When the alien is transferred to this world, the procedures for welcoming them are clearly defined.
Basically, they are relatively mild aliens.
That is, aliens classified as “safe” are moved to a designated location prepared by the association.
There, they receive various training necessary for adaptation and prepare to lead a new life by interacting with other aliens in the same situation.
However.
If an alien shows hostile attitudes or refuses the association’s control immediately after the transfer, the story changes.
Hunters on standby at the scene promptly suppress the target using force and transfer them to the association’s isolation zone.
If there is a possibility of reformation through subsequent conversations, they will undergo a separate adaptation process.
So, what if it’s an alien classified as “dangerous”?
If it can be subdued, it follows a procedure similar to the “caution” grade. However, if it is deemed impossible to suppress…
It is killed on the spot.
That was the social contract made by the hunters and the people for this world.
Therefore, Seol Yuwol will primarily be transferred to a solitary cell provided by the association.
I observed her being loaded into the transport vehicle while unconscious.
At that moment, an employee of the association approached me and handed me a card key.
“Here’s your access card.”
“Yes.”
I accepted the silver card.
“You might need to access this place frequently from now on.”
There was a tinge of regret in the employee’s words.
If she had been deemed safe, I could have just visited her occasionally…
But since she is classified as “caution,” the responsibility for judging the possibility of her reformation and overseeing the entire process would fall on me.
Before heading to a separate vehicle, I expressed my gratitude to my temporary security team members.
“Ellis, thank you for your hard work.”
I received a lot of help from her.
Ellis waved her hand casually and replied calmly.
“No problem. It wasn’t that difficult.”
Then she turned her gaze to Jahwayun.
Jahwayun was surrounded by association employees and was undergoing some sort of investigation.
I wonder where she popped up from.
Why did she show up? That’s what I’m thinking.
“Well, even if I know her…”
I began to sense irritation and annoyance in her voice.
“Indeed. She seemed like someone you actually knew.”
I rescued her from that difficult situation.
With a bit of explanation, the association employees nodded and stepped back.
I also expressed my gratitude to Jahwayun.
Her participation was surprising in many ways, but it was indeed helpful.
“Thank you for today, Lady Cheonma.”
“It was nothing. I was just curious, so I followed along.”
Jahwayun replied with a smirk, raising the corners of her mouth.
Then she looked deeply into my eyes and said.
“Doctor.”
“Yes.”
“You will surely meet the master of the Cheongcheon.”
“Is that so?”
I responded calmly.
“I believe you will not judge a person solely by their appearance.”
“Really?”
I had a question about her words, but soon lifted the corners of my mouth slightly.
“Do I look like someone who would do that?”
“Haha!”
At my confident retort, laughter erupted from Jahwayun.
“My doctor would never do that.”
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she nodded and turned away.
And she left coolly.
“I’ll come back once things settle down.”
If it were up to me, I would have loved to leave with Jahwayun as well, but technically, my work was only just beginning.
“……”
It was clearly overtime.
The problem was that there were fluffy breads waiting for their owner in my refrigerator.
The cakes I made early this morning were put into the fridge before heading out.
It would be difficult to give them directly.
Freshly made desserts are best enjoyed quickly.
I approached Ellis and opened my mouth.
“Ellis, if it’s alright with you, I have a small favor to ask.”
“Where to?”
Ellis perked up her ears and asked.
“If you go to my counseling office, there should be a kitchen next to the room. In the fridge of that kitchen, there will be two boxes of cake.”
I gestured and explained the location to her.
“One is a strawberry cake, and the other is a vanilla cake. Could you please give the strawberry cake to Luna? And… the vanilla cake beside it is for you, Ellis.”
I had packed them up, so there shouldn’t be any problem.
At my words, Ellis’s red eyes widened in surprise.
She didn’t seem to expect that I had specially prepared a cake for her, at least not for Luna.
“Really…?”
Her voice carried pure surprise.
“Yes. The location of the counseling office should come up in a search. And here’s the key.”
I took out the key to the counseling room from my pocket and handed it to her.
Ellis accepted the key with a joyful expression.
That smile resembled the one she had when she was watching the children at the nursery.
“… I’ll, eat well.”
She shyly left those words and turned away.
“……”
I also turned my head.
It was time to get to work.
***
I was transported to the association’s facility via vehicle.
The facility’s building had an exterior that clearly showed it employed advanced technology.
However, despite its massive appearance, it wasn’t that far from the city center.
I sat in the meeting room of the association’s isolation facility, talking with the duty team leader.
“Is it very dangerous?”
“Not really. There seemed to be reasons for the attack. The Cheonma was present at the scene at that time…”
“Ah… that’s true…”
The team leader nodded as he drank coffee in response to my words.
I wasn’t an expert on the ecology of this world, but judging by the flow here, if there were beings expressing hostility toward the Cheonma, it was highly probable they were affiliated.
“Still, I guess they would indeed fall under the caution grade.”
“Yes. That would be best.”
I had no intention of disagreeing with his words.
“Team Leader…!”
At that moment, the door to the meeting room burst open, and an employee rushed in.
“The master of Cheongcheon has come in person…!”
“What? Why?”
A look of bewilderment filled the team leader’s face.
Why would the head of one of the massive powers that maintain the balance of aliens come to this isolation facility without any warning?
“The alien who transferred today, regarding Seol Yuwol, her mother… is here requesting an interview at the main entrance…”
If the aliens are very fortunate, sometimes there are people they know who have already settled in this world after arriving.
Such people are referred to as guardians by the association, and they actively provide opportunities for meetings to assist in initial adaptation.
There is no faster or more effective means of reformation than having someone who has already adapted explain this world directly to the new alien.
At those words, a bright smile blossomed on the team leader’s previously tense face.
“Really? Bring her in right away!”
I also let out a sigh of relief inwardly and nodded.
This is a good thing.
So that was the relationship… mother and daughter.
What a relief.
A moment later, the door to the meeting room quietly opened, and a woman stepped inside.
At first glance, she looked youthful with a face that seemed somewhat immature, yet she exuded a captivating aura as a beautiful woman.
It was the master of Cheongcheon.
Her gaze seemed to dismiss the other association employees and was directed straight at me.
I stood up from my seat, bowing respectfully.
“Nice to meet you, Master. I am the counselor, Yoo Seon-woo.”
“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you, Teacher Simui.”
She praised me with a very gentle and warm voice that seemed at odds with her position as a master.
“I am Lee Seo-ryeong, the master of Cheongcheon.”
Her eyes gently curved.
With the urgency of someone who doesn’t have time to waste, the master of Cheongcheon immediately began to speak.
“Yuwol is my one and only daughter.”
Her voice quivered slightly.
“How much anguish I felt when I left my daughter in the Central Plains and crossed into this strange world…”
Her words suddenly faltered. Then she continued slowly.
“How moved and tearful I was to see Yuwol’s image in a video…”
Lee Seo-ryeong seemed to be forcing herself to swallow the emotions that were about to spill over, biting her lip tightly.
I said nothing.
I merely slid a box of tissues across the table toward her quietly.
I furrowed my brow slightly as I listened to her story.
Was I moved by her sorrow?
No.
[Lee Seo-ryeong]
[Main Stance]
[Judging that showing a vulnerable side as a ‘mother with strong maternal love’ rather than the dignified appearance of the master of Cheongcheon would be more suitable for achieving her objectives.]
Duplicitous.
Someone I despise the most for being different inside and out.
I could hardly hide my expression.
She glanced at the tissues I had pushed toward her for a moment, before quietly responding.
“Thank you…”
She took a tissue, lightly dabbed her eyes, and carefully asked.
“When can I see Yuwol…?”
She was asking me throughout.
Although it seemed she was speaking to everyone in the room, ultimately, the conclusion rested with me.
The association’s people were present, but she knew.
It felt as if she was aware that I held the key to controlling this situation.
I answered calmly.
“First, I need to check the status of the alien, so the interview will be possible a bit later.”
“Couldn’t I just… go in with you? Even if just for a moment, I want to see her face…”
What should I do?
Normally, I would have readily allowed it. In fact, it might even seem strange that I was hesitating here.
But…
Why was that?
I felt an inexplicable aversion.
“It won’t take long.”
I refused her request.
“I see…”
Lee Seo-ryeong lowered her head, looking disappointed.
Then she raised her head again and said once more, this time with a far more desperate tone.
“Still, please, really, is it not possible?”
“No….”
Huh?
[Warning: Suggestion (Grade A) is disturbing you.]
At that moment, a crimson system window appeared in front of my eyes.
Suggestion?
So her pitiful request just now contained a suggestion?
“Counselor.”
At that moment, someone grabbed my shoulder.
“Would it not be better to just let her in?”
It was the team leader of the association.
In his eyes, excessive compassion replaced rational judgment.
He seemed to have already succumbed to her suggestion.
[Status anomaly: Suggestion (Grade A) detected. Attempting forced release.]
[Reflecting previous user feedback… presenting countermeasures.]
[A) Dispelling: Smash her mental attack in front of everyone, showing that you resisted her technique.]
[B) Defending: Silently neutralize her mental attack, ensuring that she does not even realize her ability failed.]
[C) Ruckus: Grabbing her collar and shouting out loud, asking what the hell she was doing.]
‘Nice.’
You’ve really improved.
Except for C.
I promptly chose B.
At the same time, the unpleasant sensation that had been swirling in my head vanished.
And I immediately wrinkled my expression.
“Ah… I really want to do that too…”
I alternated my gaze between Lee Seo-ryeong and the team leader, expressing genuine regret and apology.
“This is something I can’t do. It’s a regulation…”
As if truly unable to help it.
– Beep beep beep beep beep!!!
Right then.
A sharp warning sound rang from the main monitor in the meeting room, placed between me and the team leader.
At that sound, a glimmer of rationality finally returned to the dazed team leader’s eyes.
“… The alien has regained consciousness. Counselor!”
“Yes.”
I quickly stood up.
And I brushed past Lee Seo-ryeong.
I needed to find out the reason behind this inexplicable aversion from Seol Yuwol.
And the moment I left the room, I saw it.
Her reflection in the glass of the meeting room.
Our eyes met.
The corners of Lee Seo-ryeong’s mouth were faintly lifted.
