Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Heimken (6)
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If Kim Suhyun didn’t step in with force, there was only one option left. Convince the orcs here and take Mallock away.
Kim Suhyun might be new to this place, but Ushangkai himself had steadily built up support within Heimken through consistent efforts. The young orcs backing Goriks were the result.
No matter how much of a mage Kim Suhyun was, he couldn’t overturn that in one go. Unless he pulled off some mind-control spell on the orcs here.
‘You can’t do a damn thing about this, even if you’re a mage!’
On second thought, this could actually be an opportunity. A chance to score a win against the mage who humiliated the god Rio. If he achieved results not through force but with the power of words, his reputation would soar even higher.
“Fine. Where’s that bastard right now?”
“We said we’d gather once the Chinese delegation arrives and decide Mallock’s fate. He’s resting inside for now.”
“Round up a few reliable guys to stir things up. Let’s go.”
“Right now?”
“No point waiting around for this. Send out the word and gather the orcs immediately. Don’t give them extra time. When I start talking, give the signal. These idiots will get swept up in the mood quick. Once a few start yelling, the brainless ones will just go along with it, thinking ‘Oh, really?’ Just set the atmosphere right.”
Not everyone gathering in the meeting hall was on Goriks’s side. In fact, Goriks had clear enemies. There were orcs wary or resentful of how he’d climbed this far with China backing him. Even the tribal chief didn’t exactly approve of Goriks’s actions.
But there were more orcs who were just dumbly clueless about how things were going, compared to those for or against Goriks. Those types would follow along once the mood heated up with some half-decent words.
Goriks’s crew was mostly young orcs, which gave them a big advantage there.
“Understood.”
“Move. Don’t screw this up!”
“Of course!”
* * *
“Ugh... seriously...”
The call came, and the short time until the meeting began was all Luiril had. Cursing Suhyun inwardly for the harsh conditions, she moved from ceiling to ceiling.
She could complain later. The important thing was the mission at hand. Failure wouldn’t just mean a scolding from Suhyun. It had been a while since her last heist, and Luiril felt her senses sharpening all over.
She’d pulled off dozens of thefts, but no two were ever the same. To Luiril, thievery was an art form that changed with every situation.
‘Two guards. Hoping they’re not superpowered users is probably too much to ask?’
If it were just stuffing something into a bag, it would’ve been way easier. But Suhyun had added another condition here.
-A delegation like that would naturally bring a team of superpowered escorts. Government guard teams aren’t individually that strong, but they make up for it with artifacts and such.
-So?
-Small accessory-type artifacts are usually carried on the body, but larger ones aren’t lugged around everywhere. Plus, they carry spares, so there’s bound to be one artifact of decent size among them. Find it and swap it out.
‘So, stick it inside one?’
Luiril swallowed hard and scanned the interior. Two Chinese men were yawning in front of the transport robot. They didn’t look particularly tense or on high alert.
‘At least that’s something...’
Securing the luggage was priority. The cases holding artifacts had solid security systems by default. Normally, she’d grab the whole case and swap later, but circumstances didn’t allow it.
‘Alright, let’s do this.’
Luckily, she wasn’t alone.
* * *
“You bastard! How dare you!”
“What’re you gonna do about it! Come on!”
Gorgan and Mogok grabbed each other by the collars, yelling with awkward expressions. Luiril waved at them urgently.
“If you don’t do this right, I’m telling Suhyun?”
“Ugh... Garnah is my woman! I’m not handing her over to a punk like you!”
“You little—?!”
Thud! Thud!
The two orcs made a huge racket right in front of where the Chinese were staying. The two on guard inside grimaced and endured it, but after minutes of nonstop noise, they finally stepped out.
“Quiet down! This is where the Chinese delegation is staying!”
“I’ll kill you! Hand over Garnah!”
“Try it if you can!”
The Chinese exchanged confused looks at the orcs’ lover’s quarrel. They wanted to subdue them right then, but with the meeting coming up, they didn’t want to risk touching orcs unnecessarily.
“Hey, calm down...”
Crash—
Gorgan squeezed his eyes shut and tackled Mogok. The two tumbled together, grabbing collars and scuffling.
In that moment, Luiril teleported inside.
‘Not much time...!’
First, find a suitably sized case. Luckily, she spotted one right away. Having stolen countless artifacts, Luiril knew it immediately.
‘A spear-type artifact.’
Once found, the shape didn’t matter. It was the security type. Building or vault storage meant iris scans and complex steps, but portable cases like this had simpler processes.
‘Fingerprint recognition!’
Luiril quickly scanned the luggage and pulled out her gear. Powder to dust for prints and lift them. Most people thought one case was enough to prevent theft.
But that was a stupid notion.
‘The most prominent print... this one!’
In under ten seconds, Luiril had lifted and molded the print. The skin-like replica slid into the recognition slot.
Click—
As expected, a crude spear emerged. Luiril swiftly swapped it with the Shock Wave Sword. The space was roomy enough to make it possible. Her sleight of hand left no trace while their eyes were off it for a split second—truly godlike skill.
“Calm down, I said!”
“You think I can calm down right now?!”
‘Still got some time?’
Judging from the sounds outside, she relaxed a bit. Luiril slowly looked around. A thief’s instincts were calling.
‘Anything else worth taking?’
She knew the risks of this situation. Grab the wrong thing, and it could backfire. Needed something that wouldn’t be noticed missing.
Her eyes landed on a disk.
Luiril grinned and pulled a portable data chip from her pocket. A handy device that pierced data barriers, auto-copied, and transferred contents.
People might think an otherworld thief stuck to old-school methods, but Luiril had no qualms with high-tech. And she knew humans stashed vital data on these disks.
Job done. Hoping it held juicy treasure info, Luiril sent the signal.
“Fine, I give up. Make Garnah happy.”
“You...!”
The two orcs embraced awkwardly and passionately. The Chinese clapped, moved. They didn’t know the exact reason for the fight, but it had that something that stirred a man’s heart.
“Never wanna do that again.”
“Same here.”
They walked out arm-in-arm, grumbling. At least Luiril had nailed the mission perfectly—that was the consolation.
* * *
Bang!
“Who massacred Mallock’s village? Humans from the Korean side!”
“So we’re taking him to make sure responsibility is pinned down properly, aren’t we? Wrong guy got framed, and we need testimony to straighten it out. Punishment will follow naturally.”
“How are we supposed to trust that!”
“If you can’t trust it, appoint a representative to observe. We’ll show it’s fair in court.”
“Shut up!”
Goriks yelled that, then locked eyes with Suhyun. Meeting Suhyun’s blazing gaze, Goriks gasped and instinctively stepped back.
He knew Suhyun couldn’t touch him here, but the fear was unavoidable. Pure instinct.
“Great Chieftain, this negotiation is absurd from the start. Handing a survivor over to untrustworthy humans!”
“Then you trust the Chinese?”
Herkul spoke in a steady voice from his small frame. The seated Chinese delegates’ eyes sharpened.
“No, what’s that supposed to mean! Saying we can’t trust the Chinese!”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand.”
Herkul glanced at Ushangkai as he spoke. Ushangkai deliberately drummed the table in feigned displeasure, but Herkul ignored it.
“We do trust the Chinese. We’ve been together a while. But humans have always been objects of caution for us, and that hasn’t changed.”
“That stings. When have we ever been rude?”
“If you want examples... Our sacred relic vanished when humans were wandering around nearby. Untouched for centuries, and it disappears clean after contact.”
“You saying that’s our fault?”
Losing ground here would question their delegation creds. No evidence anyway. Deny and move on.
“We weren’t the only ones there.”
“We know. Russians were there, Chinese too... It all got muddled. But fact is, a human thief’s among them. Can’t deny that.”
“......”
“So please understand our wariness of humans.”
“Yes, understood. But looking just at this situation, we’re far more reliable.”
“Who knows.”
“Great Chieftain! See things clearly! Those bastards— Gahk!”
“?!”
Goriks, mid-rant, went flying. Ushangkai’s eyes widened as he crashed into the wall. What the hell?
Suhyun stood with his hand outstretched.
“Looks like talk won’t cut it.”
“A-A-Are you insane?”
“What?”
“Do you know what you’re doing?!”
“Yeah. About to attack an official Chinese delegation. Not some covert unit. It’ll be a hassle if word gets out.”
“You know and still—?”
“Kill them all, no witnesses. Problem solved.”
“W-What...”
Ushangkai’s spine chilled. Suhyun had this option. Backlash aside, if he went kinetic, Ushangkai couldn’t stop him!
‘Damn, too complacent!’
“Protect me! Guard me!”
At Ushangkai’s shout, the waiting superpowered users moved mechanically. Trained reflexes kicked in before thought.
But their faces were tense. They knew Suhyun’s name.
“Protect me!”
Suhyun’s telekinesis had a notorious rep. Fail to block, and eye contact meant instant death. Three users activated artifacts, erecting a barrier ahead. Energy and telekinesis split the hall.
“Artifacts out, all of them!”
“Need firepower! Explosion spears, get the explosion spears!”
They gritted teeth and moved. Every second counted against Suhyun. Praying his telekinesis crushed someone else, they prepared to engage.
‘To pierce telekinesis...!’
The man frantically punched the fingerprint slot. The case popped open roughly, revealing an explosion spear inside...
“???”
The Chinese superpowered user didn’t immediately realize it wasn’t an explosion spear.
“Huh?”
“What’s that?”
Doubts rippled from orcs who’d stepped back to watch the human clash. They knew exactly what the superpowered user held.
Heimken’s long-lost sacred relic.
The Shock Wave Sword.
Clap, clap—
Suhyun appeared beyond the barrier, smirking and applauding them.