The Price of Naivety
New York Stewart International Airport. The ones who arrived there were McClain, a Spiritist; Becky, a Sword Maiden; and Tony, a Ranger-class survivor. Ever since the day the East Coast camp was razed by the hands of Jang Jojun, the three of them had clung to a single, flimsy rumor and set their course for the airport. They walked through pathless wilderness, trudging for days until they finally reached the international terminal. They had heard on the radio that there were planes capable of making the crossing to Europe. Of course, the credibility of that information was questionable at best, but since the radio broadcast was the only thing they had to lean on, they had no choice but to keep moving forward. Yes, they had come all this way, blindly trusting a vague piece of information that had drifted through the static.
Perhaps it was a trap set by outlaws. It could have been a lure to kill people, strip them of their resources, and easily farm levels. Yet, they refused to let go of that hope. If they let go of this last remaining shred of hope, they felt they would never be able to move again.
“We... we finally made it...”
“Klein... *sob*...”
“Becky... don’t cry...”
Becky and McClain embraced each other, tears streaming down their faces. The two of them had skirted the edge of death countless times on their journey here. The evolved zombies stationed everywhere and the skeletons roaming the streets were, to them, the very definition of terror. Still, perhaps because they had hunted and killed an uncountable number of undead along the way, both of their levels had risen to 14. Anything beyond that was a realm that required taking down field bosses, so level 14 was their limit.
“It’s not over for either of you yet... so keep your heads straight.”
“Ah... yes...”
“*Sniff*. Okay... let’s go...”
Tony, who had been scanning the surroundings, snapped the lovebirds out of their moment. He had acted as their nanny throughout the entire journey. He had even bullied McClain—who had been a mere level 5—into becoming a functional human being more times than he could count. To Becky and McClain, Tony was a cranky old man, but also their savior. The bond between the three was solid. As if it would never be broken.
“I can sense human presence inside. They’re likely in there. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir. Just a moment.”
Becky pulled a bolt cutter from her bag and handed it to Tony. Tony expertly used the tool to snip through one of the chain-link fences surrounding the airport, creating a hole large enough for a person to pass through.
“I’ll go in first...”
“Yes...”
The three of them lowered their postures and slipped into the airport facility. There were a few abandoned planes on the massive runway.
“Shh... look there... people.”
“Ah, yes...”
Soon, the three discovered a group of people chatting in front of a private jet. There was one woman wearing a field jacket and three men draped in robes. Tony activated his Enhanced Hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation from a distance.
“Just about everyone who needed to escape has been cleared out.”
“Hehehe... Is that so? Then the mission is complete, isn’t it?”
“Yes, the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits will grant us a fitting reward later...”
“Hehehe... Heh... Finally... I’ll be able to meet that damn bastard who planted the Witch Parasite in my body and ran away... My own little prince... I’ll shatter you completely... So you won’t dare to abandon me and run away ever again...”
The woman suddenly burst into manic laughter. No matter how one looked at it, she wasn't a normal human. In the first place, the three people she was talking to were hard to classify as human either. Though hidden by their robes, their ears were abnormally long, and their skin was darker than that of a Black person. Even though their features were clearly Caucasian.
‘What is this... Shatter the prince...? That woman... she’s completely insane... And those guys... they look just like Dark Elves...’
Tony realized that if he made a single wrong move, he might be captured and killed by these insane outlaws. ‘So the radio was... fake after all... Damn it...’ If they had stupidly walked right into a trap set to deceive someone else, they needed to get out as fast as possible before they were caught by the enemy. If they lingered and got caught in the crossfire, there was no doubt they wouldn't die a normal death.
“McClain, Becky. We need to pull back.”
“What...?”
“This was a trap... we have to get out of here quickly...”
Tony couldn't finish his sentence. Someone had approached from behind them. It was a bald Asian man wearing a suit and a turtleneck.
“Who are you people? You look suspicious. I’m going to have to search you.”
The Asian man in sunglasses glared at Becky, McClain, and Tony, growling. This was a very sensitive time. Outsiders whose identities weren't properly verified were targets for caution. They might be the subordinates of heretics threatening the life of their precious master.
“T-this...!”
“Ugh...!”
Becky immediately tried to draw the two machetes strapped to her waist. McClain tried to summon Ifrit, a mid-level spirit he had contracted with recently, and Tony shoved his hand into his front flap to throw the dagger he kept hidden.
-Ping...
“Ugh...”
“Kuaaaa!!!”
“Be, Becky!!!”
But the three of them couldn't move any further. Sharp silver threads had been wrapped around their necks before they even realized it. Becky, who had tried to force her movement, had her neck slightly sliced, and fresh blood began to flow. If they moved recklessly, their bodies would undoubtedly be sliced apart.
“If none of you want to die, don’t move a muscle. And drop your weapons immediately. You haven’t been searched yet.”
The bald Asian man issued his final warning. Tony realized there was no chance of winning and dropped the dagger he was holding to the ground. Seeing this, McClain canceled his skill, scattering his mana, and Becky also frowned as she let go of her machetes.
At that moment, the woman who had been talking to the three Dark Elves shouted toward the bald Asian man.
“Hong-ya!! What’s going on!!”
“Some rats have snuck in. I’ll have them searched immediately.”
“Is that so? Just let them go for now!”
“Yes. Understood, Miss... *sigh*.”
At the shout of the Chinese-American woman, Meiling, Hong-ya released the silver threads that had been binding Tony and his group. Soon, Meiling approached the group, who were standing there awkwardly.
“Did you guys come here because you heard the radio?”
“Yes... that’s right. We heard we could escape to Europe...”
“Is that so? Hehe. What should I do about this? The last plane left this morning. There are no planes coming or going anymore except for that private jet over there. And that one is for us to ride. By any chance, can any of you fly a plane?”
“Ah... no...”
“Then that’s a shame.”
“T-this...”
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the content of the radio broadcast had been true. There really had been an opportunity to escape to Europe. But they were too late. There was no longer any way to get out of the United States.
‘Damn it...’ Tony thought it was more horrific that they had missed the last train than the fact that these people weren't enemies.
“More than that, you guys need to be searched first.”
“Yes? No, what on earth do you mean by ‘being searched’...”
Tony’s question was soon answered. In the distance, a massive, muscular Black man who looked to be at least 190 centimeters tall was bringing something over.
-Thud!
The object he brought was the stump of an unrecognizable tree.
“Now, sit on this.”
“Yes...? Ah, no... what on earth is this search? What is it that requires us to sit on a tree stump...”
“Hmm... This is a means to find out whether or not the ‘Slave Brand’ is etched onto your foreheads.”
“Yes...? The Slave Brand?”
“Yes... There’s someone who really likes to stamp people’s foreheads. If you guys are the servants of that human... it’ll be hard for you to return alive.”
Meiling laughed deviously. Tony felt her laugh was chilling for some reason. He wanted to escape right now, but he couldn't even dare to resist. They were already surrounded. The Ranger’s high perception was telling him that Awakened individuals hidden everywhere were holding daggers, ready to attack them at any moment... Even the man named Hong-ya was staring at them with razor-sharp eyes.
‘I don’t know what that Slave Brand is, but...’ There was no backing down. Tony sat on the tree stump, hoping that such a strange thing wasn't etched on his forehead.
-Vwooom...
Soon, a green aura erupted from the tree stump and informed Meiling of the test results.
[Signs of corruption not detected.]
[Slave Brand not etched.]
[No connection to the Manma-jeon.]
“Not a demon contractor. No slave brand either. Not affiliated with the Manma-jeon... Perfectly clean!! Next!”
Tony didn't fully understand Meiling’s words, but he let out a deep sigh of relief at the fact that he had survived.
“I’ll go next...”
“Klein...”
“It’s okay. Just keep that bandage on your neck.”
Leaving behind Becky, whose neck had been sliced by the silver thread Hong-ya had wrapped around her, McClain sat on the tree stump first. Soon, the aura erupted once again from the stump connected to the World Tree.
[Signs of corruption not detected.]
[Slave Brand not etched.]
McClain followed a similar procedure to Tony. Meiling nodded and checked the last remaining test result.
“Hmm. Good. Good.”
[Trace of the Manma detected.]
“Hmm?”
The moment she checked the test result, Meiling’s expression twisted. Immediately, those who had been hiding pressed their blades against McClain’s neck.
“Ugh...!”
“Hey. You... what are you? Why did it say there was a trace of the Manma? Hey! Mustang!”
The Black man who had brought the tree stump pulled a mask from his pocket, put it on, and stood in front of the sitting McClain.
“Begin the interrogation.”
“....”
At Meiling’s command, the Black man, Mustang, nodded without a word and drove his fingers into McClain’s thigh.
“Kuaaaaaa!!!!”
“McClain!!! Tony, let go of this!!! Damn it, let go!!!”
“Calm down, Becky!!!”
Tony stopped Becky, thinking that if a fight broke out, they would all die. Becky was going out of her mind as the thick fingers of some crazy Black man were buried into her boyfriend’s thigh. Of course, McClain, the one who actually had the fingers shoved into him, was the one going most out of his mind. Regardless, the inquisitor Mustang asked McClain in a low, flat voice.
“*Guh... ugh...*”
“Hey, answer the questions properly. Depending on your answers, I might dispose of you on the spot.”
“*Guh... ugh...* Yes... I, I understand...”
“What is your class?”
“S-spiritist... Elementalist... *ugh*...”
“It’s not a lie. Meiling. Spiritist is a class belonging to the Mangwi-jeon.”
“Is that so? Then why did a trace of the Manma appear?”
“*Guaaaaak...* I... I don’t know either....”
“Hmm... This is troublesome.”
McClain howled in pain, desperately racking his brain. He thought and thought about why a trace of something called Manma was left on him. Then, he wondered if perhaps the traces of the guys who raided the East Coast camp had rubbed off on him.
“Ah... th-that...”
McClain told Meiling and her companions the whole story of how he had come to Stewart International Airport.
“I see... Mustang. Is everything he said true?”
“Yes, it is all true.”
“Huuuh...”
When the story was over, Mustang pulled his fingers out of McClain’s thigh. Mustang wiped the blood off his fingers with a towel and healed McClain’s thigh, which now had a gaping hole in it.
“Hmm... I see... so that’s how it is...”
Meiling, who had been listening to the whole story from the side, stroked her chin.
“And... that human was there...? This... we were damn close. Damn Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits... She was right there... and she deliberately didn’t tell me... What a suspicious, devious old snake...”
Meiling gnashed her teeth, insulting the World Tree by calling it a snake. Even though the enemy she had been searching for so desperately was within arm’s reach, the World Tree had hidden that information. Perhaps, from the World Tree’s position, it didn't want to lose Meiling, the champion of the Mangwi-jeon faction, so pointlessly. That must be why it had hidden the information on purpose.
“Hoo... You guys. You said you wanted to leave for Europe.”
“Yes...”
“Then help me. I’ll let you ride the private jet, so let’s do some joint work. Then I’ll fly you to France, the safest place on Earth.”
“R-really...?”
“Yes.”
Meiling smiled. It was because she would finally be able to meet the man who had erased her memories, planted a Witch Parasite in her to drastically lower her physical abilities, and after saying he would come to find her, had ended up making her come to find him.
“Jang Jojun... you dog-like bastard... just you wait... I’ll burn every one of your slaves to ash first...”
Scorching flames flared up in Meiling’s hands. It was the return of a truly awakened Trickster.