Nothing at all.
Still, you’re not here.
I want you. I want you again. I want to meet you again.
I want to touch you once more.
I want to kiss your hair.
I wanted to see that expression of yours again.
Yeah, still, even if I reach out and break… I couldn’t touch you.
Then… after doing this for so long.
It’s now the end.
At the very last moment, I met you.
To you, it’s not far from reunion, yet still, you’re crying as if we met after hundreds of years.
Did you forget? I can’t forget.
I remember the day we first met. The day we first parted. And all the fleeting days, the days we rose again, I remember it all.
This is a story only I remember. A story you don’t know.
But it’s okay.
You don’t need to know.
You don’t have to know.
No, I won’t tell you.
So, let’s be like we were at the beginning.
As always.
And it will continue.
○○○○
After Teresa’s appearance, the Demon King’s Castle that appeared in Busan crumpled and vanished as if paper was being wrinkled.
The members of the Association, who were guarding the area and blocking civilians’ access, were literally astonished as the Demon King’s Castle, larger than a super skyscraper, disappeared like magic.
From the perspective of the Hunter Association agents, Yujin, who was currently an S-grade Hunter and had been active since the first Great Rift era, hadn’t been assigned a hunter grade. Yet, even with Isia, who was currently skyrocketing in value as the Gallery Master of genre hunters, having entered, they couldn’t stop the Demon King’s Castle, and began to contemplate if they should escape immediately.
Whatever happened at the Demon King’s Castle was never strange.
Suddenly, countless monster waves could pour out from within. Unidentified poisonous gases or disease magic could spread. Therefore, besides Yujin and Shia who had entered, some returnee hunters, including Tia, whom Yujin brought directly, tensed their bodies and readied their weapons to prepare for battle.
If, indeed, the gates or dungeons were impassable despite Shia and Yujin entering, even Tia would have had to forsake her life just by standing near the Demon King’s Castle. But the agents of the Hunter Association were here to save them and to notify of the emergency situation.
And the crumbling Demon King’s Castle spat out several individuals like objects.
“I, Isia Hunter confirmed! Confirmed survival!”
“Yujin Hunter also confirmed! Vital sign response is good!”
[All agents, hold your positions. All returnees, draw your swords.]
Upon seeing those who emerged from the Demon King’s Castle, they felt relieved.
“And um… who is that? Two unidentified entities confirmed…..”
[What? Unidentified?]
However, soon enough, the agents swallowed hard at the new presence following those two.
The term “unidentified entity” was a terrifying word for the Association’s agents.
In the previous Great Rift incident, the term “unidentified entity” was attached to monsters that inflicted tremendous damage, causing numerous casualties. Hence, many were reflexively gripped by fear.
However, they stiffened for another reason.
“One was identified as Menelapie Haleum, an acquaintance of Isia Hunter. By the way, I didn’t see her going inside…”
[Menelapie was something I confirmed earlier. But who’s the other one…?]
At the spot where the Demon King’s Castle had vanished, not only Shia, Yujin, and Menelapie but a girl they had never seen before was found, causing the air to freeze.
The appearance of a child who looked utterly out of place in this location was an emergency from the perspective of Earthlings.
An unexpected event often brought fear.
Her long purple hair seemed longer than her height. The outfit she wore was revealing and didn’t resemble Earth attire.
Above all, the ominous black mana swirling around her made Tia grip her sword tighter.
‘Only a Demon Lord could possess such mana….!’
Tia shouted at the Association agent checking the data beside her.
[What is that girl’s identity!?]
“Uh, well… it’s unidentified.”
[Unidentified? There’s no resident registration or Hunter Base record?]
“No… I just did the fourth query, but there’s no matching data!”
Hearing that, a chilly flame began to rise in one of Tia’s vacant pupils.
This was a phenomenon caused when the Skeleton Knight Tia accumulated aura strong enough to manifest a physical form.
Not everyone who looked human was human.
‘If the opponent is from the Demon King’s Castle, one must always think of the worst of the worst.’
If a being that wasn’t in the digitized resident registration appeared, one shouldn’t think of it as a returnee but instead, consider it could be a high-intelligence monster mimicking a human form or even the Demon Lord disguised as a human.
And if it had high intelligence, conversely, it would imply it possessed overwhelming power.
‘That girl looks like a child, but she’s not a child.’
Tia felt a strange sense of deja vu from the girl, but she thought it resembled the sensation she felt from frequently hunting monsters and beasts.
In fact, the girl radiated an overwhelming pressure of mana that was beyond verbal expression.
Like the Demon Lord.
Tap tap
As the young girl approached with bare white feet treading upon the soil where the Demon King’s Castle had vanished, Tia infused her sword with aura.
The nearer the purple-haired girl came, the more Tia felt the air around her settling down.
Indeed, the surrounding air and the mana within it started to quake with the girl’s arrival.
While it might be hard for humans to notice, the Skeleton Knight Tia, who had experienced death once, could hear a howling of mana that humans couldn’t.
The purple-haired girl was something entirely alien.
Her still unbloomed youthful appearance attracted the gazes of not only the agents of the Hunter Association but also other returnees.
Her appearance, atmosphere, and the energy sensed akin to a Demon Lord made Tia sure that this girl was not human.
And the girl’s gaze met Tia’s.
“Huh?”
The girl gave a look that seemed to say, “Look at this?”
Naturally, Tia raised her sword and stepped forward protectively. The girl leisurely approached Tia, raising one corner of her mouth.
The sequence flowed seamlessly, and soon Tia tilted her head, feeling a bizarre sense of familiarity she couldn’t quite place.
What is this?
Why does it feel like I’ve seen her somewhere?
As Tia fought against this strange sense of déjà vu, the girl came so close to Tia’s face that she…
“Hey, fucker!”
Wham!
Kicked her shins hard.
Of course, a mere child’s kick wouldn’t have any effect on the Skeleton Knight Tia.
No, Tia could chew away most physical attacks, not just from a girl.
In the first place, if we talk about ranks, she was below S-grade but still among the highest among A-grade Hunters, and additionally, being an undead species, she was significantly immune to pain and physical attacks.
[Ugh!?]
However, Tia knelt on one knee from a single kick from this seemingly powerless girl.
And it wasn’t just kneeling.
[A-ow…!]
How did this happen?
Why did I fall?
And why does it hurt so much?
She had never felt pain since becoming a Skeleton Knight…?
Yet before Tia could resolve her questions, the girl kicked her repeatedly with a distorted face.
“You damn! You pointing a sword at the master?!”
Thud thud thud!
[Ouch! Wait a second…!]
Wham! Thud!
“What the fuck, I was just trying to say it’s nice to see you after a long time, and you dare point a sword at me?! Damn you!”
Thud thud!
Thud!
“Aaaaah! Tiaaaa! Stop it, Teresaaa!!”
“Let go, you damn! This damn girl is pointing a sword at the master without recognizing her!”
“Hahaha, dear. Isn’t it because your appearance has changed so much?”
“Damn it! Who wants to look younger?! It’s already a pain in the ass!”
[Aouch! Wait, I got hit! Just a moment..! Aah!]
○○○○○○
Thus, the Demon King Castle fiasco concluded as a mere incident.
Ultimately, no one was dead, and since the false Demon King Castle didn’t last long on this land, the material damage was minimal, so it didn’t even make the news.
Even if Teresa had come to Earth, things didn’t flow easily.
“Fuck.”
In Teresa’s mind, she’d want to just head straight to a soft, comfy bed with Shia and relish the joy of reunion, shouting about how much it sucked without you in a condensed 55,700 characters, but.
There was the rule of Earth.
Just like Shia and Menelapie had reported their return, Teresa had to undergo a similar process.
‘I’m so sick of this shit.’
Well, yeah…
After all the time spent, putting up with this much now doesn’t seem funny either.
Menelapie and Shia were in the next room. And most importantly, if Menelapie, who was much more clever than Teresa, went through the returnee reporting process, then it meant this process, while cumbersome, was ultimately necessary.
Moreover, the Earthlings weren’t trying to trick her.
Since Teresa successfully reunited with Shia, she decided to think from a generous and rational perspective about the Earthlings’ position.
Despite being a fake, she summoned a Demon King Castle. Teresa had no information about Earth, just like Earth had no information about her, being an unknown entity.
Since neither knew how dangerous the other could be, it made sense and was naturally reasonable to go through this process if there was a proper national management agency.
“Indeed, so… that means the Skeleton Knight Tia Lauria, who we accepted as a returnee, was actually a subordinate of Teresa!”
“Uh, yeah. That’s right.”
Thus, the Returnee Management Bureau became busy again. Regardless, Teresa was lying back and stretching her toes on the table with an annoyed expression.
“By the way, how much longer do we have to do this? It’s already been two hours.”
“I apologize. It’s just that news of the Demon Lord’s existence is gradually spreading. The government and Hunter Association officials consider the Demon Lord a severe and tentative threat. That’s why returnee inspections have gotten very strict.”
“Did the Demon Lord invade here too?”
“Not yet. However, returnees like Shia and Yujin have continued to warn about the Demon Lord, and we’ve observed small and large incidents occurring in our world due to the Demon Lord.”
“Ugh, that damn Demon Lord is causing trouble here too?”
“In such a situation, the appearance of the Demon King’s Castle was being closely monitored from above. That’s why Teresa suddenly appeared!”
Hearing that made Teresa frown.
“Hah, now they’re outright declaring they will use me.”
“Use? We, in the Management Bureau, are trying to support the lives of returnees as much as possible…”
“But in exchange, you’ll have me do this and that, right?”
“That’s correct, but we will certainly take into account the Witch’s convenience and circumstances.”
“Isn’t this whole returnee reporting process meant to give different judgments and duties based on personal circumstances of returnees?”
“As expected of the Witch, perhaps you heard from Shia, you’re very smart!”
“…Shia said that?”
“Yes! In fact, when Shia first arrived here, she had a lot of loneliness and suffered from severe mental shock and afflictions about her previous world. Above all, she struggled the most with the absence of Teresa and Menelapie, which is why she was put on a special watch by our Management Bureau…”
Hehe, she must’ve missed me, huh?
No matter how much younger Teresa had become, Director Choi Bomi’s words to her were clearly just flattery.
But… Teresa felt good.
Just hearing Shia say that meant a lot.
And as a trade-off for becoming younger, Teresa had difficulty controlling her emotions, which made her more prone to easily getting depressed as well as easily feeling good.
Earlier, though she had acted like she completely forgot Teresa, Shia clearly missed Teresa.
Yeah, it must be.
“So, in that respect… the returnee reporting procedure is reaching its final stages.”
With that, Director Choi Bomi presented a document to Teresa, her face brimming with excitement.
It was a consent form for her ability, [Mind Bond].
Upon seeing the document, Teresa sensed immediately that it wasn’t an ordinary document and her eyebrows twitched.
“Consent? It’s linked to some restrictions, but it looks like a binding spell, somewhat similar to a contract. Are you a shaman?”
“No, no, that can’t be! I’m just a mere counselor who doesn’t even qualify as an F-grade among awakened ones.”
“Right, you’re lacking in mana. It seems like this is a way to prevent mana consumption by seeking the other’s consent?”
“Uh, um… is that so? I’m not too good with complicated matters, and this is the only method I know.”
“Well, fine. Anyway, is this really a necessary process?”
As Teresa easily signed the document, Director Choi Bomi sighed with relief inside.
On the surface, Teresa ranked as one of the more peaceful returnees.
Shia and Menelapie were the unusual cases. Even though Teresa repeatedly cussed like a delinquent, she cooperated sufficiently.
In fact, upon hearing about the Demon King Castle, Director Choi Bomi had unconsciously started to associate the small Witch in front of her as someone incredibly powerful, akin to Shia and Menelapie, and had been cautious.
“……….Don’t have regrets.”
“What? About what?”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t do this, as this mana spell seems to touch or connect to the mind.”
Upon Teresa’s suddenly lowered voice, Director Choi Bomi tilted her head.
If Mind Bond were a method of brainwashing or interfering with the target’s mind, then it would make sense to recognize it as dangerous, but Choi Bomi’s Mind Bond was merely for grasping and observing the returnee’s mental state.
She had used the same technique for Shia and Menelapie’s returnee reporting previously, as well as for many other returnees.
Using this Mind Bond ability to identify the returnee is crucial for determining whether they could adapt to society and for planning schedules or plans moving forward.
Of course, Director Choi Bomi also had to carry the unforgettable experience of connecting with Shia and Menelapie in her mind.
It would seem strange if tears didn’t come out.
“The thoughts being shown might be a little uncomfortable. However, Shia and Menelapie also went through this, so it’s essential for the returnee reporting process.”
“………”
“We need to assess whether Teresa can adapt to our society. Of course, if you really dislike it, I have no right to force you…”
Teresa let out a short sigh.
“Do whatever you want.”
Then she signed the document.
Up to that point, Director Choi Bomi felt relieved.
Yeah, this time, the returnee didn’t cause a fuss.
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
Thus, Director Choi Bomi proceeded to initiate the connection with Teresa using [Mind Bond].
“Okay! Since you agreed, let’s move on to the psychological consulting phase………….”
Thud!
“Teresa?”
Thud!
“Huh?”
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
“Teresa….?”
Director Choi Bomi felt the sound of her pounding heart reverberate through her mind.
And there were no sounds, and nothing was visible.
Then, then.
In the next moment, Director Choi Bomi’s memory blacked out.
I can’t see before my eyes.
It’s pitch dark.
It’s dark everywhere.
What is this? I was just in the counseling room I think?
Where did Teresa go?
Darkness…
Only darkness remains, nothing but darkness.
Where am I?
Was I awake?
Was I asleep?
Was I standing?
Was I lying down?
Who am I?
Who was I?
Huh?
Was it bright here? Was it dark?
What is this. What is this. What is this…?
Did I have arms?
Did I have legs?
Was I human?
I…
I…
I…?
“WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
“………”
Teresa snapped her fingers, forcibly severing the connection of the Mind Bond tied between her and Director Choi Bomi.
Meanwhile, Director Choi Bomi managed to regain her sanity, but just having briefly met the abyss had carved an unforgettable scar into her.
And she quietly watched as Director Choi Bomi, with a somewhat bitter expression, fell to the ground and started to gag.
“See?”
The purple-haired young witch still sat there with her legs crossed.
“I told you not to do it.”
However, in Director Choi Bomi’s eyes, she appeared not as a girl but as a being of darkness wrapped in the guise of a girl.
