Identity (6)

The collar brushed against the wind.

I wrapped the coat a little tighter.

I heard the metallic sound of firearms and felt my breath catch slightly.

After dealing with an Awakened one who blocked us before entering the building.

Anyway, the interior was a battlefield everywhere.

“Too many people are dying.”

In contrast to the seemingly intact exterior of the building, those who charged at us with wild eyes in the chaotic interior were falling as they were hit by bullets.

“It’s the price for rejecting the negotiation offer.”

The calm tone overlapped with the noise of magazines being replaced.

“I’m scared of you.”

“I’m not particularly.”

Right.

I see.

We were walking down a wide corridor under the escort of the Alliance.

The coat that had been wrapping my body until now was truly uncomfortable, but I thought that being in a protected position like this thanks to the coat wasn’t bad either.

I feel troubled.

“What are you going to do when we get there?”

I pointed to the end of the corridor with my finger.

The surroundings seemed to have been mostly cleared, with only small noises ringing occasionally.

“We have the initiative. The fact that we’ve invaded this far shows we have considerable force, and if we just mention the hostages we’ve taken in Uijeongbu, their momentum will plummet.”

“If they still resist, will you use me?”

“That’s, well…”

“I’m being used again, huh.”

Erica glanced around slightly and then looked at me again.

“You’re the one who agreed.”

“I’m really sad.”

“How many times have we gone together before? Why are you saying this now?”

We finished walking down the corridor and stood in front of a door with a sign.

The commotion from inside the door was loud.

The Alliance personnel distanced themselves from the door, each taking out their guns and aiming at the door. Then, a hunter with an axe approached the door and struck the center of the door with the axe.

“Jekyll! Where’s Jekyll! Damn it, where did she go!”

“We don’t know! Our side-!”

With a cracking sound that echoed through the corridor, a large crack appeared in the door, and it took only a few seconds for what was intact to become tattered.

With one kick, the door flew off.

The revealed interior space was truly chaotic. Only bundles of paper scattered here and there and various instruments came into view.

Including one man standing in the center and the rest of the personnel in a panic.

“This is convenient.”

Someone clearing the way, huh.

As Erica leisurely stepped over the broken doorway, I also stepped in.

The man hurriedly attached an instrument to his body and glared at us.

“Damn it. Is it okay to invade like this?”

“We came to negotiate.”

“What negotiation? We can’t even estimate how many dozens of people you killed just to get here. Anyway, you Association bastards are so shameless.”

“That’s right. That’s right. Erica is a villain.”

Erica neatly ignored my words and calmly opened her mouth.

“Consider yourselves lucky that the Union didn’t come. If they had, you would already be half-dead and being dragged away.”

“Why. So you do spare lives?”

“We’re using them as new material. As hostages to call Jekyll. After that, we’ll deal with them roughly.”

The man’s lips trembled and he fell silent.

“Compared to that, we’re trying to treat you well. Our personnel brought guns, but they’re not pointing them at you, are they?”

“…Damn. You’re good at packaging threats as words.”

The man imbued his hand with magical power.

Another use of force? Still, he was an opponent capable of dialogue. He was clearly different from the underlings who were half-crazed by the instruments and couldn’t speak properly.

“Don’t think we’re gonna fucking die. Even if that bitch Jekyll abandoned us and left, we’ve sucked up enough stats.”

“Boss. It’s not like she abandoned us… She just went to other regions for missionary work, right?”

A man who had been quiet in the back added a word.

“Ah geez. That’s abandoning us. And is that important? Just take out your sword. Hurry!”

The man flinched and fumbled to grab a long sword from behind.

“I’ll say it once more. We came to negotiate. There’s no need to spill meaningless blood. Surrendering obediently is the story that ends peacefully.”

“Are you telling us to become dogs of the Association who might die at any time? There’s a limit to nonsense. And what are we lacking that we should grovel?”

As the dark interior suddenly brightened with an explosion, the walls all around collapsed and an open view appeared.

Debris and dust scattered, and piles of stones crumbled.

In the sky, the outline of a huge cannon appeared.

The long black cylinder spewed smoke. An explosion sound shook the sky and a cannonball wrapped in flames struck the building directly. The airflow wrapped around the falling cannonball as it burned intensely.

“Die, all of you!”

After contemplating, I extended one finger towards the cannonball.

A blood-colored ring formed on my finger.

Light flashed.

A thin beam of light penetrated the cannonball and stretched into the sky. The sky split in two and the clouds drew a straight line. The wind blew fiercely and shook my hair. The ground I was standing on vibrated greatly. The explosion sound pierced my ears.

The cannonball shattered into pieces and the powerless debris fell. I splattered blood and condensed it into a red sickle. I gripped it in my hand and swung my arm wide. The falling debris disintegrated into dust and was pushed out of space.

Reddened smoke filled the surroundings and soared into the sky like a whirlwind.

I turned my gaze.

The people who had been standing until just now were coughing up blood.

I harmed people again.

I hurriedly looked for Erica.

I saw her face, dumbfounded, as she sat down.

I hesitated and slightly opened my mouth.

“Are you okay?”

Erica looked at me silently and coughed.

“I’m perfectly fine, you know?”

You could scold me once, it would be okay.

The man with the instrument attached to his body staggered to his feet.

“Ugh… damn it.”

After coughing up blood a few times, he kept coughing, so I waited for a moment.

“What the…”

“Are you okay?”

When our eyes met, the man flinched.

I took off the hat that had been hiding my head, and opened the collar that had been covering my mouth, and this time he turned pale.

“Everyone’s the same.”

It’s a predictable sight.

They freeze for a few seconds and then get flustered or start cursing.

Just.

I smiled slightly.

Erica joined in.

“We hope there won’t be any unnecessary resistance. If you want to protect yourselves, that is. If you stay still, our personnel will escort you.”

The man bit his lip and then bowed his head deeply.

Those watching from behind also dropped their weapons with trembling arms.

So.

I opened my mouth.

“Are you afraid of me?”

The man raised his head again and his lips trembled.

“I’ll ask again. Are you scared?”

“Damn it. Of course. I’m scared. Of course.”

With a kick, I stabbed his side.

Even looking at the fallen man, I just didn’t feel good.

These days, personally, it seems like there are many instances where emotions spring up between people.

“Me too, you know. Well. This blood doesn’t really suit me either. I’m getting tired of it now.”

It was meaningless.

I had been smiling until just now.

Why does something go wrong again like this?

“Aureli.”

“Are you scared of me too?”

“I’m not scared.”

I didn’t want to look at her face, so I looked at the ground.

“Aureli.”

“Yeah.”

“Come here.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I won’t say it twice.”

At the gentle voice, I went forward and stood.

She fumbled with the coat that was clinging to my body, wrapping it around and buttoning it up.

“Look here.”

I met her gaze.

“I need to wear a hat.”

“You don’t have to wear it in front of me.”

“I need to cover my mouth with the collar too.”

“It’s fine, I tell you.”

Because you like it.

I nodded.

When we reached the Association, a woman approached.

She had long straight hair.

“They say she’s the head of the corpse disposal team.”

“Really?”

“They say it’s always that straight hair.”

“I see.”

I don’t know about that, I just liked Erica’s whisper.

I was grinning.

“Well, I never thought I’d see this face.”

The woman looked at the man and clicked her glasses. A notebook appeared in her hand.

The man, who had all his instruments taken away, glared at her with his arms tied.

“I never thought the bastard who only ran away when I was assigned to Yangju City would be dragged in front of me.”

“You talk a lot.”

“Actually, it’s personal talk so it’s useless. You have the right to know personal information since your life is guaranteed. Shall we start with the name?”

“Rewen.”

The man blurted out.

“Right. The group was, as I heard, still in Yangju City. The activity record hasn’t changed at all from a few months ago. Looting and terrorism… What about your stats?”

“All stats in magical engineering.”

“You’re truly crazy as expected. That’s why your physical condition was like that.”

The woman scribbled in her notebook. Her long straight hair fluttered in the wind. Her sharp gaze pierced through the man.

“She’s charismatic.”

Erica muttered.

“I prefer the cute type though.”

And I looked at Erica.

“Be… be quiet.”

“I wonder how cute you have to be to know it’s about you even without saying ‘you’.”

“I said be quiet…!”

Seeing her reddened face, I smiled slightly.

I turned my gaze back to the man and woman. We’re here until they check the necessary investigation parts since we brought in the entire group.

The exchange of words broke the silence that had been there for a moment.

“Jekyll won’t sit still.”

The woman turned her gaze.

“Because of you? Was the Yangju City group that significant?”

“No. Even if it was significant, Jekyll is not the type to care about such things. If something goes wrong, she’ll make plans on her own. It was like that during the last government rebellion.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing special. Just be careful.”

We came up to the upper floor of the Association.

From evening until now, that is, for over dawn. My wrists were quite painful due to the handcuffs I had been wearing all day.

How am I supposed to sleep?

“My wrists hurt.”

I said that while watching Erica walk into the office.

“Try to endure it well.”

“How am I supposed to sleep? How do I go home? And how about my daily life…”

“Sleep at the Association.”

I blinked.

“There’s a makeshift bed, and all the essential facilities, so what’s the problem?”

“Then will you be there too?”

Erica seemed to think for a moment and then nodded slightly.

“If you want?”