I swallowed and looked to my side.
The Wolf Leader was looking with a casual attitude at the back of the old paper envelope in my hand, at the words that had been burned into it.
And just now.
"Agent."
…It seems he's figured out my identity, which the will-o'-the-wisp had so willingly provided a hidden sentence for.
"How could something as illogical as a public official getting a job at a private company happen? And a secret agency agent, at that."
"...I retired."
"Is that so?"
A chill ran down my spine.
Judging from past experience, the reaction a Daydream elite team leader would show upon realizing I was a former Disaster Management Bureau agent was….
I looked at the eyeholes of the Wolf Mask.
Instead of a hostile or piercing gaze, a look that seemed lost in thought passed by….
And then.
"It seems you have quite a story."
"…!"
"That can happen."
The Wolf Leader smiled and bowed his head.
The atmosphere instantly softened.
"…Aren't you suspicious?"
"What? Hahaha…."
A small, silent laugh passed from beyond the Wolf Mask.
"It's so suspicious that it's strange. That's why it's fine. If it were a ghost story trying to bewitch us, it wouldn't have created such a preposterous backstory."
"…!"
"And the fact that the will-o'-the-wisp recognized you is impeccable proof that you really were an agent, isn't it?"
I realized.
The oppressive pressure he had been subtly exerting, hidden behind his gentle tone, had eased up a bit, starting with his way of speaking.
"…Do you have no animosity toward agents?"
"Animosity? Why would I have animosity? They're good people doing the nation's work."
"..."
"Now, curious Employee Yong. Stop worrying about my reaction and let's get moving. The environment has changed, so shouldn't we take another look around?"
"…Yes."
Phew.
'This is nerve-wracking. For real.'
Swallowing the words that he was the one who seemed like some bizarre creation of a ghost story, I lowered my gaze to the paper envelope.
The trace of the will-o'-the-wisp left on the back.
And the identity of this paper envelope was revealed by someone from decades ago.
"It looks like an envelope that held a library card, but it seems to have been recycled."
Hmm.
Come to think of it, I think I've seen something like this when I was young.
'The card that recorded the books you borrowed was kept in an envelope like this.'
But the library card isn't inside.
Only the burn mark from the will-o'-the-wisp remains on the envelope's surface.
"Was it okay to damage the library card like this?"
"…No."
There's no way.
'In a library, you're fundamentally not supposed to damage things.'
Besides, with a bizarre being that one must 'bow to' as the master of the library, it would naturally be a taboo.
The fact that the agents did it even though they knew means they either tricked the library's master in a very complex and difficult way, or….
'The burn itself is a Goblin's trick.'
I moved my hand as if to wipe away the burn mark on the back of the envelope.
At that, the will-o'-the-wisp flickered and came back to life from the burn mark.
"…!"
It wasn't a will-o'-the-wisp with a consciousness. Just a trace left by that flame.
'…An agent left this.'
Goblin's Play.
An ability used by an agent who possesses a magic weapon imbued with a Goblin, upon passing a trial.
As the flickering will-o'-the-wisp flame rose into the air, the mark on the back of the envelope vanished as if by a lie. And the flame stuck to the floor, showing something new.
Another trace of a will-o'-the-wisp.
Like a spilled trail, the glowing blue things, like glow-in-the-dark stickers scattered on the floor, continued on like a trail of blood, as if guiding the way….
Into the grounds of Sekwang Technical High School.
Into the school.
"..."
"It's the school. Let's go slowly."
We stepped onto the grounds of Sekwang Technical High School.
[Oh, so this is the headquarters of the tomato graduation ceremony incident where Lee Brown couldn't be with his friend!]
I remember.
The Sekwang Technical High School in my dream, where I was chased by students in a school uniform.
When entering the 'In the Dark Shadow' ghost story, the explorer would come to their senses in a classroom, wearing their old school uniform, at the sound of the class bell.
That's why seeing that school building from the outside felt strange.
"..."
It's dark.
'Is this… a Segwang Metropolitan City outside of history?'
But the area outside the high school grounds was so dark it was invisible, as if there were no light source at all.
All that was visible was the schoolyard and the school inside the fence.
We silently and quietly headed for the main entrance of the school's Main Building.
But the blue trail of the will-o'-the-wisp didn't go through the locked main entrance.
A small window next to the Main Building.
The window, which had a trace of the will-o'-the-wisp on it, was surprisingly unlocked.
-We can get in here. I'll follow the Disaster Management Bureau's trail for now.
"..."
This is a first.
'Entering the first floor.'
While exploring the 'In the Dark Shadow' ghost story, I had never once come down here. The goal was to get to the 5th-floor auditorium where the graduation ceremony was held.
If this is the same place, then this is my first time entering the first floor.
'Phew.'
I watched as the Wolf Leader first opened the window without a sound, then carefully entered the school.
The man, who moved with terrifying efficiency, stood still and looked at the hallway, then beckoned to me.
And he mouthed the words.
'Don't be surprised.'
I understood what he meant the moment I climbed through the window.
"…!!"
On the floor of the school hallway.
Human bodies were laid out, packed tightly together.
The motionless students of Sekwang Tech were arranged in neat rows and columns, five bodies at a time, placed endlessly down the hallway.
Motionless, like corpses.
No, they looked like corpses that had been left unattended after too many people died in a disaster, only counted and left as they were.
But their eyes were open.
Each student, wearing a school uniform skirt or pants, was 'arranged' as if on display, laid out in a line on the floor….
'Ha.'
I barely held back a scream.
A sequence from a horror movie. Not the kind with gore galore, but a deadly horror movie armed with ghosts and creepiness—a shiver ran through me as if I had stepped into one.
But.
[Oh, there are gaps. Mr. Roe Deer.]
…If you look closely at the dark floor, you can see empty spots where a student's body isn't laid out....
As if that student had been removed.
"..."
A sense of somberness replaced the fear, maintaining my mental balance.
But the tension remained.
'Phew.'
I took a step.
Following the blue trail of the will-o'-the-wisp.
Struggling not to step on a student by mistake, I leaped into the empty spaces on the floor.
It was only possible because the faint blue light emitted by the will-o'-the-wisp's trail allowed me to make out their outlines.
'Phew.'
The blue trail was left haphazardly on the walls and ceiling without any pattern, before finally heading upwards.
To the 3rd floor.
"..."
Here too, students were laid out like corpses on the hallway floor, but there was one difference.
I found students whose faces I could recognize.
[Kim Sora]
A student who had died before.
In the 'In the Dark Shadow' ghost story, I suppressed a groan as I looked at the name tag of the student who had been killed by a Bureau agent.
This confirmed it.
It's the same place.
'So this is what it's like when it's not the last day of the lunar month.'
…Why did the schools in this Segwang Metropolitan City end up like this?
What happened in Segwang Metropolitan City?
Moving past the unknowable chill and unease, I raised my head.
The trail of the will-o'-the-wisp led to one place.
The end of the 3rd floor.
[Infirmary]
....
I grabbed the doorknob and opened it.
And a scene I had seen once before unfolded again.
Students injured during exercise should lie on the bed and wait for the school nurse to arrive!
The phrase I had used was still there.
However, it seemed all three beds were empty now.
"..."
"Someone was lying here. Until recently."
And the trail of the will-o'-the-wisp glittered over there.
The infirmary window.
Below it.
[Flowerbed]
…Facing the school's backyard.
The sight of the backyard, overgrown in the darkness with azalea bushes that were nothing but branches, was visible beyond the window.
And I realized.
'This is the only passage to the backyard.'
If all the doors of the school building were locked, there would be no normal way to get to the backyard. Because it's blocked off.
The first and second floors don't lead to the backyard, as they end with a solid wall instead of a window….
Strangely, only the window of this 3rd-floor infirmary could lead to the backyard.
And the fact that the will-o'-the-wisp's trail ended here meant.
"..."
I climbed over the window and quietly jumped down into the backyard.
"Employee Yong?"
Sliding down the wall to minimize noise and impact, I landed safely on the dirt.
And I reached out to one of the azalea bushes.
Right below it, where a pile of dirt looked strangely 'less even than its surroundings.'
I began to dig through the pile of dirt there.
[Oh.]
Thud.
And before long, my hand touched something. I swallowed and pulled it out from under the azalea roots. The glittering thing was….
A piece of broken glass.
"…!!"
A glass craft, shattered in places, revealed itself, covered in dirt. Its form was something I knew very well….
A will-o'-the-wisp lantern.
"..."
"It's a Disaster Management Bureau item."
Just as the Wolf Leader, who had followed me without a sound, said.
This is one of their glass lanterns. But it's terribly smashed, and the will-o'-the-wisp that should be inside is nowhere to be seen.
Which means….
"Wait a minute."
"…!"
I instinctively pulled the broken lantern back.
By a hair's breadth, the hand of the man in the Wolf Mask swiped through empty air.
"..."
"..."
"First the sudden action, and now you're being uncooperative?"
"I'm sorry."
"It seems you know this place, but if you consider me a companion, it's only proper to at least say something before you move. Understood?"
His tone was tinged with exasperation, but it was focused on admonishment rather than blame.
'Phew.'
Right. I know this person isn't really from the past but a byproduct of a ghost story, but it's not wise to be overly wary.
…I also feel bad doing so to someone who has just become friendly.
"...Yes."
"Good. Then shall I try something for once?"
What?
The next moment.
The glass lantern was in the Wolf Leader's hand.
"…!"
"These days, they've started making strange items using Darkness, and it seems like it'll be common in your time. Make sure to create an item like this. It's advantageous."
And in his other hand, the pen from his front pocket.
"A device that changes position."
Click.
The pen's pointer disappeared.
The Wolf Leader, holding the broken glass lamp, shook it slightly, and after listening to the sound as if inspecting it….
Tuk.
He detached the bottom part.
"Here, this was stuck in the bottom."
A worn-out piece of paper was lifted from his hand.
Torn in half, only a decayed half remained.
And I recognized what it was.
"A library card."
The contents of the library card envelope that had been empty, a paper with a list of citizens who had checked out books.
The front was definitely that.
But the moment he turned it over….
"…!"
On the yellowed paper, red calligraphy was inscribed in a rough hand.
Its form was….
"It's a talisman."
"..."
"Does it look familiar? It looks like the kind that agents from the Disaster Management Bureau write…."
And I had seen talismans in this school before.
On the 5th floor of this school.
The talismans that had densely covered that floor, where the auditorium was.
I'm sorry I'm sorry for tearing the talisman dug up from the school backyard I'm sorry I was preparing for the ■■ school student graduation ceremony I'm sorry...no no no! The graduation ceremony is not a ritual not a human sacrifice no no!! Please save me save m
"..."
Wait.
Wait a minute!
So the strange auditory hallucinations I heard on the 5th floor back then… were this?
'Disaster Management Bureau agents buried a talisman in this school's backyard.'
And a problem occurred when that talisman was torn?
"..."
Questions swirled in my head.
And I realize the answer.
The fact that he can read this means he's an agent the will-o'-the-wisp can recognize, which must mean the rescue of Segwang Metropolitan City has resumed.
I hope at least the students can be rescued.
Don't look for us.
We failed.
'They had taken some kind of measure in the school with a talisman…!'
Hoping that at least the students here could be rescued, they must have taken some measure that could withstand the 'disaster' of Segwang Metropolitan City.
'But a problem occurred when it was torn?'
Yes.
It makes sense if I think of it that way….
The problem is.
Dispatch Rescue Team Blue Dragon
Why are they using the name Blue Dragon Team?
Not Hyunmu Team?
'The Emergency Rescue Squad is the Hyunmu Team.'
The one I belonged to.
This is a definite record even in the
'A special team? For Segwang Metropolitan City?'
And then, a casual voice is heard.
"Right. It seems the Emergency Rescue Squad agents ran into a problem while trying to protect the students from the Darkness."
"..."
Wait a minute.
"Are you perhaps intimately familiar with the Emergency Rescue Squad?"
"I am. Our fields overlap, so I know that much."
In that moment, I realized something.
If this person in the Wolf Mask is truly the Security Chief from the past….
'He's a person from before the sealing of Segwang Metropolitan City.'
A person unaffected by the cognitive erasure.
But he accepted 'Dispatch Rescue Team Blue Dragon' without a second thought…!
What is this?
'Stay calm.'
I barely managed to keep my composure and opened my mouth.
"Have you perhaps met other teams? It seems you've met the Blue Dragon Team."
"I have."
He's met the Blue Dragon Team?
But the Wolf Leader's words didn't end there.
"We did have some friction with the team that only dispatches to eliminate the Darkness… The team that tries to seal ghost stories or drive them out completely."
"..."
"Since they have no intention of compromising, from the company's perspective of needing to collect raw materials, they weren't exactly welcome government officials, were they? Some of the researchers would even cry and wail."
But in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
There is no team whose sole departmental goal is the termination of disasters.
'But that's strange too.'
Because, isn't it actually obvious? The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau aims for the termination of disasters. So why wasn't there a team that specialized in it?
Could it be.
Could it be….
"Is that team the Hyunmu Team?"
"That's right."
"..."
"Were you perhaps in the Hyunmu Team?"
At the same time.
The Gangwon-do branch of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
The secret archives on the 33rd basement floor.
"..."
A blue light flashed in Agent Choi's pupils as he quickly finished reading the record he was looking for.
"Agent Choi."
Ryu Jaegwan urged him on hastily.
Next to him, as he stood guard, a brilliant and massive will-o'-the-wisp flickered.
Woong-
Agent Choi snapped his head up, smiled mischievously, and brought a hand to his lips.
"Oops, you have to keep it a secret, Mr. Goblin. We promised over buckwheat jelly, pinky promised~"
The will-o'-the-wisp did a cheerful spin.
The Goblin in charge of the 33rd basement floor of the secret archives was a much scarier being, but once a year, the week before the winter solstice, it would excitedly go out to play at the market, so a substitute was filling in.
He had aimed for the turn of a will-o'-the-wisp he was friendly with and could gently coax, to come here.
To find out about the Extinction-class supernatural disaster.
To properly find the records on 'Segwang Metropolitan City.'
"We have to get out of here quickly."
"Yeah. I've seen everything I needed to see."
Thak.
Agent Choi's expression vanished as he closed the record, put it back in its original place, and activated a simple sealing spell.
"Bronze."
"..."
"It seems we've forgotten something incredible."