EP.19 With Only Grandfather's Honor at Stake
Press. Press.
While indulging in a sweet sleep, I felt a heavy weight at my waist. Something was disturbing my slumber. Frowning, I swung my arm with a whoosh, and the thing pressing down on me retreated in an instant. Having regained my peace, I fell back asleep.
Presss.
Once again, something heavy settled on my waist. I swung my arm with the fiercest momentum, and it hurriedly disappeared. With a satisfied smile, I drifted off to sleep.
Pressss.
Now I was starting to get annoyed. Just what kind of insolent existence was disturbing my sweet sleep? I should teach it a proper lesson. Taking advantage of the moment the weight settled, I jerked my body up and snatched the foot pressing down on me, pulling it. I'll subdue it so it can't move an inch.
Huh? Why isn't it moving? That's strange. I'm pulling with all my might, but it doesn't budge.
Where have I felt this before?
The Military Nation is a country of steel and concrete. Every component that makes up the city consists of hard things.
The buildings, the people, and even the ideologies.
I remember touching a bridge pier while passing under an overpass. A very sturdy and solid pier erected with steel frames and hardened with concrete. The tactile sensation of that structure, which withstood even the people and large carriages passing over it, is still vivid in my mind. Even when I kicked it with my foot, it didn't sway in the slightest, making it feel as if the object called a pier existed entirely unrelated to me.
The leg pressing down on me now was about the same as a bridge pier made of rebar and concrete. It didn't budge. If there was a difference, it was that it was warm and soft, but the power contained within was greater than a bridge pier.
I was just blankly holding the leg for no reason.
"Woof!"
The leg followed my hand of its own accord.
Adults are dragged around by children not because they are weaker than the children, but because their hearts lean toward them. By a similar principle, the fluffy and soft foot moved as I guided it. As a result, a large shadow leaped onto my bed.
What appeared before my eyes was a girl with eyes full of curiosity. Her disheveled, unkempt blonde hair framed a face with exaggerated expressions. She had tied her standard-issue shirt tightly just below her chest—I couldn't tell if she was trying to accentuate her voluptuous breasts or trying to restrain them from bouncing around. Below her navel, a half-coiled tail swayed.
As soon as the girl saw me, she smiled radiantly and patted my chest with her hand. Her touch was so brimming with trust and affection that it actually left me flustered.
What is this.
Why is some woman waking me up suddenly and acting affectionate? Is she an assassin, or did she come to collect a debt...
It was the moment I, sensing a crisis, read her thoughts.
No, it's a dog.
The King of Dogs, a puppy.
I swept my hair back and sat up in bed. Waking up, I came to my senses a bit. Noise mixed into my previously quiet mind, and my vision expanded as if mist was seeping in.
When I tried to get out of bed, Azi promptly moved out of the way.
"You came to wake me up?"
"Woof!"
"Did you hear me say there's no alarm clock, so who's going to wake me?"
"Woof woof!"
"Right. Thanks. Good girl."
"I'm good?"
"My, you're so good."
"Woof woof! I'm good!"
From her barking to the way she got excited from the praise and started rolling around on my bed. No matter how I looked at it, she was exactly like a dog. Going right down to her essence, she was a being closer to the 'dog' species than anything else in this world.
That's right. She's a dog. Not a girl.
I washed my face and changed my clothes. The standard-issue shirt dissolved into the bio-terminal on my wrist, and I slotted a new clothing packet onto my wrist.
For some reason, I wanted to splash cold water on my head.
Naturally, I couldn't afford such a luxury with just my daily ration. I ran out of daily rationed water while washing, so I barged into the next room dripping water from my wet hair. The room next to mine had a bed folded in half and a broken cabinet, but the plumbing still worked, so I relied on it whenever my room's water ran short.
I finished wiping myself down and raised my head. Azi was still hovering affectionately by my side. I dried myself off with the towel I had left out and checked the remaining rations.
There was a bit of water left. One person's portion is always insufficient, but two is slightly excessive. Very typical of the Military Nation.
I poured the remaining water into a cup and gave it to Azi, and she shoved her face in and lapped it up.
Her appearance, exactly the same as usual, looked inexplicably strange to me today, so I needlessly scolded Azi.
"Azi. Your physical structure is still human, so drink it with your hands."
"Woof?"
Azi tilted her head, reacting purely to my words.
"Woof? Did you call me?"
If she had listened to words and understood, Azi wouldn't be a dog. I sighed, sat Azi on my lap, placed the cup to her mouth, and tilted it carefully.
Azi, who kept flicking her tongue out, seemed panicked when the sloshing water was about to flow into her mouth. The kid was twisting her body for no reason. Still, I held her firmly and coaxed her slowly so she wouldn't be startled, and before long, she felt at ease and gulped down the water entering her mouth little by little.
"Right. Good job. Isn't it so much easier to drink like this? Try drinking like this from now on. How about it?"
"Woof!"
"Alright, let's see."
She must have understood enough, right? I carefully set the cup down on the floor. Then, without a moment of hesitation, Azi dropped to her knees on the floor, shoved her face in, and started lapping it up.
I looked at the tail swaying above her raised bottom and muttered.
"I did that for nothing."
At my voice, Azi stopped drinking the water and turned her head. When our eyes met, Azi smiled brightly and barked.
"Woof woof!"
A chuckle escaped me.
Why do humans find comfort in looking at innocent and simple beasts?
Is it to feel a sense of superiority by looking down on creatures inferior to them?
Or is it to reminisce about the purity they have lost?
"Whatever."
The reason probably doesn't matter. Perhaps the emotion exists before the reason added on later.
In the end, as long as it's enjoyable, that's enough.
Azi finished drinking the water. I hung the cup back on the hook and stepped out of the empty room.
"Let's go eat breakfast."
"Woof!"
Today's menu was the leftover meat stew from yesterday. There wasn't much meat left, but it would be enough to scrape by for one breakfast. And for dinner... beans. I was tired of stew, but the best immediate option for food was bean stew.
"Do they not even supply rations here? I'd like to get some fresh food."
It's not like there are dozens of people; there are just two humans, one dog, and one corpse, so they could at least provide some basic supplies. Heck, one of the humans and the corpse are entirely self-sufficient.
It's not like they don't know about the existence of this place. Yet the supplies and contact are late.
I grumbled as I headed to the cafeteria.
4th floor. It was hard to call the laborers' quarters decent, even as an exaggeration. The concrete walls were covered in countless cracks, with the continuous impacts growing like tree rings. A long line of doors that couldn't be locked stretched along the narrow corridor. If you carelessly leaned against the wall, either the door would open or the wall would shake.
It was a relief that the cafeteria area, which had facilities, was spacious and sturdy.
The cafeteria was larger than the rooms and fully equipped with the necessary gear. A few standard-sized pots, multiple plates, and even a tray to carry them. They probably anticipated the laborers delivering food to the prisoners.
"A tray to carry the food probably wasn't necessary. Just walking down would have been the food delivery."
I shrugged my shoulders and headed for the covered pot.
And the moment I was about to lift the pot, I felt an indescribable premonition. Should I call it déjà vu? Or should I call it intuition closer to prophecy?
Aw, no way. Again?
"No way. We fought so hard yesterday. No way."
To shake off the anxiety, I smiled and lifted the pot lid.
I was met with an empty pot. Staring at the pitch-black bottom of the pot, which felt like looking at my own future.
"Hey, you damn dooooog!"
My roar echoed through the cafeteria.
"Do you not even have the ability to learn? What's the difference between you and a regular dog just because you're the King of Dogs? A famous genius dog from the countryside would be several times smarter than you!"
"Awooooo! Not me! Woof! Woof!"
It was the moment a holy war between humans and dogs broke out. The Regressor, who had run over upon hearing the commotion, pressed her forehead and spoke.
"What's going on this time?"
'It's probably something trivial again this time.'
Trivial? Clothing, food, and shelter. Among them, it was always food that toyed with people's lives. In other words, this is a matter comparable to life and death!
I grabbed the pot and strode over to the Regressor. I held up the empty tin can and the equally empty pot to the Regressor and shouted.
"See? Normally, one can of canned food can feed one person for four days. That means that much nutrition is compressed in it! But here, because of this damn dog, one can disappears in a single day!"
From over there, I heard Azi's pouting voice.
"Not me!"
"Liar! If it's not you, then who!"
"No! No!"
"If you're the King of Beasts, say something else! Repeating the same words over and over isn't a dog, it's a parrot!"
"Not a parrot!"
"If you want to convince me, speak like a human!"
The Regressor mimed covering her ears and interjected.
"Wait. Both of you are too loud."
Azi and I glared at each other and growled. The Regressor let out a deep sigh and muttered.
"Why are you so sure Azi is the culprit? It might not be Azi."
"Then is Trainee Shei the culprit?"
I said, rolling my eyes.
"Trainee Tirkanjaka is a vampire. She only drinks blood. The remaining humans are me and Trainee Shei. But it's not me. No matter how lacking in conscience I am, I wouldn't do something meaningless like eating it myself and pinning it on a dog. I manage the warehouse anyway."
'Do you realize you just admitted you have no conscience?'
"If the culprit isn't Azi, that inevitably means Trainee Shei stole the food. Do you understand? What you just said is no different from telling me to suspect you!"
I threw the pot into the sink and shouted.
"Don't you have emergency rations too! Didn't you say you didn't need to prepare food! But after eating only rations, did you get tempted by the Military Nation's soul food and rummage through the pot at night? Is not only poverty, but even the soul food born from poverty just another relic to decorate your display case!"
"Relic my foot. Of course not. I told you I wouldn't eat canned food even if you gave it to me."
"Then stay out of this, bourgeois! I have to fight to the death with this damn dog today!"
"Hold on."
The Regressor said irritably. Following her will, the treasured sword Cheonang, floating in the air, slowly rotated and began to aim at me.
I immediately shut my mouth.
Even if it's a fight to the death, I can't just die a dog's death.
"What I'm saying is, couldn't there be someone else left here?"
"The idea that someone none of us knew existed here was actually the culprit—I think that's too convenient, so I don't really like it."
'...He usually spouts proper logic, but sometimes he says crazy things. Truly an incomprehensible man.'
"Whether you like it or not, that possibility exists."
"Well, it's a plausible suspicion. But."
It's such a hole-ridden deduction that I'm unsure where to even begin pointing out the flaws. Is that all you've got, Regressor? Let me teach you. No matter how complicated things seem, the truth is always the simplest answer.
I pointed my finger at the Regressor and declared.
"Trainee Shei, your deduction is wrong."
"Why?"
"This place is the Abyss Tantalos. A completely isolated location where people cannot come and go. And you're saying someone that neither you, nor I, nor Azi, nor Trainee Tirkanjaka knows about is hiding here, only to appear at night just to eat food?"
Sighing, I unfolded my perfect logic.
"It's absurd. Such a person neither exists nor should exist."
"I understand it's hard to accept, but what do you mean they shouldn't exist?"
"If such a being actually existed, it would have to be a ghost."
"And?"
"If there's a ghost, it's scary. I'm not going to believe it."
The Regressor belatedly understood my words and her jaw dropped. The dumbfounded look suited her well.
"So, you're not even going to consider such a possibility because it's scary?"
I nodded promptly.
"Yes."
"What... what the."
'Is he really crazy, or is he doing this on purpose?'
On purpose? What are you talking about.
Think about it. A Regressor with all sorts of bizarre means, a vampire who would find you from a thousand miles away the moment you shed blood, the King of Dogs with the nose of a dog.
And even my telepathy that saw right through the Regressor's stealth.
A being that these guys wouldn't notice is hiding in the cafeteria? And even my mind-reading can't pick up their thoughts?
If such a being existed, I should run away immediately.
'It would be a miscalculation to think there's no one else. Even Tirkanjaka and Azi becoming "Fragments of the End" was because of an outside intruder, and there's also "She" who will come targeting "That" at the bottom of the Abyss. Furthermore, there's the possibility that "He" is still remaining somewhere. How should I explain this?'
...Why is this real.
No. I cannot accept this kind of future. My head feels like it's going to explode with just the current members, but on top of an outside intruder, a monster on par with them is going to show up?
'Explain what? It's my first time entering Tantalos too, so how can I explain it? Let's just leave that as a joy for later.'
Lies. That's a lie. That can't be.
I quickly looked back at Azi.
"Azi. Did you really not eat it?"
"No!"
"Don't just say no... Ugh. Why am I even having a conversation with you."
As always, I only felt the difference between humans and beasts and shook my head.
Even if I could read this damn dog's thoughts, it wouldn't change anything. She'd deny it to the very end.
In the end, there's only one way.
To catch her in the act.
I have to wait for the moment this damn dog covets the pot and catch her. Only then can I corner her completely.
Let's open one more can. The execution is tonight. When the daytime lights go off and only the nighttime lights dimly illuminate the prison.
That's when I'll lock this dog up.
I twisted my lips sinisterly as I looked down at Azi, and Azi glared back at me. It felt like sparks were flying from both our eyes.
'Are those two on good terms or bad terms?'
Can the relationship between a human and a dog be defined by one thing? When it's good, it's good, and when it's bad, it's bad.
Just you wait, damn dog.
Just as I was growling like that, the Regressor suddenly turned her head, narrowed her brows, and stared intently at a certain spot. As if representing her vigilance, Cheonang let out a faint ring.
'Wait. I sensed a presence from deep inside.'
Ah, please. Don't. It's really scary. Since it's your premonition, it feels like it's actually going to be there. And I sleep on the same floor, too. In a narrow, dark room that's perfect for a ghost to visit.
What if I get attacked at night? I don't have a security alarm or anything. Hmm.
I don't have an alarm, but I do have a guard dog.
I looked back at Azi and said softly.
"Azi. Want to sleep together today?"
"Woof!"
Rejected.