NOVEL NEXT WORLD Clunk. As soon as I heard that sound, the door in front of me opened automatically.
‘Well, this looks pretty ordinary.’
I left a brief impression about the appearance of the door that had just opened.
Of course, given the various security devices hanging on the side instead of a doorknob, it was hard to say that it was simply ordinary.
But at least compared to the heavy steel blocks I had seen before, which were hardly worthy of being called doors, this one could easily be recognized as a door by anyone.
‘By the way, I haven’t done much compared to what I thought.’
Stretching to loosen my stiff muscles, I heard a crack from my shoulder.
After hearing the explanation about the so-called “abnormal phenomena” and those creatures, I had decided to cooperate in stopping them for the sake of my hometown. However, I had become a bit deflated by now.
Honestly, I thought I would be busily running around dealing with those monsters, but all I had done for the past few days was knock on that strange door and toy with the little shadow-like thing.
‘…Well, it’s not like I’m particularly disappointed or anything.’
But it wasn’t a big deal.
I wasn’t the kind of person to need to smash something to feel relieved. As long as they kept the promises they made to me, I had no intention of complaining about the tasks they assigned me.
In fact, right now, I was even given enough freedom to walk around this facility.
Of course, I had heard that whatever project they were working on hadn’t been approved yet, so there were still limitations on where I could go, and they had some kind of devices attached to my hands and feet.
Recalling what had been happening behind my hometown up until now, I could understand this level of restriction perfectly well.
Honestly, I didn’t think I would have acted any differently from how I used to in my past life.
‘There really aren’t many people around…’
Looking around, I hardly saw any signs of people.
Well, it made sense. It hadn’t been long since such a massive event occurred.
The number of corpses I had seen alone could pile up into a mountain, and it was clear that the number of injured would be substantial too.
‘If I had moved a little faster… No, let’s not think about that.’
Thinking about the lives I wasn’t able to save and entertaining hypothetical situations, I decided to put such thoughts aside.
There was no point in reflecting on the past; it wouldn’t help and would only make me feel more unsettled.
However, it was unavoidable that a nagging feeling lingered in the corner of my mind.
After all, it wasn’t long since I returned to my hometown, and suddenly seeing so many corpses—it was only natural for anyone to feel uneasy about it.
Especially considering that I could have saved all those people, it intensified that feeling.
“19th entity!”
As I was lost in such thoughts, a familiar voice called from behind me.
“It’s been so long!”
Turning in the direction of the voice, I felt someone hug me before I could even open my mouth.
In the carefree atmosphere, there was an indescribably soft object touching my face.
Of course, it was Sophia.
“Are you seriously smiling while getting your pay docked? You’re something else, Senior…”
“Oh.”
Following her, Arthur walked over with a look of disbelief on his face.
Upon hearing the mention of a pay dock, she seemed to have something weighing on her mind, trembling for a moment.
After putting me down from the hug, she urgently began to relay something to me.
“Um, um… 19th entity, could you do me a favor? It seems there was some misunderstanding between us.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding; it’s a rightful punishment. You’re supposed to inform entities capable of communication about these things. But you didn’t say anything.”
“But! I thought 19th entity was just a child that couldn’t speak! I thought you wouldn’t understand complex words, so I assumed explaining wouldn’t matter…”
Sophia yelled as if making an excuse to her junior.
However, soon after realizing her own words were merely a defense, her voice gradually lost strength and, by the end, she couldn’t put a proper sentence together and was pouting.
“…I mean, I definitely didn’t ask anything.”
Well, I got the gist of it.
Oliver, realizing that Sophia hadn’t explained anything to me, must have given her some form of punishment.
He seemed to hold a pretty high rank in this facility, while Sophia appeared to be a simple researcher.
Honestly, when it came to why Sophia was punished, I thought I might share a bit of the blame too.
If I hadn’t started with the mute concept from the beginning, at least she wouldn’t have treated me like some dimwitted little kid.
“Still, I think you should’ve told me that.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m heavily responsible for it.
“Ugh.”
“Oh, she fainted.”
Upon hearing my words, Sophia instantly made a face of despair, letting out a soft moan and, not long after, crumpling to the ground, seemingly knocked out.
“…Are you okay?”
I was taken aback by the sudden event and expressed my concern for her.
Someone suddenly collapsing in front of you is normally something that would surprise anyone.
“Don’t worry. She often does this when she’s feeling unwell. Just think of it like a turtle’s defense mechanism.”
“Shut up, Arthur….”
“See? She might even bite if you poke her. Just like a turtle, right?”
However, Arthur, who was nearby, casually waved off my concern as if it was no big deal.
Before long, I could hear a weak voice coming from the sprawled-out Sophia on the floor.
I thought something had happened—maybe a heart attack?
Does she often do this?
The more I see her, the more unique she seems.
“Well, let’s just leave the fainted senior for now….”
Arthur looked at me, seemingly nervous.
When I returned his gaze, he suddenly turned his head elsewhere as if he was embarrassed, repeating gestures of clearing his throat and scratching his head, looking somewhat anxious.
Finally seeming to reach a decision, he looked me straight in the eye and said,
“Thanks. You saved my life.”
He opened his mouth and expressed his gratitude towards me.
“If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve definitely died back there. Many others would have too.”
In the end, it was just an expression of simple thanks.
Just a word of gratitude.
However, even such a simple gesture could lead someone to find satisfaction in the actions they took.
“Of course, there are still many people who are suspicious of you, and I still don’t know where you came from, but… at least I don’t think you’re as dangerous as others make you out to be.”
To be honest, it felt pretty good.
A little embarrassing too.
It had been so long since I had received a proper thank you that I might have felt a little too pleased about it.
But just feeling happy about it made me realize that I really am an easy person to satisfy.
“What’s this? In the past, you told me to get a psychological contamination check or something. Now you want to be friends with our 19th entity?”
“…Honestly, back then, the way you were acting was clearly not normal.”
“19th entity, you shouldn’t trust this man. He’s definitely thinking something sinister. If Arthur tries to touch you, make sure to kick him where it hurts, got it?”
“Then I’d just die normally.”
As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Sophia, who had been lying on the floor, suddenly rose up and showed her displeasure toward him.
Wasn’t it just a pretty serious situation a moment ago?
Why does the atmosphere always seem to lighten up when these two start talking?
In the middle of their unexpected comedic skit, I inadvertently took a deep breath and—
“Pu—”
I let out a short sound, followed by a light laugh.
“Oh my, 19th entity, did you just laugh?”
Sophia asked in surprise.
Well, I guess so.
Even I could tell that it had been a really long time since I laughed out loud like that.
And since returning to my hometown, I hadn’t even managed to muster a proper smile, let alone a joyful expression.
Why was that?
Well, that’s something I don’t really know either.
Maybe I went through so many strange experiences, or perhaps it was simply due to the long time spent alone.
Somewhere along the line, my face just froze naturally.
But, well, it didn’t matter.
Hearing a genuine expression of gratitude from someone and listening to such light-hearted conversations was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
At this moment, all I wanted was to savor the feeling of having returned to my hometown after such a long absence.
[19th entity.]
A male voice transmitted through the voice communication device.
Responsible Researcher, Oliver Smith.
Right now, he was looking for the girl in the room.
“Is something wrong?”
[There’s currently an emergency situation occurring. We desperately need your help.]
When the girl replied, he revealed that there was an emergency and asked for her assistance.
“…An emergency? It doesn’t seem like anything dangerous is happening.”
However, the girl, upon hearing his words, felt a moment of doubt.
In her mind, when an emergency occurs, it would be normal to hear the loud alarm sounds she had heard not long ago.
Yet, her ears detected no alarm, and she couldn’t even sense any urgency in his voice.
[That can’t be. The current emergency is occurring far from this location.]
“Far away?”
[That’s right. The current situation is occurring at a location far from here—]
Oliver answered the girl’s question.
But the girl couldn’t help but show a look of surprise at his reply.
Of course, the place he named was
[—from an abandoned nuclear base.]
The girl, too well aware of its implications, knew it was a dangerous place.
A location where large-scale massacre weapons lay dormant.