EP.12 NB-20381019-2



It was just that I overslept today. Because it was dark outside, I thought it was still dawn.

But when I looked at the clock, it was well past noon, and NB had apparently gone to Aaru, as a ribbon was tied to a tree branch.

I thought another identical day had begun.

I ate the brunch NB had prepared and cleaned the inside of the base.

And when I pulled back the tarp for ventilation, there was a cloud before my eyes.

A cloud made of cold, silver bodies was slowly approaching.

-Woooong

And the cloud made a sound.

An unpleasant and eerie mechanical sound.

The blood in my body ran cold, and my heart began to pound.

Yes, this familiar sensation tells me.

Another crisis has arrived.

I opened the Jerrycan and scattered it around the base.

Gasoline soaked every corner of the base, emitting a foul odor.

-Woooong

Even as I swung the Jerrycan around, struggling with its weight in my young body, the mechanical sound from the Drone grew closer.

“Please!”

Not knowing who I was praying to, I prayed to the sky.

Whether my earnest wish reached someone or not, I was able to empty the Jerrycan of gasoline.

I took out a match and lit it.

Then, without looking back, I threw it on the ground. Leaving the slowly spreading flames behind, I escaped from base A-11.

I climbed down the uneven stairs and entered the long reed field.

The mechanical sound that had been approaching was now heard from afar.

Trying to push through the thick reeds with my small frame, I began to get minor cuts on my body.

Blood flowed from the shallow cuts, and I fell due to my weakened legs, bruising my knees.

But those were insignificant wounds, the most minor of the wounds I had sustained wandering through dimensions.

-Woooong

The sound that had faded was gradually trying to get closer again.

I picked up my small body and ran frantically.

Pushing through the reeds, recalling the map NB had shown me, I ran and ran.

“Turn left here!”

Gradually turning my direction to the left, I headed deeper.

Base A-32, like base A-11, is located close to Aaru.

The difference is that A-32 is in an underground bunker. NB said it was a bunker he had painstakingly built over a long period.

Entering the entrance connected to the bunker leads to a complex passage, and one of those passages leads to the base.

The other passages were said to be connected to bases inside Aaru, but as all the bases inside Aaru were destroyed, the passages became useless.

“Hah… hah….”

I stopped for a moment, out of breath, and composed myself.

I had run hard with my short legs, but the entrance to the base was still far away.

It seemed I had almost shaken off the Drone, but that didn’t mean it would just stay here.

It was because of the reason Aaru was created in the first place. Everything outside Aaru is dangerous.

If time is delayed, I don’t know how the dangers of the wasteland will threaten me.

“I have to keep going….”

I just can’t muster any strength.

I grit my teeth and move my feet. I feel like my lungs are about to burst, but I somehow move my body.

I slowly headed towards the base like that, and after a long time, I saw the hidden entrance to the base.

I removed the tarp that covered the base and unlocked the lock. As I opened the door, the musty smell of the underground stung my nose.

Normally, I would have hesitated to enter, but now was not the time to be picky.

The moment I took a step to enter the passage, I heard a voice calling me from afar.

“Kang In-ho.”

A monotonous voice. It was NB.

“NB.”

“You’re safe. That’s a relief.”

NB spoke to me continuously as he approached from afar. The large backpack he was carrying swayed up and down with each movement.

Glad to see him, I approached NB,

“Huh?”

I was able to spot the silver machine floating behind the obscured backpack.

It was undoubtedly a Drone. How did it deceive NB?

NB still hadn’t noticed and was just approaching me, talking.

-Click

The light on the Drone turned red.

I immediately knew that wasn’t a good sign.

“Get out of the way!”

I pushed NB away, and I stood where NB had been.

With a tremendous noise, my body floated up and flew backward.

“Kang In-ho!”

I heard NB’s voice. For some reason, it sounded like he was shouting urgently.

Inside the collapsing Chapel, two nuns were facing each other.

“There are so many things I want to say.”

One nun, with a face like a calm lake, spoke, but the nun opposite her knew how much anger was seething beneath that lake.

“I know. You must be confused.”

“Those two who suddenly appeared have suddenly disappeared again. Is this also your will?”

When the blonde nun asked, the nun opposite her smiled bitterly.

‘You don’t say ‘Is this God’s will?’ anymore.’

“It is the will of someone higher than me.”

“Then, because of the will of that higher being, I cannot go to find Saint? If you are the same ‘God,’ can’t you do it?”

To the nun’s repeated questioning, the god who had descended in human form could only offer a bitter smile.

“Sister Maria.”

“Please omit the title of ‘Sister.'”

“…Mortal Maria. Everything I planned through you has been accomplished. The corrupt religion has fallen, and now a new order will take its place in the world.”

“…….”

“I offer my sincere condolences for having to endure so much suffering according to my will.”

“…….”

The blonde nun said nothing.

The god knelt and bowed.

“So now, I hope you will shed the burden that has been placed upon you and find your own life. If there is anything you desire, I will listen to you positively. If you want a peaceful life, I can make that happen.”

“You made my life this way without my permission, and now you expect me to be happy if you give me a reward as if you’re doing me a favor?”

“Maria… I didn’t mean it that way….”

A greatsword fell in front of the god who was explaining.

“Maria!!”

Solari shouted, enraged by the sudden attack, and the blonde nun, who had pulled out the greatsword stuck in the floor, looked at the absolute being of her world with dull eyes.

“If you can’t send me to Saint… then anything is worthless.”

Once again, the greatsword fell towards Solari.