Ramyu (2)
"Here, your cocoa."
"...Thank you."
Hoon, who had served warm cocoa to Ramyu—sitting on the sofa and fidgeting incessantly—took the seat opposite her.
And he quietly waited for her to calm down, sipping the bitter coffee he had made for himself.
'After all, the one most surprised must be the person involved.'
She had been a child barely getting by each day with her older brother in a dying world, right up until she came to Earth like this.
Thanks to the treatment using Heinrich's divine power, she had improved greatly by now, but she was still rather frail compared to others her age.
'She still hasn't even adapted to Earth, yet she suddenly got whisked away to another world...'
On top of that, someone she was seeing for the first time... even a being on the level of a Heukryong had revealed hostility and emanated a terrifying aura, so it would not have been strange for her to develop trauma.
If it were not for Hwiryeong clinging tightly to her and protecting her, she would undoubtedly have suffered damage severe enough to make both mental and physical recovery difficult.
'...No, perhaps that's not entirely true?'
Hoon glanced sideways.
Ramyu, who had been watching his reactions since earlier, was now carefully gripping the warm cup and beginning to sip her cocoa.
No matter how one looked at her, she appeared to be nothing more than a pitiful child, but unlike her harmless exterior, that child was absolutely not an ordinary being.
'The final savior arranged by the Lord God of a dying world.'
Although the world had collapsed before that potential could fully bloom, rendering everything in vain, that did not mean the karma of the world bestowed upon her had disappeared.
Had there been just a little more time, she would surely have become a stepping stone for the salvation of the world in some manner.
'That is, a child who was predestined for the seat of a hero.'
He did not know what connection the ability to freely cross dimensions had with saving the world.
But since it was a Lord God with near-omniscient abilities, there must have been some intention behind it.
Perhaps, having lost its original purpose, the direction in which the still-seedling ability would develop had become slightly twisted.
"Ah, hot hot!"
...Though right now, she looked like nothing more than an ordinary child.
Hoon let out a small sigh at the sight of Ramyu sticking out her burned tongue and making a tearful face.
Then, looking at her with a serious expression, he slowly broached the main subject.
"Ramyu, there's something I need to tell you first."
"Yes?"
"I was planning to tell you after giving it more time, but..."
The situation had changed.
Both the ominous future and dreams he had seen, and the fact that Ramyu had suddenly awakened her ability.
In the current situation where he did not know what the future held, he could not afford to leave idle someone who could become sufficient battle strength under the guise of clumsy consideration.
"The world you lived in... about the destruction of the Cosyas Dimension."
It was also a story about the deaths of her parents and older brother.
All of those tragedies were connected to a single cause.
"Why that world had to be destroyed. And what I have been fighting against all this time."
At those words, Ramyu's expression hardened stiffly.
The hand gripping the mug turned pale white, as if strength had unconsciously flowed into it.
Though he felt pity seeing her like that, Hoon did not stop speaking.
Because she absolutely had to know the whole story of it.
Because she had the right and the duty to do so.
"I'll tell you everything."
...Except for his own secrets.
***
A long story ensued.
During that time, Ramyu listened attentively to his words, occasionally asking questions as well.
Despite it being a topic that could not help but be sensitive to her, she admirably maintained a calm attitude from beginning to end.
Perhaps it was thanks to Hwiryeong, who appeared during the story and curled up on her lap.
Ramyu kept stroking its smooth body with her hand, never losing focus for even a moment.
"...So I need your help. Until now, we have managed fairly well by taking advantage of their hesitation, but I cannot be sure how long that method will last."
Having finished speaking, Hoon let out a small breath and downed the now completely cold coffee in one go.
The Beoncheonhoe, lurking in the shadows of the world for several decades, had already devoured numerous nations.
Despite having crushed countless branches and risen steadily until now, their forces were still so strong as to be immeasurable.
'If I had not thoroughly hidden my identity, the fight probably would not have been possible in the first place.'
The reason they had no choice but to take beating after beating until now was that they still had not properly grasped the identities of the Avatars... his identity.
Unable to appear publicly due to some restriction, the surest method was to eliminate enemies without a soul knowing; yet they could not pinpoint that target at all—how frustrating that must be.
There were limits to laying traps as well, and since those had already been turned against them several times, the other side must be thoroughly enraged by now.
'If things continue until even the Lord of the Beoncheonhoe can personally step in...'
He needed to drive the wedge in firmly before that happened.
First and foremost, it was priority to topple the Beoncheonhoe, which could be called their foundation.
And to face them, who had already solidly established their position, the cooperation of as many talented individuals as possible was absolutely necessary.
As Hoon finished his explanation and fell quietly into thought.
"...The truth is."
A small, barely audible voice flowed from the mouth of Ramyu, who hugged Hwiryeong in her arms and hung her head deeply.
"When I realized earlier that I'd gained the ability to go to a place I wanted... to where someone I wanted to see was."
Stroking the head of the baby Yellow Dragon that nodded off sleepily as if uninterested in the headache-inducing conversation until now, she raised her head with a faint smile and met Hoon's gaze.
"I tried to go to where my older brother is."
"...That is."
Hoon, about to say something, closed his mouth.
Just by looking at her expression, he could tell how that attempt had gone.
"But it didn't work..."
As if confirming that conjecture, she continued with a strained smile.
It was only natural.
Her ability was to ignore the constraints of space and cross dimensions; it was far from enabling her to meet someone already dead.
'Moreover, looking at the state of the Cosyas Dimension...'
It was questionable whether whatever had served as the underworld in that world remained intact.
Nine times out of ten, it had probably quietly perished along with the collapsing world.
Ramyu hugged Hwiryeong in her arms tightly once more.
-"No matter what anyone says, you're my little sister."
She still could not understand what those words meant.
But she could feel to her bones that they were filled with thoughts of her.
[Kkyung.]
At that moment, perhaps uncomfortable in the embraced position, the smooth body squirmed a few times as if talking in its sleep—but she refused to let go until the end, as if she would never lose that warmth.
That brief struggle only ended when Hwiryeong gave up and went completely limp.
Even so, the baby Yellow Dragon soon began snoring away, having apparently found the optimal position.
Ramyu, quietly watching that sight, let out a soft laugh and then turned to Hoon with a determined expression.
Plip.
A single drop of water fell down at that moment.
But she did not show it, and he did not point it out.
They simply exchanged only what needed to be said.
"So, what should I do?"
"Well, it's clear that you possess an amazing ability, but not all of its potential has been revealed yet. Let's first make sure of what you can do."
All abilities depended on how they were developed.
Since her supernatural ability had just awakened, its directionality likely had not been fully established yet.
Rather than being buried only in already revealed facts, they needed to check in various ways what else was possible.
"Then first..."
Hoon trailed off and grinned.
"To save time as well, shall we cross over to another world?"
The time difference between Earth and the other world was roughly tenfold.
Whether for training or anything else, considering efficiency, the other world was more suitable than Earth.
'I was worried about how to take her there, but this is good.'
And as for where to go first.
It had already been decided.
***
"...I see. So those people are ones connected to Horus's world?"
"Ehehe."
Horus laughed, sticking out his tongue slightly as if embarrassed.
The Cheongnyong, who had been watching him with a troubled expression, glanced back.
"U-ub! Ub—! Uuuub!"
"Tsk— stay still, Heukryong. We're in the middle of a conversation right now?"
"Uuuuub!"
"Yes, yes. I understand how you feel, so be quiet. You'll get hit again at this rate?"
"......."
The Heukryong completely subdued—movement and even mouth sealed—and the Jeoknyong holding her while spewing out threats with a vicious expression.
And the Baengnyong, thoroughly turning away as if it were none of his business, keeping a close watch only on the outsiders with Hwiryeong.
The reason for the current commotion was simple.
The human girl who had turned the Dragon God Temple upside down and disappeared had shown herself once again.
Not alone like before, but with some man added, increasing their number by one.
"...Truthfully, having them stay on Geumodo isn't much of a problem. A friendly atmosphere has been created with humans recently, so quite a few have been coming and going already. But asking us to let them freely enter and leave the Dragon God Temple from now on is a bit..."
The Cheongnyong brought one hand to his cheek and shook his head with a short sigh.
The Dragon God Temple was a sacred land exclusively for dragons.
He could not permit humans to enter a place where even non-dragon top-tier yokai could not come.
And they were beings from another world, not even humans of this land?
"Hmm, is it really that difficult? I just wanted to let them get along since Hwiryeong follows them so well."
Horus gave an ambiguous smile.
After all, a precedent had already been set; they were not saying they would stay entirely, so he had thought it would be fine if they came and went according to their abilities.
But from their perspective, it seemed that too was unacceptable.
'If this happens, it will be hard for Ramyu and Hwiryeong to meet, won't it? That is a bit difficult.'
It was not simply because of the mental care aspect.
Hwiryeong's presence had also been quite substantially helpful for the growth of her ability.
'In the first place, the reason she awakened her ability was also because she wanted to meet Hwiryeong.'
Perhaps because it was the Yellow Dragon famous for being spiritually powerful, there was also an effect similar to bestowing blessings while together.
Taking all those factors into account was why he had chosen Ganghwangye as the first destination, but...
'But I can't take Hwiryeong, whom everyone cherishes, outside either. What to do about this?'
However, Horus's agony did not last long.
As if knowing what he was worried about, the very party involved presented a solution that dispelled his worries at once.
[Kkyuing?]
Horus, with a bewildered expression, made eye contact with Hwiryeong, who was looking at him with round eyes.
The Cheongnyong had shown the same reaction.
'I didn't sense any sign until it appeared. When exactly did it get here?'
They simultaneously turned their gazes to where Hwiryeong had been until moments ago.
'This is...?'
It was definitely there too.
A baby Yellow Dragon that looked exactly like the Hwiryeong here was curled up and sleeping quietly.
It was a sight he had already seen several times.
'Did it project its clone here?'
That ability should have only been possible when sending a clone to Earth.
It seemed Hwiryeong had not just been playing around all this time either.
'...You, have you grown?'
Perhaps it was easier because it was within the same dimension.
Anyway, with this, there was no longer any need to worry.
Just like when on Earth, the main body would remain here while only Hwiryeong's clone went outside.
"Goodness, as expected, Hwiryeong is a genius! To use such a high-dimensional technique without even learning it!"
"Hoo? Very excellent. It may be time to learn actual combat techniques."
"Uub—! Paha! Let me go now, Jeoknyong! I'll stay still!"
"The future is promising. Its head looks sharp too; when should formal education begin? It might keep up even if started a bit early..."
The Five Dragons who were seeing that ability for the first time made a fuss, but that was nothing unusual, so it was not a major problem.
Thanks to that, Ramyu was able to adapt quickly to Ganghwangye... to be precise, Geumodo.
Perhaps because Hwiryeong was almost always with her, she, who had always been cooped up in her room looking only at the sky on Earth, now actively walked around and took in the new world here.
It was a fruitful time where she honed her awakened ability further and sought growth in the mental aspect through interaction with others.
The time given, more than tenfold that of Earth's, was enough to allow her to change quickly.
'She seems somewhat accustomed to using her ability by now.'
Hoon, her dedicated manager who had crossed over to Ganghwangye with her to take care of Ramyu, stroked his chin with a serious expression.
'Then wouldn't it be about time to use that?'
It had been delayed slightly because she awakened a very special authority, but this had in fact been the option he had been considering from the start.
He had only been waiting because he feared trying to grab both at once might result in failure, but did he not have a certain secret measure that guaranteed nothing if not the speed of growth?
'If I'm going to use that, I'll need to return to Earth first after all? I wonder what will happen if I use it on Ramyu.'
Hoon's eyes sparkled.
He had confirmed that the 『Karma Shop Ver.3』had opened and that the "VIP Market" had been added, but there was one item he had not had a particular chance to use since then.
『Invitation (1,000,000)』
A very special item that forcibly awakens a non-awakened person.
Now was the time to put it to use.