Black Badger

Chapter 181: The Elder’s Mansion (1)

Through the hazy smoke, a drone appeared.

Yun and I stayed still, observing as the bodyguards converged on one point. Unless it was a Creature, the rule was not to engage.

All the more so in a situation like this.

Shashinsky had disappeared to confirm Spitfire’s orders. The bespectacled subordinate stood motionless beside the Elder.

I brought the cigar back to my lips.

Enjoying the bitter smoke, I took my time to assess the situation.

Ah. There—Spitfire’s blond subordinate.

He was grinning as he shot down the incoming swarm of drones one after another.

As expected, they’d clearly been preparing for insubordination.

The regular guards were already guiding civilians out of the building.

“What an unpleasant party this has turned into. My apologies.”

Erich Erhart rose from his seat and buttoned his jacket.

“I was hoping for a more leisurely conversation, but it seems we’ll have to postpone tea time.”

“Not at all. I’m simply glad to receive the game.”

I replied with a mild smile.

By “game,” he meant take it and leave.

He couldn’t possibly think I wouldn’t see through that. Erhart looked down at me, smiling faintly.

“Unfortunately, the game is in my underground gallery.”

Well, well.

“I had planned to go down there with you myself, but as you can see, circumstances require my departure. I’ll tell you the location—would you fetch it yourself?”

“There’s a basement in this building?”

“I keep my favorite works displayed there.”

Spitfire answered smoothly, then smiled in delight.

To an uninformed onlooker, he might have seemed like a “charming middle-aged man happily talking about his beloved art collection.”

“I only hope the pieces remain intact.”

“Where is the game located?”

There was no point in telling him I didn’t want to go.

Besides, I had no desire to attend another of Erich Erhart’s parties.

Spitfire gave a lazy grin and gestured to his subordinate for something.

“This device will guide you through the exhibits. The game’s in Section Q.”

I took the small receiver that looked like a museum guide radio.

BANG!

Gunfire echoed through the hall.

Guests screamed, but none of us turned our heads.

Spitfire straightened his clothes and gave a graceful bow.

“Enjoy the exhibition.”

One of the columns collapsed.

I sighed deeply, setting the cigar down on the glass table. It was a fine cigar, but it seemed I wouldn’t get to finish it. Yun was also slowly rising from his seat.

Looks like I’m about to tour the Elder’s private collection. Just my luck.

I rubbed my neck and turned toward Yun.

“This is taking quite a while. My apologies.”

“Just make sure we bring it back.”

Yun moved easily through the chaos of the banquet hall.

“It’s always noisy like this right after a territory reclaim.”

Ah.

Listening to his muttering, I began to understand the current situation.

A newly gained territory meant a shift in power. A vast land offered many things—resources buried beneath it, the buildings that would rise above it, the forests that would grow and provide for the people.

Humankind had always fought to expand the ground they lived upon.

We were no different.

Without another word, we headed downstairs.

***

“Whoa.”

I froze in front of the painting.

“What the hell is this?”

“‘Study of a Baboon.’”

Yun murmured dryly, glancing at the device Spitfire had handed over.

“Francis Bacon’s work.”

“What kind of taste is that...”

If not for the title, I wouldn’t even have realized it was supposed to be a baboon.

I stared in disbelief at the grotesque creature in the painting.

I knew Spitfire was a pervert, but I hadn’t realized it was this bad. Just looking at it made me feel uneasy, so I quickly turned my eyes away.

Beside the painting stretched a quiet, dimly lit space.

As Spitfire said, there was indeed a gallery underground. I had half-doubted it when we came down, but it was a proper exhibition hall—surprisingly refined.

The air was cool to preserve the artworks. The lighting illuminated only the framed pieces along the walls.

In the darkness, the spotlighted paintings felt almost chilling.

The pieces hanging in Section A all carried a similar tone—enough to raise goosebumps.

“Let’s go straight to Section Q.”

A shiver ran through me.

“There’s no need to look at more of these gloomy works.”

“Section C is fairly normal.”

So he was already ahead.

Fine. I was grateful enough that he came along at all.

Thinking that, I walked toward the direction of his voice.

Then flowers spread before my eyes.

The floor of Section C was covered in paper blossoms. The unexpected sight made me stop in my tracks.

The dark exhibition hall floor was blanketed in white paper roses.

Yun stood in the middle, looking up at something attached to the ceiling.

Carefully avoiding the flowers, I approached him.

“What is this?”

“What emerged from the first Portal humanity ever opened.”

At the end of a thread hanging from the ceiling was a white lifeform.

A preserved specimen. Its small body bore three pairs of white wings—six in total.

I had no memory of seeing such a creature in the original world.

As I narrowed my eyes, thinking, Yun spoke again.

“It probably didn’t come from your world. It shared almost no traits with the Creatures we face.”

“Huh? Then are you saying it once connected to another world as well?”

“For a brief time, yes.”

Yun looked away from the specimen and walked out of Section C.

What was that supposed to mean?

Then does that mean there were other off-worlders here besides us?

Startled, I hurried to catch up with him.

Our footsteps echoed through the gallery.

As if sensing my confusion, Yun spoke as we passed the statues in Section D and entered Section E.

“It had nothing to do with the war. Those other worlds weren’t connected as strongly or as clearly as yours was. Most of them opened and closed meaninglessly—occasional fragments spilling out that barely affected Earth at all.”

Well, we ourselves had reached Earth only after multiple failed attempts.

Remembering those failed dimensional transfers left a pit in my stomach.

Silently, I nodded and looked down at the device to find Section Q’s location.

Then, before I realized he’d walked off again, Yun’s voice rang out in surprise.

“Isn’t this you?”

I lifted my head.

He was standing before a photograph.

A spotless white wall, a black-framed picture hanging neatly upon it.

The photo was slightly out of focus.

I walked toward it slowly.

A figure lounging lazily on a black sofa.

It seemed the photo had been taken from behind the couch—what stood out first was the long white hair spilling over the backrest. My own profile was visible, eyes lowered with a faint smile, a glass of whiskey in my right hand.

My left leg was crossed over my right thigh, stretching downward, partly obscured by the angle.

Across from me sat a delighted Eve.

“How the hell did he get this?”

I let out a hollow laugh.

“I’ve definitely never met Spitfire before.”

“Seems not all records from back then were destroyed.”

Yun muttered, hands in his pockets.

“Who’s the woman across from you?”

“Eve.”

I didn’t elaborate.

“Eve from From E.”

“Ah.”

Thankfully, Yun understood right away.

“That—”

CRASH!

A sharp shatter pierced my ears.

Yun and I whipped our heads around.

Glass breaking. It came from Section Z.

More precisely—it was still coming. After the first noise caught our attention, the shattering continued in rapid bursts—crash, crash! Someone was definitely smashing something.

Section Z was on the exact opposite side of Section Q.

I ran toward the sound.

“Did you hear anyone enter?”

“No.”

Yun followed close behind, answering tersely.

Neither had I.

That was exactly why our nerves were on edge. Had we known someone entered, we wouldn’t have been this tense.

I’d thought it was just the two of us in the basement the whole time—no signs of anyone entering or lingering.

“A drone?”

“Even a machine would make noise.”

Yun replied.

“More likely a professional.”

He was right.

It wasn’t our duty to catch them, but we needed to know who it was. This was an Elder’s territory—caution was never misplaced.

If it was a petty thief or another Elder’s spy work, we could ignore it. But if it was sabotage from one of the deranged, we’d need to intervene—or get out fast.

With that thought, we burst into Section Z—and came face-to-face with a familiar figure.

Jaeyeon.

Colton’s right hand.

“Hey.”

He was dressed the same as before—but his expression was nothing like it. The sight of him made me stop and mutter in shock.

“What’s wrong with you?”

He was agitated.

So much so that my instincts screamed don’t get close. They warned me that if I approached, I’d be met with uncontrollable violence.

Yun, standing beside me, didn’t speak either.

That was how unstable Jaeyeon looked.

His pupils dilated, his breathing ragged. His left hand covered half his face.

Blood ran down his right arm.

But the blood didn’t seem to be his.

I looked down at the shattered glass vials scattered across the floor.

The liquid that had been inside stained the ground red.

“This section—what is it?”

I stared at the broken glass and the rows of intact vials beyond it.

“What was he keeping here?”

Whose blood was this?

What was it that drove him to break in here and smash it all?

It looked like ordinary blood, but—

Ah.

“Don’t tell me it’s the blood of my kind or something—”

That moment, Jaeyeon lunged.

Was it with a scream? Or a curse?

I couldn’t remember clearly. All I recalled was the force slamming into me and the sensation of losing balance—the feel of skin under my reflexive counterpunch.

Then Yun’s low snarl.

He must have grabbed me just before the pull on my back grew strong.

“Crazy bastard.”

Rage filled his voice.

“You should’ve deactivated the Portal you came through!”

Too late.

We were sucked into the still-active Portal behind me—the same route Jaeyeon had used to infiltrate the basement.

***

“Ah, fuck.”

Yun’s voice snapped me awake.

“Where are we?”

“Patrick Yates’ mansion.”

Jaeyeon’s grim voice came from behind.

“The secret hideaway of a greedy Elder.”

Ah, damn it.

I shoved Jaeyeon off me and let him roll aside.

Then, covering my face with both hands, I groaned.

Just my luck.

Even falling through the wrong Portal, how did I end up in this lawless place of all things?