Welcome, Black Lambs.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the documents I shared in advance.
I am extremely grateful for your cooperation in the experiment.
There’s still a lot the researchers of UNION do not know about Solomon.
Therefore, it is necessary for us to collect as many contact cases as possible.
Fortunately, so far, there have been no reports of people being adversely affected
after coming into contact with Solomon.
Some were temporarily aggressive, and others shed tears,
but none of them showed extreme reactions.
Perhaps that is only natural
because even though Solomon is changed now…
he used to be………
……Ah, I’m sorry.
I hope you forget what I just said. I was just talking to myself.
Please… don’t mind what I said.
Back to the briefing.
When you are in contact with Solomon, he will show you a certain ‘vision’.
They said that the content of the vision was clearly different
depending on the person who met him.
And apparently, some receive Solomon’s message
in the form of telepathy, instead of visions.
What you have to do after making contact with Solomon is testify to the researchers
about the vision he showed you or the message you received from him.
Please note that I’ll be filming you for the sake of recording these events.
……I’m sorry? You want to know if I’ve met him before?
……T-The thing is…
……
……Phew, fine. I’ll… be honest with you.
The researchers have brought various Closers into contact with Solomon.
They even let dimensional monsters and Victor meet him.
But…… experiments involving bringing him into contact with humans who do not have special power are officially prohibited.
It is based on the judgment that experiments should be conducted after sufficient stability has been verified.
……But I couldn’t stand it.
There was something…… I desired to know.
I had heard that Solomon shows the answers to the questions
that the person he makes contact with has through a vision.
On top of that, Solomon was…………
I couldn’t just sit on my hands.
So…… I visited Solomon’s room
……even though I knew it was against the rules.
Of course, I was scared.
I was terrified and felt my legs trembling, but I still approached Solomon,
the silent shadow.
Then, the shadow suddenly shot his hand out toward me.
I didn’t even get to scream.
That hand covered my face in an instant.
And…… shortly afterwards, I started to see a vision.
A vision of something I was curious about……
That was…… whether I could find a librarian.
But the vision that I saw…… was not about how to look for a librarian.
What I saw was…… a horrifying being.
A giant with countless mouths……
It was looking at me…… I mean, it was looking at ‘the man,’ Solomon’s original self.
……I’ve never seen such a gigantic and dreadful being before.
There was only one way to stop it……
And it was to erase the existence of a man.
Soon after, the vision of that horrible being vanished.
Then I found Solomon’s faceless face looking right at me.
It was as if he was telling me that in this world…… there are certain destinies that you cannot alter……
……After a while, researchers stormed in, and I was dragged out of the room.
Then… I yelled at the faceless face
that I will struggle no matter what…
with them…… until the end……
Solomon Contact Record No. XX,
Subject: Black Lambs / Yuri
Is it rolling?
Hello, everyone? I’m Yuri from the Black Lambs!
I’m a sophomore at Han High School!
I wish good luck to everyone who’s listening to this!
……Oh, not many are watching because it’s confidential?
Well, that’s a shame. Ha ha.
Okay, let me tell you
about my encounter with Mr. Solomon!
About an hour ago,
after the briefing, I went into the room where Mr. Solomon was.
Well, I was a bit nervous, of course.
Sure, I’ve seen a lot while carrying out missions,
but I’ve never had such an encounter.
I-I got off track.
So…… I took a deep breath and entered the room.
Then, I met Mr. Solomon.
We looked each other in the eye.
……Oh, would it be strange to say it like that?
You know, because Mr. Solomon has no eyes.
But… I somehow felt that
he was looking at me at that moment…
So, I gathered enough courage and greeted him.
I said, “Hello!”
Mr. Solomon did not answer.
Instead, he held out his hand. It was as if he wanted to shake hands with me.
I slowly extended my hand, grasped his hand, and shook it.
Then, something marvelous happened. Everything went black for a moment,
and I suddenly started to see something completely unexpected!
My dad was there.
It was the day I told my dad that I would like to learn kendo.
Kendo… well, it costs a lot of money.
And we were not rich enough to afford it.
My master who recommended kendo to me was kind enough to give me the basic gear, but…… there were quite a few things I needed aside from those.
My mom said she was sorry that she couldn’t let me learn it.
And dad…… asked me
why I wanted to learn the martial art of kendo.
I had forgotten what I told him as an answer to that question for a long time.
It was only after I heard what I answered in the vision
that I remembered what I said then.
“I want to be strong and be able to protect my family.”
……Ha ha. What a childish answer.
Learning kendo doesn’t mean you can protect your family.
The world is full of things that can’t be solved with a sword……
But… I think he liked my answer.
Dad cried and said okay.
Seriously, he is so soft-hearted, then and now.
I looked aside at mom, and she was crying, too.
I cried with them. I cried then, and I cried moments earlier……
……That’s how the vision ended.
I wiped away my tears and thanked Mr. Solomon.
Then, I left the room.
……That’s all.
……What had I felt through this? Well, that’s……
Ha ha. Does this mean I’m still a kid?
I said earlier that I was childish, but…… I think I’ve never really changed.
What I want to do now…… is the same as then.
“I want to be strong and be able to protect my family.”
Solomon Contact Record No. XX,
Subject: Black Lambs / J
Can we begin?
Well, then…… It’s a pleasure meeting you, everyone. I’m J.
Always remember to eat, work out, and live a consistent lifestyle.
No matter what, health is the most important thing.
……Hmm? You want me to cut to the chase? I see that you have a short temper. Do you have high blood pressure, by any chance?
Even if you don’t, I recommend you eat less salt.
Also, it’d be great to get a blood pressure measuring device if you could afford one and have your blood pressure checked every day…
Got it. Got it. I’ll stop beating around the bush.
So, you want me to talk about Solomon, huh?
Basically, our encounter.
Bottom line up front, there wasn’t anything very special.
It feels like I’ve experienced an attraction at an amusement park.
I went through so many strange things during the war,
that this doesn’t even count as one.
I opened the door, went inside, and found that guy named Solomon.
He was clearly not a human,
but I did not feel any hostility toward me.
He began to approach me quietly.
I did get ready for combat though,
but I could hardly feel his presence,
so it was almost impossible to predict his next move.
He was there, but I could not feel his presence…
I know I sound ridiculous, but that’s how it felt.
Soon after, he put out his hand to me.
He wasn’t trying to attack me. Instead, it was as if he was trying to touch me.
So…… I avoided it.
Like whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
I mean, I didn’t even know this guy
and he was trying to touch me. Wouldn’t that be displeasing?
I avoided him quite well.
But at that moment… I strained my back.
Phew…… Don’t look at me like that.
I’m having a hard time here…….
……Anyway, he took me by the wrist.
It was a somewhat eerie feeling that I did not feel any sensation when he grabbed me.
And in just a moment, the scene in front of me turned into something completely random from the past.
……It was Trainer. Trainer in his younger days……
He was looking at something with frightened eyes.
Really…… I was dumbfounded. Seeing him terrified with something….
I never dreamt that he would…. have such a look on his face.
But….…. I couldn’t see ‘what’ he was looking at.
It was shrouded in foggy mist……
……Yes, what was in the mist must have been
‘a certain truth directly related to humanity’s fate’……
……From the moment I faced the man who has changed,
I wanted to know what made him change so much.
Because at that time…… I was unconscious.
But… All I could see was the foggy mist and his terribly frightened face…
……And after a while, I heard a voice
that said “this is all we’ve got allowed”……
Yes, that man…… must have seen something big.
Something that will completely change a person’s life……
A big secret directly related to humanity’s fate……
…Whatever that is, one day, I will make sure to see it for myself.
I can’t let him carry the burden alone.
After that… maybe I’ll be able to call him once again.
‘Brother’……
Solomon Contact Record No. XX,
Subject: Black Lambs / Misteltein
Do I speak into this?
Yes! Okay, I’ll try my best!
Hello, everyone!
I’m Misteltein!
You can call me Mistel!
I go to Han Elementary School.
As a member of the Black Lambs, I hunt dimensional monsters
with other adults!
Is this enough for my self-introduction?
Well…… okay.
I’ll tell you about my encounter with Mr. Solomon.
I had heard during the briefing
that we don’t know if Mr. Solomon is our enemy or ally,
but what we are sure of is that he does not intend to harm us.
Still…. I was a little scared when I faced him.
It was as if a shadow stood up
and glared at me.
But I decided to take courage.
I mustered the courage to approach Mr. Solomon.
Then, I greeted him.
“Hello.”
Mr. Solomon did not answer.
He just kept staring at me.
Then, he stroked my head.
I got scared and flinched,
but I felt better soon.
His touch…. was warm.
He patted me on the head for a while.
And soon, there was a mysterious light.
The light was so bright, so I squeezed my eyes shut before I opened them again.
Then…. I started to see something really surprising.
A thick fog…. unfolded before my eyes.
People shrouded in that fog were in pain.
I think that fog was poisonous.
And a hideous dimensional monster
was emitting the poisonous fog.
I’ve never seen such a creepy thing.
Just looking at it…. made me feel like my will was going to crumble away.
Then, after a while,
someone walked by me and approached the dimensional monster.
That was…… Mr. J in his younger days.
……He was not much older than I was.
And still, he was facing the terrifying dimensional monster with a brave look.
He soon lunged at the dimensional monster while emitting flames.
He was really cool!
He was so cool… that just looking at him brought a tear to my eye.
……Yes, that was the vision Mr. Solomon showed me.
You know, I really wanted to see Mr. J fight
that I’ve always heard about……
I really got an eyeful of that battle.
I don’t think Mr. Solomon is our enemy.
He showed me what I wanted to see the most.
Also, he was so gentle when he stroked my hair!
Solomon Contact Record No. XX,
Subject: Black Lambs / Sylvi
………
Ah…. Huh?
Is it rolling?
I-I’m sorry. I was preoccupied for a moment.
Hmm… Well then, let’s begin.
Hello.
My name is Sylvi, the leader of the Black Lambs from the New Seoul Branch.
Now, I will talk about my encounter
with an unidentified entity named Solomon.
It happened about 35 minutes ago.
So, after listening to a briefing,
I went to the room where Solomon was.
Solomon was in the center of the room.
He had a dark, large figure.
I didn’t know why, but I was overawed by him,
so I was on alert without even realizing it.
But… I began to remember my mission.
That I had to have an encounter with Solomon.
So I pulled myself together, let down my guard,
and sidled up to Solomon.
……No, Solomon did not respond.
He just stood silently until I came up close to him.
Then……. All this happened in a split second.
When the distance between me and Solomon was less than a meter,
Solomon suddenly started to move.
In a trice, he opened his right hand wide in front of my face.
It was like he was stopping me from getting closer to him.
Soon after, a voice rang out in my head.
I was sure…. that it was Solomon’s voice.
The voice said,
“There would soon be an opportunity.”
………
……You must be confused about what it means.
But… I know what it meant.
I was given an overview of Solomon during the briefing.
It seemed that Solomon shows the answers to what the person he comes into contact with is ‘curious about’,
or hints that are related to the answers.
From the moment I found that out, I started to have one hope.
I wanted Solomon to…
tell me the……. truth about my parents’ last moments.
……After I became a Closer, I had researched related data.
Because as a Closer, I was authorized to access my parents’ case.
I’ve been waiting for that moment…. for a long time.
The moment to look at the investigation records of my parents’ case, which I couldn’t access because I was still a kid back then.
But…… the investigation records were so poor.
There wasn’t even a clear mention
as to what killed my parents and how they did it.
There were a few simple lines of records for form’s sake…
but… there seemed to be no detailed records.
It made me doubt that someone intentionally covered it up, but…
…I had to lead my team and fight against the hostile forces,
so I had kept it all to myself for quite a while.
I…. I hoped that I could take this opportunity
to know more about the case about my parents’ death.
I had a fool’s hope that Solomon would give me an answer.
And when I approached him, holding out hope, Solomon answered,
“There would be a chance soon.”
……I have mixed feelings about it, but I decided to believe him.
Soon, I will have the opportunity to face the truth.
And when the time is ripe,
I will never shy away from the truth……!
Solomon Contact Record No. XX,
Subject: Black Lambs / Seha
……Uh, excuse me.
I’m telling you in advance, but I did not see anything major.
Is that okay with you?
Huh? Introduce myself first?
Um… All right. I’m Seha.
I go to Han High School. I work as a Closer and….
I’m a member of the Black Lambs.
I just met Solomon, the huge shadow-like being.
I was told that I can talk about what happened then……
but nothing major happened.
Others said they were shown some special visions, but I wasn’t.
Honestly…… it’s not that I did not expect this.
I knew that I might end up not seeing anything….
From what I’ve heard, that shadow called Solomon
shows the answers to people he encounters regarding what they are curious about.
What I want to know is…
only one thing, to be honest.
I had a hunch
that no matter how special Solomon is,
he is not going to tell me the answer to my question……
……With that doubt in my mind, I went into the room where Solomon was.
Since he did not look so dangerous
and I just wanted to get that over with, I bellied up to him.
Then, I touched him.
Hmm…… it felt mysterious.
He didn’t avoid me.
He just looked at me silently.
Now that I think of it, I was reckless.
I can’t believe I approached a shadow that I’ve never seen before so rashly…
But…… that did not make me feel uneasy.
So I thought it would be okay.
As I was touching him for some time,
I heard a voice.
“The answer to your question”
“Lies in an area that transcends the range that we can access it.”
……Yes, it was exactly what I expected.
……I’m sorry? You want me to tell you what I was curious about?
Well…… that’s…… a bit embarrassing…
It was about…… my ‘father’.
You know, my mom doesn’t really like lies or secrets.
But she just keeps her mouth shut whenever I try to get her to talk about him.
When I was a kid…. I used to pester her in tears to tell me about him.
But mom, with a sad look on her face, never answered me.
…I thought that if it was something that even my mom, who has nothing to fear, was reluctant to speak about……
Solomon couldn’t get anywhere either.
Well, still…. I did have hope that I could at least get a clue, anything that would point me in the right direction.
That is why that left me a bit dejected.
I turned around
and was about to leave the room.
But…… before I left the room,
I heard the voice again.
“However, you would get your chance soon.”
……Yeah, I didn’t see anything amazing
and neither did I experience a major event.
But maybe…… soon……
……That’s all there is to tell.
I think that’s it.
Yes, for today, this is it………
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