Chapter 189

Her delicate brow furrowed ever so gently.

It was as though a line had been drawn across a flawless masterpiece, or a crack had etched onto a perfect sculpture.

Anyone who saw it might have involuntarily sighed at the sight, but the woman’s beauty was not so easily dimmed by just that.

On the contrary, the small flaw that had appeared on her otherwise perfect face made her otherworldly appearance seem more human.

Still, whether it was a good thing or not depended on who she truly was.

“It’s too quiet.”

Edele muttered under her breath. On Earth, specifically in Korea, there is a saying, “No news is good news.” But Edele didn’t believe in it.

Because, upon reflecting on her experiences, she knew no news wasn’t good news; not when it came to Dimensional Beasts.

Could one really call it good news if you were unaware that cockroaches were digging tunnels to eat away at your home?

To Edele, the Dimensional Beasts were much like cockroaches. Setting aside the revulsion they inspired, they caused harm and had to be driven out quickly.

If one had to point out differences, it’d be that these creatures were far more ferocious, more brutal, and greedier in their consumption, making them all the more dangerous.

“It’s too quiet, and that’s suspicious.”

These creatures that had endlessly tried to devour her world suddenly began to lose momentum at one point.

At first, Edele thought that the plan she’d made with the Administrator was working.

But as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months and years, a creeping sense of unease overcame her.

Even if the plan was a success, the relentless pounding on the door and walls she had endured shouldn’t have resulted in this kind of eerie silence.

If they were the type to give up once the wall was reinforced and the location hidden, they would have already fallen during their battles with Edele.

And it wasn’t just Edele who felt this way. The Administrator of Earth also shared similar concerns, leading to an increase in recent discussions between the two about the situation.

However, they didn’t entirely agree.

Edele insisted that the silence was suspicious and that an investigation outside was necessary.

Dimensional Beasts wouldn’t announce, “We’re coming!” so there was always the risk of a sudden attack. No matter how fortified the defenses, losing the initiative meant fighting at a disadvantage.

Moreover, the timeless truth that offense always had the upper hand in security situations remained.

Thus, according to Edele, it would be better to risk investigating the outside.

On the other hand, the Administrator was skeptical of Edele’s suggestion.

While the importance of information was undeniable, there were no guarantees that taking such risks would yield useful information.

The effort and danger involved were immense, but the rewards were uncertain. It might even result in exposing vital information about their defenses.

Hence, the Administrator argued that the time would be better spent further strengthening their preparations, solidifying defenses to the point where nothing could shake them.

Each argument had merit, and though they understood each other, neither was willing to back down.

Yet, whenever they reached such an impasse, Edele was always the first to relent—since she had more to lose, and was ultimately in a position of lesser power.

“Hmm…”

Thus, Edele sighed again, trying to soothe her growing frustration.

The reason for the stark disagreement between their usually amicable discussions was something Edele had a vague inkling of.

“It’s the difference between someone who’s merely heard about it and someone who’s actually experienced it.”

The Administrator had seen what Silia went through, but not all of it, leaving the urgency incompletely realized compared to what Edele lived through.

Yet, it wasn’t as though the Administrator was careless. For someone who hadn’t directly experienced it, the Administrator was already taking a lot of precautions, so it wasn’t fair to fault him for it.

“Hopefully, nothing happens.”

Edele didn’t expect a simple abandonment after relentless pounding.

All she could hope for was minimal damage when they eventually attacked.

“And anyway, we need time as well.”

It wasn’t all bad that the Dimensional Beasts were quiet.

The sword she had prepared still wasn’t sharp enough to pierce their skin and strike their hearts.

It needed to become sharper, stronger, and perhaps one day reach the level of the divine.

“When that happens…”

Only then would she be able to reclaim what had been lost.

* * *

“We have arrived…”

THWAK!

“-at Jeju!”

At the exit of the airport, as soon as she stepped out, Da-eun let out a lively shout.

Her loud voice drew quite a bit of attention, but it was fine.

“Let’s pretend we don’t know her.”

“Uh-huh.”

Yuki and I had already distanced ourselves, sensing what was about to happen. I nodded at Yuki’s words and turned my body away.

“Hold it!”

Just as we were about to head to another exit, Da-eun rushed over and stood in front of us.

“Ignoring me is going too far!”

“You’re the one going too far.”

“Agreed!”

“Nod nod.”

“I don’t want to be associated with someone who screams like that at the airport. Give us some space.”

“Agreed!”

“Nod nod.”

“…When did the two of you get so close?”

Da-eun puffed out her cheeks upon seeing Yuki’s agreement and my frequent nods.

“No! You can’t have Kana! She’s my little sister!”

“Kana’s my little sister too, though.”

“It’s not about age! Kana and I aren’t just bound by such trivial numbers. We’re tied by indescribable, deep bonds!”

“…Is that so?”

I’ve never heard about that before.

“And Kana doesn’t seem to know about it?”

“It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t know. The red string of fate connecting Kana and me doesn’t sever just because she doesn’t know.”

Da-eun lifted her pinky finger as she spoke.

As I unconsciously followed her movement, I was surprised to see the thin red thread tied around her pinky.

“Where did you prepare that?”

“Haha! When it comes to preparation, who else but Deity Da-eun?”

Da-eun smirked and wiggled her pinky, causing the red thread tied around it to sway gently.

Did she prepare this for this exact conversation, or perhaps she was steering the conversation towards this outcome? Or maybe she had prepared it beforehand and decided the moment had come?

Whichever it was, it was impressive in many ways.

“Did you do this at every place you visited on your trips?”

“Of course not! Why would I?”

“…?”

Perhaps Da-eun’s side job wasn’t a streamer but a collector of hooks. If you added up all the hooks she has collected so far, they must exceed ten thousand, right?

And what does she use all those hooks for?

Hmm…

“How about swapping candy bars?”

“Rather than bartering with a candy store, Kana would never do that! Why does she even know about that? Trading scrap metal for sweets isn’t a modern thing, you know.”

“I saw it in a textbook.”

“Textbook…?”

If obtaining knowledge from the Internet counts broadly as a textbook, then perhaps we can say she learned it from one. Then again, maybe not.

“Speaking of candy bars, I suddenly feel like having one. By the way, Kana has never tried one, right? Candy’s taste differs from chocolate, and freshly made candy is truly delicious…”

Da-eun began to ramble.

Ordinarily, I might have only half-listened but unfortunately, the attention drawn by the commotion Da-eun caused earlier hadn’t entirely dissipated yet.

“…”

“…”

We took a glance at each other and simultaneously nodded.

Then, we silently moved on, leaving Da-eun to her world.

Our actions were synchronized perfectly, as though rehearsed.

“…Why do you keep running away?! And I didn’t do anything embarrassing this time!”

“There was some awareness of the act being embarrassing, though.”

“Hiding the fact that you were embarrassed and doing it anyway is an even bigger problem, isn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

True. Though slightly eccentric, Yuki, unlike Da-eun, sometimes displayed a surprisingly practical side.

At times, she seemed more grounded than Da-eun.

“And it wasn’t even embarrassing! Travel show hosts used to do this all the time back in the day!”

“But Da-eun, you’re not a host, and we’re not filming a travel show.”

“…Well, yeah! But memories exist, don’t they?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Me neither.”

A memory can only resonate if the others can relate to it.

“Of course Kana wouldn’t know, but how about you, Yuki?”

When Yuki quietly shook her head in response to Da-eun, the latter’s expression turned blank, as though unable to believe it.

“Is this the loneliness felt by someone from time travel? Ah, how lonely.”

“It’s just that you’re into niche interests, isn’t it?”

“No! It was a really popular show! Of course, it was already outdated by my time….”

“Are we the same age, though?”

“…So?”

I intervened to prevent the two from starting a squabble.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Though I had initiated the trip, Da-eun had bought the tickets and set the schedule, so I asked her for the plan.

“I don’t know.”

Da-eun shrugged and replied with words that I didn’t expect.

“…What?”

I could do nothing but blink in surprise as a gust of wind passed between us.

What a wonderfully smooth start to the trip.