I looked at Agent Haegeum.
The agent's hand, gripping the hilt of her Sai Sword, was white from the force.
As if trying to digest the shock of what I had just said.
I could understand.
I hadn't properly digested it myself yet.
The fact that the Disaster Management Bureau had chosen to offer up all the civilians of Segwang Metropolitan City as Human Sacrifices instead of rescuing them…
I looked down at my own hands.
They weren't looking too rosy either.
"…Why would you think that?"
"I found a record."
"Can you tell me what kind of record it was, exactly?"
I did.
I focused on the fact that it was a testimony from a civilian who was in Segwang Metropolitan City at the time, rather than on the explanation about the Cheerful Research Institute.
"..."
"…Agent Haegeum. Could this… also be a kind of selection process?"
A selection process.
The selection of a scapegoat, carried out by the Scales of Evil.
-To save the innocent majority, efficiently single out the minority who will die.
Right.
The reason I instinctively felt that this was likely the truth, as if I'd been struck on the head the moment I saw the record, was because the flow was so similar.
"To stop an Extinction-class supernatural disaster where no other method works and the death toll is rising exponentially, by making use of people who are going to die anyway."
Even if we rescue the people of Segwang Metropolitan City, if we can't control the Extinction-class Disaster, we'll all die together.
If that's the case, it's better to 'use them usefully' to stop the supernatural disaster from spreading further.
[How rational. In difficult times when resources are scarce, wouldn't such a judgment be necessary?]
[Just like in a 14th-century city, where a family infected with the plague was locked in their home to starve to death, unable to leave.]
[At least the epidemic wouldn't have spread!]
I lifted my head.
Agent Haegeum met my eyes.
Her eyes were dark.
"It's a possibility. We're not a volunteer group, we're public officials, and we have a duty to carry out orders from above. Especially in a national crisis like an Extinction-class Disaster, that would be even more true."
"..."
"But, Agent Grapes."
Agent Haegeum said quietly.
"Do you really think the agents of the Management Bureau would have made such a choice?"
"...!!"
"What's your take, based on your own experience?"
That is…
....
"No."
I remember Team Leader Hong and the members of the Blue Dragon Team, who wracked their brains until the very end to save the children at Segwang High.
I remember my teammates, who couldn't bring themselves to leave the children behind at the Sparkling Dragon Palace and ultimately couldn't refuse my suggestion to see if we could rescue them for just one more day.
Besides them, I remember countless other agents who disappeared into a single line in the Darkness Exploration Record…
"I don't think they would have made that choice."
But.
"Still, you never know about a group's decision."
Isn't that a separate issue from the atmosphere among the members?
Just like how the agents at the Balance Tribunal, despite their constant suffering, ended up selecting people to be rescued.
Agent Haegeum sighed.
"Right. Still, I'm on the side that thinks even the higher-ups at the Management Bureau wouldn't have gone that far unless they had no other choice…"
"..."
"You have no idea how many agents protested when the Scales of Evil was first introduced."
Actually, I do.
And the fact that it was implemented despite that made it all the more ominous.
But listening to Agent Haegeum, my composure returned and I became a bit calmer.
'Have I been too steeped in the Darkness Exploration Record?'
In a Ghost Story Worldview, it's all too plausible for a state agency to sacrifice a million or so civilians…
....
Wait a minute.
A city-wide magical anomaly
The government?
A massive human sacrificial ritual??
We'll die if we stay like thiswe have to get out no matter what
The government.
"By any chance."
I swallowed.
"…What if it wasn't the Disaster Management Bureau's decision, but the decision of a higher authority?"
"...!"
My deduction was that I had misunderstood the subject.
Come to think of it, it was only natural.
'In a national crisis, the probability that the Disaster Management Bureau made the decision alone is low.'
But Agent Haegeum gave a cold, bitter smile.
"Again, do you think the agents would have followed that order?"
"…!"
"Like hell those bastards, who defy orders and walk into disasters on their own two feet just to save one more person, would follow that."
"Is it difficult to perform a ritual like this without agents?"
"Yes. That's the problem."
Agent Haegeum looked at her Sai Sword, then clipped it back to her waist.
"Something like a Sealing Ritual requires specialized personnel to be dispatched even from within the Management Bureau. If they had all risen up and refused, it couldn't have proceeded."
"..."
"If this really happened and they wiped the agents' memories clean… someone must have cooperated with this."
Cooperated.
"…You mean the higher-ups at the Disaster Management Bureau, not the agents?"
"Yes."
....
Feeling as if I'd been struck, I muttered.
"Then they must have tricked the agents into doing it."
"That's right."
Agent Haegeum answered cautiously.
"A Sealing Ritual is fundamentally a form of Sacrificial Ritual. You offer a sacrifice and make a request to some divine or mysterious being… The more a request goes against the natural order and flow of things, the more dangerous the price required."
Agent Haegeum opened her mouth as if to give an example, but ultimately changed her mind and steered the conversation away.
"At that stage, they could have deceived the agent performing it."
"In what way?"
"They could have given a vague explanation about what kind of sacrifice was being used, and just said it was a Sealing Ritual to seal an Extinction-class Disaster… or if not that, they could have placed a taboo on it."
If they were going to erase the memories anyway, they could use any number of moderately immoral methods.
"Then that means there were people among the Disaster Management Bureau's higher-ups who actively cooperated in this and used the agents."
"That's right."
"Do you have any factions in mind?"
"..."
Agent Haegeum, who had been looking at me, approached with a serious expression.
Thwack!
"…?!"
Sh-she smacked me on the head!
"You've picked up a bad habit from Choi! You might as well scream that you're about to do something very dangerous, do you think I'd actually answer you?"
Ugh!
"S-sorry."
I was finally released and rubbed my tingling head as I spoke.
"But if I hear about it, I can prepare for it, can't I!?"
"Prepare for what, are you going back?"
"That's not it…"
I hesitated for a moment, then said it.
I think now is the right time to reveal it.
"To end the Extinction-class supernatural disaster."
"...!"
"Agent Haegeum, I'm going to end the disaster in the special city."
"..."
"So, I want to know anything that might be helpful in that process."
Agent Haegeum didn't call me a crazy bastard.
She didn't curse me with her eyes, either. She just looked me over and let out a long sigh.
"Like team leader, like team member… so typical of Team Hyumoo 1."
I just gave a clumsy smile.
But the smile vanished the moment I thought of Team Leader Hong, bound and Contaminated at Segwang High.
'The Team Leader Hong in the hospital didn't remember…'
"That Choi fellow seems to have infiltrated and looked through the records, and the fact that he's not making a fuss means they must have completely erased all traces from the classified records as well."
"..."
That's how thoroughly they've managed this secret. Burying a million people, and the cleanup was so meticulous and clean it's truly terrifying…
'…Wait a minute.'
I turned my head in a hurry.
"Agent Haegeum."
"Hm?"
"Then if they find out that we know, there's no telling how they'll react, is there?"
"...!!"
I got to my feet.
"Is there any chance they've placed a taboo or something, so they can detect it if it's even mentioned anywhere?"
Agent Haegeum's complexion changed too.
"There is."
Damn it!
My face pale, I stood up as well.
'Of all places, this is a Disaster Management Bureau container[1].'
I made a mistake.
I reflexively looked at the entrance as I stood up, and Agent Haegeum also shot to her feet, enveloping herself and me in a will-o'-the-wisp.
At that moment, the container door opened.
"...!"
…But there was no one outside.
An empty street.
Not a soul in sight.
But the fact that nothing was visible made it even more eerie.
The door had definitely opened.
"..."
"..."
We stood still for a long time, then, shrouded in the will-o'-the-wisp, we cautiously walked out of the container.
Agent Haegeum deliberately circled the container a few times.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of our stiff, quiet footsteps echoes on the ground.
There's nothing behind us.
Who killed the young miss[2]
The kite string hanging on the branch over the wall
Strangled the young miss's neck
We kept walking.
There's nothing behind us.
Who killed the young miss
A tooth of the fine-toothed comb held by the maid
Twisted and turned, stabbing its blade
We kept walking.
There's nothing behind us.
Who killed the young miss…
"..."
"..."
It was gone.
I felt that the nothingness had disappeared.
"…It's fine. We can go now."
"..."
"We didn't get caught because we didn't mention the specific names. From now on, don't mention that event in reality using proper nouns."
She meant not to say 'Segwang Metropolitan City' and 'Human Sacrifice' together.
"Yes."
I nodded at once.
My neck was drenched in a cold sweat.
Agent Haegeum, with a similar expression, seemed to ponder for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
"I don't think this will do. I think I'll have to enter that disaster myself."
What?
"I need to check out the situation. As it happens… right. Our team has a three-day break."
Agent Haegeum took out her phone from her pocket, checked the shift schedule app, then looked back at me and smirked.
"Tell Choi to stay out for a while. I'll have him cover my shifts while I'm gone."
Ah.
* * *
"…So, another agent is joining the Project."
Yep.
Back at the Fox Counseling Room, I faced Ho Yuwon and told him about Agent Haegeum joining us.
…My heart still freezes just thinking about that process.
'I'm glad I was cautious.'
Of course, that wasn't the only reason I came here.
"Ho Yuwon."
"Mr. Noru. It seems you still have more to say."
I reported the results of this exploration to Ho Yuwon, who seemed irked, perhaps because of the additional agent.
"I found you."
"…Pardon?"
"I said, I found you."
"...!"
Ho Yuwon's movements froze completely.
I took out what I had stored in my inventory.
A plastic bottle filled with ash… and an Agent uniform.
"Here."
Ho Yuwon reached out and grabbed them.
His face went blank for a moment as he looked at the fox-shaped patch on the Agent uniform.
"This is what was left behind when he disappeared. …Though that one also introduced himself as just a Projection."
"..."
Ho Yuwon seemed to come to his senses and tore his gaze away from the uniform.
Then he poured the sand-like powder I'd brought in the plastic bottle onto the table. As the murky silver powder piled up on the table, Ho Yuwon placed his hand on it…
But nothing happened.
Ho Yuwon withdrew his hand.
"I see. This must have been a part of me that was subordinate to another Darkness."
It was poured back into the plastic bottle.
"Not the real me, but a lingering afterimage… Well, I suppose my situation out here is better, right? To think even an afterimage is trapped in there, haha…"
"..."
"The real me is probably near the subway station. You can just keep looking."
Ho Yuwon looked back at me, his eyes flashing with excitement, impatience, and anticipation.
But that attitude, bordering on madness, somehow fizzled out the moment he asked his next question.
"Mr. Noru."
Ho Yuwon seemed to hesitate before asking.
"…By any chance, what was that Projection like?"
Ah.
"Did his memories seem intact? If they did, what kind of being did he seem to be? What was he pursuing…"
"I don't know."
I answered honestly.
"He seemed like a good Counselor."
"..."
"..."
"Haha…"
Ho Yuwon handed the plastic bottle back to me.
"Ah, that's meaningless. It's just rusted silver powder."
Thud.
I took it.
'Rusted silver powder.'
Then perhaps it was something that had fallen off the 'Scales of Evil' in the Balance Tribunal.
Since the tribunal itself was the Scales turned into a ghost story, it seemed a remnant of Ho Yuwon's thoughts had remained there.
"..."
I put the plastic bottle away again.
It felt wrong to throw it away, so I was thinking of scattering it somewhere sunny.
'Or maybe I should solidify it into a hard shape.'
In any case, Ho Yuwon, who had been staring at the Agent uniform as if trying to feel something from it, held that out to me as well.
"Take it. It might be helpful in finding his whereabouts."
I nodded.
And I looked at him anew.
"What is it, Mr. Noru?"
"...No."
It's probably better not to mention the evidence suggesting that the civilians of Segwang Metropolitan City were sacrificed en masse.
But separately, the immense anger and resentment this man held now came to me with a more vivid background.
As shocking as the shock I had received.
'…Hoo.'
"I'm leaving."
I left the Fox Counseling Room.
And I went to find Agent Haegeum, who was waiting.
"So how do I get in? I'd like to go right into the middle of it to gather as much information as possible."
"Just a moment."
First, let's look at the current situation.
'The Researchers are fixing the Potion Maker…'
Until then, I needed to gather more information.
'The remaining stations with Cheerful Research Institute offices I haven't visited yet… are there about three?'
Segwang Station (Forest Path of Demise)
Midnight Station (Body Casino)
Twilight Station (Conscience Vending Machine)
Twilight Station is inaccessible, so I'll pass on that. It would be good to check out at least one of the remaining two… but to do that, I need to end the subway station ghost story.
'It's not easy.'
But at that moment, the words of someone I met at Hanbit Library came to mind.
-Agent Haegeum… you mean?
-Yes. She's great at taking risks, and has a lot of guts. Most of all… she's lucky.
....
"Agent Haegeum."
"Yeah?"
"By any chance, do you have a knack for gambling?"
* * *
"So. Agent Haegeum is now..."
"She went to the Body Casino."
Thump.
Bronze clutched his head.
He's already dead, so he shouldn't be able to feel headaches, but since we were on the Train, he was in his living form and seemed to be feeling the headache in full…
-So a separate supernatural phenomenon appeared at each subway station.
-What do you think will happen if you end all of them?
But Agent Haegeum had shown clear interest, and in the end, she took two people from the project and left.
"Who were they?"
I avoided his gaze.
"Elite Team's Deputy Manager Nabi and my colleague, Manager Pony…"
"..."
That's right.
Assistant manager Jin Nasol and Kang Yihak were assigned.
At the fact that two true Daydream employees were accompanying Agent Haegeum, Bronze seemed to have lost not just his headache but the will to speak…
"Why…"
"…It was Agent Haegeum's request."
-Assign me one person who's merciless, and one who goes crazy for money.
-Pardon?
-You should be able to find them very easily at that company.
-Pardon?
Recalling that day when the conversation almost ended with me just repeating 'Pardon?', I deeply understood Bronze's horror…
I was really scared too.
"…Anyway, I understand."
Bronze, who had been holding back a sigh, seemed to have calmed down and looked back at me.
"So, Agent Grapes… for what reason have you visited this Train?"
It was simple.
'I feel like there's something more hidden on this Train.'
Seeing the evidence of the Human Sacrifice makes me think so even more.
The fact that the self-proclaimed Lee Kangheon hid a note here, and that this is a shelter built by a Blue Dragon Team agent who stayed here almost until the very end, means there must be something to find.
'Since Deputy Manager Eun Haje and Bronze were here first, it's easier to infiltrate now.'
I'll find it quickly, even if I have to tear this Train apart.
Of course, telling Bronze right now that 'The government used a million civilians for a Human Sacrifice!' seems like a crazy thing to do…
So I just smiled brightly.
"I'm planning to settle down on this Train."
"…Pardon?"
"I'm tired of visiting stations, so I'd like to rest a bit."
"Pardon?"
"I'll be in your care."
Bronze looked a little dazed. I feel a bit sorry, but this seems like the best way.
Hoo.
-I see. You must have had a lot to think about before making that decision, sir.
I did.
But now that the decision is made, I'll do my best…
??!
"…?!"
-You seem surprised. Are you alright? Ah, if you check your pocket, you'll find me.
Pocket?
I quickly stuck my hand into my jacket's inner pocket.
Inside, a small silver coin was glittering.
A Cheerful Coin.
It was a Silver Coin minted from the rusted silver powder I had brought in the plastic bottle.
I didn't want to just leave it as powder in the bottle, so I sent it to the theme park via my inventory tattoo and had it consolidated into the shape of a Cheerful Coin.
[Show business, my god.]
From within, 'Juror Number 1's' voice was ringing out.
[Let's discard it, friend!]
[1] headquarters? Main building?
[2] pay attention to if it has a dot at the end of the sentence or not