Corpse

I wiped cold sweat from my brow while gazing at the stars beginning to dot the night sky.

When did it get so late? I was only going to get a quick massage…

No, I definitely took a bit more rest than planned before coming out.

Just a little more… Just a little more… Before I knew it, I’d gotten the full massage course, enjoyed ice cream and coffee for dessert, and when I heard there was a sauna, I just wanted to take a quick look… no, just experience it briefly.

How could time fly so fast from just those little things? Unbelievable.

“Hmm…”

…Should I just take the day off?

The one-week vacation period was generously set aside for emergencies anyway. Wouldn’t it be fine if I didn’t start today?

Just one day. A single day’s rest wouldn’t cause any problems.

No more, no less – exactly one day.

After resting properly for one day, I’ll get to work. Yeah. Definitely.

Come to think of it, they said there’s a swimming pool too. I should check that out…

“Still no word from the Boss-nim?”

“Right. Just told us to keep waiting.”

“Tch. Seriously. What could he be thinking…”

“How should I know? He must have his reasons.”

Since I came to this luxurious hotel and decided to rest, I might as well enjoy it properly.

Just as I resolved to head to the swimming pool.

Familiar voices reached me from the main hall.

“Well, isn’t this better for us? We can keep resting here.”

“True. The service here is great.”

“…”

I stared intently at their faces. Complete strangers.

Dressed casually while chatting, they looked like ordinary hotel guests.

But I knew exactly who they were. The attackers from the Academy incident. Definitely members of that group.

Though they were some distance away and their voices were drowned in crowd noise, I was certain.

I might not recognize their faces, but I could never forget those voices and speech patterns.

“That woman’s staring at us.”

“Yeah. What’s her deal?”

“…Need to check this out.”

In games, extras usually recycle the same character art. There’s no way I could remember every random face.

This being reality, of course everyone has different faces.

But voices? That’s different.

In fully-voiced games, even extras get voice actors.

And for someone like me who replayed that game countless times, those voices were unforgettable.

(Though I eventually skipped them out of boredom, they remained familiar.)

You can disguise appearances, but voices can’t be hidden.

I was certain they were extras from that terror organization.

“Excuse me, have we done something wrong…?”

“Huh? Oh, no. Sorry. It’s just…”

The two men stared intently at me.

As someone unfamiliar with combat, I couldn’t tell what they were assessing, but I could sense suspicion growing in their eyes.

Well, they’re hiding out. Anyone watching them would naturally draw suspicion.

As I struggled to speak, their gazes turned openly distrustful – the look reserved for suspicious individuals.

Higher-ups would never believe they could be discovered, but these grunts lacked that confidence.

Hence their paranoid suspicion of anyone approaching.

This constant suspicion actually makes them more conspicuous.

…Though in this case, their suspicion is justified.

But their suspicions don’t matter now.

The moment they made eye contact with me, it was already over.

“I want to visit your hotel room.”

“Understood…”

Following the two men whose eyes had lost focus, I sighed deeply.

Just when I decided to take the day off, this happens.

Can’t pass up this golden opportunity just because I wanted to rest.

The swimming pool will have to wait.

***

“…Where are those bastards?”

“Who knows? Probably playing somewhere in the hotel.”

“Tch… I told them to come before the meeting. Disobedient shits.”

A hotel room with lavish decorations felt eerie under dim lighting.

Several men waited there for someone’s arrival.

“Please understand. They were quite enthusiastic at first.”

“…True enough.”

“It’s been over a month since the standby order with nothing to do. They must be deeply discouraged.”

“Hah.”

Salome, the organization’s executive, sighed deeply.

A month had passed since the order to wait for the right moment.

All members staying here were growing weary.

Their mission was to overthrow the corrupt Imperial Family and hypocritical Church to create a new world.

Yet here they were, wallowing in despair from mere waiting.

“I too want to overthrow this damned society immediately. But we must endure.”

He understood their feelings.

Most members lost family or lovers during the war.

Weren’t these two among them? Having lost family?

Their pent-up hatred must have made them eager for action, hence their frustration after a month of inactivity.

But they needed to endure.

“One more time. Just once more, and we’ll make the world remember our name.”

“…”

The reason they didn’t claim responsibility for the Academy attack? To fuel greater speculation.

Claiming terror acts immediately would make brief news, then fade within a month.

Hence they waited for the perfect moment.

To stage a grander spectacle and claim previous unsolved attacks as their work.

People prefer mysterious unsolved crimes over explained ones.

As proof, news outlets still discussed them over a month later.

A mysterious terror group – unknown name, purpose, or direction.

Perfect sensational material for media.

People speculated wildly, arguing among themselves about the group’s identity.

Then, when interest waned, another major incident would make the world remember them.

People would even attribute unsolved cases to them, spreading conspiracy theories.

“Salome-nim. They’ve arrived.”

“…Late. Let them in.”

“Yes, but…”

“What is it?”

“There’s… a woman with them.”

“A woman?”

Flinch.

Salome’s eyebrows shot up.

A woman… A woman…

This hideout remained undiscovered. She couldn’t be from the hated Imperial Family or Church.

A prostitute they hired?

“Magic power?”

“None detected. Civilian.”

“Then let them in. Must’ve brought a plaything.”

“Understood. …Heh. Pretty one.”

The identity of this “toy” didn’t matter.

If it helped relieve their stress, that was enough.

For their grand plan, anything was permissible.

“Hello.”

“…? A prostitute? I don’t need one. Go play with the others.”

“Hmm… Not exactly a prostitute.”

“Then a civilian? Doesn’t matter. Hey, get this thing out of my sight. …Hey! You deaf?”

Irritated, Salome turned to the subordinate he’d been speaking with earlier.

Seeing the man’s unfocused eyes, Salome realized:

Things had gone terribly wrong.

Whirling back to face the intruder, Salome quickly judged she must have done something. He drew a dagger and lunged.

“…!”

The beautifully decorated hotel room instantly became drenched in blood, filled with metallic stench.

The confident woman clutched her gushing throat, unable to scream, only emitting choked gurgles.

“Ghk, huk…”

“Don’t know how you found us, but I wouldn’t chat with some unknown woman. Stupid bitch.”

However she’d manipulated his subordinate, Salome prioritized eliminating threats over conversation.

Chatting during combat was a luxury.

“Where’d those bastards go? Bringing some strange woman here. Need to interrogate them properly…”

“Oh, ‘strange woman’ is a bit harsh.”

“…?!”

Salome stared in horror.

Why was she still alive? By now she should’ve passed out or died from blood loss.

At least shouldn’t be coherent enough to speak.

Salome desperately slashed again, tearing out her throat completely.

…That should finish it.

“Hmm, that won’t kill me though.”

“…F-fuck. What are you?”

Something had gone catastrophically wrong.

Salome backed away sweating from this incomprehensible thing.

The decapitated corpse was smiling and speaking.