Chapter 299

〈Chapter 299〉 Part 1, Chapter 13, Section 16

After hours of flying, we arrived in India.

Though our visit was sudden and closer to a unilateral notification rather than following diplomatic procedures, the Indian side welcomed us warmly.

“That must mean they’re glad about the Beast Tamer’s presence, right?”

“Of course, who wouldn’t welcome someone who gets rid of SS-Rank Monsters?”

Deokbae and I had left Baegnaroh earlier and followed behind. Luckily, it was a bright sunny day, allowing us to hide within the sunlight. Our presence would only be visible to those ranked SS or above.

“We should officially report this as dealing with one SS-Rank monster.”

“Didn’t we say there were three last time?”

“It seems like the other two haven’t been found yet. Look at this.”

I showed Deokbae the search results from Hero Wiki.

“Garura, Kinna-ra. We don’t know where these two SS-Ranks are right now. In fact, their very existence is unknown. The only one we know about is Yasha, an SS-Rank with dark elemental powers.”

I pulled out Yasha’s data. Though it had a canine face and a humanoid body, its arms were twisted unnaturally over its back.

“Doesn’t seem beastly at all, does it?”

“But the name’s Yasha?”

“Just a coincidence.”

Yasha had a pretty grotesque appearance. While it might make someone with a weak stomach vomit instantly, if you could endure the revulsion and examine closely, you might discover something distinctive.

“Hey, Number Two, do you see anything unusual about the raid target?”

“…Are you talking about that old sackcloth?”

“Correct.”

Sure enough, as Deokbae said, Yasha was wrapped in sackcloth. Strangely, it somewhat resembled the priest robes I always wore.

“That’s a fallen priest turned monster.”

“Holy crap.”

“Often, the most terrifying monsters come from those who once served divinity.”

The cause of Yasha’s fall was Tera’s magic power. A momentary wrong judgment caused him to fall, transforming him into a murderous fiend who slashes people with the greatsword slung over his shoulder.

“He’s perfect for our first raid target.”

“I’m not on the list, though.”

“You’re a high-ranking officer of Dark Legion, not Blue Wind Sect.”

Like me, Deokbae wasn’t registered with the association under Blue Wind Sect. Therefore, naturally, he could only participate in this expedition as my weapon, not taking part in the monster raids.

“The Black Flame Dragon can go on raids, though!!”

“Would you like to become a monster yourself?”

“No way.”

Deokbae firmly refused to transform into something like the Black Flame Dragon. I had no intention of forcing anyone unwilling, and by then, Baegnaroh had landed at the airport under escort by fighter jets.

“So let’s leave all the annoying stuff to the Executioner and Phantom while we investigate during the day!”

“Who’s dumping work on others just to avoid being called trash?”

State visits, banquets, and various other formalities—just like when we went to China, I wanted nothing to do with such tedious procedures.

“It’s not dumping work. It’s using stand-ins to use time appropriately.”

“Poor Cheon Gaeul will be throwing a fit thinking this is all so wonderful.”

“…She’s probably enjoying herself imagining she’s the main act. Let’s hurry back.”

Once I confirmed Baegnaroh had fully entered the airport runway, I quickly turned south.

“We need to check out the place for the duel, right?”

My destination was Taj Mahal.

In the original story, it was the battleground where Gaechonkwang fought Karna.

* * *

<12 PM, New Delhi Branch of the Indian Association>

“Greetings. Was your long journey here uncomfortable in any way?”

The representative of the Indian Association, <Mahatma>, bowed kindly. The Executioner gave a slight nod, and Cheongnyeon bowed deeply with her hands clasped.

“…Sister.”

Seated beside her, Hwakwon drew an X with her fingers beneath the table. Cheongnyeon-Pantom thought she might have committed some faux pas and awkwardly uncrossed her hands.

“…?”

“Haha, it’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”

Mahatma waved it off, but that only made Pantom more nervous.

“Did I make some kind of mistake…?”

“…Until just a few years ago, folding hands together was a method of prayer or greeting, but it’s currently discouraged for official purposes.”

“Why?”

“It’s a method used by a serial killer.”

Pantom’s eyes widened. Her gray irises darted around before bowing her head in apology.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I understand. It’s because you’re a villain active within India.”

Mahatma referred to “active” villains, implying that the praying serial killer hadn’t been caught yet.

“How many victims…”

“Over four hundred have been killed so far. Among them are ten heroes… Not all died from the handclasp; many perished due to buildings collapsing during battles between heroes and the villain.”

A bitter expression crossed Mahatma’s face. Beneath the table, Hwakwon quickly brought up a screen.

– Mahatma’s wife and daughter died in that incident.

Pantom immediately bowed her head again.

“…I apologize.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s our fault for failing to capture the villain. I’m truly grateful that Lady Cheongnyeon has visited India.”

Mahatma glanced at the Executioner. Though Cheongnyeon was both the frontwoman and mastermind behind monster control, the official representative of the Korean Association was still the Executioner.

“So, Executor, I’ve reviewed the schedule you sent. You plan to conduct a raid on the SS-Rank monster, Yasha, this afternoon?”

“Yes. Heroes are always ready to fight.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? Yasha is also a fearsome monster.”

“If you’re worried about our strength, don’t be. We’ve formed an elite team optimized to handle one SS-Rank monster.”

The Executioner handed Mahatma the roster. Sam-sa, Tempest Lady, Gong Sung, Phantom, and Black Flame Dragon. Mahatma scrutinized the expedition force’s capabilities for quite a while before pointing out a blank section.

“What about Phantom, the SS-Rank ability user’s abilities…?”

“Illusionist.”

“…Hmm.”

Mahatma tilted his head, perplexed.

“We need to know at least how skilled an SS-Rank illusionist is.”

“State secret.”

The Executioner curtly rejected Mahatma’s polite inquiry. Phantom didn’t want her abilities widely known, but she hadn’t expected the Executioner to be so firm.

“Can you at least give a rough idea of what her abilities are?”

“Naturally not. Asking about an illusionist’s abilities is rude.”

“…”

Mahatma glared at the Executioner for a long time before lowering his head. Clearly, he had made the mistake first, yet he still tried to pressure the Executioner despite being in a subordinate position.

“I apologize. Actually, we received a tip-off suggesting the previous serial killer might be an illusionist, which made me react sensitively. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Fine… But why are you so cautious about this serial killer? As far as I remember, it’s only an A-Rank level threat.”

“Yes, it was… until a few days ago.”

Mahatma rubbed his forehead, realizing he needed to reveal some embarrassing details, but he didn’t want the expedition force to get slaughtered because of secrets.

“…An A-Rank ability user was mercilessly killed. We managed to detect the magic pattern but lost them. It was almost as if they intentionally exposed themselves.”

Mahatma bit his lip as he spoke.

“The central office has assigned the code name <Killing Arts> to this SS-Rank villain. We haven’t announced it publicly yet.”

“…I see whose doing this is. But why delay the announcement…?”

“Well, um…”

Mahatma bowed his head like a sinner and glanced at Cheongnyeon.

“To be honest, we planned to announce it this morning, but then we received word through the Korean Association that Lady Cheongnyeon hoped to visit India—”

“Excuse me.”

The Executioner frowned deeply and growled.

“Are you saying you kept quiet about an SS-Rank serial killer running rampant? Who knows where and when they might strike?”

“Please don’t worry! Killing Arts targets specific individuals—it’s a psychopathic villain who preys on monks and ascetics—”

“Aah.”

Mahatma looked directly at Phantom. Despite her unique design, Phantom’s outfit was essentially similar to priest robes worn by those serving deities.

“…Forgive me.”

Mahatma bowed so deeply it seemed he might kneel. The heroes felt irritated by Mahatma’s deception but understood his reasons.

“Anyway, we’re here to deal with the SS-Rank monster, so the risk remains the same.”

“Are you suggesting we wouldn’t have come if you told us beforehand? Seriously… …”

Tempest Lady sniffed loudly before turning her gaze to Phantom. Phantom sipped her tea and blinked.

“…We probably would’ve come anyway.”

Despite being annoyed by deceit or being played, Phoenix had a reason to come to India.

“Thank you for understanding, ahem. Truly, you are the Angel of the Sun…!”

But Mahatma interpreted that in his own favorable way, repeatedly bowing to Phantom. Phantom felt burdened seeing someone of his age bow so deeply, but Mahatma mentioning the nickname bothered her even more.

“Um… What do you mean by ‘Angel of the Sun’?”

“Ah, yes… Perhaps you might not know.”

Mahatma coughed slightly before pulling something out from his desk drawer. He handed Phantom a fancy A4 folder containing expensive paper and a fountain pen, smiling shyly like a middle school girl getting an idol’s autograph.

“Lady Cheongnyeon may or may not know, but this is the nickname given by Lady Cheongnyeon’s fan club, the <Sun Sect>.”

“…”

Phantom’s lips quivered slightly. She barely managed to suppress a scowl but couldn’t stop Mahatma from subtly pushing the paper towards her.

“…It’s a bit much, but could you sign it once?”

“Haa.”

Phantom sighed in admiration of Mahatma’s audacity and signed gracefully with the fountain pen.

“…Thank you?”

Even after receiving the signature, Mahatma sounded uncertain in his gratitude. Phantom smiled brightly and nodded, while Hwakwon secretly gave a thumbs-up from beneath the drawer.

Chun Gaeul’s signature was written on the paper.

* * *

“Namaste. Have a good day.”

“…Please be careful.”

I straightened up after bowing but noticed the robed monks avoided me, keeping their heads down.

“Why are they acting like this? Should I say ‘Sawadee Kap’ instead?”

“That’s Thai. Maybe your disguise is just terrible?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

I lifted my dress. To conceal my identity, I wore an Indian-style traditional dress covered with a pale green veil hiding my head.

“Anyone can tell it’s you.”

“That’s because you see me often, Number Two. Honestly, how would random people recognize me? They’d probably just think I’m someone imitating someone else.”

I pulled up a video from Magical Gear. Ahead of us, Cheongnyeon-Phantom was disembarking from Baegnaroh, capturing everyone’s attention at the New Delhi Association.

“And Cheongnyeon wouldn’t walk around with a hooded bald guy, would she?”

“Yeah, that makes sense. So why are we here?”

Deokbae spread his arms wide, gesturing at the empty surroundings. There were no tourists, and even the monks who might appear were nowhere to be seen.

“Something must’ve happened in India…”

“Maybe there’s something you don’t know about?”

“It’s possible. Let’s check it out once—”

“Namaste.”

Suddenly, a kind-faced monk approached us, bowing respectfully.

“Welcome to Taj Mahal. Are you on a date?”

“Ugh.”

“…”

I felt nauseous, and Deokbae spat on the ground. The monk’s friendly smile froze.

“Calling this a date?”

“Your rudeness is excessive upon first meeting.”

“…I apologize.”

The monk bowed again, apologizing.

“If you’re visiting as tourists, I’ll guide you.”

“…Alright.”

“?!”

Deokbae expressed his confusion, but I readily accepted the monk’s offer. While the monk’s back was turned, I signaled to Deokbae beside me.

“Stick close to me. Got it?”

“…Alright.”

Though frowning deeply, Deokbae obediently followed my instructions.

“This way.”

Quietly, we trailed behind the monk showing us kindness.