Ch.192IF Side Story – And the Two Lived Happily (46)

The midsummer sun is challenging even for those with superhuman physical abilities.

Especially when walking through ruins like these, where shade is nowhere to be found.

“Ugh… it’s so hot I could die.”

“…First, take off that coat.”

“Shut up…”

I wonder why he wears such a long coat in this scorching summer heat.

It’s something I’ve been curious about for a while, so I casually asked.

“What’s with that coat? Why do you wear it every day?”

“Mind your own business. It’s personal.”

“…I see.”

His response was a bit prickly, but if it’s personal, well…

No need to pry any further.

Just as I was thinking that.

“Speaking of which, what’s with that wound on your face?”

“…Shut up, it’s personal.”

To his question, I could only respond the same way.

Then, from ahead of me, in what sounded like a mocking voice:

“See? We’re the same.”

“Fine, I won’t ask anymore.”

I can’t see his face since he’s walking ahead, but he’s probably smiling.

That’s the impression his voice gives.

I touched my cheek.

There’s probably still a red, swollen mark there.

I know because I checked in the mirror this morning.

“So I get that the reason for your face looking like that is a secret, but why haven’t you gotten it treated?”

“Treated?”

“Yeah, you could just ask Eila.”

“…Well, this… Eila is the one who hit me…”

“…What?!”

A loud voice suddenly rang out.

“Why? What for? Did you cheat on her or something?”

“…Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Ah, sorry.”

A quick apology.

He seemed to realize he had misspoken.

“No, it’s just that… You know better than anyone… Eila isn’t the type to hit people, right?”

“That’s true.”

“So for her to get angry enough to slap you, I couldn’t think of anything except cheating…”

It was a somewhat reasonable deduction.

Though the reality was the complete opposite.

No, if she really didn’t like it, she would have said so.

She even said she was fine with it…

I don’t think I was too rough, but she was the one who said I could do whatever I wanted in the first place…

Shouldn’t she be grateful that I made good use of what she gave me as a gift…?

“It’s not like that.”

“Really…? Well, anyway, treat her well. There aren’t many girls as kind as her.”

“I know that well.”

“Well, I guess you know better than I do.”

I followed Kang Seona through the ruins.

Completely collapsed piles of buildings and debris.

Among them were things that looked strangely familiar.

“…I never thought I’d see it again like this.”

“Hm? What did you just say?”

“Just talking to myself.”

Seeing the village where I used to live so utterly destroyed gave me a twinge in my chest.

I had seen it right after returning, but there was so much going on then.

The scenery I couldn’t properly take in because I was buried in high-density information now comes into clear view.

“…Come to think of it.”

“Hm?”

“Haven’t we met here before?”

“Hm? Ah… that’s right, you were the one who asked for directions back then.”

Kang Seona answered.

Her voice sounded dazed, perhaps from the heat.

Her gait was also staggering, making me think someone might die if we continued like this.

“Should we take a break?”

“I’m fine. We’re almost there.”

Saying that, Kang Seona entered a ruined building.

The eerie atmosphere made me reluctant to enter.

The outer walls were hideously cracked, exposing the rebar inside, and the paint was peeling off in places, giving it a grotesque appearance.

On top of that, for some reason, cold air seemed to be leaking from inside.

Is she trying to rest because of the heat?

No, she just said we’re almost there, so there’s no need to rest.

…I’ll find out once I go in.

As I entered, a cold breeze swept across my skin.

The sound of footsteps, the cold wind blowing.

“Underground?”

I followed the stairs down.

There was no handrail—stairs befitting the condition of the building I saw from outside.

The staircase was long.

Was there such a deep space in our village?

If there had been, I wouldn’t have missed it.

When I reached the bottom, I saw Kang Seona knocking on the wall.

It feels like we’ve descended more than five floors…

This building definitely wasn’t here before.

That means it must have been built after I disappeared.

BANG!!

“…You startled me.”

The building shook.

Kang Seona had kicked the wall.

I wondered why she did that, but the building continued to vibrate.

It was strange.

No matter how old the building was, it shouldn’t be unable to withstand a kick like that.

If it were that fragile, it would have collapsed long ago.

As expected, this vibration seemed to be more than just from the impact.

Because the wall was opening.

“Let’s go in.”

After passing through what had been a wall, another staircase appeared.

Going down again, we came to a silver door.

My heart was pounding with excitement.

A hidden secret base is every kid’s dream, after all.

With a hissing sound and white smoke, the door opened.

“…Holy shit.”

Literally, a secret base.

Pure white walls without a speck of dust or a single stain.

Strange machines haphazardly arranged around them.

“Oh~ You’re here now~?”

And in the middle.

A small girl with long ash-gray hair and black eyes.

A tiny girl smiling brightly and extending her hand toward me.

“I guess you’ve heard about me~? Just call me ‘Doctor’~!”

“…Sure.”

But her youthful appearance was just that—an appearance.

The aura she gave off was somehow detached, giving the impression of an adult.

“What~! If I introduce myself, you should introduce yourself too! That’s just good manners~!”

The high-pitched voice characteristic of a child, chattering away.

I ignored the words coming from in front of me.

“Never mind that. I assume you’ve heard the story?”

“Hmm~ You want to get straight to business~ Is that it~?”

I nodded.

“……Alright~ Then, follow me!”

***

There was, of course, a reason for suddenly coming to a place like this.

Smelling the pungent odor of disinfectant, I followed the Doctor into the room.

“Hmm hmm hmm~.”

Judging by her humming, she must be in a good mood about something.

“So, what do you need me for~?”

The chair spun around.

Her hair drew circles as it swept the floor.

If the floor hadn’t been clean, her hair would have been covered in garbage like a broom.

“…Seongho, the Association President, told me about you.”

“Eek.”

Her smile instantly froze.

“Well, to be precise, I didn’t directly hear about you.”

“Then?”

“I told him I was looking for someone, and he told me to see the person outside.”

“That’s basically the same thing… It means he knew about me to some extent…”

The Doctor let out a long sigh.

Her expression seemed normal, but her trembling legs betrayed her anxiety.

“It should be fine. If something were going to happen, it would have happened already.”

“…True, if they were going to catch me, they would have done so by now.”

After sighing again, the Doctor addressed me.

“So, why did you look for me? Despite appearances, I’m quite a high-level resource~?”

The reason I looked for her…

It was obviously because of Eila.

I know that something—the Demon Lord—is plotting something through Eila, and it would be insane not to prepare for it.

The problem is that no abnormalities can be detected through medicine or magic.

That’s why I asked Seongho if he knew anyone useful in that field, specifically someone skilled and discreet, and he told me there was someone suitable among the people Kang Seona works with, which led to this contact…

“…For such a problem, shouldn’t you bring in a psychiatrist?”

That was the Doctor’s response after hearing my explanation.

I didn’t tell her everything, but it was still a deflating answer.

“Of course I’m looking into that avenue as well. But I don’t think that’s the issue here.”

“If there’s no trace of magic, mana, or curses, and no physical problems, then it’s obviously a mental issue. What else could it be?”

“Here, take this.”

And the second reason.

“…What’s this? A scale?”

It was also to request an examination of a scale presumed to be from the Demon Lord.

Strangely, all test results come back as unknown or unidentifiable…

Isn’t that suspicious?

Eila’s symptoms, which modern science and magic cannot identify, and an unknown object whose identity cannot be determined.

It would be more suspicious if there wasn’t a connection.

I briefly explained this to the Doctor.

“Hmm… I see~ So that’s it…?”

In the center of her black pupils, a turbid light flickered.

I haven’t seen it often, but I know what that light means.

Madness.

This person belongs to the category of the mentally unhinged.

“…Alright, so I just need to examine this fragment? Leave it to me~!”

“How long will it take?”

“I don’t know! Do you think research produces results exactly when you want them? ……Well, I suppose… a month should be enough?”

“The sooner the better.”

I handed the Doctor a few gems I had brought from my pocket.

“What’s this?”

“Payment.”

“Ooh… with this quality, I might be able to make that…”

Does she prefer research over money?

“…If you finish quickly, I’ll give you more.”

“I’ll do my best!”

…Yeah, sure.

That’s… reassuring.