Black Badger

There was one mountain I had to cross before heading to the illegal arena.

The game I borrowed from Shu.

When I returned to the cabin over the weekend, Yoon was there.

"Breaking and entering."

"Did you buy a scooter?"

The mentor neatly ignored my sullen remark and asked back.

"A motorcycle would have been better."

"I got it cheap from Hesi."

His younger brother said he wasn't using it anymore.

I refused the offer to take it for free and paid a certain amount. Hesi seemed to get along surprisingly well with my two-year-younger brother. He often said it would be great if his younger brother could become a badger too.

Well, it couldn't be easy watching only his younger brother age.

I didn't buy a motorcycle because I couldn't tell if he had a license or not. I had added a car license during the illegal administrative registration, though.

Yoon turned off the TV that had been playing the news.

"The mission members going with Ricardo have been announced."

I relayed the message after washing my hands in the bathroom and coming out.

Yoon expressed his intent to listen with silence.

He was still a person who showed no unnecessary movements whatsoever.

"Ricardo Sordi, Asil Fisher, Barbie Winter, and me—four in total."

"They're all regulars pulled for that mission."

Yoon shook the water from his hands and looked at me blankly as I set up the game.

"What about the last two?"

I'd only met Barbie Winter once.

Actually, twice. Once when we caught the pig, and once when we went to D Zone. But we didn't have much conversation either time. When we caught the pig, I didn't even have the energy to greet her. Tvain, Iho, Barbie, and Silvia were there then, but even when we reunited in D Zone, we couldn't properly introduce ourselves.

Especially with Barbie, I hadn't been able to talk.

This time, I definitely had to introduce myself.

I said that to Yoon as I turned on the game console. The TV lit up brightly with a pleasant sound.

Asil Fisher was a name that sounded unfamiliar from the start.

"As far as I remember, he's an ex-cop."

Ah. So that's why he was being pulled for this mission.

We settled in front of the not-so-spacious living room TV. Yoon rejected my suggestion to lean on the beanbag and sat with his back against the wall instead. I quickly brewed some iced coffee, handed him a cup, and took my own, sitting down in front of him.

Truth be told, I wanted to play leisurely by myself...

But having Yoon watch like this saved me the trouble of explaining.

The title "From E" appeared on the screen.

"Who is this Asil Fisher guy?"

Keeping my eyes on the screen, I picked up the cold glass.

The mentor answered concisely.

"Hot-tempered."

"...Is that it?"

"He grabbed my collar once."

Pfft!

Coffee sprayed out of my mouth.

What the hell!

I coughed for a while, choking.

My nose stung, and the coughs came nonstop.

As soon as the tear-inducing, acrid coughs subsided, I whipped my head up.

"He grabbed your collar?"

"Yeah."

"Why on earth?"

And that to Choi Yoon?

"Did you say something rude?"

"No."

"Then did you act unlucky?"

"No."

"Then did you hit him first?"

"No. What do you think I am? He just came up and grabbed my collar out of nowhere."

"Suddenly?"

"Yeah."

"Why on earth?"

Was he crazy?

Yoon replied indifferently with his expressionless face.

"Don't know."

"...Pardon?"

"I knocked him out before he could shout whatever it was."

Yoon added the explanation in a voice that said he wasn't particularly curious then or now.

"Didn't hear the reason."

"...He didn't come back for it?"

"He did. Bowed his head and apologized."

Yoon took a sip of his iced coffee.

The sound of ice clinking tickled my ears. The man's eyes, as he drank the coffee, were full of boredom.

"Said he was sorry for getting heated. I said okay and that was it."

"...So you still don't know why he grabbed your collar."

"Yeah."

"...Got it."

I would have to ask him directly later.

There must have been some reason. With the shock not fully subsided, I calmed my brain and turned my head toward the TV. Since he came back, regained his senses, and apologized politely, he didn't seem like a complete lunatic. It must have been some misunderstanding.

What misunderstanding was it?

I had to ask once we got a bit closer.

I sighed, wiped up the sprayed coffee, and sat back down.

I pressed the title screen to face the game's opening scene. Just like at Shu's place, the title faded, and the game began.

A chibi character emerged from the castle, wielding a massive sword.

I stared at the character named Hildebert Talev for a while before breaking the silence.

"Why is Senior Winter always pulled for colosseum missions?"

"I heard her dad's in that line."

That line?

Which side. Police? Or mafia?

Before I could ask, the mentor added the explanation.

"Her father's running several famous restaurants, but not entirely legally, I think."

"Oh...."

"But not fully mafia either. Ask the HR director for details."

"Got it. What's her personality like?"

"Don't know well. She's particularly scared of me and Ye-hyeon."

Aha.

I stared at the screen with a faint smile.

That made sense.

I was still scared of Yoon myself. We'd reached a point where I could joke around and walk a tightrope on the edge, but that didn't mean his chilling nature wasn't frightening. Yoon's cold disposition evoked a chilling fear in those who sensed it.

It probably would stay that way.

Ye-hyeon was scared because he was the top superior.

Neither of them was the type to easily show their true colors. I must have asked the wrong person. If I got the chance later, I would ask Ami about Barbie.

Thinking that, I placed my thumbs on the Joy-Cons.

I'd been chatting about irrelevant things out of fear of actually playing, but now I had to face reality.

"If you're bored, you can leave anytime."

"Just start."

Yoon gave a characteristically blunt response.

"Don't think about quitting midway."

Of course not. I was the type who preferred to clear everything up to the king once I started.

I nodded and moved the game controller.

*

When I came to, the cabin had darkened.

I slowly set down the controller as I sat in the living room, illuminated bluish by the TV screen.

It was over.

I'd beaten the final boss.

A happy ending came to the story in the game. The intense music cut off, and peaceful tunes began to flow. The characters in the game gathered together, smiling brightly.

The protagonist in the center had eyes crinkled in laughter.

I took in the character with my name attached.

The end...

It was a traditional RPG-style game.

It was a game where the protagonist swordsman went with his companions to conquer a castle corrupted by a curse. It was a game where he killed and eliminated the source of the corruption hiding in the castle, the final boss "Source of the Plague." From E wasn't a masterpiece, but it was an indie game enjoyable enough to play.

The playstyle itself was quite simple, and the freedom wasn't high. But the backgrounds and props were very detailed. There seemed to be a lot of Easter eggs and collectibles. I could see why core fans existed.

To them, the story felt clean and natural too. The progression made sense, with no setting collapses.

Just like a story that really happened...

I blankly listened to the ending music flowing with emotion.

Yoon, who had been sitting motionless behind me, suddenly broke the silence.

"You find this fun?"

Ugh!

My immersion shattered, and tired of the nagging I'd heard nonstop from Colton Wiseman, I furrowed my brow and whipped my head around.

Stop with this nagging!

"Respect my tastes a bit!"

"Why get so worked up?"

Yoon, who had been statue-still, spoke.

It was a valid point, but I didn't relax my expression.

Maintaining my sullen face, I stared at the man leaning against the wall. In the darkened living room, the man sat still like a ghost.

The mentor stared right through me.

"So."

"Pardon?"

"Is this your story?"

I stared blankly at the mentor.

I couldn't stop looking at the man right in front of me. The mentor slowly moved his body. After hours, he slowly stood from his seat and shoved his hands into his pockets.

He slowly cast his gaze to the screen.

His following words were rough.

"A story about a swordsman with a greatsword defeating a monster in a castle with his companions—is that your past story?"

I kept silent for a long time.

The ending music from the screen completely stopped. Silence descended. The only sound was the hum of the game console connected to the TV, filling the bluish cabin.

When that felt too heavy, I softly broke the silence.

"How did you know?"

"The final boss's traits were exactly like an apostate."

Yoon explained dryly.

"You flinched every time the new character's name was revealed."

"...Good observation skills."

"The world you stayed in before coming to Earth."

The dry explanation poked at my chest.

"What 'you' stayed in—the events that happened in that world."

Yes.

This was my forgotten story. From long ago, very long ago, before setting foot on Earth—my old tale. Memories that had slowly faded as I spent a long time on Earth.

It had been perfectly recreated as a game. Simplified a bit, but the game creator had brilliantly turned my blurring memories into a game.

Probably for me.

"Yeah."

I let out a bitter smile.

"As I played, memories came back one by one."

"Hilde."

I lifted my head at the called name.

Our gazes met in the air. Yoon looked down at me with eyes hard to fathom.

"I'm not particularly interested in how the war started."

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah. It's something that already happened. Knowing the truth now won't change anything."

That was very like him.

I didn't know why he was bringing this up suddenly, but anyway, I slowly nodded.

He wasn't one to say unnecessary things, so there must have been something he wanted to say.

Indeed, Yoon continued.

"I'm not interested in what life you lived on Earth before the war broke out, or how you ended up coming to Earth. At least not now. Finding out won't change anything there either."

"Then what would change if you found out?"

The sharp gaze of the man pierced through my golden eyes.

It was like looking at prey right in front of him. I met it and waited for Yoon's answer.

He was a person who had said he wasn't interested in clearing the game but had watched me play without moving until nearly midnight.

He broke the silence in a chilling voice.

"Hildebert, what are creatures?"

Some creatures had chased me to kill me.

To condemn the traitor.

To uphold the will of my kin, the Titans.