Fight Poison with Poison (3)

Under that gaze, I started to feel pressured.

Tension rose quickly.

What is it?

Could it be something I shouldn't have said?

Suddenly, I remembered how during the Giant Apocalypse, when I told Jaaldi about regression, she had tried to grab my neck. Only after speaking did I remind myself again how careful I had to be with my words.

"Why would you think that?"

"Y-yes?"

"Don't say unlucky things. Words have a way of becoming reality."

"Uh... yes. Understood."

Jaaldi leaned back against the chair.

Only then did the pressure ease.

"The lights in the underground quarantine facility will never go out."

She continued.

"All sorts of anomalies are confined there. Naturally, it's a top-priority facility equipped with every defense system imaginable, and even unimaginable ones. If the lights in a place like that go out, it's practically the same as the Bureau being destroyed."

This...

What the hell is she talking about?

Then what was it when the lights went out after I went down there?

"I understand. So it's basically even more impressive than a nuclear bunker facility, right?"

"Think of it as more than that. There’s no way the lights would go out."

The more I listened to Jaaldi, the more my questions grew. The underground quarantine facility had tremendous defenses. So the lights shouldn't go out.

Then why the hell did the lights go out when I went down there?

And thinking about it again... what exactly is the Reality Re-Recognition Device?

"I guess I was worrying too much. I just thought I'd ask in case the lights suddenly went out after I headed down there. I'll assume that won't happen."

"Right."

"But now that I've heard it, I'm curious. If the lights really did go out, what reason could there be? Wouldn't that be a true Bureau emergency?"

"That’s true too. It would be a huge emergency."

Jaaldi idly rubbed her neck.

"Well, if there were a reason the lights went out... maybe some powerful thing invaded the underground quarantine facility? Something like that would be possible."

What?

"Of course, something like that never invades the underground quarantine facility. It's prepared that thoroughly. Even anomalies can't be moved into the quarantine facility unless they've been completely subdued, and the safety procedures are extremely complicated."

"..."

The more I listened to Jaaldi, the more my doubts grew.

Could this really be true?

Now that I've become a full-fledged agent, is she really telling me everything honestly without hiding anything? Or is she just dressing up things she can't say?

I don't trust the Bureau completely.

How could I trust them after what I went through underground? Besides, I died five times while experiencing that horrific event. And yet Jaaldi was explaining that the lights in the underground facility would never go out.

What am I supposed to believe?

"Team Leader. The reservations are all set, so I think we can head out now."

"Grong. Any other questions? If not, let's go. Well, if you have anything you want to ask later, feel free to ask anytime."

"I don't have anything else to ask. If I have questions later, I'll talk about them then."

There was no way I could ask more questions in a situation like this.

After all, real information isn't something someone hands you; it's something you figure out and experience yourself.

At the very least, I could trust what I'd experienced and seen myself.

"Understood. Let's get up."

"Come on, Grong. Let's go eat something good. Not pig offal or anything, but the real good stuff."

"I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so curious what we'll be eating."

By looks alone, you seem like you'd like tteokbokki or something.

"Ho ho ho, you can look forward to it. Congratulations on becoming a full-fledged agent."

Let's just eat for now.

"I'm worried. You look like a rookie no matter how you look at it, and yet you're already a full-fledged agent."

"Gasp."

Then Senior Spangdal slid over beside me and whispered. She was so close that I kept catching a pleasant fragrance, a scent that oddly made me feel calm.

"Grong. Always remember that you're a coward. Even if you've become official, all that's changed is your title. If you run into trouble later and end up bawling your eyes out, I won't be taking care of you, got it?"

"Understood. Even so, I'll always trust and follow you. Honestly, if I think of Senior Spangdal being by my side, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Ah, n-no... don't trust me that much..."

"I have infinite trust and faith! That's what I have!"

"That's troublesome, really... You need to stand on your own..."

Then don't hug me in the first place.

* * *

The dinner venue was like a restaurant, with an impressively old-fashioned interior.

From the menu, it looked like Western dishes and salads were the main items, but surprisingly, they even sold tteokbokki and the like.

Even for dessert, they were selling everything from macarons to ice cream, and I'd never seen a fusion place like this before.

"I've never been anywhere like this before in my life."

"Let's come here often from now on! Not pig offal and the like!"

To be honest, I don't eat that either.

"Jamtree. Don't get too good to the newbie."

"So what? We'll be working together from now on. Better to treat him well."

"Just order already."

"Yes, yes."

But what am I even supposed to order? The only company dinners I know are the kind where you order a ton of pork belly and chug soju-and-beer cocktails.

Luckily, it seemed Ms. Jamtree was handling the ordering, since she snatched up the menu right away. Even if they told me to order, I couldn't do it. And why was the whole menu written in curvy English? If the bastard who made this menu is Korean, I'll beat him to a pulp without mercy.

"Grong's a guy, so he can eat a lot, right?"

"I do tend to eat quite a bit."

"Good, good. Very useful. Team Leader, may I order a few more items? We should get everything I wanted to taste."

"That works."

With a beaming face, Ms. Jamtree rapidly picked out items from the menu and ordered them... no, how many was she ordering? Could we even eat all this?

"Senior Jamtree? I think there are too many dishes."

"It's fine. The more the better for this kind of thing. And it's better to sample a variety, right? Luckily, Grong being a man works out perfectly."

While we chatted in confusion, dishes of all kinds were brought out.

"Wow."

Western dishes, salads, bread, pasta, even tteokbokki. What, were we setting up a buffet and eating it like this? Did company dinners like this even exist? They even brought out wine.

"This is so nice, really!"

Ms. Jamtree happily took pictures with great enthusiasm. Jaaldi watched with her arms crossed, while Senior Spangdal rested her chin on her hand.

"Jamtree. Stop taking pictures."

"Just a second!"

"Jamtree. I want to eat already."

"I said wait a bit!"

Taking pictures when the food is right in front of us...!

"All right. Here, Grong. Take a little of each kind and eat."

"Yes."

And so everyone started serving food onto their plates.

I found this all so refreshingly novel. So this was why they'd set up a buffet like this—to taste every dish on the menu.

It was a completely different culture from meals where you just order one main dish for yourself and one shared dish for everyone.

And the price per menu item was crazy—at this rate, it would be cheaper for two friends to order spicy pork stir-fry and dumplings instead.

"Grong. If you're the youngest, you should pour the drinks, right?"

While I was serving food, Senior Spangdal, sitting next to me, said.

"Oh, yes. I'll pour it right away. But I've never poured wine before. How should I do it?"

"I'll pour it. Grong, watch and learn."

"Yes."

Ms. Jamtree poured wine for everyone.

So this is how you pour wine.

"Then let's make a toast to our newbie."

"Cheers."

Clink.

Amid this unfamiliar culture, I downed the wine.

It tastes like it makes me want a beer.

"But is it okay for agents to come out for a public dinner like this?"

"It's fine. We're basically under a perception-suppression effect."

"Huh? Perception suppression?"

What does that mean?

"It's a function built into the suit."

"What? The suit had a function like that?"

"It's not called a designated uniform for nothing."

According to the explanation, Bureau suits have a perception-suppression function, making them look so ordinary and natural that other people hardly remember seeing them. And when they need to hide themselves, they can even vanish naturally.

"This doesn't seem like ordinary science, either."

"Right."

I accepted that and cut into my steak and ate the pasta. The steak was quite delicious. The pasta was tasty too, but I still couldn't believe it cost this much.

Even the bread was definitely different from the usual kind. And what was this soup? The last soup I knew was the mass-produced stuff they served in school lunches. So soup was actually this delicious? And risotto was basically Western-style soup rice? This was just a total culture shock.

But everyone really eats well.

For dessert, I stuffed myself with macarons, ice cream, and pudding too.

Satisfied.

"Wow. This is really a different experience from going out for samgyeopsal and beer, then eating a Melona ice cream bar afterward. Today's meal was really delicious."

"Heh heh, is that how you usually eat?"

"Yes. It was a fun experience."

"Let's come again next time. The menu changes every season, so there's plenty to order, and it's great that Grong can eat a lot."

Ms. Jamtree said that and ruffled my hair. It seemed she was happy that having me here meant she could order even more dishes.

"Glad to hear you were satisfied. Well then, let's head home for today."

"You worked hard today as well. Please get home safely."

"Grong, you get home safely too."

And with that, the dinner ended.

After parting ways with everyone, I called a taxi.

Even if they were agents, it was a normal company dinner. Well, it was a little different from the dinners and gatherings I'd usually experienced, but this much could certainly be called normal.

It wasn't a bad time.

* * *

After I got home, I mulled over Jaaldi's words.

The lights in the underground facility would never go out. Unless the Bureau itself was destroyed, there was no way they'd go out.

But if the lights did go out, then the only thing she could think of was some powerful thing invading and causing a problem.

Of course, I can't say that reason is the only one. There are probably countless other reasons. That was just one example to explain it simply.

But from the start, that guess was wrong.

Because the only ones who went down to the basement were me and Senior Spangdal. It wasn't some powerful thing going down there; it was just routine. Senior Spangdal probably went down there often, and rookies like me probably went in from time to time too.

So there must have been some other reason.

"I really can't figure it out."

I know it's a big deal, but I still don't know exactly what it is.

Still... I managed to escape that dark basement after all.

I even enjoyed the company dinner, so I should rest well today.

"..."

Timing-wise.

If a vampire shows up, that means tomorrow.

It's already been proven that everything I've experienced wasn't just a hallucination. If a vampire really appears tomorrow... that will prove it even more clearly.

So for now, let's assume a vampire will show up tomorrow and act accordingly.

"Vampire."

If I meet that thing again...

what will happen?

"-You! Wake up! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!!!"

I still remember that shout.

Why the hell did the vampire do that? What on earth did it notice that made it react like that and wake me up?

It had been trying to turn me into a ghoul when it said that. In other words, if not for that, I would have been bitten and turned into a ghoul.

So I need to be careful.

I have to act differently based on what I experienced and eliminate the risk factors.

And above all else.

"Jinseop."

I have to save that bastard, Jinseop.

I don't know why Jinseop was in the fake Bureau. But if I don't do something here, he'll die again.

I have to save him.

And, while I'm at it, Gorgodio too.

The vampire is an extremely powerful anomaly. It definitely one-shot even transformed Gorgodio in midair back then. It even did that disgusting teabagging after splitting him in half. I can't stop that vicious, utterly insane humanoid mosquito bastard all by myself. Should I bring in Jaaldi or Senior Spangdal?

"Oh, right!"

An idea suddenly struck me like lightning!

Yeah!

It's not just the Bureau that opposes vampires!

I jumped up, put on my clothes, and slipped on my shoes.

* * *

Sister Blarlet.

She, a half-vampire, also opposes vampires. Most of all, isn't she affiliated with the Vatican? It wouldn't be strange if a nun like that could kill a vampire like it was chewing gum. When you think of the Vatican, you think of exorcism, and when you think of exorcism, you think of the Vatican. Even the legendary vampire hunter Van Helsing was affiliated with the Vatican.

For now, let's meet Sister Blarlet and talk.

If I can get her help, there'd be nothing better.

Well, the Bureau told me not to contact religious people... but based on my experience so far, they're not particularly bad people. There's no harm in talking.

Thinking that way, I walked until I reached the Christian shop.

"Ah."

But maybe because it was a bit late...

the door was closed.

"..."

What do I do?

I want to meet and talk today if possible.

Isn't there any way to contact her?

I opened the map on my phone, found the shop's number, and tried calling, but it was off, probably because it was after business hours.

Then there doesn't seem to be much I can do.

All right.

Agents have their own way of doing things.

Crash!

I shattered the window and went in.

If I get inside, there ought to be something...

"Kyaaah! Who's there!"