Retire 492
by Cristae492 Aerial Aquarium (4)
Two pairs of eyes hardly blinked.
Unlike their usual boisterous selves, they were excessively still. Perhaps that was why they stood out even more.
Their gazes were fixed, faces serious, as if determined not to miss a single detail of the scene before them.
Hong Seok-young suddenly found himself wondering what those kids were seeing.
His son, Woo Hee-jae, also saw things others could not. Still, “mana” was something Hong Seok-young could easily understand. Just because he couldn’t see it didn’t mean he couldn’t sense it. And when working with magicians, sometimes magic could be seen with the naked eye, depending on the spell.
But Han Tae-kyung and Alex Hope?
Neither of them could explain it properly, and no one listening could understand it either. Most likely, even the two of them saw things a little differently from each other.
It made sense that Hope, who had possessed that vision since birth, had trouble explaining it.
It was a bit surprising, though, that Han Tae-kyung, who had once experienced the world through ordinary eyes, also stumbled over his explanations.
‘Well…? It’s like looking through a dirty lens? But it’s not that I can’t see—if anything, I see too clearly?’
Even Kim Chae-min and Gamble, who had once pestered Han Tae-kyung with questions, had eventually given up trying to understand.
‘It’s like looking through water, everything’s distorted? But then, sometimes it’s as clear as an X-ray… Or like a telescope, or a microscope, but also just as if there’s a blurry filter over everything…’
He’d managed to hide it all this time.
“Hey, junior.”
Han Tae-kyung nudged Hope in the side.
“What do you think?”
“I can’t really tell from here… Is there a way to get closer?”
“Hmm… What about that thing you’re good at?”
Han Tae-kyung tapped the floor with the tip of his shoe—a habit Hope had when teleporting.
“That’s not an option.”
Before Hope could answer, Hong Seok-young cut in.
“Remember how many eyes are watching. Even now, there are plenty of people filming live broadcasts and whatnot.”
“Ummm… Then how about the classic approach, Master?”
“Classic?”
“Like taking a helicopter.”
“And who’s going to fly it?”
“I have a license!”
“…Why do you have that?”
“I learned for emergencies in the desert.”
It wasn’t a bad thing to have learned, but hearing it from Han Tae-kyung made it feel odd.
He’d known the kid for over ten years now, and in more ways than one, he always exceeded expectations. That’s what made it interesting. Just when you thought you knew everything, something new would pop up, and the child you’d thought of as ignorant and helpless would suddenly grow up and become a valuable asset.
Still, Hong Seok-young shook his head.
“It’s not a bad idea, but I said to avoid drawing attention.”
“Then what about using magic the ordinary way? There was a magician among the people gathered earlier, wasn’t there?”
“To get help from outsiders, I’d have to explain what we’re doing…”
Hong Seok-young stood near the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the fish. It was close enough that he could almost count its scales.
“Right now, they’re letting it slide because I said I wanted to take a closer look… Honestly, even that was only possible because it was me. If I’d said I wanted to approach to see if the thing could talk, even I would have been called crazy.”
“This won’t do, that won’t do. Must I, Han Tae-kyung, wither away without ever getting to use my abilities in this unjust world?”
“I’ll make sure to put your skills to good use, so don’t worry. And if you have any more secret licenses stashed away, make a list and tell me later.”
“…I don’t think I have any?”
“Tell me later.”
Han Tae-kyung’s nonsense was nothing new, so there was no need to pay it any mind.
Hong Seok-young’s attention shifted from Han Tae-kyung to Alex Hope. Since coming to America, he’d become strangely subdued, and after the Kruger and Lehmann incident, he’d grown even quieter.
Woo Hee-jae had grumbled that the kid was finally maturing, but when someone who had never acted that way before suddenly changed, it was impossible not to worry.
“Hope?”
“……”
“Alex?”
“……”
“There’s no one here but us, so you can relax.”
Given how things had gone when they first met, it was natural for him to be wary at first, but by now, that didn’t matter. The way the world worked was always interesting.
“No, I…”
Hope frowned deeply.
It was the first time he’d seen the boy so vexed.
“Did you find something?”
“It’s not that… Um, Master.”
“Mm.”
“I’m not a magician, so I can’t say anything for certain like our magic teacher can.”
“And?”
“Besides, my eyes are degenerating. I would have seen it more clearly in the past.”
Hope spoke with a mixture of regret and a strange satisfaction. In contrast, Han Tae-kyung’s eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, glanced at Hope with envy. Hong Seok-young pretended not to notice either of them.
Hope stopped tapping the floor.
“When the magician gets here later, have them check. But I think, um. You see that?”
“A wound?”
“I think Noah did it. It feels oddly like Noah’s mana.”
“…So that’s what he was doing, yanking out monster eyeballs over here?”
“We don’t know if that’s really an eyeball, Master! It’s where an eyeball would be on an Earth fish, but still.”
“So you’re not sure?”
Hope hesitated, then nodded.
“But I was told not to hide it if I was uncertain.”
“Right. If there’s anything suspicious, say so. That’s where we start.”
In a way, it felt like teaching a student. Given Hope’s age, it wasn’t far from the truth.
If he kept teaching like this, in ten years Hope would be a little noisy but a capable guild member who could handle things on his own, just like Han Tae-kyung.
By then, he’d hand the guild over to his son and retire. His wife had said she wanted to live in the countryside when she retired, so he’d bought some land. He’d build a small house there and enjoy his retirement.
Of course, that would only be possible if they managed to prevent the world from ending.
“And, uh, we can’t get any closer, right?”
“It’s not that you can’t, just don’t do anything conspicuous.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Hope pointed at the white fish. Since settling atop the hotel, it had barely moved. The blood-like liquid dripping down stained the streets below.
It was a scene more suited to a dungeon than a city. Yet the sight of the lavish hotel beneath the fish only heightened the sense of unreality, reminding them that this was, in fact, real.
“Anyway, what if it comes to us instead?”
“Hmm?”
“If the monster comes closer, there’s nothing we can do to stop it, right?”
“I… suppose so?”
“If it comes, what are we supposed to do? It’s not like we called it.”
Hong Seok-young looked at Hope. Hope pulled down his mask, curling his lips into a smile.
“…Is that thing the type to come when called?”
“We’ll only know if we try.”
Truly, neither of these kids was in their right mind.
But perhaps the one most out of his mind was…
“……”
Hong Seok-young bared his teeth in a grin.
“This should be interesting.”
Maybe it was him.
The city was still in chaos. The shouts of people trying to escape, the police and soldiers assisting with the evacuation, and those refusing to leave could be heard in the distance.
Yet on this street, amid all that clamor, there was an eerie stillness.
Splat!
Except for the occasional fall of blood mixed with golden sand from the sky.
Red streaked with gold. Or perhaps gold streaked with red. The blood flowing from the monster’s body painted the streets in dazzling colors. Abandoned cars on the road were festering in great golden puddles.
Just an hour ago, the massive monster circling above the city had filled people with terror, but now it had all but ceased to move. Its body swelled and sank slowly, feathered scales trembling now and then—a sign the monster was still awake.
But the fact that the monster was alive was itself a source of terror.
Everyone held their breath. Fearing the monster might move. Or fearing it might not.
Splat!
Again, a lump of blood fell below.
“………….”
The monster’s tail twitched. The scales lying flat against its body suddenly bristled sharply. The feathers rustled against each other, making a faint, almost imperceptible sound—yet one as chilling as the skittering of a swarm of insects.
The monster’s writhing grew more intense. It swung its head from side to side. If one could say a monster had emotions, it might have seemed like it was desperately searching for something.
But the hunters watching its every move did not see it that way. Tense, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from their brows, they feared the monster might begin attacking the city at any moment.
The monster began to move again. Unlike when it first appeared, its movements were slow. Its head still swayed over the city, as if searching for prey on a riverbed.
“………….”
Once more, the monster jerked and raised its head. Its slow swimming gained speed. Fins rippled. The tail swayed. The monster left the hotel where it had been and stopped atop another building.
It arched its body. Blood splattered down. The monster, as if annoyed, flicked its tail, then stilled. If it hadn’t been a monster, one might have thought it was the dejection of missing its prey.
Or perhaps, because it was a monster, that was the correct explanation. Yet the giant fish did not vent its frustration by rampaging.
“………….”
The monster lifted its head again, moving slowly. It seemed to pause, then moved again…
“Master, it really doesn’t seem to have any intention of attacking. At first, I didn’t believe you, but… It’s definitely avoiding colliding with the buildings.”
“Maybe it just doesn’t want to get hurt.”
“It must know something’s off, but if it’s not leaving, it must have some ulterior motive…”
“Either way, this is our chance. If we can lure it to the outskirts, it’ll be much better. Alex! Move again! To that building!!”
From the rooftop across the way, the boy with his hat pulled low raised both arms in a big circle to signal his understanding.
“@@&@&%$”
Then came a high-pitched sound, like a bird’s chirp.
The monster followed the sound, moving slowly. The boy mimicked the bird call several more times, and when the monster drew closer, he kicked off the ground and vanished.
Hope reappeared on the rooftop of the next building, called like a bird, then vanished again…
Watching this, Hong Seok-young and Han Tae-kyung began to move as the monster drew near.
Hope stopped on the rooftop Hong Seok-young had indicated and called out again.
“#*^$((%#@… cough.”
“You alright?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.”
His voice was much rougher than when he’d started, but Hope waved it off and checked to see if the monster was still following.
“What did you say to it?”
“Hm?”
“Did you ask to talk?”
“Oh.”
Hope took off his hat for a moment, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair after all the jumping around.
“Please save me.”
“…What?”
“Help me. Please save me. Where’s my mom?”
“……”
“Effective, right?”
Hong Seok-young revised his earlier thought.
Compared to these kids, he was perfectly sane.