Heart's Hometown

There's an inexplicable magic to a home. Even if you stay in a comfortable hotel room, eventually you'll miss the small, shabby space you originally lived in.

It's what people commonly call their Heart's Hometown, a feeling that could also be called nostalgia.

And for me, the Space I could call home was naturally this Cave, a sanctuary I carved out myself after running away when I was 10.

Of course, there are other places I could call home besides This Place... but it seems there's no way to go back there now. So, this Cave can now be called my only Heart's Hometown.

“Hmm~ This musty smell.”

After the Extermination. Returning home, I briefly looked around the Cave. It seemed I'd been away for a few days, as the inside of the Cave was covered in dust.

In the meantime, some rabbits in heat must have used my home as a temporary lodging. There were muddy rabbit footprints and several round droppings scattered everywhere. *These damn bastards, they could at least clean up their own mess.*

To others, it might be a rather crude Space, but for me, there was no sanctuary as comfortable as this. As much as I wanted to Clean up and rest right away, unfortunately, there was still a little work left to do.

Right now, I wasn't alone; I had two more companions behind me.

“Hey, Yor, sorry, but your place smells a bit odd...”

“Shall I tidy it up for you? I could even make you a whole new home.”

It was Livia and Neria. Even they, who lived in The Depths, had to follow me in the end.

Fortunately, the Knights didn't say anything in particular upon seeing them. They had confirmed I took Livia with me last time, and she even participated in the battle as an ally this time. It seemed they didn't want to bother them unnecessarily.

As for Neria... there was a bit of a commotion. She was, after all, a newly manifested Manifestor this time. During the last Amon Extermination, she at least hid it, but this time, she didn't even try.

Moreover, Paimon even gave her a Heart Fragment at the very end, leading to her Transcendent Breakthrough. From the Knight Order's perspective, as they needed to be wary of key individuals, they had to grasp who she was.

-Yor, who's that child next to you? Where did you pick her up?

-And... she's not mentally unstable, or not hateful towards Humanity, is she?

Thanks to that, I was briefly dragged away by the Knights and interrogated as her Guardian. *Why do they all come to me...?* In the end, I was only released after personally bringing Neria and proving her innocence.

-Don't worry. I have no intention of doing anything harmful... What advantage/benefit would I get from doing so, anyway?

-Besides, I won't turn into a Demon-person due to going berserk anymore.

-Instead, I have a condition. Please let me walk around the City like a normal Person. Then I'll help you out sometimes. Wouldn't that be good for both of us?

How could a child speak so clearly and decisively? She was, after all, a child born with the royal blood. If anyone were to tell our Princess, ‘Don't!’ or “No!”, there's no telling what she might do in her anger.

If she were just some powerless brat, it would be one thing, but Neria is a disaster who can even use a hypnotic charm if she gets upset. Even the Knight Commander couldn't guarantee victory against her now, so there is no reason to be hostile as long as she approaches them amicably.

Thus, Neria proudly received Citizen status from the Knights. In addition, if she occasionally helped with the Country's affairs, she would even receive compensation. To get a citizen's writ and a job all at once... one could call it a success story from the bottom.

Of course, she hadn't found a separate home yet, so she would still be living in The Depths.

“It won't take long. I'll tidy it up for you right away. Hehe.”

As I was lost in thought for a moment, Neria offered again.

One more thing. If anything had changed after receiving Paimon's Heart Fragment, it was that Neria had become considerably brighter. Was it because she was free from being berserk, or because she could roam freely without worry?

Whatever it was, it was undoubtedly a positive change. She wasn't one to smile so often.

Her offering to remodel for me now was probably because she wanted to show off her abilities.

Though not as much as Paimon, her original self, her abilities had grown enough that she could easily build a few houses. When something can be created just by saying a few words, it's bound to be fun.

“No, it's fine. I'm comfortable with it as it is.”

Honestly, I was incredibly jealous.

*I want Transcendent Breakthrough too...*

Her abilities were already great for utility, and now she didn't even have berserk. Wasn't Neria's life just going to be a cakewalk from now on? Thinking about that made my stomach churn a little.

I've caught the most Demons, so why am I the only Manifestor around here who can't escape from berserk?

This World is definitely screwing me over.

*...Hmph.*

Anyway, after finishing my internal grumbling, I guided them to The Depths.

“...You've arrived.”

Barbatos greeted us with a weaker voice than usual.

As soon as we arrived, she immediately asked this:

“Lord Paimon...?”

“She returned to the Demon Realm.”

“...I see.”

Her expression looked quite conflicted. The childlike demeanor she usually showed was nowhere to be seen.

Indeed, even if their relationship was uncomfortable, she was still king... The news of Paimon's defeat couldn't have been welcome.

“Right... you've worked hard.”

However, Barbatos merely wore a bitter expression, quickly showing acceptance. She must have already braced herself to some extent for the outcome when they went for the Extermination.

“I brought snacks. There are many kinds, so take a look.”

Because of that, I decided not to mention anything further, out of consideration for her. She would need time to process things herself.

...Yes, thank you. I miss the Demon Realm a little today.

Barbatos gave a wry smile and offered her gratitude weakly. After staying in The Depths for a short while, I returned to my cave. It was now time to clean my home.

*

Two weeks passed. During that time, I was able to enjoy a truly life of leisure for the first time in a long while. Eating, sleeping, and... well, just lounging around, aside from some simple Cleaning.

Even the Otherworlders, who usually came almost every day, seemed to be taking a break this time, allowing me to truly have some time to myself. They were usually Accessing, so I wondered if they had already gone Hunting.

Thanks to that, I was able to live in peace for a long time.

Then, one day, the hours slowly started to drag.

“Yor! We're in big trouble! What do we do?!”

Suddenly, Yu Chae-rin appeared, making a fuss. As soon as she reached me, she spoke, gasping for breath.

“We—! A colossal beast suddenly appeared on our side—!”

“A colossal beast...? Monsters appearing here are just everyday life.”

“No, not here, my Reality World!”

“Huh?”

Hearing that, I tilted my head. First, I was surprised by her phrasing. It was quite rare for her to say “Reality” herself.

That's because calling that side “Reality” was tantamount to acknowledging This Place as a game, so she was usually careful. Therefore, it meant she was so distressed this time that she couldn't even care about such things.

Because of that, I also put away my playfulness and decided to listen to her properly.

“What is it? Tell me.”

So, Chae-rin began to tell her story. In reality... no, on Earth, an unknown life form had appeared. And it had suddenly burst through the Void in the middle of the City Center.

The Life Forms that burst from the Void attacked the People nearby indiscriminately, like predators hunting prey. Fortunately, a special Unit arrived a few hours later and killed them, but... because it happened so suddenly in the middle of the City Center, there were many Casualties.

And that was just two weeks ago. It would have been good if the situation had ended there... but surprisingly, Strange Creatures continued to appear in Russia, America, Japan, and China.

In just two weeks, Yu Chae-rin's World plunged into chaos. In Korea, where she lived, Strange Creatures were soon called “Monsters,” and the suddenly opening Void was called a “Gate.”

It was like a setting from a novel. It couldn't be helped, as the Strange Creatures emerging from the Void had a somewhat familiar appearance.

“Ah, wait a moment, I'll show you a video.”

“Familiar appearance,” she said...

As I tilted my head for a moment at her words, she began to manipulate her broadcast. Soon, a red dot appeared next to her, and people started to join. While the viewers typed “Greetings, viewers!”, Chae-rin looked at them and asked.

“Ah, welcome. Sorry to ask for something as soon as you join, but... could someone please donate a video of a gate opening? I'll lower the Donation rate.”

[We're just servants, aren't we?][The Streamer doesn't even stream often now that the Extermination is over][But how did she know where a Monster would appear and calmly get into her VR Capsule~][lol][Hold on, sending it right away]

[qwer123 has donated 100 silver pieces!] (Video)

Indeed, since I have the ‘Player's Eye’ anyway, it seemed she intended to show me the video directly.

Soon, the video played. A modern landscape, which I hadn't seen in a very long time, unfolded on the screen.

“...”

A shaky camera perspective and buildings with smoke rising from them were visible. From the situation, it seemed a Monster had already appeared and caused some havoc.

The screams of people came through as digital audio in the brutal situation.

[Kyaaaah! Help me!]

[A Person...! A Person's intestines...! Ugh—!]

The scene was quite urgent, so I couldn't help but focus on the video.

[Hey, Young Lady, what are you doing there! You'll die if you stay there!]

[It's okay! My legs are fast!]

It seemed the Filmer was quite passionate. Even though their breathing was ragged from fear, he or she stubbornly kept Filming.

Soon, a monster burst out from the edge of the video. Seeing that, I couldn't help but be surprised.

“An Owlbear...?”

The Monster's appearance was quite familiar. Standing there was a Monster that perfectly resembled our friendly neighbor, Mr. Owlbear, who had now passed on...

Even with minor differences, it was a Monster that anyone would call an Owlbear. Why was a Monster, a specialty found only in This Place, over there? Because of that, my eyes couldn't help to fill with bewilderment.

I looked at Yu Chae-rin and asked.

“What is this...? What? Is this CG?”

“Yor, you know the concept of CG...? No, anyway, it's reality.”

Chae-rin sighed, “Hoo,” and continued.

“It's only been two weeks, but the frequency of Gates opening has increased. The range of openings has also expanded. Now it's even happening in our Country... With this much data accumulating, we can't help but notice.”

She took a breath and stated her conclusion.

“It seems that... the Monsters from the game are appearing in reality.”

Hearing those words, my mouth fell open.

Basin.

The ambiguous explanations he had given were gradually starting to make sense.