140 – Second Transcendence

At Ansimjeong, Noahman’s fulfilling meal had come to an end.

Rohan was on the verge of exhaustion even before any investigation began.

He’d clearly been fed delicious things, but instead of gaining strength, he felt completely drained.

Ever since Eunase’s sudden remark, he couldn’t tell if the food was going in his nose or his mouth.

Even so, he should offer his thanks.

Rohan led Sion and Clara and gave a respectful bow to Ichinose Jun, who was taking out his card.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Mm.”

Ichinose Jun gazed at Rohan for a moment, then gave a nod.

Still, no change in his expression.

Afterward, they all boarded a hired van-taxi to the Public Safety Bureau.

Momo called Jooyeon to tell her they were on their way, engaging in a brief bit of chatter.

The rest didn’t really speak. The vehicle was quiet.

If Noah had been awake, perhaps the atmosphere would have been brighter, but our beastkin girl, satisfied beyond measure with her meal, had fallen asleep the moment she got in the car.

‘Headache brewing.’

Rohan, checking on Sion and Clara who were gripping his arm as if restraining him, glanced at Ichinose in the front seat.

Noticing his gaze, even with his eyes closed, he slowly tilted his head upward, only to abruptly avert his eyes midway.

“···.”

Rohan chuckled softly and closed his eyes.

Jooyeon had arrived ahead of them at the Public Safety Bureau.

She approached, exchanged brief greetings with the two guardians, then checked on the student and the girls.

Jooyeon looked at Rohan, furrowing one brow in questioning.

“Rohan. Didn’t get enough rest? You look pale.”

At Jooyeon’s question, Rohan offered a weak smile and lowered his head.

“Instructor. I apologize for creating a schedule on your day off.”

“This is part of an instructor’s duties, no need to apologize. It’s not like you willingly fell into a dungeon, or entered a restricted area and faced a monolith, so act with confidence.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“The investigation won’t take too long. Similar to last time, I imagine.”

Jooyeon and Ichinose Jun led the way into the Public Safety Bureau.

The others followed, and Rohan was about to move when he looked back at the group.

“Wouldn’t it be better for Sion and Clara to go home and wait? She said it wouldn’t take long, but investigations aren’t usually that short.”

““···.””

The two glanced at Ichinose, then shook their heads.

If they couldn’t wait inside the Public Safety Bureau, they’d be content to wait in the parking lot.

“Will wait…”

“We will wait.”

Hearing the resolute voices of the two girls, Momo approached with a graceful step to inform him.

“No need to worry. It’s okay to wait inside. There’s even a café, apparently?”

“Ah! Thank you for letting me know.”

As Rohan expressed his gratitude, Momo gazed at the entrance to the constabulary.

Yui and Noah were just entering.

Before going in, Yui glanced this way before dragging her heavy feet.

“Cadet Rohan, wouldn’t it be best if you hurried along? I’m not the one being investigated, so I can take my time, but Yui has already gone in, you know?”

“O-Onii-chan… Come back soon!”

“You haven’t committed any crime, so there’s no need to cower. Go and come back comfortably.”

Sion and Clara reassured Rohan, releasing him.

Rohan finished his farewell to Momo before moving his feet.

Momo watched the two young women vying for her daughter’s place.

Truly beautiful girls.

“I apologize for eavesdropping. Your name is Sion, is it? And you must be Clara, correct?”

They had exchanged many glances.

But direct communication was almost non-existent until now.

“C-Clara, yes…!”

“Sion Testarossa here.”

Upon hearing the introductions, Momo’s eyes widened.

“Testarossa…? The one who returned to Tigrova recently….”

“Yes. That is I.”

Momo had, of course, heard about what happened within Tigrova.

As she maintained a close relationship with the Snow Fox Emperor, such news could not help but reach her ears.

She had merely thought of it as an interesting matter.

That she was an elf was a given, being of the Testarossa lineage. She had only known that she was young, not her precise appearance. She hadn’t known they would be this close.

‘Sion Testarossa… Clara… My daughter needs to put in the effort.’

The two girls possessed their own unique charms, excessively stimulating the virile young men.

Quickly finishing her admiration-laced musings, Momo smiled brightly and pulled out her smartphone.

“Since we’ve met like this, let’s start by exchanging numbers, shall we?”

··

··

The information held by the two survivors was of high value.

The scholar who accompanied the Peacekeeper trembled so fiercely, his fingers stuttering across the typewriter.

In the months since Dungeons were codified, a framework for investigation had emerged, new laws introduced. Rohan and Ichinose Yui received a not-insignificant sum deposited into their accounts, in exchange for sharing information.

That was it.

As Juyeon had said, the Peacekeeping Bureau’s investigation was brief.

Barely more than an hour, even counting the short break.

It was merely relaying information about the Dungeon, and with Juyeon and Ichinose Jun present as guardians, they sharply cut off any unnecessary details or the scholar’s unhelpful curiosities.

‘They look withered.’

To Rohan, the Peacekeepers seemed to have aged considerably from the strain.

“…We will conclude the investigation here. Thank you for your cooperation.”

The Peacekeepers, legs trembling with exhaustion, rose from their seats and bowed deeply.

They didn’t forget to offer polite greetings to Juyeon and Ichinose Jun, either.

Rohan looked at the little thing* sitting next to him.

Just being there had eased the awkward atmosphere considerably.

“You worked hard.”

“You too, Rohan…”

She even met his gaze now and responded.

As they exchanged smiles, each carrying their own feelings, Ichinose Jun approached with long strides.

“Got a moment?”

Ichinose Jun’s gaze was definitely directed at Rohan.

Step. Step. Step.

Rohan and Ichinose Jun exited through the Peacekeeping Bureau’s back door.

The opposite direction from the parking lot. Thick walls obscured the road.

To one side, a group of Peacekeepers huddled together, smoking.

Ichinose Jun led Rohan in the opposite direction.

They walked until they reached a lone vending machine tucked away in a corner.

Ichinose Jun bought two coffees, handed one to Rohan, and then finally spoke.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Yes.”

Was it about Yui? Or the Dungeon? Or perhaps…

* 응애노세 “eung-ae nose” is an affectionate, childish nickname, implying smallness and newness, likely referring to Yui. I left it as “the little thing” to keep the ambiguity of the first introduction.

Rohan mulled over various possibilities in his mind, awaiting Ichinose Jun’s question.

“…”

Ichinose Jun, who had been staring straight ahead, not meeting his eyes, turned and gazed intently at Rohan.

The gaze of a powerful man, penetrating deep.

Rohan felt as if he was being seen through, utterly and completely.

Ichinose Jun, after silently scrutinizing Rohan, uncharacteristically erased his blank expression and revealed a flicker of emotion.

A frown.

Something was troubling him after all.

Something he saw in Rohan that he didn’t like. A problem he himself had possessed in the past.

Ichinose Jun asked directly.

“Have you ever prayed, even once, with all your heart that you didn’t want to die?”

“…I don’t understand what you mean.”

He’s not about to make me pray now, is he?

Rohan tensed, focusing intently.

“It’s about your way of life. You can think of it as applying to battle.”

“In battle, I always aim to win and strive to survive.”

“A half-baked and shallow answer. Momo wouldn’t even smile at that.”

“…”

Ichinose Jun’s casually tossed remark struck a strange chord within him.

What Rohan felt wasn’t exactly displeasure.

It was the sensation of a hidden flaw, one he hadn’t even been aware of, being exposed.

When Rohan simply closed his mouth,

Ichinose Jun, for the first time, displayed a hint of loquacity.

“I met Momo, then Yui was born, and I learned the preciousness of life and family. When you have something more precious than your own life, you become vulnerable to even the most clumsy provocations.”

“…”

When he only wielded a sword, he closed his ears to whatever anyone said and went his own way.

But now it was different.

A single word touching his family was something he couldn’t ignore.

“When I pass the bakery in the early morning, I smell the wonderful scent of baking bread. I’ve always known that. But now, instead of smelling it and thinking about whether I’m hungry, I’m reminded of my family.”

Rohan’s fighting style and what he thinks about during battle.

Ichinose Jun saw them.

“You’ve been using these life-as-bait, enemy-slaughtering gambits as if they were as common as your meals, haven’t you.”

“…”

“Forsake and empty yourself of this, with a sense of relief. Thinking that killing those who would taint your path is all it takes to make the remaining people happy? Your premise is flawed.”

If Rohan dies, his daughter will grieve.

Before regret settles in, this twisted passage needs a good pinch.

He needs to know that life is precious, and that the scope of that preciousness includes his own.

Rohan understood what Ichinose Jun was trying to make him realize.

A potentially discourteous remark caught in his throat.

But it was better to speak, even if discourteous. He felt certain, he could.

“…Your explanation seems a bit clumsy.”

At Rohan’s words, Ichinose Jun’s lips twitched slightly for the first time.

A very subtle smile.

“I hear that often. Momo even says my actions are clumsy.”

“Still, I understood. Thank you for the good advice.”

“Rectify your mindset. Right now, you’re only causing worry while pretending to care for those around you.”

“Yes!”

“Mutual destruction is akin to abandonment. There are ways to defeat even the most capable of foes without resorting to gambles. Don’t choose the easy way out for your own sake.”

“…Thank you!”

Ichinose Jun tossed the empty coffee can into a trash bin and turned his back.

“If you have thoughts to sort out, resolve them cleanly and return.”

With soundless steps, Ichinose Jun vacated the spot.

Rohan felt that now was definitely the right timing.

Open the shop.

Purchase.

[The Second Transcendence shines forth.]