Chapter 55
I had pinned the hologram badge Samra gave me to the inside of my clothes.
It wasn’t in a visible position, and naturally, I had never shown it in front of Dominic.
"The badge."
"The badge?"
"..."
"Oh! I received it as a gift...from a friend."
"Ah, a friend from London?"
"Yes. But how did you know I was wearing a badge? I have it hidden inside my jacket."
I asked, laughing as if it were a joke.
Hearing my question, Dominic replied curiously.
"At some point, I just felt it."
’Shit.’
He seemed to have only just realized the fact that the badge had been hidden.
Judging by his tone, it didn’t seem like he had known from the moment I put it on.
I had a gut feeling that he likely noticed it after seeing that glowing isosceles polyhedra.
And the reason he recognized the badge was probably...
’Is it because it’s not an item from Call of the Void?’
The most plausible hypothesis was that he felt a sense of dissonance because it was an item from the outside.
"Let’s get out of here first."
I stepped forward first.
"We need to collect the remaining evidence and rescue the people kidnapped as sacrifices; it would be more efficient if we split up."
I spoke to Dominic, who was following closely behind me.
"I’m short, so it’s easier for me to hide. I’ll go collect the evidence. Dominic, how about you take charge of the sacrifices?"
I had never once thought of myself as short, but in front of Dominic, such words flowed out easily.
"That’s a good idea. I will ensure those rescued are protected at the clinic. Ms. Edel won’t be able to approach that location!"
I briefly explained the place where the intended sacrifices were imprisoned.
However, I no longer felt a presence following me.
I stopped while opening the door leading out of the holding cells and looked back at Dominic.
"Dominic?"
"Roasted Chestnut. I know this is an unreasonable request, but."
He briefly covered his face with his hand. He seemed flustered by his own impulse.
"Nevermind. Please just ignore me."
Is he doing this on purpose?
Doesn’t stopping mid-sentence only make one more curious?
I didn’t think it would be anything pleasant, but curiosity scratched at me.
And if I didn’t ask now, I didn’t know what kind of bomb it might turn into later.
’Isn’t it better to just set it off now?’
Approaching the situation with the mindset of a bomb disposal squad.
"Please tell me, Dominic."
After hesitating for a moment, Dominic asked me in a cautious manner.
"Could you give that badge to me?"
The content of the request was not cautious at all.
I still didn’t know what the badge was for, but seeing how it bothered Dominic, it seemed to be an important item.
I couldn’t just hand such an item over to him.
It wasn’t mine; it belonged to Samra.
Inevitably, I resorted to a new lie.
"I’m sorry. It’s a memento of a deceased friend...."
After sending away the perfectly functional Samra, I donned the pitiful face I had shown earlier in the cell.
"I would give anything to you, Dr. Dominic, who is my benefactor and colleague, but not this..."
Dominic looked greatly flustered and apologetic.
"A memento of a friend....Roasted Chestnut, I am sorry. I acted on a sudden impulse. I don’t know why I am like this."
I shook my head as if it weren’t his fault.
"Hm I think it’s because of that strange metal box we saw yesterday."
"It really is a dangerous box. Let’s make sure we never go near it again."
"So you felt this kind of impulse yesterday too Roasted Chestnut..."
Dominic looked at me with fresh eyes.
He was checking to see if I was alright.
I smiled as if nothing were wrong and asked.
"Shall we go now?"
"Yes, Roasted Chestnut."
Dominic followed me out obediently.
Then we parted ways to carry out our respective missions, and finally, left alone, I...
"Whew..."
I let out a long breath I had been holding in.
I felt like my heart wouldn’t survive while being with Dominic.
It was even worse because I had told him more than a few lies.
I had even intentionally given him the wrong location for where the kidnapped people were held.
I wanted the rescue to take longer so that he would be tied up there all day.
Since today’s ritual would be performed with the cult’s followers rather than the kidnapped victims anyway, there was no need to rescue them early.
’Originally, I intended to stick by Dominic’s side as much as possible.’
It was to keep an eye on him in case he caused trouble, and to use him for various purposes.
But now, I felt like I should just park him in some corner.
Things had gotten complicated because Dominic had replaced the sacrifices with cultists.
The people intended for sacrifice were saved, but the ritual was still set to proceed.
Of course, I could infiltrate the cult with Dominic and stop the ritual.
That would be much easier, but..
Given Dominic’s strange reactions since seeing the glowing polyhedra, I decided that I shouldn’t show him anything related to the summoning of the Outer Gods.
Perhaps Dominic had been summoned here by the cult.
It was a deduction I reached knowing that the rituals performed by the cult summoned various types of Gods.
I didn’t know if he was a divine being, but since he wasn’t ordinary, the possibility was pretty high.
But if that were the case, the Trial was merely a space that repeated the same world.
To think they could summon and imprison a being like Dominic.
I couldn’t believe the Trial could exert that much power.
Regardless, it was an unknown issue in the current situation, which is why I planned to handle today’s ritual on my own.
I circled around to the back of the police station and peeked inside through an open window.
The NPCs had set schedules, and at this time, there was no one at the rear of the station.
I reached inside and grabbed a hat hanging on the wall, pulling it low over my eyes.
"I’m just taking one hat.’
Since they had dragged in an innocent person, I figured they could provide a hat as a police station souvenir.
Judging by the quiet atmosphere, it seemed my jailbreak hadn’t been discovered yet.
If they came to distribute dinner to the holding cells, I’d be caught, so I had to finish collecting evidence and enter the cult’s grounds before then.
I quietly entered an alleyway where no pedestrians went.
A plump mouse squeaked and quickly vanished in front of me.
As I walked deep into the dead end, a system window popped up.
[You have entered the back alleys of Mornveil. Where would you like to move?]
[10+ movement options, 8+ evidence collected, 2+ companions.]
This was a shortcut available only when specific conditions were met, and they were all conditions I had fulfilled yesterday.
I selected the destination.
[Moving to City Hall.]
Suddenly, my body stepped on a trash can and leaped onto the top of a wall.
In an instant, I ascended to the rooftops and began to run.
The moments of sprinting across the roofs of low buildings were precarious.
If it were my original physical abilities, it might have been difficult.
However, moving through auto-navigation resulted in movements no different from a movie stuntman.
Leaping from roof to roof, I reached my destination, City Hall, in no time.
Checking the time at the clock tower, I surveyed the area around City Hall.
The cobblestone plaza was in a state of turmoil.
Police officers stood there with grim expressions.
This was because the murder had occurred at the Mayor’s official residence, located two blocks away from City Hall.
The biggest advantage of using the back alleys was that they automatically connected to stealthy paths.
To be precise, they weren’t exactly paths, but places that could be used like paths.
I climbed up to the Mayor’s office using a rain pipe attached to the wall.
Since all the personnel had flocked toward the Mayor’s residence, the office was quiet.
I took out the wire I had farmed yesterday.
[Old Wire: A necessity for a journalist obsessed with reporting! Can be used for various purposes. (Remaining uses: 5)]
I picked the lock and pushed the window open.
As I entered, a system window appeared.
[You have entered the Mornveil Mayor’s Office. An ominous energy is felt.]
It was a notification that an event related to the main story was occurring.
The event that was originally supposed to happen was the Mayor of Mornveil discovering me as an intruder and becoming enraged.
He was under a weak brainwashing spell; if you failed to persuade the Mayor, he would transform into a monster, triggering a boss fight.
Entering the Mayor’s office unprepared meant losing a heart immediately.
But since the Mayor wasn’t here, I just walked right in.
Having essentially broken into an empty house, I looked around the office.
I was searching for cult-related documents the Mayor had hidden.
In the game, you obtain the item by defeating the Mayor-turned-boss or by succeeding in persuading him.
I knew it was in the office, but since this was my first time stealing it, I had to search for the location.
While I was simply checking the desk to find the documents...
A neatly folded newspaper on the desk caught my eye.
It was today’s newspaper, likely delivered before the news of the Mayor’s death broke.
As I looked at the newspaper without much thought, something strange happened.
The name of the newspaper, which had been written as Mornveil Herald, began to slide and change.
And the changed name was one I recognized.
"Day News..?"
It was the newspaper the cat butler had given me in the Three-Clean, the one containing the news of the spaceship explosion.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. I grabbed the newspaper immediately.
However, it was entirely covered in square colored blocks.
Previously, there had been at least one article I could read, but this time there was nothing.
It was while I was searching thoroughly until the very last page.
I saw a Life Tips corner located in a small space left over after the articles were placed.
It was a short text consisting of two or three lines, but I could read it.
[■’s Simple Life Tips!]
[For items that cannot be used even when activated, try using the ’Appraisal’ ability!]
"I don’t have such an ability."
It felt similar to being told to put ice in your beer if it’s lukewarm.
I had searched with wide eyes only to find such a meaningless text.
Just as I was cursing the useless newspaper, a line was suddenly drawn across the text.
[■’s Advanced Life Tips!]
[For items that cannot be used even when activated, try using the ’Appraisal’ ability! Try smearing a bit of blood on it! It’s a primitive method, but quite effective!]
What is this?
It felt as if someone was watching my every move.
I stared blankly at the squares.
I remembered seeing squares in a similar arrangement several times before.
Every time I cleared a Trial, a message appeared with the same arrangement of squares, stating that they were watching me.
I had seen the same squares in the <Dead zone Delivery> event quest.
The content written in that event quest had been helpful back then.
After contemplating for a moment, I decided to try it, thinking I had nothing to lose.
Shedding a drop or two of blood wasn’t difficult, so it was worth a try.
I detached the badge from the inside of my clothes and lightly pricked the tip of my finger with the sharp pin.
Then, I rubbed the drop of blood on my fingertip onto the badge.
Just as I thought nothing was happening.
The drop of blood rubbed on the badge was absorbed instantly.
Following that, a holographic light shimmered.
My eyes widened at the unusual sight.
Along with a crackling noise from the badge, a faint voice could be heard.
I grabbed the badge and brought it to my ear.
- ... Mr. Han Goyo!
"Samra?"
It was Samra’s voice.
Communication had been established from outside the Trial to the inside.
I was extremely glad to hear that voice after so long.
While I was momentarily surprised by the unbelievable advanced technology, Samra continued urgently.
- Where are you right now?
"I’m in <Call of Void>. I was forcibly entered into Call of Void from Three-Clean by an NPC."
- Are you saying you entered a Trial?"
"Yes."
I felt a slight oddity.
Samra does not say unnecessary words. The reaction of specifically asking if it was a Trial was strange.
- Mr. Han Goyo....
After a short silence, Samra spoke to me.
- <Call of Void> is a Trial that has never hatched.
"That...if it never hatched...that means...."
- It means it is a Trial that does not exist..