“Come to Demoninus?”
– Yeah.
Demoninus. The company that created Silia Online, and the subject of jokes about torturing aliens.
‘Huh…?’
…Isn’t there some truth to that?
Even if the actual owner is the god of Earth, what’s outwardly apparent is Edel, and in a way, I’m part of Demoninus too.
Both Edel and I aren’t from Earth, so calling us aliens isn’t entirely wrong.
Of course, they probably didn’t know that when they said it, and we’re not being tortured either.
But suddenly, why are they calling me to Demoninus?
– I’ll tell you the details when you come. It’s probably nothing big, but I’ll ask anyway. When can you come?
“…What do you mean by probably nothing big?”
– You’ve been cooped up all day with nothing to do.
“….”
Well, that’s not wrong, but it feels very strange.
“You said I couldn’t use my powers?”
– I never said you can’t use them at all. And this isn’t power, just simple insight.
“Good for you.”
– I know I’m good.
I felt a surge of bad feelings momentarily.
– So when are you coming?
I missed my timing with Edel’s comment coming in first.
“Let’s just go today.”
Just as Edel said, since I have nothing to do, I might as well take a walk and go.
The call ended with my agreeing, and I handed the phone back to Da-eun.
Da-eun seemed like she’d been waiting and asked.
“Are you going to Demoninus?”
“Yeah. They said they have something to talk about.”
Since they went out of their way to call me, it’s probably work-related.
Trying to suppress my reluctance, I sluggishly got to my feet.
“Do you want to go with me, Da-eun?”
“I’d love to, but… sorry, I have work today, so it might be tough.”
“Not like you need to apologize.”
“I have a schedule tomorrow… But I think I could go the day after. How about postponing it?”
“Hmm.”
Nod, nod.
“You already said you’d go today.”
I don’t want to linger around either.
Since I usually went out with Da-eun, going alone feels a bit odd.
It’s just strange; it’s not like I’m anxious or scared.
I’m not a kid; surely I won’t feel that way.
Unlike me, Da-eun has her own work, so I can’t throw a tantrum or feel like putting it off; I have to go alone.
Saying that made Da-eun look proud of me.
She had the face of a mother seeing her child going on an errand alone for the first time.
‘I really want to kick her.’
Does Da-eun know that I’m thinking this?
She must not, or else she wouldn’t have that expression on her face, right?
“Our Kana has grown up… This sister has no more regrets…”
“You had to say that, huh?”
If there are no regrets, there would be no resentment either.
Thump!
“Ow!”
Da-eun grabbed her shins and plopped down.
Looking down at her, who was beneath me, I snorted.
“That wasn’t even a hard kick, you’re just being dramatic.”
“What, you didn’t know that surprise attacks deal 1.5 times the damage?”
“Yeah, that’s a fair point.”
“See?”
“It’s easier to slash when you catch the enemy off guard.”
“…I wasn’t looking for such a grim conversation.”
Da-eun mumbled with a sour tone.
Then she subtly changed the subject.
“By the way, do you know where Demoninus is? How to get there?”
“Isn’t it just a matter of taking a car?”
“Do you even know how to get into a car?”
“….”
You just open the door and get in, right?
…But I realized that wasn’t what she meant, so I zipped my lips.
Straightening her bent legs, Da-eun found her original eye level and looked down at me.
Feeling the pressure of her gaze, I instinctively took a step back, realizing I had shrunk in on myself.
…Did I just get intimidated by Da-eun?
“Come over and sit down.”
“…Okay.”
Without any pride left to spare, I obediently sat on the sofa as Da-eun instructed.
Confirming that I was seated, she spoke in a mock-serious tone.
“From now on, I will begin the lecture.”
“A lecture?”
“It’s a lecture on how to safely let Kana go out and return. It’s a mandatory class, so pay attention!”
“….”
Da-eun pulled out a pair of glasses from somewhere and put them on her face.
Seriously, what’s next?
While I was thinking that, Da-eun’s lecture began.
*
There’s a saying, “Waiting one moment is like three autumns.”
It means that waiting for something makes even a short time feel incredibly long.
“I got it, so can we stop now….”
And I had just barely passed through six autumns.
Looking at the clock, I felt like six autumns had gone by even though not much time had passed.
It was truly a bizarre thing.
Of course, it was because I desperately wished for the lecture to finish.
Slumped on the sofa, I waved the white flag.
“Alright. Let’s do a final check. How do we get to Demoninus?”
“We can take the bus, but we’d have to transfer along the way, so we should take a taxi instead….”
“And how do we return?”
“We can take a taxi back, or if it’s late, I could ask Da-eun to pick me up….”
“What if a stranger offers you candy?”
“Just accept it and eat…. Wait a minute. I didn’t say that.”
Unconsciously answering and then sensing the weirdness, I shot her a glare, and Da-eun looked back at me with a disapproving gaze.
“This is common sense that you should know without me saying! No, this won’t do, I need to give you more lectures….”
“I really have to do this…”
“Stop saying such awful things.”
Honestly, I’d rather just dash out than sit through that boring lecture again.
Who cares if they find out my true identity?
“…Was it really that boring?”
“Yeah. Seriously.”
“I thought I was doing a decent job explaining.”
Hmph.
Well… excluding personal feelings, Da-eun’s explanation wasn’t that bad objectively.
After all, it did stick in my head.
It’s just that her tone and voice were all soft and sweet, like talking to a kid, which made it a bit tedious.
Thinking about it, I’ve hardly ever sat still and listened like that.
Anyway, I don’t want to hear more.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Wait a second. Should I call a taxi for you?”
“You can call one?”
“Of course. In this day and age, it’s quicker to find something that works. Plus, if you call, you won’t even need to pay when you get out, making it super convenient.”
“…Then why did you explain everything to me?”
“…”
You didn’t even need to tell me how to pay with a card or how to hail a taxi.
“…Ah!”
After rolling around for a while, her shifting gaze finally settled.
“You can’t just think about leaving! You should consider coming back too! Kana still doesn’t know how to call a taxi.”
“Oh…”
“Hehe.”
“It wasn’t bad for improvisation.”
If she had answered right away, it would have been one thing, but after showing she’s flustered, there was no way she’d convince me.
“Oops…!”
That’s enough banter for now. If we go on, I really might not get home until dinner.
I said I wanted galbi for dinner.
“Wait a second!”
“No.”
“I’m serious, just a sec! Take this!”
“…?”
In her hand was a small, oval-shaped, pink object that was slightly bigger than a palm.
As I went to press the raised center, Da-eun stopped me.
“Don’t press that right now.”
“What is this?”
“Um… it’s a self-defense tool. If a dangerous situation arises, just press the button in the middle.”
“This tiny thing is a self-defense tool?”
That’s not what I think of as self-defense gear.
It’s not a sword or spear or even a club—how do you defend yourself with this little thing?
“…We agreed that those things are called weapons, not self-defense tools. Anyway, if a suspicious person approaches or something dangerous happens, press it, okay?”
“Got it.”
I’m not expecting a situation like that, but since she gave it to me, I might as well accept it.
I really didn’t have time to waste and headed out.
Instead of holding me back, Da-eun waved me off as I got into the taxi.
“Thank you, driver!”
“Don’t worry; I’ll get you there safely, so hold on tight!”
But really, do we even need a driver with how well the auto-driving feature works?
Is a knight really needed if everything’s already set up?
I had a brief moment of doubt, but I shrugged it off.
It probably has to do with the fact that a person’s hand might be required, as I heard last time.
The taxi smoothly cruised through the city.
“Isn’t the weather nice these days?”
“….”
“That person from earlier must be your sister?”
“Yeah….”
The driver tried to engage in conversation a few times while driving, but as I responded with silence or short answers, his chatter gradually dwindled until it became completely quiet.
The driver might find the silence awkward, but this atmosphere is more comfortable for me.
Leaning back casually, I indulged in the scenery outside.
After a while, the taxi stopped in front of Demoninus.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
Nod.
I bowed my head and got out of the car.
Even though I’ve been here for a few days, this is the first time seeing it like this.
As I looked up at the buildings, my neck started to ache.
No matter how you look at it, these buildings are just too tall.
I know they had no choice but to live crammed together on this small piece of land, but looking up like this makes me feel overwhelmed.
But…
Where should I go now?
I racked my brain, but all I remembered was to come to Demoninus; I never heard anywhere specific in Demoninus I was supposed to go.
Fortunately, my dilemma was easily resolved.
While I stood in front of the building pondering, a man approached me.
“This way.”
He had a face I’d never seen before.
But feeling the familiar aura flowing from him, I quietly followed his lead.
We entered through the emergency exit at the back of the building instead of the main entrance….
Anyway, after moving through various paths—
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah. Long time.”
Before I knew it, Edel was right in front of me.
After bowing to her, who looked like she had finished her duties, I gestured towards the man’s retreating figure.
“Who is that?”
“Angel, or maybe a lion. Call him whatever you like.”
“I’ve never seen him.”
“That’s because you haven’t. He’s been around for a while.”
Edel, immersed in her paperwork while I stood like a statue, stamped a document.
Once she cleared the stamped document to the side, she finally looked up.
“Huh—”
She tilted her head this time.
“Why are you hanging that?”
“Huh?”
“The thing hanging from your pocket.”
“This? Da-eun gave it to me. It’s supposed to be a self-defense item.”
“…self-defense item?”
Edel muttered as if she saw something bizarre and shrugged her shoulders.
“Oh, I see.”
“…What is it?”
“Nothing much. It’s a self-defense item…. But that’s true.”
I sensed something fishy and kept probing, but Edel just wouldn’t answer.
There’s definitely something going on….
It reeks really bad.
‘This won’t do.’
As soon as I get home, I need to interrogate Da-eun.
With that resolve, I pushed my curiosity to the back of my mind for a moment.
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