“Unbelievable.”
Unprecedented.
As if the word fit the situation perfectly, the young man filming Heinrich in the hospital lobby swallowed hard.
“Good heavens, what a scoop! I can’t believe this luck came to me!”
He was currently conducting an interview with a camera in hand, but he was not a reporter.
His line of work was something that could no longer really be called special: an individual internet broadcaster.
If one had to point out something distinctive about him… it would be that he was a returnee, and that he had succeeded in making somewhat of a name for himself by using that background.
However, because his realm was not particularly high and his unique skill was not the eye-catching sort, the scale of his broadcast was still far from being called a major enterprise.
“And I didn’t just get the first exclusive interview with the White Knight everyone’s talking about—the content is news this huge?”
No wonder his dream last night had felt unusually auspicious. It seemed this was the fortune that had been coming his way.
The young man clenched his fist as he recalled the precognitive-dream-type unique skill that had led him to this hospital.
Because the skill’s level was low, all he had been able to do until now was roughly guess the fortune or misfortune that would befall him the next day…
-???
-An otherworlder? Not a returnee?
-Wow lololol what is this lololol
-?????
-Is this real? Or is he just an attention seeker??
Seeing the chat window scroll upward at an incredible speed even now, this was nothing short of hitting the jackpot.
He glanced at the viewer count, which had already climbed to several times his usual numbers and was still rising steeply, then forced himself to calm down and turned his gaze back to the paladin before him.
An exotic-looking handsome man with his helmet off, his bare face wearing a gentle smile.
He had readily agreed to the interview request the young man had mustered the courage to make, and even now, amid all this, he continued to emit divine power and heal the sick.
No matter how one looked at him, he was the very image of a savior-hero.
“…To be honest, the truth of the interview doesn’t really matter.”
Frankly speaking, he himself was skeptical of Heinrich’s statement.
An otherworlder who had suddenly crossed over from another dimension?
No matter how many times the White Knight had proven his tremendous divine power, that did not serve as evidence that he was an existence from another world.
Wasn’t it only rational to deny an exception that had never existed before until solid proof appeared, rather than accept it based solely on a single claim from the person in question?
“When you say an evil spread across all dimensions…?”
“They infiltrate countless dimensions and drive worlds to destruction through various means. To give the case of our Auterica as an example… an existence called the Immortal King could be said to be one part of that.”
But unlike his personal impressions, the young man continued his interview with the White Knight Heinrich in an earnest manner.
Whether it was nothing more than a prank by that top-tier returnee, or the ravings of a madman driven insane by fanaticism—
Judging the truth of the content was not his job.
-This is ridiculous;; Don’t tell me he was a lunatic…;
-I believe! Long live the White Knight! Long live Lord Heinrich! Long live Auterica!
-Info) It’s been over 20 years since otherworld transfer began, and during that time there have been countless self-proclaimed otherworlders around the world, but not a single one has ever been properly acknowledged.
-Lolol is this some hilarious hidden camera prank? They’re good at this lolol
-Saying it hasn’t happened until now so it won’t happen in the future is a bit much. Isn’t 20 years too short to prove a hypothesis?
-No, sir. So bring evidence. Evidence!
Whether or not to believe it was entirely up to the viewers themselves.
His role was only to convey the current situation.
The sharp rise in recognition and the flood of donations were the sweet honey that came along with that process.
And of course—
Amid the clash and mixture of various opinions, the prevailing view was still one of disbelief, calling it an absurd claim.
“Well, I expected that too.”
Heinrich, who had casually skimmed the chat window with superhuman dynamic vision as such public opinion flowed through it, inwardly accepted the reaction.
It had already been well over twenty years since otherworld transfer had begun on Earth.
During that far from short period, the idea that only Earth’s Awakened could ignore the laws of dimensions had long since become an established rule.
And now, suddenly, an otherworlder had appeared on Earth?
Naturally, there was no way people could easily believe such an abrupt claim.
“…They are beings who have led many dimensions to ruin. Whatever they are, their intentions cannot be in a direction beneficial to the world. Of course, that applies to this Earth as well, where they are hiding.”
However, Heinrich displayed the expression management he had trained over time and continued speaking solemnly to the very end.
Confidence and self-assurance, together with logic, were among the decisive factors in persuading others.
“As long as they remain in the world, peace will come to no world.”
His “faith,” which spoke only the certain truth when it came to matters related to the Beoncheonhoe, soon began to mingle not only with the presence leaking from that immeasurable rank, but also with the aura of “Great Blessing: Knight of Light.”
“That is the reason I am here now.”
It naturally spread in the form of an invisible charisma, swallowing a portion of the thoughts of others.
As if he were some cult leader.
“…Huh? Could it actually be true?”
And the young broadcaster, who had no choice but to face that aura head-on because he was closest to him, soon blinked repeatedly with a confused expression.
He had thought he was judging things quite coolly, yet his intuition, which had naturally developed thanks to his unique skill, was telling him that those words were true.
And while the effect was somewhat weaker compared to its influence in reality, the internet world beyond the lens was showing a similar reaction.
-??? I really don’t know anymore;; For now I’m neutral.
-If it’s actually true, it’ll be revealed soon anyway, so there’s no need to waste energy.
-Ah lol I don’t believe anything without evidence tho lol;
-Wow, but he’s seriously handsome. I feel like I’d be happy just looking at his face for the rest of my life.
-I believe in you, Saint! So please, please come to Incheonㅠㅠ My grandmother is sick, and they said she doesn’t have much time left…
Of course, public opinion was not going to completely overturn with just a few words.
But there was no doubt that he had succeeded in planting the thought of “perhaps” in many people’s minds.
“This much is enough for now. After all, it’s a problem that will be solved as long as I gradually prove it later.”
In fact, he had already thought of a method for that as well.
In the end, they simply could not accept an unprecedented situation.
That was why they were stubbornly clinging to a realm they could somehow understand, as if demanding that he convince them.
“Then I just have to present other cases that go beyond the boundaries of what has been common sense until now. If that happens…”
Naturally, weight would be added to Heinrich’s words, and the Beoncheonhoe would no longer be able to keep hiding as they had until now.
Whether to respond in the court of public opinion or to project actual force, they would have no choice but to surface, even if only slightly, in some form.
“…That will be the true beginning.”
The beginning of a full-scale war to erase the evil organization called the Beoncheonhoe from this world.
Heinrich’s eyes curved gently as he revealed a subtle smile.
With his senses, he could feel numerous presences approaching within range faster than before.
The plan was still proceeding smoothly even now.
***
New Delhi, the capital of India.
“…What on earth is that…?”
A woman’s disconcerted voice leaked from inside a room where fabrics patterned with complex mandalas had been set up like a maze.
The many candles illuminating the dark interior, the reflected light from metal ritual implements, and… the bluish-white glow shining from the screen of an electronic device that felt somewhat out of place among them.
A brown-skinned woman half-reclining on a floor sofa slightly furrowed her brow and glared at the screen of the tablet.
-I cannot remain in this world for long. I have visited to warn you in advance according to God’s will, but the problems of our world have not all ended yet.
-Ah, I heard about that. You said the battle with that Demon King called the Immortal King still isn’t over.
-That is correct. He is a seed of evil that sprouted in our world by artificial means. Until that side is completely resolved, it will inevitably be difficult for me to come here often. To be honest, even now feels somewhat forced…
-My goodness! Then does that mean you can truly travel freely back and forth between the two worlds…
From the forehead of the woman glaring fiercely at the screen, a drop-shaped red jewel gave off an uncanny gleam.
For a while, she stared at it without paying any attention to the hookah pipe in one hand. Then, once the playback finished and the screen froze, Oracle slowly closed her eyes, massaged the space between her brows, and let out a sigh.
“…What is this? Seriously. My insight was wrong again? And about something that could become a turning point on this massive a dimensional scale?”
On top of that, the origin point was Korea again this time.
The region where the uncertain factor called Hahoe Mask had first appeared and obstructed their plans.
The region where the vampire named Heinz had later bared his fangs at them and begun controlling the underworld.
“And now, again…”
A fellow calling himself a saint from another world, who was certain to become an enormous variable, had suddenly popped out.
No, setting aside variables or whatever else, he was no different from a massive bomb that would shake all their plans to the core if they did not respond immediately.
“At this point, I suppose I can consider it certain.”
She did not know exactly what it was, but “something” that had existed in Korea all this time was slowly beginning to move.
And perhaps that was the very thing that had continuously blocked her insight into Korea.
“Mm…”
With the situation having reached that point, Oracle had no choice but to feel doubt toward the plan she had initially established.
Resources were limited, so rather than investing further in Korea, where uncertain risk factors lay dormant, she had judged that the best course was to focus on China and Japan, then use them to indirectly control Korea.
“If I had given up on Japan instead and concentrated all those resources on Korea… could I have blocked this abnormal situation in advance?”
It was nothing more than a meaningless supposition now.
To begin with, as long as uncertain factors existed, the efficiency compared to investment would inevitably have plummeted to the extreme.
In reality, hadn’t one talent who should have returned from the Ganghwan Realm as a master of the Profound Realm already disappeared without a trace at the worst possible timing?
Since even supporting a single candidate who could grow into a transcendent-class being consumed no small amount of resources, abandoning Korea had been the best option for the sake of efficiency at the time.
“Phew— What’s already past can’t be helped.”
Having thus sorted out her thoughts again, Oracle brought the hookah pipe in one hand to her lips and inhaled deeply.
In any case, she had finished grasping the situation, so now was the time to devise a response.
“It hasn’t even been that long since we cleaned up the mess caused by that reckless brat Hahoe Mask and recovered control over China.”
How much effort and resources had they spent to set things right as quickly as possible, and now something like this had erupted again in succession!
This time, a fellow called the saint White Knight, the exact opposite type from the black mage Hahoe Mask, was causing trouble as if tagging in, and it was enough to make her insides burst.
“Doctor?”
Putting that feeling into her voice, she took her mouth from the pipe and lightly tossed out a single word.
Then, as if it had been there from the start, a figure wrapped head to toe in black cloth respectfully prostrated itself on the floor and answered her question.
“He says he is busy dealing with matters in Europe, so you should handle everything on this side yourself. Doctor intends to capture alive the vampire named Heinz in Romania…”
“Ha! Does that madman not even understand what’s important right now? This is no time to be paying attention to one measly test subject…!”
She knew very well what Doctor was so obsessed with.
She also knew that if that plan proceeded successfully, it would be of tremendous help in future matters.
But didn’t everything have an order of priority?
“Considering the time it will take for that vampire to tour other parts of Europe, there’s plenty of time.”
In any case, there was not a single thing she liked about that man, from beginning to end.
If not for the Society Master, they would never have had anything to do with each other in the first place.
Oracle forcibly swallowed down that dissatisfaction and puffed on the hookah for a long while, then finally released a deep sigh along with the smoke.
Well, what could she do? With the Society Master absent, this was unavoidable.
“Still, there should be a little time left before this becomes public discourse, so if we prepare in advance from now…”
And so Oracle once again had to rack her brains in order to salvage a group project from which one member had deserted.
Of course, whether the matters she needed to salvage would end there was something no one could know.
***
Heinz II, who had hidden himself aboard an airplane and flown all the way to France, near the opposite side of the Earth.
He needed a little more time to “educate” Victor Balzac, the tyrant of Thermidor, the largest organization in the French underworld.
“This should be enough. Then shall I move on to the next one?”
And once that education was more or less complete, he boarded a plane in secret, just as he had when he smuggled himself in.
Thermidor, which had fallen into his grasp, had prepared an additional fake identity for him, but inspections for vampires at European airports were stricter than in Korea, so this method was best for avoiding troublesome matters.
“The flight time won’t be that long anyway.”
At last, the plane he was on took off without any particular problems and rose into the sky.
Toward the place where his next target was.
Toward Italy.