Ch.11Holy Maiden’s Grand Commotion

“I don’t understand. Why do we need to perform the ritual?”

“Are you bringing this up again? We’ve already finished discussing this matter.”

“You mean the discussion that concluded while I was away on relief work?”

“Holy Maiden.”

“I told you already! Is there any reason to summon a Hero from another world? This is our problem—instead of pushing it onto others, we should somehow—!”

“It was the Lord’s will.”

“…What did you say?”

“It came down as a divine oracle. You’re an intelligent person, so I believe that should be sufficient.”

“…I understand. May the Lord’s blessing be with you.”

“Yes, and may the Lord’s blessing be with you too, Holy Maiden.”

After exchanging greetings, I closed the door and walked down the corridor.

The Lord’s grace, entering the hallway through the stained glass, was coloring my path ahead in vivid hues.

“Hero, Hero, that damned Hero…”

What’s so special about a Hero?

They can wield the holy sword without restrictions?

What nonsense—is a holy sword without restrictions even a holy sword? It’s just a common magic sword you’d find on any street.

I was irritated.

Fine, I can accept summoning a Hero.

Heroes are strong, so in a pinch, they can be used as a shield.

But no matter how strong they are, there’s no guarantee they’ll use that power for our sake.

Isn’t that too optimistic?

“If they show even the slightest suspicious behavior, I’ll immediately throw them into the Sanctuary of Purification.”

Two days before the Hero summoning, I made that firm resolution.

***

“……”

I opened my eyes.

“…It’s been a while since I’ve slept this soundly.”

Eila rose from the sofa.

The blanket slid off.

As the number of companions gradually decreased, so did the time available for sleep.

“…[Fatigue Reduction], [Energy Recovery], [Mental Stability].”

A pale green light flashed three times above Eila’s head.

She felt her mind clearing.

With the new enchantments in place, she should be fine without sleep for about a month.

Eila got up and arranged her bedding.

Though calling it bedding was generous—it was just the blanket she had been covered with while sleeping on the sofa.

After neatly folding the blanket, Eila looked out the window.

The sun was rising.

It was the first sunrise she was seeing in this other world.

Seeing only one sun rising confirmed that this truly was a different world.

“Yaaawn… Huh? You’re awake?”

The back door opened with a creaking sound.

There stood Kang Seon-ah, holding a cigarette with smoke rising from it.

Perhaps she had smoked right after waking up.

Eila greeted her.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Well, same as usual… What about you? Was the bed uncomfortable?”

“Thanks to you, I slept very well. Thank you so much.”

Eila put her hands together and bowed.

Flustered by the formal gesture of gratitude, Kang Seon-ah waved her hands dismissively.

“No, no, it’s fine. Since you’re up, shall we go? The civil servants should be at work by now.”

“Ah… Yes, of course.”

Eila recalled yesterday’s conversation.

After learning various common knowledge from Kang Seon-ah and Lee Chan-woo, Eila understood that in this country, without means to prove one’s identity, many activities would be restricted.

‘Without an identity, they won’t even hire you for part-time work…’

‘Th-then what should I do?’

‘Tsk… Well, we’ll figure something out. Given my line of work, I have connections. If I pull some strings with people I know, we should be able to create an identity for you… probably.’

‘Why don’t you sound confident?’

‘Shut up, kid. Sigh… I thought this would be easier… Anyway, let’s talk about it tomorrow.’

And so the day dawned.

“Let’s go then. I made contact yesterday, so we should get there before others see us.”

“Yes.”

“Follow me.”

Kang Seon-ah moved toward the still-open back door.

Eila did the same.

Outside the door was a dark corridor and the same creaky stairs as yesterday.

The two naturally walked down the stairs that gleamed darkly without any light source.

‘She’s definitely not an ordinary person.’

What a strange person.

Eila observed Kang Seon-ah’s back.

Her actions and words were frivolous and light, but the atmosphere around her felt sticky and damp.

A heavy feeling, like a towel soaked with moisture during the summer rainy season.

The completely contrasting attitude and pressure kept piquing Eila’s curiosity.

With an ear-splitting noise, another door opened.

The back alley where Eila had slept yesterday.

Despite the sunrise, it was still dark.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Seon-ah walked down the street with unhesitating steps.

Following behind, Eila turned her head to look at the world.

Under the just-rising sun, many people were starting their day.

“Everyone is so diligent.”

Eila stopped in her tracks.

“The Hero might also…”

Perhaps living among those people over there.

With friends, with family…

Or maybe even finding a lover here.

The Hero was such a wonderful person, after all…

“Hurry up! Why are you stopping?”

“…I’ll be right there.”

Eila could see Kang Seon-ah shouting from a distance.

She started moving again.

“Did you get lost or something?”

“I just thought it was a beautiful scene.”

“Is that so? You’re quite strange.”

Kang Seon-ah and Eila exchanged various conversations.

Though it was more like Kang Seon-ah one-sidedly chattering away, but that could still be considered a conversation.

They arrived at a place Eila recognized.

“We’re here.”

“…The City Hall.”

The place she had come to find the Hero’s whereabouts, only to feel shame and run away.

It wasn’t a good memory for Eila.

But something seemed off.

The doors were firmly locked.

“Let’s go.”

“What? But the doors are locked.”

“Follow me and you’ll see.”

Eila silently followed behind Kang Seon-ah.

After walking around the high brick wall, Kang Seon-ah suddenly stopped and knocked on the wall.

“…What are you doing?”

“Shh. …Is it not here?”

A hard sound echoed.

Kang Seon-ah put her ear to the wall and continued knocking.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Knock knock.

“Ah, found it.”

She kicked that spot hard where the sound had suddenly become clearer.

Just as Eila was about to cry out in surprise at this bizarre behavior—

Rumble—-

“Huh? What?”

“Let’s go in.”

With a heavy sound, the wall opened up.

Kang Seon-ah pointed at the opening, gesturing for her to enter.

With dazed eyes, Eila slowly stepped through the wall.

On the other side was a corridor.

It was physically impossible.

Which meant it was something magical.

Eila looked around.

An empty corridor and a door ahead.

“Oof.”

As Kang Seon-ah came over the wall, it closed silently behind her.

Eila said to Kang Seon-ah:

“W-what is this…?”

“A secret entrance. Every man’s fantasy.”

“No, why is something like this here…?”

“It’s for the convenience of important people… We’re here.”

The door opened, and light seeped in.

After blinking from the momentary brightness, Eila found herself in a familiar place.

Inside the City Hall building.

A man was sitting across from them.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Seon-ah responded to the man’s polite greeting with her middle finger.

“Is this the person you mentioned?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s do this quickly. I’ve been waiting since yesterday and I’m tired.”

“Right. Hey, sit over there and do what this guy tells you, got it?”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll just smoke a cigarette and be right back.”

With Kang Seon-ah gone, Eila sat down as instructed.

Across from her was a man with neat blue hair and a rigid impression.

“…So you came to create an identity.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like me to issue a foreigner registration number, or would you prefer to apply for naturalization?”

“…What?”

“Or perhaps you’d prefer to swap identities…”

“Excuse me, could you explain in a bit more detail?”

The man blinked at Eila’s request.

“Ah, I apologize. I’m just tired.”

The man began his explanation with a brief apology.

It was honestly difficult to understand, but she could grasp the important points.

With a foreigner registration number, her identity would be guaranteed, but she wouldn’t receive the benefits given to citizens.

Naturalization was the safest option with the most benefits, but the necessary procedures were long and complicated.

Buying an identity was the quickest and easiest, but carried the greatest risk.

That should be enough understanding, right?

Eila fell into contemplation.

“…I’ll go with the registration number.”

Eila’s choice was the registration number.

She never intended to receive benefits anyway.

For naturalization, the process that could take weeks was concerning.

Buying an identity would be quick and easy, but living with a purchased identity bothered her.

She didn’t want to live as someone other than Eila.

The man nodded and began typing.

“I see. Then please tell me your name and date of birth.”

“My name is… Eila. I don’t have a family name. I’m 17 years old this year, and my birthday is July 4th.”

“Eila… that’s a nice name. No family name, born July 4th, 2011… Wait?”

The man stared at the screen with narrowed eyes.

Then, with a pale face, he began contacting someone.

Though he was whispering quietly, it couldn’t escape Eila’s ears.

His voice sounded urgent.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no. Just, please wait a moment…”

“Are you done?”

“Ah, Ms. Kang Seon-ah…”

“What’s going on? You look like someone caught doing something suspicious. What did you do?”

“…Both of you, please wait here for a moment, I would appreciate it.”

“…You bastard. What did you do?”

“I’m just fulfilling my duty as a civil servant… Please calm down and wait until someone from the Association arrives…”

“Hey, are you done talking?”

“P-please calm down!”

Eila, who had been sitting quietly unable to follow the situation, stood up and began trying to mediate between the two as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

“Association? You called someone? You ungrateful bastard…!”

Kang Seon-ah grabbed the man by the collar.

The man shouted as if wronged.

“How could I forget your kindness? But I had no choice! This could literally cost me my head!”

“What the fuck, why would your head roll for making an ID for some girl I picked up from the street—”

“Stop.”

Kang Seon-ah’s fist, which was about to strike the man, stopped in mid-air.

She slowly turned around.

“Any further action will be considered obstruction of official duties, and I will restrain you immediately.”

“……”

“Ch-Chairman of the Association?! Why are you here personally…?”

Association Chairman?

Eila sensed it immediately.

This man is the strongest among everyone here.

She couldn’t feel anything from him.

Evidence that he was in perfect control of himself.

He must certainly be powerful.

Eila swallowed.

“…White hair, golden eyes. Exactly as reported.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Good.”

The man who suddenly appeared, the Association Chairman, snapped his fingers.

And then.

“Y-you crazy bastard!!”

The space

shattered.

The world cracked, broke into pieces, and those pieces changed color before reassembling.

“Th-this is…”

“Sit down. …Well, you’re already sitting.”

Eila was sitting in a chair.

But it was a different chair, a different scene from before.

A pitch-black room.

A mirror attached to one wall, and a door visible behind the man’s back.

The atmosphere was very different from before, but this too was a familiar place.

An interrogation room, was it?

Eila looked at the man.

Neither Kang Seon-ah nor the helpful man from before were there.

The only people here were Eila and the man called the Association Chairman who had brought her here.

The man sat down and said:

“Now, let the interrogation begin.”