Ch.6The Interrogated Saint

“Haah… What kind of miserable suffering is this in my final days…”

“I know, right? Aren’t you being discharged next week?”

“Yeah, kid.”

A sigh escaped my lips.

I had applied to the Air Force hoping for an easy service, but failed due to the high competition. I barely managed to get into the Navy, which was less intense than the Army, but why did this have to happen with less than a week left before discharge?

A Kraken, of all things.

The last one appeared in the West Sea five years ago.

Rumors say it can fold a warship in half.

The Kraken folds warships…

“Ughh…”

“Stop sighing so much. It’s not like we’re going to die.”

“I should have gotten into the Air Force…”

“Don’t you know the law of conservation of workload? The less work there is, the more intense it becomes.”

“Fuck you.”

“If it bothers you that much, why didn’t you become a Hunter?”

“I would have if I could. Are you mocking me?”

When I was young, I thought I’d become a Hunter too.

All kinds of weapons, the culmination of human science, were effective against the invaders that appeared through the rifts. As a result, the need for military forces kept growing, but the incident ten years ago killed countless people.

Eventually, the government began conscripting people regardless of height, weight, or even disability, as long as they were of age. Men only, of course.

Well, unlike in the past, the perception of soldiers isn’t bad, but… I still hate the military. Plus, the service period increased from 1.5 years to 2 years.

“But isn’t being a Hunter a three-year commitment? Serving intensely in the military for two years…”

“For fuck’s sake, how can you compare being trapped in the military to working in society?”

I looked up at the sky.

A single star was shining brightly.

‘Please let nothing happen so I can coast through this…’

“What are you doing with your eyes closed?”

“Making a wish, you punk.”

“A wish… huh?”

“What?”

“Doesn’t that star seem to be getting bigger?”

“Getting bigger?”

When I opened my eyes again, the star from earlier was indeed growing larger. No, not growing larger… it was approaching, wasn’t it?

“Shit. What the hell is that?!”

I heard murmuring. Seems like others had noticed it too. The object I thought was a star was growing larger by the second.

And then.

“Everyone get out of the way!!!! It’s coming this way!!!!”

The object was falling directly toward our deck.

As it grew larger, its shape became visible—

“KYAAAAH!!!! Huh? The floor?!!! Q-quick, [Body Enhancement]! [Body Enhancement]!! Body Enhan—”

Huh? A person?

“Wait—”

CRASH!!!!

The sound echoed.

The floor shook.

“W-what happened…”

I carefully opened my eyes.

There was a person lying face-down on the deck.

***

“Ugh, uuugh…”

What just happened?

Eila held her throbbing head with both hands. She had been in the sea, tearing off tentacles, crushing heads, hitting, and incidentally eating some tentacles because she was hungry, tearing, biting, tasting…

Ah, right.

When she threw her final punch to finish it off, the creature must have used its last strength to fire something at her, which sent her flying upward, then something caught her ankle and threw her…

Click.

The sound of metal against metal rang out. It wasn’t coming from just one place, but from all around her. Eila raised her head and looked around.

“People…?”

She saw people pointing something at her. When Eila tried to get up—

Bang!

“Eek?!”

A gunshot rang out. Startled, Eila turned her head to see a dented floor with smoke rising from it.

A metal object that spits fire.

“A gun?”

“……”

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“…Can you hear me?”

A voice spoke. It was slightly crackling. From Eila’s perspective, at the 3 o’clock position. She answered.

“Yes, I can hear you…”

“If you can hear me, please raise both hands above your head…”

Eila did as instructed, raising her hands above her head.

“…Thank you. Please wait a moment. Just stay still.”

“Ah, okay…”

After waiting briefly, someone appeared in front of her. Three men. Unlike the one in the middle, the two on either side looked like the people surrounding Eila. With the appearance of being escorted, Eila spoke.

“Are you the leader of these people?”

“…What, a Korean? Your Korean is very fluent.”

The man turned his head sideways and whispered.

“I can hear you.”

“Ahem, um… may I ask your name?”

“Call me Eila. By the way, how long do I need to keep my hands up?”

“Ah, you may lower them.”

“Can I stand up?”

“No, that would be a bit problematic.”

“Then can I sit comfortably?”

“Yes.”

Eila sat down on the floor. She naturally ended up looking up at the man, but it didn’t matter since the man immediately sat down as well.

“Shall we chat until the ship reaches land?”

“What about the people around us…?”

“Don’t worry about them. That’s their job.”

“Ah, I see…”

Guards? Then is this man in front of me someone important?

“I thought this country didn’t have nobility?”

“I’m not nobility, but I am the highest-ranking person on this ship right now.”

“I suspected it, but this hunk of metal really is a ship. How fascinating.”

“We find it more fascinating that you survived hitting our ship at that speed…”

“If I had cast one less Body Enhancement, something would have broken for sure.”

Body Enhancement.

The man narrowed his eyes.

“What brings you to this place at this time?”

Eila’s eyes narrowed. Though his tone was gentle, the content was clearly an interrogation. But she wasn’t particularly angry. It was just that it had been so long that emotions were slightly stirring.

“I was on my way to Seoul.”

“Seoul?”

“Yes, I’m looking for someone.”

“Huh. Don’t tell me, from Jeju Island…?”

“Yes.”

The man let out a hollow laugh. It was nonsensical by common sense. The radar hadn’t shown any response. From Jeju Island to Busan in a boat small enough to avoid radar detection?

Did she want to be a snack for the monsters in the water?

“We’ve arrived.”

“Ah, is it that time already?”

The man stood up and turned his head. Eila also turned her head in the same direction. Through the metal frames, she could vaguely see something. Mountains and buildings. Land.

“Let’s get up. We can continue our conversation over there.”

“Alright.”

Eila stood up and stretched. Perhaps due to the impact of the collision, her joints like shoulders and knees were creaking.

After waiting a moment, the ship stopped, and people began to move.

The man walked a bit, then turned his head toward Eila and said:

“Shall we go?”

Just as Eila was about to walk toward the man—

“I’m sorry, but we’ll need to hold onto your weapons for a while.”

The hand of a man beside her reached toward Eila’s waist, toward the holy sword. Just before his hand touched the holy sword—

“Take your hand off.”

“………”

Everyone on the deck froze. It felt like their nerves were being directly grabbed and pulled. They couldn’t move even slightly. The intent that they would have their throats cut if they moved even a little seemed to be drilling into their heads.

“I said, take your hand off.”

“Ugh, uuugh…”

Such killing intent that even people standing far away were frozen. The man who was directly exposed to it up close couldn’t say anything and was just making wheezing sounds.

“Enough, that’s enough. I don’t know what it is, but you’re too excited.”

The man who had been talking with Eila earlier grabbed her shoulder.

“……”

Eila sighed.

The air lightened. Everyone was gasping for breath. The man who had been right next to her, trying to reach for the holy sword, collapsed.

“I’m sorry.”

Eila bowed to the fallen man. The man quickly got up, waved his hand dismissively, and ran far away. He was fleeing.

Eila sighed once more.

“Oh, you’re quite something! I was surprised too.”

“Please don’t tease me.”

Eila was embarrassed. No matter how inappropriate it was to touch what the Hero had left behind, such an attitude was not befitting of a Holy Maiden.

If the Hero had seen this, he would surely have been disgusted…

“What’s wrong? It was cool. ‘Take your hand off.’ Kyah!!”

“Please be quiet…”

***

“Here, let’s talk in here.”

The place the man led Eila to was a small room. In the center was a table, chairs facing each other, one door, and a mirror attached to one wall.

Though it looked different, this must be South Korea’s interrogation room.

The man sat facing the door. Eila naturally sat with her back to the door.

“You don’t seem like a bad person, so let’s talk quickly and get this over with.”

“You’re different from before. Don’t you need guards?”

“It means I trust you, that’s why I let you bring that sword in here too.”

Eila stroked the holy sword.

“What do you want?”

“Just talk to me honestly. Your name, age, why you were in the sea off Busan, things like that.”

“My name is Eila. My age is…”

What age should I say? Physical age 17, mental age 27. After thinking for a moment, Eila said:

“I’m 17.”

“Why did you think so long about that?”

“The calculation was confusing.”

“…So, your purpose?”

“I was on my way from Jeju Island to Seoul. I didn’t have any money.”

“So you crossed this dangerous sea?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

The man sighed. He was at a loss for words. That pressure from earlier. If the woman in front of him decided to wipe this place out, how many people could resist?

‘Plus, that sword looks like a real headache.’

The man’s gaze turned to the holy sword. His pupils changed to gold, and his vision shifted. An enormous amount of power was swirling around the sword. This was the man’s ability, Magic Sight.

‘Such an immense amount of magical power… and that’s just while it’s sheathed. This is at least an S-class artifact. If she were to draw it and go berserk…’

The calculation was complete. Messing with her would be disastrous. The fact that someone with such abilities was calmly listening meant she had no hostile intentions.

He should finish the formalities of the investigation and report to the higher-ups as soon as possible…

“Excuse me, are the questions over now?”

The man’s mind returned to the present. What should he do? Honestly, there was a lot to ask. About the Kraken, her nationality, the identity of that sword.

But.

“Yes, the investigation is over.”

The gentlemen in Seoul can figure it out themselves. She said her destination was Seoul, so they can investigate or interrogate her there.

The man smiled at the thought of getting back at the people who had demoted him to the provinces. Eila smiled because the man smiled. The interrogation room was filled with smiles.

As time passed and the sun rose, Eila, who had been chatting with the man in the interrogation room, came outside and, with the man seeing her off, began walking toward Seoul.