Nameless.
Certainly, the name was given in the meaning of ‘having no name,’ but still… a name is a name.
The name I gave that creature is ‘Nameless’ using the character for absence and the character for name.
“Isn’t it funny? The hero who left without a word, not even giving a name to the slave he collected, is celebrated in the world…”
Hearing this, I felt as if I had just been hit in the back of the head.
Did I not give him a name?
I was so baffled that I was about to say, “Nameless is your name,” just then.
“If we meet again, I want to ask you. Why did you do that to me? Then what was it when you patted my head? What was I to you? No, think about it. Isn’t it strange? Normally, if you pick up an orphaned child, wouldn’t you send them to a rich home or to an institution? The fact that someone who was wandering like a ghost took me away means they had at least some affection for me, right? And how could such a person leave without saying anything to me? Leaving a child who can’t even speak or understand alone, not caring what happens? Isn’t that really insane?”
“……”
But right after that, I had no choice but to become a mute with honey in my mouth due to Nameless’s lament, which resembled rap.
This is bad.
I was just about to reveal that I was your owner.
The moment I reveal that, I’d have to answer all of Nameless’s numerous questions.
Of course, if necessary, I would have to do it.
There’s no way I’m avoiding it.
In fact, on that day, the day I disappeared from this world, I had made no preparations regarding Nameless.
Rather than worry about Nameless, I had almost completely forgotten about him.
I feel terribly sorry.
I want to apologize right now, but…
‘This kid… isn’t ready to accept it yet.’
No matter how I look at it, Nameless isn’t asking for answers to those questions.
It’s not a question seeking a counterpart’s reply.
No matter what answer he gets, Nameless probably won’t be satisfied.
The flood of questions pouring out from Nameless was directed not at Yoo Jin but elsewhere.
This isn’t anger directed at the individual Yoo Jin.
It’s endless doubt about his own identity.
An unexplainable sense of alienation.
And the accumulated doubts about the source of his abilities.
All of it was just being poured out onto Yoo Jin, a punching bag who no longer exists in this world.
‘Did I say my memories before I disappeared were hazy?’
Maybe that’s the problem.
All my memories before I vanished are blurry.
What remained is just the result of me abandoning Nameless, leaving him with no choice but to resent me more than necessary.
The reality is that I bear a significant share of the responsibility, so I can’t even say anything and just become solemn.
‘Ah….’
At that moment, the image of the old Nameless appeared in front of me.
A quiet girl who couldn’t even talk, a skinny little thing.
When I patted her head, she would beam as if she owned the entire world out of sheer happiness.
And that little girl, who was eager to help me and receive praise…
“What’s wrong, mister? Are you hurt?”
“No…”
She has grown up like this now.
It might even be rude to call her a girl.
She’s a lady. A proper lady.
It’s only been three years, and yet, how did she grow up this much?
She had a peculiar body that could transform into a spider, so it wouldn’t have been strange for her growth rate to differ from regular humans.
Is it just her body that’s peculiar?
Even when she couldn’t speak properly, she knew how to handle souls.
Yet, paradoxically, she is someone who has no soul of her own, truly something beyond what words can describe.
For over three years, she has lived with that body.
Without anyone to explain anything to her.
Wandering alone in search of answers.
Thinking like this makes it seem not entirely wrong that all that anger is directed at me.
To Nameless, I’m practically someone akin to a father who abandoned him at a very young age to the point where he barely remembers my face.
It’s only natural that all the resentment is aimed at me.
I’m indeed a punching bag that would never return, one who would receive his rage for a lifetime…
“Let’s make a contract.”
“What kind of contract?”
“I’m in a position where I can’t be seen by people right now. So, there are a lot of troublesome things.”
“You’re in trouble? Isn’t it rather beneficial? You can steal food without paying for it.”
“You’re thinking quite simply….”
“I’m joking! Hehe. But if it were for the rest of my life like this, that would be a bit troublesome. So?”
“I need your help. Somehow your ability seems like it could provide a clue to resolve my current problem.”
All this time, I felt like something was lacking.
It felt like a part was missing.
But that missing part rolled right in front of me now.
A possessor of the ability to freely manipulate souls.
In fact, she even managed to conjure an illusion that closely resembles my inner world.
If she takes just one more step forward, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to create my inner world.
This girl is worth teaching.
“Hmm… then what do I get?”
“Your master. Somehow, I think I know that person well. Once everything is finished, I’ll introduce you to them.”
“……?”
In an instant, the atmosphere turned tense.
Nameless stared at me blankly, wide-eyed.
No, it would be more accurate to say she glared at me.
Startled by her look, the floating will-o’-the-wisps dimmed slightly while Mi Jeong lowered her stance, ready for battle.
“Are you… alive?”
After a long moment of silently twitching her lips, a trembling voice whispered.
Half suspicion, half disbelief.
And half hope.
It’s hard to tell if she wants me to be alive or if she hopes I’m dead.
“I’ll let you know after everything is over.”
“Wait! This is important for me! So first, tell me if you’re alive or dead—”
“It’s important to me too. You said it was a contract. If it could be solved so easily, I wouldn’t have made the proposal in the first place. So what are you going to do?”
“……”
Nameless, who clung to my sleeve and was shouting with excitement, fell silent.
I can’t carelessly reveal it.
I have no idea how Nameless would react if I let her know I’m Yoo Jin.
In the worst-case scenario, she might rip up the contract and declare she wouldn’t help me anymore.
Seeing that right now, Nameless is the only one who can restore my existence, I absolutely cannot do anything that might provoke a change in her attitude.
“That’s a lie, right? My sister Yerina said there are many con men in the world. She even talked about how a con man tried to trick Queen Palana by pretending to have a misfortune in Palana.”
“……”
That was me.
I was about to say something but gulped the words down.
“It’s a lie… isn’t it?”
“You decide that for yourself. I have no further information to spill.”
“……”
When I resolutely pulled my hand away, Nameless stood there, shaking.
Is she taking her time to contemplate?
No, it isn’t that.
The answer is already out.
“Okay… I’ll help you. Just let me know that helps me in some way. But if you’re lying to me, you’ll have to pay the price.”
We have no choice but to shake hands.
Nameless must know that I seem suspicious and foreign somehow.
And she feels the same.
It’s just that she can’t help but trust me, even if it’s a lie.
‘She’s still just a kid, after all.’
My desperation is much greater.
She has no idea that she holds the reins; it feels like a dog being pulled on a leash.
In truth, that leash isn’t even around her neck.
I’m glad Nameless is still young.
“If you lie, I’ll really kill you. You seem like someone who can do something, but if I give it my all, it might be a one-second job, you know?”
“Ha. That sounds terrifying.”
“You just laughed, didn’t you?!”
“I didn’t laugh.”
“Oh, you did! Let’s compete with our skills here?”
Nameless clenches her fist, getting riled up.
I really didn’t laugh at all.
I feel utterly bewildered.
“Forget it. No need for that.”
“Hmph. Ha. You seem scared, right? You’re scared you’ll lose, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m scared, so let’s just move on.”
“Ah! This is so annoying!!!”
“I can’t even agree with you without making a fuss…”
“You keep treating me like a kid!”
“It’s not like that, so let’s just go. Come on.”
“……Where are we going?”
“First, let’s grab a bite.”
“You’re buying it.”
“I was thinking of treating you to a meal anyway.”
“Ugh. Suddenly, that makes me feel bad. I’ll just buy it myself. I have a lot of money, you know.”
“Suit yourself.”
The first day of reuniting with Nameless, I learned one thing.
Nameless talks a lot.
Really, really a lot.
.
.
.
[……]
Clack, clack, tick. Click.
Long mechanical fingers tap away at a typewriter.
Completed documents pile neatly into a mechanical claw.
And then, the final page.
As the cover closes, a thud marks the stamp.
A stamp indicating Confidentiality Level: Military Secret is pressed onto the stack of documents, immediately whisked away into a thick vault.
This entire process took place inside a massive fortress where no human was present, and mechanical arms and gears moved in perfect harmony.
[Hmph. Hehehe. Hehehehe……]
Inside the fortress, somewhere, a hum could be heard.
The voice sounded very much like a human’s, but the occasional noise mixed in proved that the voice was mechanical.
The owner of the singing voice was a maid…
A maid who only had her upper body remaining.
Clack, clack. Click.
Her bony mechanical arm continued to tap at the typewriter.
Relentlessly.
And without a mistake.
Then, at a certain moment, a transmission came in.
“Linda. Erase all records from today. We need to classify them as military secrets and keep them in written documentation.”
[Yes. Understood.]
Responding cheerfully, her mechanical hand fell from the typewriter.
Her gaze shifted to the vault door, which opened, revealing a pile of documents being presented before her.
She covered the part stamped ‘Military Secret’ with ink and stamped over it with a different seal.
Top Secret.
It meant that the document contained confidential information that couldn’t be archived.
These documents are now subject to disposal.
[Hmph. Hehehe……]
But rather than throwing the pile into the furnace, her mechanical hand began to slowly leaf through each paper one by one.
Every letter, every word.
Her pupils moved rapidly, reading every single one without missing a piece.
Only after she had thoroughly read through the thick pile of documents did her mechanical hand throw the pile into the incinerator without a hint of regret.
[Mission complete~]
Once again, she successfully completed her mission without a mistake.
Without a mistake.
Yes. Without a mistake.
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