The Return Report (2)
Unlike simple immigrants or missing persons, returnees who vanished into dimensional rifts and later reappeared were treated as special entities.
Some returned with immense power and became hunters.
Others brought back new technologies, sciences, or magitech that greatly benefited society.
There were those who adapted effortlessly to life back in Korea, riding their power and experience to quick success. On the flip side, many struggled to readjust to their old lives.
The periods during which these returnees had been missing, as well as the times of their return, varied wildly, and so did their circumstances.
Some returned after decades, finding it impossible to reunite with families who had long since moved on or passed away. In rare cases, some had completely forgotten how to speak Korean.
In fact, less than ten percent of all returnees successfully reunited with their families and returned to a normal home life.
Just as there were those who returned with power, there were also those who returned completely ordinary and powerless. In particular, those who struggled to adapt to Korea's established hunter society because their minds had been too deeply dyed by the culture and mindset of another world accounted for a staggering thirty percent of the total.
But the most terrible cases of all were the returnees suffering from severe mental illness or mental contamination.
If a contaminated returnee possessed no power, it was manageable.
With a proper counselor assigned to them and concurrent drug therapy, they could eventually recover.
However, a returnee who possessed monstrous power but suffered from mental illness due to horrific trauma and PTSD was a massive headache for the government.
There were quite a few cases of returnees who, unable to adapt to society, ultimately took their own lives.
Others turned into criminals or terrorists, claiming that the world they had survived in solved everything through violence and blood.
Some returnees even contaminated the minds of ordinary citizens to establish cult-like organizations, leading to the tragic necessity of their arrest by hunters.
Thus, after the Great Rift and once the nation had stabilized to some degree, a group of relatively "normal" returnees joined forces with politicians to establish the Returnee Management Bureau.
Returnee Management Bureau
The Bureau was a government sub-department under the Hunter Association. It was responsible for the discovery, identification, language support, and overall welfare of returnees, including efforts to locate their families and relatives.
It wasn't just the government, either. Senior returnees who were already contributing to society in various fields provided donations and funds to help their newly returned juniors who were struggling to adjust to the world.
Ultimately, the Bureau's primary objective was management.
It served as a safety net, watching over the returnees to ensure they didn't fall into despair, lose hope, or commit suicide. Every returnee had to go through the Bureau first to verify their identity and begin the search for their family.
And so, Lee Sia, the returnee and undead saintess, had been brought to the Returnee Management Bureau by Yeon Seo to file her report.
However, reporting a return was not as simple as walking into a local community center and saying, "I'm back."
It required proof of family relations, identity verification, and a comprehensive psychological evaluation by a counselor awakened with mental-type abilities. Only after a thorough assessment was completed could the report be finalized.
Sia was waiting alone in a quiet, dimly lit room that felt very much like an interrogation room.
"Well, hello there, Sia! Sorry to keep you waiting."
After a relatively short wait, a woman with a bright, cheerful aura entered the room.
She looked like a sharp, professional office worker, but she carried the warm, positive vibe characteristic of a skilled counselor.
"I apologize for the delay. The paperwork for returnees is never-ending. Ah, I am Choi Bo-mi, the Chief Evaluator here at the Returnee Management Bureau."
"Hello. Ah... sorry. Hello, Chief Choi."
"It's quite alright. Seeing that you can exchange greetings so naturally tells me today is my lucky day! You can call me Chief Choi, or whatever you feel comfortable with, Sia."
"...Just out of curiosity, are there returnees who can't even greet you?"
Chief Choi smiled gently as she set down a thick stack of documents.
"Oh, absolutely. That's why I said today is a lucky day. It's one thing if they just can't speak the language, but... when we get returnees with severe mental issues, we have to brace ourselves from the very start, knowing it's going to be a rough day."
"You must have a difficult job."
"Wow. You know how to greet people, you have a polite personality, and you even show concern for others."
"...?"
Isn't that just basic human decency?
Sia tilted her head, feeling a bit like she was being treated like a kindergartener.
"Ah, haha... Please don't misunderstand. I'm not teasing you."
Chief Choi, looking genuinely pleased, fed a few unnecessary documents into a shredder as she spoke.
"What seems basic to some can be incredibly difficult for certain returnees. We've had someone swing a weapon while screaming, 'Release me at once! My kingdom calls for me!' which ended up injuring a counselor. Others mistake us for demons or enemies and refuse to answer a single question. Just recently, a mentally contaminated returnee even caused a terrorist incident in China."
"...Oh dear. That sounds awful."
"Hehe. Just by accepting my greeting and showing concern for me, you've already bypassed over ten items on our psychological evaluation list."
"Is that a good thing? I mean, is it?"
"Of course it is! It proves that both you and I are sane, which means we can skip all the tedious questions! And please, feel free to speak casually. You're clearly older than me."
"Alright."
With that, Chief Choi handed a few papers to Sia.
"You can speak Korean, and... do you remember how to write it? Or perhaps English or Japanese? We had one returnee who completely forgot Korean and could only speak Japanese..."
"Ah, it's fine. I remember."
"No problem writing it either, then? Just fill this out as best as you can recall."
Sia slowly read through the document.
It was a simple personal information form asking for her resident registration number, name, and address.
Naturally, there wasn't much she could remember.
"So, she is the one who saved Yeonhwa?"
"Indeed."
Chief Lee, who had just handed Yeon Seo a cup of instant mix coffee, stared at the hologram displaying Sia.
Chief Lee and Yeon Seo were standing on the other side of the observation glass of the counseling room.
Sia couldn't see them, but they could monitor her every movement, expression, and voice.
While some might raise concerns about human rights, the general consensus was that returnees had to be strictly monitored.
Did they show signs of mental contamination?
Did they view human life as cheap as flies?
Or did they fall into the category of safe, ordinary citizens?
The Bureau had to be on high alert every time they processed a returnee.
If a powerful returnee with the strength of an S-grade hunter suddenly snapped and started killing people, it would be an absolute catastrophe.
Fortunately, most returnees successfully integrated into society under the Bureau's care, but there were occasional exceptions who turned to crime.
Because of this, monitoring the evaluation process and understanding a returnee's mental state was considered a vital duty for the Bureau.
"Saving Yeonhwa is one thing... but defeating a Black Minotaur with virtually no exertion is highly impressive."
"For the record, she clashed with me as well."
"...With you, Lady Yeon Seo?! H-how did that go?!"
"How do you think?"
Chief Lee scanned Yeon Seo up and down.
Her clothes were slightly torn, but she didn't seem to have any visible injuries.
He then looked back at Sia through the hologram, but to his eyes, neither the returnee nor Yeon Seo showed any signs of harm.
"Ha, haha. Of course, you must have won..."
"Well, there was no winning or losing. It was merely a brief misunderstanding caused by this old woman's senility."
"That is a relief."
"Is it?"
Shrugging, Yeon Seo took a sip of her coffee and stared at Sia through the hologram.
The girl on the screen possessed a calm, serene smile.
A girl like that would likely pass the returnee evaluation without any issues.
After all, she was the savior of her granddaughter.
If Sia ran into any trouble during the registration process, Yeon Seo was fully prepared to pull some strings to repay the debt of saving Yeonhwa.
"Lady Yeon Seo...? What do you mean by 'Is it?'... Did something happen?"
"Nothing, really. I just wondered what would have happened if we had kept fighting until one of us collapsed."
"...Please don't make such terrifying jokes. The returnee is still a citizen of this country, and you are a living legend."
"I'm just joking, of course."
Despite Yeon Seo's casual dismissal, Chief Lee's mind began to race.
Every time a returnee arrived, his knees shook and his hair thinned from stress, but it was his job to determine whether they posed a threat to society.
In that sense, Yeon Seo's musing was a highly unsettling sign for the Bureau.
It meant the returnee possessed enough power to stand against Yeon Seo—meaning she was at least on par with an S-grade hunter.
'She called it a brief misunderstanding, but it means they actually fought. Lady Yeon Seo is the strongest among the nation's S-grades. The fact that she could even hold her own against her means she must be treated as an S-grade threat...'
Please, let her be sane.
Chief Lee, though not a religious man, began to pray fervently that the returnee named Sia was as gentle and kind as her beautiful appearance suggested.
"Let's see, your name is... 'Lee Sia.' Do you remember the Hanja characters for it?"
"No. Is that a problem?"
"If you don't remember, we can just look up your old resident registration records, so it's fine. Let's see... you were reported missing on December 5, 2024, during the first Great Rift. You were twenty-one at the time. And now it's 2088... Oh my?! You're actually much older than you look! My goodness, you can definitely speak comfortably to me!"
Since sixty-four years had passed, Sia was technically eighty-five years old on paper.
"Sorry. I held a rather high position in the other world, so I rarely used polite speech."
"Wow! Were you a king or something?"
"Not a king. More like the Empress's right hand."
"Oh my! Was the Emperor handsome?"
"It was an Empress."
"Was she beautiful?"
"Yes, incredibly so."
"Ooh... I'd love to see her sometime."
As Chief Choi carefully reviewed the documents, she suddenly paused at a certain section.
"Uh, and... male...?"
"Yes. Before I ended up in this body, I was a man."
"Oh, so now...?"
"As you can see. Setting aside whether I'm even human anymore, I am currently female."
As Sia shrugged, the massive holy power breasts resting on her chest drew Chief Choi's gaze.
Chief Choi prided herself on not being small, but this returnee's size... was not just large, but exceptionally well-shaped, making it impossible not to look.
"H-hem..! This is a first."
"Has there never been a case of gender change before?"
"No! Most returnees fall into other worlds in their original bodies. They might gain different powers, but their gender and physical forms usually remain the same. Except for a few special cases like skeleton knights, of course."
Sia recalled her distant memories.
She had been born a male and lived twenty-one years as one, but now, she felt much more like the 'undead saintess Lee Sia' than the human male Lee Sia.
She had lived far longer as the undead saintess, and she could no longer even remember the faces of the parents who gave birth to her. Her life as a man felt foreign now.
'It was fun when Menelapie acted as my etiquette teacher, saying a woman living in the imperial palace must carry herself with grace... Theresa would always nag from the side... though when it came down to it, Theresa was the best at it. She looked like a true noble lady...'
Those were fun times... and happy ones...
"Oh, did you just recall a fond memory?"
"...Ah, was I smiling?"
"You had a very bright smile."
Sia touched her face, realizing she must have smiled unconsciously at the thought of the faces she missed.
"Well, we can easily verify things like your resident registration number, gender, and date of birth by cross-referencing the missing persons list and the government database. But the important part starts now."
"The important part?"
"Yes. I apologize, but I need to ask for your consent for something."
At those words, Sia felt a subtle flow of mana rising from Chief Choi's body.
It was clearly not a hostile activation of mana.
"Are you a hunter?"
"No. I'm not a hunter, but I awakened a special ability that I use for my work. Awakening doesn't automatically make you a hunter. Besides, my ability is completely unsuited for combat."
"I see."
Speaking of special abilities, Sia recalled the female hunter in the waiting room who had instantly recognized her as an undead.
And with Yeon Seo's ability to tear through space and teleport, Sia realized that the category of "special abilities" was incredibly broad.
"Before we proceed with the evaluation, could you give me your consent, Sia?"
"Consent for what?"
"My skill is called Thought Share."
"What a peculiar name."
"It's optimized for counseling. As the name suggests, it allows me to read thoughts, but it's not like the mind-reading you see in movies where I can just pry into everything. It's used to analyze the target's subconscious, latent memories, and immediate thoughts to ensure they are telling the truth."
Chief Choi slid a document forward.
It read: Do you consent to the use of Thought Share during this evaluation?
"I'm not strong enough to use this ability on just anyone. Everyone has a mental barrier, and I have to bypass it to use the skill. Hunters have much stronger mental barriers than ordinary people. Naturally, the higher their rank and strength, the stronger their barrier. I can barely force my way through an ordinary person's barrier."
"Ah, so that's why you need this consent form?"
"Yes! Of course, if you don't consent, we won't do it. It's entirely voluntary."
"No, it's fine."
"Wow! Thank you so much! It's been a while since I've met such a cooperative returnee. Please sign here!"
It seemed that signing the form allowed her to consciously lower her mental barrier.
'Or rather, it's like opening a small gap specifically to let this woman's mind in.'
From Sia's perspective, this was actually preferable.
Even before entering, Yeon Seo had advised her to answer as honestly as possible. Besides, it seemed like it might be interesting.
Without hesitation, Sia signed the form. Immediately, she felt a thin, thread-like connection form between Chief Choi's mana and herself.
Right after, Chief Choi, who had been chatting brightly, fell completely silent.
The moment she connected to Sia's mind, Chief Choi felt her vision plunge into absolute darkness.
No, was it darkness?
Where am I?
What is this?
Is this really a human mind...?
"............"
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, ah...! Y-yes, I'm fine. I must be a bit tired...?"
"You should take care of yourself."
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Chief Choi blinked a few times and pulled out a picture from her folder.
The drawing showed a creature with green skin, short stature, a wide mouth, and long ears—a goblin, commonly found in low-tier dungeons.
"Actually, Thought Share doesn't let me see everything. When I show you a picture like this, you just need to say the words or sentences that come to mind. My ability simply helps smooth out your subconscious to make it easier to answer."
"So you're not digging into my past or reading my deepest thoughts?"
"Oh, that's impossible. It just gently draws out thoughts from your subconscious or latent memory."
Chief Choi held up the goblin picture.
"Now, what comes to mind when you look at this?"
"Goblin, Demon King's army, fodder, disappointment."
"Just those four?"
"Ah... one more."
Pausing briefly, Sia licked her lips.
"Delicious..."
".....Pardon?"
What did I just hear?
Did the connection glitch?
No, this isn't a connection issue...
Confused by the unexpected response, Chief Choi began to write down Sia's words with a bewildered expression.
"C-cough.. Next picture, then. Again, just say whatever words come to mind."
The next picture was a simple drawing of a royal castle, looking like something out of a fairy tale.
"Imperial palace, warm dinner, laughter, meetings, pigs, gold, money, maids, servants, parade ground, imperial guard, and chefs... The food was amazing. The imperial chefs were incredible cooks."
"Ah, I see..."
The next picture was a bird.
"Plucking feathers, surprisingly greasy, delicious, wish it was a bit bigger..."
"Uh, excuse me, but this is a pterodactyl...?"
"Yes, I saw them often. Ate them often, too. I'd infuse a rock with holy power, smash its head at full speed, and eat it when it fell. The imperial chefs were great at preparing them."
"........."
Chief Choi pinched her thigh to maintain her composure.
She couldn't tell if the girl was joking or serious, but the connection through Thought Share confirmed that every word was absolute truth.
"...Ahem, next is an egg."
"Soy-marinated dragon egg... delicious..."
".....Ah, haha.... Anything else? Like birth, blessing, or perhaps a quote about a bird breaking its shell to emerge into the world...?"
"...Oh, there is."
Chief Choi raised her pen, anticipating a profound response.
"It's also delicious soft-boiled."
"......."
"Or you can just roast a dragon egg right before it hatches over an open fire... oh man... fuck yeah... it was so good..."
".........Ah, yes."
"You have to try it to understand. Are there dragons here?"
"...Well, yes, there are. Yes..."
Letting out a hollow laugh, Chief Choi showed the next picture.
The moment she saw it, Sia's expression stiffened.
It was a simple drawing.
A cliff.
Just an empty cliff.
"........."
"Sia?"
"......Yeah."
"If you're comfortable... could you tell me what comes to mind?"
"......"
Detecting a shift in Sia's demeanor, Chief Choi gripped her pen tightly.
She had a feeling she was about to write down a lot.
".........Love."
"Pardon?"
"Love, parting, sacrifice, separation, blessing, waiting, anticipation, and... home."
"....."
Chief Choi looked startled by the sudden list of emotional words.
But Sia wasn't finished.
"Love, parting, love, parting, family, it's okay. Comforting. Everything will be fine. Love. Parting. Love again. Waiting, loneliness. Parting. Parting. Sadness, tears, a bit salty, more tears, love. Parting, eternity, someone I'll never see again. Menelapie, Menelapie, Theresa, Menelapie, Theresa, Menelapie, Theresa..."
".......Oh dear."
A side effect of Thought Share was that words bubbling up from the target's subconscious would spill out without any filter.
'She has... some very deep trauma.'
Deciding that continuing the connection was dangerous, Chief Choi forcibly severed the link.
"Love, Menelapie, Theresa, parting, family......... Ah, did I go too far? I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine! I got everything I needed."
"Really?"
With that, Chief Choi stood up.
"Well, that concludes the evaluation! You did great, Sia. Lady Yeon Seo is waiting for you next door, so you can head over there. I'll make sure the results are sent over today."
"So the return report is finished?"
"Yes! Your official registration will be processed shortly, and your temporary housing will be arranged by the end of the day."
Chief Choi quickly gathered her papers and hurried out of the room.
Watching her rushed departure, Sia tilted her head.
"...Well, I guess I messed up."
But what was done was done.
She didn't even know what mistake she had made, so worrying about it was a waste of time.
".......Man, I really want some soft-boiled soy-marinated dragon egg."