Chapter 1585: A New Normal (40) |
"The Mount Hua Sect?" I asked.
"Yes. One of my boyfriends told me it's one of the sects that frequently appears in the Murim novels that are popular on Earth. Apparently, it's a fairly famous sect, even among the Nine Great Sects of the Central Plains," she answered.
"..."
"I looked into it just in case, and sure enough, it seems to be a very similar setting. The righteous and outlaw groups are divided; there are clans like the Namgung Clan, the Zhuge Clan, the Murong Clan, and the Tang Clan of Sichuan. These clans make up the Five Great Clans,” she added.
“...”
“There's also the North Sea Ice Palace and the Heavenly Demon Divine Palace. There are titles like Sword Sovereign and things like that, too. It sounded straight out of a Murim novel. Of course, I'm not very familiar with that sort of thing myself, so I don't know much about it..." she added.
"..."
"Perhaps the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival knows something about it?" she questioned.
The truth was that I was familiar with Murim. Back on Earth, I read a few novels a friend had recommended to me. I wouldn't say I knew every detail regarding Murim, but I was familiar with the general setting.
A part of it was because the image of the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival had become too firmly established, but a huge part of it was that Jung Ha-Yan and even Han Sora were staring at Xiaolin as if she were speaking an entirely different language.
It was difficult to bring myself to join the conversation. The biggest reason, however, was that I remembered a certain someone back on Earth.
Whenever he talked about light novels, anime, fusion fantasy novels, or Murim novels, he'd get so excited that his voice would rise several octaves. For some reason, those memories made me instinctively want to distance myself from the discussion.
It wasn't that I wanted to criticize a perfectly healthy hobby. If anything, I always respected his interests and even humored him with discussions about them.
I had even gone to conventions with him, and there was even a time he desperately begged me to wear some bizarre outfit to one of them, and I actually did it. No, the real reason I couldn't bring myself to speak was the Holy Sword Hero, Sung Ji-Hoon.
As expected, he shouted, "I-I know those! I've read a ton of Murim novels! Especially Golden Spoon's works... I really loved Reincarnated as the SSS-Rank Young Master of the Murong Clan! To be honest, light novels are my main thing, but I've probably read several hundred Murim novels, too."
'Here we go.'
"You mentioned the Tang Clan of Sichuan earlier, right? The Tang Clan appears in Reincarnated as the SSS-Rank Young Master of the Murong Clan, too. Anyone familiar with Murim would know that, but the Tang Clan specializes in poison and hidden weapons! In that story, there's a heroine named Tang Yeong-Yeong, the youngest daughter of the Tang Clan, and she's a tsundere,” he added.
“...”
“For some reason, heroines from the Tang Clan are always tsunderes. Usually, they're younger tsunderes, too. You know what a tsundere is, right? Someone who's all prickly and stubborn. A-And another thing, the heroine's grandfather from the Tang Clan always ends up forming a connection with the protagonist. Nine times out of ten, he has a title like Poison King or something. It's such a cliché, but you fall for it every time. It's always entertaining,” he continued.
“...”
“Another thing I love is when the younger generation, like the Three Dragons and Five Phoenixes, get together and hang out..." he rambled on.
'What the hell kind of novels has this idiot been reading?'
"But my favorite is So Su-Yeong, the Witch of Mount Song. She uses the Demonic Art of Mount Song. Everyone thinks she's a witch, but she's actually kinder than anyone else. She was the villain of the story until the shocking twist in volume twenty-seven revealed the truth about her, but after that..."
'There's no way... absolutely no way... I can say that I know this stuff...'
"Of course, it was one of Golden Spoon's earlier works, so there was quite a bit of controversy around it. Ah! You mentioned the Mount Hua Sect earlier, right? " As you said, Mount Hua is one of the Nine Great Sects,” he said.
“...”
“Characters from Mount Hua almost always use the Plum Blossom Sword Art and the Violet Haze Divine Art. There are plenty of other martial arts, too, but those two are the essentials. It's common knowledge that the Violet Haze Divine Art is usually practiced only by the sect leaders.
"Once practitioners of the Plum Blossom Sword Art reach a certain level, they'll start smelling like plum blossoms..." he said.
'I can't casually say that I'm very familiar with Murim novels...'
Even Commander Jin, who came from the place where this stuff originated, seemed to know something, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Seeing that, I knew I wasn't the strange one here.
Even Kim Hyun-Sung, who had always shown considerable fondness toward the Holy Sword Hero, was slowly putting a few steps of distance between himself and the latter. His face suggested that he was beginning to question whether he was really the Holy Sword Hero he was familiar with.
As Sung Ji-Hoon's sudden outburst continued, Xiaolin's attention naturally shifted toward him.
"What's with him? And why is he tied up over there?" Xiaolin asked.
"There's no need for you to concern yourself with him, Xiaolin," Commander Jin said.
"No need? From the looks of it, he's probably the main culprit behind the mansion's destruction. He's kind of cute, though... and his face isn't bad either. What's your name? Want to be friends with me?" she offered.
"H-Huh?"
"Well?" she asked.
"N-Noona... do you like Reincarnated as the SSS-Rank Young Master of the Murong Clan, too? Who's your favorite charac—"
"..."
"Stop fooling around, Xiaolin. Let's stick to the main topic," Commander Jin interrupted by scolding Xiaolin.
"..."
"Fine, I'll get to the point. What I'm trying to say is he came here from a world very similar to the Murim novels we're familiar with. At first, I thought it was a joke, but considering everything we're dealing with right now, it doesn't seem that strange anymore.
"This world itself is full of things we've heard about somewhere before. Orcs, elves, goblins, mana, and all that. It wouldn't be strange if there was another dimension like that somewhere in this vast universe," Xiaolin explained.
"..."
"Of course, I can't say it's completely identical to the basic knowledge that little guy has, but I'm certain there are significant similarities," she added.
'It really is fascinating.'
It felt surreal. Of course, considering everything that had happened so far, trying to hold on to a sense of reality was laughable in itself. Even so, the idea that there was actually a world out there that resembled the subculture stories popular on Earth was interesting.
It was hard to dismiss as a mere coincidence. In fact, it almost made me wonder whether some dimensional traveler had crossed over and written those novels for money.
Sure enough, Kim Hyun-Sung muttered, "How fascinating..."
"You think so too, Mr. Hyun-Sung?" I asked.
"Yes, of course. Once I accepted the existence of our continent, I considered the possibility that other dimensions might exist as well. But to hear that a place like Murim actually exists. It makes me realize just how vast the world really is. And..." He paused.
"Yes?"
"If what’s happening right now is real... then I believe a continent-wide investigation is absolutely necessary. We have no idea what kind of chaos this could bring in the future. And as you know, Mr. Ki-Young..." He trailed off.
'You're talking about Lukifer, right? You think they're connected, too?'
Kim Hyun-Sung nodded. I had no choice but to turn back toward Xiaolin and ask, "Where is he now?"
"In the Republic's famous Bottomless Underground Prison," she answered.
'They had a place like that?'
"Since there's a possibility he might do something dangerous, we've kept him under strict isolation. Carelessness can be deadly. What would you like to do? Would you like to see him immediately, or would you prefer some time to prepare first?" she asked.
'Obviously, damn it... we're going right now.'
In truth, there was no point in dragging this out any longer. Not much time had passed, but it seemed best to summon the members of the Continental Protection Management Committee as soon as possible.
We needed to investigate the gate that could still be inside the Tutorial Dungeon, and we also had to determine whether the same phenomenon was occurring in dungeons other than the Tutorial Dungeon within the Republic.
Naturally, everything would be done in secret. Since there was no way of knowing how things would develop afterward, it was too early to reveal anything to the public. The timing was perfect as well.
Everyone's attention was focused on the peace treaty, and the terrorist attack on Commander Jin's estate had happened at the right time, too.
It was the ideal opportunity to divert public attention. Whatever was happening in the Tutorial Dungeon probably wouldn’t be mentioned.
"It would be best to see it in person right now. After that, I think I'll need to stop by the Tutorial Dungeon as well. Naturally, the Continental Protection Management Committee will dispatch an investigation team.
"Since the Republic has its own position to consider, the investigation will be conducted under the Republic's supervision. Of course, we intend to share all information uncovered during the investigation," I said.
"..."
"..."
"That seems to align perfectly with the conditions we had in mind," Xiaolin said. She then rose slightly from her seat and extended her hand. I naturally reached out and shook it immediately.
It was a little uncomfortable when she gently rubbed the back of my hand with her thumb during the handshake, but all things considered, it was a fairly good deal. I even managed to dump the cleanup work onto her.
The Park-Ki-Ri Siblings would probably be released right away, and the media would soon be under control. To be fair, controlling the press was one of the Republic's specialties. They would probably arrest and punish a few ringleaders before shifting public attention toward discussions of the peace treaty.
Han Sora, who wanted the peace treaty to proceed more than anyone else, watched me with a somewhat anxious face, but when I nodded to tell her that everything would be fine, visible relief spread across her face.
After all, they couldn't postpone a long-cherished project just because a martial artist from Murim had suddenly appeared.
"As for the official documents regarding the peace treaty, it would probably be best for the Democratic Country to formally send a letter to the Republic. You can announce it at an appropriate time, and—oh, and there's probably someone among those who were captured named Priest Benet.
"I'd appreciate it if you could send him to the Blue Guild along with the others," I requested.
"Of course, we'll do that. What should we do about that kid?" Xiaolin asked.
'Who knows...'
When everyone's attention turned toward him, the brat lowered his head. Up until he stormed into the estate, he seemed like the type who would charge ahead without caring about the consequences, but now that he was actually inside a tiger's den, he noticeably calmed down.
Now that I thought about it, even when he got worked up explaining something about the Murong Clan, he still used polite speech and seemed to be watching Jin Cheong and Jung Ha-Yan's reactions.
As ridiculous as it sounded, his eyes were still sparkling even in this situation. A new incident had occurred on the continent, and he seemed to genuinely believe that his presence here could be fate itself.
'Haa... letting him go is going to be a headache...'
At the same time, it wasn't as though we could just throw him into an underground prison. Commander Jin knew it as well. The kid was one of the talents destined to lead the continent in the future.
He needed to be nurtured, watered, and pruned when necessary.
“What should we do with him, Commander?” I asked.
“Make the decision yourself. That said, I'd appreciate it if you made sure he never sets foot in the Republic again after today. Not that there's any chance of him ever getting another visa, anyway,” Commander Jin answered.
“...”
“...”
“Until we've decided how to deal with him… Mr. Hyun-Sung, would you mind keeping him with you for the time being?” I requested.
“Pardon? Me? I—”
“You need to head back to Rahel, don't you?” I asked.
“Ah...”
'Right. You're only here on leave. You need to wrap up that project over there.'
“But...”
'No buts.'
“Not just Rahel. I'd like you to conduct a separate investigation once you return. You remember, right?” I asked.
'The things I asked Cherubim, Thronus, and Dominions to handle. Digging around Lukifer's side.'
Only then did he nod.
“Understood. I’ll return to Rahel for now. I have a lot of work piled up. Of course, I can't say I'm happy about leaving you in the Republic under these circumstances and returning to Rahel, but... I'll finish everything as quickly as possible and rejoin you,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Yes, please do,” I said.
He was probably worried about the information the Outer Gods siblings would bring back from their investigation into Lukifer's side, but the Rahel project was likely on his mind, too.
For Kim Hyun-Sung, the Rahel City Project was no longer just a business venture.
'Hyun-Sung is taken care of, at least...'
For the sake of Commander Jin's mental health, I would love to send Jung Ha-Yan away as well, but if I were to tell her to return with him, there would undoubtedly be an uproar over my safety.
More importantly, Han Sora needed to remain here to continue her work on the Peace City project, so those two had no choice but to stay in the Republic.
It felt as though the chaotic atmosphere that seemed impossible to sort out was finally beginning to settle down.
I pretended not to hear Sung Ji-Hoon’s muttering, “I-I can help too. Odd-eyed Angel... my knowledge will definitely be useful... I need a chance to make up for my mistake somehow...”
“...”
“...”
“Then, Ha-Yan. I'm counting on you,” I said.
“Okay.”
I lightly took her hand, and then…
“...”
“...”
I saw a man dressed in martial robes, which was rarely seen on the continent.
“It's an honor to meet you. My name is Lee Ki-Young.”
"I’m known as the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon. My name is Woon Hyun.”
Quite the cool title, too…
“...”
He was unexpectedly handsome as well.
