Calm Before the Storm (2)
6th floor of the resort hotel building. Inside the room right next to Seongjin's.
Dazzling morning sunlight poured through the window, settling on the girl's eyelids.
"Mm..."
Alice, who had been tossing and turning in bed, finally opened her eyes. Over the past five days of grueling marches, she'd unconsciously formed a habit of waking at 6 a.m. She struggled to sit up and glanced around, tilting her head in confusion.
It wasn't the cramped tent interior.
Did I sleep somewhere else last night?
She rubbed her eyes at the unfamiliar sight. But soon, yesterday's memories came flooding back.
"...Ah."
The operation had been halted due to toxic gas. That's why the entire combat team had withdrawn to the resort. And the moment she'd entered the room, she'd washed up haphazardly and collapsed into bed.
This place was the hotel resort. In other words, no more of the acrid sulfur stench that had tormented her for days, no scorching geothermal heat, no geysers, no demon beasts or monsters.
Realizing that, she couldn't help but smile. It was like waking up on a weekday thinking it was time to get up, only to remember it was Saturday. Exactly that feeling.
"Hee..."
Letting out a contented sound, she flopped back onto the bed. She buried her face in the pillow and went completely limp. The plush bedding felt like a luxury she hadn't experienced in ages. Alice curled up like freshly baked bread, grinning broadly.
"So happy..."
Who would've thought she'd be this grateful for the toxic gas barrier halting the operation? Sure, they'd have to go back eventually, but this respite was a massive dopamine hit for her.
"Hee hee hee..."
Lying there, she performed the universal morning ritual shared by people worldwide: checking her phone. The volcanic zone had no internet, so she hadn't caught up on outside news in a while. Finally, she could use it!
A flood of notifications: messages from friends checking in, SNS alerts, video site pings, and more.
'Hm?'
Among them was something unusual. A message from Seongjin.
"......"
Alice's eyes went wide. Was she seeing this right? Her professor had gone to the volcanic zone. Without her.
Which meant...
"Freedom!!!"
She yanked the covers over her head and dove back into sleep.
Three hours later.
"Haaah... hee hee, hee hee heh."
Having shaken off her deep sleep, Alice woke up in high spirits. Just knowing that terrifying professor was gone made the air in the room feel sweet. Humming a tune, she headed to the bathroom. Soaking in warm water—something she couldn't even dream of in the volcanic zone—put her instantly at ease.
Ah, correction. There was warm water there. Too warm, in fact. Thinking of the geysers erupting right next to them made her shoulders shudder involuntarily.
-Splash-
She added fragrant bath salts and washed up. Satisfied with her soft, supple skin, Alice changed into a light sundress and headed down to the first-floor restaurant.
There were a few other people scattered around—not just her. Mostly combat team members, plus some priests in casual clothes. No civilians in sight. Well, the only guests at this resort were Inferno operation personnel, so that made sense.
She ventured further in.
"Whoa..."
The breakfast buffet was lavish. Freshly baked croissants, tropical fruits, omelets made to order. Alice piled her plate high and sat by the window. The burst of bacon juices in her mouth paired with sweet orange juice nearly brought tears to her eyes. How long had it been since she'd tasted peace?
Her routine lately had been no different from a warzone. Dropped into unfamiliar terrain, fighting, rolling, running, climbing all day... Being free of it, even temporarily, made the world seem utterly beautiful.
Serena unni! Up ahead sat a woman with white short hair. Eating alone, just like her? Alice grabbed her plate and approached.
"Hi, unni!"
"Alice? By yourself? Where's the professor?"
"He stepped out for a bit. Mind if I join you?"
"Sure. Sit here."
Serena patted the chair beside her. Alice beamed and sat down. Side by side, they chatted. What they'd done after returning yesterday, how the resort facilities were, what dreams they'd had, how the food tasted. And so on.
As they bloomed into conversation over their meals, Alice broached the subject.
"Unni! It's a rare day off—wanna go out? Shopping? There's a mall here, or a cafe? I hear there's a famous spot nearby!"
Alice bubbled with excitement. Serena smiled at her.
"Alice. I get that you're thrilled about the break, but we're still on mission, right? We can do that plenty after it's over. Just hold off for now."
"Ah... Yeah..."
Busted. Not by the professor, but by unni. Alice's shoulders visibly slumped at Serena's calm yet firm tone—a first for her.
"Even without combat today, we've got personal training, reports, and more to handle. Instead of just playing, how about focusing on that stuff, Alice?"
"Yeees... You're busy too, unni. Sorry. I was only thinking of myself."
"No, it's fine. You didn't know."
She deflated instantly, poking at her omelet with her fork. Serena thought she looked like a rain-soaked puppy. She gave a wry internal smile.
For a girl who was barely an adult, this large-scale battle must have been overwhelming. Serena let out a soft sigh and said,
"Once the mission's done and we have time, let's do what you suggested. Sound good? It'll be fine."
Alice's face lit up.
"Yes, yes! For real? Pinky promise!"
Her eyes sparkled as she stuck out her pinky. Serena blinked in brief surprise but hooked her own finger around it.
"Yeah, promise. So focus on your tasks today."
"Got it! Hee hee, I'll study hard and train too!"
They stamped the promise seal, and Alice's heart felt much lighter. Serena finished eating first, checked her watch, and stood.
A-Team had a morning briefing under leader Ricardo's command.
"See you later, Alice."
"Bye, unni! Catch you soon!"
Watching Serena's retreating figure, Alice clenched her fist. Truth be told, her body itched to play, but how could she act like a brat after unni put it that way?
Right, I'm an adult now, a Noble Academy cadet. Times like this, I gotta shine!
Besides, to avoid expulsion, she had to score on the practical exam this semester. Steeling herself, Alice downed the rest of her orange juice and left the restaurant.
Back in her room after breakfast, Alice sat on the sofa and organized her thoughts. What could she do?
Practice spirit manipulation? Not a bad idea. Her spirits definitely moved more efficiently under her commands.
But...
She'd drilled that nonstop for five days. She needed something different. Mana circulation? Useful, but doable anywhere else.
Something only possible in the Kargas volcanic zone and Piros Autonomous Region. Here and only here.
Not spirit manipulation or mana circulation, but something else...
After pondering, Alice decided.
Yeah. This.
"Alperion. Come out for a sec?"
[What is it, Contractor?]
The air gathered, forming a blue aura. Soon, an eagle's head emerged.
"The Fire Spirit King... you said there's a high chance he's in that volcanic zone, right?"
[Yes. I did say that. Though he could be elsewhere, that's the most likely spot right now.]
"And there were spirits in the volcanic zone."
Alice recalled the odd experience a few days ago near Agni Village. On her way back to her room after drinks, she'd spotted a tiny fire spirit out the window. Checking from the back door, it was in puppy form. It had flinched in terror at her approach, reacting to the slightest movement. Without her exceptional spirit affinity, she couldn't have gotten close.
And it wasn't just that one. The other fire spirits she'd encountered in the zone had acted the same—terrified, like they were fleeing something. Now they were sealed in the fresh red emblem on her wrist.
Alice glanced at her wrist and spoke.
"The Fire Spirit King... I'm thinking of looking for him."
[Like during break? Good idea. So, what's your plan?]
"First, learn more about him. Know anything?"
[About Kasadnante...]
Alperion groaned as if rummaging through memories, then continued.
[First off, as you know, my memories aren't intact. I don't even know where she is now. But what's certain is that hundreds of years ago, all four Spirit Kings gathered for some event, and afterward, we scattered for some reason.]
"Gathering all four Spirit Kings? Must've been huge. Why's it not in history books?"
[No idea. Human perspectives are hard for me to grasp.]
Alperion met Alice's gaze. She sensed intuitively: now came the main point. She sat up straight and listened closely.
[Fire Spirit King Kasadnante had a rather unique personality compared to the others. She didn't hate humans. In fact, she viewed them favorably. She often shapeshifted into human or monster forms, too.]
"Not hating humans is what's unique? Then you too...?"
Ahem. Alperion cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing.
[I don't hate humans either. But Demorgon and Evretas, those two definitely did.]
"Demorgon—the Earth Spirit King, right? Makes sense. Thinking about modern environmental destruction..."
Spirits' reactions to humans generally fell into two camps: dislike or indifference. A human-philic spirit? Sure, humans drawn to spirits existed due to unique constitutions, but a spirit inherently fond of humans? She'd never heard of that.
[She was the most passionate among the Spirit Kings, but also the most emotional. She showed deep interest in human art and sentiments. If she's lingering in this volcanic zone now, it's probably not just for the volcano itself, but to commune with the people who've made this land their home.]
"Commune? Like with Agni Village folks?"
[Exactly. But the spirits being so terrified suggests her situation isn't normal... or she's in some kind of trouble. Alice, if you seek her out, be prepared in every way.]
"Prepared... that's too vague."
Alice propped her chin, deep in thought. Alperion's memories were still fragmented, and the only clues were the skittish spirits. Then, something Seongjin had mentioned flashed in her mind.
The Humpback...
The village they'd stayed in days ago. Agni Village's legendary guardian monster. Could the Humpback be...?
Nah, no way.
She shook her head. A noble Spirit King as the Humpback? Her common sense couldn't even entertain it.
Fire Spirit King Kasadnante. Likes humans and monsters. Probably somewhere in the volcanic zone...
"The 'where' is the problem."
Not even confirmed she's there. She unrolled the map from the lobby, but the volcanic zone was vast. Was Kasadnante near the crater, or in some unknown underground cave? No way to know.
Scour the site on foot? As she wrestled with options—
-Ssssh-
Attention all personnel in the resort. Team leaders and members, assemble immediately in the basement level 2 auditorium.
"Huh?"
Alice's head snapped up.
All personnel, no exceptions, report to the basement auditorium. Major changes to operation status as of now.
"Changes to operation status? We heading back out already?"
She grumbled but hurriedly grabbed an outer layer. Breakfast hadn't even settled!
[I'll head back in. Anyway, stay alert during the operation.]
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Go on already."
She slipped on her shoes at the door.
Oh, Professor! Gotta message him to hurry back.
But no internet in the volcanic zone.
-Connection failed. Switching to voicemail—
No answer. Whatever. She'd explain later. Alice sent the message anyway, whether it reached or not.
With that, she left the room.