Chapter 607

〈 Chapter 607 〉 Part 2, Chapter 2, 02

“This is Puppet A. The suspected target is moving together with Yangki.”

“This is Puppet B. Confirmed…wearing a school uniform. Please identify.”

“This is Puppet C. Translation complete, Kim Nori. Presumed to be the younger sister. Entering the main gate together with Yangki.”

“…Her younger sister is this small too? Are Eastern people naturally this tiny?”

“Poor thing.”

They had just missed Undine right in front of their eyes.

* * *

Princess Snowflower!! Please look over here!!

What brings you to New Seoul so often these days?!

Could it be that you’re participating in the Seoul Recovery Operation?!

The moment Seok Harang stepped out of the car, her head spun from the countless cries of the crowd. Though an enlarged chest doesn’t necessarily enhance hearing, the voices of the people pierced Seok Harang like fine needles.

‘Is it really such a problem for Korean people to visit their nation’s capital?’

Even if she was the country’s sole S-Rank hero, it was only natural for her to make personal visits to New Seoul sometimes.

Of course, she did insert photo shoots, A-Rank monster extermination missions, lectures, and other events as cover-ups to hide her original purpose, but her visits to New Seoul were entirely devoid of political intent.

Finally chasing away Light Blade and becoming the top hero of Hell Joseon?

I heard Sun Icheol’s nephew gets along well with her… Could it be that they’re getting married?

Why does she keep coming up from Busan? Could she be trying to conquer New Seoul?

“…….”

Seok Harang strode forward boldly. No matter what people said, she was merely doing her own work.

“Thank you for coming, Princess Snowflower.”

“It’s been a while, President.”

Gray-haired woman who greeted Seok Harang at the entrance, the president of the Korean Hero Association <Nightmare> Seol Ji-young, bowed deeply to welcome Seok Harang.

“Let’s go inside first. There are many prying eyes.”

“Yes. It would be quite awkward to have a conversation out here.”

Following Seol Ji-young’s guidance, Seok Harang entered the building. No matter how curious people might be about Seok Harang’s appearance, there was no one brave enough to chase her all the way into the Hero Association’s building.

The two walked silently down the corridor and soon sat face-to-face in a meeting room resembling a private chamber. Seol Ji-young opened the discussion.

“…The results of the last examination are out. It would be best if you saw them yourself.”

As Seol Ji-young manipulated the magical gear, a holographic screen appeared in front of Seok Harang, displaying the detailed results of her magic power examination.

“97.”

A smile involuntarily crept onto Seok Harang’s lips at the small number next to her name. After extensive research revealed the boundary between S and SS Ranks, Seok Harang had achieved an SS Rank, scoring a full point higher.

“When do you think would be the best time to reveal this to the public, Princess Snowflower?”

“After I’ve become more adept at controlling my SS-Rank magic power.”

“That’s a good decision. We wouldn’t want to rashly act and attract the attention of a certain mass murderer.”

Seol Ji-young shuddered after mentioning the nickname “mass murderer” herself. That nickname was truly unsettling.

“So, Princess Snowflower, what triggered your sudden growth in magic power?”

“I already told you last time. Thanks to regular living habits, I woke up one day and suddenly found myself at SS-Rank.”

“…I still find it hard to believe. After all, traditionally, a hero awakens when faced with a life-or-death situation and unleashes all their potential—”

“I’m not interested in your theory of heroes. What I’m curious about is just one thing.”

Seok Harang projected a hologram of a man’s face in the center. It was the face of Xian, the blonde foreigner recently troubled by malicious rumors in New Seoul.

“I want to know whether this man genuinely has any connection to Oracle or not.”

“He’s a member of Oracle Studio, so there must be some connection, right?”

“Do you really think I’m asking that?”

“…Could he be related to the Round Table? And not just any low-ranking Esquire Guild member, but someone of fairly high rank?”

Seol Ji-young shook her head. Her gaze, rejecting Seok Harang’s assumption, carried a hint of bitterness.

“Objectively speaking, there’s no reason for a high-ranking member of the Round Table to come to a country like this. Even if it were about the monsters at the 38th parallel, why would they bother with such a complicated method of entering Korea without even securing the core?”

What is the true identity of the target, <Blonde Western Male>? As Seok Harang and Seol Ji-young’s confusion deepened, a communication came through Seol Ji-young’s magical gear.

[President, we need you to confirm something.]

“What is it?”

[Uh… Remember Kim Gaon who was registered as C-Rank before?]

“Yes. The one who was active in Russia and then got kicked out of the guild and returned to Korea, right? I heard she caused quite a stir in the guild. They were looking for her around the association because of some Russian connections…”

[She was <Undine>, a member of Matryoshka and an A-Rank special ability user. She’s come to the association seeking personal protection.]

Their expressions stiffened.

* * *

“Is it really okay for me to do this?”

“Of course. Gaon, Korea isn’t a country with that many A-Rankers, you know? Nationwide, there aren’t even forty. Each one is crucial in this era, so it’s fine.”

Gaon, wearing Nuri’s school uniform, took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands.

“Will this escalate into a diplomatic issue because of me?”

“There’s not zero possibility. Technically, you left the guild under the pretense of vacation.”

I revealed Rasputin’s true nature only to Gaon. Naturally, she didn’t believe me at first, but I gained her trust using Oracle’s prophecy as an excuse.

“Thinking about it now, the part about sending word to Russia was a lie, wasn’t it?”

“Of course. It was necessary for Gaon to believe me. Otherwise, would drunk Gaon have trusted me?”

“That’s true. Ah, here she comes.”

As the door opened, a gray-haired woman appeared. I hadn’t seen her in a long time, and for a moment, I felt a fleeting sense of joy.

“Nice to meet you. I am Seol Ji-young, the president of the Korean Hero Association and A-Rank <Nightmare>.”

“I am Xian, the branch manager of Oracle Studio Korea. My Korean name is Baek Cheonghwa, so please call me Cheonghua.”

“…<Undine>, my name is Kim Gaon.”

Kim Gaon and Seol Ji-young exchanged light handshakes. Seol Ji-young was almost as tall as me, and their handshake had to occur above Kim Gaon’s head.

“To cut straight to the point… What exactly does ‘personal protection request’ mean? Please tell me the truth.”

“Can I be brutally honest?”

“Of course. You seem to be the one primarily responsible for this situation anyway. By the way, outside there are agents sent from Russia. If your story doesn’t sound reasonable after hearing it, the association will have no choice but to officially return Undine to Russia at the request of the Russian association.”

“Sa, sa, sir.”

Gaon looked at me with pleading eyes. I reassured her before explaining why Seol Ji-young had no choice but to protect Gaon.

“Rasputin is a pedophile.”

“……Excuse me?”

Seol Ji-young’s expression twisted.

“Did you not hear me? Rasputin is a pedophile…no, is that term not commonly used in Korea? My apologies. Let’s say…Lolita complex, um, hmm, translation…Ah! Child molester.”

“……”

Seol Ji-young’s gaze lingered on Gaon for a while. At twenty-one years old, she certainly looked far too young, as if she’d borrowed her older sister’s school uniform.

“Kim Gaon fled to Korea to escape Rasputin’s clutches.”

“Th, that….”

Gaon, who placed her hands on her knees, began trembling.

“I, I said no, but…!!”

“…Please tell us more.”

Seol Ji-young’s gaze turned provocatively sharp.

* * *

While Seol Ji-young was talking with Kim Gaon, I slipped out into the hallway to find the restroom.

“It’s not a false statement, considering Rasputin actually attempted to rape Undine.”

– Sunnie is here!

– Sunnaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!

– Not wrong though haha

“In July-August, several 8mm tapes arrived at Nuri’s place from Russia, so I wasn’t lying.”

– Honestly, that’s kinda creepy

– So what now? Can’t publicly disclose it

– Is Rasputin still part of the Round Table?

– Considering external statements, this feels like a mistake

<Nuriville Seafood Soup>: Should I spoil? I went through the exact same scenario and ended up with a bad ending…

“……?”

I searched my memory, but there was no data suggesting this situation would lead to a bad ending.

“Go ahead.”

<Nuriville Seafood Soup>: Sun-guy takes bribes from Rasputin to kidnap Kim Gaon, and Nuri gets kidnapped, leading to game over. Nuri Route confirmed.

“Oh ho.”

An unexpected game over. Since he hadn’t triggered a game over after choosing his heroine, there weren’t many cases of them.

“Thanks for the info. But should I consider this as advice?”

<Nuriville Seafood Soup>: Even if it’s someone else’s Nuri, seeing her get cuddled by Rasputin is kinda…

“Haha, understood. But now I see why the game over happened. The commander tried to handle everything alone.”

Clomp, clomp.

Just then, a woman in a suit approached me. I closed the system window and greeted her first.

“Hello?”

“Why the sudden greeting?”

“It seems like you’re looking for me.”

“…Your intuition is sharp. Follow me.”

Without another word, the woman instructed me to follow, so I moved leisurely behind her. Though I’m just a normal human without special abilities, this path is the one that will protect the Gaon-Nuri sisters and our forces.

“Step inside for a moment.”

In a small warehouse corner of the Hero Association—a space akin to a sealed chest where once you’re trapped, you can never escape—I confidently entered.

Creak, thud.

The door locked, and soon a screen appeared on the opposite side.

– Oh

– Oh

– Oh

Everyone recognizing the figure on the screen immediately, I bowed deeply, like a prime minister facing the empress dowager during a court audience.

“Nice to meet you.”

[Let me ask directly. Are you acting for America’s benefit?]

“No. I intend to naturalize after establishing roots in Korea. America is not a livable place anymore.”

America currently has its own set of problems. Unless the protagonist polishes the bullets of retaliation in Hell Joseon, the entire U.S. will turn into a sea of flames due to a certain presence lurking behind the scenes.

“I’ve already chosen a name. Baek Cheonghwa. It’s the Korean version of my current name.”

[…Hmph, is that so? Very well then. If that is your intention, I’ll accept it.]

The woman unfolded her fan. Since neither of us has fully retracted our moves yet, we’re still in the stage of thoroughly utilizing each other.

[Whether you’re truly a studio employee, a pawn of the Round Table, or a rogue trying to deceive and violate Korean women, I don’t care. What matters is your discernment. Indeed.]

Chak. The woman folded her fan and pointed it at me.

[I’ll trust your discernment in identifying S-Rankers. Please help discover more undiscovered heroes in Korea.]

“Of course. In return, please honor your promise. Ensure the personal safety of the Gaon-Nuri sisters and their family. I kindly request this.”

[That goes without saying. We cannot possibly hand over our proud S-Rank, A-Rank hero sisters to those yellow-haired rapists. Ah, by the way, could we send one of our people to your side?]

“I apologize, but anyone working under me must move solely for my benefit. If they’re prepared for that, I can certainly accept them.”

The woman fell silent for a long time. To reassure her, I added one more sentence.

“Don’t worry. All of this is for your country, for the homeland of my future spouse.”

[…! Could it be?!]

“Yes, that’s correct. I plan to naturalize through marriage.”

The deal was successfully concluded.

* * *

“<Great Prince>. One of the heroines, a woman who secretly supports the protagonist’s faction politically.”

Even within Korea, she receives backlash due to excessive nationalism, and abroad, she has even more detractors.

“For the protection of Korean heroes, she won’t hesitate to oppose Rasputin and the Russian Association. Since the Russian Association is connected to Sun Icheol anyway, the burden of hostility is somewhat reduced.”

Sun Icheol will outwardly show disapproval regarding taking an A-Rank hero from Russia. Therefore, I sought help from the woman who will become our team’s political supporter, the woman who will eventually join our team one day.

“The answer is Patriot Coins.”