#272
A Rematch (1)
An office filled with all manner of splendid decorations.
“So the pursuit failed in the end?”
As usual, the man had been reading through reports while looking at his monitor. The Lawgiver unconsciously frowned and let out a sigh.
Even as he did so, his mechanical prosthetic eye continued scanning the compiled data on the “large hospital terror attack and the paladin in white armor” into his mind, organizing it in a clear and orderly fashion.
‘Korea again. And holy power, at that...’
-The world to which this holy power belongs has yet to be confirmed.
-Therefore, his origin is presumed to be either still undiscovered or an extremely recently discovered dimension.
After confirming that final line once more, the Lawgiver rubbed the space between his brows as if his head hurt and sank deep into his chair.
Since this incident had become quite the hot topic within Korea, Beoncheonhoe was naturally keeping track of the situation almost in real time.
The movements of a newly emerged powerhouse—and one who used a special power called holy power, at that—had more than enough potential to become a major variable.
“As if the Hahoe Mask and that vampire Heinz weren’t enough, now there’s a pope-class paladin too? Hah! This is absurd.”
The Lawgiver let out a hollow laugh, as if the whole thing was ridiculous.
Of course, the emergence of a returnee with great power was something that happened from time to time on a global scale, but the problem lay in the period and location.
‘It hasn’t even been half a year since the Hahoe Mask first appeared. And in that time, three named-level individuals popped up one after another in the same region?’
At this point, it was not something that could simply be dismissed as coincidence.
Rather than treating it as insignificant, it would be more reasonable to assume there was something on that small peninsula.
‘And this time, too, we failed to track his movements.’
Moreover, his behavioral patterns were also quite similar to those of the others who had come before.
No matter how much Beoncheonhoe’s Korean branch had withdrawn from the field and was lying low, he had still had a certain confidence in their intelligence-gathering capabilities...
‘Could this be why Oracle said we had to be cautious with Korea?’
Tch. Clicking his tongue, the Lawgiver operated the magic tool placed to one side and activated the communication network permitted only to branch heads.
That paladin’s existence was highly likely to become a variable in one way or another, so if possible, there was a need to take measures in advance.
‘They said Pantheon’s Korean branch has moved to find him.’
Due to the nature of the organization, Pantheon, which had weak cohesion by default, tended to give preferential treatment to those with strong holy power.
After all, the only basis for hierarchy among those who served different gods was their sole commonality: “faith.”
Under such circumstances, a priest who might very well be among the best in the world had suddenly appeared in Korea.
‘Yes, if they can draw him to their side for now, he’ll be useful in one way or another. Whether as a figurehead or for an actual expansion of influence.’
And the same was true for their side.
For a talent of that caliber, the best option would be to put a leash on him somehow and make use of him.
It did wound his pride to seek cooperation from elsewhere for something that had happened within his jurisdiction, but having already experienced several failures, he decided to choose practical gain over personal prestige.
“Shall we make the game a little bigger?”
He sent a message through the magic tool he had activated.
Sender, Beoncheonhoe East Asia Branch Head, the Lawgiver (律令者).
Recipient, Beoncheonhoe North America Branch Head, Scribe.
The place where the one who received his message was staying—
was where the main headquarters of the otherworld religious alliance, Pantheon, was located.
***
‘It’s more overheated than I expected. I’ll need to create a solid alibi one of these days.’
After finishing my outing and returning home, I glanced over the flow of public opinion and lightly shrugged.
For now, it was true that I had been at the scene, so if some obsessive person tried to conduct a complete investigation, things might become annoying, but...
‘Something like that means nothing to me. Even if I’m monitored twenty-four hours a day, I should be able to brush it off easily using my new ability.’
The Unique Skill enhancements I had carried out in succession before sending Hugo to the Ganghwan Realm.
The ability gained from the one that cost 1.3 million was an additional effect of “Individual Projection,” which I had high hopes for in the future.
And one more thing—the thing I had acquired through the enhancement that cost 1.4 million points was—
the function to summon avatars remotely.
The summoning of clones, which had only been possible near my main body until now, could now be done freely within a wide area with a radius of no less than thirty kilometers.
Of course, there was the restriction that, for a precise summoning, I had to perceive the location in some way, but even that alone—being able to dispatch a clone instantly to the place I wanted—was a huge merit.
Since I currently lived on the outskirts of Seoul, that effectively meant I now had not only all of Seoul, but even parts of Incheon and Suwon within range.
‘If this grows further from here, I might be able to send avatars instantly anywhere in the world, beyond Korea. It’s a shame the number of individuals didn’t increase, but honestly, things are already sufficient as they are, so this isn’t bad either.’
My avatars were still busily moving in their respective positions.
Those who had temporarily gathered in Tarak returned to their original places, Hubert, who had fled south, returned to the merchant company with Diana, and Howard began making a new product for the suit based on its actual combat usage.
‘Still, it’s convenient that the cooldown of the otherworld transfer formation has been reduced to five days. There are already only two days... no, just about a day and a half left.’
Of course, as I had done until now, I could make do somehow even without it, but there was still a difference in mindset between having insurance and not having it.
Wasn’t it better to have certainty than to rack my brain over cleaning up after an incident for no reason?
‘Since I’ve dealt with the Revolutionary anyway, there shouldn’t be anything particularly dangerous in Auterica now.’
With a pleased smile, I headed to the gym to destroy my upper body for today’s routine.
***
Immediately after the large-scale battle between the Hero’s Party and the Immortal King in Tarak.
As befitted the importance of the incident, related news rapidly spread to every corner of the world.
Thus, the message that reached the imperial family of the Azerion Empire, the strongest nation in the world, naturally made its way to Riley, the heir.
And upon receiving it, she naturally...
“...So I think I’ll have to be away for a while.”
“Really?”
shared that information with Hesperon.
“I had to go once the condolences for His Holiness the Pope began anyway, and opportunities for those in high positions to gather like that aren’t exactly common, are they?”
The Pope’s funeral, which had been carried out among the faithful after the Grand Temple had been closed for a time according to procedure.
Just as the time came for it to be opened to outsiders to receive condolences, this incident had occurred.
“So while everyone’s gathered anyway, it looks like they’ll also hold a countermeasure meeting. Mm, it’ll be informal, but could it be called the third summit...?”
“If it’s that kind of gathering, you definitely have to go. You are the Crown Princess now, the Empire’s representative in both name and reality.”
“...R-right.”
The reason Riley had become so dispirited over that natural schedule was because she could not bring Hesperon along on this trip to the Holy Land.
Since they had made sure to spend time together at least once a day all this while, the sudden prospect of being apart for an extended period made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
“Maybe I should somehow arrange it so you can come with me...”
“Hm? Hey, there’s no need to force it. This is an important period, so we can’t give people needless grounds for gossip, can we? Master will be there too.”
“Ugh, that’s true, but still.”
The objective of this trip to the Holy Land was to attend the Pope’s funeral and the countermeasure meeting.
She had the duty to lead the delegation as its representative, and she could not take someone with no official post or noble title—a so-called “lover” whom the people of the imperial palace whispered about—to such an important occasion.
Regardless of what their relationship was actually like, it was true that it would not look good to the public.
It was different from when Hesperon had gone to Rosellia Grand Temple as part of the Hero’s Party in place of Isea during the second summit.
‘Since I have the title of Isea’s disciple, it would be possible if we forced it, but there’s no need to go that far and create a flaw.’
Whether he was the disciple of an archmage or the princess’s benefactor, that did not constitute a proper reason for him to be included in a delegation representing a nation.
Lightly shrugging, he offered a suitable compromise to placate Riley.
“Still, just in case, I’ll see you off on the day you leave. I’ll also be there to welcome you when you return, so don’t worry too much. Accompanying you briefly shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
“...Mm, that’s not the issue... No, never mind. If you’d do that for me, I’d be grateful.”
At that, she gave an ambiguous smile and slowly nodded.
She had yet to be officially invested, but with her position as Crown Princess all but decided, the basic security detail had become far stricter than before.
A master-class knight and an archmage, both stronger than Hesperon, were also scheduled to accompany this delegation, but since he already had a track record of saving her from crises several times, he would be of no small help in giving her emotional stability.
And after some time passed.
Immediately after the hospital terror attack and Heinrich’s spectacular debut on Earth came to an end.
The day came for Riley to depart for Rosellia Grand Temple.
***
Jeron Grand Temple, located on the outskirts of the imperial capital.
“Then please take care and have a safe journey, Your Highness. I will be waiting for you.”
“Mm.”
Hesperon, who had followed her to the entrance, bowed politely and saw Riley off.
At that, she, the representative of the delegation, gave a single heavy nod and calmly led the group of several dozen people into the Grand Temple.
Her unhesitating figure exuded a charisma truly befitting the next emperor, but to him, who remembered how she had pouted in dissatisfaction when they were alone just yesterday, she only looked cute.
And so, after the entire imperial delegation disappeared inside.
“Hup— It’s been a while since I’ve been alone like this. No, isn’t this just the first time?”
Hesperon stretched and turned away from the entrance of the Grand Temple.
‘As soon as I entered the Immortal Fortress, I was with Riley, and after that I was with the Hero’s Party... Then I was holed up in the imperial palace with Riley again.’
He was an individual dispatched for that purpose from the start, but now that things had actually turned out this way, it felt somewhat strange.
What’s more, recently he had done nothing but chat with Riley in the imperial palace or train on his own.
‘Of course, harvesting karma and raising my realm are the ultimate goals.’
This was Jeron, the capital of the Azerion Empire.
It was, in name and reality, one of the largest cities on the continent representing Auterica.
And yet the only things left in his memory of it were...
‘Let’s see. Excluding the time I spent only inside the imperial palace, and excluding simple travel.’
The time when the extremely wicked Immortal King had invaded and smashed everything to pieces.
And the memory of rolling around here and there while protecting Riley on the way back from the second summit.
‘Good grief, I’ve lived such a bleak life.’
It wouldn’t have been strange to at least do some sightseeing.
Of course, he had no intention of truly going around touring the city now.
His career in the otherworld might have been only three years, but the density of the time he had experienced was on an entirely different level from others.
The period where he would be impressed by an unfamiliar downtown had already long passed.
“Hmm, shall I head back now? I have things to do.”
Hesperon, fiddling with the eyepatch covering his right eye, shrugged and climbed into the carriage waiting to take him.
Then, feeling the carriage slowly begin to move, he quietly organized the things he had to do going forward.
Thanks to having steadily taken elixirs of growth and trained all this while, he had become fairly accustomed to the new abilities he had obtained.
Now, if he centered things around the “Right Arm of Craving” lodged in his arm and added the help of his other abilities and magic tools, he wondered if he might even be able to contend somehow with someone at the pinnacle class.
‘Well, of course, if we actually fought, I’d lose.’
If he used the curse, his attack power seemed sufficient, but compared to that, his defensive power was far too lacking.
So what he had recently been attempting was to find a summoned beast that could compensate for that vulnerable defense with the help of the imperial summoning mages.
One that would not care about the powerful curse dwelling in his body—a creature familiar with such negative energies.
‘After going around in circles, I’m back to summoned beasts. I do have another method in mind for later, but... that still seems like it’ll need more time.’
As he designed his future and pondered his path like that, he let out a sigh and reached toward the closed window of the carriage.
He did not intend to go sightseeing, but he had at least planned to look at the scenery outside...
Rattle—
The window did not open.
“Mm?”
Rattle— rattle—
Thinking it might be caught somewhere, he tried a few more times, but it was the same.
The fact that it could stop his strength, which contained “Superhuman Strength,” meant that it was not mere physical force, but some mystery such as magic had also been employed.
The moment his thoughts reached that point, his mind turned cold in an instant and his senses sharpened.
Dudududu—!
And at that exact moment, the carriage that had been running at a moderate speed began to dash madly.
Even the shock absorbers of the high-class carriage could not properly disperse the shaking, and the interior violently trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
There was no longer any need to think.
Flutter—
He immediately undid the seals on the bandages wrapped around his right arm—
Kwaaaang—!
and at once smashed through the side of the carriage and burst outside.
Then, using the countless black threads that poured from his right hand, he minimized the impact and landed safely on the ground.
It was a splendid feat, combining terrifying destructive power great enough to rip apart the magic circle trapping the inside in a single blow with artistic control, but the one who had performed it could not bring himself to smile.
“...Not bad. It seems petty tricks with tools weren’t all you had.”
A group of masked figures had, at some point, surrounded the slums nearby.
However, the one who spoke to him, the only one not wearing a mask, had a face that was familiar no matter how he looked at it.
‘Ah, again...? I feel like I’m going to get traumatized at this rate...’
It seemed he really did not suit this city.
Hesperon sighed as he looked at that familiar face.
Stav, the attempted assassin of the princess—the man who had caused him to lose an eye and have a curse dwell in his arm.