Thud! A thick cloud of dust dissipates.
Slowly, the interior of the underground passage begins to reveal itself.
The place that had looked relatively neat just moments ago was now a total wreck, thanks to a massive wall that had been thrown around.
Amidst the debris and fragments rolling around haphazardly, standing in the chaotic mess is a small girl and—
Silence…
Gulp. She gazes at a shard of wall that narrowly missed her.
Frozen in place, right there, is the figure of a monk.
Click!
“…Tch.”
The sound of a tongue clicking escapes from the girl’s mouth.
She despises being threatened, yet she can’t recklessly charge in when her family is involved.
Worn out by her helplessness, the girl flings a piece of the broken wall toward the monk as if venting her frustrations.
Scrape!
“…”
Nervous scratching. The girl scratches her head anxiously.
Of course, there was a chance that the monk was merely bluffing.
While it’s true she had reincarnated, that was a secret only she was aware of.
She had shared this secret with a few close companions she had traveled with for many years, but they had long since faded away with time.
Especially in this world, there surely weren’t any connections that would allow her previous and current selves to be seen as the same entity.
However, for some reason, the monk’s demeanor didn’t seem like that of a liar.
Most importantly, the fact that he reached out to her made it impossible to simply brush off this encounter as mere coincidence.
The girl didn’t want to leave to luck the chance of reuniting with old acquaintances after such a long time.
Thus, she decided to swallow her rising irritation and listen to what he had to say.
“So, what’s the business?”
Huff! With a voice tinged with annoyance, the girl spoke, prompting the monk to turn his face toward her.
Taking a deep breath, a slow exhale escaped him.
Soon, his calm voice flowed from his lips once again.
“I’ve mentioned this before, but I simply wish to have a conversation with you.”
“Sorry, but there’s only one way I know how to talk to a threat.”
“Could you, um, calm down a little? If something like before happened, I can’t guarantee my heart won’t go into shock.”
Glaring!
As she stared at him, he tapped the device on his chest.
His seemingly casual demeanor concealed the underlying threat in his actions.
“Just get to the point. Quickly.”
Snicker! The harmful intent in her tone dissipated like mist.
The oppressive air that had weighed down on her shoulders was lifted.
The monk, feeling the change in atmosphere, cleared his throat several times.
Then, he extended his hands toward the girl invitingly.
“Well then, let’s cut to the chase. Will you come with me?”
Pause…
“I… I know I may not look appealing right now. Although I mentioned your family to catch your attention, it was downright rude, and I completely understand if you feel upset.”
The monk exaggeratedly waved his hands about to lighten the mood.
However, the girl’s narrowed eyes showed no signs of softening.
It was only natural; from the moment he uttered the word “family,” her impression of him had already plummeted to the worst.
“But… you know, I find it hard to grasp.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if you still cherish your family so much, I’m curious why you’re not going to meet them.”
“Mind your own business. It has nothing to do with you.”
The girl felt like the monk was teasing her intentionally.
Even while shaking off his question with a prickly tone, she tried her best not to reveal any personal information.
“Really? Compared to what you left behind, I think it’s a trivial issue.”
Listening to his casually refuting voice, she widened her eyes in surprise, losing her composure.
“What—?”
Blink!
How? A question filled her mind.
After all, what he mentioned was a secret only she knew.
Of course, she knew a few methods to read people’s minds, but to her understanding, such methods would always be accompanied by a feeling of some sort.
“Who are you?”
“Oh dear, I apologize. It must be a sensitive topic. I tend to speak without thinking.”
“I asked who you are.”
“That’s a bit difficult to tell. At least, I can’t say until you promise to come with me.”
Silence…
“Oh, and please don’t misunderstand. This is not a threat. Even if you don’t come with me, I have no intention of harming your family, so please rest easy.”
With a wave of his hand, the monk tried to calm the girl, who was on high alert.
Naturally, that didn’t mean she could fully trust him.
However, his assurance about not harming her family did help suppress the rage bubbling inside her.
“But really, are you sure about this? Isn’t it the ground of your hometown, which you worked so hard to return to? Considering all the time and effort it took to get here… Being bound by that kind of organization wouldn’t make any sense.”
Once more, he began to probe into her sensitive issues.
Surely, he had a point.
The girl had come back to enjoy life in her hometown, not to be trapped in a laboratory.
“Even if I come out of there, there’s no particular reason for me to follow you.”
“Well, I guess. But isn’t that the same for the Management Office? Still, there must be a reason for you to stay there.”
“If you have something to say, just say it! Quit beating around the bush.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I usually engage in conversations like this quite often.”
Cough! He cleared his throat.
After a brief pause to collect himself, he finally started to address the main topic.
“Yes, I understand. It must be quite uncomfortable for you knowing strange things are lurking around your long-lost hometown. That’s why, despite their arrogance, they’re trying to control you for information, right?”
His words were indeed aimed at her.
It felt as if he had already seen through her inner thoughts.
Because of this, the girl appeared to be still feeling uneasy, but perhaps she thought to at least hear him out until the end, as she remained silent and listened.
“Of course, as a fellow human, your attitude is commendable. However, unfortunately, those above the Management Office are not so flexible. No matter what help they receive from you, upon realizing you’re human, they will attempt to bind you just because they hold power over you.”
He pointed to the bracelet-like device on her wrist.
It was a last resort to control abnormal phenomena in case of emergencies.
Thanks to Oliver’s consideration, it was originally secured around her neck and ankle, but now it only remained on her right arm.
Still, that device could be seen as an answer to how they perceived her.
“But we are different. We never considered we could control you. If you wish, we can ensure that meetings with your family can be arranged while avoiding their gaze. We are quite adept at such methods.”
“Hah.”
Despite the monk’s words, the girl couldn’t help but show a disinterested attitude.
She knew they had an obsessive level of control over her, yet it was under the pretext of acting for humanity’s sake.
Compared to that, she had a general idea of the monk’s reasons for wanting to take her away.
“What’s in it for you?”
“In it for us? Of course, there are benefits. If you come to us—”
With confidence, the monk answered the girl’s question.
She could easily predict his answer.
With an expression as if to say, “Go ahead and try,” she looked at him.
“We could achieve world peace!”
Thud! She froze in place, like a broken toy.
“What?”
“Oh, please don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean for you to raise a flag and conquer the world. We, too, have no interest in such politics.”
Responding to her incredulous expression, he waved his hands dismissively.
Normally, peace would ideally start with world unification.
Yet, judging by his demeanor, it appeared he wasn’t aiming for mere wordplay.
“What we desire is the same as you. A world where what they call abnormal phenomena no longer appear. That’s the goal we aim for.”
“Then why are you staying separate from those people?”
“That’s because we’ve taken somewhat different paths and have become entangled with various circumstances… Oh, but we pride ourselves on knowing those things much better than they do.”
Upon hearing his words, the girl fell into thought for a moment.
According to what she had just heard, their desire was to eliminate abnormal phenomena.
In contrast, the Management Office typically sought to secure such phenomena.
Considering that difference, it was indeed not odd that the monk opposed them.
“Simply put, when thinking of the scale of the organization and the size of the facilities, we may fall short compared to them. But what does that matter? Your existence alone would more than cover that sort of size.”
Of course, she understood the reason behind the Management Office’s relentless pursuit of securing abnormal phenomena.
But was that really what was important?
Perhaps they simply lacked sufficient power to confront those abnormal phenomena.
Above all, it seemed much more suitable for her disposition to smash things openly rather than deal cautiously with troublesome matters.
“Are you perhaps thinking of the connections you made there? A little advice: it’s best not to trust them too much. While it’s true there are quite good people there, the structure of the Management Office means that in the end, the rigid higher-ups will make all the decisions. If they know you have family, they might just strap explosives around them at once.”
As thoughts of Sophia filled her mind, the monk’s voice intruded.
She believed that people like Sophia or Oliver were indeed decent individuals.
Moreover, many researchers among them had treated her well.
But could she truly trust them?
Even if she spilled all her secrets to them, could she be certain that those in higher positions wouldn’t seize her vulnerabilities and attempt to control her?
Of course, there were ways to handle the situation.
As always, the solution would be to eliminate all the higher-ups.
But doing so would undoubtedly turn the entire Management Office against her.
She really didn’t want to commit the cruel act of exterminating those who worked diligently for humanity on the land of her long-lost hometown.
“There’s no need to be burdened by annoying secrets anymore. You don’t have to avoid family just because you’re afraid of others. You can live as you wish, go where you want, and meet whom you want… and according to the truth of the world we show you, act however you desire.”
So, in a way, this could be seen as an opportunity.
There wouldn’t even be a need to kill anyone; she could simply disappear.
It would be the chance to hunt down the monsters that disturb the world and blend in among the people.
“Let me ask you once more. Will you come with me?”
Reach! The monk extends his hand towards the girl.
His thick hand lay open wide.
The girl looked at that outstretched hand, pondering for a long time as she made her decision.
“I…”
Finally, after deciding on something,
She reached out her small hand toward him.
