NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 188
After not waiting too long, they finally called me outside. Of course, it was after piling on a bunch of safety measures.
It was obviously uncomfortable. Still, the feeling of walking on my own feet after so long wasn’t all that bad.
Though, considering I probably wouldn’t be walking for long since I’d be transported in some vehicle or other.
If there was any consolation, it was that I got to breathe some outside air and see a little sunlight. Being stuck inside the building for so long made me really miss that sunlight.
That was about as good as it got.
The staff or guards, I couldn’t tell which, looked at me like I was some dangerous material, and the heroes lurking inside the Hero Association were mostly just growling at me without saying a word.
At least the few people I knew were watching me with a rather distressed expression from a distance.
It was only after going outside and meeting humans that I truly realized I had nowhere to really go back to.
I had already guessed and braced myself for this, so I didn’t feel too emotional about it, but still—all in all, it left a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
Maybe I should just apply for a job at Lapiz’s place? I’m even contemplating not living at all, but looking at this makes me wonder if I could even live, even if I wanted to.
If I begged to stay alive while working like a dog at Heros Company with my tail between my legs, they might just keep me alive somehow, but that’s not something I want to do.
Hmm… Honestly, it’s looking less and less likely I’ll find any options aside from getting a job with Lapiz. Maybe I should just give up on life entirely.
But then, when it comes down to actually going through with dying, I hesitate. Not for any big reason, but just because I find chatting with friends fun.
Before I got caught, I was talking about following that one guy and all that, but now I’m trapped, and chatting with my friends…
I can’t help but feel that ending it all is a bit of a waste.
Lost in thought, I found myself in the conference room. The only problem was…
“Is no one here? The lights are off… We’re supposed to be having a meeting.”
Even if I looked around with my eyes wide open, I couldn’t find anyone. It was indeed the conference room, but nothing was set up.
What on earth was going on? I began asking the staff about it, but they didn’t even bother answering my questions.
“Someone’s asking here! Aren’t you going to answer? Want me to poke you with slime?”
As I swung the slime around threateningly, that’s when they finally managed to speak up.
They stuttered in fear, but given it was the start of the term with Lapiz, I could understand what they were saying without much trouble.
They were saying it didn’t make sense for innocent people to wait for the guilty party, and if someone had to wait, it should be the guilty one.
I thought it was ridiculous, but listening to them, it made a weird kind of sense. Of course, it makes sense for the person in the wrong to wait… right?
It feels kinda off for innocent people to wait for the guilty, doesn’t it? But then again, it feels absurd… strange.
As I pondered whether this was right or wrong, one by one, members started creeping into the conference room and began preparing for whatever.
Thanks to that, I got to see how a meeting at the Hero Association gets set up. Not that it was particularly enlightening. It’s not like I would need to see it again, and the attitude of the staff was dreadfully cold.
I wanted to smack one of them, but I held back, knowing the consequences wouldn’t be worth it.
Then a Heros Company employee walked in, followed by another employee, and then another one with a strange briefcase…
What’s with all this stuff?
While stuck in the back, watching all this, a staff member treating that briefcase like it was a treasure caught my eye.
I swear I’ve seen that briefcase before. Wasn’t it… from the lab where we handed over artifacts? It’s the one they used to deliver artifacts to us!
No? Or is it just that the suitcase designs all look like that?
As I pondered, the employee holding the briefcase opened it, revealing its contents to the world.
It was filled with artifacts. So many that it was hard to believe they all fit in that bag.
Oh, right. Those were from that lab. If the bag’s bigger on the inside than on the outside, it’s probably similar to what I received before.
But wasn’t that supposed to be a one-time thing? Did technology advance to make it reusable?
As I examined the name tags attached to the artifacts, I kept seeing my friends’ names. This has got to be what they brought to hand over.
I wondered where all those came from, and suddenly, a memory popped into my head.
Back when I had a conversation with Seolhwa and Minho separately, about the artifacts they received from Heros Company.
…Wow.
I thought that was a one-off thing, but now they’re not even hiding it. I’ve got a sense of what’s going on here.
They’re really going all out.
If I’d known, I would’ve added this to Heros Company’s list of atrocities.
I had circumstantial evidence but no solid proof, so I hadn’t exposed it yet. But now, they’re generating evidence right in front of me.
At this rate, would they really conduct human experiments without any hesitation?
Oh, wait, they’re already doing that. It’s a total mess.
While I was shaking my head at the state of Heros Company, more heroes and kids flooded into the conference room.
“Welcome to my conference room!”
“Blanca? What on earth happened to you? Also, how can you say that while all tied up like that?”
Lapiz looked utterly puzzled at the sight of me tangled up in restraints.
Only Minho seemed to guess what I was getting at. He just chuckled in disbelief at how ridiculous the situation was.
“Oh, this? It’s nothing. They just tied me up like this because they thought it would calm their nerves. Apparently, they were scared I’d breathe too easily or something.”
“…But isn’t that restraint really pointless for you, Miss Blanca?”
“Just for show, I guess.”
“Ah, I see. Just for show…”
Ageha muttered, seemingly resigned, but given she wasn’t showing any fighting spirit to begin with, that wasn’t too surprising.
People around us looked at us a little weird, no, openly, but nobody dared to say anything.
Lapiz’s mother and grandmother were firmly standing behind her.
No matter how much heroes are dedicated to justice, they didn’t have the guts to question a descendant of a walking earthquake.
Lapiz’s mother just looked at me with an expression of dismay but didn’t speak up. However, her grandmother casually dropped a line.
“Poor thing.”
I couldn’t tell if that was directed at Lapiz, me, or even her daughter.
“Oh, looks like it’s about to start.”
As I spent some awkward time chatting with the kids, the conference room went dark, and the presentation began.
Maybe they’d already been informed, but they gave me a rundown of how the operation was supposed to unfold.
The first step was to surround the temporary base of the Evil Society with mountains.
They said it was to block escape routes and contain my poison, but how on earth do you build mountains on a plain?
That aside, the second step was opening up one side and bombarding that area with all kinds of abilities, turning the main base into an uninhabitable place.
Of course, my poison was involved, and who knows what other abilities would be unleashed, setting fire and all that…
I couldn’t help but comment on how ridiculous the plan sounded, saying wasn’t anyone dozing off while explaining it to the kids? But lo and behold, that really was the plan.
Yet, seeing it all unfold made some sense, considering Lapiz’s mother and grandmother seemed to be in charge of making mountains.
Just when I thought these guys must be high to come up with this plan, I found myself nodding along.
From what I heard before, Lapiz mentioned that those two could build structures from scratch and shift the ground with a simple gesture.
If they’re capable of doing that, then sure, it could work.
Then, I suddenly wondered if they could easily build a mountain, why not just bury it underground instead? Lapiz answered for me.
“Returnees rarely meddle in worldly affairs.”
Those powerful enough to tear through dimensions aren’t really interested in worldly matters, typically caring only for their own friends and families.
Although it looks like Heros Company is controlling returnees, it’s all based on shared interests, they’re not actually on Heros Company’s side.
As a result, all her grandmother could provide in this operation was this much. The rest, she said, needed to be handled by those of us born here.
“So… they’re only here to help this much. And I had to ask to get them here.”
“You don’t hold back, do you, our little stone? Even if she was your first friend, that doesn’t give you a pass.”
“Hah, Grandma, that, um…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I wasn’t trying to scold you or anything. Just don’t be too scared.”
Returnees.
I envy them. They’ve returned to the place they belonged.
As for me, if I went back to where I was meant to be, the last thing I’d find is a welcoming committee—more like the military would just take me away.
Letting out a sigh inwardly, I continued to listen to the one-sided operational brief from Heros Company.
Up the mountain, heroes would be waiting, taking care of whatever crawled up… and so on.
I’d love to find fault, but there was nothing to nitpick about in this operation, so I had nothing to say.
All I felt was joy that it seemed like this time we could finally put an end to these guys.