TGIC Ch 21

Chapter 21

While en route to the site where the gate had opened, Vasily, seated beside me in the helicopter, exchanged signals with an Association staff member before rising from his seat.

He set down his headset and turned to say something to me. Though I couldn’t hear him, I read his lips—

—See you later.

“What? What do you— Hey, you lunatic…!”

Before I could even process what he meant, Vasily waved and leapt straight out of the helicopter. I jolted in horror, trying to jump up, but the seatbelt yanked me back down.

I forced my pounding heart to calm. Right, Vasily was an S-class Esper. Someone like him could jump from this height and land without a scratch.

I leaned out and looked down. The shimmering blue entrance to the gate was visible far below. Not a trace of Vasily remained—he must’ve already entered it.

“…Haah.”

Seriously, what a madman. Would it kill him to leave without making a scene?

I felt foolish for even sparing a moment of concern for him. Taking a deep breath, I sank back into my seat.

After Vasily’s mid-air departure and a bit more flying, we reached the designated safe zone. Once the helicopter landed safely in the open field, I disembarked and scanned the area.

Evacuated villagers huddled together, and Espers and Association staff moved frantically about. The gate had opened so suddenly that temporary guides hadn’t arrived yet—it seemed I was the only guide present.

While walking around to gauge the situation, I heard a commotion nearby.

“My grandson and granddaughter are missing. They said everyone in the village was evacuated, so I came straight here from the fields by myself… Oh, dear…”

“The village is currently off-limits to civilians. We’ll relay this to the Espers conducting the search…”

“Oh no… oh no… what about my babies…”

The old man’s trembling, tearful voice made me freeze.

The image of those two children, frozen to death, flashed through my mind. Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fists.

Yes. There was no reason to hesitate. I had come all this way for the sole purpose of saving those kids. Wasting time here would only reduce their chances of survival.

With determination, I moved toward the edge of the safe zone.

Near the weapons container, Espers were blocking civilians from entering. Thankfully, I was still wearing my Esper combat suit from training with Vasily. No one questioned or stopped me as I approached the weapons cache.

Once inside the container, I grabbed a knife about the length of my forearm and strapped it to my belt. I needed to cross the mountain quickly, so light equipment was essential. If I encountered a monster along the way, I had to be able to at least protect myself.

Armed, I slipped away from the safe zone. The thick trees surrounding the area made it easy to avoid detection. Nobody noticed my absence as the safe zone receded behind me.

I hurried toward the place I remembered. Near the gate’s opening, in the direction of a small village.

The area hadn’t frozen over yet. But I couldn’t predict when Vasily would exit the gate and begin using his abilities to freeze everything. The fact that I couldn’t feel the biting chill in the wind meant he was likely still dealing with monsters inside.

For now, the only thing I needed to worry about was the monsters that had already escaped the gate.

I vaguely remembered them as stealthy, ambush-focused foes. I’d brought a weapon just in case, but I could only hope not to run into one.

After a long trek, I finally saw the village. It should be around here… I scanned the area and recognized a familiar house.

I threw the door open—nothing but silence inside.

“Was it not this one?”

I was about to check the next house when my gaze landed on an old wardrobe.

Yes, in there…

“…Hic…”

Click. I opened the wardrobe to find two trembling children clinging to each other.

Terrified expressions, cheeks stained with tears, and faces on the verge of sobbing. Most importantly, they were still breathing.

They were alive. I let out a quiet sigh of relief without meaning to.

“Let’s go to a safe place, okay?”

I smiled as gently as I could and extended my hand. The children hesitated to take it. Tilting my head in confusion, the boy spoke through tears.

“My sister hurt her ankle…”

Only then did I notice the little girl’s pained expression. I’d assumed she was just scared, but it had been the injury.

In the past, the children must have hidden instead of fleeing to stay together because of her injury. That realization doubled my guilt, weighing down on me.

“Then should I give you a piggyback ride?”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. Your grandma’s waiting. I’ll take you to her.”

At the mention of their grandmother, the children’s eyes widened. They both nodded eagerly, a flicker of relief crossing their tear-streaked faces.

Good. Earning their trust now was crucial—we had a long, dangerous mountain path ahead of us to reach the safe zone.

I helped them put on their shoes and cautiously stepped outside. As I lowered myself to carry the girl—

Rustle.

I heard something move.

“…Kids, get back inside the house.”

I quickly shoved them behind me and drew my weapon.

I couldn’t see it, but there was definitely a monster nearby. Hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Then—a faint step behind me. I spun and slashed.

“Skreee!”

The sensation of slicing flesh ran up my arm as the monster shrieked and leapt back.

But the wound I’d inflicted was shallow. Damn it—I should’ve finished it in one blow… Vasily would’ve scolded me for fumbling something so simple.

Swallowing hard, I faced the monster.

Thankfully, it was alone. A green rat-like beast, as if dipped in radioactive sludge, bared its teeth and crept forward.

It wasn’t especially big, but size didn’t equal threat level. In fact, smaller creatures were often more dangerous.

These things usually moved in packs. I had to finish it before others arrived.

The beast crouched low—about to pounce. I held my breath and adjusted my grip on the knife.

“…!”

Even though I’d been watching closely, the creature vanished from sight.

It was under me.

Its gaping maw rushed toward my neck.

“Guh!”

I barely raised my arm in time. Its fangs sank deep into my forearm.

Pain registered second. My body moved first.

I rammed my knife into the monster’s neck. The blade pierced its tough hide and sank in. A sickening squelch rang out.

Through the hilt, I felt its body tremble. A wet, grating noise escaped it before it slumped over like a puppet with cut strings.

“…Haa…”

Only after confirming it was truly dead did I pull out the blade. The monster still hung from my arm, its teeth embedded so deeply they wouldn’t come out.

I had no choice but to strip off the arm guard and toss both it and the corpse aside. Then I rolled up my sleeve to check the wound.

It wasn’t deep, but the teeth marks were clear. And that was with a protective brace on. If I hadn’t been wearing Esper-grade gear, I might’ve lost the arm.

I wiped the cold sweat from my brow, staring at the carcass. That was rough. Good thing I’d regained some of my fighting reflexes thanks to sparring with Vasily.

No time to rest. The smell of blood would attract more.

I rushed back inside to get the kids.

“Eek…!”

They whimpered in fear upon seeing the corpse. I comforted them, assuring them it was dead. Once they calmed down, I prepared to leave—

And then I felt it.

A chill, carried on the wind.

Ah.

My heart sank.

I turned. In the distance, trees were rapidly being consumed by frost. An invisible blizzard was heading our way.