NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The End of Peace
Without a word, the three of us greeted each other simultaneously.
“Hey, Seseona.”
“You pesky electric girl.”
“Did you have nice dreams, maid friend?”
Seseona. Electric girl. And maid friend. The three of us called her by different names, and yet none of them were wrong. The woman in front of us was a mechanical being powered by electricity and high technology—a domestic maid robot hailing from the mechanical empire of some Alternative World.
‘Though disappointingly, she’s wearing a regular dress rather than a maid uniform.’
Instead, it seemed she had various weapons that could emerge from her body. “Why would a maid need weapons?” Such questions were forbidden territory in this line of work. Things just were as they were.
“Yes, hello everyone. But I don’t see someone who was always around before? The man with the dragon head?” Seseona asked cheerfully, though now looking slightly perplexed. For all that she was a robot, when you looked closely, her emotional expressions seemed richer than mine. Was she really a robot?
I responded to her question while internally harboring doubts.
“Are you talking about Grenade?”
“Ah, yes, that’s the name.”
“That guy graduated yesterday. He went off to the Valley of the Dead in the Dragon Empire.”
“Ah, I see.”
Seseona let out a soft exclamation and quickly smiled again. “That’s something to celebrate, isn’t it?” she said without a hint of jealousy. Listening to her, we couldn’t help but burst into quiet laughter simultaneously.
It wasn’t as if we were mocking anyone; it was simply that all three of us found our own situations pitiful.
“To be honest, I thought I’d leave earlier than that guy.”
“Well, to be ashamed, I agree with you.”
“Shit… being slower than that turtle kid—my species has never felt so cursed.”
Until yesterday, there was a man who had been one of the four of us who could be called the “Absolutely No Hope Brothers.”
His name was Grenade, a man who looked like a house-sized turtle mixed with a human. True to his turtle-human nature, he was extraordinarily slow. Watching him, you’d yawn repeatedly at the pace of his actions. According to him, his power made him unbeatable here, but what was the point if he couldn’t even leave the place?
So why did Grenade leave before us?
“Could it be that the gate just happened to open right in front of Grenade…?”
“It’s true what they say—if someone’s destined, you can’t stop them. The world is painfully unfair, I tell you! Damn it.”
“This time, I truly have to agree with you. Sigh.”
We muttered a word each and let out gloomy vibes. Our shelter of thinking ‘at least I’m better than him…’ had now crumbled, leaving the ugly faces of three men.
“Aha, I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me… Ah! There’s a delicious smell.”
Seseona noticed my food tray with an embarrassed chuckle and tilted her head towards it. She sniffed, seemingly drawn to the aroma of the food.
I grabbed the bread and dipped it into the soup, handing it to her casually.
“Here.”
As she took the bread from me, her expression changed to one of surprise.
“Um, may I really have this? This was something Mr. Jung Yong worked hard to acquire…”
“It’s fine. I’ve devoured yesterday’s and the day before’s share. I’m not hungry.”
“Bu, but if you say so…”
And because you’re blatantly licking your lips right now, I’d feel awkward not giving it to you. Although I thought this, I didn’t voice the thought aloud.
With gusto, Seseona took a large bite out of the bread. Her expression brightened with happiness.
“Ah! It’s as delicious as ever. The food here is always wonderful—so different from the mass-produced, preserved rations from the mechanical empire!”
“Is it?”
“Yes, yes, really, really. Thank you so much, Mr. Jung Yong! I am so happy!”
“Indeed… the threshold for happiness is low and enviable.”
As Seseona happily dipped the bread into the soup, she twisted her body with excitement, her cheeks turning a gentle red while her shoulders shook slightly. She enjoyed it immensely.
Looking at the happy Seseona, I suddenly blurted out,
“There’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“Yes? What is it? If it’s related to the secrets of the factory that made me, I’d be happy to tell you! Hehe…”
…Shouldn’t that sort of information not be revealed? Truth is, I wasn’t particularly curious.
I chuckled awkwardly and asked Seseona,
“How does a machine like you eat food?”
After a moment of chewing thoughtfully, Seseona easily replied,
“Um, we experimental units were created to perfectly reconstruct the system of a human civilization that has already perished. We have digestive systems and even reproductive systems. It’s just that we have CPUs instead of brains, artificial organs instead of real ones, and picomachines in place of cells.”
“…Ah. Got it. Keep eating.”
“Huh? Okay. Hehe.”
As soon as the complex and headache-inducing technicalities of her homeworld came up, I quickly cut her off. I decided it was better to simply enjoy watching Seseona eat happily.
She was pretty, so that was enough. To hell with the why and wherefore.
“Phew. I really regret not being able to earn this delicious meal on my own…”
“That’s what you get.”
For reference, Seseona cannot apply for individual rations.
Because she’s a machine, it seems the system refuses any application from non-biological entities. Thanks to this bureaucratic oversight by the local golems, she has no choice but to be a one-bite mooch.
That’s why every mealtime, Seseona would hover around this loser’s den.
“Ah, this is truly wonderful. Once I’m summoned to the other world, I want to study cooking seriously!”
“True… it’d be good if you, as a maid robot, know how to cook.”
As we shared food with the tray between us, Skaro and Aldcon, who were observing nearby, chimed in.
“Ho ho ho! You two look so harmonious that it’s making me happy!”
“Save the planning for a wedding house until after graduation. Do it where we can’t see.”
I pretended to deny it on the surface, but honestly, I was slightly happy on the inside.
Anyway, this was a warm mealtime in what was usually a dump full of rejects. Compared to other candidates who stared blankly at the fire with dead eyes, this scene felt more human. I savored the brief warmth.
Of course…
“Unterland, Valley of the Dead! Capacity: 15 people!”
That warmth dissolved in an instant with the golem’s announcement.
*
“…”
“…”
An ominous silence filled the room.
Not only the four of us by this fire but the groups around other fires as well. The shock was so great that no one even thought of running to the gate as they normally would.
The reason was obvious. Everyone, including myself, had expected this:
‘Until now, there has never been a situation under the gate capacity rule where fewer than 15 people were called.’
‘Most calls occur in units of five.’
‘The average gate capacity is between 30 to 35 people.’
‘Unless we have incredibly bad luck, everyone here will travel through the same gate.’
At least, that’s what I had thought—what all of us had thought. That’s probably why today’s atmosphere in the square had felt unusually calm. The members present were likely to continue sticking together on the other side as well.
But now, here we were.
Only 15 people. The absolute worst case scenario.
As expected, everyone would indeed be using the gate…
With one glaring exception.
The Silent Lone Eater would remain behind.
The tension was electric. The silence was sharp enough to cut through the air as everyone glanced around.
No one moved a muscle. Each of us feared the snowball effect one single action might bring.
“Ah! This stir-fried meat is delicious too, Mr. Jung Yong! Have some!”
… Correction. Seseona was the exception. She continued to eat enthusiastically.
Let’s let her be; she’s a robot after all.
“Yes, Mr. Jung Yong. Have a bite. Ah~.”
“No, not right now…”
“Are you not hungry, by any chance?”
“Not really…”
Thinking about it, over the past three months, this woman had always been like this.
In a positive light, she never got swept up by mob mentality. In a negative light, she lacked peripheral awareness. Truly, she was thoroughly rational and selfish, acting like a machine.
Because of this, even though Seseona heard the usual gate explanations, she didn’t particularly hurry to leave this place. That’s why she’s remained here until now.
“…Geez. I’m losing motivation.”
A voice lamented nearby, from one of the fires close to us.
Apparently, seeing Seseona’s carefree demeanor made some realize how pathetic it was of them to nervously eye the gate while waiting for someone else to move.
“Thinking about it, staring at each other’s eyeballs won’t change anything. I’m going. I don’t want to stay here and eat alone like a loser.”
The speaker was a regular guy, similar to me, around the mid-20s, with a decent appearance. He seemed about my age.
Moreover, the mutterings from earlier were not the translated foreign language but genuine Korean.
Korean. He was Korean.
“I, I’m going too…”
“Come on, with me!”
The others around his fire followed him hesitantly at first, then their steps began to quicken until they were sprinting toward the gate as usual. It was such a familiar sight it almost brought a sense of relief.
“Jena, let’s go!”
“…Yeah.”
From another fire, a red-haired man and woman, each with elongated ears akin to elves, ran off. Their identical appearances and the man’s protective attitude suggested they were siblings.
“… Hmmph.”
“Come on, let’s go!”
A group wrapped in turbans and masks let out a small sigh before they too ran off. Behind them, a ragged woman in chains shuffled along.
Thus, the atmosphere, once turned, recreated the usual day.
“Damn it! We’re late! Hurry up, you old toad!”
“You see, it’s come to this in the end!”
Led by the earlier Korean man and the other trio, the crowd began sprinting toward the gate like crazy. When Alldcon and Skaro, who had been dazed, finally moved their feet, everyone in the courtyard was already racing toward the gate. I was the same.
Except for one person. Seseona.
“Damn it! Damn it all!”
The moment I caught a glimpse of Seseona at the edge of my vision, I thought hard. Questions raced through my mind. Reason and emotion waged an epic battle.
But as always, for someone like me, despite the internal struggle, my body was already moving.
“Hey! Hey, Seseona! Why aren’t you going?!”
I stopped mid-run, put my brakes on quickly, and turned back to her. She was still crouching by the fire, happily slurping a jelly.
With a loud thud, I grabbed her arm as she looked up at me in surprise. Without further delay, I started running, dragging her along.
“Uh, Mr. Jung Yong? Why does your face look so serious?”
“Why… why wouldn’t it!?”
Though I was ready to shout, seeing her blinking platinum eyes softened my tone. Instead of yelling, I sighed heavily.
“Yeeeeah! Finally, we’re escaping!”
“1.5 years of suffering! Farewell!”
Echoes of anguished cries reached me. Turning my head, I saw Aldcon and Skaro disappearing into the gate. Their forms flickered and scattered into fine particles.
Though their departure without a backward glance left me briefly feeling neglected, I let it go. I knew how difficult their time had been here.
Still, it was funny to see them passing through as a good pair at last.
“Huh? Where did everyone else go?”
Of course, now that the runners had vanished, only Seseona and I remained.
… And only one slot in the gate remained.
For a while, I thought hard. Questions and answers raced through my mind. Emotion and logic struggled fiercely.
But as always with me, while my mind was in turmoil, my body had already taken action.
“Hey! Seseona! What are you doing, not going?!”
I stopped mid dash and quickly reversed back to her. She was still happily slurping jelly by the fire.
With a grab, I clenched her arm and started running with her in tow.
“Huh… Mr. Jung Yong? Why do you look so serious?”
“Why not!?”
I was about to shout but her innocent gaze made me falter. Instead of shouting, I sighed in exasperation.