My mind went blank for a second when I knew that I was trapped in the worst-case-scenario.
That agent didn't even give me any look after seeing the three who were coming, and that made things better by a micro because of course I wasn't looking like someone who didn't know what was happening.
"What do those Abominations do here?"
His tone was so dark that shivers ran over my body.
He won't kill them, right?
"Do you mean those people with terrifying masks?"
Their masks were really terrible to the point I couldn't even look at them without feeling as if my insides churn. Melting head, half joker and half crying head, and a head bearing real horns, twisted in all directions.
I was ninety percent sure that they didn't have any idea about how they were looking, and I didn't have the watch so I had to swallow all my disgust and keep it to myself.
The thought that I, too, look like this when I enter a Vessel while wearing my watch is enough for me to run away from this company despite all of the other countless reasons.
"Look at here, how beautiful!" The half joker face said, his voice was absolutely fabricated but it was Drew's style for sure. "Were the Disaster Management Authority trying to save people here or what? Are you sure that you could help yourselves first? It's an A Vessel after all."
"Said who?" The agent clicked his tongue, seeming unaffected. "The ones who make things worse just for their own sake?"
"Don't talk as if your institution doesn't seek what we are seeking, you only feel this way because you are such a poor low-key agent who has a good heart to save others. The government of course has different goals in mind."
"So? At least the agents themselves are working for good, unlike you all."
…?
He didn't even try to defend his institution at all. Is that normal? No?
"Let it be then. Let your good hearts make you survive this."
"Right." The agent's low chuckle made both my mind and body freeze. "I'll make sure to make you a grave and put flowers on it. Wilted yellow roses will be enough, right?"
They did know each other. This is the only idea I was sure about at that point.
"Super clever and unemotional as usual."
Dean talked this time, his horn mask. His voice was as sarcastic as Dean's.
"Could you two stop?" Adeline finally stepped in. Closing this crazy conversation. "Save your grudges for later."
All the three shat up, and somehow I felt as if that weren't their intention but something she forced them to do.
Strange thoughts, again.
"We need him." She pointed at me, then the agent gave me a look before raising his eyebrows in mockery. "No. He is with me. We will take care of him."
"Poor you, he is al—" I was shaking my head like crazy with my hands shaping a big No when Dean noticed me and kicked Drew's leg to shut him up. "What?!"
"Why do you need him anyways?"
"Isn't it out of your business? You don't even try to get your own teammates out with you, let alone some poor man who doesn't know what's going on."
You jerks, don't laugh.
No one other than Drew actually laughed but the rest just barely kept their reactions to themselves.
"I- I'm not going with anyone."
I raised my hand, as if I was politely asking to give my own opinion.
"...?"
"I just want to go to the Scarp Yard to sit there with others. In fact, I just lost my way and ended up here."
"...?"
"Let me show you the way then." The agent spoke first. "It'll be safer than going with some random people who need you to be their human shield."
"...?" I gave the three a look, barely looking at their scary faces before standing up, ready to go. "Okay, let's go."
I thought that my mind was going to explode at that moment in order to find something to do, but the agent spared me the over-thinking and walked past me as if he wanted to show me the way.
And I swear that I didn't mean to, but somehow I ended up I stumbled on a rock before Dean and the three envelopes I was hiding in my jacket's sleeve just landed perfectly on his hand.
And he just hid it as fast as he could.
"Watch your path."
"I will."
I was following the agent casually after that before noticing a grey circle sticker on my jacket. When I touched it, Adeline's voice echoed in my head… reminding me of what Silas's comb used to do.
"What are you planning to do by following that agent?"
"Spare myself from doubts" I looked at the agent before me and continued. "Even the company doesn't know that I'm here, just keep it a secret."
"And why keep it a secret from the agent too?"
"I don't wear my watch. He can recognize my face easily."
"Oh." That 'Oh' was Drew's of course.
"What's your plan then?"
"Go to the yard then just get out somehow?"
I wasn't sure what the plan was but finding a way wouldn't be a problem.
"Now, turn left." Dean gave an instruction, and I turned. Nearly a heart attack got me.
"Wh— what's this?"
I couldn't even breathe at that point. And my simi-visible image beside me was acting the same.
"When you are ready to hide, just touch it and it will take your place for two hours before vanishing. You will become invisible for exactly two minutes after that."
Woh—
What kind of crazy specialization is this?!
I need one to— No, NoNoNoNo.
I need nothing.
This is cool but not for me, It isn't for me. I'm a normal human being who needs to go back to his little usual life as soon as possible.
Don't ever fall into this tempting trap, never.
"What's wrong?" The agent just got near me as if to make sure that I'm alright. "You stopped for a while, are you okay?"
"Yes. I just got tired."
"We will be in the nearest spot soon."
Nearest?
"There's other spots?"
"Yes, four. The Scarp Yard becomes one after you gather people there. But since it's far away, the nearest shelter we made is over there."
He pointed at the old gate and my heart got near the ground for no reason.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"...?"
Well, that was a problem… since it was the gate that connected this to the Festival—
Wait Wait—
I pulled the map out of my pocket and gave it a thoughtful look, even the agent pent down to look.
"Over here, there's something called the Festival." I acted as if I knew nothing about that thing. "Maybe we could get out that way?"
"...No."
"Why?"
"That Festival closes at this time every year. No records of getting out of it after the closing time."
…?
Oh, Right…
If the Festival's main goal is to sell the Carnival tickets then it will end the time the Carnival begins—
And that's in… "Five Hours…"
"What?"
"We have five hours before the end of the Festival!"
"How could you know?"
"Usually public events don't intersect, perhaps that's why the festival closes around this time, because the big carnival is starting."
That was an utterly bad lie, since the usual carnival was held daily and I built my conclusion based on what I know from the system about the Festival, but I continued anyway.
"The problem is that the way out of the Festival isn't sure either…"
"No, no… this is a good idea." His expression was the same as always but somehow relief filled his voice. "If there's a possible way out, I will try."
"You?"
"That's our job. If we could at least help fifty percent of the people by doing that I'll be more than grateful."
"But what if it didn't work?"
"No problem."
What?
"Finding a way while no trace of hope is a round is enough."
How great…
Listening to him made me feel so small that I couldn't even look at his eyes.
There were humans like him in this world, huh. What a shock.
"Here we go."
We reached the gate, but no trace of human beings was around.
"Here?"
"Yes."
With a swipe of his hand over the air beside him, a huge simi-visible sphere glass barrier appeared… in it, there were too many people.
Maybe more than two hundred…
"Let's get in." I followed him inside, and just set where he told me to. And for the next ten minutes I watched him talking with other agents while each one of them sequentially looked at me.
I acted as if I didn't notice anything until one of them came to me and asked in a very polite way: "Could I ask you for the map you have, please."
"Sure." I gave it to him, ready to get past losing my treasure, but when another one appeared in his other hand I just blinked, unable to say a word. "Thank you."
Mine returned to me, untouched.
"Your welcome."
I was about to touch the replacement Dean made then when a faint golden glow caught my eyes.
In the distance, and where the agents were standing… that blue agent (as what Hero said about him) was glowing.
I had no idea why, nor what the 'need' that made him what the glasses decided to show me… but at least I knew that my 'want' was to get out of here, and if he was the way then I was willing to wait until I knew how.
That was my decision,
And unfortunately, that was the most appropriate decision I've made, yet the worst one ever.