Chapter 33: One-Man Army

Cake (1)

The Chimera was responsible for the death of the cult leader.

Thanks to that, Kwon Hyun-seung's efforts to negotiate with the cult leader were thwarted, but it didn't seem like a big problem. The Awakened members of the cult seemed to be entangled more by their interests than by religious beliefs, and when the cult leader died, the situation was resolved around Kwon Hyun-seung without much disagreement.

In the process, Comet was treated to samgyetang. It wasn't that samgyetang was originally on the menu, but she just confidently demanded it, and they specially got it for her.

Comet tore open the package of the retort samgyetang, which had been warmed up nicely. When she poured it into a bowl, half a boiled chicken appeared. Small ginseng roots were visible among the white broth.

"Oh, this is good."

『Aren't you ashamed to be demanding food so brazenly when everyone outside is busy resolving the situation?』

"Samgyetang is delicious, though."

Comet took a sip. She could feel the hot broth going down her esophagus. She nodded. The seasoning was just right.

"Convenience food is really great. You can eat it whenever you want."

She put a bowl of rice in. She loosened the clumped rice and mixed it into the broth. A spoonful of rice, along with some chicken, went into her mouth. The rice grains were chewed with the chicken broth, and the aroma filled her senses.

Comet smiled contentedly.

"Delicious."

『...This body wants to try some too.』

"I'm going to eat it all myself."

『If this body possesses you and eats it, it's the same as it going inside anyway, isn't it?』

"I guess so. Then it's the same if I eat it all, too. I'll eat it for you instead."

Comet picked up her chopsticks. She wrapped the chicken in its skin and put it in her mouth. It was moist, tender, and chewy.

"Delicious!"

『Don't tease me...』

"It's a shame Princess can't eat it."

After finishing her meal, she left the building. She was thinking of heading back to Seoul when Kwon Hyun-seung approached her.

"Was everything resolved well?"

"It's mostly done. We'll have to commemorate the victims and do a lot of other things later, but it seems like things have mostly wrapped up for today."

"How did the Chimera even appear?"

"The Alchemist, who was responsible, is dead, so we can't be sure, but it seems like it was an accident. When the open space was surrounded, he secretly summoned the Chimera, but it seems like the control was released when the negotiations were proceeding peacefully."

"Oh dear..."

Comet wore a somewhat sad expression. She swallowed in sympathy, and the taste of samgyetang lingered faintly.

"It's an era where tragedy is commonplace, but it's always bitter no matter how many times you experience it."

"You can say that again."

Kwon Hyun-seung smiled bitterly.

"Now that the cult leader is dead, this cult will be disbanded, right?"

"We'll have to wait and see about that for a while. To improve the constitution of the group, it's better to do it gradually. There are people who sincerely relied on the religion, and if they realize that the power has been shaken, outside intervention may come in. I just finished talking with the cult leader's people."

Comet nodded.

"It'll become a pseudo-religion that isn't really a pseudo-religion."

"It was like that from the start, so not much will change."

Even if Kwon Hyun-seung said that, there would be considerable internal conflict. It was a problem that didn't really concern Comet.

"It's hard for me to help you from a distance, but I'll be cheering you on."

"Those words alone are comforting."

"Oh, and take this with you."

Comet handed Kwon Hyun-seung a paper shopping bag.

"There's a golden frog inside. It's cute. The cult leader said he received it as a bribe from one of the followers and gave it to me as a bribe, so I'll give it back to you."

Kwon Hyun-seung opened the shopping bag.

"I thought you might just take it without saying anything... You don't seem to be materialistic."

"I'm the kind of person who lives according to my mood."

"The followers will be grateful."

Comet shrugged. She didn't know if they would really be grateful. Who knew if it was a gift given to the cult leader as a bribe?

Comet exchanged greetings with the Awakened and left the cult, besides Kwon Hyun-seung.

『We only stopped by for a moment, and we experienced such chaos.』

"It was a problem of unnecessary curiosity."

『Still, you reduced the loss of life, so you did well.』

"I guess so. That's a good thing."

#

After arriving in Yeouido, she wrote a report on the relay and blocker. She extracted and organized statistical data.

"I'm sure I'm supposed to be living a life of unemployment, but it feels strange to be doing paperwork."

『Isn't it good to be spending your time constructively?』

"Should I accept it that way?"

『Wouldn't that be better?』

"Should I ask Officer Dan, too?"

『That commoner hates working, doesn't she? There's no need to ask.』

"Well, Officer Dan prefers to spend her time in bed."

Comet stopped typing and blinked.

"I wonder if Officer Dan likes working in bed, too?"

『I don't think so.』

"That's a shame. If she gets more work, she'll have that experience."

It was late in the evening when she finished the report. She slept for a day and headed to the committee the next day.

Comet took the report and coffee and went to find Dan Ga-yeon. Dan Ga-yeon, who was looking at documents and holding her forehead, turned around.

"Have some coffee while you work. Iced Americano, right?"

"Ah, thank you."

More honorifics.

"You always do, but you seem especially tired today."

Dan Ga-yeon, who really looked exhausted, made a tearful face.

"That damn alien is creating a ton of work."

"Is that so?"

It seemed the Kanputcha diplomat was up to something.

"Strange machines are walking around the city without any problems, and that alone is causing all sorts of issues."

"In what way?"

"Rumors are spreading that an alien invasion is starting."

"It's not exactly a rumor, though."

"That's true, but..."

Dan Ga-yeon's shoulders slumped. Dan Ga-yeon put the straw in her mouth. The ice rattled. The coffee went up the straw.

"First of all, it's difficult to touch them because they have diplomatic status, but even so, they're too brazen. When I looked at their travel route, they were sightseeing in famous places in Seoul as if they were tourists."

"Oh..."

For some reason, Comet understood Kanputcha. Of course, if you arrived in a completely different alien civilization, you would want to go sightseeing.

"That alone is absurd, but they also stopped some citizens and treated them to desserts. There are also reviews from the citizens. Would you like to see them?"

Dan Ga-yeon picked up the documents she had been looking at and read them.

"The combination of the menu is excellent! The strawberry cake was fantastic! The balance of sweetness and bitterness with the black coffee was impressive!"

Dan Ga-yeon threw the documents down.

"This is driving me crazy!"

Comet's eyes trembled as she looked at the documents thrown in the corner.

The strawberry cake was fantastic...

"C-calm down."

Comet's voice trembled slightly.

"I'm calm enough right now. Except that I stayed up all night!"

Dan Ga-yeon sucked on the coffee straw. The sound of gulping continued, and then there was a sound of air escaping. Only ice rattled in the empty coffee cup.

Dan Ga-yeon took off the coffee lid and took out a piece of ice with the straw and put it in her mouth.

Then she was startled.

"Ugh, cold."

Comet blinked as she watched.

Dan Ga-yeon closed her eyes tightly for a moment and chewed the ice. Then she swallowed and smiled awkwardly.

"Haha, I can't eat the ice. I was trying to cool down because I was angry... It's colder than I thought."

Comet smiled and opened her arms.

"I'll warm you up."

She wrapped her arms around Dan Ga-yeon's neck, who was sitting in her chair.

"Is it warm like this?"

"It is. Oh, is this the report?"

Dan Ga-yeon reacted to the report in her hand. Comet scratched her cheek with her empty hand. Making friends was harder than she thought.

"Yes, it's the report."

"Finally, we can search for the devices in Incheon!"

Dan Ga-yeon said, somewhat pleased. It was good news that the amount of work would increase, but she seemed happy regardless. Was this the fate of a working adult?

Comet pointed to herself.

"It's an achievement that I accomplished."

"You did a great job!"

Dan Ga-yeon grabbed her hand and her eyes sparkled.

Comet was somehow awkward when she affirmed it as if it were natural, so she avoided her gaze.

『Why are you avoiding it? The results are proving the good deed.』

Even if the Princess said that, it was still awkward.

"Now, if we analyze this, estimate the location, and find the Dungeon entrance, we can start the Incheon recapture operation."

Dan Ga-yeon made eye contact.

"You'll participate in the attack team, right?"

Comet smiled.

"Of course. It's something I have to do."

#

Comet returned to her room and sat in her chair. She rested her chin on her hand and fell into thought.

"I feel a little proud."

Comet smiled faintly and then muttered.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to feel this way."

『What is it?』

"I don't know... It's hard to answer."

Comet ran her hand across the desk. It was somewhat cool and somewhat smooth.

"I stood by when people died. I would do that even if time went back, and I will continue to do so in the future. But am I allowed to be thanked like this?"

『You did something to be thanked for, didn't you?』

"Is that really the case? I can save more people. Right now. How many people are suffering while I'm enjoying my leisure here? If I let those people know about my daily life, wouldn't they hate and resent me?"

『What are you dissatisfied with?』

"It's just... it feels strange. The world feels like it's gone somewhere wrong. Honestly, I should be in prison. I don't belong with these things."

『Good and evil are not black and white.』

"...It's difficult."

Comet lay down on the desk. The desk was still cool. As she rubbed her cheek against her arm, she suddenly smelled a floral fragrance.

Comet turned her gaze. She saw the flowers in the vase. It was a bouquet she had received at the ceremony. Slowly reaching out, she picked up a flower. It smelled nice as she brought it closer. She carefully touched the withered parts.

"This will eventually wither too, I suppose."

She put the flower back in the vase. The flowers swayed slightly.

In the silence, the phone rang.

Comet got up and took out her phone. When she checked the screen, it was an unknown name. If the contact was saved, it would be someone she knew, but it was someone she didn't recognize.

Comet searched her memory for a moment. Come to think of it, after rescuing the girl, her mother had visited to express her gratitude and left a business card. She was a researcher at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation, or something like that. Probably a researcher at the newly established magic-related research center in Seoul.

She answered the phone. There was nothing special. They exchanged simple greetings and she heard words of thanks for saving her daughter. After that, they exchanged small talk before the call ended.

Comet stared blankly at her phone.

Then, she stretched lightly with a smile.

"Haa! I hope lunch is delicious today. Even so, the cafeteria menu is too subtle."

『This body would also like to taste that subtlety.』

Comet ignored the Princess's words. Instead, she took out a blank sheet of paper and picked up a pen, searching her memory. The pen moved across the paper. Without a ruler, black lines were drawn a little crookedly.

『What are you drawing?』

"I was thinking a bit on the way home yesterday. Should non-Awakened people only be protected now? I don't know."

Black and white mingled to awkwardly complete a blueprint. Engineering builds weren't her major, but she had memorized the basic blueprints.

Comet took out a knife. Referring to the blueprint, she slowly modified the knife. She refined the more complex internal structure than before and gradually finished the exterior.

Holding the completed weapon, she separated the revolving magazine. She filled the empty magazine with Spiritual Power. As she turned the magazine back in, it clicked.

"Being powerless isn't very appealing, is it?"

The revolver was aimed straight ahead.

This is a weapon for Necromancers, but if the blueprint is improved, it can become a weapon that even people who don't know how to use Spiritual Power can use.

Well, isn't that right?

Everyone lives with a soul that they can freely use.

Using it only requires determination.

"They should be given a choice."

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