The old halogen light, smeared with red paint, shook violently due to the impact.
– KWAANG! KWAANG!!
The loud and sudden explosion resonated throughout the building.
It sounded as if a massive tank was crushing the entire structure.
“…Shit, where are we?!”
“Over there!”
In the lower-class area of Neon City.
At a hideout of a certain scavenger organization.
The urgent voices of illegally hired mercenaries conveyed the gravity of the situation.
At the same time, thick smoke filled the room.
“…Tear gas!”
The mercenaries’ gear was top-notch.
They quickly lowered their tactical helmets and raised their filter masks. A mercenary who succeeded in quickly sealing off outside air lifted his head.
In that moment, a figure shot out of the smoke like lightning.
– KWAJIK.
A glowing golden line sliced through the darkness in a straight line.
“…Gah!”
The mercenary’s face caved in. He spun a couple of times in the air.
Shattered fragments of the broken visor scattered like dust in the air.
If it were an ordinary person, they would have been too stunned to act.
“……Shit!”
But the mercenary, who made a living from blood and gunpowder, raised his rifle without hesitation.
– ───!!
The ear-piercing gunshot echoed loudly in the confined space.
The smell of gunpowder filled the air.
The flames erupting from the gun’s muzzle reflected off the mercenary’s visor.
– TIK.
The rifle’s chamber opened.
He had run out of loaded bullets. Finally regaining composure, the mercenary slowly lowered his weapon.
He let out a weary laugh.
“…Ha, haha.”
Did I take too many pills?
Despite emptying the drum magazine in one go, the ‘blonde woman’ in front of him showed no signs of injury whatsoever.
The mercenary dropped his rifle. The melted barrel cover left residue on his hands.
“…Meteor─.”
– TAANG!
Before the mercenary could finish his sentence, the rifle held by Meteor, Catherine, fired.
Catherine, who caught the recoil of the rifle that could have been a meter long with just one hand, tossed it aside as if nothing had happened.
After all, it wasn’t even her gun.
It was the mercenary’s rifle that she had disarmed first. Catherine had managed to take the gun from the mercenary in that brief moment.
She casually surveyed her surroundings as if she were on a normal stroll.
“…Hmm.”
Even after handling the famous scavenger organization all by herself, not a speck of dust clung to her body.
And,
The sight of such Catherine filled the ordinary mercenary wizard, Nicholas, with fear.
The only thing keeping him alive was the fact that he hadn’t been discovered yet.
He held his breath, crammed into a small cleaning cabinet.
The damp moldy smell seeped into his lungs, but it was much better than smelling blood outside.
Nicholas desperately prayed to the god he had never sought in his life.
‘…Please, please, please……!’
The last mercenary that fell was done for. The scavengers who hired the mercenaries were probably all dead as well.
Of course, if we counted Nicholas, who was still hiding, you could say there was one left, but he had already lost all will to fight.
Nicholas brainwashed himself.
‘…The chances of being found are slim; I’ll be fine. Yeah.’
He had silenced the noises of his body with magic and activated the signal distortion device he had to prevent his biological signals from leaking out.
Nicholas’s ragged breath echoed in the dark, narrow cabinet. The spine pressed against the cabinet was already damp with cold sweat.
– TUBUK, TUBUK….
Catherine’s footsteps grew quieter and quieter.
It seemed she hadn’t discovered Nicholas.
‘…Am I alive?’
The teeth he had clenched felt like they were cracking, and he tasted a metallic tang as he smiled.
Nicholas thought he had barely survived and sighed in relief─.
“Uh? There’s one more person inside over there?”
“Really?”
─He could not.
It was due to Meteor’s fellow wizard.
Nicholas clamped his hands over his mouth. His mind turned blank with fear.
‘…W-Wait, we’re both wizards. Please let me go!’
However, Nicholas’s thoughts did not reach that wizard.
Meteor’s footsteps grew louder, little by little.
Getting closer, closer….
…….
The ordinary wizard, Nicholas, who recalled memories of that day long forgotten, trembled with fear throughout his body.
His pupils rolled back.
“U-Meteor…! HIIIK!!”
“Nicholas!!”
“Damn it, it’s the heart implant malfunctioning! Quick, call for paramedics!”
It was certainly no surprise that his consciousness faded away.
*
Oh, um….
A tiny mishap took place.
I watched the scene unfold flawlessly through Merlin’s hologram screen.
The panicked voices, the suddenly collapsed wizard clutching his chest, and the air ambulance dispatched by civilian medical services.
…….
For now, it wasn’t my fault.
It must be due to Catherine’s overwhelming infamy. Or perhaps they ran into each other by chance while solving a request.
Had I been in that person’s position, I would have reacted the same way. There’s a reason Catherine is nicknamed Meteor after all.
Even if only half of what happened in the game occurred in reality, it would be no surprise at Catherine’s infamy.
“Ahem.”
Clearing my throat lightly, I looked back at Merlin’s hologram screen.
Just a moment ago, it felt like a festival or party atmosphere, and now it was like a funeral home.
‘…Tsk tsk, to be this flustered over something so trivial. A wizard pursuing mysteries, I can’t even…’
Be quiet.
I rebuffed the great wizard’s words echoing in my mind and relayed my concern to Merlin.
“Is that person okay?”
At my words, Merlin, who regained his composure, turned to me.
[Ahh…, I see. I showed you something you shouldn’t have seen.]
Scratching his head, Merlin mumbled weakly. Though there was still some redness in his face, the effects of the alcohol had completely faded.
Then he explained to me on behalf of the wizard who had been taken away.
[Nicholas has had heart issues for a long time. …Hmm, but it’s unusual for him to have a fit like this.]
Isn’t it that he didn’t have a fit because the heart was bad, but rather because of ‘Meteor’? If we were to break down the ratios, over 90% was likely due to that.
“……”
But since the last words he uttered before collapsing were ‘U-Meteor…! HIIIK!!’, Merlin likely was well aware of that fact.
…I hope everyone else is fine?
I thought as I glanced toward the background of the screen where Merlin stood. Merlin waved his hands as if to say not to worry.
[That guy will be fine. He’ll be discharged soon and come back.]
No, that wasn’t what I was looking at, I was worried if someone else was going to be taken away too….
[By the way, what’s going on?]
“Ah.”
Caught up in the mood, I almost forgot the original business I had intended to discuss.
I scanned the area where Merlin was located. It looked like an ordinary ‘bar’, though not a public space.
It was difficult to discuss secretive topics like the market, spirits, or the security department.
Thus, I got straight to the point.
“I heard there’s a mana-powered power plant near the incinerator. I was wondering if you knew anything about it.”
[Oh…]
Merlin murmured in a curious voice as if it was the first time he was hearing this.
Great, Merlin didn’t know.
I hadn’t expected huge insights anyway. My second master wasn’t much different.
I promptly sought the help of the people around me.
“So, could you ask the others nearby instead?”
Fortunately, it seems my disrespect for my master didn’t reach Merlin.
Merlin turned around and shouted.
[Hey, you guys! Gather here for a moment.]
[W-Us…?]
[Do we really have to go?…]
Their response was slightly lackluster.
[Eh, just hurry up! What are you old folks so scared of?]
At Merlin’s angry voice, the two other wizards approached with hesitance.
[W-What? You just need to talk!] [W-What are you curious about?]
They were like Dumb and Dumber.
Considering how cautious they were, it seemed that while Merlin moonlighted as a bounty hunter, these two also did mercenary work on the side.
If not, there wouldn’t be a reason to be so cautious around me.
Having been born in a Confucian society, I first offered them a greeting.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Siwoon.”
…Hmm.
Was that too short?
To lighten the atmosphere, I added a bit more.
“If I’d known there was a wizard community like this, I would have liked to learn about it earlier. It’s a bit disappointing to find out only now.”
However,
Upon hearing my words, the two wizards flinched as if they had made a huge mistake.
[N-No! It’s not my fault. I suggested inviting you quickly, but Nicholas caused such a ruckus…!] [Yeah! We had mentioned it first! …Probably. It’s not because I’m the wizard who walks with Meteor that I didn’t contact you!]
…….
Regardless, I didn’t pay attention to their chatter and got to the point.
“The past stories are fine. I only have one question for you all.”
Then I directed my question towards the two wizards hiding at the edge of the screen.
“…Have you heard of a place called the mana power plant?”
[…….][…….]
Their reactions were different from how Merlin reacted earlier.
They seemed to know something.
I leaned forward slightly, trying to focus on what they had to say.
“Any little detail would be greatly appreciated.”
Somehow, their reactions felt a bit odd.
[Well…] [Heh heh.]
They added words as if they were ashamed.
[Another wizard had mentioned it before. I didn’t hear too many details about it, though.] [I think they asked for an expert’s opinion on mana, but I personally didn’t hear the specifics….]
Could it be because they were wizards?
Their tongues seemed a bit looser than usual.
I made the hologram screen a bit larger.
“Then, could you tell me who that wizard is? Or at least give me their contact information?”
[…Nicholas.]
“……Huh?”
Did I hear that wrong?
[That wizard… is the Nicholas who just got taken away.]
Ah.
*
Aiyoh, I’m done for, I’m done for.
I thought of myself as a comedian whose pot lid had just popped open during a cooking segment on a variety show.
The call with Merlin in the fourth-floor guest room ended without any gain whatsoever.
Well, to be exact, there was some gain.
However, asking the truth from a person who went into fits and was taken to the hospital at the mere mention of Meteor was a tall order.
I wouldn’t be surprised if his hospital room ended up in the emergency unit.
As I exhaled a sigh of despair, the elevator doors that had been waiting opened.
“What? You were here?”
There stood Catherine, the golden-haired childhood friend, Meteor, the cause of the wizard’s hospitalization, tilting her head at me.
“……”
“What’s with that face? Didn’t the conversation go well?”
I shook my head.
“No, it’s not like that. The famous ‘Meteor’ was worrying about me.”
“…?”
“Don’t worry about ‘Meteor’.”
“……?”
“So let’s go back up. 《Meteor─.”
I almost got hauled up by the collar.
Fortunately, after explaining the whole situation, I was able to break free from Catherine’s grip.
(Well, I was technically still caught.)
“…Was that all you were worried about?”
“Hey, but it was a clue. It could be related to Teddy and Dal, as I mentioned.”
“No, I meant that it was not about that.”
Catherine stared at me with her golden eyes.
“You could just go, so why are you looking for information?”
“……”
Huh?
Excuse me, my dear?
*
The next day, I was dragged to the power plant.
