What just flew up from below?
Cheon Yuha, flustered, observed the direction the object had flown.
But nothing could be seen.
What was certain was that Igeon had just sent it flying.
And from that fathomless bottom all the way up to the rooftop.
So he was stunned, but the culprit himself shouted nonchalantly.
"Was that your friend you were with?"
"!"
Igeon shouted from below as if it were bothersome.
No matter what, flinging your nephew's friend seemed a bit heartless.
At least he seemed to have that much conscience.
"Couldn't hear well because of the barrier, but didn't you two have some conversation?"
At those words, Cheon Yuha was bewildered.
After all, given where Igeon was located.
He heard the conversation on the roof from that distant bottom?
'Just how developed are his physical senses?'
So he was astonished, but Igeon spoke.
"Anyway, I didn't fling your friend, did I? That would be something to apologize for."
Then Cheon Yuha blinked indifferently.
"Oh. Not a friend. It's fine."
"Yeah? That's a relief. But Yuha."
"Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
"!"
At his uncle's words, Cheon Yuha flinched.
After all, Igeon was supposed to come to the Blue House alone.
And Cheon Yuha had secretly followed Igeon there.
Of course, Seongjae had asked earlier if they could go to the meeting place together, but Igeon had refused, telling both to just watch the house.
The reason was that no matter what, he couldn't take his nephews to a place under Ssangajwa's magic.
Ssangajwa's magic was something even Igeon had to be wary of.
He was likely worried that even a small spark might fall on his adorable nephews.
Of course, the real big reason was not that.
'Because I'm not going to have a conversation.'
What uncle heading off to cause mayhem would invite his nephews to watch him beat people to a pulp?
It was bad for their education.
So honestly he was surprised.
'How did she learn to hide her presence like a wild animal?'
If Yuha hadn't had any conversation with the girl who flew away, Igeon would have never noticed.
In the end, Cheon Yuha swiveled his eyes and slyly turned his body.
And just as he was about to crawl away in another direction, Igeon gave a bemused smile.
"Don't even think about running. Come down right now?"
Sweat trickling, Cheon Yuha jumped down through the hole as if resigned.
Shwik!
A landing so perfect that even the sound of falling was barely audible.
As he descended, showing off the physical prowess of the Battle Deity Seat, the meeting hall came into view.
The desk and door had long been smashed apart, and a third of the politicians lay foaming at the mouth in a faint.
Even the Japanese government side was slumped on the floor, trembling.
Their gazes were fixed on the punctured ceiling above.
It had to be because of whatever Igeon had sent flying.
So he asked.
"Uncle, what did you just fling..."
"He, Lady Heiji!"
"...Don't tell me you flung a sage?"
At that question, Igeon clicked his tongue.
He also rubbed one shoulder for good measure.
"The brat tried to summon the heroic spirit. Annoying."
Cheon Yuha thought it made sense.
As if the power of a stellar deity wasn't enough, they even had heroic spirits to summon.
Ssangajwa, with its dual personalities, was a tricky deity whose energy didn't easily bottom out.
The reason was simple.
Gemini. Ssangajwa initiates awakened to magic through the power of summoned heroic spirits, but they didn't usually use those powers daily.
Normally they mainly used the power of the stellar deity, and when using the awakening ability called
'Moreover, the heroic spirit of Ssangajwa's sage is the Fairy King.'
Among all the heroic spirits summoned through resonance, it was the mightiest existence.
In rank, it was at the stellar deity level.
That meant the Ssangajwa sage effectively had two stellar deities in tow.
Igeon had good reason to be annoyed.
But.
"Ah, that Fairy King brat. Every chance it gets it tries to stuff me with things humans can't even eat, or gives useless stuff driving people crazy."
At those words, Cheon Yuha flinched.
What. That.
Was he interested?
"Anyway, I did give it some mental reorientation later..."
Suddenly Igeon cocked his head.
"Yuha? Why are you suddenly looking up the Fairy King?"
"Thought I should know."
Cheon Yuha's eyes glinted with an oddly grim light.
That's when it happened.
With the sage sent flying, the politicians were in a state of panic.
Their gazes wouldn't fall from the punctured ceiling.
"S-Sent a sage flying!"
"I-Is that really? That Igeon?"
They felt as if everything they'd believed in had been denied.
But it didn't end there.
"Lady Heiji!"
A young man who had entered belatedly looked up at the ceiling in shock.
He was a Korean government official.
The man staggered, wondering how such a thing could happen, but immediately realized his duty.
As proof, he glared at Igeon.
"Just what have you done to the sage...!"
But it was Igeon looking at the man who grinned brightly.
"It's you, isn't it?"
"What?"
Igeon's eyes turned menacing as they fixed on the man.
"The brat I talked to on the phone this morning. That's you, right?"
"What? What are you talking abou..."
The man was dumbfounded, but Igeon smiled with certainty.
"Hearing your voice, it's you. The brat who called me this morning and made a fuss about not being able to return my property."
".....?!"
Now the man seemed to realize. That voice he'd heard when he called Hyugo to say he couldn't return Igeon's property—it was definitely that voice!
At the same time, as he looked around in confusion, his aides were signaling him, 'Igeon! Igeon!'
Then the man's face went pale. But whether the man was surprised or not, Igeon smiled grimly.
"What? My property is owned by the Japanese government?"
"Excuse me? N-No...!"
"And are you saying the Star Palace Seat is so poor you're laying hands on Mr. Igeon's things?"
"...No, that's not...!"
"Just because you've got a hole in your face you think you can spout any crap and toss it anywhere. You're dead."
"Aaargh! I'm sorr... Po... Aaargh!"
Hardly had the words left his mouth when Igeon threw a punch.
"Apologize to my friend. And hand over my stuff! Brat!"
"Hurk! I'll apologize! I'll hand over the stuff! I'll hand it over. Aaargh!"
Blood burst, teeth flew.
The officials could only watch the scene, trembling.
Twenty years ago. It was a sight that made them understand why the past government had said whenever Igeon appeared, just evacuate first without further questions or demands.
'They said you can't reason with Igeon anyway...!'
"Aaargh!"
Finally, after Igeon had dealt with the officials and shaken down various items.
"Now then."
Igeon looked at the Ssangajwa sage who had fallen from the ceiling.
And as Igeon smiled grimly at her, Choe Seonghyeok was aghast.
"Mr. Igeon! Please wait! That person is...!"
At the same time, the fallen Ssangajwa sage's eyes blazed.
And she rushed at Igeon as if she would kill him.
"!"
Was she going for Igeon's neck?
'Yes, as expected of a sage.'
Just as hopeful smiles finally bloomed on the officials' faces.
"I have committed a crime deserving death! Mr. Igeon!"
The Ssangajwa sage dropped to her knees. She even planted her head on the ground.
Everyone was shocked at the sight.
"Lady Heiji?!"
But the shock was short-lived; something even more surprising occurred.
Ssangajwa's appearance transformed into that of someone else.
And a young woman cried out urgently.
"Mr. Igeon! Please spare me! I am not the Star Lord! The sage couldn't be found no matter how much we searched, so I'm only here as a proxy!"
"......!"
Choe Seonghyeok pressed his forehead as if looking at a fool.
That was it.
She was in fact a cousin of Ssangajwa's sage Heiji.
Because Ssangajwa had gone missing, they had put forward a substitute.
"The Star Lord has been missing ever since you returned, Mr. Igeon! If anything, we're at the point of asking whether you did something!"
"Th-The sage is missing?"
At the officials' reaction, Choe Seonghyeok clicked his tongue.
Of course, it was true that Ssangajwa's sage had disappeared with Igeon's arrival.
Naturally, she had left behind the Fairy King's heroic spirit as her proxy...
So he'd half-wondered if she was wandering the world using some possession spell as usual, but...
'The sanctuary was utterly ravaged and she still didn't appear.'
So they apparently put forward a substitute, but even so, really!
She just revealed her identity on her own!
'She's just telegraphing Ssangajwa's current situation.'
It was the worst.
It was like advertising to foreign forces that the security within the sacred territory was empty.
As expected.
The journalists who had flocked upon hearing Igeon had surfaced began to stir.
Igeon's rampage was one thing, but what?
"Th-The Ssangajwa sage is a fake?"
"A fake just entered the international conference? Deceiving the government?"
Choe Seonghyeok glared at Heiji's relative.
Of course, this side hadn't intended to reveal their identity from the start either.
Who would want to leak the weakness that the sage was absent?
But.
'Who said Igeon was weak!'
It really felt like Igeon would kill her if she didn't reveal her identity.
"Anyway! I'm not Lady Heiji! The Star Lord left only her heroic spirit and disappeared, so I'm only here as a substitute, the best at mimicking her skills...!"
"Yeah. I know."
"Excuse me?"
Igeon smiled as if asking what verbose nonsense she'd been going on about since earlier.
"I knew you weren't that crazy one from the moment I first saw you."
"......!"
Choe Seonghyeok and the relative were dumbstruck.
It was the most stupefied expression they'd worn yet.
Even though she even had the Fairy King's heroic spirit.
"A transformation spell capable of fooling even divine seat devotees...!"
She'd rented it at great expense from the Pisces constellation, no less.
But Igeon smirked as if wondering what she was saying.
He wasn't a craftsman who made detailed works for nothing.
"To my eyes, the face and bone structure are completely different?"
"Uh, uhh? Th-Then..."
"So what?"
"Pardon? No, since she's not the sage..."
"I know she's not. But still, die."
"Excuse me?!"
"Why. She's your relative, isn't she. The crime of being badly related."
Hardly had the words left his mouth when screams echoed.
[Acquired Shinjwa experience]
[Data acquired]
[Fairy King can be captured]
[The Fairy King screams and tries to flee]
And as the situation unfolded that way, the politicians turned pale and froze stiff.
After all, only then did they grasp the situation.
The Ssangajwa sage who would protect them did not exist.
Was that all?
'The sage isn't the problem.'
'He just sent her relative flying too...!'
Even if she wasn't a sage, she should be a sacred hall captain level!
And just then, Igeon turned his head.
At that face, the politicians were stricken with terror.
They were going to die.
That was the only thought in their minds.
As expected.
"We'll return it!"
"We'll scrape together all our assets and repay the principal, no, even the interest!"
"What are you saying. You think I'd trust your slippery tongues? You have to cough up compensation too!"
"Gurk!"
Igeon mercilessly threw punches. Once, the politicians who betrayed him were ground to dust by his hand.
"P-Please, mercy... Khk!!"
At the relentless rampage, Choe Seonghyeok froze.
'Madman.'
It was clear Igeon paid no mind to the gathered journalists.
* * *
The world was in shock in a different sense.
But the very person who had shocked the world was perfectly calm.
"Good. For now, I've found what I needed to retrieve."
At a nearby brunch cafe.
Igeon gazed happily at the box he had pried from his asset manager.
Inside the storage box were an old comic book, an ID, and a safe key.
'The important things must be in the safe.'
And Cheon Yuha was staring vacantly at that uncle of his.
Igeon, who had properly secured not only his assets but even compensation from Japan, was indeed amazing.
But regardless, Igeon unfolded the menu.
"I'll buy you dinner tonight. Seongjae, what do you like?"
"Ah, anything but hamburgers is fine for me."
Well, there were middle-schoolers who disliked hamburgers, but it didn't matter either way.
"Good. Seongjae, pepperoni pizza... Yuha, what do you want to eat?"
"Uncle."
"...Kaff! Koff!"
Igeon, who was drinking water, nearly choked to death.
"Yuha, you...!"
"Ahh, no, that's not what I meant! I meant what uncle likes to eat!"
Rarely flustered, Igeon heaved a deep sigh of relief.
Soon, Cheon Yuha asked worriedly. It was because Igeon was said to be looking for something specific.
"What if the Ssangajwa sage is missing? You said the thing you're looking for is with the Ssangajwa sage..."
At those words, Igeon looked at Cheon Seongjae. It was because he had separately tasked Seongjae with something.
"Ah, I did manage to locate my sister and the Ssangajwa sage, but it's a bit strange."
"Strange?"
"Yes. Her body is in Japan, but her soul was detected in Korea."
Cheon Seongjae gulped.
"Uncle. This could be pretty dangerous. She might be secretly targeting you in Korea..."
"No, it's not that."
"!"
Igeon was quite intrigued.
The fact that Ssangajwa wasn't showing itself meant there was a high probability it was trapped somewhere and couldn't get out.
He had become even more certain after seeing the behavior of their subordinates at the Blue House.
But at those words, Cheon Seongjae was bewildered.
"Trapped? Where on earth..."
But that's when it happened.
As if struck by something, Igeon rose from his seat.
"Seongjae."
"Yeah?"
"Let's go to your house real quick."
"Huh?"
(Continued in the next episode)