Chapter 435

〈 Chapter 435 〉 Part 1-18, Episode 17

The Round Table Hero. Saladin.

As a Durability-type Special Ability user with potential to grow up to SS-Rank, he was also the hero of the ‘Round Table’ in the original story. So why is this Saladin inviting Seong-hyung to the location of the Black Bible?

Saladin, the Hero of the Round Table…is actually one of Azidahaka’s monsters?!

‘It’s not entirely impossible.’

From the start, the original story had been twisted. If Penril was doing her thing as Lady Catseye for the past twenty years, it’s reasonable to assume Azidahaka was just as active.

The Round Table members I haven’t encountered yet…maybe some of them became Azidahaka’s monsters when they weren’t needed anymore. But having Saladin himself send this invitation to Jerusalem feels off.

‘This guy’s supposed to be a guardian of holy sites…’


Is this insight from the future or current circumstances? Either way, there’s no reason to avoid it. I stepped in front of Seong-hyung.

“We have something to take care of first. Let’s meet in an hour?”

“An hour? What could possibly take that long?”

“Buying gifts…you know…”

“Garuda.”

At Seong-hyung’s words, Saladin stiffened. How can you argue against someone trying to win your heart with gifts? I adjusted my coat and gestured toward the VIP room.

“Well…if the gentlemen want to enjoy themselves for a bit, that’s fine too. Hwakwon, we’ll be back soon. Saladin-sama will show us a great place.”

“Cheongnyeon-dong? A great place?”

“Changing one’s mind is one thing, but everyone needs to let loose sometimes. Have fun! Oh, here’s a little gift for the road.”

I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out an item, subtly slipping it to Seong-hyung where Saladin couldn’t see.

“Cheongnyeon-dong?!?”

“You’ll need this.”

I patted Seong-hyung’s waist and turned around, feeling Saladin’s piercing gaze on my back. Ignoring it, I returned to the VIP room where Baek Hee-a was waiting.

“So about those mugwort and garlic…Cheongnyeon-dong? What did you leave behind?”

“Saladin might be one of Azidahaka’s monsters.”

“What kind of dog poop logic is that…cough cough.”

“It’s just suspicion. Circumstantial evidence. But what if, by some chance…”

I set up a Barrier in the VIP room. With Salamander guarding Baek Hee-a, nobody would be able to enter.

“This should all wrap up within half a day at most likely. Executioner, please oversee all teams from here.”

Teams A through M, F through P…all thirteen teams would follow the Executioner’s commands. I pulled out a command console from Baek Hee-a’s Magical Gear. The thirteen floating screens showed real-time updates of Blue Wind Sect’s global movements.

“This is…?”

“A system allowing command even without the Baegnaroh. I might have to join the battle directly later.”

“…Directly?”

“Yes. Directly.”

I pulled out the Core from my pocket and formed a Deokbate.

“Guess it’s time to personally stir up this mess?”

It was finally time to detonate the bomb planted in Seong-hyung’s heart.

***

Jerusalem wasn’t far away. Heroes of the Round Table always had their private jets, and Seong-hyung had grown quite friendly with Saladin, exchanging tales of their heroic deeds.

“Haha. I still remember you taking down the Fire Dragon at Seoul Gate back in the Middle East…”

“Too kind. Wasn’t it Saladin who single-handedly defeated an S-Rank monster in Saudi Arabia? The Damascus blade slicing through the monster’s neck…”

Seong-hyung observed Saladin carefully through the lens of suspicion. Despite viewing him as a potential monster, Saladin seemed completely normal. Maybe Phoenix was mistaken?

‘No way.’

What shock would the world feel if a Round Table Hero turned out to be one of Azidahaka’s monsters? Comparing it to Korea, it’d be like discovering Seok Harang has been secretly dating Phoenix.

“Never.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Just…”

Seong-hyung caught himself and straightened up, noticing something sticking out in his outer pocket – the item Phoenix hastily shoved in before leaving.

“What’s that?”

“I’m not sure…”

Should he hide it? Would that make him look suspicious? Seong-hyung glanced at Saladin, who was showing considerable interest in the item.

“Are you curious about this?”

“Of course. If it’s something we shouldn’t bring into the holy site, we should leave it behind.”

“…Understood.”

Swallowing hard, Seong-hyung pulled out a small box-like object. Please don’t let it be a miniature bomb. Trying to hide his anxiety, he revealed a blue-coated metal case in his palm.

“……”

Saladin’s hand hovered over his sword scabbard. With a resigned sigh, Seong-hyung opened the case. Surely it wouldn’t be a bomb…

Plop.

Inside the familiar plastic wrapping was a coin-sized object slightly larger than a five-hundred won piece. Seong-hyung’s face turned bright red as a small paper fell out.

-Contraception!

“……You, sir.”

Saladin chuckled lecherously.

“Wow! Hahaha!”

“……”

Seong-hyung quickly stuffed the paper back into the case and hid it again. Taking a deep breath with his face still flushed, he examined the contents.

“Would it be inappropriate to bring this?”

“Not at all. Hahaha, I was going to suggest it myself. Though Cheongnyeon-dong shows more consideration than I thought. If only I were twenty years younger…”

Saladin wistfully licked his lips. Seong-hyung had much to say but swallowed it all down. His mouth suddenly felt dry, prompting him to look for a drink.

“Perhaps…”

“Please wait. Allow me to offer you a drink. Excuse me, one glass please.”

Saladin snapped his fingers. A stewardess appeared, bowing deeply as she placed a bottle and glass on the table. The glass was already filled with cocktail.

“To our health.”

Saladin raised his glass. Without hesitation, Seong-hyung clinked his glass against Saladin’s. The cocktail tasted sweet like milk.

“Hmm…”

“……?”

Midway through his drink, Seong-hyung noticed something familiar about the stewardess’s face. The woman dressed entirely in black was definitely someone he’d seen before…

“Hmm…”

The stewardess holding the tray shifted it slightly, revealing her nametag to Seong-hyung.

ANG.

“Thank you for accepting our invitation.”

The woman, Ang, bowed politely with a gentle smile. As Seong-hyung hurriedly tried to stand and escape the plane-

Swish.

His vision turned black. Dark mist enveloped his entire body, and his consciousness began fading like after taking a sleeping pill.

“No…can’t…”

Thud.

Seong-hyung collapsed into Ang’s waiting arms.

* * *

At that moment.

Without direct orders from Baek Hee-a, one corner of the N to R Teams – the Karna and Yun Yuhwa duo – moved to Washington following Garura’s earnest request.

In case any unexpected situations arose while things were heating up in Istanbul, Turkey, they relocated from their usual Los Angeles base across the American continent to Washington.

“Garura really shows utmost devotion. She takes all the insults herself but worries about Hwakwon getting insulted because of her.”

“Hmph.”

“Why are you so proud of that? Right now, aren’t you the one receiving the most criticism?”

“They say eating lots of insults leads to longevity. If catching Azidahaka means enduring insults, I can handle it.”

“Now that you mention it, why do you hate Azidahaka so much? It seems deeper than simple dislike.”

“……”

For the first time, Karna avoided answering. Yun Yuhwa, who had been sipping coffee, quickly approached and playfully started poking Karna’s back.

“Tell me. Why do you hate them?”

“Because I dislike…ugh. You’ve gotten really good at finding my weak points since our synchronization.”

Karna grabbed Yun Yuhwa’s wrist and threw him onto the bed. After their synchronization, Yun Yuhwa’s increased magical power made him immune to Karna’s throws.

“There’s no other reason. It’s because of Seongju’s schemes. Our personalities clash from the start. The incompatibility of magical properties isn’t just a saying – we simply don’t get along. There are various reasons, but directly speaking, it’s personality differences.”

“That’s news to me. I’ve never heard anything about Seongju’s schemes or personality conflicts.”

“That’s probably how it should be. There’s no need to tell unnecessary stories. But if I must mention one thing…there you go.”

Karna crossed her arms and frowned.

“Always locking yourself indoors is extremely annoying! Whether it’s spirits or officers, you should be playing in the sunlight instead of hiding in temples like some creepy shut-in.”

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

As someone selling Xroids, Yun Yuhwa knew very well the tendencies of his main customer demographic. While not universal, many key Xroid buyers exhibited the reclusive tendencies Karna described.

“As a Round Table officer, Azidahaka has become even worse. Their method of making friends is horribly misguided. How can anyone call those who are lured with physical favors true friends?”

“That’s true. By that logic, I’d be friends with everyone I’ve sold Xroids to. Wow, I’d have 100 million friends worldwide!”

Yun Yuhwa bitterly laughed and shook his head.

“Still, thanks to that method of making friends, we’ve managed to restore world peace, haven’t we? Hehe.”

“Only assuming Hwakwon’s operation succeeds, of course.”

N to R Teams were currently fully prepared for combat according to Phoenix’s reports. After Seong-hyung received his ticket to the Black Bible, Phoenix immediately activated the Spirit Network to announce the operation.

Eliminating Azidahaka and reclaiming Maamryong – that mission fell solely on Phoenix.

All other spirits and relevant personnel were tasked with handling the potentially numerous Dimensional Gates and rampaging monsters that might appear outside. That was the mission for the Blue Wind Sect and spirits spread across the globe.

“Will this battlefield really unfold as Customer predicted?”

“Most likely. When planning, we always prepare for the worst scenario, right? Who knows? In the worst case, Azidahaka might capture Phoenix. Hehe.”

“…Your words make me worry about Customer.”

“Don’t worry, Gaon. If necessary, we can just stay here and fly over instantly, can’t we?”

Though currently stationed in America, both Karna and Yun Yuhwa could easily cross the Pacific Ocean to the Middle East like light if needed. However, that rarely happened since the Light Attribute duo was responsible for the entire American continent.

“…Still, practically speaking, we’re tied down here. Since our area of responsibility covers the entire continent.”

“That’s true. We should focus on fulfilling our assigned roles…Garura contacted again. She wants us to protect Hwakwon at all costs if anything happens.”

Yun Yuhwa was annoyed by Garura’s almost obsessive messages. Since Phoenix had completely cut off all connections to Hwakwon, Karna and Yun Yuhwa were the only ones Garura could contact. Karna shrugged while drinking syrup-heavy coffee. Because Karna ignored the messages, Garura bombarded Yun Yuhwa with texts instead.

“Why are you so worried? Surely Phoenix wouldn’t use Hwakwon for something inappropriate while knowing about their relationship with Garura? Hehe, that wouldn’t happen.”

“……Customer would totally do that.”

Their opinions split. Karna and Yun Yuhwa calmly sat down to begin a deep discussion.

“No matter what, Hwakwon has become practically Garura’s partner, hasn’t he?”

“You made it seem like Garura’s partner was stolen by you, didn’t you? Don’t you remember Customer’s original plan?”

“Originally it was supposed to be me against Garura. That got replaced when I faced multiple opponents using Garuda.”

“Right. Moreover, didn’t Customer used to hate Hwakwon a lot? If that resentment remains…so…”

Yun Yuhwa lowered his voice.

“…If Customer really makes Hwakwon team up with Azidahaka and offers him as a sacrifice?”

Karna hesitated to answer.

“…Hmm, maybe I should give them a call?”

Just as they thought to check on Seong-hyung out of caution…

<The target is currently out of communication range.>

“……”

The phone call through the Magical Gear failed to connect. Karna and Yun Yuhwa’s expressions darkened.