This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 515

Oh my, the discharge papers!

To be honest, I was quite surprised.

After all, I chose to step forward for this moment, but I didn’t expect it to arrive so quickly.

Maybe that’s why?

Even while packing as Chae-rim had said, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being a bit dazed.

No matter how much I sacrificed to reach this moment, I thought it would take longer for a conclusion, especially since it could be such a sensitive issue for someone.

The fact that a conclusion came so quickly means Chae-rim must have put in a lot of effort behind the scenes.

Well, that would have had some influence.

Thinking about Chae-rim’s personality, once she gets involved, she wouldn’t just sit back until a result comes out.

“I mean, she’s more the type to roll up her sleeves and jump in!”

But I really didn’t expect the outcome would come this fast…

Does that mean the situation at the Association is severe?

So dire that I must serve as a shield?

The thought that it might really be like that made me feel a bit uneasy, but on the flip side, I felt a little excited.

Thinking back, it might have been a natural development.

How long have I been here now?

Thanks to Chae-rim, who intentionally secured me a spacious single room, I didn’t feel cooped up, but still, the fact that I couldn’t go outside as I pleased left me with an undeniable sense of deprivation.

Because of that, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get a bit sensitive, even if it wasn’t too frequent.

Just a few days ago, it felt like I was bound to those feelings, and now, here I was, thinking I might actually escape before the year ended.

Is that why everyone says you never know how things will turn out?

“By the way…”

What exactly was it that I needed to say?

Perhaps it was because Chae-rim had appeared with an unexpected gift that I had gained a little peace of mind.

Before that, things I hadn’t particularly cared about suddenly started to bother me.

Well, it’s not like I was planning to interrogate Chae-rim or Yoonseo about what they talked about.

What would be the point of that?

It’s not like I don’t trust them.

Besides, there must be a reason for Chae-rim to be acting that way.

Why should I go digging into it myself?

With her personality, if I just wait patiently, she’d probably tell me in due time.

“So then—”

Instead of letting curiosity burn unnecessarily, I should focus on packing.

…

So, what exactly was it that needed to be said?

“Could it be…?”

Is it something related to exploring Heogye?

That seemed likely.

After all, if it wasn’t about that, there wouldn’t be a need for a separate meeting.

All the information learned from Heogye must have been included in the reports… but perhaps the reports hadn’t yet reached her?

Well, it has only been a day since the return.

Actually, not even a full day.

Since we returned last evening, it’s been around twelve hours, maybe?

So, it wouldn’t be too strange if a proper report hadn’t been submitted yet.

I mean, even though I tried to stick to the provided formats as best as I could, how lacking must our results have seemed to those who have lived their whole lives away from bureaucratic paperwork?

I’m sure it was something that could barely be used as a reference, so they probably judged it unworthy to be presented to the higher-ups, and in that sense, everyone might be scrambling to prepare their reports right now.

However, that was solely dependent on the support team.

From her standpoint, it had only been yesterday when she heard that one of the scouts who had gone to Heogye had returned, but after a whole day had passed without any significant reports, she must have felt a bit uneasy.

Thus, she must have come to hear it directly from me.

“So… how was it?”

As expected, she wanted to ask about Heogye.

Her tone felt like she was breaking the ice before getting into the main topic, so that was definitely it.

However, one thing that made me unsure in the midst of all this was… what kind of answer was she hoping for?

What kind of answer does she want from me?

Does she want to hear it was tough?

Is she hoping I’ll give up on my intentions?

What she wanted might actually be that, but… that doesn’t mean I plan to stop now.

If there was absolutely no hope in sight? I would have reconsidered that.

What I want is a way to restore Dogun’s left arm, not to throw myself into some unlikely possibility.

So, if there was no hope visible, I would have neatly given up, but… as a frontliner participating in this exploration, I felt differently.

It wasn’t as impossible as I thought it would be.

And more importantly… it felt like I stumbled upon useful information as if I was picking up money on the roadside, and I had also secured leads about the peculiar entity that caused Dogun’s left arm to become like that.

Of course, I know.

There’s no guarantee that this clue is true.

It seems that RK Guard deemed it reliable, but perhaps it’s a trap intentionally set up for that purpose.

The Another Ones have become rather cunning lately, having learned a lot from humans, so it can’t be completely ruled out that it might really be like that, but still, the fact that a clue has surfaced is a big deal.

When I think about how I used to have nothing in my hands, this is a monumental leap forward, and that’s why I have absolutely no intention of giving up.

As I mentioned earlier, unless I washed my eyes and searched, there was no way to find hope, but until now, even if it was just a silhouette, I caught a glimpse of what hope looks like.

And yet, I’m told to give up?

Isn’t that a bit cruel in its own way?

“Thanks to the RK Guard being well-prepared, it turned out to be way more feasible than I expected.”

I spoke in a resolute tone, waiting for her response after throwing out the question, because I didn’t want to waste energy concerning what she said anyway.

So, I made sure to take such a firm approach from the beginning, and thankfully it seemed to work.

“…Really? That’s a relief to hear.”

Perhaps sensing my wall-like attitude right off the bat, Chae-rim’s tone softened slightly.

“Did you call me separately just to ask that?”

“No, not exactly… I was just curious.”

“What were you curious about?”

“Well… it’s about Riruka Shaki.”

Riruka Shaki.

Who was that again?

“Oh, that… the villain from France, right?”

Since the report about her was submitted days ago, maybe that part reached her too.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Why do you ask about her?”

“Well, I heard roughly what happened, but I wanted to hear more details.”

You want to hear more details?

Are you curious about how I ended up crossing paths with that troublesome villain?

But honestly, there’s not that much to it, right…?

“You’ve probably heard all there is to know from the reports. I didn’t actually capture her myself…”

It was actually the RK Guard members who were moving to clear the debris around the base who found that half-skeleton-looking lady.

I had just rushed in after hearing that someone was discovered among the rubble while I was resting inside the base.

“Was there a problem concerning her?”

“Hmm? A problem?”

“You know, like during the process of transporting her, she tried to escape or something…?”

I wondered if that could have happened, but given the recent state of the Association, I couldn’t exactly dismiss that possibility.

Besides, Riruka Shaki’s talents were specialized for escape, weren’t they?

So she could have taken the chance to slip away if the transport team let their guard down for just a moment.

I even entertained the thought a bit, but thankfully that didn’t happen.

There were several attempts to flee, but before any could succeed, those dispatched from the French Hero Association arrived.

“So she’s probably on a plane to France by now.”

“Well, if she’s on a plane, she can’t escape.”

“Exactly.”

Maybe because I couldn’t say what I’d originally intended, the conversation meandered into trivial content devoid of substance until Chae-rim, as if reading my mood, hesitantly opened her mouth.

“By the way, Yoonseo.”

“…Yes?”

“This is just in case, but have you ever seen something like an illusion? I mean… during this exploration.”