The Beheading Rabbit's Bargain
The car kept moving forward. As we headed toward the distant dome and station, Lyshe sat between me and Maribella with her hands demurely clasped in her lap. The Beheading Rabbit. One of the rare ancient beasts from the continent, and among them a demonic beast. A monstrous existence that practiced cannibalism, devouring the men she fell in love with. At the same time, one of the only four Master-class adventurers in this labyrinth.
Such a being naturally carried an ominous aura, and my micro-current clearly registered her as dangerous. Yet with the naked eye, she didn't seem all that threatening. At least not until I looked into her eyes.
First of all, she was tall. Maribella stood around 175 centimeters and I was 190, yet Lyshe matched the space between us. Probably close to 180. Her arms and legs were long, evoking the fashion models common before the war. Even with her legs politely gathered, they possessed an elegant line, and her long fingers moved with grace when she brushed back her hair.
But the moment our eyes met, every impression vanished. Her gaze was an abyssal void without luster, just like Vertea’s. The red hue made it different, though. Vertea’s doll-like features softened the effect, but Lyshe’s crimson pupils were chilling. Chilling, yet burning. They hinted at a madness that could erupt into any action at any moment.
And that was only what the naked eye could see. The body my micro-current sensed… truly surpassed humanity. It was strong. The muscle quality didn’t simply scream raw power or high density. Structurally, it differed from human muscle entirely. It was flexible. Shockingly so. Muscles so supple and superior they could enable any motion, any attack. Was it those very muscles that allowed her to rip out necks and claim the title of Beheading Rabbit?
One of her rabbit ears, which had been twitching every time my micro-current brushed it, suddenly flapped.
I had no idea how or when she had entered the car. Some kind of ability? Normally I couldn’t have imagined it, but ever since I gained the power to transform into lightning, anything seemed possible.
“Maribella, it’s been a while.”
“Lyshe.”
“To think you had such a handsome father. Why didn’t you tell me~?”
“I only met him recently myself.”
“I see~”
Her speech was impossible to pin down. Even with the automatic translation that came from the God of Language’s death, her tone remained bizarre—casual one moment, politely formal the next. It made me wonder if she was truly sane.
“How did you know I was an avatar?”
Her red eyes tilted obliquely toward me. She stared with a gaze that seemed capable of swallowing a man whole.
“When you touch the darkness, you simply know.”
The beastkin answered in a sing-song nasal tone, as if she were humming a lullaby. It wasn’t without clues. When I glanced sideways, I caught sight of Vertea in the passenger seat—the halfling who had instantly recognized me as the avatar of darkness. I had assumed she deduced it from context, but perhaps not.
“Are you connected to the darkness as well?”
“Of course. Not as deeply as you, though, handsome avatar.”
With eyes melted like someone lost in a dream, she tilted her head and rested her cheeks in her hands. The way she gazed at me felt burdensome.
The destination subway station drew steadily closer. It was both the stronghold of the cannibal beastkin and Lyshe’s personal lair. The place where the trade goods the dark elves had desperately wanted were kept.
On the way, I suddenly looked past her toward the distant south. The horizon had turned pitch black. A wall of night stretched upward as if trying to pierce the sky. It was more accurate to call it a barrier, though its foggy vagueness made it hard to be certain.
“What the hell is that?”
The darkness twisted and sprawled, covering the entire southern region. Our destination, Gu-il Station, sat right beside that descended wall of shadow.
“…Father, do you remember what I told you before?”
“About what?”
“To the north, Chernobyl. To the west, the Pacific. To the east…”
“Yellowstone National Park.”
“We usually just call it Hell. Anyway… the south is that.”
Further south than Guro and Geumcheon-gu, which could be considered Seoul’s southern edge. Like the other ends of this fused Seoul, it was an entirely different world, Maribella had said.
“We call it the Barrier. The true territory of darkness.”
As I listened to Maribella’s explanation and turned my head, Lyshe was watching me with a gentle smile.
It no longer felt like coincidence that Lyshe had chosen Gu-il Station as her base.
When the car stopped and we stepped out into the station, the dominant presence was beastkin. Some had animal ears atop their heads, but others were full animals walking upright on two legs. And those beastkin were staring intently at me and Vertea.
Their eyes were eerily sharp, devoid of emotion. The eyes of predators. Yet even those gazes didn’t last long. They withdrew the moment they noticed the tall beastkin walking beside us. They knew that a single glance or single movement could mean death. Even if that weren’t true, I had no reason to concern myself with them.
“Human? Why are you—”
A beastkin with feather-like ears on its head had begun to speak when its head suddenly tilted sideways. The headless body took two staggering steps with arms outstretched before collapsing, while the severed head that had vomited blood stared with wide eyes, tongue lolling, and died.
No attack was visible. Not a single drop of blood had stained her. Lyshe lightly withdrew the hand she had flicked.
“This way.”
It wasn’t a blade. She had simply flicked her index finger. I didn’t understand the principle. Magic? Divine power? Mystic arts? I still didn’t know this world well, but I was certain it wasn’t any of those. I wondered if she would teach me if I asked.
As I pondered while walking, we soon reached our destination.
“Welcome. This is my nest.”
Gu-il Station, which I knew had been built atop an iron bridge, stood dangerously close to the place called the Barrier. I had assumed her office would be at the highest or lowest point, but unexpectedly she had set up in a sunny convenience store on the eastern side of the station. No—this wasn’t even an office. A large bed with curtains, a bathtub clearly ripped from somewhere dominating the center. It was simply Lyshe’s personal room.
And there was my objective. Beside a plate holding unidentified meat that dripped blood sat a neatly arranged bag. I didn’t know its contents. I only knew she had sent subordinates to their deaths multiple times trying to retrieve it. That was enough. I also owed Bishara a debt.
Still, I probably couldn’t simply take it.
I watched Lyshe remove the cloak wrapped around her and hang it up.
“What would you have done if I hadn’t come?”
Lyshe’s round, innocent eyes turned toward me.
“How did you know?”
“Because it didn’t seem like this sort of thing had happened before. I figured you might have lured me out.”
If Bishara frequently faced such incidents, she would have sought another method rather than coming to me. Hadn’t she said so herself? That Lyshe didn’t enjoy indiscriminate slaughter. She was insane, but not completely insane. In other words, her murders had purpose. I didn’t particularly like that the method was murder… but I wasn’t exactly in a position to judge.
“Above all, because you recognized that I was an avatar.”
With the corners of her mouth lifted in a chilling smile, Lyshe sat on the bed and looked at me.
“That’s right. I wanted to meet you.”
“…If you had wanted a formal audience, I would have arranged one.”
Maribella, apparently displeased, crossed her arms and muttered.
“I didn’t feel like it. It’s much better when a handsome man comes looking for me.”
Lyshe reached out, and before I knew it her hand was cupping my chin.
“Because if they’re ugly, I can just kill them.”
“I suppose I should thank my parents.”
“Indeed~”
Letting out a languid sigh, Lyshe released my chin and sat back down on the bed.
It wasn’t incomprehensible. According to what I had heard from Vertea and Maribella, lightning was the symbol of an avatar. Something viewed as ominous, a taboo, a domain that neither mages nor gods would dare touch. The lightning that surged from earth to sky symbolized the avatar, so some powerful individuals must have known of its existence. I just hadn’t expected her to use this kind of method.
“So why did you want to see me?”
“What do you think about being eaten?”
“I’d rather not.”
“What a shame.”
Was that all she wanted to ask? Before she could express her disappointment, Lyshe stood up and picked up the bag from the table holding the unidentified meat.
“I prepared a gift because I wanted to make a good impression.”
Chuckling, Lyshe opened the bag. What was this? A gift as part of the trade? Before I could stop the utterly unexpected action, the bag opened to reveal something all too familiar.
“Avatar, isn’t this yours?”
It was a weapon that fit perfectly in the hand. A grip and handguard made of walnut wood from a breed I didn’t recognize. Engravings reminiscent of roses and ornate scrolls covered the metal, and the shortened grip and barrel had been finished so meticulously that no trace of modification remained.
By my standards, it was something that had been in my possession until very recently. Moreover, it was one of my most precious possessions, something I had carried for over a hundred years. Squad Leader Gu Si-hyeok had received it from his lover and given it to me. My wife had then modified it. It was my shotgun.
Holland & Holland’s 12-bore side-by-side model, Royal.
I froze at the sight of an item I had barely dared hope to find again.
“…How?”
When I accepted the offered shotgun, the familiar weight settled perfectly into my palm. Single trigger, hammer designed not to protrude so it could be easily drawn from a coat. So clean that no trace of modification could be felt. Light yet perfectly balanced, with an ideal center of gravity. It was unmistakable. This was mine.
But how? I had known it must be somewhere in this labyrinth, but…
“I’ll have the others transport the remains and corpse as well. Let’s get along from now on, avatar.”
“…Where exactly did you get this?”
“Hmm? From a friend. My friend had it.”
“Friend? What kind of friend would even have something like this?”
“President Jin.”
President Jin? The words I had heard in the car earlier came rushing back. Scientist Tilia, Adventurer Guild President Jin, Demon King Kurte. The other three Master-class adventurers. The head of the Adventurer Guild among them.
I heard a gulp and turned to see Maribella’s face had gone deathly pale.
“Did you perhaps pay a price to obtain it?”
“Hmm? I just took it.”
“That means you stole it!”
At Maribella’s shriek of horror, my mind snapped back to reality.
“So the request from Bishara was to avoid friction with the Adventurer Guild? Father, put that away in the bag right now. The guild president is extremely dangerous—Father!”
When I slipped the shotgun into my embrace, Maribella screamed in panic. I could only shrug.
“Ah, no… but this really is mine… truly…”
“That’s not what matters! President Jin is a famous lunatic! Vertea, say something to Father!”
“Master is a great person who will one day possess everything within this labyrinth. This unit cannot comprehend what problem exists in hastening that ownership.”
“Vertea!”
My daughter shouted in horror, trying to stop me, but I had no intention of handing over this shotgun. Ever.
“If you’re worried about repercussions, there are ways.”
“…Such as?”
“Lyshe, can you handle the aftermath? Just say you still have it.”
“Hmm? Then if the avatar dies, can I eat you? If so, I’ll do it.”
“Fine. Let’s go with that.”
“Father…?!”
Maribella remained horrified, but I paid her no mind. If I died, I died. Above all, this was more precious than my own corpse. At least to me. It was a memento of the squad leader, his wife, and my own wife. I would never surrender it, even in death.
Lyshe, pleased by my ready consent, extended her hand with a chilling smile.
“Here, handshake.”
“It was a good deal.”
“For me as well. Come visit again sometime, avatar.”
“There are too many cannibals and it’s scary, so you come instead.”
I shook her hand willingly and smiled with satisfaction.
Good. Only the smartphone remained.