episode_0048

I look down at the fox in my arms. The girl with vermillion hair, burying her face in my chest, was shedding tears. With calm hands, I patted her trembling back.

Though her appearance was haggard, there were no signs of injury or having been experimented on. It seemed I had managed to rescue her just in time. I quietly held the fox’s cold body. I hoped my faint body warmth would at least help her regain her composure.

‘She must have suffered a lot.’

Bergen Belsen. How much pain must she have endured while staying in this laboratory? In real-world time, it had only been a day, but in this place where the time axis was distorted, a week must have already passed. It was enough time for one’s spirit to break.

[EP6. Bergen Belsen] -The Lost Girl, The Monsters Who Cannot Cry-

The most grim episode in the original work. Perhaps due to its uniquely eerie and unpleasant atmosphere, it was a story that strongly divided users. Because it was based on a real historical tragedy. As such, it was difficult content to enjoy with a light heart.

‘I should have come a little earlier.’

I had a hard time because it was land not marked on any map. It was also a point beyond the Empire’s territory. Fortunately, based on the information obtained from the ‘Abandoned Laboratory’ last time, I was able to track the facility’s location. That was at least a relief.

“It’s my oversight.”

I never imagined the fox would get caught up in this. Originally, she was a character with no connection to this episode. I thought I only needed to prevent Regia’s abduction, but a problem arose in a completely unexpected place. I inwardly groaned.

“Irene-yang.” “……Mm.” “By any chance, have you met a girl named Anne here?” “……”

Her expression rapidly hardened. Seeing tears well up in her black eyes again, I was certain. ‘She did meet her, after all.’ It seemed only the character experiencing the episode had changed, but the detailed flow remained the same. Because the pilot also started the part after meeting Anne.

Irene grabbed my sleeve with trembling hands. She seemed to be suffering from a terrible nightmare. I quietly calmed the fox. As I continued to comfort her through her sobs, a voice came from behind me.

“Captain-nim.”

It was Neria. She, who had gone to clear the surroundings, had apparently finished her task and was now waiting in a disciplined posture. In the hallway, the corpses of the guards lay strewn one after another. The other members were the same. They stood at their respective positions as if awaiting the next command. It was time to move.

I whispered softly. “Irene-yang. From now on, we plan to clean out this laboratory.” “……” “As much as I’d like to tell you to rest as you are… for now, I’ll ask. Will you come with us?” “……I’ll go with you.” “It won’t be a very good memory.” “I know. Still.”

The fox slowly moved away from my arms. Although her face was a mess from tears, her eyes were still alive, not dimmed. Her pupils held a transparent sorrow.

“There’s something I need to confirm… with my own eyes.” Perhaps it was lingering attachment. The girl seemed unable to let go of hope.

“I respect that.”

I nodded. This was the fox’s choice. It wasn’t something I could arbitrarily force. I, who was merely a late-appearing extra, simply turned my back and gave orders.

“Then… shall we properly begin now?”

My pure white robe fluttered. As I took steps towards the tightly shut door, the footsteps of the members following me echoed neatly. A thick, permeating killing intent filled the corridor. I murmured. “It’s time for logging.”

It was time to fell the wicked trees.

***

‘Bergen Belsen.’

A research facility where all sorts of inhumane experiments were carried out. It was one of the main strongholds of the cult group ‘Baobab’ and also a massacre site that claimed the most victims every year. It was a facility that served as a pillar of the organization.

Its location was also a damn nightmare. A wilderness surrounded on all sides. It was land untouched by human feet due to its terrain features, which were not just rough but harsh. Numerous valleys cut through the land, and the research facility was located in the deepest part of the underground among them. Thanks to this, it was impossible for outsiders to set foot in the facility. Only those permitted could come and go via teleportation.

-If the day comes when Belsen falls, it will surely be the day the world meets its end.

It was truly an impregnable fortress. As such, Belsen’s significance was extraordinary. Thanks to the strangely twisted time axis, experimental results could be efficiently extracted, so there was no reason for the headquarters not to support it. As a result, many personnel gathered despite the facility’s small size.

-It’s a force capable of easily trampling most count families. -If we continue to accumulate research like this… soon, we can manifest a grand hell in the present world.

The research director evaluated it as such. Over 300 elite troops were stationed at the facility. A level unmatched by any branch of similar scale. No one could have imagined Belsen’s downfall. They thought it would continue its legacy forever.

But.

“It’s an attack!! Unidentified intruders in the facility…!” “Damn it!! How the hell did they get in?!” “Everyone, secure the experimental data!!” “Kuaaak!!”

A tree is, after all, just a tree. It simply falls powerlessly before a raised axe. The facility was unilaterally butchered.

“What are the guards doing?!” “They’re all dead!! Laboratory 17 is already wiped out!!” “Where did those bastards…!” “Everyone, respond calmly!! Just in case, prepare your incantations!” “Damn it! Die!!”

Elegant pure white robes fluttering. The intruders, clad in pure white, “cleaned up” the facility with skillful precision. As if they’d done it more than once or twice. The people danced gracefully. Attacks dodged like flowing water. Then, when a sword was swung with a powerful arc, the heads of the cultists blocking their path floated into the air. They were swept away helplessly.

“These bastards, it’s like they’re reading our attacks… *Gasp!*” “Kuaaaah!!” “The Head Manager has been defeated!!” “Communicate… contact Laboratory 83 and request backup!!” “The signal isn’t connecting! They seem to have already been defeated!” “This damn ittt!!!”

A scene resembling a massacre. Countless deaths rolled across the floor. Even in the warzone where blood and flesh splattered, the intruders moved calmly. Step, step. Their noble demeanor was like seeing white angels. Silver blades judged sins.

“Unbelievable… How could this happen…?” “They’re no match for them!!” “Hey, release the chimeras in the lab!” “Retreat for now! Hold out until the Director-nim comes out!!”

Where had Belsen’s reputation gone? In their current state, they were no different from cockroaches being mercilessly trampled. Ultimately, the black mages retreated from the front lines and fled. News of the intruders reached even the devil.

“What did you just say?” “I said it seems intruders have appeared within the research facility.” “Intruders, you say…?”

Research Director, Josef Kramer. The man, known as Belsen’s Devil, mumbled as if dumbfounded. The director, who had a vacant expression, soon burst into a hollow laugh.

“Haha! How audacious.” “……” “Where are the intruders now?” “According to the last report, they’ve passed Laboratory 37. It seems they’re heading towards the stairs to the lowest floor.” “Hmm, are they going to where the failures are?”

The director murmured, as if intrigued. Belsen’s lowest floor. Coincidentally, that was the space where his ‘artistic soul’ was contained. Do they know information about this side? The director smiled a sinister smile.

Whoosh! As he clenched his fist tightly, a dark crimson aura surged around him. The aura of black magic permeated the air terribly. It was an output capable of collapsing the entire facility at any moment.

“We can’t just leave these rats alone.”

The man rose from his seat. Enveloping his entire body in an explosive momentum, he prepared to welcome his guests. The corners of his lips twisted grotesquely upwards.

“I hope it will be an enjoyable artistic endeavor.”

The devil took his steps.

***

Meanwhile.

The fox was running down the stairs. “Haa, haa…!” Her breathing was ragged. The breath rising from within her was hot. Her lungs felt like they were burning. “Ugh…!”

Her consciousness momentarily blurred. It was due to the fatigue accumulated over the past few days. She felt like she could lose consciousness and collapse at any moment, but each time, she bit her lip and endured. Her slender legs stumbled endlessly. All she held was a single sword. It felt especially heavy today.

As she endured the splitting dizziness, a voice suddenly brushed past her ears. It was a conversation she had overheard a few days ago.

-What should we do with the failures we worked on today? -Move them to the lowest floor. -Yes, understood.

She had to go to the lowest floor. Because there was someone she wanted to find. If yesterday’s experiment had indeed finished properly, the girl would definitely be on the lowest floor.

The fox ran down the stairs.

“Damn it, intruders!!” “Stop them from going down!”

Occasionally, obstacles blocked her path. Irene swung her sword without hesitation. Clang! Scrape…! A fierce sword dance bloomed like a flower. She was pushed to her limits, but precisely because of that, her senses became even sharper. Her gaze was utterly venomous. She advanced, treading on a precarious life.

Slice! Once again, she cut someone down. Behind the clean cutting sound, a tingling tremor spread through her fingertips. Her vision flickered. “Ugh, haa…!”

Irene did not stop. She cut them down mercilessly. There were also opponents she couldn’t handle with her own strength. At such times, the boy beside her would help.

“Oh dear, oh dear… we’re a bit busy, you see!” Snap! A guard vanished as he snapped his fingers. Turning into a handful of ash, he scattered.

For a while, the fox’s desperate charge continued. And then.

“……”

Irene finally arrived at the lowest floor. A vast space welcomed her. A scene of countless iron cages lined up. It reminded her of the animal pens in the basement of a slave auction house.

-Sniff, hehe… Unnie’s hand is warm.

Here. There was someone she had to find.

Thud! The fox ran through the iron cages. The basement where cold air circulated. What was trapped between the bars were none other than ‘failures’.

Things that were once human, but could no longer be called so. They were the byproducts of hideous desires. Irene desperately darted her eyes around. While desperately hoping to find her, she also hoped the girl wouldn’t be here. A sad contradiction flowed.

And so. After wandering a little longer, the fox found her. A body lying in a secluded iron cage.

“……Anne.”

She murmured the name. But it was laughable. Because what was visible beyond the bars was no longer the girl she knew. The fox silently stared at the floor.

A congealed mass. Its appearance resembled a slime, but seeing it in person was more horrific than any description. Irene didn’t have the courage to describe it.

“……”

Thud. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed. The scene she had tried so hard to deny had appeared in reality.

Anne writhed. Even though she had become a monster, had she perhaps not abandoned her kind nature? She showed no hostility towards people. Rather, that aspect made her heart ache even more.

“……Ha.”

A hollow, meaningless scoff burst out. Her vision blurred faintly. Before she knew it, tears were falling in drops down her cheeks. It was terrible despair.

“Truly… this is too much…”

She knew. That it would end up like this. Because it was a tragedy destined from the moment she was trapped in this hell.

But.

-But sometimes… isn’t it okay for such convenient things to happen?

Because she liked those words the girl had said. Even if only for a moment, she wanted to hold a similar hope.

“Irene-yang.” “I… I think I was too late.” “You did your best.” “What sin did such a kind child commit, that she deserved this…?”

The world is unreasonable. And cruel. Everyone must live their predetermined destiny, and people merely play out on a grand script. Sometimes, she felt that life itself had no value.

“Irene-yang.”

But. Nevertheless, the reason people search for hope is…

“It’s not too late yet.”

Because sometimes, they wonder if it’s alright for convenient things to happen.

“It’s too early for tears.” “……What?”

Words she couldn’t understand. Irene lifted her bowed head and looked at the boy. There were his smiling, slit eyes. The snake sang a low whisper.

“Because I always like happy endings.”

Step, step. The boy approached the iron cage. Before the fox could stop him, the snake placed his hand on the writhing mass of flesh. Immediately after, he mumbled.

“Break.”

Shatter! A sound like glass shattering was heard from somewhere. At the same time, the shadow hanging from the boy’s fingertips quickly enveloped Anne’s body.

“You!? What are you…!” “Shh, quiet.”

Crunch, crunch! A strange noise. The silhouette hidden by the shadow writhed. An eternity-like moment passed, and the covering shadow scattered into dust. The fox was speechless.

“An, ne…?”

Inside the iron cage sat the girl. The person she had searched for so desperately. The name that had stayed by her side for the past few days was sitting there, with a body free of any wounds.

Anne yawned softly. “Haa-ohm…” Her eyes blinked as if she had just woken up. The girl, who was rubbing her eyes as if sleepy, soon met the fox’s gaze.

“……Huh? Fox Unnie?” “Anne…!”

Irene embraced the small body. Warm body heat permeated her embrace. As the realization that she was alive sank in, tears once again fell in drops from her tender heart. Her cheeks were hot with tears.

“Huhu.”

The snake quietly watched the scene. It was a nostalgic expression. Although life may be a tragedy. Sometimes, a miracle capable of erasing even such tragedies comes along.

And. “It seems today, I am your miracle.”

For the two girls, it was now.