When I explained what was written on the banner, Margreta let out a sigh.
“Just what on earth are they doing...”
“Is this all right? It must have been kept secret until now.”
“It was. I’ll have to find out what happened, too.”
She said that to me as she turned on her cell phone.
As she began making a call, one of the soldiers guarding the elevator tent cautiously approached.
He glanced at Margreta, then asked me.
“You’re Sergeant Hyeon Myeonghan, right?”
“The name is right, but I’ve been discharged.”
An envious look flitted across his face.
Without bothering to hide it, he said to me,
“Deputy Director Yang Seungtae instructed us to ask former Sergeant Hyeon Myeonghan to come see him when he returned.”
Last time he had come to find me himself, but now it seemed he had given orders to the soldiers guarding the tent.
I had the soldier wait a moment, then waited for Margreta to finish her call.
A little later, after hanging up, she said to me,
“It seems Korea was the one who set this in motion. I heard the circumstances, but I think it would be better for you to hear it from the Deputy Director of the NIS rather than from me.”
Every time I came here, something seemed to have happened.
I asked the waiting soldier,
“The barracks where the deputy director is haven’t changed, right?”
“No. Shall I guide you?”
“No. If they haven’t changed, I can find it myself.”
After finishing my conversation with the soldier, I parted ways with Margreta.
“I’ll see you at the lodgings in a bit. I’ll check this first.”
As we parted, Margreta patted the small bag fastened at her waist and said that to me.
It was the bag she had brought when we returned to Earth.
Inside that bag was the scout’s black stone.
She would have the researchers at the base assess the value of the black stone, then report to her superiors.
‘I hope they give it a good price...’
It was a black stone that contained far more energy than an ordinary one. There was no way it had no value.
However, if I wanted to obtain magical artifacts more easily, it needed to be recognized as having higher value.
It would be good if, like the black stone attached to my spear, it proved useful for spatial movement ruins or other artifacts.
Even if it did not, I had more black stones, so it would not be a problem.
Still, if I could get a high price for it, it was better to get a high price.
The container barracks the deputy director and the general had used together had also changed from before.
The container itself was the same, but additional containers had been brought in beside it.
People in suits wearing name tags were going in and out of the containers next to it.
They were all people I had never seen before.
‘They don’t look like civil servants...’
They obviously were not soldiers, and they did not look like government officials either. They looked like employees of a major corporation.
It was strange.
Feeling puzzled, I entered the deputy director’s barracks.
When I knocked and went inside, there was someone else there besides the deputy director.
He was similar to the suited men I had seen outside.
A man in his early thirties wearing an expensive suit.
The name tag hanging around his neck read, “Director Lee Jaeyun.”
He had been talking with the deputy director.
When he saw me enter, the man frowned, but the deputy director greeted me in a surprised voice.
“Sergeant Hyeon! No, I suppose I should call you Mr. Myeonghan now. Welcome. I didn’t expect you to return this early.”
At Deputy Director Yang’s warm welcome, the man looked at me in surprise.
The deputy director set down the documents he had been holding, came forward, and offered me a handshake.
“Did you just arrive?”
“Yes. I just arrived.”
He seemed pleased that I had come straight away.
He had me sit on the sofa, then sat down across from me.
Though no one had told him to sit, the man in the suit also sat on another sofa.
When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, the deputy director introduced him.
“This is Director Lee Jaeyun of HS Trading.”
If it was HS, it was the largest chaebol in our country.
But why was someone from HS here?
When I looked at the man with a questioning expression, he held out his hand.
“I was wondering who you were. I’ve heard a great deal about you. I heard you’re the only Korean who can travel between Earth and an alien planet. I’m Lee Jaeyun.”
He said his name with a face full of confidence.
His expression was as if I would know who he was from his name alone.
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I had no idea who he was.
Then Soph spoke from the spear strapped to my back.
[That is a name I saw on the internet. If he is Lee Jaeyun of HS Trading, he must be the grandson of the HS Group chairman.]
Then he was a third-generation chaebol heir?
As I took the hand he offered, I looked at him with a fascinated expression.
I had once been an ordinary soldier, and now I had met a chaebol chairman and even a third-generation chaebol heir, so I could not help but find it fascinating.
Seeing my expression, he shook my hand with a satisfied look.
He seemed pleased that I had recognized him.
After shaking hands with him, I asked the deputy director,
“When I came back, the base seemed unsettled. What happened?”
“Ah, you must have just seen it, Mr. Myeonghan.”
Deputy Director Yang brought over a stack of newspapers from his desk.
On the front pages of the newspapers, articles on the same subject were printed in huge headlines one after another.
While I quickly skimmed the newspapers, Deputy Director Yang explained the situation.
“After the end of the war was declared, many problems erupted. The second follow-up team we had been preparing was canceled, and with General Park retiring as well, the confusion grew even worse.”
Perhaps it really had been exhausting, because Deputy Director Yang even let out a sigh.
“There were so many problems that we practically had to prepare from the beginning again, but the United States would not revise the contract. While the government was at a loss trying to find a solution, HS Group made a proposal.”
I could guess what kind of proposal it was.
“They suggested making it public?”
Deputy Director Yang nodded.
“Yes. Since forced conscription had become difficult, they suggested partially disclosing it and gathering people that way.”
“Partially...”
I recalled the bright expressions of the people who had been talking.
If they had known the situation on that planet, they could not have worn such expressions.
“I’m surprised America permitted it.”
At my words, Deputy Director Yang smiled bitterly.
“The United States had no other choice. An Assistant Secretary of State even flew over to pressure us, but in Seoul, a general and a chaebol chairman died in terrorist attacks, and strange rumors began to circulate.”
For a moment, my heart dropped.
Both of the things the deputy director mentioned were connected to me.
“There were many other things besides that, but in the end, we began recruiting people publicly together with HS.”
‘Recruiting?’
When I tilted my head, Deputy Director Yang corrected himself.
“In truth, rather than recruiting, we went around finding suitable candidates one by one and signing contracts with them. Thanks to HS Group’s help, we were able to contract with many people. We barely managed to meet the number we had promised the United States.”
Meeting the number.
I thought I understood why untrained civilians had gathered here.
In any case, I could roughly understand how things had turned out.
I bowed my head to Deputy Director Yang.
“Thank you for the detailed explanation.”
We were in a transactional relationship, but I had not expected him to explain things so earnestly.
At that moment, the third-generation chaebol heir cut in from the side.
“I will tell you the reason for that.”
As expected, there was no such thing as free kindness.
He interlaced his fingers and looked at me as he spoke.
“Our group—no, I need you, Mr. Hyeon Myeonghan.”
If one wanted to call it obvious, it was obvious. It was scouting.
“As I said earlier, I heard a great deal from Deputy Director Yang. About the work you do exclusively, and about your activities on that planet.”
My eyebrow twitched.
He knew about what I had done on that planet?
Had information leaked from the Americans?
Surely Margreta had not said anything?
I looked the man up and down.
He was an ordinary person.
There was no need to use magic to silence him.
“I heard you were a box carrier. I also know your combat ability is considerable, and that you previously carried out several operations with special forces.”
It had been needless tension. A hollow laugh escaped me.
It seemed he had worked hard to gather information in his own way, but it was information from far too long ago.
Unaware of my thoughts, he kept talking.
“We need information. Not information handed over by the United States, but information equal to America’s—no, information beyond that. For example, monster samples, black stones, artifacts, things like that. And...”
I raised a hand and stopped him.
“I’m already receiving plenty from the American side.”
“I’m not telling you to cut ties with the Americans. I am simply saying we should sign an additional contract.”
“That would be difficul—”
He did not seem to have any intention of listening to me.
“I also know you are being paid a great deal of money for moving goods. But the more money, the better. Or land would be fine as well. If you wish, you could even become the owner of a large building.”
At his words, spoken with both hands spread wide, I burst out laughing.
“Hahaha. A building, you say...”
“What is so funny?”
He seemed offended by my laughter.
At his sharp words, I shook my head.
“Well, I suppose you couldn’t just freely use artifacts when you’re trying to keep secrets...”
He might be a third-generation chaebol heir, but he was a nobody who did not know the important secrets.
I kindly told the man, whose face was now deeply furrowed,
“If you’re curious why I’m laughing, ask your grandfather.”
If he was the chairman of HS Group, he would have been told that Earth was going to be destroyed.
As I stood up, I said to the two of them,
“One last piece of advice. Most of the people you gathered will die if they go to that planet.”
“What?”
At my words, both their eyes widened.
“The situation has become far worse. A new monster appeared, more people died, and the original base was lost.”
“That’s...”
I said to the third-generation chaebol heir, who wore a troubled expression,
“You’re sending people to a place where they’ll die, but you won’t be able to stop. Ask your grandfather the reason for that as well. Though I doubt you’ll be allowed to hear it.”
Leaving the two of them behind, I went outside the barracks.
I saw civilians passing in front of me.
Seeing them put me in a bad mood.
Then I saw Margreta running toward me.
She rushed over, panting, and waved her hands in front of me.
“We have to leave right now!”
“What?”
What was this out of nowhere...
I had only just arrived. Where were we supposed to go?
“We examined the black stone, and the results were incredible. They’re making a huge fuss, telling us to move it to America immediately. So we have to go to the U.S. military base now.”
I understood the situation.
But I could not understand what that had to do with me.
“Don’t tell me I’m going too?”
“Of course. That was the exchange condition, wasn’t it? They must be burning with impatience. They say they’ll send the artifact right away.”
If that was the case, it was a different story.
“And besides, you have to stop by the armory too. Hurry. We have to take a helicopter.”
Margreta grabbed me and pulled me along.
Dududududu.
The helicopter waiting on the parade ground was already spinning its rotors and ready to take off.
We boarded that helicopter and headed for the U.S. military base in Pyongyang.
The Armory