Ch.6464. Where the Dream of Evil Bloomed

A mountain on the outskirts of Seoul.

As if announcing that not even passersby come here, what was once a path is now overgrown with thick vegetation.

A place difficult to reach even from the newly developed city.

Deep in these mountains, a single vehicle enters with familiarity.

In that van ride both former intruders who once visited this place and those who had lived here.

As the vehicle turns toward what was once a path, soldiers appear from somewhere and block the car.

“Stop, stop, stop. There will be a checkpoint. What is your purpose for passing through here?”

The vehicle’s window rolls down, and a beautiful silver-haired woman sitting in the driver’s seat shows a document.

“Hmm, the road is quite treacherous. I suppose that’s because no one should know this place exists.”

The silver-haired girl speaks casually to the soldier examining the document.

After checking the contents, the soldier only asks about the number of passengers and whether everyone has entry permits. Once everything is confirmed, he lets them through. The silver-haired girl could tell he was a professional.

Not even a slight reaction upon seeing her. Simply carrying out his duties diligently.

Usually, when people saw her, they would ask for autographs or photos as if they’d spotted a celebrity. Reflecting on this, she confirmed the soldier had disappeared again and drove the car along the pathless road.

It was more like tire tracks, or perhaps once a gravel path.

The vehicle continued moving along what felt like a road to ruins.

The vehicle didn’t stop just at the entrance to the path.

Soldiers appeared at various points along the way.

It’s easy to knock on the window of a car moving slowly because the road is barely visible.

After passing through several checkpoints, the vehicle approached a building blocked by a fence.

A soldier emerged from the guard post beside the fence, and after completing the final inspection, the vehicle was parked in a corner, and all passengers disembarked.

Some jumped down with a hop due to their short legs, but that was momentary.

All the vehicle’s occupants were lost in thought.

Half of them were recalling a certain day.

That dawn when people were still asleep.

The day when the sun rose.

They remembered the day they raided this place for an operation to erase darkness and bring dawn.

The rest were recalling many memories from this place.

Memories of two girls calling this cabin their home, sitting on the porch in summer sharing watermelon.

Saying it was cool at night deep in the mountains, sometimes taking breaks in rooms that weren’t secret passages, calling it a vacation.

The storage room used as a main entrance when people were around, and the secret passage inside the room.

When there was traffic, despite being disguised as an old cabin, it was well-maintained enough to function as a proper house where one could sleep.

Now, with only minimal electrical facilities running and no maintenance, the abandoned building looked eerie.

Still, this was a space where two girls had created memories.

A black-haired girl with an expressionless face.

She calmly takes the lead.

As if familiar with the place, she opens the door.

Following the stairs down to the basement, to the third door clockwise.

She knocks on that door three times.

One for the sky.

One for the earth.

And one for the new future.

Then, turning the doorknob once to create a world-changing revolution.

Instead of the room that should be there, an elevator leading downward appears.

An elevator with a design that looks even more futuristic than the magical girl headquarters underground.

Taking the elevator, the four girls head downward.

To retrieve sunken memories.

To bring hope for a new future.

* * *

Yes. It’s been a while.

It’s been a really long time since I came here.

No matter if it was the prison I lived in for years, or the slum.

Built right in the middle of a city where the air was terrible. But this place is so nice.

Well, I can see that developed city far away now, with all its new urban development.

Wow, that used to be fields and paddies. I can’t believe it’s become such a large city.

If that city had been there before, would the boss have built the base somewhere else?

Hmm, no.

Definitely not. The boss hid branches throughout cities, so I don’t think such a city would have made them give up.

Rather, swallowing that city and using it as a source of income would be more in line with their intentions.

Ah, how dare I try to fathom their thoughts.

With my tiny brain, I can’t even begin to comprehend a fraction of their greatness.

Because they are magnificent.

Yes, the mighty Eden collapsed, so their greater vision couldn’t be realized.

These people will deeply feel that there is no such thing as eternal paradise or suffering.

Well, that’s their choice.

Simply foolish humans who sacrifice tomorrow for today’s happiness.

Everyone knows that paradise awaits after enduring today’s pain, but well.

Putting aside idle thoughts, since we’re in Eden now, shouldn’t we gather what we need and leave?

Who knows when we’ll be able to enter like this again.

Just look at how many soldiers we saw on the way.

Some of them were people in black suits.

Why would someone wear a neat black suit and sunglasses while on duty in such a mountain?

If they’re going to hide in a mountain like this, they should at least dress like hikers.

Well, the soldiers… they wear camouflage, so it doesn’t matter.

And the strict security too.

Why would they station people to guard the door of a cabin?

Plus, they’ve completely fortified the storage room we used as the main entrance.

With that in mind, I mentally run through a list.

Clothes. Yes.

I only have one uniform now, which is a shame.

It was good for setting the mood during training, but it’s precious.

I was wearing my favorite uniform.

Now, with the dust from the training ground’s dirt floor, it’s gotten a bit dirty… I need to wash it.

During Ragnarok, it got so battered from attacks that it became like rags.

So I can’t just wash it carelessly; I need to find time to hand-wash it.

That appearance helped instill the image of the resurrected villain in Arin’s mind, building fear of “Vine.”

She needs to overcome that fear. Anyway.

There are mountains of uniforms I used to wear piled up here at headquarters.

There must be several that I never even opened because Ellie told me not to wear them.

If I don’t take them from a place like this, where else could I sell Eden’s uniforms?

Well, even people who buy uniforms for cosplay wouldn’t sell evil organization clothes… it would cause problems.

So they can’t be found anywhere else. Especially in my size.

While I’m at it, I’ll grab Ellie’s uniforms too.

Come to think of it, Ellie hated wearing uniforms… I thought they looked cool, I wonder why she didn’t.

Even when told to wear uniforms for meetings… she wouldn’t.

With such trivial thoughts, I headed to my room first.

The unmaintained corridor of Eden’s basement.

Still, the lights were working well, probably because the generator was running properly.

Yes, with the amount of energy accumulated so far, even if all of it were used just for electricity in this headquarters, it would last a thousand years.

But the security protocols must have all been neutralized during Ragnarok, or maybe someone came in and took measures, because they’re not appearing.

Who was it? There was an engineer.

Someone who was always tinkering in the lab, saying they assembled and repaired robots under the doctor.

Blanc looks at the corridor with curiosity.

Right, she wouldn’t have had occasion to enter these residential areas.

The place where I fought wasn’t in the residential area either. It was in a communal plaza.

Yes, I lured them to a wide space to fight…

I should visit the plaza again too.

Walking familiarly down the corridor, I stop in front of a room.

Yes, it’s been years since I last came to this room.

There are no signs of forced entry.

I thought they would have searched all these places.

Hmm, did they use a space-type magical girl? They must have searched.

What does that matter? It’s fortunate the lock isn’t broken.

If it were broken, I wouldn’t have been able to enter.

I place my hand on the lock and bring my eye close to the lens.

After several verification steps, a keypad appears on the screen.

And finally, the confirmation password.

The four-digit number I’ve been thinking of from the beginning.

A number that’s been familiar since I first woke up.

0521.

I don’t remember clearly, but it seems to represent some important date.

Unfortunately, when I regained my memories, some parts were lost.

They say memories were overwritten in the process of me living solely as “Vine.”

Well, if it’s an important memory, I’ll remember it eventually.

Right now, it’s time to face what’s behind this door.

With the sound of mechanical devices moving.

The door opens automatically, and I enter my room.

Hmm, I hope embarrassing things have been put away.

This is the first time I’ve invited someone other than Ellie into this room.