Chapter 33
The Pygmies sensed my desire to fight and began to grow excited.
Apparently, being confined all this time had been hard on them.
It was troublesome that they kept pestering me even though we weren't leaving right away, but I decided to indulge them.
'Come to think of it, what kind of space are these guys even contained in?'
Spot-
[Entry through the ring is impossible.]
"Obviously. What a fuss over something so obvious..."
"Lady Raebi."
"Yes? Ah! Sorry, I was distracted for a moment."
We were on our way out of Eight City in the car that had been prepared.
Han Jihye had been calling me for a while, but apparently I hadn't heard her.
'Since this isn't a noble social engagement, Ms. Jihye doesn't necessarily have to come along, but…'
She had to be able to breathe a little and live her own life, too.
"But why did you call me?"
"Well, Seokguram is in Inwangsan, you know. Are you aware that the area is still closed off?"
Han Jihye pointed out the problem with an awkward expression.
When I said I wanted to go to Seokguram, she casually told the driver our destination, but
when she saw the driver's expression stiffen, she checked her smartphone.
She knew about Seokguram, but she hadn't known its exact location.
'Someone from out of town...?'
But she'd lived in Incheon for quite a long time. Why hadn't she known?
"Ms. Jihye."
"Yes, Lady Raebi."
"How often have you been around Seoul?"
"Not much."
"……?"
"I haven't gone outside since coming to Noble Island."
"Ha, not even once?"
"That's right. Except when travel was absolutely necessary."
...Even if I asked where she'd lived before, she probably wouldn't answer me.
For some reason, Ribi, April, and Vincent all clammed up whenever the subject of their past came up.
All the major figures in Douglas Kim's main faction had names that hadn't existed before the Gates.
Since it was certain that Han Jihye had known them since childhood, I began to wonder whether their hometowns might not be in Korea.
"Anyway, Lady Raebi, Seokguram won't do. Please reconsider your destination."
'Right, let's think about that later.'
"Okay. Honestly, I didn't think you'd actually say you were going."
Han Jihye quietly exhaled.
Relief showed on her face.
"Then where shall I take you?"
"Hmm... Even if we don't go inside, could we stop nearby for a little while? Then let's go have some fun at Namsan Tower!"
"Understood."
Han Jihye tapped her smartwatch.
Click-! The soundproof barrier opened, and the driver turned to look at us.
"Revising the destination. Please take us to the nearest Inwangsan closure line. We won't enter."
"Phew...! Understood."
Relief crossed the driver's face as well.
Seeing beads of cold sweat dotting his forehead,
I realized he must have been tense because he thought we were going to force our way into Inwangsan.
He couldn't even disobey a noble's order... Even if it was only for a moment, it must have been extremely stressful for him.
We arrived at the Inwangsan closure line.
Hunter police were blocking the road that ran through the apartment complex.
"Excuse me, what brings you here?"
They didn't recognize us.
There had been a detachable emblem identifying our family on the hood, but I'd ordered it removed.
Otherwise, Douglas might catch us the moment we left.
The driver opened the window on our side, and the police approached with puzzled expressions.
The moment they saw me, every one of them stood there with their mouths hanging open.
"Wh-who...?"
Ding-
[Activating skill 'Confusion.']
"We just need to inspect the temporary barricade. The person in charge has authorized it."
"Understood. Please follow me."
The police opened the way for us.
When we set off, they got into their car and followed us.
Confusion had worked, but they still seemed to be doing their jobs.
I kissed the ring, then reached through the fence toward the bushes.
'Go as far away as possible. Quietly.'
Rustle-!
"......?"
Han Jihye tilted her head and stared at the bushes that had rustled.
I grinned and forcibly turned her around.
"It looks like some spiders are still left. We'd better move away quickly."
'Activate the experience message option.'
Ding-
[Defeated a lowest-grade white-patterned spider.]
[Experience + 34]
Ding-
[Defeated a lowest-grade venomous spider.]
[Experience + 56]
Ding-
[Defeated a low-grade venomous spider.]
[Experience + 155]
......Good.
Once I'd confirmed that the Pygmies could hunt without difficulty, I deactivated the message window again.
I spoke to Han Jihye, who had been quietly watching from beside me.
"I just wanted to check. I'll become a Hunter eventually, after all."
"......Are you planning to enter Gates?"
"That's right."
"......"
Han Jihye didn't try to dissuade me. She only looked at me, seeming surprised.
It wasn't a particularly surprising reaction.
Many female Hunters were reluctant to enter dungeons.
April had also said that, although she'd obtained her license more than six months ago, she could count her Gate visits on one hand.
She hadn't acted except on the orders of the head of the family or the World Nobles' Council.
'A noble... and one as young as me at that. It must be intriguing.'
Afterward, we went to Namsan Tower to kill time.
We didn't go straight up. Instead, we visited cafés and various other places.
The driver parked the car at the cable-car lot and took us around, too.
Since we'd left after lunch, the sun soon began to set, and we headed to the Namsan Tower restaurant for dinner.
There, I subtly played up my connection to Douglas Kim and got a good table without a reservation.
Adopted nobles must come here so often that the staff showed us around as though it were routine.
"They aren't going to arrest us in the middle of our meal, are they?"
"Pfft, don't say such things."
The hollow laugh seemed to escape reflexively.
She'd said that even taking 'everything' into account, Douglas wouldn't go so far as to deny us this much freedom.
I could order the food without worry.
"......It's beautiful."
Han Jihye murmured, pausing as she cut her steak.
The beautiful lights of the city were reflected in her eyes.
Judging from how firmly her gaze was fixed on the nightscape, it was clear that she'd never experienced anything like this before.
Feeling a little sorry for her, I hesitated before speaking.
"Ms. Jihye."
"Yes, Lady Raebi."
"You can enjoy it as much as you want."
"Pardon?"
"You've worked hard all your life. I'm still young, and I don't know much about you... But if there's something you want to do, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as you like. Just as you protect me, I'll protect you too, Sis."
Han Jihye's eyes widened.
She lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked at me with a faint smile.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Hehe, don't mention it."
Spot-
[Level up.]
"......?"
I leveled up?
With that ant-pee-sized amount of experience, that should have been impossible.
"Lady Raebi? Is something wrong?"
"...Something just occurred to me. Could we perhaps pass by the Inwangsan barricade again later?"
"I have no particular schedule, so that's fine."
After dinner, we headed back to the barricade.
On the way there, I thought for a moment before speaking to Han Jihye.
"Ms. Jihye, I'm going inside for just a moment."
"Go ahead."
"Huh...? Really?"
"You really need to, don't you? Lady Raebi would never make an unreasonable request. However, I would appreciate it if you returned within five minutes."
The permission came more easily than expected, and I nodded repeatedly.
About twenty minutes later, we arrived near the apartment complex we'd visited during the day.
Perhaps because the evacuation had already taken place, the area was eerie, without a single light shining.
I climbed over the barricade and ran toward the place where I could sense the Pygmies.
The human corpses seemed to have been mostly dealt with, but many spider carcasses still hadn't been removed.
Since nighttime work could be dangerous, it seemed they had blocked off the roads and were only keeping watch.
Spiderwebs stretched across every imaginable place, making me wonder whether this was really Korea.
"Here..."
"Waaaaah!! Waaaaah!! Waaaah!!!"
"That's right, good job."
I petted the Pygmies as they came running over happily.
"......Time to go in now. Dismiss summon."
-Waaaaah!!!
Slip.
'Hehe, sorry.'
The place where the Pygmies had been was some kind of underground burrow.
The soil was still damp, making it clear that the burrow had formed recently.
At the very back lay spider corpses that looked as though the Pygmies had butchered them, and a terrible stench filled the air.
"Ugh, my steak's coming back up...!"
I approached while pinching my nose shut.
When I used a skill, I unexpectedly obtained one high-grade essence.
I was more or less satisfied and was about to leave when……
I caught sight of something glittering amid the entrails.
'Of all things.'
I squeezed my eyes shut and reached out with my index finger.
Spot-
[Rune Stone of Multiple Scattering]
----------------------------------
You can acquire the skill 'Multiple Scattering.'
(Limited to oviparous species)
----------------------------------
......What the heck is this?
I didn't even want to examine it closely.
I quickly put it into my inventory and left.
***
"Where did you go yesterday? I was thinking we could have a meal together."
"I just went out for a bit. Sorry I didn't tell you beforehand, Sis."
"No need to apologize. Anyway, you're free today, right?"
"Of course!"
Ribi came to my room first thing in the morning.
She was burning with determination to get close enough to learn my secret.
At a glance, it might have seemed like she had ulterior motives, but the fact that she said it so openly was actually a positive sign.
'I'll leave it entirely up to you. I'll make an effort, though.'
That was more or less what she meant.
I didn't dislike her for it.
Ribi was watching news coverage about Inwangsan when she spoke.
"By the way, isn't it strange?"
"What is?"
"My brother said this morning that the spider monsters had vanished without a trace. Even trackers using their skills can't find them. I heard cases like this usually take several more days to completely eradicate..."
"Haha. Whatever happened, it's good news."
"Well, it's too early to celebrate. In cases like this, they either dug a tunnel and escaped somewhere,”
...Gulp.
“or another monster killed them. It has to be one or the other."
"......!"
Ribi's expression changed.