The gray haired young man sat perched atop the ruined roof, staring up at the starry night sky.
It was already nightfall, and the destructive rumbles of the giant worms appeared to have finally ceased.
Perhaps even those giant worms needed sleep.
The gray haired youth stared blankly at the city, once so majestic, now reduced to a desolate pile of rubble. Who could have imagined that just last night, the city was eagerly celebrating the new year, with families taking their young children out for strolls? In a sudden, stray thought, he even pictured those children happily running and playing before madness consumed everything.
He slumped backward, looking down at the heavy blanket of darkness wrapping around the city.
By now, Promet had sent word back to the police shelter informing them that they could not return for the time being. Instead, they would function as a scouting team.
In other words, they were tasked with finding a way out of this place, with Promet being the only one skilled in combat, and he had instructed everyone to rest first.
The gray haired youth could not comprehend it. Given the vast gap in strength, why had Promet chosen ordinary, powerless people like him to go out on reconnaissance?
"What is it? Lost in thought?"
Corin scrambled up the broken brick steps, landing softly right behind the gray haired youth.
He brushed the dust off his clothes, glanced around cautiously, and only then took a seat.
"No, it is nothing."
The gray haired young man shook his head. He pondered for a moment, then let the thought go.
"...Is this your first time seeing a dead body?"
Corin asked gently, prompting the gray haired youth to give a timid shake of his head.
"No, no. I have seen a dead body before...
Did you forget the game we went through on that train?"
The gray haired young man shook his head again, letting out a soft sigh before falling silent, quietly gazing up at the starry sky.
The starry sky looked like everything else here: bleak gray, pitch black, and utterly tasteless.
His eyes grew heavy, as if he were about to collapse from exhaustion, until a sharp smack on his shoulder snapped him back to reality.
"Ouch!"
The gray haired youth cried out, though he made no move to retaliate.
"Your legs are numb... How on earth are you sitting like that?"
Corin warned him, and only then did the youth reluctantly shift his legs around to restore circulation.
"Corin... Is this your first time seeing death as well? No, sorry, you saw plenty of it last night... It is just that your mental fortitude is much stronger than I thought."
"...These past few days are certainly not the first times I have laid eyes on dead bodies."
Corin stood behind the gray haired youth, sharing his own past experience.
"The very first time I saw a dead body was when I was seven years old."
Corin scratched his chin, squinting one eye as he continued.
"Back then, I was stung right in the eye by a bee. It was very, very painful. I do not remember the exact details, but at the time, it felt as though I was going to die."
Corin let out a heavy sigh, covering one side of his face with a hand.
"At that time, the situation was so critical that I had to be rushed to a city hospital for help. I do not remember the specifics, but it seems that after they used the anesthesia, I ended up losing a few memories."
Corin added.
"Yet I still remember that after that day, my father gave me a severe beating. To make me appreciate life more or something along those lines, he dragged me out to the city square..."
Corin hesitated at this point, pausing briefly before forcing the remaining words out.
"Right there, I witnessed a public execution. I do not remember his face... nor his crimes... but..."
Corin let out a deep breath.
"That resigned gaze, the loud shouting and cursing, the sight of people taking his severed head to play around with...
After all... he was merely a slave."
Corin stopped speaking, but his expression remained unchanged. On the contrary, he appeared deeply focused, so the gray haired youth made no move to disturb him.
"Mm... So, that is all?"
"Hm?"
Corin let out a soft laugh, gazing up at that bleak gray sky.
"That is the exact reason why I want to get into the social history department at the university."
Corin patted the gray haired youth on the shoulder before sitting down beside him.
"I have two wishes: first, to delve deep into historical mythology... because I once heard that slavery existed in earlier eras long before us."
Corin swallowed hard, adding in a tone that sounded distant and unfamiliar.
"And also... I want to become a high ranking official, someone with enough authority to change society and put an end to public executions."
Corin finished speaking and let out a long sigh. After a full minute of silence punctuated only by the whistling wind, the gray haired youth finally spoke up.
"So... why are you telling me all this? Having a late night heart to heart with another man is giving me goosebumps...
And talking about your grand dreams on top of that... Are you planning on sacrificing yourself or something?"
The gray haired youth blurted out those words, though he certainly had a point. After all, the two of them were not nearly close enough to be sharing such deep, personal thoughts with each other.
"Haha...
I just did not know what else to say... Besides, I am not particularly close with my two brothers anyway."
Corin let out a long yawn, then glanced over at the gray haired youth's back.
"Hey, I think there is a cockroach on your back."
THUMP!
Immediately, the gray haired young man threw his weight backward to crush the bug, his face twisted in a strange, intense panic.
"Is it dead? Is it dead?!"
Right after that, he tore off his coat, scrambled to his feet, and darted far away from the spot, while Corin broke out into laughter.
"Hahaha! You said I was going to die early, but it seems you are the coward who will die first!"
Corin laughed, picking up the coat and shaking it out to reveal a cockroach with its head completely crushed, though its legs were still squirming disgustingly.