#116 Omen (1)
“No, I’m telling you, I need detailed information! What the hell am I supposed to do with just a map? I’ve been meekly doing everything I was told, so I guess you all thought I was a complete pushover, but one of these days I’m going to make it very clear—”
Knock, knock.
—Andrew Weaver, the blond man who had been incessantly spewing complaints, hurriedly shut his mouth at the sudden sound of knocking.
“Ahem. Come in.”
At his permission, the door opened quietly.
A maid entered without so much as a footstep and began setting tea and refreshments on the table.
Then, before she stepped back out after finishing her work, Andrew addressed her as if it were of no importance.
“By any chance, is Lady Siana at the mansion right now?”
“No. The young lady has not yet returned.”
“Mm, I see. Never mind, then. You may go.”
“Yes, sir.”
After casting a glance at the maid as she bowed politely and withdrew, he put a sweet into his mouth and sank deep into his chair.
Once his irritation cooled a little, a sigh escaped him as the thought that there was nothing to be done settled in. ‘Tch, I suppose I’ll have to try for now.’ When those above told you to jump, what else could you do but jump?
The order he had received was to investigate, using 「Trajectory Observation」, the powerful collision of mana that had occurred not long ago in the northwestern mountain range. ‘My ability isn’t some convenient thing that lets me see wherever I want!’ Not only was the area devoid of people, there was no detailed information on it, either. All he had been given was a single location marked on a map.
There were reference materials on the natural vegetation, climate, monster habitats, and the like, but such broad information was not particularly helpful in pinpointing a location.
The best method was to see the target or place directly with his own eyes, and the next best was to familiarize himself with as much detailed information as possible, even if only in writing... ‘I’m not even asking for a photograph. They could at least give me a sketch of the site before making me do the work.’ On top of that, if the one responsible was presumed to be the Immortal King, then he, who could not see beings so far above him in rank, was of little use. ‘Of course, they must have taken that into account before giving me the job.’ For now, he had no choice but to at least appear to be making every effort.
After all, it was thanks to this ability that he had been able to receive such treatment and grow comfortably.
Andrew sank deep into the armchair and activated his unique skill, 「Trajectory Observation」.
Since he could not immediately confirm the scene of the incident, he first began sweeping over the entrance area, which had ample data, and was about to gradually move inward. ‘Huh? There are people entering the mountains in the middle of all this chaos?’ He was able to discover Harley’s group, who had accepted a request around the same time and were heading north.
However, after he shifted his “gaze” to follow them for a while, as they began to go deeper in, even that soon turned as though it had been swallowed in fog. ‘...I knew it. Observation without information has its limits.’ Perhaps it would be different if his level rose higher, but with his current ability, this was the limit.
He tried several more times afterward, but as expected, he ended up failing to grasp the area where the mana collision had occurred. ‘Damn it, I just wore myself out for nothing. They’re not going to start giving me shit for this, are they—hm?’ Just as Andrew was about to end 「Trajectory Observation」.
He caught sight of those who had entered the mountain range returning.
There was nothing strange about that in itself, but... ‘What the hell? Why are they so blurry?’ Unlike when they had left, their returning figures could not be observed clearly.
It was not to the same degree as the Immortal King, whom he could not see at all, but it was even worse than the true-blood vampire he had at least been able to see indirectly.
No matter which member of the group he focused his gaze on, the mere fact that that “someone” was beside them created noise, making it impossible to see properly. ‘Something has changed. I’ll need to look into this in more detail.’ And as Andrew began investigating them, he learned that they had taken a request from the lord to rescue a dwarf stranded in the mountains. ‘Is there something about that dwarf? Or was that just a disguised request, and they had some other hidden motive?’ In any case, it was clear that something was unusual.
Though he had failed to uncover the information that had been his original objective, having discovered something suspicious, he rose from his seat in high spirits.
At any rate, he had gained something, so now he had something to say to those above.
“Good! This should be enough for today. I can continue the rest later.”
Now that he had nothing to feel guilty about, he left the mansion with confident steps, boarded the prepared carriage, and headed for the entertainment district.
Playing around at the mansion was nice, but how could a person live only inside the house? ‘As long as I do my work properly, they don’t really interfere. There’s no other workplace as good as this.’ On top of that, he had ample financial support, so his job satisfaction could be said to be at its peak.
It would be even better if they did not assign him unreasonable jobs like this one, though.
And while Andrew Weaver was traveling by carriage with a relaxed heart.
Sssss—
—Without any presence at all, something was quietly following behind him.
That formless something possessed neither obsession nor desire, only a hazy self.
It merely watched him in silence.
***
“...That was fast.”
Heinz, who had come to the office of Heterosis, scrolled down with the mouse wheel and clicked his tongue in admiration.
Though it was only the first portion covering the basics, it had been organized far too neatly to have been prepared in less than a day.
“It was a special order from the Lord, something we haven’t received in ages. We even hounded the Blood Alliance and devoted the full strength of our clan to it!”
At his admiration, Jin Soran smiled proudly and shrugged.
Since she had even taken a break from the personal livestreams she had kept up as a hobby in order to throw herself into this work, seeing him surprised was deeply satisfying.
Heinz lightly read through the contents.
From the theoretical section beginning with the properties of metals, to the practical section starting with how to grip a hammer.
With photographs and videos attached, the materials were no different from the finest introductory manual to blacksmithing, one that would allow anyone who properly mastered it to grow quickly. ‘Of course, truly understanding and accepting it won’t be easy.’ No matter how basic it was and how clearly it had been organized, there was no way an ordinary person could easily follow such specialized knowledge.
All the more so if they had to study independently from theory alone without a teacher.
It would take a considerable amount of time just to fully internalize this portion, but...
The dwarf Howard was not an ordinary person.
The contents that had been nothing more than a list of information when Heinz read them were analyzed in an instant through Howard’s mind.
The properties of various metals, how to adjust the temperature of fire, the characteristics of added materials and the principles behind each process...
The theory was engraved into instinct, and he became able to intuitively imitate the movements in the videos. ‘I want to try experimenting in person as soon as possible.’ Howard’s hands itched after acquiring new knowledge.
No matter how remarkable he was, there were limits to simply knowing. He needed to personally carry out what he understood, adapt it to his body, and fully master it. ‘I already used the transmission array today, so Hubert can prepare a workshop by the time the cooldown ends.’ For Hubert, who had come to lead a fairly large merchant company in Tarak, preparing a workshop dedicated to Howard was nothing.
Just as Heinz was organizing his thoughts like that.
“Ah, come to think of it, there was one more thing I needed to report to the Lord!”
Jin Soran, who had been smiling brightly in front of him, recalled something and changed her expression to a serious one.
“We’ve continued tracking the organization you mentioned before, the Beoncheonhoe... and we’ve confirmed signs that several forces have made contact with them.”
Because of the time difference with the other world, it felt as if a great deal of time had passed, but only a little over a month had gone by since they had stopped their activities in Korea.
Yet signs had been detected that they still had not come to their senses and were starting to test the waters again.
“For now, it seems they have no intention of moving in earnest, and their contact has only been light. We’re currently watching the situation and monitoring their movements.”
“Hm... Yes, well done. Don’t step forward directly in the future either. For now, focus only on continuing to grasp the situation.”
“Yes, understood!”
The Beoncheonhoe.
Naturally, there was no way he had forgotten them.
Wasn’t the entire reason he was building up his forces and increasing his strength to annihilate them? ‘Honestly, if they’re anything short of extraordinary, Hans alone would probably be enough.’ The Beoncheonhoe’s power had already surpassed the level that could be dealt with by individual martial might, and since they were hiding so thoroughly, finding them was troublesome as well.
Also, given the nature of Hans’s energy, if he stepped out recklessly, there was a concern that he might turn the wrong party into an enemy... ‘There’s no need to rush pointlessly. Let’s be certain, completely certain. After learning more about them, I’ll thoroughly cut off their breath.’ The advantage of time was on his side.
During the roughly ten months he had spent building his strength...
On Earth, only a single month had passed.
***
“Pardon? Could you say that once more?”
Talaria, the capital of the Kingdom of Talia.
At the front gate of the Bright ducal family, which could be called the greatest noble house in the kingdom, a dispute was in full swing.
The cause was that a black-haired woman who had suddenly appeared tried to enter with confidence, only to be stopped by the guards.
“I’ve come to see Mulo.”
“This is the residence of Duke Bright. Might you perhaps have come to the wrong place...?”
The guard standing watch at the main gate of the mansion spoke to her cautiously, flustered.
Ordinarily, he would have driven her off without mercy along with some harsh words, but because of the inexplicable atmosphere surrounding her, he found himself shrinking back without realizing it.
“...Er, by any chance, do you have an appointment?”
“Mm... No? I just came.”
The guard sweated profusely as he tried somehow to resolve the situation, but the woman standing before him merely tilted her head blankly.
“This is troublesome—. I’d feel sorry if I caused a commotion for no reason.”
Muttering words whose meaning he could not understand.
“...For now, I will deliver the message inside. Whom should I say has come?”
“Me? If you say ‘Briki,’ he will know.”
In the end, he decided to pass judgment on to those inside.
If she was truly no one of importance, the butler would scold him and his evaluation would fall as well, but if she was an important person and he treated her poorly, his neck could physically go flying.
And it was an extremely excellent decision.
When her words were conveyed inside, a butler personally came out to the gate to confirm her identity.
“Hm, this child is the same. Just what on earth happened?”
That was the first thing she said as soon as she faced the pale-faced butler who came out of the mansion.
“For now, I will escort you inside. This way, please.”
The butler courteously guided her inward.
Of course, the place they headed to was not one opened to ordinary guests, but a place filled with all manner of barriers and security devices.
As they walked down that corridor, “Briki” quietly observed the one guiding her, the pure-blood vampire.
The altered blood she had already encountered countless times on the way here could be felt from him as well. ‘How peculiar. The foundation hasn’t changed, but there are far too many incomprehensible changes.’ On the way, she had already caught one residual blood, smelled its blood, tasted it lightly, and checked it in various ways, but...
She simply could not determine the origin of that change. ‘It seemed the party involved didn’t know the details either.’ An “evolution” caused by factors even she could not grasp, one that had advanced far beyond the original in various directions.
That was why she had personally come all the way here.
If it was the Lord, he would know more about the cause.
Knock, knock.
—“Lord Mulo, I have brought her.”
Thus, in the depths of the mansion where they arrived, they were finally able to face one another.
The clan’s former Lord, Mulo Brokoslac.
“It has been a long time, Mulo.”
“Welcome, Lady Brokoslac.”
And the clan’s progenitor, the sacred blood “Brokoslac.”
She had finally come here in person.