There was no need to cast a separate spell on the box hidden beneath the backpack.
Because the people had been horrified at the sight of the black tentacles and pieces of the humanoid monster’s corpse that I pulled out of the backpack.
The black tentacles were disgusting enough, but the humanoid monster looked no different from a human corpse on the outside.
Since I had pulled that out of a backpack, it was only natural that people would recoil in terror.
No one even tried to touch the backpack I had taken the samples from, so I was able to take the box with ease.
While the Americans were collecting the samples and talking with Magreta, the Korean officer who had been watching quietly slipped away.
He was probably going to report to his superiors.
After that officer ran off first, Magreta and I also took the elevator up to the surface.
After rising for quite a while, the surface we arrived at had changed from when I had last been here.
The large tent hiding the elevator was still there, and the barracks and facilities were no different, but the people—especially the Koreans—had changed a great deal.
There were quite a few soldiers I had never seen before, and the proportion of civilians had increased significantly.
It seemed to be an aftermath of the war ending.
The guards posted at the elevator tent had changed as well, but since I came out with Magreta, there was no need for a separate identity check.
As I was heading toward the barracks with Magreta, someone blocked my path.
A sharp-faced middle-aged man in a suit.
It was the deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, whom I had run into several times before.
He stepped in front of me and spoke in a serious tone.
“I heard that you had returned. May I have a moment? I’d like to hear about the situation over there.”
It seemed the officer who had run out just a moment ago had delivered the news.
Unlike before, the deputy director asked me in a polite tone.
I looked at Magreta.
Magreta smiled and waved her hand.
“Go ahead. It’s fine. We’re sharing all information about that place with Korea anyway.”
Magreta winked where the deputy director couldn’t see.
She was probably telling me to filter it on my own.
The deputy director was also a client who paid me transportation fees.
Meeting him briefly wouldn’t be a problem.
After sending Magreta on ahead, I entered the deputy director’s barracks.
It was the same barracks where I had met the general before.
The inside of the barracks had changed a lot. Before, there had been many things a general might use, but now none of them were visible.
I asked the deputy director.
“I don’t see the general.”
At my words, his eyebrow twitched.
“General Park has been relieved of his post. It seems he intends to retire.”
That was unexpected news.
He had seemed like a fairly powerful military man, yet he had been swept away in an instant.
“With the end of the war, a great deal of restructuring is underway. I’m in charge of this project for now, but I don’t know what will happen to me either.”
I felt like I understood why the deputy director had suddenly become so courteous.
“There’s no need to worry about General Park. He’s been given a position as the head of security for a large corporation.”
I hadn’t been worried in the slightest, but I nodded at his words.
“The United States does provide information, but it comes too late, and it’s hard to trust all of it. I hear people are still dying even now, but we know almost nothing.”
In any case, the information the American side received was probably also what Magreta had passed on to them. The United States was just as lacking in information.
“The higher-ups tell us not to worry about it and just push people in, but we can’t do that.”
There was something in the deputy director’s words that bothered me, but I pretended not to notice and began explaining.
“A new monster appeared. So…”
A not-so-short explanation followed, and the deputy director listened to me with a grave expression.
After all the explanations were finished, the deputy director rubbed his darkened face with his hand.
“A monster that’s not something to hunt, but difficult even to hold back…”
Seeing the deputy director’s expression, I brought out the thought I had been holding inside.
“Personally, I think it would be right to pull everyone out.”
The deputy director shook his head firmly.
“We can’t do that. Do you know how much blood has been shed for this project?”
It was the answer I had expected, but I couldn’t help feeling bitter.
“In any case, I understand the situation. Thank you. I’ll make sure the transportation fee is processed properly and sent to you.”
With those words, my meeting with the deputy director ended.
[It seems he does not know much.]
[Yes. Judging by the fact that he mentioned the blood that’s been shed instead of the objective, he seems to be nothing more than a working-level official.]
I had not met the deputy director simply out of goodwill.
It had been to obtain information from him.
But the deputy director knew nothing.
When I left the barracks, I saw the officer I had seen underground earlier again.
The officer who had rushed out first to inform them that we had arrived.
When he saw me, he lowered his head, his face flushed red.
Reporting was something he could have done well enough, but his reaction was a little excessive.
After checking his face again, I headed to Magreta’s barracks.
Magreta’s tent was no different from the other barracks.
Inside the tent were Magreta and a man I had never seen before.
He was an Asian man around my age who looked Korean.
“Let me introduce him. He’s the person in charge of Korea on our side.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Julius Jung, Jeong Ilsu.”
It was Korean that didn’t require an interpreter, but the nuance of his speech was subtly different.
“American?”
“I’m Korean as well. Dual nationality, you see. Though I’m usually called a black-haired foreigner. Haha.”
He laughed cheerfully and offered me a handshake.
I took the hand he held out.
“I was worried because I couldn’t send Hyeon alone, but fortunately Mr. Jung is here.”
I had wondered why she was introducing someone else, and it seemed he was to be my guide.
But this was Korea. I didn’t need a guide.
“I can go alone.”
At my words, Magreta wagged a finger.
“The war is over, but the checkpoints are still there. You’ll be bothered by inspections all the way down south.”
She was certainly right.
I immediately accepted it, but she continued speaking.
“Besides, I did give advance notice, but we still have to check on Hyeon’s family situation. If that still doesn’t make sense to you, just think of it as surveillance.”
I was at a loss for words at the way she said it with a grin.
“Take this too. I said I’d give it to you on Earth, didn’t I? It’s a platinum card. It should approve up to a million dollars, so go down and spend a lot this time. Then they’ll switch it to a black card.”
She handed me a card.
It was a card shining silver.
The moment I received it, my hand felt heavy.
A card was different from checks and bankbooks I couldn’t even use right away.
“And lastly, a cell phone. It’s a secure phone connected by satellite, so use it without worry.”
On top of that, even a cell phone.
Magreta had prepared everything properly.
When I received the cell phone, she waved her hand.
“Then I’ll see you in Seoul in three days.”
When I looked at her at those unexpected words, Magreta pouted.
“Apparently the higher-up’s schedule is too packed, so he can’t come all the way here. Then I’ll have to go. Well.”
After saying that much, she grinned.
“Thanks to that, I plan to have a look around the city too. It’ll be a short time, but there should be time to shop.”
I agreed to meet her in three days and parted ways with Magreta.
I had three days, but it wasn’t much time.
Moreover, North Korea was currently a no-fly zone, so I couldn’t take a helicopter or a plane.
I got into the car Jeong Ilsu was driving and immediately left the base.
The car he drove wasn’t a military vehicle, but it was a sturdy pickup truck.
I loaded my backpack and spear in the cargo bed and sat in the passenger seat.
After we left the base, Jeong Ilsu asked,
“Shall we go to Seoul?”
“Yes.”
My family home was too far away.
I planned to meet my older brother, who lived in Seoul, first.
Vroooom.
The car headed south.
Just as Magreta had said, there were inspections both when we left the base and when we reached the main road.
Thanks to the ID and documents Jeong Ilsu showed, we were able to pass through easily.
Except when we passed checkpoints, the inside of the car was quiet.
The man who had seemed lively in front of Magreta now looked extremely gloomy.
After several hours passed like that, he suddenly opened his mouth.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Magreta smile like that.”
At his words, I could only tilt my head.
“Doesn’t she smile often?”
He grew even more depressed at my words.
“She does, but the smile I saw earlier was different from before.”
Hearing him, I couldn’t help clicking my tongue inwardly. Here was another person who had fallen for Magreta’s smile.
I realized why he was depressed, but the atmosphere in the car did not change.
The pickup truck continued driving south, exuding a gloomy air.
As if showing that the Korean and American forces had pushed north quickly in the early stages, there weren’t many destroyed sections of road.
Thanks to that, the pickup truck sped along the road.
At this speed, it seemed we would cross Panmunjeom within the day and enter Seoul before sunrise tomorrow.
Thinking such a long drive would be difficult, I suggested we take turns, but Jeong Ilsu shook his head.
“This much isn’t difficult at all. There are people fighting monsters on another planet, after all.”
I glanced at him at those words, but he didn’t seem to intend to say anything more.
After continuing to drive like that, the car came within sight of Gaeseong.
In the dark night, I could see the lights of the city sparsely in the distance.
“That’s Gaeseong. Not much farther now.”
He welcomed the city lights, but a moment later, we had to stop in front of a checkpoint.
The soldiers guarding the checkpoint had blocked us.
“There was a terrorist attack up ahead. The road has been damaged, so you’ll have to detour.”
Just as the soldiers said, barricades had been set up on the road.
Jeong Ilsu clicked his tongue.
“It was fine when I came up, but a terrorist attack in just a few days? Even though the war is over, it isn’t really over.”
At Jeong Ilsu’s words, I examined the soldiers blocking our way.
The eyes of the soldiers standing in our path were trembling with unease.
[Is it a trap?]
Soph seemed to have noticed as well.
“Looks like we’ll have to go around a bit. It’s a slightly out-of-the-way road, but I know it, so it should be fine.”
[What will you do?]
Jeong Ilsu’s words and Soph’s sounded at the same time.
It did seem to be a trap, but I still couldn’t tell who had set it.
Nor could I tell whether this man named Jeong Ilsu was involved.
Of course, at any other time, I would have removed myself the moment I realized it was a trap.
[There’s no need for that now, is there? And I happen to need information too.]
[Since we have the scout’s black stone, we should be able to fight for a long time without restriction. Ah, I see. This is a world without magic. Then there will be no need to fight crudely either.]
Now that I had heard Soph’s confirmation as well, there was no reason to retreat.
“Let’s do that.”
At my words, Jeong Ilsu turned the car around.
The car left the main road and headed onto an unpaved path.
I opened the window and stretched my hand outside.
The spear in the cargo bed returned to my hand.
Then I tried to sharpen my senses and examine the surroundings, but there was no need.
Far behind us, two pairs of headlights were rapidly chasing after us.
“Damn it, was it a trap? I’ll speed up.”
Fortunately, Jeong Ilsu was not on their side.
Seeing the vehicles chasing us, he tried to accelerate.
“There’s no need. Stop.”
He looked at me in surprise, but I had already opened the car door.
Screeech!
The car came to an abrupt stop, and I got out.
The headlights rapidly drew closer.
Two military vehicles racing down the unpaved road.
I raised my spear and pointed it at the oncoming vehicles.
[Is this the first time you are properly using magic on Earth?]
With those words, Soph chanted a spell.
[Split. Rise. Dig.]
Rrrrrumble.
The ground shook, and the road split open.
Kwaaaak!
Along with the surging earth, the oncoming vehicles were launched into the air.