Chapter 37.
I exited London Heathrow Airport after a long flight.
A drizzle of rain.
They had said it was clear just moments ago, yet rain was falling before I knew it.
I was looking around to find someone when—
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Straight ahead, a sturdy man in a brown suit with a muscular build came into view.
“You are… Chairman Gang’s…?”
“Yes. I am Jo Yeong-hun, the team leader of the London branch.”
Chairman Gang had prepared more than just a passport and plane ticket.
Upon learning that I had business in England, he had dispatched someone from the London branch.
‘He’s been through considerable training.’
The moment I saw him, I could tell.
That he was a warrior who had trained as if in real combat.
Well, with Chairman Gang’s meticulous personality, he would never attach deadweight.
“And welcome to you as well, Jeong Do-hwan-ssi.”
To Jeong Do-hwan, who stood at my left, he bowed politely as well.
“Pleased to meet you.”
He bowed with a mechanical voice utterly devoid of emotional inflection.
I hadn’t come on this trip alone.
Black Moon was no ordinary organization.
Thus, I couldn’t help but take every precaution, and for me, that meant Jeong Do-hwan had to come along as a comrade.
‘It would have helped if Yeong-ung or Seong Ye-il had awakened.’
Unfortunately, neither of them had awakened their traits yet.
Nothing to be done about it.
Everyone awakened to their traits on different dates.
It was not as if they would awaken faster just because I rushed them.
Still, it was reassuring to have the Sajon with me.
‘Come to think of it, that’s two of the Ten Lords.’
Gangjon and Sajon.
With two of the ten strongest humans gathered, what was there to fear?
“I shall guide you.”
The man who had introduced himself as Jo Yeong-hun led us.
Vroom!
We got into a limousine parked in front of the airport and set off.
Our destination was Manchester, roughly 270 kilometers away.
‘A friend I haven’t seen in a long time—or is it not that long?’
Thinking about it, it only felt that way because of the regression; going by the calendar, it had not been long at all.
A month at most?
Yet for some reason, my heart was pounding.
‘William.’
The one who had been called the Sword Saint.
One of the survivors who had lived until the very end.
And my oldest comrade who had made it through the apocalypse.
A meeting with him that I had originally pushed back had now drawn much closer.
***
Farmland on the outskirts of Manchester.
In the center of an expanse of farmland entirely unlike anything in Korea sat a somewhat shabby house.
“The documents you requested.”
Inside the sedan driving across the vast farm, Jo Yeong-hun handed me several sheets of paper.
They were densely packed with information about the farm’s owners, the Adams family, which I had requested just before boarding the plane.
I skimmed through several pages.
“….”
My gaze settled on the final page.
『William Adams』
Enclosed with the name was a photograph.
‘He’s young.’
He looked quite different from the William I had seen in his final moments.
He was young, yes, but also freckled, somehow like an innocent country youth.
The face of William I had recalled from that final moment was nothing like this now.
Innocent my ass.
He had possessed a sharp impression, as if looking at a well-forged sword.
To think that in his youth, the guy had been so innocent.
‘The apocalypse ruined him.’
What affects one’s appearance is not just innate traits or the passage of time alone.
Having endured the hell called the apocalypse, his impression had naturally changed too.
Perhaps it was a kind of evolution to adapt to a new environment.
‘But what kind of face did I have back then?’
I do not know.
Because I had never once looked at my own reflection.
Perhaps I had looked completely different from now, just like William.
“Are the materials sufficient?”
A voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“Yes. This is enough.”
With that answer, no further conversation followed.
And there was a reason for that.
‘One of them has so little emotion he would mistake a corpse for his brother, and the other is a warrior trained to have emotions excluded.’
This was not something I could fix by carrying the conversation alone.
The best move was to just go with the flow and keep my mouth shut.
The time that passed in that silence—
Screech.
—ended when the sedan came to a halt.
“We’ve arrived at the destination.”
He got out first, opened the door, and escorted us.
“….”
Pausing briefly, I looked around.
‘My hometown? Of course I miss it. I complained that it was countrified many times, but that place was a sanctuary for my heart. The gently blowing wind, the wide-open fields…’
Unfortunately, since it was winter at the end of November, I could not see the magnificent scenery William had spoken of.
‘It certainly is a peaceful place.’
I could immediately understand why he had said such things.
It was truly a quiet and peaceful place, as if walking down a country trail.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Jo Yeong-hun asked if I needed anything as I stood there.
His expression made it clear he wanted to help further, but—
“I’m fine. I think you may return now.”
“…Is that so?”
He seemed ambitious, but he needed to know when to step in and when to step back.
No matter how specially trained a warrior was, in this field he was powerless.
“If you contact me anytime, I’ll come running. Then.”
After a final greeting, he left down the country road with the sedan.
Thud, thud.
Jeong Do-hwan and I walked side by side.
The time was 12:30.
Judging by the smoke rising from the chimney, they seemed to be preparing lunch.
A harmonious mealtime.
Depending on how one looked at it, this could be rude, but—
Creak—
I did not hesitate to open the door.
‘Time is of the essence.’
A newly awakened one expected to possess a trait similar to Foresight.
As long as he was around, future powerhouses like William could be threatened at any time.
Of course, he probably could not see through everything, but there was no guarantee that another case like Jeong Do-hwan would not appear.
‘I must save those who can be of the greatest help to me, and to humanity’s survival.’
If I did not hurry, they might instead be recruited by Black Moon and become a calamity upon humanity.
“Hello.”
I opened the door and carefully spoke.
“…Hmm?”
The first to react was not the people inside, but Jeong Do-hwan.
“You know English?”
Because fluent English had come out of my mouth.
And not general American English, but native British English at that.
“It’s nothing special.”
It really was nothing special.
Anyone who had experienced the apocalypse could not help but acquire the languages of various countries.
In the first place, only with communication could one distinguish between enemies and allies, so survivors went to great lengths to acquire languages.
Of course, I was included among them.
“…Who are you?”
The one who cautiously revealed himself at the unfamiliar visitor.
‘William!’
It was William.
Not the blade-sharp William from before the regression, but the innocent country youth from the photo.
I wanted to run up and hug him out of joy, but doing so would obviously get me reported to the police.
And there was something I had to check first.
“….”
Through the lens, I stared intently at William and his family behind him.
You never know.
There might be an awakened one with a disguise trait here, or Black Moon might have set up camp.
‘No.’
The lens’s ability to reveal what could not be seen had activated, but fortunately, there were no traces of disguise.
Thank goodness.
I was not too late.
Only then could I feel at ease.
“Um…”
“Pleased to meet you.”
I offered a handshake to the hesitant William.
“Uh, uh…?”
The flustered guy stepped back.
It was only natural he would be surprised when an Asian person suddenly approached him out of nowhere.
“Ah, excuse me. I’ve grown so hungry during my travels.”
An excuse I had thought up in a hurry.
But it was not entirely made up.
I had not eaten anything separately during the fourteen-hour flight.
The same went for Jeong Do-hwan.
“It looks like you are preparing lunch. If it would not be rude, may we join you for a meal?”
That was not directed at William.
It was a question directed at his parents and family sitting at the table beyond him.
“…Please come in.”
A middle-aged man with blond hair.
He was clearly William’s father no matter how you looked at him, and he readily permitted us.
“Thank you.”
I expressed my gratitude and moved to the table.
“Hahaha. I am sorry to intrude on your pleasant meal. I am simply so hungry.”
I cracked jokes while looking around.
Next to the robust, blond middle-aged man who looked born to be a farmer sat a middle-aged woman with long hair tied up, subtly tinged with red.
William’s parents, Oliver and Emilia.
And their children: the eldest son William, the second son Oscar, and the youngest, Milla.
The two sons took after their father with blond hair, while the youngest and only daughter, Milla, took after Emilia with a subtle red hue.
‘Family. The family William cherished.’
Having spent a long time with him, I had had many chances to talk with William.
The guy would chatter endlessly about his parents, siblings, and younger sister Milla whenever he had the chance.
His words sounded happy, but his eyes were steeped in sadness; he had lived carrying guilt for failing to protect his family.
He seemed a bit uncomfortable at the appearance of an uninvited guest, but right now he looked incomparably happy.
‘I’m sorry.’
That was why I apologized in advance.
Because I had to drag him into the mud.
But this was not a matter of choice.
If he did not lend his strength, he would not be able to protect this current happiness.
“Here, have some.”
The meat stew Emilia ladled out was placed before me.
“Let me know if you need more.”
A warm smile without pretense.
I nodded at that somehow heartwarming smile and took a heaping spoonful of the meat stew.
It was true that England was infamous for its terrible food, but—
“It’s delicious.”
There was not a hint of a lie in those words.
This stew, simmered with vegetables, meat, and chicken stock, was the most delicious food I had ever eaten.
“You said you are traveling? But how do you speak English so well?”
Despite the visit of unfamiliar Asians, Emilia did not neglect her efforts to avoid showing discomfort.
“Ah, that’s because…”
And thanks to her consideration, what could have been an awkward time was gradually turning into a warm, harmonious meal.
***
It was while I was drinking the black tea Emilia had brought out.
“I have something to discuss with these gentlemen for a moment; could you all give us some space?”
At Oliver’s sudden words.
“….”
Without a word, the entire family left their seats.
Just by looking at that, one could immediately tell how trusted a father he was.
However.
‘Hmm.’
I had felt it since earlier, but Oliver’s gaze was strange.
How should I put it… an extremely guarded feeling for someone dealing with unfamiliar visitors?
“The purpose of your visit… it’s because of me, isn’t it?”
“…Yes?”
What was he talking about now?
My purpose is not you, but William.
“There’s no use playing dumb. You, and you too, must have awakened to mysterious powers.”
And the next moment.
Fwoosh!
Oliver revealed a tremendous muscular physique impossible to think of as that of an ordinary human.