New Eden.
It was the name of the first city built in Paradise.
A small city lined with three- and four-story buildings made of baked brick.
Though it had been built on another planet, the sight of black smoke billowing from every chimney was reminiscent of a European city from the 18th or 19th century.
The people passing through the streets were even more disorderly.
Some wore modern clothes, while others wore worn garments fit for medieval folk.
Some among them carried weapons.
Swords and spears; some even carried single-shot rifles and pistols that might have been used in the First World War.
Most people were still getting around on two feet.
I saw bicycles and rickshaws on occasion, but those were extremely rare.
“Electronic equipment, polymer materials, and complex devices are difficult to move through space, so we had to build civilization up from scratch.”
The man who had first spoken at the ruins guided us and introduced the city.
He pointed to a chimney belching black smoke and continued.
“Thanks to people’s efforts, we were able to reach the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. We haven’t found oil or coal yet, so we can’t advance to the next stage, but since we’re finding ways to use black stone, we should be able to move on soon.”
I had thought it was coal, but that black smoke actually came from burning wood and grass.
["They intend to use black stone like that? The dead mages would rise from their graves in shock."]
Soph was aghast at the man’s words, but I understood what he meant.
It was not completely devoid of dark energy like Earth, but this planet did not have much either.
“There’s too little dark energy. I don’t think it’s even a third of Trappist’s…….”
Catherine, who was walking with us, nodded.
“That’s why we can’t use magic carelessly here. It takes more than three times as long to replenish dark energy.”
Just as the solar system had exited the dark energy zone, this place seemed to be leaving that zone as well.
In time, this star system would likely become a place without dark energy, just like the solar system.
["Now I know why they modified the terraforming ruins. If dark energy is this scarce, it would have been difficult to maintain the environment if left alone."]
I asked again at Soph’s words as she clicked her tongue.
["Is it fine just because it was modified?"]
["Of course not. Something must have gone wrong, that’s for sure."]
It meant something else had gone wrong besides the device’s lifespan decreasing.
After coming down from the hill with the ruins and entering the city, we split up from the others.
The others followed the guiding man, while Magreta and I followed behind Catherine.
I asked Magreta as we walked.
“Magi, doesn’t your family have a house here?”
Magreta answered.
“My family has no foundation in Paradise. As you know, my family is a political family. Our base is on the American mainland. Politicians are a breed that can’t exert power outside their territory.”
She was right. Even if a congressman or a governor came here right now, there would be nothing they could do.
“My cousin Maxwell and I, who became energy users, were the vanguard to establish a base……. But I ran away.”
Magreta pointed at herself with a short laugh.
Maxwell was also working on Earth.
In the end, her family had nothing in Paradise.
Seeing Magreta’s apologetic expression, I offered a few words of comfort.
“Not establishing a base in Paradise was the right move.”
“Does that mean Hyun will take responsibility for it?”
Magreta asked with a laugh, but that wasn’t what I had meant.
As I shook my head, Catherine, who had been guiding us, spoke in Magreta’s stead.
“Does that mean this planet isn’t safe enough to establish a base?”
Magreta’s eyes widened at Catherine’s words.
“Is that true?”
“We still need to investigate a bit more.”
It wasn’t certain yet, but if what Soph said was true, something was definitely wrong.
I thought I should check this planet’s terraforming ruins as quickly as possible.
However, I was quite amazed that Catherine had reached that conclusion just from hearing what I’d said.
I asked Catherine.
“How did you come to think that?”
At my question, Catherine held her hand out flat like an airplane and waggled it side to side.
“It’s because of the attack we received. The missile attack was obviously aimed at Hyun. And the one who ordered it is a powerful figure here in Paradise.”
A powerful figure in Paradise being the culprit.
Now I was curious how Catherine had known that.
“But if they tried to kill Mr. Hyun, who procured black stone of tremendous help to Paradise and will continue to do so, then Paradise must definitely have a problem.”
To think she had deduced that from the circumstances alone, without Soph’s involvement.
As expected, Catherine had an extraordinary head on her shoulders.
The place she guided us to was a three-story brick house in the inner city.
It was an ordinary house no different from those around it, and the inside was the same.
An ordinary living room and bedroom furnished with somewhat crude-looking furniture and beds.
It looked similar to a British detective’s boarding house from the movies.
The caretaker stepped aside when he saw us, and Catherine spoke to us as we looked around the house.
“This is my family’s guest lodgings for outsiders. If you wait here, I will bring my adoptive father.”
“Huh? Your parents, all of a sudden?”
It wasn’t even a marriage meeting, and the sudden mention of parents startled me.
“Because I brought black stone, my adoptive parents became the ones in charge of handling this matter. They were put in charge of verifying the black stone I brought and collecting the relics here to show Mr. Hyun.”
Thankfully, it wasn’t for that reason.
I couldn’t help but nod at the practical reason.
Feeling awkward, I changed the subject.
“Is the security outside because of Catherine or Magi? The surveillance is heavier than I thought.”
I could feel people with my extrasensory perception.
Unlike passersby, there were people following us from a distance.
They were clearly either guards or watchers.
“Surveillance? I’ve never had guards or surveillance like that while in Paradise.”
Magreta immediately shook her head.
Catherine raised her hand and pointed at me.
“That’s not for us. It’s because of Mr. Hyun.”
Magreta nodded at Catherine’s words.
“Well, the person they tried to kill arrived here safe and sound, so it’s only natural they’d watch him.”
Magreta also knew about the culprit.
When she heard that, she must have also heard that Catherine had joined hands with us.
Catherine’s expression upon hearing that had been extremely complicated.
Rationally pleased, but emotionally displeased.
Catherine didn’t care what expression Magreta made.
Catherine went out, and we sat in chairs waiting for her to return.
It looked crude on the outside, but a powerful family’s house was indeed different.
After Catherine left, the caretaker came in and set down refreshments before us.
Coffee, snacks, and juice.
They were all food brought from Earth.
I had some food from Earth in my box as well, but to so casually bring out things from Earth like this…….
The power of an influential family was truly tremendous.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long.
Before the refreshments ran out, Catherine returned carrying bags in both hands.
With her was a middle-aged white man with white hair.
Seeing that he had come with her, he must be her adoptive father.
Perhaps because he was her adoptive parent, he didn’t resemble Catherine in the slightest.
He gave off a cold, composed feeling like Catherine, but perhaps because his features were different, the impression was completely different.
Upon entering, he looked me up and down.
“So you’re Hyun. Myeong. Han, are you? As expected, Oriental names aren’t easy to pronounce.”
After looking at me, he immediately addressed Magreta.
“Magreta Ashford. I hear there is much worry at home. If you’ve had your fill of the outside world, perhaps it’s time to return. If mediation is needed, I may step in.”
“……I’m fine.”
At Magreta’s answer, the man clicked his tongue and sat in the chair opposite.
Frowning, perhaps because he disliked the hard chair, he gestured to Catherine.
“Bring out the relics.”
It was an order befitting a subordinate rather than a daughter.
Catherine followed his direction with an impassive face.
She placed the bags on the table and opened both.
Rings, bracelets, short daggers, short staffs, and so on.
Several relics revealed themselves.
The man spread his hands wide.
“There, these are the relics you wanted. Is what you need among them?”
I frowned.
His tone was grating, but more problematic than that were the relics he had brought.
["Truly, it seems he only brought useless things……. Strange. Considering the future, there’s no reason they would treat you like this."]
As Soph said, the magic contained in the relics was all useless to me.
Some contained magic that already existed, but they were all relics containing basic magic or abilities not even worth being called magic.
After glancing at Catherine, whose expression had darkened, I picked up the relics one by one.
I could tell without even touching them, but I still had to pretend to examine them.
Once I had finished checking the relics, the man asked me,
“And, this is a small matter……. While you’re looking, tell me one thing.”
I raised my head and looked at him.
Unlike moments before, he wore a tremendously excited expression.
“Your demanding to personally select relics as compensation has caused quite divided opinions among us. Whether you truly want to select relics yourself, or whether you gain something else entirely by looking at them.”
Everyone wouldn’t believe the excuse I had given.
Someone must have thought there was another reason, and Catherine’s adoptive father had made a deduction close to the truth.
“I put my money on the theory that some personal ability of yours rises by looking at relics. Now, what is the real reason?”
Checking with magic, it was not a lie.
He was not an energy user, so he couldn’t be wrong.
He was genuinely curious.
To think that was all he was curious about from someone who had procured tens or hundreds of times more black stone than before.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it.
["If there’s no other reason, there can only be one reason."]
Soph seemed to know that reason.
I set the relics down.
“There are no relics I need here. Their quality is worse than I expected.”
At my words, he answered with an indifferent expression.
“That’s because we haven’t gathered them all yet. Wait a few more days. We should be able to acquire more.”
This was a lie.
Saying so, he gave an order to Catherine.
Catherine packed up the relics.
“Well then, my business is done, so I shall take my leave. You may use this place as lodging until you return. And…….”
Just as he rose from his seat, voices were heard from outside.
“Ah, it seems people have arrived. Wait a moment.”
He gestured for Catherine to follow and went outside.
Catherine picked up the bags and followed him out.
I clicked my tongue as I watched the two leave.
“They should just keep up the surveillance from afar. Why have they come?”
The people outside now were the ones who had been watching us.
It was laughable that such people had come directly.
Magreta stood up and sneakily looked out the window.
“Ah, they’re from the Stone faction.”
“Do you know them?”
“Yes. They’re energy users raised by Harrison Stone. A kind of vigilante group.”
Having said that, Magreta frowned.
“Catherine’s adoptive parents are also of that faction.”
Shortly after, Catherine came back in alone with empty hands.
Catherine’s adoptive father had left with the bags, and the watchers were still waiting outside.
Catherine, having come inside, spoke to me.
“I conveyed Mr. Hyun’s words that you wished to see the terraforming ruins. But they say they need help first, before you can see the ruins. They say Mr. Hyun’s abilities are needed to explore a newly discovered ruin.”
“All of a sudden?”
It was absurd. Ruin exploration?
I had come here to check artifacts.
“Yes. It seems they suddenly found ruins they hadn’t been able to locate recently.”
“Then, are the people who came now the ones who found them?”
Truly, it was laughable.
The men outside were the same ones who had been following us since we arrived on this planet.
“Yes. They say they’ll go with you immediately if you permit it.”
“Magreta said those people are from the Stone faction…….”
“Yes. It’s my adoptive parents’ faction. The faction responsible for firing the missile.”
Soph and Magreta spoke at the same time.
["It's a trap."]
"It's a trap."
Catherine nodded.
"That's right. It's a trap. My adoptive father told me to guide you there without fail. Fortunately, the fact that he told me to report to him if a situation arises where I need to slip away midway means he hasn’t completely abandoned me."
"Are you okay?"
Even if she was his adopted daughter, to make her do such a thing.
To the point that Magreta, who had been ill at ease around Catherine, asked again.
"Even knowing that I was included in the missile’s target, I’m still following the faction’s orders. It means the faction is more important than me. That is also correct."
Contrary to her calm words, her hands were trembling slightly.
Seeing Catherine like that, I grabbed the spear on my back.
I stood up from my seat.
"Let's go. I'm curious what kind of trap they've prepared."
Trap (2)