The Internet was the medium through which the flow of public opinion could be grasped most immediately in modern society.
And this was all the more true in Korea, where the vast majority of citizens carried smartphones.
People took photos and videos in real-time, eagerly spreading news from every corner, and this had an immense influence on the spread of information to communities, including social media.
And there was one topic that had continued steadily since the previous day, dominating the headlines almost exclusively even as a full day passed.
It was none other than the news of the reappearance of the mysterious hero, the 'White Knight,' who had appeared and vanished like the wind.
He was a figure who had recently been drawing attention not only in Korea but across the entire world; naturally, the citizens couldn't help but take an interest in his sudden movements.
-Is that for real? He'd been hiding all this time, and now he's suddenly out volunteering everywhere?
-And not just one place, but several? Didn't they say there was a limit to how much divine power he could use?
There were those who expressed such valid doubts and remained skeptical, but what was presented before them was a variety of evidence captured at all sorts of locations.
CCTV footage, as well as photos and videos seemingly taken from close range.
Indisputable evidence poured out to the point that it was impossible to deny.
-Holy shit; so it was real?
-Where is that? My mother's sick, please share the locationㅠㅠ
└Too late. He's gone back into hiding now.
-Ah, but why isn't there a single thing in focus?
└Right? It's immersive, but too hard to make out.
The reaction to this was, naturally, explosive.
But even amid all this, there was one point that left people disappointed: aside from CCTV footage taken from afar, there was almost no material that properly captured the scene.
-Ah, hold the camera properly for once!
-lol He showed up briefly at the start then filmed the floor the whole time lol
-Fuck, clicked out of curiosity and now I'm even more curious.
But thinking about it, that was unavoidable.
This time, the majority of those who encountered the White Knight were patients, their guardians, or hospital staff.
In a situation where massive divine power was flooding the surroundings and miracles were occurring in real-time, how many people could calmly turn on a camera, fix the angle, and shove a lens forward?
Moreover, in a space where no one could move recklessly due to the charisma naturally emanating from his overwhelming presence.
Thanks to that, most of the few videos that were captured were ones being filmed for other reasons that happened to catch his figure by chance.
But in the midst of all that.
A certain video taken in that situation was released, flipping the communities upside down once more.
-Holy shit, he's so damn handsome;;
-Wow... the focus is all over the place, but how does he look like that? It's like only his side has a filter on.
-Another ultra-handsome guy following Phantom oppa♥
└At this point, I have a reasonable suspicion that even the Hahoe mask is a pretty boy. Hahoe mask, become a visual god too~!
-But is he foreign? His features look Asian... no, he looks kind of mixed. Is he half-blood?
It was a video capturing the moment he removed his helmet and revealed his face at the children's hospital he had visited first.
The silver-haired, golden-eyed absolute beauty exuding a mysterious aura on that screen drove the masses wild.
The response to the moment he gently stroked a child's head with a benevolent smile was enough to feel terrifying.
Naturally, fan cafes praising him sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain.
The words he had spoken then also surfaced and began to travel among people here and there.
-But did he say his church was Auterica? I've never heard of it, does anyone know?
-Day 1 of converting to the Church of Auterica. I don't know the doctrine, but I'm blindly praying first.
-I feel like I've heard that name somewhere...
Auterica was a dimension whose existence had only been revealed a few months ago, so unless one took a particular interest in it, many didn't even know it existed.
But this was the Republic of Korea on Earth, renowned for the rapid exchange of information.
True to modern people, they instantly found out related information and began sharing it with one another.
-Auterica is a newly registered newbie dimension at the Returnee Association from not long ago. (link)
└Oh? Really? Then what's his relationship with it?
└I've done this much, so look up the rest yourselfㅡㅡ
└Aww, too lazy. 'Do it for me.'
-Wow, I wondered what the fuss was about, but Auterica dimension? I'm from there.
And as the matter grew to that extent, finally someone directly connected to that place jumped out to testify.
Information about specific dimensions wasn't exactly something to hide, and it was a topic that served as fodder whenever returnees gathered, so it wasn't particularly strange.
-Oh! Spill the story. What do you know?
-Do you know who the White Knight is? Someone of that level must have been quite famous. I'm curious about his identity.
-Uh, no. There was a world-class religion in Auterica called the Church of the Lord God. But isn't this weird? The White Knight is from there?
But the returnees who actually knew well about the 'Auterica' dimension couldn't help but harbor doubts about the current unfolding situation.
-Huh? No way? This absolutely can't be? Why? What? Is it real? No way, right?
└Why is this one broken?
└Don't keep it to yourself, let us in on it too.
└Attention bait? Not biting.
And for good reason...
-No, among the people who fit the conditions perfectly, there's one I can think of. I was bottom-tier so I never saw him directly. But isn't he a Hero? He's in the middle of fighting to save the world, so why is he here? Is the fight over there done?
└???
└What kind of bullshit is this now;
└Hey, this attention bait was novel. Stop with the cringe and end it here.
Because the person who came to their minds was a being who shouldn't exist on this Earth.
And such confusion was spreading not only online but offline as well.
***
Inside an office that appeared to have no particular distinguishing features at a glance.
"So what you're saying, Mr. Gang Taegyu, is..."
But the individuals gathered inside were anything but ordinary.
"The most likely identity of that White Knight is the Saint of the Auterica dimension—is that correct?"
An agent of the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau, the national agency responsible for controlling those with supernatural abilities.
An official of the Returnee Association, which had banded together to represent the rights of the Awakened.
A clergy member of the Pantheon, an otherworld religious union dispatched to recruit the White Knight, and so on.
Though the atmosphere wasn't particularly intimidating, the one sitting across from them offered an awkward smile and earnestly divulged what he knew.
"Y-yes. That's correct. Given the position he held, he was incredibly famous. Heinrich Saint Randgard. Even though I had no direct connection to him, I couldn't help but remember his full name."
"Hmm..."
At that answer, the people in the office let out low murmurs and looked at one another.
Although it was a dimension that didn't yet have many returnees, fortunately, there were four people from Auterica registered in Korea.
And the one currently testifying before them was one of them.
"Are you certain that the person appearing in this video is him?"
The Supernatural Ability Management Bureau agent, who had been quietly stroking his chin, lightly touched the tablet placed to one side.
A compilation video of the White Knight had been playing on repeat.
"Uh, I can't quite say I'm certain... As I mentioned earlier, I didn't have any particular connection to him, so I never saw him directly. I merely operated on a small scale in the frontier regions of the empire. Unless you're exceptionally lucky or part of the ultra-high class, it's difficult to face a great figure like a Saint."
"...I suppose that makes sense."
"But it's probably him. One of the known characteristics of Saints and Saintesses is silver hair and golden eyes. Also, Saint Heinrich was originally a holy knight... so I suspect that sword might be the Holy Sword."
At this point, the White Knight's identity should be considered almost certain.
But even so, everyone present wore unpleasant expressions with visibly unconvinced looks.
Not only the investigators gathered here but even the witness who had been called upon as a member of the Returnee Association.
"But why on earth is such a person here..."
Yes, that was precisely the problem.
"Even if we accept that he was originally from Earth... isn't Auterica currently at war with the Demon King—that is, the Undead King?"
"I'd heard it was in quite a dangerous state. The risk level estimated by the Association was 'quite high, caution advised,' was it not?"
"But for the Hero who should be standing on the front lines to have fled to Earth... isn't that a bit odd? And if it's true, doesn't that mean he ran away with the Holy Sword too? At that point, even if he is a Saint, I don't think God would permit that level of divine power."
Objectively speaking, the White Knight's identity as the Hero of Auterica and the Saint of the Church of the Lord God, Heinrich Saint Randgard, seemed clear.
But accepting it so simply raised many nagging issues.
"Good grief, has there been any additional news from the World Returnee Association regarding Auterica? Like the Saint suddenly disappearing there?"
"...I haven't heard anything of the sort... but I'll inquire again just in case."
To be honest, affairs of other dimensions weren't really their business.
There were more than a few worlds that had been driven to crisis and eventually destroyed, becoming 'closed dimensions.'
But from the perspective of those who had been working to recruit the White Knight as their top priority, the circumstances behind it all felt exceedingly fishy.
While people of different affiliations laid out various documents and conversed.
'In the end, asking the person himself would be fastest. Isn't there any way to talk to him?'
Gang Taesan, a rookie agent of the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau who had attended the meeting alongside his senior, stepped back and leaned against the wall, licking his lips.
He felt the ones spinning groundless speculations over uncertain matters were even disagreeable, because he believed he, his grandmother, and his friend had survived thanks to the White Knight.
'Sigh, what can I even do. They tell me to bare it all, so I bare it all.'
Swallowing his complaints inwardly, he soon took out his smartphone to monitor.
Compared to when the communities had been blazing fiercely the day before, they had quieted down somewhat, but they were still buzzing with talk about the White Knight.
"Huh?"
But that peaceful moment was brief.
Frowning at the traffic that had suddenly begun surging like a harbinger of something, he—
"S-Senior! Right now...!"
Soon figured out the cause and let out a cry like a scream.
And at the same time.
Beep-beep-beep!
Ding-a-ling—!
Various notification sounds rang out from the pockets of those in the office.
As if hinting at a major incident that had just begun.
***
I continued to worry.
How should I reveal Heinrich's existence?
It was clear that for the main body to escape the investigation net by diverting the investigation team's attention, it was best for Heinrich, the subject of their interest, to step forward directly.
But since there were many ways to do so, the method chosen was the key.
'I could operate while hiding my identity like Hahoe Mask Hans and fabricate an alibi for the main body, or create a plausible fake identity like Phantom Hines II and pretend to hide it to cause confusion in the investigation.'
But while each had its pros and cons, neither was a surefire method.
Moreover, having realized that the Beoncheon Society was also involved in this matter, in order to respond proactively no matter what schemes they pulled, I needed to step forward even more openly.
So the method I chose was this.
'Yes, let's just go completely open.'
That he was the Saint of the Auterica dimension.
Of course, I couldn't reveal everything one hundred percent, so some adjustments to the setting were inevitable.
Truthfully, as long as the main body's identity wasn't revealed, it didn't much matter what happened, but still, if there was a better way, wasn't it best to choose it?
Moreover...
"S-So, White Knight-nim... no, I mean..."
"Heinrich Saint Randgard."
"Y-yes. So what you mean, Heinrich Saint Randgard-nim, is..."
I had realized that the excessive fervor and attention pouring onto me could be utilized in another way.
In modern society, the public's attention and support were power and authority.
If I could make good use of it, I could lead future events in a much easier direction.
And was there any reason not to do so?
"Yes, I came from the place you call the Auterica dimension. To be more precise..."
Heinrich, who turned his gaze to the camera held by a man with an extremely nervous face—
"...I suppose you could say I am an otherworlder, not an Earthling."
With a softly smiling face, he nonchalantly dropped a bomb.
"By the will of the Lord God, to eradicate the evil looming over all dimensions, including our Auterica."
It's fine.
I was used to running scams by now, anyway.
When you thought about it, it wasn't even that much of a lie.
'Let's see them eat shit.'
An auspicious halo swirled around Heinrich's entire body.