episode_0251

While one Violet headed to the convention center with Sophieel Unnie, another me subtly blended in with the people walking towards the danger zone.

It seemed likely that where people gathered, monsters would also gather.

Since the monsters’ movements had entered a temporary lull, there wasn’t much danger.

Those who had fallen into this unfamiliar place and embarked on this dangerous adventure were diverse.

High-ranking students from various academies, who, despite being told not to go, stubbornly armed themselves and set out.

Or Hunters, who sought to preemptively claim valuable items in the unexplored erosion zones.

“Is this really okay?”

According to the Violet at the exhibition hall, there were also people trying to dissuade their comrades from leaving.

Since it was a dangerous place, they were probably reluctant to move recklessly.

“But Hunters have pride!”

Yes, the people of this profession, called Hunters in the Crimson Scholars worldview and named Jaeger in the global server version, were, in a sense, insane.

The polar opposite of an innocent and delicate beautiful girl like our Violet.

“Only advance!”

Even Awakened Ones find violence burdensome depending on their personality or abilities.

In fact, a normal person wouldn’t go monster hunting in a dungeon with a sword in the first place.

In this world where military power is emphasized, field jobs are more highly regarded, but many also prefer safe office jobs in the warm rear, where the air conditioning works well and the heating is good.

“You don’t wrestle with ugly monsters!”

“Good work-life balance!”

There were surprisingly many jobs for such people. They could work in educational institutions, or if they had healing abilities like Daphne, they could act as doctors.

If they were smart, they’d get a doctorate and work with a mana fusion device, like Auntie Enrica, who is currently visiting Dr. Yurik in the detention center.

“Getting a doctorate just to do soldering? For a professional job, there seem to be a lot of technical positions.”

“It can’t be helped. Government officials and politicians are passed around among specific families.”

In our opinion, there were usually two reasons why Hunters risked danger.

Money.

And things as important as money.

“Is this really okay? People who went near the barrier earlier said Restraidna was here… You know how nasty those knights are.”

“Hey, the principle is to preemptively claim artifacts. Even they can’t take something that’s already been claimed right in front of them.”

Many had come chasing money, but there were also those who sought something else.

“Lina? Where are you?”

“Excuse me, but could you take a quick look at this photo? She’s my friend, and she suddenly disappeared… If you see her, please tell me!”

It seemed not a small number of people, besides us, had lost family or friends due to the transfer phenomenon.

Their ages, genders, and outfits were all different, but their direction was similar. It was probably better to take the main road rather than narrow alleys where it was easy to get surrounded or lost.

“Hey, look at this. This statue, don’t you think it’ll be worth some money?”

“Ah, this is a Holy Heart Monastery goddess statue. Throw it away, these things are overflowing in the antique market. No mana is felt, so it’s worth nothing… Look for artifacts!”

The two Hunters subtly entered each building, rummaging through antiques and discussing.

“It’s an artifact, right? How much do you think it’ll fetch?”

“It’s just a rock. Throw it away!”

Students bickering while looking at a rock that felt like mana.

“Hey there, fella! If you’ve got nothing to do, keep a good eye on your surroundings. Didn’t you hear that people heading to the barrier got sniped by ghouls and had their heads blown off?”

“Don’t meddle. If they die, it’s their fate. Don’t you know every man for himself [a saying about individual survival]? What the…”

“What? Tsk…”

Even people grumbling but still cautiously surveying the windows and rooftops of nearby buildings.

Observing the actions of various people, I fell into thought.

This spot, which had been where our Violet search party was being chased just a moment ago, was now as quiet as a mouse.

“It’s really peaceful.”

“Ugh! Why aren’t they appearing when they just killed us?”

While wondering if the monsters were perhaps discriminators against beautiful girls, a sudden scream was heard.

“H-Help me! Someone help! Someone help!”

“M-Monsters! Monsters are chasing us!”

Silhouettes running from the main road in the distance. People buzzed and grew noisy.

A group was running towards them from afar. No, more precisely, they were fleeing from a horde of monsters pursuing them.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Starting with someone’s shout, everyone moved in a disciplined manner without hesitation.

Perhaps because they were all professionals of violence, they were preparing to face the monster horde in their respective stances.

“Heads down! Get down!”

When a loud-voiced man shouted, the people being chased immediately threw themselves to the ground.

-Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! -Bang! Bang!

A volley of bolts and large-caliber bullets poured down in front of the rushing monster group.

“Let’s go!”

“Wipe them all out!”

After a simultaneous volley, they charged. It was clumsy but a powerful offensive by the Awakened Ones. While other students dragged away the fallen, spears, swords, and axes flew. The monsters scattered and fell.

Just then, my eyes caught sight of a young girl who looked to be around elementary school age.

Perhaps due to her slow movements, she fell while following. And a black shadow leaped towards the girl’s head.

“Roar!”

The Fellinut’s uniquely distorted, ugly face drew closer. This terrible face made me automatically frown.

“Die! Ugly cat!”

“Yowl!”

-Slice!

The Fellinut, split in two, fell with a thud. I quickly helped the girl up and pulled her closer.

“Little one, are you alright?”

“Yes… Thank you!”

The battle ended shortly after.

While a group of people rummaged through the monster carcasses, the faces of the missing person searchers, who had been watching the people being chased by monsters, brightened.

“My goodness… I found you! What happened to you? You clearly disappeared!”

“Lina, are you okay?”

It seemed the identities of the people being chased were the missing individuals they had been searching for.

Those who found their families or friends rejoiced, while those who didn’t were disappointed.

“What happened?”

When asked, the missing individuals answered in trembling voices.

“When I came to my senses, I was here.”

“When I opened my eyes, monsters were chasing me right in front of my nose, so I just ran…”

They all replied unanimously that they couldn’t remember.

Sophieel Unnie also said that during the transfer, when she opened her eyes and came to her senses, a group of monsters suddenly rushed at her. Were these people in a similar situation?

“That’s fascinating.”

“These people must have been lucky!”

Spatial transfer seemed truly dangerous. In the worst-case scenario, some might have been dropped right in the middle of monsters.

As I turned my head to leave, the girl remained all alone, looking around anxiously.

It seemed she didn’t know anyone among the search party here.

“Don’t you have family?”

To my question, the girl replied in a trembling voice.

“I-I don’t know. I came to the exhibition hall with Mom and Dad… but when I opened my eyes, no one was there…”

Brown eyes trembling with fear. She looked somewhat pathetic.

“Oh, she must be an orphan!”

“Let’s take her to a safe place first. Unit 154! Take over.”

Her navy blue hair swayed precariously.

To reassure her, I cautiously reached out to pat her head.

Because when Daphne or Adela Unnie did that, my heart felt at ease.

At that moment, a strange reaction occurred.

It started with a trembling body and a feeling of stiff muscles.

Some bizarre noise sounded in my ears, and my head oddly throbbed.

“Ow, what was that?”

Annoyed, I shook my head vigorously. The unpleasant sensation had disappeared at some point.

“What was that?”

The annoyance was brief; the girl was staring at me with frightened eyes.

It seemed I looked like a crazy person, suddenly shaking my head.

To reassure her, I took out a chocolate bar.

“Want some?”

“Thank you…”

Saying I’d be right back, I immediately swapped places with Unit 154.

While the patrol duty continued, I brought the girl to the convention center.

If I handed her over to her parents right away, they might even give a reward like a bounty out of gratitude.

“We’re Lost Child Guardians!”

“Child Protector Violet!”

On the way back, I became curious about the girl’s name.

To find this child’s parents among the many people in the safe zone, it would be necessary to ask around beforehand, saying, “So-and-so’s parents, we’ve found a lost child!”

“What’s your name?”

The girl mumbled in a small voice.

“…liel.”

“What was that?”

The girl slowly and clearly replied, so I could understand.

“Ariel.”

“Aha, the Ariel Group!”

Upon hearing my reply, the girl’s face darkened.

***

While Violet, the protector of children and freedom, took the cute girl Ariel, we plotted something else.

This was because the monsters’ movements were suspicious.

It was clear something was happening within the erosion zone, but it was impossible to know exactly what it was or what they were planning.

It was also around this time that the disappeared missing persons suddenly reappeared in droves.

The pattern was the same. As the search party scoured the interior of the danger zone, people being chased by monsters would gradually come running, one by one.

“My, that’s truly strange.”

Unusually, the proportion of non-Awakened Ones was not small.

It was simply astounding how they had survived.

Either way, the monsters’ movements were unusual.

Considering they had tried to kidnap me alive before, it was necessary to either get kidnapped directly or set a bait to lure them and follow them into their den.

“Monsters go insane and rush at humans as soon as they see them.”

I resolutely made up my mind. I would intentionally throw myself as bait to the monsters.

I spent a long time searching for monsters. For a while, I roamed the surroundings, observing their movements.

Fortunately, I was able to find a small group of monsters wandering as if patrolling the streets. A horde of unusually shaped, nameless monsters, led by a Skullkit.

Looking around, I quickly created a hibernation Violet.

Then I deliberately picked up a gun and pulled the trigger. This was to attract the monsters’ attention.

-Tat-tat-tat!

“Over here, you idiots!”

The creatures, having fallen for the provocation, snarled fiercely and charged towards me.

“Screech!”

The Violet holding the gun voluntarily threw herself and was immediately torn apart.

Another Violet gently laid the hibernation Violet’s body on the ground and hurriedly retreated.

“Let’s escape!”

The monsters approached the hibernation Violet, who was lying peacefully with her eyes closed. Were they going to eat her? It would be good if they tried to drag us away like before.

“Growl…”

Confirming there was no significant threat, the monster roughly bit and snatched it.

Then it began to snarl and sprint towards somewhere.

“How lucky…”

Up to this point, it was according to plan. Though I hadn’t expected them to take the bait so readily.

The ‘me’s’ ambushing nearby watched the hibernation Violet being taken by the monsters from a safe distance.

Step by step, cautiously, they followed behind the creatures, gauging their direction of movement and distance.

It seemed they still had a long way to go until they reached the place the monsters were using as a hideout.

“I’m getting kidnapped! Wow!”

I wondered why the monsters were carrying me off.

Was it simply their animalistic instinct to deal with an Awakened One who had invaded the erosion zone?

Or did they have some other impure motive?

The puzzling situation continued, but curiosity and unease spurred us on.

I soon finished preparing to infiltrate the heart of the enemy lines.

Before I knew it, the hibernation Violet was left alone on the floor of an empty building. It was a small building with the symbol of the Holy Heart Monastery.

The monsters left the hibernation Violet and quietly disappeared.

“Oh? Are these really monsters?”

Our prediction was correct. Monsters don’t move like this. They were clearly being controlled by someone.

As soon as the monsters left, the Violets hid inside and outside the building. They set up machine guns and concealed explosives and incendiaries.

“Alright, ambush initiated!”

I don’t know who it is, but whether it’s a cult leader or a great demon lord, if they come, we’ll grind them all up.

Thus, we waited for the unknown opponent.

Around them, the sounds of small and large skirmishes echoed faintly. Why was it so noisy?