Chapter 396 |
Two months had already passed since the war between the Northern Continent and the Allied Forces came to an end.
Many things had happened, both internally and externally, but the biggest change was that the overall post-war cleanup was finally entering its final stages.
The plan that had been deemed most crucial—the pursuit and encirclement of the fleeing enemies—had been a partial success.
And it was only a partial success. While we managed to capture (or kill) most of the Western Continent Users, the majority of the Vagrants, including their commander and high-ranking officers, escaped.
Frankly, it was an inevitable outcome. The Western Continent Users were unfamiliar with the Northern Continent's terrain, whereas the Vagrants were masters of escape and guerrilla tactics.
A month passed like that, and then another.
Only then did the Northern Continent deem it pointless to maintain the encirclement, and after a meeting, they decided to drastically reduce its scale. (This didn't mean they had given up the chase entirely.)
The decision was made to now focus on rebuilding the ruined cities and dealing with the prisoners of war—to finally tend to the internal affairs of the Northern Continent that had been pushed to the back burner.
After that, meetings were held in Barbara almost daily, with the lords and executives of various clans constantly coming and going.
But to be blunt, my honest feeling was that I didn't want to participate in such useless meetings.
However, since they were polite requests sent by letter rather than unilateral summons, I made sure to attend. Even though my official status was a Free Mercenary, acting too selfishly wouldn't look good.
The meeting held today was especially important, as it was a gathering of those who would effectively decide the future of the Northern Continent, so I needed to play my part to some extent.
“As I mentioned earlier, we now plan to focus our efforts on reorganizing and refining the Northern Continent's internal affairs. From here on, many discussions will naturally be centered around Barbara.”
Was she finally wrapping things up?
Standing on the podium, Lee Hyo-eul placed both hands firmly on its surface and spoke with a gravity I had never heard from her before.
Her identity was that of the Northern Continent's Guardian, a figure shrouded in mystery to ordinary Users. This meant that all the clan lords and executives gathered here were Users who had some connection to the Guardian.
“Before we conclude, I have one last thing to ask of you all.”
As if to announce something of great importance, Lee Hyo-eul paused and swept her intense gaze over everyone present. When her eyes met mine, she finally continued.
“I'm sure you all remember the incident where we rooted out the Vagrants... the spies who had infiltrated each clan.”
The moment she said that, I could quite few a pairs of eyes turn toward me.
Rooting out the spies—that must have been a reference to the incident where we broke Baek Seo-yeon's mind after capturing her, forcing her to spill the Vagrants' internal secrets. The number of spies hidden in each clan at the time was truly immense, and they were just as systematically organized.
The gazes that fell on me did not easily turn away. But I showed no reaction, simply staring forward with a placid expression.
“I still remember what one of the Vagrants said back then. That after the war, they would sow discord among the clans to divide the Northern Continent. And that their ultimate plan was to turn it into a lawless zone, just like the Western Continent.”
“……”
“Some of you may dismiss that as nonsense, but I think differently. I believe it was something that could have definitely happened. Therefore, I will make this clear right here.”
Amidst the quiet silence, Lee Hyo-eul slowly descended from the podium and stared at everyone with blazing eyes. An angel must have given her a stern talking-to, because her eyes were burning with a fierce determination.
“If, by some chance—and I mean a very slim chance—anyone here dreams of becoming a second Golden Lion, you'd be wise to wake up from that dream now. If any clan shows even the slightest sign of subversive activity... as the Guardian of the Northern Continent, I will put everything on the line and do my utmost to stop you.”
Then, letting out a light sigh, Lee Hyo-eul's expression softened slightly as she concluded her speech.
“Please keep that in mind. For now, this concludes today's meeting. Thank you all for your hard work.”
With Lee Hyo-eul's meaningful words, the long meeting finally came to an end.
‘Well, today wasn't a complete waste of time.’
Of course, there would be more meetings to discuss the many things that lay ahead, but for today at least, I had been hoping for an early finish.
Because today, I had a very important appointment.
After the meeting ended, I waited a moment before slowly rising to my feet. I joined the back of the line of Users who were already heading for the door, about to hurry to my appointment.
“Mercenary Lord.”
‘Hyung... I don't see him. Did he go out to wait for me?’
I had already told Hyung that I wanted to meet him briefly after the meeting today. Since we had been sitting on opposite sides of the room, it seemed he was waiting outside rather than in the crowded hall.
“Mercenary Lord!”
Just then, as I was about to step through the door, a mystical voice seemed to catch my collar. I turned my head in surprise and saw a familiar figure standing beside me.
A woman with a dreamy aura, holding a card in one hand. The Lord of the Magic Tower clan and a Secret Class holder, the Tarot Card Magician.
It was Seon-yul.
“Lord of Magic Tower.”
“...Could you perhaps just call me the Magic Tower Lord? ‘Lord of Magic Tower’ sounds a bit awkward to my ears for some reason.”
“Very well. Magic Tower Lord.”
“Mm. Much better. Though it would be even better if you just called me Seon-yul.”
Seon-yul made another request with a much more satisfied look, but I just shrugged. As if she had expected my reaction, she shrugged back and spoke nonchalantly.
“Are you in a hurry? I called you a few times, but you didn't seem to hear me.”
“Ah. I have an important appointment today. I was just thinking about it.”
“Oh? An appointment?”
Seon-yul's eyes widened at the mention of an appointment. As I wondered if it was really that strange, I heard her smack her lips with a disappointed look.
“Oh, dear. I didn't know you had a prior engagement.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah. You asked me for a favor a little while ago, didn't you? I was going to use that as an excuse to have you buy me dinner today.”
“A favor...? Ah.”
For a moment, the word ‘favor’ felt unfamiliar, but I quickly understood.
Not long ago, I had suddenly realized I needed a certain item and had started looking for it. It was so rare that it was difficult to find. Then, through Go Yeon-ju, I learned that a certain clan possessed it, and after some negotiation, I was barely able to acquire it.
And the clan that had the item was Magic Tower, where Seon-yul was the lord.
“We barely had any of those ourselves... and I sold it to you for less than the market price...”
“Hahaha.”
As she kept muttering, I could only offer an awkward laugh. Seon-yul clicked her tongue with a displeased look. “Tch.”
“There were so many things I wanted to ask you... but well, if you have a prior engagement, I suppose it can't be helped.”
“My apologies. It's a truly important appointment... I'll be sure to invite you first next time.”
Feeling a little, just a little, guilty, I offered to invite her, and Seon-yul's expression immediately brightened.
“Oh, really?”
“...Yes.”
“You'll invite me first. Hmm. Mm, mm. Alright. That sounds good too. They say a man's word is his bond, so I'll be looking forward to it.”
‘What an unpredictable woman.’
As I inwardly shook my head at how tiring she was to deal with, her rich, alluring voice flowed out once more.
“Well then, I'll be on my way. But please, don't keep a lady waiting for too long.”
“I'll take my leave as well.”
Outwardly, I offered a polite farewell, but inwardly, I couldn't help but scoff.
A lady. Wasn't Seon-yul's title the Chaste Enchantress?
Since she could see her own User information, if I were her, I wouldn't be able to say something like that out of sheer embarrassment.
“...”
After parting with Seon-yul, I stepped out of the building and reached the entrance, where I saw Hyung waving cheerfully at me. I responded with a faint smile and slowly closed the distance between us.
Hyung, or rather, the Haemil Clan, had been able to return to their base a week ago. Since their forces hadn't been severely depleted in the battle with the Allied Forces (he said they hadn't lost a single member), they had joined the encirclement unit after a brief period of maintenance.
As a result, the promise we made during the battle was unexpectedly postponed. After Hyung returned, I sent him a messenger as promised. Of course, the message was a simple “Let's get a meal,” but Hyung was surely waiting for me to bring up the real topic first.
I'll be waiting for you to contact me. When you've sorted out your thoughts, reach out to me first. I'll wait as long as it takes.
That's what he had said before we parted at the Warp Gate.
“I thought you'd be out sooner. You're a little late.”
“I was held up by someone unexpected.”
“Oh? Who?”
“Just... someone.”
Knowing how sensitive Hyung was about my relationships, I just smiled wryly and dodged the question.
Soon, Hyung and I left the entrance and began walking side by side. We had said we'd get a meal, but we hadn't decided where to go. Still, we continued to walk, our direction perfectly aligned. This meant that Hyung was thinking the same thing I was.
As we walked toward the Warp Gate, I fell into thought.
‘How should I say this?’
The story I was about to tell was, for all intents and purposes, top-secret information. Of course, I trusted Hyung, and he trusted me, so I had no hesitation in telling him.
The only problem was that there was too much to tell. My life had been so full of twists and turns that I had no idea where to even begin.
“......”
“......”
We didn't exchange a single word until we reached the Warp Gate. It was certainly unusual, but I could understand Hyung's position. As he had said before, he was waiting for me to speak first.
Just as I was biting my lip out of a sudden surge of nervousness, Hyung glanced at me.
“Shall we go to Monica? Or Princica?”
“...Princica.”
“Princica? I was hoping to see your clan house one of these days.”
“The Mercenary House can wait... There's a place in Princica I really want to go to.”
“Hmm. If you say so.”
Hyung nodded once or twice and turned his gaze forward again.
Perhaps because it was a lazy afternoon, there weren't many people around. The only Users in front of us were a group of three or four.
“Next, please step forward.”
When our turn came, Hyung and I quietly walked toward the portal.
Silence fell once again. It wasn't uncomfortable or awkward, but it felt suffocating somehow.
For a moment, I reflexively placed a hand on my chest.
Inside my clothes was the ‘Crystal of Truth’ I had acquired from the Magic Tower clan. I didn't think it was absolutely necessary, but I had prepared it as a sort of insurance.
With my hand on my chest, I felt the round, smooth texture of the crystal through the fabric. And I thought.
The decision had already been made. The moment I had requested the activation of the ‘Thunder God,’ I had already passed the point of no return.
Yes. It was time to tell him. No, if anything, it was long overdue.
As I slowly climbed the stairs and approached the portal, I took a breath and spoke in a low voice.
“Hyung.”
“Two for Princica... Huh? What is it?”
“I... have something to tell you.”
“......”
It seemed he had been expecting it. Hyung turned to me with a calm expression, then smiled gently.
After a brief moment, as if he had been waiting all this time, he replied composedly.
“Alright.”