"The village... it's all gone."
"...there's nothing we can do."
Three months have passed since the Brass Ox attacked. The shock has been patched, but the villagers' fear remains.
"Let's leave before that monster returns!"
"Right. No more hunting or anything!"
Hunter after hunter trickled out, and after a few media reports the village got loud then fell silent. When everyone left, there was nothing more to say.
"At least the bus isn't crowded."
"Yeah... at least we can travel in peace."
"Still, they have a school just for Resolvers..."
I pulled out the student ID Meursault had given us.
Resolver Vocational Primary School, Grade 5: Kim Ji-Hoon, Race: [Liberi].
"Kim Ji-Hoon... I must revere this name..."
I don't know why, but it demands reverence.
"What about me? I-Hese? Is that a foreign name or Danguk name...?"
"By the hair color you're clearly mixed-blood."
"You can't judge mixed heritage by hair color!"
Right, this is Terra. Hair comes in every color. Besides, my hair's like a black-and-white Oreo.
"Anyway, what kind of school is this Resolver Academy?"
"You didn't hear from Meursault?"
"No, I was daydreaming while you were talking."
"You really...!"
Too bad... I was just so sleepy...?
"Sigh... It's a school that specializes in training people who take on missions for others, just like us."
"Insane. A mercenary school."
Apparently the school with our names has already been closed, so it's perfect for us to keep our identities hidden.
"Wake me when we arrive. I need to catch up on sleep. Thanks to this hat you can sleep comfortably, I guess."
Meursault had begged me to keep the hat on. In this heat, I don't know why...
"What about me?!"
"You sleep too. Good night!"
"...Wake...up...get...up!"
"Ugh? Sigh... ow... ow! You can't sleep on a bus... you'll ruin a child's spine..."
"Let's get off. The driver's gonna be mad..."
Sure enough, the bald guy's head was turning red.
"Thanks."
"Th...thank you for the ride!"
We fled the bus and finally saw the cityscape.
"Hmm... a city is definitely nice."
If the village ahead was a mix of the Joseon era and 1980s countryside, the city blended Joseon architecture with modern society.
And of course, this isn't Earth but Terra—people here have ears or tails.
"I see a lot of Felines and Ursus."
"Danguk considers Felines and Ursus its founding races. Next come us Liberi, and a few Egir are mixed in as well."
"Really? You know your stuff."
"I studied before coming."
"Huh? You're not from here?"
"I'm from Karan. That's why it's so hot..."
Karan is where God☆Eunjae's True Silver Punch resides, right?
"Really? You came from that far away."
"Well... I had my reasons."
I suppose there must have been a reason to come so far. I won't pry.
"Anyway, now the question is where to find that guy... Should we start poking around the back alleys?"
"I'm not sure... Since he's said to target students, we should check near the school."
School. What do schools look like here? The only students I've seen in-game were Jima, Rosa, Goom—all from Ursus—and it was depressing enough.
"I'm kind of looking forward to it. A school."
Faust and Lee Sang are teaching the basics, but Sinclair isn't studying?
"Aren't you studying?"
"I am. Believe it or not, I've already mastered Letanyen."
"What? Really?"
Letanyen. The home country of Arts and based on German-speaking nations in the real world. Faust is from there too. The Sword Sect is surprisingly a multinational group here.
"You're from Karan and quite the elite yourself~"
Karan is one of the most isolationist nations in Terra, so unless you're from a noble family or work in translation, you wouldn't get that kind of education.
"Hey look over there! L-let's go!"
"...Okay."
I must have stirred up something wrong. The moment Sinclair abruptly changed the subject and hurried away, I saw hesitation, fear, and utter despair in his pupils.
'Someday I'll hear it straight from his lips.'
Yeah. That's best.
"Oh... looks like a busker."
"Yeah. They even have this here."
It really feels like cultural life. Is this place like a metropolitan city back on Korea?
"By the way, those people are carrying weapons."
"They're Resolvers. Naturally, they can't go on a mission without them."
"Then why do we have to hide ours!"
Our swords are wrapped in cloth and stored in our instrument cases. Life's not fair.
"Well, if our blade gets found by the trackers, we're in trouble."
True. We're the ones being hunted. Still, I can't use just any sword. The one issued by the Sword Sect acts like a staff for the Casters to channel their Arts. It's the most suitable weapon to carry our will into an attack.
"Ugh... I'm hungry..."
"It's already lunch time. We should eat soon."
Right, mission after meal. You gotta eat something to survive.
"In that spirit, let's find a restaurant first."
"Yeah. Otis isn't here, so a little snacking should be fine, right...?"
"Absolutely! If she were here, she'd be lecturing, 'Kids, you shouldn't eat this, what about your health~'"
"Haha! What's that all about. Still, you sure act like her."
"Achoo! Is that a cold... ?"
"Are you okay? Have some tea. It might help warm you up."
"Thanks—what are you, Don Quixote."
"Heh~ I'm just worried about you and both Sinclair and Baekhyun! I know everything!"
"Puhaha!! Nonsense!"
"You're not being honest, Otis."
"Ahem... I was just thinking about our future."
"Indeed. This time was dangerous, especially that Wakashu fellow."
"Yes. It seems the [Black Cloud Society] has been promoting high-level cadres recently."
"...And yet you sent the children?"
"Don't worry. In a backwater like this, their reach is limited. The trackers will still be in the south."
"Right. More importantly, the two children's growth rate has outpaced even my expectations."
"I admit it. They might soon surpass you, Don Quixote."
"Then I must redouble my efforts!"
"Focus on the Black Cloud Society instead. Do you remember that incident?"
"I do remember."
My memory returns to a spring night three months ago.SjJjYWlpTnVsbTZ0ZmNEY05Fc3FlUjNMcjA5Mm5CQi9MTzJEVHNFdFllcUhpTkpodmJyTytFRFErV09QWEJ4MQ