◈ Episode 497. The Noble Ones (2)
AAU Korean Branch.
“Huh.”
Branch Director Park Minjae’s eyebrows twitched.
No, this wasn’t the kind of person who would say something so pointless.
What was this out of nowhere?
The Gaon Building had become their guild house?
“……
Are they making fun of a salaryman?”
Well, he had heard the news not long ago.
Something about Gaon buying an entire fifty-story building.
Since they had swollen nearly threefold in size as a massive alliance,
it was an understandable expansion of power.
“Still, I’m jealous. Even from here, it looks awfully grand.”
Just as Park Minjae muttered to himself in a sullen tone,
the phone rang this time.
Only a few words had been exchanged before Park Minjae’s complexion changed.
“Th-that’s true? Even a system message?!”
The guild house from the text wasn’t an ordinary guild house.
In other words, that building visible beyond the window right now.
It meant Arcana’s system was being applied to the Gaon Building!
On top of that.
“A siege war has begun? Please wait, I’ll write everything down!”
The moment Park Minjae started taking notes with a ballpoint pen.
Crash!
This time, the door to the branch director’s office burst open.
“What’s with all of you, all of a sudden?”
“B-Branch Director! An emergency update has appeared!”
“Emergency update? Cheolmin, one moment!”
At the details of that update, Park Minjae unconsciously clenched his fist.
──────The Land of Anomalies, Seoul, is coming to you.
From now on, the color of Arcana will be overlaid upon Seoul.
From now on, all guild systems will be activated…….
──────
So that was how it turned out, Raymond Sean.
He had only read three lines.
Yet Park Minjae’s voice sank, and he regained his composure.
“Cheolmin, I’m not sure whether you’re aware, but just now, an emergency update was posted. It says that the color of Arcana has been overlaid upon Seoul, and as a result, all guild systems have been activated.”
-All guild systems……. That makes sense.
“Indeed. There are many guild branches in Seoul.”
If judged purely by his qualities as an analyst,
Nam Cheolmin was among the very best in the entire world.
He understood the situation at once.
-Since the rules of the vast Arcana Continent are being applied, Seoul is extremely cramped. It means there can’t be this many guild houses in one region.
Park Minjae nodded.
“This is troublesome.”
The guilds had maintained a peace of sorts under the Holy War Alliance. However, the contents of this emergency update seemed to be blatantly encouraging those guilds to break apart.
On top of that.
“It seems this matter doesn’t only involve players.”
The branch director hotline.
Normally, the virtual meeting room would have been ringing dozens, hundreds of times, but it was quiet. What that meant was simple. Over the rapidly changing Seoul, the AAU branches of every country, and the nations themselves, were all harboring complicated thoughts.
“……
Raymond Sean.”
He knew it wasn’t that bastard’s doing. It wasn’t a regular update, merely the influence of the Arcana Continent seeping a little deeper into reality in accordance with the natural order.
However.
‘Even in the update details, you’re clearly enjoying yourself.’
Just as Park Minjae scanned the update details with a displeased gaze.
Wait a minute…….
Suddenly, one line of the patch notes caught his eye.
──────From now on, all territory systems will be activated.
──────
……
The activation of all territory systems?
“Oh, no.”
He could easily predict the ripple effect. Because there were lands in reality where Arcana’s territory system was valid. Frost, the Yusra Kingdom, the Holy Land Muon, and so on…….
Park Minjae flinched.
“Wait, then our AAU too……?”
Park Minjae’s guess was correct.
Information was being relayed through players outside.
Park Minjae checked the smartphone an employee held out to him.
-Is this for real?? I’m not seeing things, right?
-You get an entry message just by going into a convenience store?
-What the hell lol. Then are convenience stores selling items from now on?
-No way, that can’t be it;;;
-Holy shit, then does Seoul get a lord too?
“……!”
A lord.
It was highly likely to be activated.
No, it would be stranger if it wasn’t.
Sweat suddenly welled up from every pore of his body.
Because an ominous thought came to mind.
‘……
In Arcana, everything changes with a single word from a lord.’
Back when Arcana was merely a game.
The reason players had risked their lives for territories?
Because becoming a lord meant enjoying tremendous power. From taxes to punishment, even the mustering of troops. Whatever the lord said became law within that territory.
‘If a player becomes the lord of Seoul.’
It meant ten million Seoul citizens would be swayed by a single word from that player. That would include us, the AAU Korean Branch. Nam Cheolmin, who had been silently listening to Park Minjae, answered.
-You can imagine it, can’t you, Branch Director Park?
“……
Don’t tell me you expected this as well, Cheolmin?”
-It’s sudden, but I was prepared for it.
Park Minjae flinched.
‘Should I be relieved? No, I don’t know yet.’
Nam Cheolmin.
He knew full well that he wasn’t an opportunistic person, but the situation was what it was. As branch director, Park Minjae maintained his vigilance. Even so, he couldn’t help but be shocked again by the words that followed.
-From the moment Seoul became the Land of Anomalies, I thought about it. We discussed it together. And thanks to that, we were able to prepare the only method that can resolve this situation.
……
Gulp.
“May I dare ask what it is?”
The moment Park Minjae swallowed dryly, the answer followed.
“Y-yes, what?! He declared himself the master of Seoul……!!”
His confusion lasted only a moment.
Having overheard Park Minjae’s words,
the AAU employees began whispering among themselves.
“The master of S-Seoul?”
“Who? Since it’s Nam Cheolmin, is it his younger brother Nam Taemin?”
“No, I’m a little uneasy about entrusting our lives to him……!”
For now, Park Minjae calmed himself and covered his mouth with his hand.
‘……
I see.’
The sweat soaking even his spine seemed to cool refreshingly.
The arm that had not bent even for Nam Cheolmin had bent properly.
Park Minjae’s relief at this moment
was because he had come face to face
with the best possible method that could be conceived at present.
After steadying his breathing, Park Minjae opened his mouth.
“The master of Seoul. We will join that plan as well.”
*
Following strict procedures.
Only after I had finished mourning Yggweed could I slowly retrace the cause of the situation. Well, depending on circumstances, one could miss an appointment.
‘But everyone being absent is a bit strange.’
Something must have happened, without a doubt.
Thinking that, I checked the exploration of anomalies……. In other words, my smartphone. Then I saw them. Dozens of messages, and the newly posted emergency update details.
I calmly gave my impression.
“The color of the Arcana Continent, is it?”
As expected of the brain of the Giant Alliance.
The situation was unfolding just as Nam Cheolmin had predicted. Though I hadn’t expected it to be this full-scale. I murmured to those standing guard over the memorial space.
“Yggweed, only now do I fully understand your heart.”
Grandfel’s manner of speech was growing more abstruse by the day.
How bad was it?
Even Marcelo couldn’t understand it at once and tilted his head.
Of course, there was no further explanation.
This time too, I added in Grandfel’s style of speech.
“The Magic Tower no longer needs to stand alone in solitude.”
“……!”
At that, Marcelo’s eyes flashed.
“Seoul. A change has occurred in this city of adventurers, hasn’t it, sir?”
……
How did you understand that nonsense, Marcelo?
I—Grandfel—had simply jumped to a conclusion as he pleased.
Because the Magic Tower of the Arcana Continent, standing alone in reality, looked lonely. Therefore, Yggweed must have overlaid the color of the Arcana Continent upon reality for the Magic Tower’s sake.
If you hang it on an ear, it’s an earring; if you hang it on a nose, it’s a nose ring.
I had only roughly interpreted it and forced it to fit…….
I answered shamelessly.
“That is so.”
Anyway, thank you, Marcelo.
Thanks to you, I can get straight to the point. I declared to Marcelo, the senior mages, and the Holy War Alliance forces that had crossed over from the Arcana Continent.
“On this land, Seoul, Arcana’s laws are currently being applied.”
“……!!!”
“In other words.”
I summarized the key point in a single line.
“Whoever becomes the master of Seoul will grasp everything in Seoul.”
Now, let’s start reading the room, Hoyeol.
‘Because I’ll have to say it soon.’
The declaration that I would become the master of Seoul, which was just unbelievably arrogant no matter how you heard it……! I, Lee Hoyeol. In a situation like this, I had no choice but to rationalize as much as possible.
‘……
I really don’t want to admit it either.’
But other than Grandfel, there was no one I could entrust Seoul to. There were reliable allies like Marcelo and Harkon, but that was only a story on the Arcana Continent.
Entrusting them with Seoul was literally a story from another world.
‘Even yesterday, I was watching people’s reactions while saying it.’
The situation was different from yesterday, when I had said it at most in front of my parents, my second older sister, and the Nam brothers. The great figures said to be the best of the best on the Arcana Continent were all waiting for my lips to part.
Was that why?
My attire, already neat as it was,
was straightened once more.
Finally, I steadied my breathing…….
“Sir, forgive us.”
……
Huh?
‘I haven’t said anything yet.’
Suddenly, Marcelo bowed his head.
Since he could even interpret Grandfel’s manner of speech,
did that mean he could now predict what I was about to say?
So he was refusing in advance?
Wasn’t becoming the master of Seoul still crossing the line, no matter what……?
It was the moment Lee Hoyeol’s delusions flared up.
“For our weakness, which leaves us no choice but to rely on you.”
……
What, so that was it?
‘I was completely mistaken.’
That’s right.
I had only hinted at it, but everyone seemed to have guessed. Beginning with Marcelo, they bowed their heads to me. Without hesitation, I spoke to them.
“Present weakness is not a problem.”
“……?”
“What matters is upright pride that allows one to move forward.”
Somehow, there was a barb in those words, Grandfel. Each may have had their own reasons, but they were clearly words aimed at those who were absent from Yggweed’s funeral. I muttered inwardly.
‘Please keep the grudge-holding in moderation, Grandfel.’
As the Nam brothers said,
the cooperation of the players is important, you know?!
I was in the middle of subtly coaxing Grandfel,
who was clearly deeply sulking.
“We’re sorry!!”
A large silhouette entered along with a booming voice.
“We ended up late due to circumstances.”
Nam Taemin.
And Hisagi, Leonie.
It was the Giant Alliance.
The three guild masters of the Giant Alliance had even matched in black attire and completed the offering of flowers for Yggweed. As I watched them, the contents of the text message belatedly passed through my mind.
‘……
Didn’t it say a competitive quest had started?’
I thought I had seen a message from Nam Cheolmin saying they had become trapped in the guild house because a siege war had begun……? At any rate, it seemed our Lord Grandfel had matured a little too.
“It must not have been an easy path.”
He even knew how to offer a warm greeting.
Well, what did the appointment time matter?
What mattered was the heart mourning Yggweed.
Nam Taemin answered sheepishly.
“To be honest, it wasn’t easy, Commander-in-Chief.”
If Nam Taemin was saying something like this, there was definitely something going on. I quietly listened to him. And soon, I cried out in shock inwardly……!
‘No, no matter what.’
Their guild house.
In other words, that splendid Gaon Building.
They had come here prepared to give that up……?!
‘They really brought all their guild members too.’
It meant they had left the guild house literally empty.
What if an opposing guild attacked the building while they were gone?
Why, even the Bohemian Guild, which was closest to the Gaon Building,
had power that couldn’t be overlooked.
‘Do you know how much land in Seoul costs?’
Elder Mage Yggweed.
This, somehow,
you might end up receiving the most expensive condolence money in the world……?
‘Honestly, if only he were just a little less strict about appointment times.’
It was the moment I felt unnecessary guilt.
Apparently, this wasn’t the end.
To be precise, it seemed to be only the beginning.
“Pardon our intrusion.”
Was this what they meant when they said speak of the tiger and it appears?
Soon, the one who showed himself was
Bohemian’s guild master, Guyver.
Following behind him,
the guild masters of ranked guilds that had established branches in Seoul appeared one after another in the Magic Tower. Named players, including Jesse Heinness, were no exception.
What that meant was simple.
The guild masters with branches in Seoul.
All of them had come to the Magic Tower prepared to give up their guild houses.
The competitive quest.
The siege war had never even begun.
“I see you in a new light, Mr. Guyver.”
“That’s my line, Hisagi.”
“Stop striking poses, both of you, and greet him properly first.”
As a bonus, they had even been able to confirm one another’s pride.
“Are you watching, Elder Mage Yggweed?”
Through my lips, Grandfel’s evaluation fell.
“What a truly noble sight.”
*
Camilla spoke toward the firmly shut door.
“Then I’ll go to the Magic Tower, at least. Roks.”
“Sorry, I’m counting on you.”
“Mm.”
And so.
For the fourth day already.
Camilla was unable to see Roks’s face again today.
…
[※Warning: Mental Strength is too low.]