The Monologue Must End · Chapter 5
Short Break
Omega
Whoa...! This place is huge!
Asherah
This could practically work as a training ground...
I can't believe there's a facility this huge underground.
Did those Replacers build this place too?
Hilde
Most likely. It was probably used as a supply base.
Though it's in poorer condition than the last time I was here.
Yoo Mina
Yeah. Still, we should be able to stay here for a while.
Asherah
That is a relief. We can finally catch our breath.
Omega
Then does that mean Omega can eat something tasty here?
Yoo Mina
You should be able to handle that much on your own...
...Ugh.
I get it.
I'm barely hanging in there myself.
Yoo Mina
Tch... Shut it. It's not like I can do anything about it.
How about we split into groups?
If this is a supply base, there might be food here.
Hilde
Sounds good.
Asherah
Alright! Down with Rosaria!
Yoo Mina
...Anyway, putting the food issue aside for now...
Why am I stuck teamed up with you?
Asherah
Can't be helped. We drew lots, remember?
Huh? What's this red button?
Maybe the door opens if I push it?
Yoo Mina
Hey, wait—!
Asherah
Aah?!
Yoo Mina
...I told you to wait!
You can't just randomly touch things here.
We're lucky it was just an alarm this time. One wrong move and you could have died.
Asherah
Th-that was a close one! Then you should've warned me it was dangerous!
...Huh?
Yoo Mina
What is it?
Asherah
I think I see someone over there!
Yoo Mina
What? You saw someone?
Asherah
This is...
Yoo Mina
...As I thought. A dead body.
From the looks of it, they died quite a while ago.
Asherah
I see. All alone, in a place like this...
They must've been so scared.
Yoo Mina
Don't pity them.
Based on what they're wearing, this one was a Replacer too.
So dying like this... was the result of their own choices.
Asherah
...Did something happen between you and the Replacers?
Yoo Mina
Drop it. That's none of your business.
Asherah
Ngh...!
I-it's because you keep being so snappy!
Yoo Mina
S-snappy?
Asherah
Yeah! Snappy!
I don't think it's good to be so hostile all the time.
I-I mean, I'm sorry for messing up too, but...
Yoo Mina
Because of them, Narae was...
I lost my friend.
Asherah
Your friend...?
Yoo Mina
Yeah. Not just once, but twice.
Yoo Mina
I barely managed to see one of them again... only to lose her before my eyes.
As for the other one...
At first, I was afraid of her. She was a copy of the friend I'd known.
But when I finally realized that she wasn't the same person...
Yoo Mina
She sacrificed herself to stop what the Replacers were planning.
They were trying to turn everyone in the world into monsters.
Asherah
That's horrible...
Yoo Mina
They went on about creating a new humanity to survive the apocalypse...
But I don't care about their grand excuses.
I don't want to know why they did any of it.
I just... can't forgive them.
Asherah
So that's what happened... You and Hilde had to go through all that...
Yoo Mina
It wasn't just the two of us fighting.
The Commander wasn't the only one. There were a lot of others too.
The Boss, the Vice President, Shiyoon, and the company staff...
Mercenaries, police officers... There were plenty of people fighting to stop the Replacers.
...But that's all in the past now.
We have no way back to the Normalside.
And I don't even know what happened to the Replacer King.
Asherah
I-It's okay!
You never know. If we defeat that Rosaria girl, it might all work out.
It's no good giving up already!
Yoo Mina
...You make it sound so easy.
You saw how strong she was.
Asherah
Yeah. I know she's absurdly strong.
But that doesn't mean we should just curl up and quit.
You, Hilde, and us... We all have somewhere we want to go back to.
Yoo Mina
...A place to return to, huh.
Omega
Ooh...!
Mister, look! It's a giant bullet!
That's an artillery shell!
Omega, put that down! It's dangerous!
Omega
Ugh... Everything in here seems to be dangerous.
Hilde
This is troublesome. I suppose this container only stored ammunition as well.
I suppose they never intended to hold out here for long.
So the containers on this side are useless.
At this point, we can only hope the other group has better luck.
By the way, Hilde.
Do you know anything about Omega?
Hilde
Mm? What about her?
Omega lost her memories.
She wants to meet someone she calls her [Daddy].
I was wondering if you might know something.
Hilde
...I see.
If that's the case, I believe it may be better not to tell you even if I knew.
Omega
Huh? How so?
Hilde
I hate to admit it, but if he was involved, there must have been a reason for it.
He likely prepared for everything, even accounting for the possibility of you losing your memories.
I'd say that living without knowing your past isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Omega
But Omega still wants to know!
Omega's head hurts a lot when there's something she forgot and she still can't remember! You don't know how that feels!
Hilde
You're quite mistaken.
There are times when I too live without the memories of my past.
Omega
Huh? You do?
You really don't seem like it...
Hilde
That was the decision I made back then.
Some things are better left unknown.
Omega
...So confusing. Omega doesn't really get it.
Hilde
It means you'll find the answer when the time comes.
That person you call [Daddy]...
Never mind. You'll meet him someday. That much I can promise.
Omega
Omega thinks she gets it now... Okay!
Asherah
There you are! We were looking for you!
Good news! We found food!
Yoo Mina
Not a lot, though.
Omega
Really? Yay!!
Those two...
Did something happen between them?
Hilde
Hard to say. But they do look better.
Let's head over and see.
Omega
Ooh...!
Look, Mister! Ham,eggs, and snacks too!
Oh, Omega knows what those are! They're called [energy bars]!
Looking at the food Asherah and Mina found made me hungry all over again.
The problem was...
Most of these are ingredients that need prep work.
Hilde
We can eat them as they are.
From a nutritional standpoint, eating them raw is more efficient.
Yoo Mina
Still, it's not every day we get actual ingredients.
Back at the hideout, I was sick of living on nothing but hardtack.
Hilde
...Isn't hardtack a perfectly acceptable meal?
Asherah
Then it's my turn to step up!
What?!
Asherah
Leave it to me, Captain. I'm always honing my cooking skills.
I wanted to be prepared in case we had to camp somewhere during the [Journey].
No! Let's think this through!
Do you know how hard we worked to find this food?
Asherah
Captain...! D-do you have that little faith in me?
O-Omega! What do you think?
Omega
Huh? Omega likes Asherah's cooking!
When Omega eats it, the database turns all red! It goes, "Emergency! Emergency!" and gets super noisy!
It gets really noisy, so Omega thinks it's fun!
Asherah
Ngh... Even you...?!
Yoo Mina
Looks like we don't have much of a choice.
Step aside. I'll do the cooking.
Hilde
Rookie, you know how to cook?
Yoo Mina
Seriously, Commander? Of course. I live alone, you know.
Hilde
Is that so? Then how do you deal with sprouted potatoes?
Yoo Mina
...You can just eat them as is, can't you?
Hilde
Typical of a generation raised on ready-made food.
Very well. You can stand back and watch too.
Yoo Mina
Wait, why?!
Leave the cooking to me.
I can handle simple dishes.
I chose to ignore Asherah's enthusiasm and Mina's goodwill.
Getting sick from food in a place like this would be beyond ridiculous...!
Asherah
Ugh, still... leaving the cooking to the Captain feels a bit—
Hilde
So she says, Captain.
Let me know if you have any errands to spare.
Yoo Mina
...Fine. Tell me if you need anything.
Asherah
W-wait! Then I'll help too!
Omega
And Omega too!
Alright, then...
...And so, for a brief moment, we were able to forget everything else and focus on cooking.
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