Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The 'Sin' District
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know who named them, but each district in this fog-shrouded city is labeled after one of the Seven Seals.
Blood, Karma, Desire, Shadow, Sin, Destruction, Wheel.
It might seem unfamiliar to ordinary people, but it's basic knowledge every exorcist must know.
Incidentally, the hillside where the mansion stood belongs to the 'Karma' district. And the place we're heading to now is the 'Sin' district, one of the Seven Seals.
"........."
"What's wrong with our Ryeong? Got something on your mind?"
"...No... More importantly, why do you call me that?"
"But Gyeol Ryeong is hard to say. This feels way friendlier."
I wanted to say there was no need for the 'our,' but I decided to let it slide.
Maybe this is just natural for women.
The one accompanying me to the 'Sin' district was the maid, Dom.
After washing up together and bonding a bit, Dom and I agreed to drop the formalities. Though calling it an agreement might be generous—it was more like she steamrolled me into it.
Still, she seemed about my age, and constantly using polite speech felt awkward. Plus, for this undercover investigation, having her look like a friend would be convenient in all sorts of ways.
And above all, using formal speech with Dom somehow felt off. Like a strange sense of defiance bubbling up. Hard to explain, but...
'Looking at Dom gives me this weird feeling. She smiles so much and seems so innocent...'
Yet something about her screams you shouldn't trust her.
Like you absolutely have to stay on guard.
I couldn't pinpoint why, but I didn't want to ignore that baseless intuition. Exorcists rely on gut feelings and instincts sometimes, after all.
"By the way... the people here are ones who got lost and wandered in from outside, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Doesn't it seem like they're all way too casual about it?"
As we descended a bit from the hillside and entered the 'Sin' district, we immediately saw residential areas and what looked like an ordinary village where people lived.
The spot where I'd first arrived in this foggy city must have been on the border between 'Sin' and 'Karma.'
Examining the neat village I'd glimpsed back then, I voiced the doubt I'd felt at the time.
"There's a lot of circumstances behind that~."
"Like what?"
"Truth is, I don't know."
"...?"
What kind of bullshit is this?
Is she joking? But why does it piss me off so much? Glaring at her with that sentiment, Dom waved her hands frantically, insisting that wasn't it.
"I mean I couldn't figure out the exact details. I tried hard to investigate, you know? But info on each district is like a lifeline to the yokai dominating them, so it wasn't easy to uncover. Even when we sent people in to scout, contact often got cut off, and they didn't come back."
So, she hadn't gotten much useful intel.
But, Dom continued,
"I do have a few educated guesses. Pretty solid ones, if I say so myself."
Listening to Dom's confident explanation, I scanned our surroundings as we walked through the streets.
No matter how I looked at it, it just seemed like an ordinary residential neighborhood. A bit farther on, we reached what appeared to be the city center.
Tall buildings lined the area, paved roads bustled with cars and buses, and people rode by on bicycles.
But the vibe... how to put it...
'Kinda dated.'
I'm not one to obsess over fashion, but even to my eyes, the streets and the people milling about looked outdated and old-fashioned.
Like the main street of some rural town I'd visited a few times for exorcism jobs.
And that impression solidified when I spotted the cell phone in a passerby's hand.
He looked young. But instead of some sleek Apple smartphone, he was holding a clunky flip phone that snapped open and shut.
For someone born in the 2000s like me, that's a faint childhood memory at best—or something from a retro drama I caught by chance.
Definitely not your standard modern device.
If it was just one person, I'd chalk it up to an eccentric. But when two or three more walked by with the same thing, it made me think twice.
"What's that...?"
"Hm? Has Ryeong never seen an MP3 before? ...Figures, being a smartphone kid. Times are cruel... It was a nostalgia trip."
Maybe Dom's older than I thought. Seeing her get all misty-eyed over that Walkman-lookalike with its wired earphones...
On the first day of investigation, I'd only observed from afar and scanned spiritually, so I hadn't noticed. But with a little more attention, I could've spotted it.
"This fog doesn't come from one time period. It pops up and vanishes across various places and eras."
This city—and the fog encircling it—is detached from the normal flow of time.
So, you can't tell which era the residents here came from. They're all pulled from different times and gathered in one spot.
Even within the fog, the sense of time is faint. There seem to be days and nights, but no way to know if that matches the outside world.
A day here might be a year out there—or vice versa.
And most importantly, there's no concept of lifespan.
No one dies here. No one ages further, grows old, or develops. They just... stay.
"The missing people you know about were dozens of young women, right? ...But there are way more folks inside than that. And not all residents are even human... Anyway, you'll have to figure that out hands-on."
That was the end of Dom's explanation.
She probably had more to teach, but before she could finish, we'd arrived at our target outpost.
"This is...?"
The place we'd reached after a long walk from the mansion was an old villa building, right up against the fog wall encircling the city.
It was so rundown, you couldn't tell if anyone even lived there. From outside, it'd look slated for demolition.
"Don't worry, come on in. I've got everything we need inside."
Dom led the way in. No security door at the entrance to keep outsiders out. If this place matched the era I suspected, that might not have been common.
Eh, I'm not picky. I've holed up in shacks for yokai hunts before. A roof against the morning dew is luxury enough.
"......?"
I suddenly felt eyes on me and turned.
On the road a short distance away, a hunched old man with wrinkles peered our way.
His blank stare felt unsettling somehow.
But he soon looked away and shuffled off on his path.
Seemed harmless, so I ignored it and followed Dom inside.
The villa interior was cleaner than expected.
The first floor was abandoned, dust thick everywhere. But the third-floor hallway Dom led me to was spotless—no debris or fallen leaves like I'd seen elsewhere.
At the end of the third-floor corridor, she slotted a key into the door. She'd grabbed it from the empty security booth on the first floor.
I figured she'd picked randomly, but she moved with total familiarity.
"I use this as a base sometimes."
"Sometimes? You, Dom?"
"Who knows~?"
Dom giggled evasively.
Beyond the door, the space felt lived-in.
Like the warmth of habitation—or a lingering human scent. Signs someone had been there recently.
Dom set down her bags, glanced around, and suggested,
"How about we eat first? You must be tired from the long walk."
As if on cue, my stomach growled.
After finishing our meal and cleaning up, a lazy calm settled in.
We'd left the mansion around lunchtime. By the time we reached the villa and ate, the sun had fully set.
Walking the whole way without transport had taken hours.
'Should I start scouting now, or...'
I sat on the living room sofa, eyeing Dom as she bustled about post-meal.
Until moments ago, she'd been tidying the somewhat messy place, arranging it for our stay.
I could go out alone, but not knowing the local layout or vibe, who'd say how much progress I'd make solo?
Blind action doesn't guarantee results. It could waste time—or worse, make things messier with careless moves.
Better to gather what little info we have, plan routes, and proceed efficiently.
'Guess I wait till Dom's free, then.'
She'd shared some on the way, but here we could dive deeper.
To that end, I stood to help her finish faster.
That's when the bell rang inside the room.
『──♪』
-Hm~? Guests? Or maybe the owner came back~?
Dom muttered from the bathroom she was cleaning.
Owner—probably the original resident. Maybe someone who'd infiltrated ahead on the Chairman's orders.
"I'll check."
-Thanks~ Be out soon~.
I headed to the entrance. The bell kept chiming, mixed with firm knocks.
Come to think of it, the real owner wouldn't need the bell. They'd have a key.
I realized that after already unlocking the door.
Almost simultaneously, the door swung open from outside. And there stood five people.
Mixed group: three men, two women. All in pristine white robes.
Not just the outfits—the heavy decorative necklaces around their necks stood out.
"Pardon the intrusion. Mind if we chat a moment?"
"......No, we're fine."
"Come on, just a sec. Really quick. We're not sketchy or anything! We heard new residents arrived and came to welcome you..."
The man at the front insisted passionately.
I tried shutting the door, but he practically shoved his way in, blocking me.
I've dealt with door-to-door proselytizers before, but this was overkill. Their rudeness naturally furrowed my brow.
"Out you go~. What's wrong, Ryeong? Who's there?"
"No one who needed to come..."
Dom emerged from bathroom cleaning, peeling off rubber gloves.
She didn't look annoyed at the strangers. Her attitude emboldened the cult-like group further.
"Let us in for a bit! It'll be quick!"
"Yeah, since you came to the district, hear us out!"
"It's fine! You'll be happy!"
"We've got good news!"
Now they weren't even hiding it—barreling in with force.
I prepped a few spells to drive them off. If they ignored warnings, I wouldn't hold back.
"Enough─"
"Don't be like that—take a peek at this?"
The enthusiastic frontman suddenly lifted the necklace from his neck to our eye level.
It looked like a purple gem. Jagged, with a mysterious shimmer inside.
Why show this off? Some pricey stone? Maybe they'd say listen and get it as a gift?
......
...But...
What... is this...
Staring at it makes me feel... floaty... dazed... Something... familiar...
