Where is the King?
Delgrad, a city belonging to the Kingdom of Altaris, a small nation located in the southern part of the continent.
Having arrived at their destination, the cadets disembarked from the carriages one by one and lined up to follow their guide.
Standing solitary amidst a desert that was little more than a wasteland, this city was poetically dubbed the "City of Mirages" by romanticizing bards.
The streets, a melting pot of various races, seemed to breathe with a heavy, labored gasp. The air was thick with the scorching heat of the desert and an unidentified, acrid smoke that stung the nostrils.
Shedy was running around freely, weaving through the legs of passersby even though, as a spirit, he had no physical need to avoid them.
The little fellow always seemed highly uncomfortable whenever he was confined to cramped spaces like carriages.
I suppose a spirit is still a spirit, after all.
Perhaps Shedy was experiencing the human world for the very first time.
Even if he had a master in the past, that master would have been a demon.
In the distance, a rattling carriage rolled down the street, laden with the corpse... no, the wreckage of an Outworlder.
Walking beside me, Eisel's gaze drifted toward it, and her footsteps ground to a sudden halt.
Stopping along with her, I tilted my head in curiosity.
Soon, Ishmeel, who was walking behind us, noticed where Eisel was looking and chimed in.
"Outworlders sell for a pretty penny if they're big enough. That lightweight, sturdy metal from the other world is highly sought after. Aside from that, they're prime research material for magic engineering... and if it's a model we've never seen before, the value skyrockets. Even if it isn't, if you spin a good yarn to the magic engineers about how bizarrely the things moved, they'll practically throw money at you. Yeah, they're quite useful little pests in more ways than one."
Having apparently made a fortune off Outworlders, Ishmeel flashed a faint smirk, pinching her thumb and index finger together to form a circle—the universal sign for money.
Considering that she, once known as 'Ishmeel of Greed', had chosen to settle down here, the value of these Outworlders was indeed substantial, just as she said.
A city where machinery and fantasy coexisted.
That was the sentence that best described Delgrad.
This didn't mean they possessed a level of technology comparable to the modern Earth, but in a world where magic existed, the two forces managed to blend together somehow.
In some aspects, perhaps certain inventions here possess technology superior to that of the modern era.
In the game, items collectively known as the 'Outworld Series' could be obtained here.
You could either purchase them or receive them as quest rewards.
I recalled there being quite a few highly efficient and unique items, but none of them were particularly necessary for me right now. They weren't high-performance gear on the level of what one would call 'endgame items' in a typical RPG.
Seeing how Eisel remained unresponsive despite Ishmeel's friendly explanation, it seemed her interest did not lie in the disposal of the Outworlders.
She was simply staring at the wreckage with a cold, intense gaze.
Soon, she tore her eyes away from the Outworlder and looked at me.
I resumed walking.
Eisel remained as unpredictable as ever.
I consciously tried not to read her thoughts or pass judgment on her.
My reasoning was simple: no matter what truth lurked within her mind, knowing it wouldn't help me save her.
Meanwhile, ever since meeting Ishmeel, Sierra had been reflecting on her memories of the woman, comparing the past with the present.
[Her obsession with coin remains unchanged as ever...]
I knew Ishmeel had a connection with Sierra, but I didn't know the details of what had transpired between them.
In the game, Ishmeel merely mentioned 'Purple Moon' as an old friend.
I should ask her about it when I get some free time.
It was hard to predict what kind of emotions a reunion after death would evoke, so it would be best to tread lightly when asking.
I had previously contemplated going out of my way to seek out Sierra's old acquaintances, but since I knew I would cross paths with them eventually, I hadn't made any special efforts to find them.
Besides, even if I did seek them out first, I wouldn't have known how to bring it up.
Lost in these idle thoughts as I walked, we soon arrived at our actual destination.
Exclamations of awe rippled through the cadets at the front. We had finally entered the estate of the Windless family.
Her cheeks flushing slightly at the cadets' admiration, Lucia offered a bright, innocent smile.
At the entrance of the estate stood a majestic, bluish statue—the symbol of the Windless family.
It was said to represent the first head of the family, but since he was a figure from the ancient past, I didn't know much about him.
Upon entering the mansion, the dozens of cadets were greeted by Cicely Windless, who had played a major role in organizing this field trip.
Standing beside Cicely was her husband, Isaac Windless, a magic engineer hailed as the leading authority in his field, who welcomed us with a warm, gentle smile.
Their marriage had been the catalyst that propelled Delgrad to the forefront of magic engineering.
Guided by the estate's servants, the cadets were led to a grand hall to have their meal.
The instructors and Ishmeel followed Cicely and Isaac to another part of the mansion.
While eating, I conversed with the team members who would be hunting Outworlders with me.
My teammates were the same group I had shared the carriage with earlier: Eisel, Yuri, Amon, and Lucia.
This team assignment was based on grouping individuals of similar skill levels. The difficulty of the Outworlders each team would face varied accordingly.
This might raise a question.
Amon was one thing, but why was Lucia in this group?
The instructors had undoubtedly placed her here with the desert's unique characteristics in mind. There was a reason the Windless family, masters of wind magic, ruled over this desert.
Wind magic gained far greater destructive power in a desert filled with sand. If you told a resident of Delgrad leaving their house, 'It's quite windy today,' they would grimace and wrap themselves tightly in layers of clothing before stepping outside.
The sheer force of sandstorms and dust devils was terrifying. In the game, wind magic's power was doubled in desert terrain.
Similarly, Amon's earth magic would also see a significant boost in power.
Therefore, the team's overall power level was well-balanced.
Though the real issue is where exactly Lucia will aim her magic...
Still, unlike before, I wasn't overly worried.
I had grown strong enough to handle whatever absurd situation she might accidentally cause.
And Ishmeel will likely be our team's temporary instructor.
On this expedition, the cadets would temporarily leave their regular instructors' care. Instead, veteran desert warriors who hunted Outworlders for a living would be assigned to each team as temporary instructors, guiding them in combat.
Ishmeel would naturally take charge of the highest-level team.
And that team was ours.
Perhaps that was why, even in the game, the condition to unlock Ishmeel as a temporary instructor was to have a combat rating within the top five of the class.
From a player's perspective, it was a fairly lenient requirement, meaning most players ended up meeting her.
Ishmeel was a character with quite a dedicated fanbase.
Despite not being particularly young, she possessed an ageless beauty. Above all, there was a significant number of players who passionately adored her muscular build.
Furthermore, the fact that she was still single added to her appeal. While a minority expressed disappointment that she remained unattached, I didn't really have an opinion on the matter.
"...And among the Outworlders, the humanoid ones are said to speak...! I've never heard it myself, though. Isn't that fascinating? Hehe."
Lucia had been enthusiastically explaining things about the Outworlders for several minutes now, completely forgetting to eat her food.
"They speak?"
Yuri paused mid-slice of her steak and asked.
"Yes! But they don't speak the continental common tongue like goblins do... I heard it's completely incomprehensible. Miss Ishmeel said it sounded like a language from another world."
A language from another world.
In the game, the dialogue of humanoid Outworlders had been rendered as garbled, alien-like text.
For the record, the language I was currently using—the continental common tongue—was neither English nor Korean.
Nevertheless, ever since I fell into this world, it was as if my very perception of reality had been altered, allowing me to speak and understand it fluently without any difficulty.
Though, of course, I have to pretend I can't read it.
Reading the written characters was as effortless as reading my mother tongue.
The other world...
I recalled that the nature of this 'other world' was a subject of fierce debate among players on the community forums.
Unfortunately, because players couldn't access the Ancient Ruins—which seemed deeply connected to the other world—it had been a source of immense frustration.
It didn't have enough relevance to affect the main storyline, so it didn't hinder game progression, but curiosity was curiosity.
Just as the conversation about the Outworlders' language was flowing across the table, the instructors and the desert warriors who would serve as temporary instructors entered the dining hall.
Edward, representing the instructors, snapped his fingers with a sharp click to draw everyone's attention.
"Cadets, I apologize for interrupting your meal, but may I have your attention for a moment?"
Once all eyes in the hall were fixed on him, Edward politely gestured with an open palm toward the warriors standing beside him.
"These individuals are the desert warriors who will serve as temporary instructors for Innocence Academy, guiding and teaching you how to hunt the Outworlders. Please welcome them with a warm round of applause."
Following Edward's introduction, a thunderous round of applause echoed through the hall.
The warriors carried a wide variety of weapons and wore diverse attire. Given Cicely's meticulous nature, she had likely handpicked these warriors to match each cadet team's specific needs.
Among them, I could spot Ishmeel, who was flashing a bright grin at Lucia.
At Edward's instruction for the temporary instructors to join their assigned teams, the warriors began walking toward their respective tables.
Ishmeel naturally approached our table and slid into the last remaining empty seat.
"Miss Ishmeel, you're our temporary instructor...!"
Lucia's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Had she already forgotten Ishmeel's outrageous behavior in the carriage earlier?
...Surely, she hadn't.
It was more likely that knowing Ishmeel's formidable strength brought Lucia a sense of security.
"Yep, that's how it turned out. They say coincidence is just fate in disguise... Anyway, I'll be in your care for the next few days."
With her right eye concealed by her eyepatch, Ishmeel offered a half-eyed smile and clapped me on the shoulder.
Though it was a seemingly light gesture, her hand packed a serious sting.
Soon, the servants brought out meals for the warriors, and Ishmeel joined in the feast.
"Man, you kids eat some fancy stuff..."
Ishmeel, who had lived her life believing food was merely fuel to keep the body moving, muttered as she took a bite of her steak.
Shortly after, Lucia posed a question to her.
It was a follow-up to the conversation we had been having earlier.
"By the way, Instructor Ishmeel, I have a question...!"
Earlier, Ishmeel had told Lucia to just call her 'Teacher' because she couldn't remember the term 'temporary instructor,' but Edward's recent explanation had promptly corrected her title.
"What is it?"
"We were talking about the language of the other world that you mentioned to me before. Do you happen to remember it? I recall you pronouncing some of their words back then, but I can't seem to remember how it sounded..."
At Lucia's polite inquiry, which showed she knew how to separate business from pleasure, Ishmeel spoke with an indifferent expression as she continued slicing her steak.
"Ah, that? Right. Unlike the beast-types, the humanoid Outworlders constantly mutter during combat. I have no clue what they're saying, but they babble so much it gets incredibly annoying."
"Do you think they're communicating with one another?"
Yuri, who had been listening intently, asked.
"Hmm, they still mutter even when there are no other Outworlders around... so that's probably not it."
"...Is there any chance it could be the language of the demons?"
At Amon's hesitant question, Ishmeel waved her fork in the air.
"No, definitely not. I fought in the war and have heard the demon tongue firsthand, so I can say that with absolute certainty. However... there is one phrase I can pronounce. Right before they die, they always utter the exact same line. I figure it's something like... their final words. What do you think? Want to hear it?"
Ishmeel tilted her head, looking around at us.
She's going to mimic the language of the other world?
In the game, it was definitely rendered as heavily distorted static. How could she possibly pronounce that?
Everyone at the table nodded in agreement to Ishmeel's offer.
I decided to listen quietly.
Sierra, also curious, was listening intently.
Soon, Ishmeel opened her mouth and pronounced the 'otherworldly language' with surprising fluency.
"......Something like that. I've heard it so many times it's practically engraved in my ears."
""Whoa...""
The others at the table gasped in awe at her pronunciation. Since they had never heard it before, they couldn't actually tell if it was accurate, but they clapped anyway.
I, too, clapped lightly, hiding my unease. However, my face had stiffened, and I couldn't force a smile.
A language from another world...
It was a language I knew all too well.
Unless my ears were playing tricks on me, what Ishmeel had just spoken was undeniably English.
Now, I think I finally know what the 'other world' is.
The pointless debates the players used to have on the community forums were instantly resolved by Ishmeel's single sentence.
There had been various theories.
Among them, the theory that had just gained the highest probability was the 'Other World is Future Earth' theory.
If I were to translate the English Ishmeel had just spoken...
...Where is the King?
Since she said it was uttered right before they died, they certainly weren't asking about the whereabouts of the King of Altaris, the kingdom Delgrad belonged to.
Did those things, which I had assumed to be mere slaughtering machines, also have a king?
I had never seen such bizarre, homicidal robots before.
In the first place, the modern Earth I lived on didn't possess the technology to create such 'AI-driven slaughter machines.'
...At least, not to the knowledge of an ordinary citizen like me.
Could this have something to do with me...?
...No, surely not.
But I couldn't be entirely certain.
After all, I was a human from Earth, and I could understand English.
I didn't know how the dimensions had warped, but perhaps I had to consider the possibility that there was another human from Earth here—one from the future.
A king...
The sudden wave of anxiety that welled up in my chest didn't seem like it would fade anytime soon.
"Amon, are you asleep already?"
I tossed the question to Amon, who was already snoring loudly on his bed, knowing I wouldn't get an answer.
I focused all my senses to check on his condition.
Judging by his steady, deep breathing, he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
For this desert field trip, we were to live with our teams. Since Amon and I were the only males on our team, we shared a room.
In another room nearby, Ishmeel, Lucia, Yuri, and Eisel would be staying together.
Lying on my bed, I quietly slipped my body into the shadows.
A moment later, I emerged from the shadows and stepped onto the roof of the lodging.
The night view of Delgrad stretched out before me.
Eisel is still in her room...
Checking on Eisel through my Ki Sense, she wasn't showing any unusual movements despite being a regressor—perhaps because she was sharing a room with Ishmeel.
Even if it was only the first night, it would be a waste to just sleep through it.
The newly surfaced issue regarding the other world... Since there was a considerable distance between Delgrad and the Ancient Ruins, it seemed best to put it on the back burner for now.
Once we headed out into the desert to hunt Outworlders, we would naturally draw closer to the ruins anyway.
What I had planned for tonight was a simple cleanup of the surrounding area.
Just a bit of sweeping up before someone tripped over the trash and caused a scene.