Secret Pact
“Ah, that feels good.”
I lay on the floor with both hands folded over my belly. Yena was still thumping my arm in delayed protest, but I didn’t mind. Who knew letting your feelings run wild could feel this exhilarating? I was starting to understand why people sometimes just lost their tempers without a second thought.
“My Dorries!! My Dorries!! What am I gonna do about my Dorries!!”
“Calm down, Yena. Those things don’t die from something like that.”
I had said it before and I would say it again: Party Bears were essentially immune to blunt force. They were stuffed dolls, after all. The cotton itself helped, and sometimes it even acted like springy muscle. If you wanted to kill one you had to cut it or burn it; fists were useless.
The one that had been rammed into the Ferris wheel flailed for a moment, yanked its head free of the steel frame, hopped down, and bolted behind Yena. Just like that, all three Party Bears were cowering again.
See? Even people—well, sort of—only listen after a good thrashing!
“Unnie. From now on I’m taking care of them. Don’t hit them whenever you feel like it.”
Yena patted the bears and issued the decree. I smiled and nodded.
“Fine by me.”
The more bodyguards Yena had, the better. Given Kang Jiye’s line of work, she was bound to make enemies among human trash as well as monsters. That put Yena in danger too.
Not that anyone would casually mess with the family of the Incheon Branch deputy director…
Still, a single D-class wasn’t enough to protect Yena. Some insane A-class criminal could go on a rampage. You never knew what the world would throw at you.
“Koo-ing.”
“Beep, bip.”
Good grief, what a racket.
The Party Bears started sniffling and beeping pitifully at Yena’s side. Putting on a whole show for a tiny kid who was way weaker than them.
When did they get so close, anyway?
The Party Bears followed Yena around like devoted pets. Even when they were playing among themselves, the moment she appeared at the amusement park they would swarm her. I never got that kind of reception, and I was their master.
Better than them being wary of each other, of course… but watching the scene sometimes was the funniest thing in the world.
“Yena.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think? Would your kindergarten friends get along with the Dorries too?”
Yena’s mouth curved into a bright smile.
“Yeah! I wanna show them off! Can I?”
Kids would be fine, just as I thought. I stroked her hair.
“Let’s wait a little longer, okay?”
“Okay!”
I watched Yena and the Party Bears getting along so well and smiled. Sooner or later this gate would be forced open. Once humans saw it they would try to “clear” the place. I knew where the gate would appear and how to hide it for now, but temporary measures never lasted forever.
So I planned to get ahead of the problem. Bribe the children with toys and rides, then make sure the adults of society couldn’t deny my existence.
Somehow this is starting to look exactly like what the original Pecia used to do.
I only knew what I had seen and learned, so it couldn’t be helped. It had been the strategy that gave me the most trouble when I played from the protagonist’s side—which meant it was polished and stable.
If Pecia had done XX…
No wonder the community kept bringing up those “what-if” stories. If Pecia had appeared earlier, if Pecia had appeared with Boss OO, if Pecia had been moved by humanity… Among them I was trying to follow the third what-if. It was practically the only hopeful storyline involving Pecia, and the user who wrote it had been detailed enough that planning was easy.
“Hiek—how many of these are there?!”
Kang Jiye stepped inside, shaking snow from her shoulders. She must have come straight into the gate the moment she got off work. I brushed the rest of the snow from her back.
“It’s only early winter, but it’s really coming down, huh?”
“Yeah. It was pouring. Yena— Mommy’s home.”
Yena’s voice floated out from among the Party Bears.
“Yeah! Just a sec. I’m working!”
She was deep in a mini-game with her “Dorries.” Kang Jiye watched with a helpless little laugh. The daughter who used to come running the second she saw her mother was completely absorbed; it was funny and a little lonely at the same time.
“Exactly how many friends does she have?”
I grinned proudly and spread my arms toward the Party Bears.
“Lots! I’ve been working them hard these past few days.”
⊳ Who’s that?
⊳ Strong human.
⊳ Protection target.
⊳ Little boss made us.
⊳ Gotta catch her!
⊳ Why?
⊳ Strong human. We don’t have anything to kill.
⊳ Lots to kill. Tons.
Party Bears swarmed in from every direction, beeping away. Their total number had reached three hundred thirty-four. Plenty of the smaller merchandise versions were mixed in, yet they still filled the entire field of view.
Kang Jiye picked up a pure-white Party Bear with curious hands.
“Wow—you made these really well. The clothes are cute too.”
“Right? That one’s scheduled for adoption by the Ispellen family.”
“Merchandise, then. No wonder it looks so fluffy. How much are you selling them for?”
“Plain dolls are fifty thousand won. The moving ones start at six hundred thousand and go up from there.”
Kang Jiye blinked.
“Plain dolls?”
“I’m still pretending I haven’t learned mana yet.”
“Ah, right.”
“The moving ones will probably be sold through the Academy.”
“I see…”
She studied the bear in her arms, then asked,
“Isn’t six hundred too cheap? They’re basically toy golems.”
“Are toy golems expensive?”
They needed mana stones and high-level magic, so they wouldn’t be cheap, but the only golems I knew from the story were combat models.
Kang Jiye nodded.
“You have to make them small and the design has to be good. If it’s already a popular character, licensing fees get added on top. They usually start at two million.”
Ah.
Combat golems didn’t need design work. They were going to get smashed anyway, so you could slap them together however you liked.
Kang Jiye kept examining the Party Bears. She had been too busy to look closely before, and her expression stayed fresh with interest. Then she stopped when she saw the ones clustered around Yena.
“This one’s Two-Dorry, this one’s Three-Dorry, this one’s Four-Dorry. Starting today they’re gonna live in my room with me.”
“Wow—lucky you, sweetie. Did Unnie give them to you?”
“Yep!”
Kang Jiye’s smile froze for a second. She whispered to me,
“They’re okay, right?”
Pure magical beasts; of course she would worry. Completely different from me, who had full intelligence.
I answered with confidence so she could relax.
“Safer than any pet, actually. Look how devoted they are.”
“True, but… so from now on they’re going to protect Yena?”
“Hmm. Well…”
Kang Jiye’s eyes went round.
“Huh? ‘Well’?”
I gave an awkward laugh.
“I don’t mean they’ll hurt her. They each have their own little selves. If they get scared they might run away. That’s all I meant.”
Even the ghouls from before had fled from the Party Bears. Once a self forms, emotions follow; it was only natural. As a hunter, Kang Jiye would understand that better than anyone.
“Yeah, that makes sense. Magical beasts don’t always coordinate perfectly either.”
“Right? But don’t worry. I’ll protect Yena for sure.”
“Yeah… thanks.”
Suddenly Kang Jiye looked me over.
“Come to think of it, have you gotten stronger? You’re hiding your mana so well I can’t tell at a glance.”
I was a little surprised and asked back,
“You can tell I’ve changed?”
“I already know you’re not ordinary. I can feel that your presence is subtly different.”
“Oh… how, specifically?”
She folded her arms.
“Before you just looked soft. Now if I got careless in a fight I feel like I might actually lose. Throw those teddy bears in and I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Aha.”
“Not that I’m worried you’ll attack me. Occupational hazard.”
“It’s fine. No need to explain yourself all of a sudden.”
Kang Jiye wasn’t going to start treating me like a threat now. If she had, black-clad special agents would already have swarmed the place. She would never leave a suspicious creature next to her precious daughter.
She’s just preparing for the worst-case scenario.
As long as I was a magical beast, anything could happen. In the worst case a higher-ranked beast could take control of me.
I thought for a moment, then tossed out casually,
“We’re weak to fire.”
“Hm?”
“Our toys. Vulnerable to fire-attribute magic. Higher-tier ones that come later will be different, but for these teddy bears it’s pure poison.”
Kang Jiye blinked.
“Well… I figured as much, but why bring it up all of a sudden?”
“If I ever go off the rails, you’ll have to stop me.”
If my possession suddenly broke for any reason, there would be no answers left. Whether she trusted me or not, a safety measure was better than none.
Kang Jiye smiled, clearly pleased.
“Oh—so you’re saying you trust me right now?”
“Of course. In that spirit, maybe we should make a code word between us.”
“A code word?”
“In case I ever get mind-controlled.”
“…….”
I looked at her. She had already realized I wasn’t joking.
“What kind of code would be good?”
“I don’t know… Gate Apocalypse?”
“……That’s terrible.”
“Then you pick one, Auntie.”
But I should have known then. This was not the time to be worrying about “Pecia.”
This was a past of Gate Apocalypse I did not know.
The crisis was already creeping in from the shadows.
“Okay, Unnie’s going to go make some money! Play here for just three hours, all right?”
“Yeah! You’re coming right back after you drop off the mini Dorries for adoption, right?”
“Obviously. You guys take good care of Yena.”
⊳ Confirmed.
⊳ Got it.
⊳ No worry.
⊳ Go quick.
Pecia left the house to show the prototype dolls to the Ispellen family.
Left alone, Yena stared at the board games in her room with a serious expression.
Nothing but dice games left?
She wasn’t lonely like before. She now had four whole friends to play with. They couldn’t talk, but simple body language worked, and they seemed to understand the rules of board games to some degree.
Of course they were all a bit dumb, so she usually won. For little Yena that was perfect. Mom and Pecia Unnie always let her win on purpose; you could see it. The pure joy of winning by skill only came when she played against the Dorries.
“Today we’re doing the Demon King and the Princess!”
It was a dice game. The story was about a handsome demon king and a princess eloping together. Yena’s absolute favorite.
The Party Bears didn’t understand the story at all, but the rule of moving pieces with dice felt fresh to them. Soon they were completely absorbed in the board game.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. Thinking Unnie might already be back, Yena ran to the front door. Of course Pecia, who knew the password, would never ring the bell.
“Who is it?”
—Ah, Yena. It’s Aunt Haram. Can you open the door for a second?
“What’s the matter?”
—What’s the matter? I came to play with Yena, of course.
Yena tilted her head.
Did Mom call her?
She felt a little suspicious, yet she still walked to the door without hesitation. Things like this had happened often before Pecia Unnie arrived. After checking that the Dorries in the room had gone quiet, she opened the door.
“Hi?”
The Aunt Haram who appeared when the door opened looked somehow wrong. Normally she would smile brightly and ruffle Yena’s hair first thing. Now her eyes were unfocused as she scanned the house. Worst of all, the hands that should have been holding snacks or ice cream were gripping a kitchen knife.
Aunt Haram closed the front door behind her, smiled crookedly, and looked down at Yena.
“Nobody’s home. What should we do, Yena? This is a big problem.”
……?
That was when footsteps sounded from Yena’s room and the Party Bears filed out in a line. Yena’s eyes went huge.
“Uh, if you move right now—”
Shing!
Steel needles shot out from every Party Bear’s hand at once.