Halloween Flashback (1)
This is already a story from a bygone era.
Now, only one person on Earth remembers it.
A biting chill swept through the city.
The emerald waves that had crashed along the mountainside had long since swallowed the year's last sunset, and those reaching for their coats one by one burrowed into thick padded jackets.
"Uuuu... It's so cold..."
Saint Ilena Kartesia clutched her collar tighter.
The temperature had plummeted below five degrees by evening, and she'd already been standing outside for two hours.
Of course, that was her own fault for mistaking five o'clock for three.
After all, the person she was meeting lived an even harsher life than she did, so it would've been rude to rush him.
"Excuse me, are you—"
"I have a boyfriend."
"But still—"
"Go away. I'm not interested."
Yet another strange man had gotten tangled up with her.
Today of all days, an endless stream of people had been asking for her number.
"Tch, don't say that. Just come hang out with me."
An unknown man took another step closer. His eyes were filled with the same revolting desire that every man she'd met had carried.
Her mood was not improving.
How was she supposed to deal with this rude bastard?
"S-Saint... Ilena-nim?"
A familiar voice cut through the air just in time.
"Baby, why are you so late!"
Thanks to that, she could slip away naturally.
Hwan Hyun.
The man she'd become so entangled with after being dispatched to this country.
"Tch... Sorry about that."
The man who'd approached her immediately put on a displeased expression the moment he confirmed the "boyfriend" and scurried off.
Even though the relationship she'd made up on the spot was nothing real, there was no way he could know that.
"You're late! Just now, a bunch of weird guys were hitting on me too."
"Ilena-nim, you shouldn't use terms like that. Only couples call each other that. You're still not used to Korean, are you?"
"I know that too, who do you think I am, stupid?"
—Brrrrr...
Her body trembled. She'd already met the person she needed to meet, so she wanted to get inside quickly.
—Snap.
"?!"
"Oh... How long have you been waiting? Your hands are freezing."
"You...! Who told you to hold my hand?"
"You slept next to me when we got trapped in the demon realm last time, didn't you?"
"...We agreed not to bring that up in public."
She was probably referring to when they'd gotten caught in a trap during the A-rank gate campaign, back when he was still just a measly D-rank hunter.
She'd moved carelessly, and he'd ended up dragged into it, which left Ilena with a sense of obligation toward him.
"Besides, thanks to that we got a ton of compensation money. We signed an official contract with the guild too."
"Yes, well... thank you."
But she had no intention of being led around by him.
She'd simply treat him as a useful person—a comfortable one who wouldn't jump on her even if they were locked in a room together.
Maybe it was because he looked at her without a shred of lust in his eyes.
She wanted to watch him a little closer.
"So what do we do now? You said you'd hang out with me."
"Let's watch a movie."
"...You brought me all the way to Korea for that?"
"You told me to leave it to you. So can't you trust me a little?"
"If I'm not satisfied, I'm going to scold you."
"Aiyo, scary."
A shameless man.
But there was an inexplicable wistfulness in those eyes.
"How was it?"
"Mm... Not bad."
Ilena flicked the butter off her popcorn-dusted fingers.
It was her first time watching a movie in Korea, and it wasn't as bad as she'd expected. Especially the final scene, where the protagonist defied a tragic fate, had left quite an impression.
"But isn't that such a cliché? You can see the ending from the moment you look at it."
"But Ilena-nim, you did cry while watching it."
"I didn't! There was dust in my eyes, that's all."
Ilena poked his side with her finger, her expression pouty.
"Ow! It hurts!"
"You could use a little pain."
"Why?!"
"A saint doesn't casually shed tears. You should break the habit of slandering others like that."
"Y-Yes, yes."
As they walked, chattering and clacking, they soon arrived at a restaurant.
"Welcome. May I have the reservation name...?"
"Hwan Hyun."
"Confirmed."
She followed him in naturally. The fact that he'd thought to bring her somewhere like this... how should I put it... the man was more serious than she'd expected.
The hostess guided them to a window seat, the best spot, with the city's night view spread out directly before them. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, the lights of countless buildings glittered like scattered jewels.
"Oh, you put some thought into it. I didn't think you'd know how to make reservations at a place like this."
Ilena crossed her arms and nodded, looking satisfied.
"Since I'm serving you, I should do it properly. Besides, I'm doing this as part of the Saint's mission, so I'll charge the guild later."
"Hmph, fine. Order the most expensive thing."
"You can order everything on the menu."
"Colki? What's that? There's no description."
"That's the fee if a customer brings their own alcohol. We have to sell drinks too."
"What? You charge people for drinking their own booze?"
She picked the most expensive steak and wine on the menu. The man just smiled and ordered the same thing.
—Is magic dynamics really not that hard? Why teach that to kids who are going to go fight monsters.
—Gotta learn at least that so I can become an instructor after I retire.
"That table over there has Academy students."
"Academy?"
"You know, the biggest school in the middle of Seoul."
"Right, you said you were from there, didn't you?"
"Yes, well... I dropped out in the middle and came back."
"Dropped out? Why?"
"Just... something came up."
"Tch. You're the one who brought it up, then shut the topic down like that. What am I supposed to do?"
She'd been the one to start the conversation, then shut it down at her own whim.
She had no intention of forcibly dragging the truth out of him. After all, she was a benevolent saint.
"So after leaving there, how did you end up at the guild?"
"You know Gold Miss, right? The S-rank hunter who's the Academy principal."
"Oh, that woman?"
"Call her that and you'll get scolded. Anyway, she's the one who took me in at the guild."
"She took you in? What exactly are you?"
"I suppose there's some kind of connection."
"You're going to start saying something and then stop again, aren't you."
He had absolutely no idea how to explain things properly. He'd only go around stirring up her curiosity, then clamp his mouth shut.
The food arrived, and the two of them sat in silence for a moment, focusing on their meal.
The quiet atmosphere of the upscale restaurant, the soft music, and the night view before their eyes. Ilena suddenly thought it was strange how unfamiliar this kind of time felt.
The duties of a saint, monster extermination, gate campaigns. She'd always been wrapped up in those things, but spending an evening like this—being "normal"—wasn't bad.
She tilted her wine glass and stole a glance at the man across from her. He was still gazing at the night view with those unreadable, wistful eyes.
Eyes that held not a trace of that revolting desire directed at her.
That was why it was comfortable, and that was why, strangely... she kept getting the feeling she wanted to keep him by her side.
When they stepped outside after finishing their meal, the street had become an entirely different world.
"What is this. Did a gate open in the demon realm?"
Ilena's eyes went wide. The street was packed with people in all kinds of bizarre costumes.
Bunny girls dripping fake blood, witches with pointed hats and plunging cleavage, and even clumsy imitations of saints and demon lords.
Noisy music and people's laughter mixed together in a chaotic din.
"Ah, it's Halloween today. It's just... a festival where people dress up as ghosts and have fun."
"People do some strange things. For ghost makeup, why is everyone so exposed?"
Ilena stuck out her tongue but didn't seem to dislike it, tilting her head as she looked around.
"..."
The entire street was saturated with damp desire. The man leading her possessed an energy she couldn't find in him.
Then, a group of people handing out candy approached. A woman with a devil horn headband held a small basket.
"Happy Halloween! Have a safe night!"
The woman winked and pressed something into Ilena's hand, then vanished into the crowd.
"What is this?"
Ilena held out her palm. On it sat a square wrapped package.
"...!"
"What? Why so surprised? What is it?"
"It's... nothing. Just put it down."
"It looks like a vitamin. Do you just peel and eat it?"
—Fwick!
The man reached out without thinking. In a display of restlessness he never showed, he tried to snatch what she was holding.
"Hey!"
"...First, can you hide it where people can't see? Please?"
"If you're going this far over it, it must not be an ordinary item."
"Yes, that's why—"
"So what is it? What do you use it for?"
"..."
"If you don't explain, I'm going to go ask around. Hey, do you know what this is—"
—Snap!
Hwan Hyun covered her mouth before she could ask a passing stranger.
"Mmph?!"
"...I'll explain, so please keep your composure..."
"Cough cough!! Hey, you just covered my mouth!"
"Otherwise, are you going to just walk around with it in the open?"
The eyes of people nearby were already turning their way. If they stayed like this, a hunter might recognize Saint Ilena walking around with condoms, for all she knew.
"Huh? It's the Saint!"
"The Saint?"
"The Saint!"
"Waaaaaaaaa!"
They were caught immediately.
Only the fact that a Vatican saint had come to Korea was known; the actual details of what she looked like hadn't been revealed, so the crowd's excitement was only natural.
"Shit... what is this!"
"Let's run. I'll take you straight to the lodging."
Hwan Hyun grabbed her hand and cut through the crowd. Fortunately, once they were clear of the commotion, everyone assumed her white hair was just makeup.
"...I wanted to hang around more. Can't we just go into some random building, wait a bit, and come back out?"
"Um... uh..."
When she pointed at a building ahead, the man's expression turned anxious again.
Especially today, she was in the mood to tease him, Ilena.
"Iluwait!!"
"Saint-nim, wait just a moment...!"
They just blindly rushed into the nearest building. She figured they'd wait until the noise died down outside and then go back out.
"Miss, is this a private room?"
"Yes?"
"Then it's for lodging, isn't it? May I have your card?"
"...?"
'When the streets are this busy, you even get paid just for being inside a building.'
If they went back outside, they might have to endure the annoying shouts of "Saint!" She figured she'd just hand over the card since it wasn't her money anyway.
"S-Saint... Ilena-nim?"
"What?"
"Hah... how am I supposed to report this..."
Only the man who'd been with her was clutching his head.