episode_0045

“Until you find what you want to do in the future. Do you want to go with me?”

“!”

Clara’s body froze at the unexpected suggestion. But her mind was busy.

Because Rohan’s words seem to have multiple meanings.

Less noise!

Rohan disposed of the plastic cup with only ice left and laughed vainly at Clara.

Doesn’t it seem quite comical to see yourself so anxious that this girl might leave?

“Ah, I need to fix this habit of always being ahead of my time.”

“···?”

“It’s an important story, so Clara should have a proper explanation, right?”

The girl nodded slightly with a bewildered face.

Rohan raised his voice, walking slowly on his stopped legs.

“After graduating from Orion Academy and settling down in Academy City Elysium, it would be good and stable to aim for a job at the Metropolitan Police Agency, but I’m leaning more toward being a freelancer.”

“What is this freelancer that you’re talking about···?”

“He’s probably a hunter who catches monsters and sells their shells and tusks as materials. He’s also a butcher who catches beasts that pretend to be human when necessary.”

Because detailed explanations are better than vague explanations.

As Rohan concluded his speech, he added something that occurred to him.

“I also have the rightful right to enter the South without any troublesome procedures. That could be a big advantage.”

Without going far, isn’t it a land teeming with monsters spewed out by the Void Whale?

In addition, the location of the Academy City Elysium is a golden opportunity, sandwiched between major powers.

It’s a great place to sell valuable materials.

“If you set up a separate office, you could probably make a nest in a cheaper place outside the city center.”

When Rohan finished speaking, he looked at me with interest.

Clara lifted her lips from the straw and expressed her sentiments.

“I was surprised that Oppa’s plan was more detailed than I thought···!”

“I thought it was just sketching out the outlines rather than being specific. I would appreciate it if you would look at it favorably.”

“I, I don’t know anything about that···.”

Clara listened and thought that even if things were tough, it would be fun to spend time with Rohan like that.

For a girl who was focused on living in the present, this kind of imagination felt like a light shining on a pitch-black future with no promise whatsoever.

And the same goes for Rohan.

I was relieved to realize that I had been paying attention to the part that was throwing the sentence.

Clara isn’t surprised at all by the phrase about dealing with monsters and humans.

“Ha, but aren’t there many people better than me at Orion Academy···?”

Why are you recommending something to me when you haven’t even shown it to me properly? That question dangles at the end of the drawn-out speech.

Rohan shook his head at that.

“Not all Orion Academy students have the same abnormal level as Noah. You can tell just by looking at me and the students you see on the street, right?”

“···.”

“And more important than skill is that you have to be in sync, whether physically or mentally.”

Clara’s heart pounded suspiciously at those words.

So I asked a question that made me more nervous than ever.

“Rohan Oppa··· I, I think we’ll get along well···?”

“Of course.”

The unhesitating answer brought joy to the girl’s heart.

It bloomed very brightly.

“There’s still quite a bit of time left in this story. If Clara finds something she wants to do in the meantime, it’s okay to go that way.”

“Yeah···.”

Even though he knew that the words, “I’ll let you go if you want,” meant well, it came across strangely disappointing to the girl.

‘Only in front of you… Why am I like this? Seriously?’

Clara couldn’t understand why her emotions swayed like reeds and wavered like flames.

To the point where I wonder if he has a mental disorder.

“It’s comfortable to receive a salary that comes out regularly, but it’s not bad to earn as much as you work.”

It was a line that seemed to come from experience and not befitting of a cadet who had just entered the academy.

Clara didn’t feel out of place in Rohan’s atmosphere.

So the girl answered. Even though it felt hasty, she wanted to give an answer quickly.

Because I was worried that Rohan, who treated me kindly and without any ill intentions, would leave.

“I’m interested in what you do with your brother. I want to do it too···.”

“!”

The girl liked the way Rohan’s face lit up at her words.

Her body feels slightly warmed by the realization that Rohan needs her.

“Brother.”

“Yeah. I’m listening.”

“What exactly should I do···?”

At Clara’s positive answer, Rohan smiled and continued speaking in a higher voice.

Clara felt that Rohan’s speech had slightly become faster, and the older man looked cute.

“I won’t just play around until then just because I’m doing it in 2 years. I need to gain various experiences and earn money.”

The girl listens and nods.

“Anyway, what we have to do right now is… The car is coming. It’s dangerous, so come inside.”

“···!”

Rohan grabbed Clara’s wrist and pulled her inward.

─ Booow!

A black van speeding through a dark alley.

A person sitting in the passenger seat throws a cigarette butt through a small gap in the open window.

“Huh?”

It was clear that this was not a painting that would make one feel anything special.

If only the license plate number Rohan saw wasn’t 4885.

“That license plate number··· 4885···?”

“Brother?”

There was no time to answer Clara’s questions in detail.

Because a notification window popped up in front of me with my awareness.

[ A quest occurs. ]

[ Yellow Toads ]

◇ Quest Content: You have discovered a vehicle belonging to the human trafficking group Hwangseomdan. Rescue the hostages and report to the Elysium Police Department.

◇ Category: Sudden

◇ Success Reward: 1,500P

◇ Penalty for failure: None

A random quest that occurs randomly while exploring the map of Abyss City.

It was also what Rohan had been waiting for.

‘This time, there are no traces of battle? And after rescuing them, report them to the police station…’

After a moment of thought, Rohan decided that the current situation was a good opportunity for Clara as well.

The conclusion was that it was okay to get involved with the police.

Because I learned the laws of Academy City Elysium in class.

In Academy City, human trafficking is easily one of the categories where summary executions are permitted even for civilians.

In this world, unlike in my previous life, the law is refreshing. Since the hostage’s testimony is clear, I could roughly guess why they were ordered to be rescued.

“···Clara.”

“Are you okay, oppa?”

“Okay. Do you still have time?”

“Uh, yeah? The time is fine···.”

Clara swallowed hard as she looked at her wrist being held by Rohan.

I just can’t shake it off.

“I’ll briefly show you what I’ll be doing in the future.”

*****

Kkudangtang!

─ Aaaah!!!

There was a scream and the sound of something breaking. The men sleeping in the container jumped out and looked around.

They had toad tattoos on their hands or necks.

“What’s that noise just now?”

The crowd’s gaze turns to the darkened building.

One side of the window, which was fine until I went to bed, is broken.

“You’re not getting caught on the first thing you do after moving locations, are you?”

“Hey, isn’t that just the boss getting his hands dirty? You seem really sensitive after being pushed out of the area.”

“You crazy bastard… Don’t say you were pushed in front of the boss.”

“I have a knack for it too. I would never do that.”

What comes out of their mouths is simply wishful thinking.

They knew that guessing alone would not give them an answer. They had to check the situation with their own eyes, so they walked steadily.

At that moment, I was heading towards the stairs to enter the building right next to me.

I found a woman with purple hair and twintails blocking the stairs.

That was the first thing that came to mind, before the seriousness of the fact that the basement door was open.

Beauty that captivates people.

The men habitually almost blurted out flirtatious remarks but swallowed them.

Because the fact that there is someone who does not fit in this position makes me extremely wary.

Perhaps because I was absent-minded, I wondered why I didn’t even feel any signs of life, let alone any magical powers, all the way here.

“What the heck, you bitch? Did you call me?”

“Oh my, bro! No way!”

“Isn’t that a sheriff? I heard the sheriffs here have noses that are like art.”

“No matter how good they are at sniffing, the work has just begun, so what···.”

They exchange opinions and each take out their weapons.

The guns and blades held in his hands are all extremely menacing.

“Hey, you guys are bad people who traffic people···?”

“What is that girl talking about?”

“Isn’t she just a crazy woman? Even if she’s crazy, if she’s that pretty, she’ll be a top-notch product even if she sells it roughly···.”

The group’s morale rose as the woman began to show passive behavior, avoiding eye contact and avoiding eye contact.

In the underworld, the momentum is halved.

If you show such a cowering gesture, it will only seem like you have already lost.

“I already checked everything···.”

The girl kicks a rock on the floor with the tip of her shoe and rolls it.

The men’s gaze was drawn to the stone fragments that had rolled away.

“Hey, don’t go over the stone and wait there···! You can’t go in here right now···.”

As they spoke, the glass window on the upper floor broke into pieces and screams were heard.

Clang!

─ Kkaaaak!!!

The scream was clearly the voice of one of the members of the organization.

It is also a gatekeeper that protects the goods.

“Huh! What the hell. This is ridiculous.”

“Brother. The boss isn’t even out of his seat… This is strange.”

One of them, sensing ominousness, tried to take a step back, but the person who had sworn at him moved forward with a frown on his face.

And then a moment.

Pick!

A concise sound that pierces the wind.

The head of the man who ignored me and crossed the line was pierced and fell down with a thud.

In the girl’s pale hands was a pistol with a silencer, which she had taken out at some unknown time.

“You, I told you not to go over···.”