Chapter: 205
[■■■■■!!]
The roar of a demonic beast echoed nearby.
I had an overwhelming feeling that it would charge into the alley where I was waiting at any moment, but there was no need to panic.
If I stayed calm and waited, the right timing would surely come.
And just as if to confirm that, Mei ran past where I was hiding and shouted.
“Scarlet! Now!”
At that moment, I leaned out of the alley, aimed, and fired.
Flames erupted from my prosthetic arm, which was ready to spit fire at any time, and the demonic beast that Mei had lured in was hit directly by the blaze, bursting into flames with a pitiful scream right in front of me.
This guy was probably the last one.
Muttering to myself, the illusion of the cityscape around us dissipated, revealing the gym.
Ms. Eve, who had been watching us finish our training, nodded and said.
“Yep, you passed! Always remember that even if you could take down an opponent in a head-to-head fight, choosing a safer method is always the right choice!”
“Yes,” Mei and I replied to Ms. Eve, who then looked at the kids with a proud smile and murmured.
“Wow, everyone has become quite skilled in dealing with demonic beasts! Looking back at when you first entered, it’s remarkable growth!”
“…Well, it’s only natural to get better from rolling around so much.”
Many kids smiled bitterly, perhaps resonating with someone’s deep sigh.
After all, since Yoon Si-woo’s appointment ceremony a few weeks ago, Ms. Eve had pushed us so hard in our training that it felt like before was just a joke.
But everyone followed the grueling training without complaint, as they must have felt something after the last incident.
They learned that unimaginable events could occur in a city where they had believed they were safe, just like when the demonic beasts invaded.
The kids probably felt a sense of crisis that they needed to do more to protect themselves and those around them.
Fortunately, the first years had been assigned to an area that was relatively safe during the demonic beast invasion, so there were no fatalities.
However, it was reported that several students from the 2nd and 3rd years had died fighting against the beasts.
So it was no wonder they were silently enduring the tougher training.
Even if Ms. Eve didn’t show it, we knew how much responsibility she felt about that incident.
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that the training was tough, and seeing the tired expressions on the kids, Ms. Eve smiled and said.
“Hehe, is that so? Well, anyway, everyone worked hard in today’s training! There’s a special lecture scheduled for the afternoon, so you won’t need to exert yourselves! So don’t worry and enjoy your lunch!”
At those words, some kids’ faces lit up.
Recently, the training had been so intense that there were times when a slip-up could lead to them regurgitating their lunch.
Hearing that today they wouldn’t be forced to diet, everyone left the gym with cheerful faces and headed to the restaurant.
As we sat down together with the kids and started eating after getting food, Jessie, who was sitting opposite us, opened her mouth.
“Oh! By the way, did you all see that broadcast yesterday? The one with Yoon Si-woo?”
Since I hadn’t watched it, it seemed Yoon Si-woo was on TV again.
I thought that must be it, but it seemed quite a few kids had watched the broadcast Jessie was talking about, as they started a lively conversation about it.
“I saw that! He was super cool!”
“He wiped out the demonic beasts in one go. I can’t believe we were in the same class!”
To be honest, in the past, I might have felt different, but these days I’ve gotten used to the kids chattering about Yoon Si-woo like that.
It’s a bit absurd, but it seems that the interview where he was on air turned out to be the moment when his popularity skyrocketed.
What he said apparently gave tremendous strength to people who were struggling.
Knowing that he was talking about me made me feel strange, but anyway, it was good that people had a positive image of him, so I decided to take it in a good way.
“Right? He was totally awesome! Sigh…”
As if to prove that popularity, there were quite a few fans of Yoon Si-woo among our classmates, with Jessie being the most devoted.
When she talked about him, she looked almost like a girl in love.
Well, I could understand why Jessie would feel that way.
Recently, he’d been chosen as the top hero boys would like to have as a boyfriend in some magazine survey.
Not only is he capable and handsome, but he also has a tragic family history that stirs maternal instincts, or so they say.
The problem is that Yoon Si-woo himself doesn’t seem to have much interest in girls.
Last time he came back from leave, I teased him about his popularity, showing him the survey results, and his face turned bright red as he insisted he didn’t need to worry about other girls.
On a mental level, I’d personally like him to get a girlfriend.
It’s infuriating because he’s capable of dating, yet he remains oblivious, and I know Jessie is having a deeply unrequited love upon realizing this.
So, feeling pity for her, I looked at her with sympathetic eyes when suddenly Jessie shouted in surprise.
“Ah! S-Scarlet, I didn’t mean it like that! Please don’t misunderstand! I admire Yoon Si-woo as a hero, not in a romantic way!”
I nodded in understanding at her frantic explanation.
It seems Jessie is still a girl at heart.
Seeing her panic, it was clear that she found it embarrassing for anyone to discover she liked Yoon Si-woo.
But I think she has a decent chance since someone like Jessie is cute enough to pull it off.
As I was lost in these thoughts, Mei murmured.
“By the way, did they say who is coming for the special lecture this afternoon?”
At Mei’s question, Florene, who had been stuffing her face far away, suddenly perked up and shouted.
“I know! Today, my grandpa is coming!”
“Really? Is Telos coming?”
At Florene’s words, the kids around cheered.
Telos Dolos, who had held the squad leader position for over half a century in the 2nd Squad currently headed by Yoon Si-woo, was indeed a living legend among heroes.
Hearing that such a figure would be visiting excited the kids, and Florene smiled brightly as always and said.
“He said he has something super important to do first, but he’ll be here soon!”
*
“Whoa… I thought my heart was going to shrink from anxiety.”
Joseph, the person in charge of the Magic Purification Facility, muttered to himself, wiping his chest with relief.
He had just experienced that when a person gets overly nervous, they can hardly breathe.
His legs were shaking uncontrollably, and understandably so; he wasn’t meeting just the president of the facility he worked at but his father as well.
But once he regained his composure, excitement set in.
Not only had he seen the legendary figure he had only heard tales of before, but he had also conversed with him.
He could still vividly recall the sensation of that enormous hand that had patted his shoulder, thanking him for all his hard work just before they parted.
“It’s even more amazing in person…! Would the kids be happy if I give them this?”
Joseph mumbled, looking at the paper he was holding.
It beautifully displayed the signature that he had timidly asked for on behalf of the kids.
The eldest, who adored heroes, would surely jump for joy, and the youngest, who didn’t understand much yet, would undoubtedly grow up to brag about receiving this treasure from today to his friends.
As he happily thought of the delighted kids while working overtime, Joseph’s expression suddenly hardened at a peculiar vibration he felt underfoot.
“What the… is this an earthquake?”
Joseph maintained his calm, albeit with slight tension.
His workplace was a crucial facility, equipped with the best seismic protection in the city, built to withstand major earthquakes.
Just as he was about to command the staff to stay put according to protocol, he spotted a crack appearing in the floor with a loud noise.
“What the hell… If the seismic protection is perfect…?”
Joseph grumbled, contemplating whether there had been shoddy construction, and just then, black smoke began seeping through the crack in the floor.
Being an expert in this field, he immediately recognized what it was.
It was miasma.
“Oh no… I need to take care of this…!”
Was it miasma that had leaked during processing?
In any case, it was a significant incident, but fortunately, the amount of miasma that had yet to be processed today wasn’t that large.
Thinking that he could manage it with the equipment inside the facility, Joseph was suddenly struck by a shocking sight.
As the miasma creeping out of the crack began to surge forth violently, what had started as a trickle turned into an all-out gush, flooding the space he stood in.
In an instant, the area was filled with miasma, making it hard to see.
Watching this scene, Joseph thought.
This makes no sense.
Even if he added up all the miasma in the facility, or even all that had been brought in today, it would be nowhere near this amount.
Where on earth did all this miasma come from…?
Just as he pondered, Joseph suddenly remembered something a boy had said during a facility tour he had previously attended.
“…Then something doesn’t add up.”
“I did a rough calculation based on that magic circle, so it seems about 10% of the miasma is remaining…”
Joseph thought.
If this is indeed the 10%…
When exactly did it start accumulating…?
Joseph recalled what he had studied to become the facility manager.
The history of a facility that had continued for over 300 years.
Throughout that time, the immense volume of miasma processed by this facility.
Even if it were just 10%, the amount would….
Unfortunately, Joseph’s thoughts didn’t linger for long.
There’s a well-known rule in this world.
In a place where the concentration of miasma is high, demonic beasts are born.
Joseph saw it.
He saw a gigantic beast being born, as large as the massive facility he had worked in.
Joseph saw it.
As the beast lifted its head, beyond the collapsed debris of the buildings, he saw the city where his children were.
Joseph saw the place the beast was heading towards.
“…The kids…”
Crack!
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