By Zephyria 
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“I heard the bad news first. That the two of you had an accident. Some members of the defense force occasionally visit my regular cafe. We happened to have a short conversation, and…”
Joo-oh’s chatter only stopped once they had settled into their seats at the restaurant. After choosing simple drinks and meals, Olga brought up the story she had been putting off.
Though she trailed off at the end, he could roughly tell what she meant. Somehow, she had heard about it too. News of the crazy mercenary and the missing comrade.
“Fortunately, we survived without any major injuries. As you can see, this guy is perfectly fine as well.”
“I heard that too. That you two weren’t the only ones to meet with misfortune in that location.”
“….”
“Since you’re from Central… honestly, I did think that for a moment.”
Olga’s eyes gazed calmly at her counterpart, but her hand slowly toyed with her wrist. A simple bracelet with a sun motif shimmered between her fingers.
Olga paused for a few seconds before opening her mouth with a sigh.
“Did I tell you too much?”
“No. I can’t say it was completely unrelated, but the accident didn’t happen because of that information.”
As someone who had survived a tragedy, Olga was skilled at managing her expressions. Nevertheless, she couldn’t block the emotions faintly surfacing now.
The news of an acquaintance’s disappearance seemed to have irritated an unhealed wound. Especially since the accident had occurred with suspicious timing right after she had whispered the information.
“This is just how this line of work is. Everyone knows that a mercenary’s life hangs by a thread.”
“I heard you became a defense force instructor. I don’t intend to weigh the prestige of the roles, but personally, that seems like a better profession.”
“Actually, I’ve put requests on hold for a while since that incident. Not just for myself, but my colleague has been struggling for some time.”
Olga’s eyes scanned Joo-oh. As if his excited chattering had been an illusion, he was sitting blankly, glancing to the side.
He was looking exactly in the direction of the kitchen. Slurp, he smacked his lips softly.
“Ahem, well, there were problems even before, but lately, he especially seems to need a rest.”
“I’m fine. As long as Jin Mu-hae is here.”
“….”
“No, I should rest. Hmm.”
Joo-oh belatedly added a comment out of habit, only to snap back to his senses immediately when a toe poked him in the shin.
The vacant look in his eyes returned slightly. Mu-hae clicked his tongue inwardly and shifted his gaze back to Olga.
“It’s a relief that both of you are fine. Isn’t it funny? I wonder since when we’ve known each other that I’d have such bad dreams over someone else’s business.”
“I’m grateful for the concern… but speaking of which, how have you been, Ms. Belova?”
“My days are all the same, as you know. Still, thanks to that, there are times I fall asleep listening to that person’s voice.”
As expected, he was terrible at these emotional conversations. When he offered an awkward smile, not knowing how to respond to her current state, Joo-oh jumped in to intervene and draw Olga’s attention.
“Did So-mumu help?”
“I’m not sure. But I didn’t feel that sad.”
“It helped me. The bead Olga gave me.”
Fortunately, Mu-hae soon regained his pace and continued the conversation. He had nothing to say about others’ tragedies, but he could ramble plenty about a lost bead.
“Oh dear… I was hoping not to mention that.”
“Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing major, just… the bead suddenly split on its own. I didn’t drop it or subject it to any impact, but it split perfectly, as if cut by a knife. It seemed like a precious item, so I’m sorry.”
Clatter. Right on cue, the ordered meals began to arrive. A brief silence fell while the waiter served the food one by one.
Joo-oh’s face was full of anticipation at the appetizing smell. When Mu-hae gestured for him to eat, a soft vitality returned to his clear face.
“There’s no need to be sorry. It’s already your property. Besides, it’s not like it has some grand story or is a family heirloom; it was just a bead I bought at a reasonable price in Solar City. I put it in my bag and forgot about it, only to find it later.”
“Ah…”
“Still, it’s interesting. When I bought it from the street stall, the seller told me it was a bead that grants wishes. It was probably just a sales tactic, but the coincidence is fascinating.”
Olga split a piece of steaming tofu and put it in her mouth. After quietly savoring the taste and swallowing, she smiled faintly.
“So, did it really grant a wish?”
“…As you said, it’s probably a coincidence, but yes.”
“That’s good. I just had a thought back then. That if that bead really was a mysterious object, it might be more necessary for you two than for me now. Seeing as you’ve come to visit today, I suppose my judgment was correct?”
…What did this mean? Mu-hae, who was cutting meat to give to Joo-oh, twitched one eyebrow.
“Fine. I don’t have a set schedule, but I’d like to rest a bit early, so let’s hurry this along. For what purpose has the errand-boy Demon King come all this way this time?”
“I don’t have a specific purpose. I just thought of you…”
“I’m not such an easy person. That friend over there might be, but I don’t get a very emotional or people-friendly vibe from you.”
As if telling him not to talk nonsense, Olga brought back the topic he thought had ended. It seemed she had already guessed the purpose of his visit.
Once again, he had completely failed to deceive her. Mu-hae rubbed the back of his neck and slowly shifted his eyes to scan the surroundings.
“No one is following us. I’ve already checked.”
“I suppose you knew a troublesome conversation would come up.”
“Since leaving Solar City, most of the people who approach me have had such motives. I thought I’d lived without making it obvious, but I don’t know what clue you caught to come here.”
Adding more excuses here would only lower her trust. Mu-hae set down his utensils with a serious face.
“I am looking for an item I was commissioned to find. The only informant was you, Olga Belova.”
“It must be a target close to being a secret. In that case, as always, I will have no knowledge of it.”
“I didn’t come simply because I needed information. I heard the news in a neighborhood that isn’t particularly pleasant.”
“You don’t need to worry about my safety. I don’t know about the fake intelligence agent, but in reality, my safety is part of this city’s security.”
Clink. Olga took a sip of wine and met his eyes composedly. Her gaze, while not sharp, was confident and seemed more energetic and steadfast than before.
“The researcher you got to know back then—have you met them?”
“…Yes.”
“Then I have one more request. Compensation of corresponding value for the request. That’s how mercenaries work, right?”
“I thought you said a defense force instructor was a better identity?”
“Because you’ve come as a mercenary now. Let’s hear the target first and then decide the price.”
Damn. It was a relief that Olga wasn’t blindly wary of him as he had feared.
But he had fallen into the same trap as when they first met. He was utterly overwhelmed by the experience she had accumulated through all sorts of events.
“T-47. That is the item I was commissioned to find.”
“…It seems you’ve met another employer.”
“Unless I’m taking a Company request, I’ve never belonged to anyone, then or now.”
“Then you still don’t seem to know who is standing behind you.”
Olga, who had keenly pierced through the situation, took a handkerchief out of her bag. The edges were slightly faded as if it were old, but it was a piece of cloth with no loose threads and no signs of wear.
“As it happens, there is someone I’m looking for. I spent quite a bit of money on this side too, but all I got was a single towel.”
“Is that the clue?”
“Probably. I won’t set a deadline, so please find the closest information possible.”
The handkerchief he received had blue embroidery. A compass shape pointing west, with a geometric pattern crossing through it.
And at the very bottom, -1, -4. Two unknown numbers.
‘Are these coordinates?’
He had never seen coordinates like this. What was the reference point for this location?
Still, it was better than having no clue at all. Mu-hae chewed and swallowed his food, glared at Joo-oh, who was taking others’ portions and slicing them, then cleared his throat and spoke.
“Where did you get this clue?”
“It’s just something I received after asking around. Is the location important?”
“I’m not sure. I intend to check every place that comes to mind.”
After pondering for a while, Olga dropped her gaze. She was toying with her bracelet again.
Only after Joo-oh had swallowed both Mu-hae’s steak and the marinated grilled fish did the interrupted conversation resume.
“Central.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s Central.”
A precarious longing slowly filled her eyes.
* * *
“If it’s -1, -4 from Central, wouldn’t that just be Central?”
“If we’re talking about general coordinates, that would be correct.”
However, he couldn’t be certain of the guess, and even if the compass pointed the direction, there was no way to know what this tangled pattern meant.
If it were a problem that could be solved simply by knowledge, Olga wouldn’t have failed to find it and handed it over to him.
Mu-hae folded the handkerchief neatly into the inner pocket of his coat and caught up with Joo-oh, who was walking briskly.
“It’s not in that direction.”
“Huh?”
“We’re going outside the residential area.”
Since he had come to find Joo-oh, he hadn’t visited the Jaegang District, so by now, dust would have settled thickly on the few remaining households.
The guy, who had been eyeing the train line toward the official residential area, soon pulled down the hat he had taken off and adjusted his attire.
“Then is that place west of Central?”
“Who knows. If we treat this as coordinates, a different direction would come up.”
He felt as if the compass and the two negative numbers were spinning in his head. Mu-hae pressed his temples and looked at the railroad leading west.
He thought he had had enough of these riddle games after taking on the Return flight duties. It was frustratingly bleak.
197 – I Became a Monster in a Dead Game