Chapter 14 Part 3: Request – Rescue

It was supposed to fulfill its role and contain everything in the world, but perhaps because it lost its raison by its owner’s hand?

The video contained in the camera started to play with a laborious sound.

“…I can’t hear it well.”

“It’s a camera. Wait a little, you’ll hear it if you wait.”

From the beginning, a camera is a tool for taking pictures, so there are almost no cases of playing videos with a camera.

There are almost no cases of watching videos with a camera except when simply checking if it was taken well, so it couldn’t be helped that its performance was poor.

It couldn’t be helped that the performance was so poor that Haran was constantly complaining that she couldn’t hear anything because of the noise.

“…I don’t…money…private loan…yo!”

“Ha, th, that…we…don’t know. …Private loan…. …Story.”

“Samhwa… Sect…?!”

“Found it.”

“…I can’t hear it.”

“Wait.”

The way Haran’s acquaintance thought of leaving evidence was quite ingenious, but it wasn’t without its problems.

Perhaps because they judged it was an already abandoned item, they threw it carelessly, so the data was damaged.

I don’t know if it was the influence of data damage, but the noise was severe and I couldn’t hear anything.

…But, this is within the acceptable range.

Without hesitation, I disassembled the camera and connected the internal storage device to my body.

“…It’s really amazing every time I see it.”

“Is it?”

“You look the same as other people on the outside, but a lot of strange things pop out. What are you doing now?”

“Noise removal. It’ll be done soon, so wait a little.”

If there’s noise in the recording, just erase it.

It’s impossible to completely remove it, but it was possible to change it to the point where I could hear it.

Now I just have to wait…

I was too conscious of Haran’s gaze that was staring at me intently.

…It’s annoying. What the heck is she doing?

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“Yes, yes?”

“It’s bothering me. What the heck do you want to do that you’re hesitating so much?”

“Th, um, that’s… C, can I touch it just once?”

“Huh?”

“Because it’s so amazing.”

Touch? Where?

I was momentarily embarrassed by the story without a subject, but I was able to realize at once that it wasn’t a sexual meaning when I saw Haran staring at my arm intently.

She probably doesn’t believe that my body is a machine.

…I got an interesting idea.

I put on an expression as if I was embarrassed by the sudden story and started to gather my arms to hide my body as much as possible.

Then, Haran hurriedly started to make excuses as if she realized what she had said.

“Ah, aaaa, aaaa, no! Th, that’s not it!”

“Pervert…. Could it be that the reason you followed me was for my body…?”

“That’s not it! In the first place, the reason I moved with Ella-ssi was a coincidence!”

“It’s a joke.”

“Please don’t make those jokes…. It’s, it’s heartbreaking.”

“Well. If your chest is that big, it’s bound to hurt….”

“Ella-ssi!”

“Ah ha ha ha. Sorry.”

It’s fun to tease her.

It was fun to see her blushing and denying that it was absolutely not like that.

Is she not used to sexual stories? She’s so innocent.

I held out my arm towards Haran, who turned her head as if she was sulking.

“….”

“Here. You were curious, right? You can touch it.”

“I won’t show you next time if you’re not curious.”

‘…I’m curious.’

“Okay.”

I tried my best not to laugh while looking at Haran, who turned her head tsunderely, but was fiddling with my arm as if she was curiously pretending not to be when permission was given.

I thought she would really sulk if I laughed here.

“It’s just like skin? Wow, it’s so soft….”

“It’s an item with Irmin’s technology.”

I don’t know about the low-priced prostheses that ordinary citizens wear, but if it’s a high-end prosthesis, several companies stick to it and literally cram in technology.

The skin of such an expensive prosthesis was also not so ordinary.

“It was popular for its automatic restoration function, weak bulletproof function, and perfect prosthesis finish… Actually, it was the most popular in the beauty field. Is it soft?”

“…Yes. I want to keep touching it….”

I finally felt a sense of crisis at the sight of Haran continuing to fidget with my arm blankly.

If this goes on, she’s really going to keep touching it?

Thinking that, I hurriedly took Haran away from my body.

“Kyaak?!”

“Stop touching it. The noise removal is over.”

“Heeing.”

“What do you mean heeing? I won’t let you touch it more just because you say that.”

I quickly started playing the video that had finished noise removal to change the subject of the conversation.

Then, the contents of the conversation that were faintly heard began to be heard clearly.

“No, I told you! I’ve never borrowed money! Especially strange money like private loans!”

“Ha, even if you tell us that, we don’t know. We’re just acting according to the client’s words that you used a private loan.”

“No, why are the Samhwa guys so interested in me?!”

“We don’t know either. Why don’t you go there and ask if you’re curious?”

“Wa, wait! Let go! Let go of me!”

Good.

A name that could be a very clear clue popped out.

Without delay, I asked Haran.

“What kind of guys are Samhwa?”

“I don’t know very well either. Other than that they’re a cult.”

“A cult?”

“What was it. They have to send the returnees back to where they originally lived, or something? It’s an absurd story. There hasn’t been a single returnee who’s returned to where they lived so far.”

“Heeung.”

“They’ve already crossed the gate twice, so they might cross it three times. That’s why they named it Samhwa.”

Adding that they always protest while rejecting returnees and telling them to return to their own world, Haran sighed.

“Returnees are also unfortunate. They returned to their hometown, but they’re rejected by those people.”

“….
“

“Ah, that’s….”

“It’s okay. I don’t care. It’s always been like this.”

Haran looked worried that I might have been hurt, but I really didn’t care.

There were so many of those guys in Neo City, and it’s been a long time since I was hurt by such persecution as those protests.

I remembered the guys who were called scholars, who insisted that they should live with the body they were born with.

Those guys, they had a seizure when they saw me and tried to kill me.

I used to beat them up in reverse and tell them that the flesh is weak, and they liked it so much.

There were quite a few times I deliberately spared them because I wanted to see that reaction.

“So? Why did those guys take that person away? Was she a returnee?”

“No. She’s an awakened.”

A group that discriminates against returnees forcibly took away an awakened.

According to the victim… She didn’t even use a private loan, but they took her away on the pretext of using a private loan.

What could be the reason for that?

There was too little information to infer with the information I’ve obtained now.

“Samhwa… Do you know where their residence is?”

“If you’re going to kill them all, I can’t tell you. It’s too dangerous.”

“…What the heck do you think I am?”

“A very dangerous person.”

I closed my mouth at Haran’s appearance of answering without hesitation.

No, I don’t intend to deny that I’m a dangerous person…

It seemed like the first impression was too strongly embedded.

Well, a person’s head exploded in front of her, so I guess it makes sense.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill them all.”

Of course, it’s not impossible to wipe out those guys like Haran thinks. There were several times I solved the case that way, and it suited my temperament.

But I can’t do that now. The risk of getting caught is too great.

I can’t do that in military zones or restricted areas where fixed people exist in fixed positions, but if I try to kill them all in facilities where people gather, I’m bound to get caught quickly.

There’s no need to let those guys called Hresvelgr know my range of activities right now.

“I’m going to infiltrate, infiltrate.”

“…There’s an abandoned church, and the rumor is that they’re using it as a base.”

“An abandoned church. Is the reason why those guys are reluctant to return is because of God’s words or something like that?”

“There’s no way that’s the reason. It’s because they’re discriminationists. If they find out Ella-ssi’s identity, they’ll try to kill you right away.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because you’re not human.”

Haran sighed and continued the explanation.

“Most of the people who have enemies are those who have lost something because of the gate. Family, lover, workplace… Well, the reasons for the Samhwa are all different.”

“…Aha. So that’s why.”

“I haven’t finished explaining yet.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand.”

It was easy to guess that countless people would have lost their lives because of the gate.

A monster that harms people. It wouldn’t have taken long for monsters to become the most hateful object.

And the hatred for monsters spread to the gate, and the hatred that spread to the gate soon spread to the people who came out of the gate.

Some of the returnees were said to have returned as non-human races, so the hatred for the returnees would have accelerated even more.

It was a common story.

In the past, in the present.

And the hatred that will exist in the future.