Chapter 2 : Kang Rimun

“Hm…”

I said I’d figure out where we were, but I’m stumped.
Unfamiliar buildings, strange lights, unknown objects, and writing I can’t decipher—it’s impossible to make sense of anything.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my chin, when I felt the girl in my arms tapping me lightly.

“Huh?”
“…”

Looking down, her yellow pupils seemed to glow faintly.
She slowly scanned the surroundings, then pointed toward an alleyway.

“That way’s the way to go?”
“…Yeah, that way, no? Not, that.”
“Hm…?”

Does she mean to avoid that direction?

“…That way, go. D*mn walls? Not that.”
“Oh, so if we go that way, there won’t be other people?”
“…Other, people? None?”
“Like this—”

I scratched my chin briefly, then pointed at her.

“You.”

I pointed at myself.

“Me.”

Then I drew a small circle with my hand, enclosing us.

“Us.”
“…Us.”
“Yeah, and… we’re people.”

She tilted her head, then pointed at herself.

“…You.”

Then at me.

“…Me.”

After a moment’s thought, she spread her hands to gesture at the space around us, then hugged me. It was so cute.
“Cough.”
“…Us, people?”
“We are people, but, uh… you’re you, and I’m me.”
“…??”
“Ugh…”

Even with her blank expression, I could almost see a question mark hovering over her face as she stared at me.

“Alright, look.”

I clenched one hand into a fist, waved it to catch her attention, then pointed at her with my other hand.

“You.”

I extended my index finger from the fist and curved it to point at myself.

“Me.”

She nodded as if she finally got it and pointed at herself.

“…Me.”

Then at me.

“…You.”
“Exactly, that’s it. …Why am I teaching this again?”
“…Other.”
“Oh.”

Is it just me, or does her stare seem to say I’m hopeless?

“Ahem. ‘Other’ is…”

I raised my fist again, pointing it at myself like before.

“Me.”

I extended my fingers, gesturing at the surrounding walls and white lights.

“Other things.”
Nod, nod.
“…Me.”

She pointed at herself, then at me.

“…You, other people.”

She gestured at something different from what I’d pointed at.

“…Other, things.”
“Got it, you’re a quick learner.”

I smiled warmly, suddenly recalling my past when I was the one being taught.
I’d never taught a child before—aside from my younger sibling, whom I parted with as a kid, I hadn’t even been around anyone younger. But even without experience, I could tell: this girl’s a genius.

“Now, ‘none’ is…”

I thought for a moment, then raised my fist again.

“See this? Right now, this is ‘here’.”
“…Right now, this is, here.”

I hid it behind my back.

“Now, it’s ‘gone’.”
“…Gone.”
Nod, nod.

Seeing her nod, I let out a relaxed smile, then caught myself and straightened my expression.

“…But why am I teaching this?”
“…?”
Tilt.

This place… probably, no, almost certainly doesn’t use Imperial speech. What’s the point of teaching her Imperial?

“Hm… I’ll think about it later.”

I pointed at the alley she’d indicated earlier.

“You said we should go that way?”
“…Yeah. Hurry, no. Lingering.”
“Hm, not hurry? So… we’re late—”
—Sæn’vel, tra’eska oryn-nar ær’doll.
“!”

There was no presence, so where did that come from?
Caught off guard by the sudden voice, I held the girl gently and scanned the surroundings warily. I sensed people passing beyond the buildings, but none seemed to be watching us.
Yet the voice came from nearby, so I glared in its direction.

“Who’s there?”
—Zar’mel… æn’lira. Vey’rin Kam’Rimūn—Fix’za of Tseong’toh.
“Kang Rimun ?”

I didn’t catch much, but Kang Rimun  sounded like a name.
Unlike the voices I’d heard before, this one was softer, less hostile.

—Hm… Vey’narn Kam’Rimūn’zæn sæm’karin.
“Is Kang Rimun  your name?”
—Væl’ra… n’sorinæ, æn’lira.

It seemed they couldn’t understand me either, as a brief silence followed.

“Dmn it, what are they saying?”
“…Dmn, it?”
“Whoa, no, no, you don’t need to learn that one either.”

When the girl repeated “d*mn,” I flailed my arms, momentarily forgetting the mysterious speaker.

Hee—
“…Dmn it. Dmn, walls.”
“Ugh…”

She raised the corner of her mouth ever so slightly, repeating “d*mn” and “walls.” Given how fast she learns, she probably knows what they mean. Is she saying it for fun?

—Ah, ah. Zæl’noru… right now… vel’sæntæ… how are you?
“How…?”

Hearing familiar words mixed with the alien language, I snapped my head up.

—O… vel’ræn—can you understand… kom’zeth.
T’nora’zel… first time… using it, but, næth vel’lir… language converter… did well.
“Language converter? There’s such a thing?”
—Oh, vesk’tanæ—language converter… activated, but, n’valzreth… it’s imperfectly… understood. Zhen’tora… this world… velr’khaan… should convert all languages.
“…Convert all languages in this world.”

Yet it’s failing to fully translate Imperial and this unknown language.
I closed my eyes, feeling a heavy realization sink in—a possibility I’d avoided thinking about becoming real.

—Vel’sar… it’s fine. Nok’ren’ra… as we talk… vel’neth-tē… it’ll improve.
“That’s good to hear. So, where is this place, and who are you?”
—Zæ’thel… let me introduce again. This is Cheongdo, and I’m Cheongdo’s Fixer, Kang Rimun .

Cheongdo.
I recalled the sights from before I jumped.
The place I landed had strange, layered roofs.
But further out, there were vast, towering high-rises, a dark sea, an overwhelmingly tall building, and a massive circular ring encircling it all.

Beyond that, partially obscured, were other distinct areas.

“What’s the name of this vast city?”
—Eh’ra? Oh, you mean Lake City?
“Lake City.”

No matter how far away, the Empire, which conquered even across the seas, wouldn’t be unaware of this city.
…As I half-suspected, it’s true.

“Alright, Kang Rimun . Why are you hiding?”
—When I saw someone falling from ORRYX-ræn, walking down without any Thræn’val device… how could I not be cautious?
“Thræn… val? I remember hearing ORRYX a few times before I got out.”

Likely the name of some device. Does that mean you need a tool to fly here?

—Now it’s my turn to ask. Who are Vel’ra?
“Vel’ra? You mean us?”

I looked down at the girl, who tilted her head and stared back blankly.
I patted her head and looked toward the source of the voice.

“This girl… was probably an experiment subject of those people up there. And I—”

I closed my eyes, recalling my homeland.
Arcedia, the Empire that didn’t conquer the world but dominated it.
The greatest force behind that power, the symbol of the Empire’s might.

“The one sword of the Arcedian Empire.”

I recalled defeating my master.
…Would I have won if we fought all-out?
I don’t know. I beat him, but that was only in swordsmanship.
Still… I learned everything he had to teach and reached his level, so I can claim it.

“The unyielding blade, Roland.”

I gripped my sword firmly, raising it skyward, gazing at my reflection on its blade.

—…Hm, you’re no ordinary person. Shall I call you Lord Roland—
Tap, tap—
“…Ro, land?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. My name’s Roland.”

…I was posing for a moment, but that’s probably pointless here.
I patted the girl’s head, barely reaching my waist, and crouched down.

“…Name. You, name, Roland.”
“Yeah, my name’s Roland.”

She tilted her head, then pointed at herself.

“…Me, name. Experiment subject?”
“What? No, no, your name’s not ‘experiment subject’.”
“…Then, me, name. What?”
“Uh… don’t you remember anything?”
Shake, shake.
“…Nothing.”

I scratched my chin awkwardly, closing my mouth.

“Hm…”
—Excuse me, Lord Roland? I have urgent business, so I’ll step in.
“…”

As I struggled to respond, Kang Rimun  cut in at the perfect moment. The girl’s blank expression turned slightly grumpy, maybe dissatisfied.
I wasn’t sure if she’d like me giving her a name, and nothing came to mind, so this was good timing.

“Urgent business?”
—Yes, those you called ‘the people up there,’ ORRYX, are a formidable force.

ORRYX… I heard that name a couple of times while breaking through walls up there.

“How formidable?”
—One of the megacorps with the greatest influence in Lake City.