The countdown numbers were decreasing.
Signs were appearing as evidence.
Like trees folding their leaves and huddling down before a terrible storm, insects burrowed into their shelters, hiding beneath leaves to safeguard their lives. Countless small creatures, instead of making noise in search of a mate, held their breath and sought to preserve their existence; such signs were often revealed in the things people took for granted.
Things people overlooked without a second thought.
Things that were merely background.
All of it was gradually changing.
Ominous signs hinting that something unfurling might occur were visible everywhere.
The air in the hotel had thickened.
The staff hurriedly took their vacations.
Cold air hung heavily.
A chilling feeling permeated the hotel.
The pests and vermin that had been hovering about the hotel’s surroundings had all vanished.
A scent of incense wafted from the rooftop.
A faint smell of blood lingered on the top floor.
A dentist was coming in and out of the room where a young Asian person was staying, carrying a medical bag.
There were noises coming from the bathroom.
Scratches marked the windows throughout the hotel.
But these signs were too hard to notice.
If brushed off as trivial, they were close to mere superstition, and once one began to pay attention, they would feel like apocalyptic predictions approaching.
Thus, it wasn’t surprising that the individuals at the center of the impending events failed to notice.
“Ahhhh! Puma Currian! What is happening!”
“Can’t~go!”
“Get, get out of the way! I’m losing ranking! No! I’m in last place!”
The cause of such a bizarre atmosphere in the hotel was the perfectly serene daily lives being lived.
Iarin and Ella were causing a ruckus in front of a gigantic TV that dominated the wall, gamepads in hand. Inside the TV, cute characters were racing in carts, while a leopard character, presumably Iarin’s, blocked Ella’s character, rendering her unable to move.
It was an act of poor manners called “blocking.”
“You troll-!”
Ella, who had bitten her lip in despair, eventually ended up in last place, and as soon as her ranking displayed, she shot up in fury and charged at Iarin.
But sadly for Ella, she was a witch, and Iarin was a warrior.
Like an adult restraining a child, Ella was easily subdued, ending up on the floor for her complaints of pain.
“I-I surrender! I surrender!”
Ella screamed from the pain radiating from her bent arm, while Iarin smirked and let her go, grinning as if looking after her. Once freed from constraint, she glared at Iarin, puffing in indignation before crying out.
“Let’s play something else! No cheating allowed!”
“Sure, sure, bunny. No matter what I do, I’ll win anyway~”
Thus, they began navigating to find another game.
“How about a boxing game?”
“That’s too advantageous for you! Let’s do a quiz game!”
“No way! That’s more advantageous for you!”
“Then what do you want me to do? Oh, how about this? Ring… checkers? Fitness Adventure genre? It measures posture accuracy with motion sensors and rates scores and ranks?”
“Then let’s do that!”
Despite their quarrels, the two of them looked like best friends as they operated the gamepads together.
Iserin watched the two and spoke to the demon.
‘They look really close. It turned out well that they took a self-imposed break.’
[ Contractor, my contractor, it would be more accurate to say it is a threatening break rather than a self-imposed one. ]
The three of them were students.
And a student’s duty was to attend classes.
Though they were hiding in a hotel room to flee from threats, it was obvious that not attending school led to serious issues as students.
That’s why Iserin stepped in to make all three of them officially absent.
Indeed.
She made it happen.
The power of the Grimoire.
The power to uncover secrets.
‘It’s the fault of whoever asked for, evidence.’
Uncovering secrets and demanding something with it.
People call that extortion.
But instead of feeling guilty for her act of extortion, Iserin shouted to the demon, believing her actions were right. The demon then trembled its lips in amusement and looked at her adorably.
[ Well, that teacher was indeed negligent. Such people will never come to their senses unless someone grabs their collar and shows them their place, so judging your actions in terms of morality might be less effective than considering their efficiency. Thus, my contractor, who got a nice compliment for legally skipping class, even though she didn’t want to attend… What you did was extremely efficient. ]
Though the demon said such things, it continued.
[ However, if one does such deeds to the innocent, that is clearly an evil act. Human nature desires to wield power if one has it and to peek into secrets once they are known, yet allowing oneself to be consumed by such desires leads only to the birth of corrupted evil beings and criminals outcast from society. My contractor, still growing, you shall always need to be wary and cautious of that. ]
Iserin nodded at the demon’s serious words.
‘Of course. And that’s why I’m not committing any crimes.’
[ Right. I know you won’t engage in anything blatantly criminal, but you’re treading that borderline. In the name of fulfilling your curiosity, no less. ]
‘Ah, I see…’
Iserin nodded at the demon’s advice.
Yet, while she agreed to and accepted the demon’s counsel, listening to it continuously was another matter altogether.
Seeking to escape from such reprimands, she abruptly changed the subject, just like Iarin had escaped to the land of dreams.
‘By the way, that looks fun! Should I try it too?’
She exaggeratedly gestured towards the TV.
[ …Is that really what you call fun? ]
In the place Iserin chose to divert the topic, there was a person-looking beast overflowing with energy, jumping around, and a weak human rapidly becoming a corpse in real-time.
「 One more—Thing-! 」
“H-ha! Help….”
“Bunny! Isn’t this fun? Right?”
Ella lay on the floor. Her thin limbs were trembling as if they were saplings swaying in the wind, and her breath, laden with heat, was released with screams.
On the TV, a muscular trainer depicted in quite a decent portrayal was relentlessly squatting, with his refreshing expression and annoyingly bright voice prodding at Ella who had collapsed from exhaustion.
He was urging her to perform the same movements quickly, and she was turning a blind eye to that dreadful request, squinting her eyes shut.
Meanwhile, with her body finally warmed up, Iarin was bouncing around excitedly.
Her appearance resembled a large dog overflowing with unused energy being walked by its owner at a park.
“I-I can’t. Just kill me already….”
Lying on the floor, Ella was mumbling hopelessly, resembling a corpse in all aspects.
Struggling just to catch her breath, she squeezed every ounce of strength from her muscles to speak, eliciting pity from those who witnessed.
[ From a distance, it looks comedic. However, if you participate, it will surely turn tragic; do you genuinely find that entertaining, my contractor? ]
Iserin shut her mouth at the camel’s question.
It was evident that that would be fun to say, with Ella and Iserin almost having a similar level of stamina; hence, it would likely be a tragedy. Yet if she claimed it was not fun, she felt she might endure a lecture once more.
“Hey! Serin! Stop being a deadbeat on that bed and let’s do this. No, do it! Do it!”
But unfortunately for Serin, there were no choices left for her.
The large dog that knocked its owner out had chosen her as the next victim.
Iarin jumped over and quickly reached in front of Iserin, forcibly grabbing her arm and dragging her toward the TV.
“Wait a second, I’m low on stamina!”
“Exactly~! Doing stuff like this will help your stamina! Exercise will help your skin, too! Look! What’s it called, detox? You need to release toxins through sweat for your skin to look good! See! Ella’s skin is shining!”
It certainly was shining.
Having been coated with sweat to the point it was soaked, if it didn’t shine, it would be more of a question of whether she was human.
Even the stone statues in Jeju that stood still would surely shine if drenched in sweat like that.
「 Come on! New adventurers are always welcome! 」
「 Let’s go on an adventure together! 」
「 Alright! Before the adventure, let’s all shout! 」
「 Muscle! Muscle! Muscle! 」
But what can the powerless do?
Iserin was forcibly dragged into becoming a new adventurer, and she found herself in a situation where she had to mimic the stances designated by the trainer on the TV. Now, she would put a severe burden on her muscles and be tormented by dreadful soreness the next day, while her heart felt like bursting, and her sweat drenched the floor.
But was there any chance of salvation?
「 Let’s set off on an adventure! Ready, set… 」
Bz-aaaah—-.
Crack-!
As the trainer enthusiastically shouted a cheer, trying to pull her into the delightful world of physical training, a blackout occurred.
The lights erupted like incandescent bulbs, and darkness fell over the entire room.
With the fluorescent lights and TV turning off, the room was now pitch black, offering no visibility even an inch ahead. Only the glowing emergency exit arrows made of fluorescent materials provided a dim light, serving as the sole comfort in the darkness.
“Is it a blackout?”
Ella sat up from the floor upon the blackout occurring.
“Ignis Fatuus!”
Having been accustomed to living in the dark, Ella naturally summoned her familiar, and a white sphere of light popped out, floating around her. It brushed against her cheek as if thanking her for the summoning and began to dance around her in circles, illuminating the darkened room as if it were a moon itself.
“Ugh. A blackout, huh? How exactly do they manage power around here, anyway?”
She sighed as she gazed out the window.
If the entire region were plunged into darkness, it might be irritating, but—
Out the window, the brightness of homes glittered as if the blackout was part of another country’s tale.
The sultry lights from homes and street lamps shone brightly like stars, casting their glow onto the glass, creating a shimmering illusion as the large window rippled with reflected light waves.
“I guess it can’t be helped! Bunny, let’s sleep together!”
“What?”
“I said let’s sleep together!”
“Wait— That sounds weird! Are you really a les?!”
As Ella admired the beautiful night view, Iarin approached from behind, wedging her hand between her armpits and began dragging her to the bed. Ella, lacking any strength, was pulled along, horrified by Iarin’s oddly delivered words while Iarin chuckled, clearly amused by her reaction.
And then Iserin heard.
Knock.
A small sound tapping on the door.
