Dog Days in the Tunnel -1-
“I'll take the commission.”
The Doberman beastkin with his pointed ears left his quarters after treating the elders with haughty disdain.
The burly figures on either side clamped their mouths shut and followed their leader.
A moment later.
The organization members waiting outside moved in perfect unison toward their boss's direction.
To the elf elders, this was no longer a novel sight.
The criminal underworld is stricter about hierarchy than anywhere else.
“Great Elder.”
“Speak.”
“If we think about the future, I believe this is a truly crucial moment. Of course, the previous matters weren't insignificant either, but...”
“I know the anxieties the elders harbor and what you wish to say. I also know that rushing out of Tigrova has left holes in our actions.”
“...”
The Great Elder straightened his staff with wrinkled hands.
Before answering the elder with his parched lips, he stared at the door to Sion's room, then looked away.
“Now that he's involved, they'll be far more useful than those previous fools.”
The Great Elder toyed with the pitch-black coin bestowed upon him by that person.
A small, round piece of metal smaller than his palm.
This single coin was both the leash that controlled these mad criminals and a lump of their greed.
'With just this, there's no need to return to the homeland. That's why they raided the arms dealer and committed robbery-murder on their way here.'
With the coin in hand, the Great Elder had easily pieced together their movements.
Those crude acts were their own twisted form of preparation and ritual.
“Let's continue this in the meeting hall.”
“Yes.”
With the commissioners boasting confidently as they departed, there was no reason to stand watch outside any longer.
The Great Elder strode forward, tapping his ornate staff with sharp tap! tap! sounds, and the elders followed suit.
“How is the princess?”
“Her resistance is growing fiercer. Lately, she hasn't eaten or even drunk water. It seems she has no intention of conversing until we give her answers.”
“Tsk tsk... Even with mana, hunger and thirst don't simply vanish.”
“What should we do?”
“No need to do anything. Leave her be. An opportunity to break her stubbornness will come eventually.”
True to the Testarosa bloodline. She won't raise the white flag until she's on the brink of death.
They'd tried taming her since childhood, yet she still refused to fully yield the reins.
'A weapon should have no thoughts of its own...'
The Great Elder knew from experience.
Weapons with egos were nothing but a headache.
..
..
“...”
Sion lay still on the bed. A chill pierced upward, stabbing into her back.
No matter how many locks the elders put on the door, she could break them with sheer force—but that was merely possible, not practical.
It was a symbol of severance, after all.
So Sion lay motionless, staring up at the dark ceiling.
Getting caught sneaking out might seem unlucky, but surviving the Monolith makes it fortunate, I suppose.
The day she, Rohan, and Clara returned from that bizarre space.
The trouble started after leaving Academy City Elysium.
When she went back to retrieve her hidden sniper rifle and tracker, two elders were waiting.
Even recalling it now sent shivers down her spine.
The old Sion would have admitted her fault right there, but that day, she stood her ground against their reprimands.
For the first time, she argued fiercely with the elders.
She demanded answers to the issues they dodged in their anger.
And this was the result.
Yet Sion had no intention of backing down. Her heart raced at this first act of defiance, but she endured.
She would get solid answers to her questions or a proper chance to resolve her doubts.
She'd maintain this stance until a satisfactory response emerged.
The elders needed her for some reason she couldn't fathom. With her vision clearing, she realized that pushing to the end meant she'd win.
'I'm hungry. Thirsty. My head hurts.'
If she'd been cornered like this in the past, her mental state would be shattered by now.
But surprisingly, she wasn't depressed. That made it bearable.
'The combat rations Rohan gave me... I crave those.'
The few days wandering that unknown space with those two.
They were the pillar holding her up now.
Of course, seeing Rohan hurt had made her heart sink, and the moment his arm flew off while protecting her had blanked her mind in white terror.
Yet those moments of hardship under hellish heat had been joyful.
Not just the battles, but eating together, chatting idly—those simple times. Even replaying trivial conversations chased away the gloom.
She tossed and turned on the bed, reminiscing.
'Come to think of it... Rohan said he planned to work with Clara.'
Still in the planning stage, he'd mentioned it casually in passing.
That jogged Sion's memory of the promise made back at the dormitory with Rohan.
If he uncovered her secrets and granted her clean freedom, she'd lend a hand at least once to hunt monsters or criminals.
—We don't do shady stuff like massacring innocent civilians. Just help with monsters or criminals.
'If he still needs me...'
When everything ended well and she gained her freedom, as Rohan said—could she tweak the promise and ask to join their plans?
“Hee hee.”
A contented chuckle escaped, warm enough to forget the chill.
Sticking together as a trio would make every day delightful.
It was a new wish blooming in the elf girl's heart.
*****
Rohan and Clara stood atop the tunnel swallowing the two-lane road.
It was no exaggeration to say this was the farthest Rohan had ventured since falling into Academy City Elysium.
'Whoa, we really hauled ass. Clara doesn't even look winded...'
Cranking up the speed to get here quickly had been a mistake. Rohan's mouth was parched.
If not for his daily morning endurance training, he'd have collapsed in a heap.
'No cars passed us on the way, so those guys haven't arrived yet.'
Surveying the surroundings confirmed they'd gained some leeway by moving fast.
Catching his breath, Rohan gazed ahead and spoke.
“The night breeze isn't as biting as before. Feels like April now.”
“Yeah! It does feel warmer for sure.”
“Is this temperature perfect for you, Clara?”
“Y-Yeah... Afternoons are just right, but nights are a bit chilly.”
The area was wide open, so the wind whipped fairly strong.
Rohan unfastened the harness linked to his scabbard, shrugged off his jacket to leave just his shirt, then reconnected the harness diagonally across his chest.
'Running made it hot enough already.'
His outer layer went over Clara's bare legs.
The girl, receiving his clothes, seemed pleased by the warmth as she perched on the tunnel edge, tilting her head side to side.
Then she slipped it on fully.
“Won't my clothes get in the way when you draw your weapon?”
“Nope! I'll be careful not to rip it!”
“Don't worry about that. Clothes can tear. We have spares back at the dorm.”
The new cadet uniforms tailored after returning from the dungeon.
Thanks to academy support, they had two extras.
“But this place... It's really quiet, just like you said, oppa.”
“Told ya.”
Clara's eyes darted around in curiosity.
The only structures nearby were a creepy, shuttered rest area and a gas station devoid of even a drop of fuel.
No cars passed, even if they waited.
It felt like some mysterious force urging them to quest.
Quite the opposite. This was the norm here.
“How'd you know about a road like this, oppa?”
“It's famous for being deserted.”
“Famous for being deserted...? What does that even mean?”
“Simply put, car clubs or motorcycle gangs use it for races.”
“Ah...! Got it!”
Rohan sat beside Clara and elaborated.
The main reason it became a spot for that was the lack of a true destination, even if you floored it to the end.
This road's terminus was the modest ruins where Sion lived—a site linked to repeated dimensional rifts in the past.
Land too awkwardly positioned to revive effectively.
Thus, restoration efforts using expensive manpower were always backlogged, making it perfect for shady types to hole up.
“Sion unnie's in a place like that...”
“She told you to explain everything to Clara back then, right? I'll fill you in on the rest on the way.”
“Okay!”
By his memory, the Public Security Agency's message would keep even car and bike clubs quiet today.
Unlike his previous life, warnings of danger deterred most hobbyists from heading to remote spots.
This world could claim your life in an instant, so people avoided risks on their own.
Mid-conversation atop the quiet tunnel.
A vehicle rounded the distant curve, headlights flickering.
Rohan shot to his feet.
Vroooom───!!!
Eight vehicles in total, filling the two lanes.
The criminals barreled closer as if speeding was their baseline—and mandatory.
Rohan was satisfied.
In that formation, stopping upon spotting him and Clara wasn't an option.
Braking up front would cause a pileup from the trailing cars.
'That works too.'
The lead two vehicles accelerated wildly, like they were racing.
As expected, these punks cared more about show than basic escort protocol.
'The bastard's in the black luxury sedan on the third row.'
He spotted it. The car carrying the Doberman came into view.
Vroom─! Rrrrr───!
Spotting Rohan atop the tunnel, the front cars couldn't slam to a halt and instead decelerated.
Seeing the perfect omen, Rohan rolled his shoulders.
“Hoo! Let's go.”
“O-Oppa... Be careful...”
Clara's face brimmed with worry.
Rohan gently stroked the girl's hair.
“You stay back.”
With those words, shing!—he drew the sword from his back.
Rohan leaped straight down toward the oncoming vehicles.