A large office, magnificent paintings hanging all across its walls.
Rrrr—
In the middle of the space, where for some reason a heavy air hung over everything, a gray-haired woman in uniform turned the wheel of the mouse in her hand.
Her indifferent blue eyes scanned the monitor as it scrolled rapidly downward, and before long a small sneer formed at the corners of her mouth.
“Heinrich Saint Landgard. The Saint of Auterica.”
A cold voice then flowed from her lips.
A pair of blue eyes, shining like glass beads, fixed on the silver-haired handsome man displayed clearly on the monitor.
‘It was around last month that he first appeared on Earth. And it was only recently that the Society Master confirmed his existence in another dimension.’
She—the North America branch head of the Beoncheon Society, the Secretary—slowly sank back into her chair, pressing the fingertips of both hands together.
The cold smile on her lips deepened.
“...It seems crossing dimensions really is true, after all.”
Otherwise, there was no explaining the difference in space-time.
Since the Society Master himself had confirmed the other party and even declared it so, it was an immutable truth.
It was utterly unbelievable, but there was no doubt that the man possessed the ability to freely cross the walls between dimensions.
‘For now, it seems he can only travel back and forth between his original dimension and Earth.’
Even that alone was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Aside from the Society Master, who had already ascended to the ranks of gods, no such miracle had ever been reported before.
However, the problem currently giving her a headache was not merely that fact alone.
“To think he had to say something so useless...”
Her brow furrowed along with a low complaint.
The words he had spoken while revealing his identity were the cause of her current deep concern.
A wicked group plotting the destruction of all dimensions.
The eradication of that covert force rooted on Earth.
That was the cause put forth by that saint from another world named Heinrich.
And the organization he had pointed to as his target was none other than the Beoncheon Society, to which she belonged.
‘First, we need to confirm how much that bastard knows about us.’
Closing her eyes, she pressed her fingers against the space between her brows.
At first, her goal had been to bring him in, since he seemed like a fairly useful talent. But now that he had already clashed with the Society Master, she could no longer continue pursuing that line.
“The leader of the investigation team was Priest Jason, wasn’t it.”
A paladin who did not compromise, somewhat hot-blooded, yet paradoxically valued cold reason.
She was already quite familiar with him.
After all, it had not been only once or twice that she had used his personality to steer him in the direction she wanted.
‘I wonder if it will go well. It would be nice if we could buy even a little time.’
She recalled the conversation she had had with Priest Jason via communication not long ago.
She had said a few things that would stimulate his rationality and lower his trust in the White Knight, but she could not be certain how effective they would be.
“A saint... a saint, is it...”
The Secretary muttered to herself, lightly tapping the table.
Then she suddenly paused and remained still for a moment, before letting out a faint laugh all by herself.
It had suddenly occurred to her that the worries she was having now were utterly pointless.
Ssssss—
Divine power like the glow of sunset spread from her body.
She quietly gazed at the energy gathered over her hand, then twisted the corners of her mouth.
Whether he truly was someone from another world or not, it was far too late now.
It was not as if a god from another world had come in person. There were limits to what a single saint, nothing more than that god’s puppet, could do.
The one she followed was the undisputed god of Earth.
These worries she was having now were nothing more than needless anxiety born of excessive concern.
“Still, I can’t just sit still like this.”
The public attention currently directed at the White Knight had arisen precisely because his existence was so difficult to accept.
But if it turned out that most of what he had said was false, and he could not even properly prove his own words...
‘Excuses can be made in any number of ways. No matter how that bastard tries to justify himself, all we have to do is drive the narrative that way.’
Unless he could present firm, irrefutable evidence that could not possibly be denied, his claims would naturally lose their power.
Dealing with him would come after that.
The Secretary slowly nodded, rose from her seat, and headed out of the office.
‘Perhaps this will end more easily than expected.’
The sunset-colored divine power left behind in the room wavered chaotically and scattered.
***
The conversation that began after Heinrich sat down in the prepared seat proceeded smoothly.
They already knew a certain amount about one another, and since they sufficiently acknowledged the skill he had displayed, there was no particular reason for friction to arise.
Heinrich’s current popularity among the public was not something that could be easily ignored.
Naturally, neither the government nor other institutions wanted to make an unnecessary enemy of him.
For the time being, they were satisfied enough with the fact that they had met the man at the center of all the talk and established a channel of communication with him.
“...But Brother Heinrich, did you not say that you can freely travel between the two worlds?”
Of course, since the person named Heinrich himself was such a hot potato, it was only natural that the topic of conversation would focus on matters related to him.
At the subject raised by Priest Jason, a middle-aged man with brown hair and a neatly trimmed short beard, dispatched from the American Pantheon headquarters, expressions of keen interest appeared on everyone’s faces.
In truth, that was their greatest point of interest.
“I heard that as well. Traveling between dimensions! I never imagined such a thing could truly be possible.”
“It really is an incredible matter. How is such a thing possible...? As expected, it must be thanks to divine authority, yes?”
“How often are you able to go back and forth...?”
“How does the time difference work...?”
As they poured out questions, their eyes shining as though they had been waiting for this moment, Heinrich smiled gently and answered them one by one.
“...In truth, the reason I cannot show myself often is also because of the time difference. After all, I have no choice but to focus on my own world.”
Questions and answers passed back and forth in a warm atmosphere.
Among them were truths, lies mixed with truth, and complete fabrications, but one thing was certain: every single one of them overturned modern common sense from its very roots.
And naturally—
“...Mm, I have something to say regarding that.”
Such one-sided claims could not be easily accepted by others.
“I understand that you possess extraordinary abilities, Brother. Your devout faith is so great that merely sitting here facing you like this is enough to make my flesh tremble.”
As Priest Jason, who had been quietly listening, opened his mouth, the surrounding gazes focused on him.
Among clergymen, divine power was the surest way to prove one’s faith.
Now that they had confirmed it directly by facing him in person, no one dared say anything about that part.
Of course, the problem was that this was entirely separate from what he was about to say.
“However, regarding your other statements... I am still not sure. Especially your claim that you are someone from another world, Brother Heinrich.”
At the clear distrust contained in those words, Heinrich slowly nodded.
It was a reaction he had fully expected.
That had already become common sense among Earthlings for more than twenty years.
In the midst of that, someone suddenly appearing and claiming to be from another world would not be easy to believe.
One might say it had only been a little over twenty years, but in reality, it was something that had never once occurred since the Great Cataclysm and throughout all history, so it could not simply be called a short period of time either.
“And one more thing. You clearly said that you came to Earth in accordance with the will of God in order to root out evil. That an organization working in secret to drive all dimensions to destruction is hiding here on Earth... Ha ha.”
As Jason continued speaking, he shook his head with a hearty laugh.
Then he swept his gaze over those seated around them once more, looked straight at Heinrich, and opened his mouth again.
“If such an organization exists, why are they remaining still right now? If they possess enough ability to drive not just one or two, but numerous dimensions to destruction, then Earth should hardly be difficult for them.”
“We have also looked into Auterica. We heard that you are currently waging a war for your fate against a being called the Immortal King, who long ago truly drove the world to the brink of destruction. But to say that even a calamity of that scale was plotted by this evil organization...”
His calm words gradually began to grow heated.
His tone, which at first had seemed to be coolly examining the situation point by point, slowly changed into something akin to interrogation.
“It is shameful to admit, but while our Pantheon may not have the strongest unity, its scale is vast enough to encompass the entire world. Its reach is not so different from that of the World Returnee Association.”
“If such a force existed, there is no way we would not know of it. No, even if not us, surely someone somewhere would have heard of it. Until you brought it up, Sir Heinrich, we had heard nothing at all.”
Amid everyone’s silence, Jason’s words continued one after another.
Heinrich could feel that everyone around them was silently agreeing with his conviction-filled argument.
In truth, it meant they had all been thinking the same thing as him, merely without saying it aloud.
‘...This is dangerous. Their distrust seems greater than I expected. Did I take this too lightly?’
In fact, all of his claims were premised on the idea that he had truly come from another world according to the will of God.
If that basic condition lost credibility, then naturally, every assertion he had made would become nothing more than an empty cry.
‘Strictly speaking, I really am an Earthling too.’
Even now, there were not many people who fully believed his words.
It simply had not surfaced because, in addition to the overwhelming abilities Heinrich had shown so far, those affected by the “faith” emanating from his very rank were maintaining a neutral stance.
‘In the end, to raise the credibility of my claims, I need to clearly prove that I am a dimensional traveler from another world...’
The problem was that Earth was a place where people with all sorts of peculiar abilities gathered in one place.
No matter what ability he used to prove himself, there was an extremely high chance that it would be refuted.
‘It might be different if I had more time.’
If, as time passed, those who returned from Auterica supported his claims, his persuasiveness would increase.
Of course, even that would only prove that he could travel between the two worlds, not that he was truly someone from another world.
‘Right now, even that time is too precious.’
In the end, what mattered was breaking people’s fixed idea that only awakened Earthlings could travel between dimensions.
But how in the world was he supposed to do that?
Proof that absolutely could not be denied, that anyone would have no choice but to acknowledge the moment they saw it, firm and unshakable proof.
Could there really be such a convenient method in the world...
“I see. Then I shall show you.”
“Mm?”
“Yes?”
...There was.
No, in truth, there was no need to think about it at all.
Something of that level was far too easy for him.
‘In this world, it isn’t even that rare for humans who crossed into another world to return as vampires or werewolves. There are even abilities that allow one to transform into an entirely different being.’
However, even that had its limits.
And among them, the most effective was...
‘Fine, now that it’s come to this, let’s go all the way. It’ll be better to bury everything in shock than to do this half-heartedly. I’ll make it so that even if they don’t want to believe it, they’ll have no choice but to force themselves to.’
While the people around him were bewildered, Heinrich, who had at some point closed his eyes and clasped his hands together, continued in a reverent voice.
“...God has answered. He says He will send another of His servants down to this land.”
“What?”
At those abrupt words, people exchanged confused glances with one another.
But regardless of how they reacted, the situation suddenly began to rush forward.
“Then I shall call him at once.”
“N-no...”
“Excuse me, Sir Heinrich?”
As if giving them no time to think, he ignored those who hesitantly called out to him and sprang up from his seat.
Then he strode over and flung open a window on one side.
“Sir Heinrich? Call...? What are you calling...?”
“A being that absolutely cannot exist in this world.”
He looked up at the clear sky and continued speaking as if in praise.
“The Watcher of Dimensions, the Arbiter of Balance. And a guardian who observes the world according to God’s will.”
As though responding to those words.
Crackle—!
Sparks burst in the middle of the clear sky.
It did not end once or twice, but continued in succession, gradually expanding its range.
At the sight of a reaction that was clearly far from ordinary, everyone who had been seated sprang to their feet at once.
“Uh, wha—?”
“W-wait a moment! This is the middle of Seoul right now...!”
But before someone who sensed the ominousness of the situation could finish shouting—
Flaaaash—
Along with a dazzling golden radiance.
[Krooooooooh—!]
A roar filled with an overwhelming presence swept in all directions.
What appeared at the place where the strange phenomenon had occurred was—
A colossal living creature, dozens of meters in size, covered in beautiful waves of gold.
-Weeeeeooo—! Weeeeeooo—!
At the same time, blaring sirens rang out through the city center.
The peaceful city plunged into chaos, and the surrounding area became a pandemonium amid the commotion erupting everywhere.
‘I do feel a little sorry... but still, I suppose I have to do at least this much.’
The debate that had just taken place was not something that would end merely by persuading the people present here.
His words had already spread across the world through various forms of media.
Then, if he wanted to convince all of them and make them take his words seriously, shouldn’t he take this opportunity to engrave it clearly into the minds of the people of the world?
And when Heinrich subtly shifted his gaze toward those who had been speaking with him until just moments ago, he could tell that his aim had struck true.
“What on earth... is that...?”
“Hah!”
Every one of them stared blankly out the window, their mouths hanging wide open.
Anyone who faced that existence could not help but instinctively feel it.
That thing... that life-form was not something that could ever be imitated through artificial means.
An overwhelming difference in rank and species, something that illusions or transformation abilities could never even dare approach, pressed down upon their souls.
[Krooooooooh—!]
Flap— flap—
The Gold Dragon, who had been diligently devoting himself to his studies while living abroad, roared once more with a yeouiju in his mouth.
As if engraving his existence upon this Earth, where he had come out for the first time in a while to refresh his mind.