episode_0220

“That’s right. It’s her… !!”

Kuk Jae-ryong, who had regained his memories, nodded his head with even greater confidence. Then Jin Ye-seo looked at him with a suspicious look.

“… Are you trying to blame it on someone else?”

“No! I’m telling you, it’s true!!!”

Kook Jae-ryong tapped his chest as if he was frustrated.

“He made me like this! I swear it on my honor!!”

“I don’t think that girl has any honor… ”

“Aaah…!!”

Behind the two bickering, Lee Hyeon was lost in thought.

After hearing the truth about the world from Mok Jin-woo and being warned of the danger that they had already infiltrated, I had tried to draw up a list of suspects in my own way.

But of all the members of the cradle, including both professors and students, Hayena was the one who seemed the least likely to be associated with witches.

“I remember it all now… I ran into you by chance in the hallway… and since then… !”

“What happened when you met?”

Lee Hyeon, who had come to his senses after hearing the loud protest from Kuk Jae-ryong, joined the conversation.

“That, that’s why… hic.”

Kuk Jae-ryong, who had been hesitating, caught sight of the chilling gaze behind the mask and took a deep breath. Then, after checking the situation, he barely opened his mouth again.

“Nothing, nothing special happened. Just… ”

“Just?”

“That, her face is pretty good… and her body looks good too… I thought so… but then suddenly I felt lethargic… and like that… ”

After finishing speaking, Kuk Jae-ryong slowly looked around and averted his gaze. Then, Jin Ye-seo glared at him as if she was looking at a disgusting insect.

Lee Hyeon, who had been standing with his mouth closed for a moment, gestured to them.

“… Let’s get moving.”

His mind was in utter confusion, but there were other things that had to take priority at the moment. Lee Hyun tried to push his doubts aside.

I hurried my steps and before I knew it, I was in front of the demon enclosure.

The manager who happened to be working there looked at them with a puzzled look.

“Professor Shin Jae-yu… Are you talking?”

But when he heard the question, he shook his head slightly.

“No, he doesn’t even set foot in this area. He hates the smell of demons.”

“So you’re saying you haven’t seen the professor today?”

“Not today, but since the semester started, you haven’t come even once. The last time I saw you was around the end of last year… ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Ye-seo began to press Guk Jae-ryong fiercely again.

“Isn’t this kid still under that hypnosis? Trying to lead us to a strange place with lies again.”

“No, I said no!!”

Lee Hyeon, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded his head, leaving behind Kook Jae-ryong, who was crying out loud as if he was being treated unfairly.

“Okay, I understand. But just in case, I’ll have to check inside first.”

“Huh? You can’t. This is a special management area. Even if you say you’re students, you can’t come and go as you please.”

However, the manager stubbornly blocked him from pushing the door open to enter.

“The animals being raised here are not yet stabilized. They are on a whole different level from the ones I saw during slaughter training. Their claws and teeth are all intact. If something happens, I will be responsible for everything.”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. I’ll just look around and come out right away.”

“Oh my, this is really going to be difficult… ”

And Jin Ye-seo, who saw Lee Hyeon clenching his fist, hurriedly jumped out and got in between them.

“I’m a student council executive member. Can you see my ID card here? If it’s the executive committee’s authority, I should be able to enter? ”

“If that’s the case… ”

The manager, who had checked the sentence, then stepped back as if he had no choice. Jin Ye-seo gave Lee Hyeon a secret look and approached the iron gate.

“Get in quickly… ”

“Kaaaak!!”

And just as Jin Ye-seo was about to open the heavy door.

The transformed caretaker brandished a large scythe and attacked her fiercely.

Jin Ye-seo didn’t even look back at him, but quickly extended her hind leg and blew his jaw away.

“Cough!”

Jin Ye-seo sighed as she saw the caretaker collapse on a pile of soft hay, unconscious.

“Did this person also suffer from what you said?”

“I think so.”

Lee Hyeon nodded, repeating the action he had taken with Kook Jae Ryong earlier by touching the manager’s body.

“Somehow block people from entering the enclosure… Wasn’t there some kind of hint like this?”

“Um… ”

“Anyway, it seems clear that there is something in here. Looking at how hard you are trying to block it. Maybe you can find Professor Shin Jae-yu.”

Lee Hyeon, standing in front of the wide open pen door, gestured.

“Let’s go in. I’ll turn right and look for him. You turn left and look for the professor.”

“Me, can I go in too…?”

“That’s obvious… Why don’t you hurry up and go in?”

Jin Ye-seo kicked the hesitant Guk Jae-ryong’s back with her foot and pushed him into the enclosure. Soon, the group split into two and began searching from the ends of both directions.

The inside of the huge pen was dark and musty. The rattling of iron bars and the low cries of the beasts were deafening.

Hyun was about to indulge in ominous thoughts when he discovered a bloody chunk of meat meant for them to eat.

Finally, in the midst of his enthusiastic exploration, he heard something.

-…town!

The sound, which was clearly human, was coming from the deepest part of the enclosure.

At that desperate cry, Lee Hyeon urgently headed towards the source of the sound.

And soon after, in the basement of the Demon Slayer pen, I was finally able to find Professor Shin Jae-yu, whom I had been looking for.

“Ugh, ugh!! Ugh!!”

Professor Shin Jae-yu was pushed against the wall with her entire body tightly bound, twisting her body this way and that. Fortunately, she did not appear to have any major injuries, but the situation she was in was problematic.

-Krrr… Boom!

A large dog-shaped demon, Lupus, was rushing at her with saliva dripping from its mouth. Even if he was a professor at Cradle, he had no intention of facing a second-class demon while his entire body was tied up.

What seemed more vicious was the method used by the enemy to tie up the demon.

The chain around Rufus’ neck was extremely strong, but every so often the axis would turn and the distance would gradually get closer.

It was a very vicious act that left the victim in fear of death for a very long time.

-Krrr! Krrr! Krrr! Krrr!

“Ugh, ugh!

Now, the distance was so close that every time the demon barked, spittle would fly into his face. Professor Shin Jae-yu, whose face was pale, tried desperately to resist, but there was no other way.

And almost at the same time that Lee Hyun discovered her, the stake finally popped out and rolled across the floor.

-Kyaaah!

The dog’s red mouth opened wide as if it had been waiting, and it rushed toward her. Professor Shin Jae-yu shut his eyes tightly.

Lee Hyun ran straight up without hesitation and climbed onto the back of the demon. Then he took out a knife and cut the center of the skull with one stroke.

-Koosh!

The demon fell without making a sound, sending a heavy sound all around. Professor Shin Jae-yu, who had been bracing himself for the pain to come, cautiously opened his eyes.

“Ugh, ugh!!!!”

And then he discovered a white, sleek mask floating in the air in the darkness, and he started to struggle again.

“Professor, don’t worry. It’s me.”

Lee Hyun approached Professor Shin Jae-yu. Although she had prepared herself mentally, she felt much more comfortable when she met him like this.

Before she became a professor, she was an acquaintance of the headmaster and his sisters. If someone like that had died, it would have been a burden on his mind for a long time.

“Ugh, ugh!!”

However, despite Lee Hyun’s words of reassurance, Professor Shin Jae-yu continued to struggle violently. Rather than being scared, he tilted his head in a desperate manner.

“Huh? Professor!!”

Before long, Jin Ye-seo and Guk Jae-ryong also heard the commotion and came to look for them.

Professor Shin Jae-yu continued to struggle violently even though he had them in his sights. His reaction was so intense that one might suspect that he was under the influence of drugs or hallucinogens.

And finally, the moment when Lee Hyun took the gag off his mouth.

She blurted out the first words she had never expected from them.

“What the hell are you guys doing here!!”

***

“Huh?”

Jin Ye-seo, who heard the desperate cries, asked back in bewilderment.

“What are you doing? Of course, to find the professor… ”

“This is not the time…! We need to get away from the cradle! Give an evacuation order now…!”

Professor Shin Jae-yu, who was trying to get up in a hurry, stumbled and fell over as if he had lost his strength. It seemed that his blood had stopped circulating after being tied up for several hours.

Hyun Lee supported her by hugging her in a panic.

“Professor, please calm down and explain the situation.”

“Core… There’s a stellite ore underground… There’s a core… It’s going to explode soon… !”

Professor Shin Jae-yu, who still couldn’t control his body properly, muttered. The group froze at the sudden declaration and exchanged glances. Kook Jae-ryong, whose face was pale, was on the verge of fainting.

“Gap, an explosion all of a sudden… ”

“When I checked, it was already close to meltdown… It’s too late to turn back now… There’s no other way than to get away as fast as possible… !”

She tried to move her arms and legs, but then gave up and looked up at Hyun Lee and said.

“Leave me behind…! Go and tell the others about this situation…!”

“That can’t be…!”

“Listen! My life is not important right now!”

Jin Ye-seo shook her head firmly. Lee Hyeon also agreed and hugged Professor Shin Jae-yu tightly.

“Don’t worry, Professor. It’s not that heavy.”

“You…! How dare you ignore the professor’s words…!”

Professor Shin Jae-yu shouted, but Lee Hyeon pretended not to hear and just sat up while holding her in his arms.

The group, led by Lee Hyeon, quickly moved out of the demon enclosure.

Professor Shin Jae-yu, who gave up and hugged Lee Hyeon tightly, muttered something in a murderous tone.

“Professor Noh Jong-ha… This dirty traitor… I knew you were that guy… How dare you commit such terrorism in a cradle? Just catch him. Just snap his neck while he’s still alive… ”

Kook Jae-ryong secretly swallowed dry saliva as he poured out his anger towards the perpetrator who made him like that.

“I’ll go to the main building with the professor and inform him of the situation. You guys go around the dormitory and give evacuation orders to the students… ”

And Lee Hyeon was about to give instructions to Jin Ye-seo and Kook Jae-ryong.

A heavy shockwave, like the pulsation of the earth, exploded from deep beneath their feet and struck them all at once.

-Kooong!!

“Ugh… ”

“Wow… !”

The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred. Kuk Jae-ryong lost his balance and fell to the ground, while Jin Ye-seo barely managed to keep her body up.

Lee Hyeon, who wrapped his whole body around Professor Shin Jae-yu, checked on her well-being.

“Professor! Are you okay?”

“No… ”

Professor Shin Jae-yu’s eyes, muttering in despair, were turned toward the sky beyond. The transparent field that surrounded the cradle like a huge semicircle was gradually turning blood red.

Soon it covered their heads. Lee Hyun stared blankly at the ominous sunset sky. It felt as if the end of the world was approaching.

“You’ve already reached the critical point…? Then, even if we evacuate, it’s already… too late… ”

“Professor, come to your senses.”

“Huh… ?”

Lee Hyun raised her hand and lightly tapped Professor Shin Jae-yu on the bridge of his nose. Only then did her eyes regain focus and she stared at the white mask.

“There may still be a way. Don’t give up… ”

He was about to speak to her with a calm expression.

“Well, that doesn’t seem like such a good idea.”

Suddenly, what I heard from behind was someone’s voice full of mockery and arrogance.