Busan
Busan
Although there had been fairly significant events like the appearance of Asgard and the descent of Apophis, the incident was concluded well, leaving behind only minimal casualties considering what had transpired.
After the incident was wrapped up like that, humans moved about busily for the aftermath.
They had to reestablish the front lines that had nearly collapsed, and the number of injured Awakened was high.
On top of that, they had to quell the anxiety spread among civilians due to the confusion caused by Asgard's appearance.
But however you look at it, it's the humans who have a lot to do; despite being fully involved in all those tasks and seeing them through to completion, I myself had absolutely nothing to do.
Instead, it was suffering in a different sense.
"Uuuuuuuuuhhh...."
"Nidhogg-nim. Are you okay?"
"I-I'm not okay at all."
The price for using the power of my main body.
Moreover, the full power that had grown even stronger after absorbing the Wish-fulfilling Jewel resulted in a feverish illness.
To not have informed me in advance that there would be such side effects.
I'll get my revenge someday, Ratatoskr...
And when I conveyed this fact to Ratatoskr through my main body, her reaction was.
"Did you really think you could freely use that kind of power in exchange for just a Giant's Heart? You stupid lizard. Try thinking a little as you live."
"Did you forget that both the main body and the avatar are all me?"
"Eh?"
Thump!
My main body created a huge lump on Ratatoskr's head on my behalf.
Serves you right. You dumb squirrel.
But my revenge is not over yet.
Ratatoskr, who deceived me, and my main body, who unilaterally cut the connection saying it didn't want sparks flying.
I swear I'll get revenge on both of them someday.
A week passed as I secretly dwelled on revenge in my heart.
Finally, the feverish illness that had been racking my entire body disappeared.
During that time, I rested deeply while receiving the extremely sincere nursing care of Shin Su-ah, Baek Yeon, and Haeryeong, so it was about time to start moving again.
First... yeah. Should I go check Apophis's corpse?
The feverish illness is all better now, but I also used a lot of strength handling the last incident, and I'm curious about what that snake, who even called itself the Adversary of the Sun, tasted like, so let's go to Asgard and check on Odin too.
As I got up to go out, I saw Haeryeong, who seemed to have just woken up, rubbing her eyes next to me.
"Mmm.... Nidhogg Uncle?"
"Sleep more if you're tired."
"No. I wanna get up. Uncle, are you not sick anymore?"
"Yeah. I'm fine now."
When I moved this way and that in my spot to show off that I was fine, only then did Haeryeong avert her gaze, which had been looking at me uneasily.
The past week.
The others believed and accepted my words that I would get better soon, but Haeryeong was completely different, so I was caught in a contradiction where I couldn't show that I was in pain even though I was.
Showing signs of being hurt after fighting and returning in front of Haeryeong, who lost her family to the monsters?
Then I'd be trash, not a Dragon.
How can I not even be allowed to be in pain as I please?
How did I end up taking on such joyless responsibility.
Leaving the now reassured Haeryeong behind, I prepared to go out.
Though it's called preparation, there wasn't really much to pack, so I just grabbed a pouch into which I had tossed various outing items.
"Uncle. Where are you going?"
"Yeah, there's a place I need to go. Guard the house well."
If I said I was going to Asgard, she'd just worry needlessly, so I didn't reveal the destination.
I just said I was going out and would be back, and the moment I headed to the entrance to leave the house.
Haeryeong's hand still wouldn't let go of my tail.
"Hey. Aren't you going to let go of my tail now?"
"No. I won't."
"Why not?"
"Because if Uncle goes out, you'll come back hurt again!"
"What kind of talk is that..."
Anyone hearing that would think I go around getting beaten up outside.
I might go around beating people up, but there's no reason for me to get beaten up at all; however, due to my credibility having already plunged through the floor after the last incident, Haeryeong absolutely refused to let go of my tail.
On the contrary, the strength in her grip on my tail grew stronger.
"Sigh... I have no choice. Let's go out together."
"No!"
"Why not this time?!"
Even though I tried to take her along like last time as a last resort, Haeryeong refused that too.
When I asked if it wasn't okay because she could monitor whether I get hurt or not if she came along.
Why not!
The reason for that was simple.
"It's dangerous outside! Last time we went out together, you got hurt!"
"Ah."
Come to think of it, last time I took her along and ended up acting alone because the situation became urgent.
Perhaps because of that influence, a determination not to let me outside under any circumstances was evident in Haeryeong's eyes.
But staying home like this was getting boring since I had only been at home for the week I was sick.
"What do I have to do for you to let me go out?"
"Absolutely no!"
"If you let me go out this time, I'll take you to the amusement park next time."
"...Still no!"
Wasn't she wavering just now?
"Then I'll also buy you all the dolls you want at the amusement park."
"...Mmmmm... N-no."
"I promise I won't drop you this time. Okay?"
"...Really?"
"Yes. So let's go out together."
"You'll take me to the amusement park?"
"Yes, yes."
"And buy me cute dolls?"
"Yes, yes."
"And lots of ice cream and delicious snacks?"
"Yes... wait, no. For that, you need to get Su-ah's permission."
Other things might be fine, but for snacks, I need permission from Shin Su-ah, who is responsible for managing Haeryeong's health.
After a dramatic compromise, I finally received permission to go out.
Worried that Haeryeong might change her mind, I quickly had her prepare for the outing and stepped outside.
The place I flew to with Haeryeong on my back was the Awakened Association.
First, before going to Asgard, I planned to stop by the Association to meet Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon and tell them I was going to Asgard and would be back.
And when we arrived at the Association, grabbed a busy employee to ask, and reached the location where Baek Yeon was, what greeted us was...
Whap! Whap! Whaaack!!
"What in the world is that?"
The sight of Baek Yeon swiftly striking a man's Adam's apple, solar plexus, and vital points in succession.
Going back in time a bit, before Nidhogg left home.
Baek Yeon arrived at the Association with Shin Su-ah.
Unlike Nidhogg, who ended up handling everything alone after getting caught up in the incident, the two had to lead their own busy daily lives.
The number of Awakened injured due to the Monster Wave was approaching 30% of the total Awakened population in South Korea.
Because of that, there was a shortage of personnel for Gate management, and the two accepted the Association's request to focus on high-grade Gates and began management work to prevent Gate Breaks.
The reason they came to the Association today was also to select Gates that still needed management.
Shin Su-ah has the power of the Valkyries.
Baek Yeon has the power of Nidhogg.
From the moment they started properly wielding their powers through training, it became inefficient for the two to run Gates together.
Therefore, from the first day they began Gate management, they decided to act separately.
And that was the same today as well.
Upon arriving at the Association, the two, due to the lack of personnel, passed by the busy employees to get assigned a Gate, and Shin Su-ah received her Gate assignment first and left the Association.
Baek Yeon thought she would receive her Gate assignment right after as well, but due to an administrative error by an Association employee, her assignment today was delayed.
"I-I'm really sorry! If you wait just a moment, I'll assign one right away!"
"No, it's fine. I'll be at the cafe, so take your time."
Accepting the Association employee's apology, Baek Yeon left the Association and headed to the cafe right in front.
She planned to rest while having a cup of coffee until her Gate assignment was completed.
"Is this a break after a long time...?"
For Baek Yeon, who had been managing Gates outside recently and returning home to care for the feverish Nidhogg, this was a break that had come after a long time.
Right before entering the cafe to enjoy the leisure of a cup of coffee.
A voice calling her was heard.
"Are you Baek Yeon-nim?"
At the voice suddenly calling her name, Baek Yeon naturally turned her body and used magic power to scan the other party, but the other party was an ordinary person who wasn't even Awakened.
If so, thinking there was no need to be overly cautious, she looked at the other party—an unfamiliar man.
Judging by the ID badge hanging around his neck, the other party was an Association employee.
Had the Gate assignment already been completed or something?
"You are..."
"I'm Sang Cheol-woo, working in the Association's Information Department. If it's okay with you, could you spare a moment?"
"What business does the Information Department have with me?"
Baek Yeon also knows about the Information Department.
Their main tasks are data management regarding Awakened, Gates, and Monsters.
She herself had relied on them in the past when she was fiercely active, driven by hatred for Monsters.
But what business could such an Information Department have with her?
With a gaze filled with such doubt, she looked at Sang Cheol-woo.
"I'm not here to make a difficult request or ask a troublesome question. I came to ask a simple question about Nidhogg-nim... but it seems a bit inappropriate to do it here."
That's a sufficiently difficult question, though.
Thinking that inwardly, she nodded outwardly.
Because she knew that since that day's incident, interest in Nidhogg-nim within the Association had recently increased sharply.
Concluding that if there were any troublesome questions, she could just cut them off at her own discretion, Baek Yeon spoke.
"There is coffee where we're going, right?"
"Of course, I've prepared the best."
The place where Baek Yeon arrived, following the Information Department employee, was a reception room prepared inside the Association.
As she sat on the sofa, Sang Cheol-woo served coffee brewed directly into a mug.
Lifting the cup and taking a sip of coffee, Baek Yeon nodded.
He answered confidently for a reason; it seems he really used good beans.
"Actually, until now, from the Association's standpoint, to prevent any potential clashes with Nidhogg-nim, all information about him has been treated as confidential, and we haven't even collected additional information."
"That's a fact I'm aware of as well."
"But after the last incident, as information and power about Nidhogg-nim were disclosed to most Awakened, we also found ourselves in a difficult position. There were many inquiries coming into the Association, but we couldn't answer them, and we didn't even have the information to answer with in the first place."
"So that's why you arranged this meeting?"
"Yes, that's right. Rather than leave it as is until other guilds, unable to contain their curiosity, provoke Nidhogg-nim's displeasure, the Association wants to disclose basic information and manage things so they don't cross the line beyond that, which is why we arranged this meeting."
There are many people curious about Nidhogg-nim.
It doesn't matter if we don't give out sensitive information.
If we just provide basic information, we'll handle cutting off all those guys on our side.
We arranged this meeting for that purpose.
Sang Cheol-woo tried to persuade Baek Yeon with a sense that the Association was making such efforts.
Looking at him, Baek Yeon thought to herself.
Look at this guy? He's lying?