episode_0081

“What are you doing there…?” Ian and I faced each other through a video call right after the job was done.

This witch cosplayer, Nyon, looked bored as she gazed at me.

“I don’t know how I found out about that. I didn’t want to cooperate with the sexcapade kids or anything like that. I just wanted to go down and find Lea.”

“I know that, but I had to ask. How on earth did you get involved in that mess on the 15th floor?”

“I don’t know either. Those reckless kids are at fault, not me for trying to stop them.”

“It’s true, but you’re trying to stop them again.”

Sigh.

“Any injuries?”

“None at all. Even if there were no hostages, I would have won head-on.”

“Acting like a D-rank, as usual. I’ll ask the Association to adjust your rank later when I have time.”

“They don’t adjust ranks in the Tower, so why would the Association? I think it’s cool for lower ranks to beat higher ranks, so I’ll just leave it be.”

“…You otaku.”

On the other side of the video call, Ian was pressing his temples.

What should I do about this? After some thought, he nodded repeatedly.

“Thanks to you, we didn’t have to fight the 15th floor. I didn’t want to deal with them.”

“I noticed they’re organizing their own army and even have connections with the upper echelons. Right now, they’re at the level of a gang, but in the future, they might appear on a national scale.”

“You noticed, huh?”

“I just shook hands with someone who proclaimed themselves as the governor a moment ago.”

“Unbelievable. You might be the first person in the world to receive an award from a demon.”

We laughed, but it felt cold inside.

Damn it. Demons forming an army?

What will happen when they come down to the surface?

Unbelievable.

“I’ll handle this, so you keep doing what you were doing. Just a heads up, don’t follow them around like a puppy just because they thank you. They might be trying to take advantage of you.”

“Are they trying to use me?”

“Just a precaution. The demons on the 15th floor are a mix of reason and instinct. Instead of killing you, they might serve you, but just like there are no animals that don’t bite humans, demons are all the same in front of assholes.”

It seems like he’s trying to show some grace with his words.

“You mentioned ‘Kids World’ earlier, right? We didn’t receive that information. As you said, we left the search for missing persons on the 15th floor to the specialized search guild, so they’re monopolizing that information.”

“Even when the 50th floor opened three years ago?”

“That’s why this action is understandable. That information must have been secretly circulating since then. The terrorists caught that information before us.”

So the crazy bastards who brandish their blades against demons knew about that site.

If that information was spread among the search guilds three years ago, it makes sense.

The speed at which they found Lea is all because of that.

“It’s fucking crazy that lower guilds know things that even the government doesn’t. ”

“We don’t know everything either. Don’t you think there are idiots who cooperate with the government’s information control and tell us something?”

True.

“You’re looking for Zita’s daughter, right. Is there anything you want to ask me?”

“Oh, I heard some very significant words earlier.”

“What are they?”

“What does ‘graduation’ mean?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“From a Pagguri police officer.”

She didn’t hide her surprise at my answer.

“That’s information only adult demons know, and even those living there might not know. Only demons who have retired as public officials would know. You caught on quickly on your first day, huh?”

“Do you know this information now?”

“Yeah. That’s information our mom got from the Cayon. We heard about the agreement with the 15th floor at that time because it was our guild.”

Still number one.

Aside from a little stumbling, it’s reliable.

Thinking to brush off not knowing about Kids World, I lowered my voice.

“What does graduation mean?”

“Graduation there refers to the stage of leaving your parents’ side. As you know, it’s where orphans from all over the world gather. Currently, up to the 29th floor has been reopened, and children without parents are starting to gather, so they are starting to transition.”

“Transition? Wait, isn’t the wording a bit off?”

“Leaving your parents’ side and becoming independent, what’s that all about? They’re all kids, right?”

“Could the kids suddenly grow up into adults?”

“It’s similar. They leave being human and become demons.”

“…….”

I was speechless at Nodoh’s truth.

“Actually, it’s a demon apprentice. Even if they graduate, they are still children inside, so there are no sexual activities. They go through the preparation to become demons, and when they become adults, they start to act in earnest.”

“So, do the kids here… become demons when they grow up…?”

“Not all of them.”

Ian looked around beyond the screen.

Carefully making sure no one was listening, he explained the truth.

“The children raised on the 15th floor do not grow physically or mentally. So, there are many children who repeat elementary school for years. Occasionally, there are rare cases where children mature mentally, and they are selected for ‘graduation’.”

He gestured behind me with a warning look.

“Look here. You know when you see the demons living on the 15th floor. Although their instincts are demonic, they still have reason inside. As time passes, the demon apprentices become closer to demons, and when they harmonize their instincts and reason, they are reborn as real demons.”

“What about the lower floors…?”

“Don’t worry. The demons below the 15th floor are monsters created by the Tower. So, they act instinctively without reason and disappear into dust when they die. But it’s different here. Many ‘former’ humans are mixed in.”

“Damn….”

I remembered.

When you think about it, the demons killed on the lower floors turned into dust, but the demons here shed blood.

As if they were alive.

“Is this the school entrance?”

“…Yes.”

I looked around.

It was a dark night.

The hunter who committed the crime was arrested and taken away, leaving me alone here.

The streets where demons didn’t walk were no different from the scenery I used to live in.

“This is a society made up of abandoned children that our humans have built. It’s also a world that existed even before it arrived in Korea. Before the Tower appeared here, it was in another world, and it also accepted orphans.”

The scale is getting too big.

My head hurts.

“The concept of maternal love from the 11th to the 15th floor…?”

“It’s kind of a hint.”

“Ugh. I’m feeling guilty right now, what should I do?”

“Put your shoulders back. You didn’t commit murder on the 15th floor. Below that floor, there are truly soulless monsters. Think of them as sand monsters made up of the remnants of emotions and desires that flowed here.”

“…….”

“Relax. You didn’t attract hostility from the demons on the 15th floor, did you?”

That’s right.

My mental state is not weak enough to be shaken by this.

“So, what happens to the guys?”

“There is a group on the upper floors that target women, so after going through training, they get a job in that area. Just on the 21st floor alone, there are incubi targeting women. When they reach the 25th floor, there is a level where incubi with remaining reason live, like here.”

“Is that also a treaty zone?”

“Yes.”

I rubbed my chin.

Spending adolescence as a demon apprentice and starting a real job as an adult…

It’s an amazing place.

“But why graduation?”

“…….”

“Who graduated to make that expression?”

“It’s Nuna’s daughter.”

“Lea?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, the kid has always been mature. It’s hard to imagine what she’s like now compared to three years ago.”

“If what you’re saying is true, it sounds like she’s about to enter her adolescence as an apprentice courtesan somewhere in this vast city.”

“Exactly. She’ll be pretending to be an adult with her courtesan’s body. Of course, there won’t be anything sexual, but it’s dangerous to leave her alone for too long.”

“Damn.”

I thought I was okay, but my mental state was shaken.

I immediately smoked an herbal cigarette.

Thanks to that, my head cleared, but then I thought of another potential problem.

“Wait, what if Nuna finds out about this?”

“Aren’t you already mentally unstable to be telling me this? Are you crazy?”

“Not me. The news about what happened on the 15th floor has spread everywhere. Besides me and these guys, there were other parties looking for Lea. What if they didn’t hear this news?”

“Oh?”

“Does the Mechanic Guild know about graduation?”

“They’re also top rankers, and Zita’s mother was on the same team as our mom… They must know about graduation.”

Ian’s gaze wavered.

She immediately dropped her phone and shouted through the screen.

“Hey! Is there anyone outside!?”

“Did you call?”

“Gather people! Find all the ones who went up to the 15th floor today and contact me!”

“Is this a sudden request?”

“No time to explain! The ones who went up should be back by now! We need to get rid of those bastards who are trying to deceive Zita’s mother today!”

Chaos erupted on the other side of the screen.

Shouting back and forth, someone was being pushed around.

Before long, Ian returned through the phone screen.

“Are you okay over there?”

“For now. They kept asking me what I was doing in the morning, but now there’s no contact, it’s quiet.”

“I’m going to Zita’s mother’s place now, so you take care of things there. If something happens, prioritize calling me over Zita’s mother.”

“Can’t the Maan side do anything since they have a treaty? Their words should carry weight.”

“At the time of the treaty, it was stated that the children who entered the 15th floor were their citizens. When we contacted them right after the 10th floor opened, they ignored the demands regarding Lea.”

“Why?”

“Because the reckless actions of the hunters who knew nothing at the time of the treaty caused a lot of deaths among the residents of the 15th floor. Although it wasn’t mentioned up to the 14th floor, the 15th floor residents are those with abilities. The incident at the time is also being treated as a mass slaughter, so the relationship isn’t very good. Moreover, they can’t help because Lea, who is related to Zita’s mother, was taken away by the Tower Lord.”

“Because they took a child as a hostage, they can’t help their own people?”

“…That’s right.”

“Oh, damn, it hurts.”

Even as I spoke, the other side was getting ready to leave.

This call was also coming to an end soon.

I quickly hung up and thought I should go and do what I needed to do.

“But how did you plan to search in the beginning?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since you went up to the 15th floor, I thought you might have some sharp plans.”

“It seems like there’s a misunderstanding, but we’ve been specializing in finding people for a long time.”

“Even though you specialize, you’re clearly specialized in corpses.”

This witch hit where it hurts.

“Although it was corpses, I’m confident in finding people now. I came up with the idea that even if it takes a week, I’ll catch the tail, so don’t worry.”

Upon my assertion, the witch chuckled.

“Can I trust you?”

“You can.”

“You won’t be able to find them?”

“I will find them.”

“You’ll lose?”

“I’ll win.”

“…You’re saying you won’t be able to find them.”

“Stop joking around and go do your job.”

“Ah~ as soon as the job is done, you have to go and please the old lady~.”

Ignoring the complaints of the first place whiner, I welcomed the night breeze.

I put the cigarette in my mouth into a portable ashtray and sprayed the potion again.

– Huff, huff, huff.

– Thud.

– Thud, thud, thud!

– Heheheh!

– Thud!

Even while on the phone, many dogs gathered around me.

More accurately, they were bitches.

The reason I stayed in this spot until late at night was nothing but to gather them.

Continuously spraying the potion in this spot, I kept gathering the dogs.

“They’ve gathered quite a bit.”

At first, there were about five of them, and I used them to bring other bitches.

From there, it increased to ten, then I ordered them to bring twenty more bitches.

Repeating this, now there are over fifty.

“Finally starting to tempt animals, not just bugs. They’re even smarter than bugs. Bugs feel like they vaguely follow orders, but these ones behave well.”

Especially dogs with a strong sense of smell are easy to gather and helpful in searching.

“Follow me.”

The bitches all barked in unison.

“Woof woof! Give me some food and water too!”

Although there were some non-animal beings mixed in, I immediately kicked them away.

In a dimly lit classroom at dawn, I stole a child’s belongings and entrusted them to the dogs.

… To anyone, I clearly looked like a pervert.