Moonlit Spar
The afternoon after the subjugation operation began, the Chairman summoned Comet, who had been resting in her room. When she arrived at the Disaster Response Committee and reached the Chairman’s office, she found Dan Gayeon already deep in conversation with him. Comet paused in the doorway to read the atmosphere, then knocked and stepped inside.
“Perfect timing.”
Dan Gayeon, who had clearly been about to speak, clamped her mouth shut with a sullen look.
“I gave you something to do so you wouldn’t get bored. I hope it wasn’t too heavy a burden.”
“It was interesting precisely because it was new to me. And since it isn’t even my regular duty, I didn’t feel burdened at all.”
Having said that, Comet glanced between the Chairman and the quietly standing Dan Gayeon.
“So what’s the current situation?”
“The tracking operation on the looter group has just concluded. Quite a few slipped away, and I’m told the Necromancer we suspected has escaped as well.”
Comet briefly wondered whether it might have been cleaner if the Necromancer had simply been shot dead, but she arranged her face into an appropriately regretful expression. This was excellent news.
“A nasty criminal has gotten away.”
The Chairman gave a small chuckle.
“These things happen. That’s why I was just telling Chief Dan to close the investigation.”
“Close the investigation…?”
“Comet!” Dan Gayeon burst out, unable to contain herself any longer. “Are you certain that Necromancer is the culprit?”
Comet blinked at her in silence.
“The forensic results from the National Forensic Service haven’t even come back yet, and there’s no physical evidence at all!”
Dan Gayeon had been looking at Comet as she spoke, but her gaze flicked to the Chairman at the very end.
“Physical evidence. Yes, physical evidence is important. Very important.”
The Chairman gestured toward the translucent partition that walled off his office. Beyond it, the bustling activity of the committee was visible.
“Our situation isn’t relaxed enough to tie up personnel over a single piece of physical evidence. The circumstantial case is solid now, so that’s sufficient. We’ll put the culprit on the wanted list and catch them at our leisure.”
“But it wouldn’t be difficult to simply wait for the forensic results without closing the investigation, would it?”
“How many cases do you think are currently backed up at the National Forensic Service?”
The Chairman leaned back deeply in his chair.
“Does it look as though we have the luxury to mobilize resources for one murder case with strong circumstantial evidence?”
Dan Gayeon hesitated, unable to answer, then abruptly turned to Comet. Her long black hair swung with the motion.
“Comet! What do you think? Is it right to close the investigation?”
She had given up on the Chairman remarkably quickly. It seemed the two of them had already exchanged similar arguments before Comet arrived.
Comet twisted a lock of her side hair, quietly gauging the Chairman’s hidden intentions, then spoke slowly.
“I’m not well-versed in this area, so I couldn’t say. What do you think, Chief Dan?”
“To end it like this feels far too…”
“That’s merely your personal feeling.”
Dan Gayeon’s shoulders sagged. A moment later she looked back and forth between Comet and the Chairman. The shift in her eyes suggested she had reached a new conclusion.
The Chairman gave a dry laugh and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. A lighter flared.
“Chief Dan, close the investigation. Comet, thank you for your hard work. You may both leave.”
Comet followed Dan Gayeon out of the Chairman’s office. The other woman walked ahead in a daze before suddenly turning around.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… I haven’t yet…”
“You should have taken your time. The small cafeteria had a rather good menu today.”
“Then… perhaps coffee…?”
Comet blinked at her. Dan Gayeon smiled awkwardly.
“Coffee would be nice. Though I’m not sure it’s wise on an empty stomach.”
“It’s fine even on an empty stomach.”
“I see.”
Comet followed Dan Gayeon to the coffee shop inside the National Assembly Building. Dan Gayeon ordered an iced Americano.
“I’ll have the caramel macchiato.”
“That somehow doesn’t match your appearance at all.”
Dan Gayeon muttered, pausing mid-motion.
“In my school days I drank so many canned coffees that I ended up addicted to sweet ones.”
Comet deliberately smiled with her eyes, letting her red pupils peek out from beneath lowered lashes. Dan Gayeon let out a quiet sound of admiration. Seeing the reaction, Comet smiled softly.
While they waited for the drinks, neither spoke much. Dan Gayeon seemed to be struggling with how to bring up whatever had brought her here without even eating first, while Comet simply watched her and sank into her own thoughts.
Once the coffee was handed over, Dan Gayeon finally spoke.
“You and the Chairman have known each other for a long time, haven’t you?”
It was a rather blunt expression of curiosity. Comet twirled her hair around her finger.
“Yes. During the game era we had a vendor-customer relationship. Whether it was an NPC reputation issue or something else, it was difficult to find a fixed alchemy supplier, so I mostly traded with the Chairman.”
Dan Gayeon swallowed hard. Comet grew curious what the woman’s reaction would be if she drew a knife right now, but she let the impulse pass.
Dan Gayeon nodded to herself, then her expression changed to one of belated horror, as though she had committed a terrible social blunder. She seemed to have realized too late how obvious her leading questions had been. A string of trivial topics followed in clumsy damage control.
Comet continued her nighttime activities without the slightest hesitation. After several days, she began to sense she was being followed. She changed direction and passed through one district, yet the hurried presence remained close behind. What had been only a suspicion became certainty.
Comet deliberately wandered in circles around the same block. After several laps, Dan Gayeon seemed to have given up; she was now sitting on a bench, waiting. Comet considered her options, then pretended not to notice and walked right past her.
“Comet!”
“Hello. What a coincidence meeting you here at this hour.”
Dan Gayeon hesitated, unable to find her next words. She clearly wanted to ask why Comet had been circling the same area but didn’t wish to admit she had been tailing her. It made no difference to Comet either way.
“It’s nice to see you at night as well. Now that I think of it, you’re handling different duties these days, correct?”
“Ah, yes.”
The reply was thick with tension. After a moment’s thought, Comet turned her steps toward a nearby empty lot.
“You’ll be participating in monster extermination, I suppose?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then let me see your skill.”
“Pardon…?”
“An acquaintance of mine is taking on dangerous work. It makes me worry. A spar will ease my mind as well as let me assess you.”
“…I only have a great deal of hunting experience.”
“Perfect.”
Dan Gayeon’s face went pale. The prospect of sparring with a prime suspect in the middle of the night seemed to frighten her. The empty lot looked as though it had nearly become a construction site; building materials and tools were stacked in one corner. Comet kicked an empty can. It flew off with a cheerful clatter and collided with another, the racket echoing before silence swallowed the lot once more.
“Haha…”
Dan Gayeon laughed awkwardly and glanced around. In the moonlit, deserted space, a knife was being drawn.
Comet slowly lifted the blade in one hand, as if inviting inspection, and held it up to the moonlight. Spiritual energy surged, and the edge gleamed with cold light.
Dan Gayeon drew her sword with a trembling hand. Comet smiled brightly and adjusted her grip on the knife, then pointed at her opponent with her free hand.
“We should decide who attacks first, shouldn’t we? Come at me.”
“Haha…”
“There’s no need to be nervous. I’ll focus entirely on defense at the start, so attack however feels natural. Go on.”
Dan Gayeon swallowed, readjusted her sword, and took a deep breath—perhaps to steady herself. Comet stepped forward the instant her breathing faltered. A shockwave swept the empty lot. The knife arrived like lightning. Incantation omitted. Soul Severance.
Blade met blade. Mana and spiritual energy collided. Despite having her rhythm stolen, Dan Gayeon still managed to parry. She had decent instincts.
Before the other woman could fully disperse the impact, Comet pivoted and drove a kick into her side. Dan Gayeon flew back, slammed into a wall, and rolled across the ground. The knife followed, stabbing downward. Dan Gayeon twisted desperately to avoid it, then thrust her sword in panic.
Comet lightly tapped the flat of the blade to redirect it, closed the distance, and drove the knife—now gripped for stabbing—into her opponent’s stomach. In the space of a breath she stabbed several times before stepping back, satisfied.
“Ah…?”
Dan Gayeon sank to the ground with dazed eyes. From the black wound, a soul began to drift free. So this was her level. Comet smiled as she watched, then casually caught the escaping soul and shoved it back into the wound. After a few pats, the black gash vanished and the flesh looked untouched.
Before long Dan Gayeon’s eyes refocused. She stared at Comet with a still-bewildered face.
“Your combat sense is rather good. If you had played a lot of PVP, we might have crossed blades several times. What a waste of talent.”
Dan Gayeon gave a dry laugh.
“…That’s a genuinely welcome compliment.”
The tension finally broke; a long sigh escaped her. Comet clasped her hands behind her back, smiled with her eyes again, and casually brought up the real topic as though it were an afterthought.
“Still, I remain concerned. Would it be possible for me to join the monster extermination while we’re at it?”
“Monster extermination?”
“Yes. After all, simply idling about feels rather shameful.”
Dan Gayeon stood, brushing dust from her clothes. She swept her long hair back and offered a weary smile—the polite, professional smile of a public servant.
“It would be an honor if you participated, Comet.”
A good answer.
“You’ve rolled around in the dirt, so let’s head back. There’s a bar run by an Awakened owner on the way. We’ll have a late-night snack there. My treat.”
“Alcohol? That sounds good.”
As Comet took the lead, Dan Gayeon followed with exhausted steps.
“Hoo… please take it easy on me next time…”
Comet gave a soft chuckle. There would be no next time. Now that she had seen the woman’s skill, she could simply interfere in secret during the monster subjugation and arrange her death.
“I’ll think about it.”