Chapter 1581: A New Normal (36) |
‘Damn it. My mansion…’
The anxiety creeping upward inside me wasn’t unnatural at all. Park-Ki-Ri was one thing, but the sudden appearance of the Holy Sword Hero was impossible to ignore. The tension only rose at the arrival of someone who was clearly an irregular.
Of course, at this point in time, Sung Ji-Hoon had yet to mature, but still.
‘That bastard… he’s the same type as Kim Hyun-Sung.’
He was the classic shonen manga protagonist. He was the kind of bastard who would surpass his limits every minute and every second and endure every crisis through sheer grit and fighting spirit to somehow always come out victorious in the end.
In fact, this guy was even worse than Kim Hyun-Sung. He was even worse in all the bad ways. He also had that hot-blooded protagonist trait mixed in, so once he got going, it was almost impossible to stop him.
The only thing that could slow him down was emotional confusion, but once he had locked onto a goal he believed was righteous, he would turn into a rabid dog charging forward with terrifying blind conviction.
‘This bastard… Damn it, he’s been brainwashed.’
One could tell from his eyes that something had snapped. He looked exactly like one of those lunatics with white eyes who people often talked about. Had he somehow wandered into the Republic and gotten brainwashed at a temple or something?
— This is my first mission as Benigoa’s Holy Sword Hero, noona!
— Is this really okay, Ji-Hoon? Are you sure this is okay?!
— We have to stop this peace treaty built on lies. It’s all part of Jin Cheong’s military scheme!
‘What the hell are you even talking about, you idiot?’
— I can hear Goddess Benigoa’s voice. She’s telling me to save the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival.
‘Pretty sure you’re the only one hearing that voice, idiot.’
At this point, it almost felt natural to suspect that this idiot was the leader of the secret Lukifer cult, but no matter how one looked at him, his face was nowhere near as handsome as Kim Hyun-Sung’s, making me shake my head at the idea.
A few years later, he would find a style that suited him, and things would be different by then, but right now, he was just a little brat.
Besides, the idea that someone who had just entered this world was already the leader of a secret organization was just ridiculous. Whether he noticed me clicking my tongue or not, Sung Ji-Hoon entered the estate without spilling a single drop of blood, apparently convinced that everything would work out perfectly.
However, there were still plenty of troops and named monsters inside the mansion. Sure enough, he soon encountered them.
— Yaaaaaaahhhh!
— Stop him! Don’t let him enter the mansion under any circumstances! Those are the Commander’s direct orders!
— Noona!
— I-I think this is as far… as I can…
— You bastards! Don’t touch my noona!
— YAAAAAAAAAAH!
“Wh-What?!
‘Damn it, he grew stronger in the middle of all that.’
It really was hard to deny that he was a genius. He was still in his growth phase, after all, so he was getting stronger by the second. It genuinely felt like he was making up for his lack of combat experience right here and right now.
‘We need to stop him now.’
I had no intention of becoming some idiotic demon king who fed fodder mobs to the hero as experience points, giving him time to grow.
“It seems rather noisy outside. For now, why don’t we have some tea?”
I saw the owner of the mansion calmly sipping tea at the table. Soft music was playing in the background. He seemed to be having an extensive conversation with Han Sora.
At some point, he threw away both the polite speech and the idea of it entirely.
“Come to think of it, was it called the Black Tower?” Commander Jin asked.
“Yes.”
“From the Democratic Country’s perspective, it does seem like a reasonable choice. The public's opinion toward black mages has improved, but building a Black Tower in the Empire itself would still be difficult,” he commented.
“Yes, exactly. Of course, research into black magic has already progressed quite a bit within the Republic, but times have changed a lot. Especially after those… unfortunate incidents, people have become much more sensitive about black magic.
"There are definitely studies that would attract unwanted attention if conducted openly within the Republic, so the fact that both nations could exchange high-quality information is also—”
“Before that… does the Democratic Country even know anything about black magic? I question whether there’s truly any valuable information to exchange,” he said, interrupting me.
“…”
“…”
“The Democratic Country doesn't know anything about it, but I’m here. I can confidently say there’s probably no one on the continent more knowledgeable about black magic than me,” I told him.
“If you were truly that knowledgeable, you wouldn’t need the infrastructure the Republic has built. Have you never considered that perhaps it’s not because you’re capable, but because you exist in an environment where you’re forced to be treated as capable?” he questioned.
“…”
“…”
“H-He’s seriously such an asshole, Sora. R-right? Anyway, if I help out… w-we can build you a research lab in our tower, too. R-Right?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.
“Ah… wait, Miss Jung Ha-Yan… w-wait a moment…” Han Sora said.
If Jung Ha-Yan were allowed to do research on black magic, a massive disaster would inevitably follow. I wasn’t the only one aware of that fact. Commander Jin seemed concerned about it as well, as he was listening to Han Sora much more favorably now.
“It’s true that I still have a lot to learn, and it’s also true that I’m envious of the infrastructure that the Republic has built so far. However, I truly believe the Republic has much to gain as well, which is why I’m saying this. Besides…” Han Sora trailed off.
“…”
“My real goal isn’t the advancement of black magic itself. What truly matters is changing the public's perception of it,” she added.
“…”
“Of course, I’m not denying that black magic is dangerous. In fact, research related to demon summoning is taboo even among us. But… black mages are persecuted by the public to an excessive degree,” she said.
“Interesting,” Commander Jin commented.
“Yes. I plan to mass-produce simple black magic scrolls centered around the Black Tower, and if cooperation with alchemy workshops is possible, I’d like to manufacture potions as well.
"As you know, distributing my potions through the Blue Guild’s alchemy workshops is quite difficult,” she said.
“You know alchemy as well?” he asked.
“I originally wanted to become an alchemist. I’ve been studying it since then. too. Of course, I can’t compare to the Sub Guild Master, but I believe I’m skilled enough to mass-produce the kinds of potions that are being distributed throughout the Republic right now,” she answered.
“Hmm…”
‘It’s great that you two are having such a pleasant conversation, but…’
He looked like he had upgraded his opinion of Han Sora from just another monkey to Australopithecus—no, perhaps even Homo erectus. The conversation was genuinely becoming more and more intellectually engaging.
Jung Ha-Yan looked somewhat pouty, clearly unhappy with the situation, but Han Sora seemed to be having a wonderful time. For someone like her, it was probably rare to have such a productive conversation. Somehow, I had expected the two of them to get along well, but actually seeing them click was making even me feel awkward.
‘But that’s really not the important part right now.’
“Excuse me, Commander,” I said.
“Wait a minute, Lee Ki-Young. Let me finish speaking with her before I listen to your whining. A few minutes will be enough. Ah, the meal should arrive shortly as well… so try to be patient,” he said.
‘Come on, I’m not whining. How can you call this whining? One of the annex buildings just got destroyed. My precious annex got blown apart.’
Han Noya and Park Deok-Gu had agreed to move the fight elsewhere so others wouldn’t get caught up in it, but those two idiots were exactly the reason the annex had been demolished.
The mission mattered, sure, but after finally encountering worthy opponents again, both Han Noya and Park Deok-Gu got fired up and began testing each other’s strength until an innocent building ended up completely wrecked.
The beautiful landscape scheduled for remodeling was devastated beyond recognition. Kim Ye-Ri and Yongwol were fighting atop the lake itself like martial arts masters, stepping across the water surface as they competed for dominance, while the twins fired their prized spells in every direction to keep Wanggang and the little brat in check.
“That’s not it. The mansion is—”
“Tsk. You really don’t have even a shred of patience. Didn’t I tell you to wait a little? You may continue, Black Mage,” Commander Jin said, interrupting me.
“I brought the full list of products with me. I wanted to have them inspected to see whether they could be distributed within the Republic… and just in case, I brought samples, too.
"There are three products planned for the initial release… One of the simplest and most useful black magic spells for dungeon exploration is—Ah! This is actually the product I’m most confident in. Would you take a look?” Han Sora asked.
“Hmm…”
“What do you think?” she asked.
“…”
“…”
“There are certainly a few parts I dislike…” he mumbled.
“…”
“But it’s not bad. Honestly speaking… it’s good enough that I’d consider investing in it,” he said.
“Th-Thank you! Thank you very much!” Han Sora shouted.
‘Yeah, sure. You two just keep flirting and having the time of your lives, why don’t you?’
Naturally, I figured that I had no choice but to move on my own at this point. The moment I got up from my seat, Kim Hyun-Sung asked, “Mr. Ki-Young? Where are you going?”
“I’m just going to the restroom,” I answered before quickly making my way out.
Honestly, part of me wondered whether it would be better to bring either Kim Hyun-Sung or Jung Ha-Yan along, but in the end, I felt like they wouldn't be helpful at all.
The Park-Ki-Ri siblings, who were still struggling near the mansion entrance, were important, but I had to deal with Sung Ji-Hoon first.
I hurriedly scanned the estate grounds through the telescope.
‘What the hell… where did that idiot go?’
He was nowhere to be seen. Instead, all I could see were the pale faces of the mansion retainers running around frantically. Instinctively, I realized that this Holy Sword Hero idiot had successfully broken through the encirclement and was hiding somewhere.
“Huff… huff… haa…”
“…”
“Haa… huff… n-noona… stay hidden here for a moment,” Sung Ji-Hoon said.
“I-I told you I’m fine, Ji-Hoon… W-Why did you come all the way in here? Let’s just go back. If we apologize now, maybe they’ll forgive us. I think something’s wrong… I don’t think this is right. How are we supposed to find the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival in a place this huge while avoiding everyone’s eyes?” Oksana asked.
“Goddess Benigoa will guide us, noona,” he answered.
“I believe in the Goddess, too, but… I can’t hear any voice at all… and this is… is a bad thing, isn’t it? Breaking into someone else’s home without permission is already bad enough…” she mumbled.
"???"
I was able to confront him in the middle of the wide hallway. Sung Ji-Hoon’s eyes immediately widened the moment he saw me.
Oksana also looked completely shocked. Seeing the idiot Holy Sword Hero muttering, “G-Gold eye… Odd eyes…” made me want to punch him in the face.
While looking emotional, he said, “The… Saint… of Sacrifice… and Revival…”
“His eye… it's glowing… noona…” Sung Ji-Hoon mumbled.
“It really… really is the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival…” Oksana muttered.
“His eye is sparkling, noona…” he said, pointing it out.
“I-I can see it too, Ji-Hoon…” she said.
At first, I was pretty flustered, but honestly, this was probably for the best. The idiot looked completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere—no, by the holy aura emanating from me. In fact, this was exactly the situation I wanted. No, running into him here like this was a stroke of incredible luck.
It honestly felt like he would surrender or retreat on his own if I were to just persuade him calmly enough, so I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. It seemed best to spread at least one wing, so the moment I unfurled it completely, feathers of light scattered everywhere.
“An… an angel… He’s the Odd-eyed Angel, noona…” Sung Ji-Hoon said.
“I can see it too… J-Ji-Hoon…” Oksana said.
‘Why the hell is this idiot so obsessed with odd eyes?’
“…”
“…”
Naturally, the next step was to carefully say, “Please go back. That’s the will of Goddess Benigoa.”
“F-For… forgive… me for being d-disrespectful and… lay… laying hands… on your… holy… holy body…”
Before I could react, the idiot grabbed me and jumped away while hugging me tightly.
I had no idea when she appeared there, but at the far end of the hallway… Jung Ha-Yan was staring directly at us with a face darker than ever.
BOOM!
‘I-I don’t even know anymore. Shit.’
