Chapter 93
Chapter 93
13. The Donghae Gate Incident -4
Countess Yeon Arang blinked rapidly at the Donghae's food situation, which had improved in the blink of an eye, and pinched her own cheek as if to check whether she was dreaming.
Streeetch—
At that, Yeon Arang's expression turned puzzled. It felt like she was thinking, "This isn't supposed to hurt⋯⋯" She still couldn't believe it, apparently.
She hesitated as if about to ask Hyejin to pinch her, then realized this sort of escapism wouldn't help her grasp the situation at all and turned her gaze to me. Then she asked.
"What⋯⋯ how did this happen?"
"As you can see."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
She laid bare a complex displeasure, difficult to even describe, across her facial muscles. Never thought I'd live to see Countess Yeon Arang make a face like that.
Countess Yeon Arang pressed two fingers to her lips with an empty hand and sucked in with a tch. I wondered what the gesture was, but she was probably miming smoking a cigarette. The sigh that followed had the same shape to it.
"Hoooh⋯⋯"
It wouldn't even be that hard to get a single cigarette, and she's just miming it?
She nodded as if she'd come to terms with it.
"Right— it's confidential, something difficult to explain in detail? So that's why you're not saying anything. I understand. I was the rude one, actually. Before prying into your methods— I should have expressed my gratitude for the fact that you sent food aid to the Donghae."
"There's nothing I can't tell you, actually. If I'm worried about anything, it's whether you'll be able to accept it, Countess."
"⋯⋯Noah Won, are you going to keep beating around the bush like that?!"
She snapped.
As expected, an unlimited food drop in the apocalypse is enough to shake even Countess Yeon Arang's composure, battle-hardened as she is.
But I wasn't deliberately talking strangely to tease her. I mean, the whole story about the 『System』 and hunters is pretty outlandish, isn't it. I raised both hands to calm Yeon Arang down and opened my mouth.
I'd explain it slowly, matter-of-factly.
The story that the Gate Incident was actually occurring on a universe-wide scale, that an incomprehensible entity called the 『System』 was selecting the most talented individuals from each planet and designating them as hunters, and that a war against plants based on this had been ongoing⋯⋯
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
"⋯⋯So that's how it is. We haven't announced it publicly, and in Seoul only my inner circle knows. I'm thinking of sharing it only among leader-level figures going forward."
The explanation, into which I'd also woven a blueprint of my own, came to an end. After I finished speaking, I pulled out a bottle of water and took a sip.
Soon, Yeon Arang muttered with a puzzled expression.
"……Cosmic superstar."
"Kgh."
I nearly choked at the unexpected word that came out of nowhere.
Flustered, I stared at Countess Yeon Arang, but she had entered a state of deep deliberation to decide the future of the Donghae. No matter how you looked at her, she was serious and solemn.
⋯⋯Did I mishear?
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
Right, I must have misheard. That wasn't a line Yeon Arang would say.
Countess Yeon Arang deliberated earnestly with deeply sunken eyes, then spoke. Her eyes gleamed. It was the gaze of a leader who leads a group, flashing with a sense of responsibility.
"⋯⋯It's hard to believe, but food poured down right in front of my eyes. And Miss Elijah, was it? An S-rank hunter like that dropped out of the sky. Even if it's hard to believe, I have no choice but to believe it. So then, the reason you came all this way to support us⋯⋯ is a unification proposal?"
"The order's a bit reversed, but— I did intend to make the proposal. Seoul is in a state where it has the capacity to take in the Donghae, and frankly speaking, we're short on manpower. I desperately need Countess Yeon Arang and the forces under her command."
"It'll go well. Everyone in the Donghae must have vaguely sensed the sinking mood, so if you present Seoul as a new hope, the backlash can be managed. And you're not the type to mistreat us."
"How could I mistreat you? You're someone I need. And the 『System』 can even provide construction materials. There won't be any shortage of resources."
"Good. The Donghae will join Seoul."
The negotiation ended cleanly in a short time. Countess Yeon Arang and I shook hands.
If she'd been some half-baked faction, it would have taken over a week just to persuade her subordinates and gather the citizens' will, but with Countess Yeon Arang's level of control, they could depart for Seoul as early as today, assuming they pushed themselves.
I had no intention of rushing the merger that much, but at the very least, I was confident this matter would be handled smoothly.
Hyejin, whether she was happy that someone she knew was joining, or satisfied because she could see Seoul's development accelerating, stepped forward brimming with more enthusiasm than usual.
"Then shall I help you pack, Countess Yeon Arang? If there are any kids who are pointlessly on edge, I'll snap them into shape. Or Noah, I'll go pave the road ahead. If I burn a straight line all the way to Seoul⋯⋯"
"No. It's too early."
"It's premature, Hyejin."
"Huh?"
There's something that needs to be dealt with before leading the Donghae people to join Seoul.
"Ah, that⋯⋯ the strange Gate?"
"If you think about it, that's second priority too."
"Nyeh?"
Unlike the bewildered Hyejin, Elijah lightly clapped her hands and smiled with her eyes. In a soft and cheerful voice, she shared her deduction.
"Aha⋯⋯ I get it, Noah. Before moving, you want to burn out the hidden rats first, right? That's why you scattered the food⋯⋯ too."
"Correct. In this Donghae, there's someone hiding who sabotaged Countess Yeon Arang's letters so they wouldn't reach Seoul. Whatever we do, we have to deal with that first before moving on."
But Countess Yeon Arang is no pushover. There's nothing wrong with the meticulous personnel management of a former HR director. The fact that someone pulled tricks right under her nose proves in itself that the opponent is a high-level operator.
I may be strong in direct combat, but I'm not particularly brilliant at these kinds of problems. Still, I can at least set the stage for how things unfold.
Look. Even if we have no way of knowing the specific motive— one thing is clear: the culprit does not wish for the Donghae's safety and growth. Because they desperately sabotaged the request for aid to Seoul.
How would the massive amount of food I scattered look to someone like that? It would be extremely irritating. And if the Seoul-Donghae integration plan proceeds after this, even more so. Because the declining Donghae would find its vitality again, in reverse.
If so⋯⋯ wouldn't they think that if they're going to scheme something, now is the only time?
"So they'll have no choice but to crawl out."
"Yes. Whether it's one person or several. They'll have to make a move. Even if they don't, that's fine too. We just take our time and harden our overall weight class. So that even if they bare their fangs later, they won't sink in. Of course, it'd be much better if they came out⋯⋯"
"If that happens, now that the Donghae's survival is guaranteed— I'll just take responsibility and flip everything over. We might even catch two rabbits at once. I happened to need some internal cleaning anyway, and if I use this well, I can filter out the hunters I can't trust."
Countess Yeon Arang and I continued our conversation, trading remarks back and forth.
"I'll slip away briefly and test the waters. If we announce that we're marching out to burn the nearby forest under the pretext of expanding the Donghae settlement."
"They'll think this is their last chance. Then, while the hunters who came from Seoul briefly vacate their positions, some unknown reactionary will stick their head out and run wild. I can finish the internal cleanup in the meantime."
"Then we, who've been standing by, will immediately join in and wrap up the situation."
"Good. I'll sort out only the ones I can definitely trust and have them ready, so please prepare as well, Honorary Duke Noah Won."
The conversation clicked along smoothly. This was why I'd liked Countess Yeon Arang since the Hunter Monarchy days. Our perspectives are similar, so meeting times get cut in half. Duke Park Sihu, on the other hand, doubles them.
Even so, Countess Yeon Arang seemed to keep her distance from me the entire time. To the point where I briefly wondered if she disliked people similar to herself.
Tk—
She spoke while miming flicking ash off a nonexistent cigarette. She must have finished smoking it, at least in her imagination.
"We don't really need to give the operation a name, right?"
⋯⋯I think an operation name would be nice, actually. Anyway.
The concrete flow was as follows.
It wasn't intentional, but the fact that I'd handled the plant bastards with only a shield and sword, without using skills like 『Azure Wind Wanderer』, would have served as a decent disguise. The culprit would be focused on Elijah and Hyejin's performance.
So Elijah and Hyejin would actually be sent into the forest to deal with the nearby monsters. Obviously, we'd make a fuss about this so the news spread thoroughly throughout the city. One speech to the gathered hunters, with a vision for the future mixed in, would be enough.
I would also accompany them into the forest— but stop at an appropriate distance. Then I'd use 『Azure Wind Wanderer』 to take on the role of long-range surveillance.
If you ask how an ability that summons rain and wind can be used for surveillance.
After my experience of honing skills from natural objects, my skill proficiency had been growing rapidly. 『Azure Wind Wanderer』 had also become something I could manipulate more delicately and meticulously. So, now it was possible.
In addition to amplifying my hearing, if I used sounds carried on the wind, I'd be able to catch the general commotion of the Donghae.
Around the time Elijah's battle intensified, the culprit would make their move. Then I'd send Elijah a message through the 『System』, and she'd repeatedly exit and enter the Stage to be re-summoned near me.
And finally— with an offensive composed of Elijah, me, Countess Yeon Arang, and her close aides, we'd catch the culprit and whatever faction they might or might not have, and root them all out at once. It was a plan that would be hard to fail.
Even if an A-rank hunter⋯⋯ no, even if an S-rank hunter on par with Max Owen were operating in this Donghae territory, we could catch them.
The operation was set. Now we just had to move.
We moved to our respective positions to carry out this "Uprooting" operation.
And in between. A brief gap.
I followed after Countess Yeon Arang with my hands in my pockets. Inside my pocket, the texture of plastic rattled. Carefully checking that Elijah wasn't nearby was a bonus.
There was one thing I wanted to ask the Countess before things got busy. It was about the photocard.
The reason I was deliberately asking this secretly, when no one else was around.
⋯⋯Even if I could accept Elijah finding out about my idol career, there was no way I could let that horrifying nickname "Baby White Deer" be exposed. Absolutely not.
And furthermore. If by some chance "that nickname" reached Sergios through Elijah⋯⋯ from that moment on, one of us— me or Sergios— would have to die. I was trying to prevent that catastrophe in advance.
Pushing the dizzying what-if to a corner of my mind, I took out the photocard.
"Countess Yeon Arang, about this photocard that was enclosed with the last hot-air balloon."
"⋯⋯Huh? Ah, right. So you had it."
"Yes. But you said you personally supervised the last balloon until the end, didn't you? So you must have put the photocard in yourself."
"And?"
Clatter—
Countess Yeon Arang answered with an expressionless face, as if she had no particular interest in the photocard of me held out before her eyes. I turned the card this way and that as I asked.
"Whose is this? To own something like this, they must be quite a fan⋯⋯ I'd like to return it if possible."
"First of all, it's not mine."
"Yes. I know."
Right, she's someone who glares at me like this. As if it would be Countess Yeon Arang's.
"But it must be a precious item to the person it was requisitioned from. They're probably quite heartbroken, so I was thinking of returning it in person and comforting them."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
"Why are you making that face⋯⋯?"
"I'll return it, so give it here. Don't waste time on pointless things."
"I said I'd return it. You may not know this, Countess, but this little thing can be more important to a fan than you'd think—"
I tried to persuade her for about ten minutes, but Countess Yeon Arang flatly refused, saying that the owner of the photocard was a hunter affiliated with the Donghae, someone who might die during this weeding-out process, so we'd talk about it later.
It was a rational reason, so I had no choice but to accept it. The only question was— why hadn't she just said that from the start? Did she want to give me a hard time?
But I'd never felt hostility from her, so that would be strange.
⋯⋯And so, the "Uprooting" operation entered its execution phase.
"Fuck⋯⋯"
The spy elf chewed on the food Noah Won had scattered for free— the cricket blocks the 『System』 provided at bargain prices— and scowled deeply.
The city-state of Donghae, which they had so meticulously withered, was recovering in an instant thanks to the emergency transfusion from those damn System hunters. There was no choice but to move the plan forward and stage the coup. Before more food and resources were released and the city stabilized!
They had to stall for as much time as possible until the Gate was "『charged』."
And so, until the settled elf residing on the Northeast Branch— that mighty being— set foot on Earth!