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“In the fitness center, the door swung open.

A terrorist aiming a revolver stepped inside and scanned the area, while a terrorist with a shotgun awkwardly followed his colleague into the store.

“Is that guy here?”

“No. He’s not.”

“Ah, damn. My heart’s racing…. Let’s take a short break.”

With the answer from his comrade seemingly easing his tension, the terrorist lowered his shotgun and plopped down on an exercise machine.

He sighed and glanced at his sweating colleague, shoving his revolver into its holster.

“Hey.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“That detective you talked about with the teacher. Do we have to keep him alive?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he killed our kids. From their reactions, it seems like they won’t just let him go. I was wondering if we should just take care of him if we’re going to kill him anyway.”

The terrorist, with his hand on his pistol holster, trailed off.

The terrorist sitting on the exercise machine, grasping his shotgun, glanced at his comrade and rose from his seat, leaving the gun against the wall.

“I get where you’re coming from, but it’s the doctor’s decision, right? When have we ever followed the teacher’s advice and it turned out badly?”

“Right. Never…”

“Remember last time when those adventurers tried to rip us off with potions? The teacher stopped that. And when your leg got hurt, he was the one who treated you before it could get worse. Morrian always came back injured, and he managed to heal all his scars. Right?”

“Yeah. I know. I just… sigh. I don’t know.”

“If we get through this, we won’t have to worry about dying anymore. You can live with your wife and kids. You have citizenship, you know.”

“I do, but my wife and kids don’t. They’re from No Man’s Land.”

“If everything goes well, they’ll get their citizenship, so you can send the kids to school and take them to the hospital. It’ll all be sorted out. You know that, right?”

“Ugh…”

The terrorist nodded.

“If we can just negotiate with the government, everything will turn out fine. The doctor didn’t have to come here, but he came to help us. Let’s just try to trust him.”

“I trust the doctor, but I can’t trust that merchant. I mean, where does he even get that ominous stuff to sell…?”

“It’s a bit concerning, but the effects are solid, right? Let’s not worry too much. But is there no water here?”

“Oh, there’s one. A water cooler.”

With his comrade’s gesture leading him to see the water cooler, the terrorist smiled. He left the shotgun behind and walked over to it with heavy steps.

“Wow. This is great. I almost died drinking tainted river water. This water is clean, so it’s nice.”

“Of course. It’s Abas. Being the capital, that’s how it is. In the empire, they still have wells in the countryside.”

“We have wells too, so what? Aren’t you going to drink?”

“No desire.”

The terrorist splashed water on his face from the cooler and drank from his leather water bottle.

He stuffed the blood-stained towel into his pocket and wrapped a new towel around the blade, approaching the comrade from behind.

As the terrorist was drinking, he asked, “Evgeny, you really won’t drink? It’s clean water; it’d be good to have some now…”

I seized the terrorist’s neck and kicked his knee out. The joint buckled, and he dropped to the ground in an instant.

Quickly, I grabbed his jaw, twisted it left, and swiftly stabbed at the slope inside his collarbone.

And then I twisted.

“Cough…!”

A short, dying gasp echoed through the fitness center. The blade that plunged into his collarbone had cleanly severed his airway.

The arm of the terrorist, who had tried to grab my head, went limp and fell.

I pulled out the knife that had sliced through his airway, covered his neck with the blood-soaked towel, and moved the two bodies deep into a place where they wouldn’t be discovered.

Thus, the fitness center, which had been bustling with three people, fell silent once more.

As if nothing had happened.

Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

A few minutes earlier.

We had taken position in a store located on a high floor. The view was fantastic, encompassing the atrium and the entire first floor down below.

Four customers had arrived, so one would think a staff member would greet them pleasantly, but sadly, the staff was missing. They were probably either captured by the terrorists or hiding somewhere.

I glanced over the friends gathered around the table one by one.

Lucia was burning an incense to mask the smell. Francesca was sitting cross-legged, leaning her sword against her and sipping on a drink. Camila was fiddling with the pistol I had given her. Was she feeling uneasy?

“Why do you keep messing with the gun? Aren’t you worried it might accidentally go off and hit someone?”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that…”

Camila hurriedly drew her hand from the gun, stumbling over her words. She seemed to start an excuse but nervously halted, slightly bowing her head.

Francesca, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke, resting her hand on her neck tiredly.

“Colonel, what will you do now…?”

“We need to find a way out.”

“Hmmm…”

Francesca sipped her drink, pondering.

“The terrorists have seized the department store, and a black veil presumably using dark magic is blocking any contact with the outside. How can we escape…?”

“…”

“Do you happen to have any plans?”

“Well, there are a couple.”

I placed my hand on the notepad and leaned forward.

“There are two pathways for how we can exit. To be precise, they’re not exactly exit methods but rather options for you to choose from to get out.”

“What kind of options are those?”

At Francesca’s question, I held up my fingers one by one.

“First, we seek external help to find an exit. Second, we neutralize some kind of cargo that should be somewhere in the store and escape on our own.”

“…”

“The former assumes there’s a functioning communication network, while the latter requires a premise that the cargo is indeed linked to dark magic.”

Just then, someone tentatively raised a hand. It was Lucia.

“What do you mean by a functioning communication network? Neither mobile phones nor payphones are working right now.”

That answer was something I didn’t need to provide. I slipped my recording device behind me and pressed play.

A crackle, followed by the sound of a tape rolling, filled the air. Moments later, a conversation between two terrorists began to play.

[…Does anyone have the radios?]

[Um… The guys in the broadcast room have one, and we have one… Oh! We gave one to the guys who went outside earlier. Two in total.]

“What’s this?”

“It’s a conversation between the terrorists.”

“Is a radio supposed to operate like this…?”

As Lucia and Francesca tilted their heads in confusion, I held the confiscated radio.

“The types of communications can be broadly categorized into three: simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex. Simplex only allows you to receive transmissions;”

In simple terms, it’s just like a radio. You can listen to transmissions from a broadcasting station, but you can’t send anything back.

“Most commonly used radios operate on half-duplex, meaning one person speaks while the other cannot interrupt. This method is often used by military and police. In contrast, full-duplex allows conversations to happen simultaneously, much like a mobile phone.”

I shook the radio I took from the terrorists.

“This radio operates on full-duplex. It was created by an Abas company for adventurers or hunters entering No Man’s Land; legal regulations state that private communication devices allowed into No Man’s Land must use the full-duplex method.”

“That sounds like an expensive device.”

“What can we do, Saint? We can’t skimp on life when it comes to operating costs…”

Lucia examined the radio while stroking her chin, and Francesca chuckled, responding to her mumbling.

“From the conversation, it appears a place called the broadcast room was mentioned. Given there are only four radios, it suggests there are fewer radios than the number of terrorists, indicating many of them aren’t familiar with using radios. Even though there are speakers of Abas, they’re communicating in Kien, which hints that the terrorists are most likely from the empire or living closely in No Man’s Land. But that’s not what’s important right now.”

What mattered was the broadcast room.

“One of the terrorists I spoke with mentioned they’re negotiating with the government. It’s assumed that the broadcast room has some form of communication equipment still operational.”

Of course, the fact that the terrorists seem to be divided into at least two groups, each with a radio, was clear from their conversation, but I didn’t elaborate on that.

At this point, Camila, who had been quietly listening, joined the conversation.

“…Can we really trust the terrorists?”

“Of course not. But if they’re talkative, that might be a different story.”

Information officers always favor those who talk too much. They spill information without even realizing it while flapping their tongues. Whether it’s lies or truth doesn’t matter.

The crux of the matter is recognizing that the other party is continuously leaking information. That’s what truly counts.

“The terrorists claimed to have majored in emergency medicine at Sezynov University. As both the saint and the administrator would know, there are different languages used per social class in the empire, right? The intonations and words are distinct.”

This is similar to the situation in England.

If it were the normal Camila, she would have pointed out that this is just like England by now, but perhaps mindful of Lucia and Francesca, she held her tongue.

“Given they’ve likely struggled in lower classes, they used vocabulary and intonations commonplace there, but people naturally revert to their original speech patterns when excited. And when the terrorist explained their motives for the attack, traces of a middle-class accent became prominent in his speech.”

“Oh, right. Their tone did change a bit.”

“The terrorist using a middle-class accent was also proficient in foreign languages. Since the Kien Empire doesn’t teach Abas in its academy’s regular curriculum, it’s presumed he learned it in college. If he knows the service term for military doctors is three years, it’s likely he served twenty years ago. Since the current service term has been reduced by half a year. While I can’t speak for medical schools, at least the terrorist I spoke with likely holds a Bachelor’s degree.”

“Then, that means the broadcast room really does have a way to contact the outside?”

“Indeed. That’s how it seems for now.”

“Where exactly is that?”

Camila asked with sparkling blue eyes.

“According to the Abas city laws and building codes, multi-use facilities like department stores must have a situation room for safety management. I believe that’s what they might be referring to, but I’m not certain of its location either.”

“You really don’t know? That’s the most important part!”

“This building was constructed before the law was amended…. I’m not a lawyer, and how would I know old regulations….”

“Gyaaah…!”

Camila shrieked, knocking her head against the table. She had clearly lost it. Maybe she’s finally gone insane.

I wedged my hand between her forehead and the table of her half-dazed state, glancing at Lucia and Francesca.

“What will you two do? Will you search for the situation room, or look for the cargo?”

“Can’t we do both? Is it really necessary to choose just one…?”

“I’m afraid not, saint. One of the Abas government’s counter-terrorism principles is to sever communications, magic, electricity, water, and gas. If the terrorist situation drags on, being isolated will deter them from taking aggressive actions. The government might keep the broadcasts alive, but we can’t know their intentions. Moreover, it’s dangerous if we disperse personnel here.”

As Lucia wore a bitter smile, acknowledging, Francesca leaned back in her chair, lightly shaking her legs.

“How about we just hold out? The terrorists must be far fewer in number than the hostages, and one of them is injured, making it harder for them to move. The government won’t just let the terrorists seize the department store indefinitely.”

I shook my head at the suggestion.

“The likelihood of the terrorist discovering us before the counter-terrorism unit even arrives is overwhelmingly high. More than anything, the government won’t deploy force until they understand the internal structure of the department store and ascertain the size of the terrorist group and the location of the hostages.”

“Why’s that?”

“If a terror attack occurred right in the heart of the capital, all sorts of journalists would flock here. What would happen if we recklessly deployed the counter-terrorism unit and a hostage got killed?”

“I see. It was a political reason.”

Francesca nodded in agreement, just like Lucia. In fact, having Lucia, Francesca, or Camila captured as hostages would be a massive disaster for the government too. Whether they succeed or fail in the rescue, they would inevitably face criticism for not anticipating a terror attack in the capital.

Maybe the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are more anxious than we are, stuck in that department store.

The government likely hasn’t even grasped the situation yet, so we need to find a way out ourselves.

As I continued to think about my plan, I tossed out a question, clutching at straws. After all, isn’t there a saying about collective intelligence? You never know.

“Do you have any good ideas, Saint and Administrator?”

Of course, their responses were just as I had anticipated.

“No… I’m a magician.”

“I don’t have any particularly bright ideas either…”

What a bunch of useless individuals. It’s my fault for expecting anything. I shouldn’t work on group projects with them in the future.

I sighed deeply and lowered my head.

“Well then, let’s do this. We split up and move. I’ll search for the cargo, and you all look for the situation room.”

“…Will that really work?”

“What could possibly go wrong?”

As long as we head towards Seoul, it doesn’t matter where we go; we just need to find a way out.

“Just in time, we have someone here to help.”

I placed my hand on Camila’s shoulder, who was thumping her head repeatedly. She flinched! Camila shuddered and slowly lifted her head, wearing a dazed expression.

“Me…?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, seriously…”

*

“We’ve completed the search of the first and second floors. Nothing unusual was found, and no one has been discovered so far.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, sir. There’s nothing in sight.”

The middle-aged former doctor looked perplexedly at the terrorist. The burly terrorist gradually avoided the doctor’s gaze and lowered his head.

“Are you absolutely sure about this?”

“I’m sorry, sir. But there really was nothing.”

“That’s not… I’m not doubting you, Marco.”

The doctor patted Marco, the terrorist’s shoulder. Even with the doctor’s reassuring touch, Marco couldn’t bring himself to meet his eyes.

“How many have returned? It doesn’t seem like everyone is here.”

“Most have returned, but Evgeny and Muhammad have not come back yet.”

“I see. So it was Evgeny and Muhammad… No wonder I hadn’t seen them around.”

Nodding, the doctor stroked his thick beard lost in thought.

Evgeny, who came from the Empire, was a young man with exceptional shooting skills, often going hunting for long distances. Muhammad, who had been kicked out for illegally staying while trying to earn money abroad, was also a strong young man. They communicated well since Muhammad understood Kien language.

The doctor recalled vividly that he had a good relationship with Muhammad, often sharing meals at Evgeny’s house, and initiated the conversation.

“Where were those two supposed to go?”

“They said they’d check the furthest point and return, but… you know Evgeny’s personality, right? He’s always the type to wander off further than he says.”

“Indeed. He often spends the night out as well.”

“They’ll be fine. With Evgeny and Muhammad, no matter where they are tossed, they’ll manage well.”

Nodding in agreement with Marco’s words, the doctor watched as the terrorists returned from searching the first and second floors and regrouped to plan the search of the remaining floors. The fact that two were missing changed the plan to only searching the third floor, but there was no major problem.

Just when Marco was discussing the structure of the department store with the doctor to flesh out a concrete plan, someone shouted loudly from a distance, near the entrance.

“Hey, Marco! Lucas! Come out now!”

“What’s going on, Visar? You’re not calling us out for something weird again, are you?”

“I found a suspicious person here!”

“…A person?”

Just as Marco mumbled and attempted to move, the doctor dashed out towards the entrance.

He pushed through the throngs of people, quickly finding Visar, the terrorist.

“Who is it? Is it that detective?”

“No, sir! It’s not a man, it’s a woman!”

“…What? What do you mean?”

The doctor stared blankly at the girl that Visar had captured. She had red hair and blue eyes, sweating profusely, looking around nervously.

The middle-aged doctor and the terrorists stared at the girl their colleague had found, unable to speak a word.

In the suffocating silence, one terrorist awkwardly asked in Kien language.

“…Visar. Girl. Where did you find her?”

“She was just wandering around! I found her hiding behind the flower bed.”

“A very foolish choice. A bothersome girl. Doctor, please examine her.”

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary…”

As the panicked terrorists murmured around the girl, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Huh!” It was a fox beastman.

The terrorists all turned their heads towards Morrian. The fox beastman groaned, wrapped in bandages, struggling to prop himself up on his arms.

“I know that girl! I saw her earlier!”

“…Morrian, what’s with ‘girl’? Please use proper language.”

“That’s not important, sir! She’s the one who was with that black guy!”

“Black guy…? Do you mean he has black hair?”

“He was the guy carrying the Franz gun!”

At the fox beastman’s words, the terrorists’ gazes flickered slightly.

The terrorists looked at the girl with suspicion. Some sensed something off in the atmosphere, scanning the surroundings, and a few started fidgeting with their guns.

The doctor walked over to Marco and instructed him to help Morrian while he questioned the girl in a relatively soft tone.

“Are you from Abas?”

“…….”

“You don’t understand Abas language. Where are you from? Do you happen to speak Kien?”

“…….”

The girl didn’t respond. Surrounded by piercing gazes, she nervously glanced around.

The doctor tried to hold her and used various foreign languages to engage in conversation. But with no response, he could only let out a soft sigh.

“This… She’s probably unable to speak. She might even be hearing impaired.”

“Sir, are you saying she’s disabled?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps she’s from a foreign land I’m not familiar with. But that detective seemed to think she was from Abas… Why was she with him?”

The doctor turned his head back towards the fox beastman, who was being supported by the terrorists.

“Morrian. Do you think this girl is mute?”

“I don’t know either. But she didn’t say a word when she was with him.”

“Well…”

“It seemed like she couldn’t comprehend much either. The kid seemed dazed, avoiding fights, and just ran away when things got intense.”

After hearing Morrian’s explanation, the doctor stroked his chin, deep in thought. After a while, he spoke up.

“Tell me more about that man who was with this girl.”

“He was tall… with black hair… and brown eyes. He was wearing a suit and didn’t seem to carry anything except a shotgun and a knife.”

“A knife…? What kind of knife?”

“I’m not sure. Just a really long knife.”

“A cop has no reason to carry a knife. Hmm… Do you remember how sharp it was?”

“I don’t know… about this much?”

The beastman spread his fingers wide with his thumb and forefinger. It was about 15 cm long.

A police officer walking around with a knife this long?

Something feels off.

“Wasn’t the man holding a gun? I can’t tell if he was on duty or off, but if he was a cop, he might have been carrying a gun as well.”

“…A gun? Oh, now that you mention it, that girl did have a gun. It was a pistol.”

“The girl…?”

The doctor turned to look at the girl again. She still seemed nervous, glancing around.

After taking a closer look at the girl, the doctor asked Visar, the terrorist who had brought her in.

“Did this girl happen to have a gun?”

“No, sir. I never saw a gun. If she had one, she would have used it by now.”

“……”

That was indeed the case. The fact that the gun was gone implies that either she lost it or passed it on to someone.

But she was too young to be a police officer. She didn’t look like one at all.

The doctor shifted his gaze away from the girl. Although suspicion remained, he had no concrete evidence.

As the doctor was lost in thought, Marco, who had supported Morrian, subtly asked the doctor.

“What should we do, Sir?”

“……”

“…Sir?”

Something feels odd.

There’s no evidence, but I can’t shake the feeling. Chewing over the situation, the doctor turned to Morrian and asked.

“…Morrian.”

“Uh, sir. Why?”

“Do you remember what that pistol looked like? The one the girl was said to have?”

“If it was a pistol…”

The beastman perked his ears and rolled his eyes to the right. His ears twitched, and his tail swished back and forth.

“I don’t know much, but it was really small. It definitely wasn’t a revolver.”

“…Small? How small?”

“Well, about this much? It looked tiny even when she was holding it. It almost looked like a toy.”

The beastman pointed at the girl. The doctor raised the girl’s hand to see how big her palm was.

While examining her hand, the doctor muttered under his breath where no one could hear.

“…Hey.”

“Sir? What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

“Huh?”

“…She’s not a police officer.”

The doctor stated firmly.

He quickly dropped the girl’s hand and faced the crowd.

“Abas police use large pistols specifically fitted for adult men. It would never look like a toy in this girl’s hands.”

“What? Are you saying she’s not a police officer?”

“She’s not a cop… Then who the heck could she be…”

In that moment.

A deafening bang echoed through the air. The sudden noise momentarily dulled my ears. The sound was so loud, it felt like it could burst my eardrums, causing a ringing in my ears.

I couldn’t hear anything. It felt like the surroundings had plunged into silence.

The doctor collapsed onto the floor, shaking his head in confusion. Distant screams began to reach his ears as they faded in and out.

As he crawled for a while, he suddenly caught a faint ‘clicking’ sound.

He looked up and stared ahead.

No more than 15 meters away, behind one of the stores.

A man stood holding a gun.

 

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