Episode 135: Do Not Mess with Little Park Jeong-yong
I was headed straight for the commercial district, but I stopped when I passed by the entrance to the stadium’s spectator seats.
Seseona and Ruci had spotted me shuffling along.
“Master Jung Yong! The opponent didn’t even look strong. Why did you forfeit? I was really surprised!”
“…”
Seseona, seemingly unable to understand my sudden surrender, grabbed my sleeve, while Ruci quietly stared at my face from beside her.
… Ruci’s expressionless gaze pierced my heart. I averted my eyes.
“What, where are you going?”
Ruci briefly glanced my way and casually asked. I swallowed and nodded.
“I have somewhere I need to go.”
“Are you going alone again?”
I glanced at Ruci. With her arms firmly crossed, she held my gaze.
If you think you’re going alone, then go ahead. If you annoy me further, you’ll see just how ugly I can get. Her eyes spoke volumes.
“… If you want to come, come.”
Unable to resist that stare, I waved my hand dismissingly. Ruci then gave a satisfied nod.
And suddenly, behind me where she had been hesitantly loitering, Seseona thrust her face forward.
“Master Jung Yong, can I come along?”
“… You? There’s no need to come.”
“Master Jung Yong, can I come along?”
“No, don’t bother unless necessary. Just enjoy the God Festival…”
“Master Jung Yong, can I come along?”
“…”
Despite wearing the same smile and repeating the same lines, how does she keep making the atmosphere darker and darker? That’s also a kind of talent.
If I refuse again, I’m sure an intimidating chainsaw will emerge from her hands. With a disapproving click of my tongue, I let Seseona come along as well.
“So, where are we going?”
By the time we reached the commercial district after weaving through the crowd, Ruci finally asked.
You sure took your time asking. If you didn’t know where we were going, why did you follow?
“Black Market.”
“… Black Market? What’s that?”
“Backworld’s market.”
“Wait, what exactly is that market?”
“A secret market selling illegal items.”
“Hmm.”
Tired of explaining, I gave a vague answer. Ruci mumbled thoughtfully and briefly remained quiet. Despite my poor explanation, it seemed she understood perfectly.
Then she raised her head again.
“What counts as illegal?”
“Things that make the security guards shout ‘Hey you!’ according to general standards.”
“What are general standards?”
“…”
Shit, this is going to end up with questions like ‘What is the origin of the universe?’ I simply decided to ignore her.
Ignoring Ruci’s persistent questions, we entered the back alley of Crossfade. Then Seseona suddenly spoke up.
“Is this a characteristic of the nation…? It seems like there are many such places in Markeiteuriseu.”
“Hmm? What kind of places?”
“Back alleys where destitute people gather. Did Kern also have places like this?”
“Ah.”
I realized Seseona was observing the vagrants around us.
There were some pairs of eyes gleaming in the darkness, directed at us. They reminded me of Tara. The same kind of wariness seemed to be in the eyes of these vagrants.
All of them were displaced people who had lost their homes due to the Demon King or the Resurrection Sect’s rampages.
“The Knights can only do so much against Demon King disasters. It’s like an unpredictable natural disaster with catastrophic consequences.”
“Ah… That’s true.”
It was the same in Mittelrand. There were a startlingly small number of security forces in most cities.
In this era of the continent’s four nations tied by a robust non-aggression pact, their only concern is the appearance of the Demon Kings.
‘The mediocre security forces only serve to inflate the Demon King’s cs levels.’
From my experience, Demon Kings are born with stats around the mid-150s.
Even though I unwillingly became a human weapon now, and monstrous beings surround me causing the power inflation, I was still considered a top-tier hero when I was about level 150. In fact, having such stats is still rare.
So, in reality, the role of the security forces in this world is not much different from airport immigration officers.
“It’s frustrating to have obvious solutions but still have to stand idly by.”
“… Hmm. Well.”
I couldn’t give Seseana’s sympathetic words a proper response since my mind had wandered.
I turned to Ruci, who was quietly walking next to me.
“Ruci.”
“What is it?”
“You, didn’t you say there were other human guardians besides me before?”
“That’s correct. Two of them, right?”
“Who were those two people? Were they heroes like me?”
“Hmm. Those guys…”
Ruci, who had been deep in thought, suddenly exclaimed and began staring at me with a complicated and subtle expression.
“Didn’t we already have this conversation? I clearly said I couldn’t remember, didn’t I?”
“… Was that the case?”
“That was. The first time I was resurrected in front of you, I clearly said it.”
“Hmm…”
“Ah, never mind. Anyway, I really don’t remember. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
Now that I think about it, it did happen.
However, that was a few months ago. My philosophy is to not look back on the past. Whether it’s bad events or even somewhat good ones, my mind tends to reset after about a month.
‘But seeing Ruci, who usually has an excellent memory, act like this…’
It doesn’t seem like she’s lying. It seems she really doesn’t remember.
Remembering everything else from the distant past, but forgetting everything about the guardians? She sure has a conveniently equipped brain. I clicked my tongue softly.
Well, for now, let’s go with that. Now that we’ve arrived at our destination after some idle chatter.
“Hmm. Here.”
After double-checking the note briefly and then looking up, a dilapidated weapon shop without any distinguishing features came into view.
“Is anyone here?”
While approaching the weapon shop, I peeked over the counter.
A tough-looking uncle leaning his chin on his hand came into view. He fixed his gaze on me and said curtly.
“If you’re not buying, go away.”
What poor customer service he has. Despite his attitude, I stepped confidently up to the counter with a smirk and whispered.
“The Pure Demon King.”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise.
He carefully scanned my face, then smirked and gestured for me to come closer.
“… Vanguard of the Hero.”
This was a signal to come inside. Giving a subtle nod to Seseona and Ruci, I followed the man inside.
I sneakily glanced at the scrap of paper I had been holding.
[Crossfade Summit]
This was the name of the black market that Adrang had written for me.
Isn’t that a familiar kind of naming scheme? That’s right. This place is the Crossfade headquarters of the Kern Summit.
When you think about it, Adrang was acquainted with Hick, the chairman of the Kern Summit. Yet, is it really unusual for there to be no connection to the capital headquarters? In fact, that would be more out of place.
‘Good thing I remembered the password.’
I no longer recall how many times I had asked Hick for the password.
In any case, cheers to my meticulousness from my past life.
‘This is much bigger than expected. Did they use magic?’
Compared to its very narrow exterior, the inside of the weapon shop was quite spacious. A moldy area spread inside the door where one could probably play soccer.
The walls were lined with apparently stolen goods. Various weapons, strangely glowing stones, and pouches of different sizes and origins.
It’s less of a black market and more of a general store level, really. I clicked my tongue in mild surprise.
“Ah, we received word from Sir Knight of the Adele.”
Suddenly, a voice came from the shadows. I quickly turned toward the source.
A flickering lantern came into view. Below it, someone was seated across the table. I briskly walked over and sat down across the table.
The man cast his gaze at the two ladies standing motionless behind me.
“Who are these two ladies?”
“They’re with me. If you prefer, I can send them out.”
“That would be much appreciated. We’re only interested in you, sir… Hehe.”
That’s right.
I subtly signaled to the two. Ruci, with an exaggerated puff of her cheeks, made an attempt to protest, but was forcefully led out by Seseona, and thus expelled.
The man clapped his hands. The tough-looking uncle who had been at the counter earlier came in to set a cigarette and tea on the table.
“Paper cigarettes? Or pipe?”
The man asked. With one hand, he was packing tobacco into a pipe and igniting it with a flick of his fingers.
I stared silently and shook my head.
“I do not smoke.”
“Ah! With all those cigarettes stacked up and with that smoking face, I assumed otherwise. My eyes must be failing me… Hehe.”
“You kinda look like someone who likes smoking. But that’s something I often hear.”
“Kehehe! Far more humorous than I expected?”
“That’s something I often hear.”
“Kehehehe!”
I carefully examined the man cloaked in shadow.
Wearing a bandana, dressed in shabby charcoal grey, he appears slightly older than me, but the sparse beard and emaciated frame make him look older. Especially, the protruding eyes look somewhat creepy.
Every time he lets out a ‘Kehehe’ while grinning widely, his buckteeth and gold teeth create a strong impression.
“Well then.”
After drawing a long puff from his pipe, the man exhaled the smoke and his eyes gleamed.
“Let’s have a pleasant negotiation (business talk), sir.”
