Ch.6666. Eden Exploration

“Well, isn’t this pretty much done? Shall we head somewhere else now?”

“Huh? Ellie, is this enough?”

“Yeah, I’ve got all the essentials. If I really forgot something, we can always come back for it, right?”

“Hmm, that would be a hassle. Why not grab everything you can while you’re here?”

“But I’ve already packed all the weird things I had hidden away!”

“If you say you’ve got everything, then I guess we’re done.”

“Oh, wait! Can we take this?”

Ellie brought out a massive stuffed toy from somewhere.

It was a character plushie easily twice her size—no, it would be more accurate to call it a character-shaped bed.

And somehow she was pulling it out from under the bed, rummaging around.

Wait, was that even there to begin with?

Why didn’t I know about it…?

“That…? Isn’t it too big?”

“Who was it that just said to grab everything while I can?”

“Hmm… I wonder if my pocket dimension can swallow all of that?”

“Blanc, why are you hesitating? Last time you fit all my impulse-bought clothes, Ellie’s clothes, and our groceries. Then you said flying would be faster than walking, transformed, stored Citrus’s wheelchair, carried Citrus, and flew off. There’s plenty of room to spare.”

“Well, the wheelchair could be folded, but that thing…”

“It will fit. With your overflowing magical power, you could store all the furniture here and still have space left.”

“Hmm… alright, hand it over.”

“Here you go. It’s limited edition, so handle it with care!”

“Got it. Sigh, let’s see if it fits.”

Blanc opened a small portal and manually expanded the space, measuring the angles.

I mean, if she’s adjusting the size of a spatial connection gate with her hands, of course it would fit with room to spare.

Yes, as if to prove my point, the space swallowed the plushie completely.

“See? The space inside is as vast as your magical power. I don’t know why you’re so concerned.”

“Because maintaining it requires magical power. Big things are a bit burdensome.”

“Your magical power… I think even the basic magic in a single strand of your hair could maintain it.”

“Even if my magic is that concentrated, it’s not quite that powerful.”

“Do you think I don’t know how to use that pocket dimension?”

“Ah, right. Hmm, true. Still, I’m worried.”

“What’s there to worry about? You can easily fit the car we came in.”

“I suppose so.”

“For inanimate objects, it’s practically infinite space. Living things are a bit more taxing because of the information they contain.”

“That’s right. Anyway, are we done?”

“Ellie, are we finished?”

“Y-yes! This is definitely enough. Thank you!”

“No need to thank me. So, Vine, where to next?”

“Let’s go to the common area. I left some things at my post. There should be more there than in the residential area. My office, if you will.”

“You had an office? What kind of organization was this?”

“Believe it or not, I was a commander. I led an entire division. That meant quite a bit of internal work. It was rather tedious. You don’t think commanders are chosen by strength alone, do you?”

“Then, does Ellie have an office too?”

“Ellie was an executive and my deputy commander, so we shared an office. She insisted on being both deputy and secretary.”

“Then we just need to stop by there before leaving.”

“While we’re here, let’s check if there are any documents left in the conference room, and grab repair tools from the lab before we go.”

“Right, let’s take the most efficient route. Vine, can you guide us?”

“This is my territory. Of course I know the way.”

I led them toward the central plaza, with Ellie following.

This underground Eden has a simpler structure than you might think.

The central plaza is positioned at the very heart of the compound.

And the entrance is placed in one corner to allow for efficient troop movement.

Normally we use teleportation, but physical means are necessary for mass movement—that was the Master’s judgment when designing this space.

There’s no reason to struggle with expansion in this underground facility anyway.

Ah, this facility was built at a depth incomparable to any underground facility made by this country, so expansion is definitely not an issue.

Plus, we’ve collected an enormous amount of fear energy, and we also use geothermal energy as a backup power source.

The geothermal energy from underground here is quite substantial.

When the Boss built this place, he ensured proper insulation so the temperature and humidity are always optimized, but we couldn’t waste the heat from the floor. So we utilized it as an energy source.

How environmentally friendly this facility is.

I could endlessly list the merits of Eden’s design, but they didn’t want it—they rejected this world.

I don’t care if they perish.

Since I couldn’t become immortal like the Master…

Well, without the Master, immortality is pointless anyway.

It was an opportunity to be a pioneer in the world the Master was creating.

It doesn’t matter now.

Sigh, that brilliant future we were unfolding here is gone now.

Still, I must fulfill my duty to this world as it races toward its end.

At least for now.

It’s about living a life according to the mission given to each of us.

“Now, if we open this door.”

This headquarters is equipped with various security devices, so separating areas with biometric recognition is only natural.

“Well, hmm. It’s a mess.”

Unlike Eden’s brilliant past, the central plaza is full of battle scars.

“I probably fought here during the early stages of Ragnarok.”

“Probably? I went in first so I didn’t know, but Hyewon, do you remember anything?”

“Hmm, I think it was here… We also fought in a place that was like a storage room.”

“Ah, that’s because I guided you to a different area for evacuation. Deeper inside.”

“Huh…?”

“Well, let’s set that aside for now. It’s certainly a mess. Other people must have passed through here.”

“I’m sure. After Eden collapsed, the Association sent many investigation teams.”

“To think that the magnificent plaza showcasing Eden’s brilliant future has been reduced to this state. Sigh. How bitter.”

“Eden had a terrifying ideology.”

“Enough. If I start discussing ideology with you, we’ll talk until dawn. I don’t want that again. We both know it’s impossible for us to make each other understand anyway.”

“That’s right. Well, it was also exhausting listening to you talk about ideals and necessary pain for reality every time we fought.”

“Well, I did manage to persuade some magical girls. You would call it corruption, I suppose.”

“Usually, we brought back corrupted magical girls, but I’m curious what happened to those who never returned.”

“They were impressed by our ideals and sympathized with us, I suppose.”

“Ideals, huh. Well, think what you want.”

“It’s just a waste of breath. Anyway, seeing these ruins really pains my heart. To think this central plaza, once so familiar, clean, and magnificent, has been so violated.”

“It’s so spacious that the damage isn’t that noticeable.”

“Not noticeable? Look at those slash marks on the reinforced walls, or the impact craters in the garden. Sigh.”

“It doesn’t look that bad. I heard the fighting was intense.”

“Indeed, it doesn’t look like the aftermath of fighting 20 people, does it? But if you examine those attack marks closely, they’re quite different.”

“Hmm, that’s a burn mark, and this one is still cold.”

“You all attacked me with your maximum output. It felt like a cool air conditioner to me, but not to these plants. Well, that’s how magical power works.”

“Hmm… besides that, there are cuts, punctures, and that fist shape is scary.”

“That’s probably from when that crybaby next to you lost her weapon and charged at me, determined to beat me down.”

“You remember such details?”

“I seem to have some kind of perfect memory ability for these things. I can’t forget even if I want to. It’s a curse, really.”

“If you said that to Seohyun or Sister Yuri with their forgetfulness, they’d scold you terribly.”

“Well, forgetfulness is also a passive skill that crybaby possesses.”

“That may be, but Hyewon has quite a good memory.”

“She remembers grudges well.”

“Ahaha…”

“Anyway, this way. Follow me.”

I led the curious women, deciding to visit the office first.

It must have been a long time since I was in the office, right?

I must have been here for a long time.

The long-abandoned Eden headquarters was spotlessly clean, with only the ruins from Ragnarok being maintained.

If dust had accumulated, it might have felt more realistic, but seeing not a speck of dust…

There’s not a single speck of dust in the corridor.

That’s because…

Yes, it was possible thanks to the Master’s technology.

If we had followed the Master and accepted his guidance to build a new paradise…

Well, whatever.

The magical girls were the ones who dismissed us as an evil organization and wanted to eliminate us.

With such random thoughts, I walked down the corridor.

Whenever we encountered security doors along the way…

For some reason, Ellie kept running ahead to open the doors first.

And with a beaming smile, too.

Well, it’s convenient for me.

And so, we arrived at my office.

Eden’s First Division Commander’s Office.