thinking about it calmly, the odds of that were exceedingly low. She'd known, but she'd prodded just in case.
Yeon Arang continued the pursuit with a much lighter heart. This situation—fleeing with a safe of no real importance—wasn't it actually a stroke of luck, when she thought about it coolly? She just had to maintain a reasonable distance and wait for Noah Won to join her.
If the elf was mistaking Noah Won merchandise for valuables—she wouldn't break or damage it. The relief that her own collection could also be rescued safely played a part in her peace of mind.
Meanwhile.
The spy elf's mind grew tangled at Yeon Arang's reaction. Relief? What kind of reaction was that? Had that just been some kind of leading question—one she could only answer if she'd guessed the contents?
But if so, why had she asked? The safe was still in the spy elf's grasp. Not a single thing had been resolved, yet Yeon Arang was "relieved" merely because she didn't know the contents.
Was figuring that out really so important⋯⋯?
Then it might be some kind of artifact. The sort with finicky usage conditions—something that only activated when its true name was spoken, bound by some restriction. Should she open the safe now and check? No. That might be exactly what Yeon Arang was trying to lure her into doing.
Still, leaving Yeon Arang at ease sat badly with her. Whatever judgment that reaction came from, confusing the enemy was always the right move. The spy elf's mind spun quickly, and she fired off a bluff.
As though she knew the safe's contents.
"Don't try to probe me. How long do you think I've been preparing? My target was this fawn from the very beginning."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?!"
It went without saying that Yeon Arang's expression grew even stranger.
And then the time came.
The spy elf swept past the two lurking 『Erect Violets』 and activated her command authority. Five seconds from now, expend all nutrients and attack in every direction. It was closer to hacking than a command issued through a formal decree.
Trrrr—
The 『Erect Violets』 let out silent screams as they prepared to convulse. The command of the 『King of Plants』 carved into their cell walls remained absolute, but the petals were too tender to withstand the elf's brainwashing.
Crack. Snap. And so the 『Erect Violets』 became single-use landmines that moved by burning their own lives.
What an elf was, and what one could do—even Noah Won didn't know the specifics. Naturally, Yeon Arang had no way of knowing either.
Parararak—!!
"What—?!"
A self-detonation that even used up the roots needed for nutrient absorption, lashing out in all directions. Countess Yeon Arang was caught in the overlap of their kill zones. She instantly raised a defensive wall of water, but water alone couldn't provide enough stopping power.
So the ambush should have been effective.
"⋯⋯『Azure Wind Wanderer: Spear』."
If only someone with sharp eyes hadn't intervened.
Shiiik—! Boom—!!
Two spears of wind shot forth and drove precisely into the 『Erect Violets』' cores, exploding. The roots of the monsters, their bodies destroyed, burst outward in every direction with their remaining force.
Countess Yeon Arang, who had momentarily seen her life flash before her eyes and shuddered, clutched her chest and shouted.
"Noah Won!"
"I'm not too late, am I?"
"You came at just the right time. That thing's the culprit!"
Sssk—
A pair of eyes revealed beneath white hair turned toward the spy elf.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
The elf felt a terror as though her hair were standing on end from that gaze alone. This was a forest where an elf could exercise her abilities to the fullest, yet the moment Noah Won fixed his eyes on her, she felt as though she'd been stripped naked and laid out on an operating table.
The high ones—it was just like facing a settlement elf directly⋯⋯
Instinct was a vital indicator. The spy elf did not ignore what her instincts were warning her. She had to wring out a clever move. A play to stall for as much time as possible in this situation—
She immediately stopped fleeing, hoisted the safe, and shouted at Noah Won.
"Take one more step and I'll smash this safe along with everything inside it!"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"
It was a threat for survival.
From the feel of it, this wasn't simply a human with deformed ears. That was an 『Elf』.
From my standpoint, it was rather bewildering. I'd come to resolve what had happened in the city-state of Donghae, and suddenly I was face-to-face with a pointy-eared elf. Why was a hunter who'd betrayed the System here?
But thinking about it for a moment.
It wasn't⋯⋯ strange. Just as we attacked the plant bastards under the 『System』's orders, the elves must have some kind of rule to attack hunters for the sake of these monster bastards.
The only thing tangling my head was the question of why it had to be Earth, of all places. Did the elves reach out to any planet where a Gate incident had progressed beyond a certain point? Anyway.
Those thoughts could wait until after the work was done. First, before I grabbed the pointy-eared one and wrung her out.
"Countess Yeon Arang, is that safe important?"
"⋯⋯It's important."
Yeon Arang answered with a deeply serious expression, but at the same time, she sent a hand signal with the hand hidden behind her back where the elf couldn't see. It said it wasn't important at all, so I could just smash it.
But I'd known Yeon Arang for quite a long time. Honestly speaking, she might know how to put on a blank face, but she had no talent for emotional acting. That would still be true even now, after all this time.
So that action—pretending not to care while sneaking glances at the safe because she was worried—was the truth. Was there some kind of personal, precious item inside?
Wait.
Then why had that bastard taken the safe?
"If you want to protect the safe, guarantee me a way to escape⋯⋯!"
Why would a bastard far stronger than Yeon Arang go out of her way to steal a personal safe? Because the contents were that desirable an item? No. If something like that had been in the Republic of Korea, I'd have known about it long ago. And if there had been, Countess Yeon Arang wouldn't have told me to smash it without hesitation.
When I hesitated, Yeon Arang's hand signals continued.
The spy elf seemed to be laboring under a misconception, not knowing the contents. She was mistaken that something valuable was inside, and was using it to make a threat over nothing.
I judged that the elf was stalling for time. Maybe not—but even then, it didn't matter. She was someone I had to kill anyway. I'd tried to save it if possible, but this didn't seem like the time to hesitate. I quietly offered an apology.
"I'm sorry, Yeon Arang."
"⋯⋯Hah, haah— It's fine. Do it."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
"But if you're going to do it, blow it away in one shot—one shot. Grind it to powder so no one can even recognize the shape. So no one can tell what was inside. Please, Noah Won⋯⋯!"
⋯⋯Why go that far?
No, well. Fine.
I gathered skills from my grasp. The axis was 『Lightning Wick』, and what I wrapped around it in a spiral was 『Azure Wind Wanderer』. Dark clouds gathered around a single flash of lightning.
Rumble— a low hum resonated quietly.
"Y-you intend to attack? I-I'm holding the safe! The safe will be caught up in it too! D-dammit, the faw— inside—"
"—If you don't know anything, shut up! You're about to die, so don't get on my nerves!"
Under Yeon Arang's fury—strangely incandescent, a side of her I'd never seen—
"Synthesis, 『Wind-Cloud Lightning (風雲雷)』."
With the synthesis formula I'd grown fairly accustomed to, I fired a curved beam of light.
Flash—!!
Once the brief flash subsided.
"⋯⋯Kuh, kuhuk⋯⋯"
The elf was bleeding red from the mouth, her heart pierced through. And the safe—its corner had been blown off by about a third, damaged, but⋯⋯ it hadn't been completely destroyed.
Exerting extreme control at the last moment to bend the trajectory into a curve had paid off. From the elf's perspective, it must have looked like it suddenly curved mid-flight. I dusted off my hands and smiled.
"Fortunately, it worked out. Countess Yeon Arang. The contents look mostly intact."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
"Countess Yeon Arang?"
But the expression on Yeon Arang's face wasn't purely joyful. What kind of face was that?
"Wh-what a relief⋯⋯ yeah. I'll recover the safe's contents, Noah Won. No need for you to do more, so stay right there."
"Yes, well⋯⋯"
Before I'd even finished answering, Yeon Arang dashed off. To recover the safe. I felt a twinge of puzzlement at that frantic action.
Was there some kind of secret ledger inside? Had the incorruptible Countess Yeon Arang sprouted greed over time? If she reacted that cautiously, it made me want to check.
Rustle—
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind along with the sound of underbrush stirring. It was Hyejin and Elijah, who had wrapped up their work in Donghae and followed after me.
"Captain Noah Won, we've joined up after completing the coup suppression mission!"
"We wrapped up as fast as we could, but⋯⋯ were we a little late?"
"Hup."
Maybe the arrival was unexpected. Countess Yeon Arang twisted her body like a cat startled by a cucumber, and in doing so, the safe she held in both hands tilted askew. Since the safe's corner had already been blown off by my attack.
Crash!
The contents came pouring out toward the ground. And what revealed itself was a collection of cards, calendars, and everything in between—merchandise from StarXis, a boy group that had gone under long ago.
In particular, among it all, images of a male idol with flowing white hair were piled high.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
Countess Yeon Arang's face flushed bright red.
So it was you. The owner of the photocards.
"Hm."
It was unexpected, but not that surprising. There was no law saying a competent career woman couldn't be an idol fan. Though I was a little surprised, honestly.
⋯⋯Wait. Shit.
So Yeon Arang had been calling me "Baby White Fawn" in her head this whole time⋯⋯?!
"Aha, so— Arang was Noah's coworker and a huge fan!"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
Yeon Arang hung her head at Elijah's words as the android peered at the merchandise with interest. Her ears were bright red. She had a rather cute side, more than I'd thought.
But I wasn't in any position to tease anyone.
Hyejin was looking at a calendar beside me. On it was a photo of my past self—the one I wanted to kill—biting a white rose and sending a seductive gaze.
"Ooh⋯⋯"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed.
That was, strictly speaking, a product of repaying fan devotion, an effort—so I had not a single thing to be ashamed of before heaven. I shouldn't have⋯⋯ but still, showing it to someone I knew was a different story.
Yet I couldn't exactly tell her not to look. Because if she asked "Why?" I had no answer to give.
Seriously, why had she kept event merchandise from a third-rate idol locked in a safe and treasured it all the way until the apocalypse arrived? That fan devotion was⋯⋯ flattering. But as the human Noah Won rather than the idol Noah Won, it was nothing short of agonizing.
After a long, long silence, Yeon Arang let out a sigh deep enough to sink into the ground. Then she pushed up her glasses and tried her best to be brazen. She spoke to me with a fairly composed expression.
"—Yes, it's late to say it now, but. I was a fan. Noah Won."
"Why did you hide it?"
"Because public and private matters should be kept separate. I didn't want to give special treatment just because I was a fan, and I didn't want to receive special treatment just because I was a fan. The Noah Won I know is⋯⋯ so warm-hearted it's worrying. Right. You climbed all the way up Bukhansan just because a fan asked."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
So that was why she'd been so cold to me. To avoid showing she was a fan.
I could feel deep consideration in Yeon Arang's words. The wish to respect the life of the idol she liked. Honestly, it moved me. It's a joyful thing when someone thinks of you.
A fan. A fan, huh.
⋯⋯So my idol career hadn't been such a mess that I couldn't leave behind even one fan.
For Yeon Arang, who had remained a fan of the idol Noah Won even after the collapse, I did what the human Noah Won ought to do. Namely, gather up the merchandise.
"Then, shall I give you an autograph?"
When I asked, Countess Yeon Arang nodded with a cool expression.
"⋯⋯Do it."
"What message would you like?"
"To my number-one fan, Yeon Arang—"
Number-one fan? She'd been a fan that long? Then she'd been watching even back during that broadcast that first went viral. For a fan like that, even a fairly bold message would be—
"—from Baby White Fawn Noah Won. Something like that⋯⋯"
"That's not happening."
I refused with a straight face.
There was now only one remaining threat in the city-state of Donghae. The biggest reason Countess Yeon Arang had called me here—the blue 『Anomalous Gate』.
I stood before the anomalous gate. First, to observe.
A gate that should normally open high in the sky was, for some reason, open and attached to the ground. And the strange phenomenon: it hadn't spat out a single monster so far, only slowly swelling in size.
It was a phenomenon I'd never seen before either. Even searching the 『System』's Community, I couldn't find anything like it. The Glass Sword Lord might know, but the cooldown hadn't cycled yet.
But I wasn't worried. I was on the verge of C-rank promotion, and considering the time required for the complete transformation through 『Embodiment』—I could be promoted in just one week.
Even before promotion, I already had no equal at D-rank. I'd seized enough to say that with confidence. How many Hidden Pieces had I obtained, how many fortuitous encounters?
Any ordinary gate, I could handle somehow—
Crackle—!!
Blink, blink, blink.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?!"
As I drew closer to the anomalous gate, I felt some kind of resonance—a reverberation—from within me. Then my Status Window began to thrash like mad. Flickering.
└ A02LL57F0e2 '2'52E3 (-)
(Reappraisal required due to an error of unknown cause)
Error skill!
The bizarre skill I'd obtained from the name 『Cheongdongbaek』 when I used the [Record Analyzer] on Andersen's planet—reacted. Power surged out from inside and outside me, resonating with the gate.
Ddrrrring—!
[■■■ ■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■]
A string of characters burst forth. But it was different from before. The mass of information that had been uninterpretable was being refined little by little as it passed through the unidentified error skill.
This was, yes. Decryption. What I'd obtained was the elves' decryption key!
[Northeast■ ■ranc■■ C-rank ■rti■ ■ate]
It assembled. Linked with the Status Window, it arranged itself into intuitive language I could understand and comprehend. A thick phytoncide scent filled my nasal cavity.
The System branded traitors who defected to the monsters with the mark of 『Elf』. I didn't know where that line was drawn. Perhaps even this indirect use might set off a red flag. If I cared about safety, I should stop.
But despite that ominousness, I couldn't help focusing on the string of characters. Because the identity of the anomalous gate, beginning to reveal itself little by little, was—
[Northeast Branch C-rank Artificial Gate]
[Time remaining until charge complete 52 : 48 : 10]
[Invasion begins after charge complete]
Tick. Tock.
—The face of annihilation entering its final countdown.
Time remaining until the C-rank gate opens — 2 days, 4 hours, 48 minutes.