Permission Granted?
I got permission, right?
“Haaam… Hmm?”
The first thing I felt upon waking was a strange emptiness. The blanket that had been warmed by the talisman was now cold, and since I was the only one in the bed, the other side had sunk deeply.
“Dohwa?”
No answer. I hadn’t raised my precious little brother to ignore me when I called, so he either hadn’t heard or wasn’t here. Indeed, there were no other presences in the hotel room.
“…I’m naked.”
The first thought that came to mind upon realizing I was naked was simply, Why?
The most likely explanation was that I had removed my clothes while sleeping. My ex-girlfriend from the old days used to say that I was well-behaved when sleeping alone, but had rather terrible sleeping habits when sharing a bed with someone. I probably tried to take them off because they were uncomfortable and ended up releasing the entire outfit.
Still, if I was naked, I could just put clothes on again. This was a hotel room, not the middle of the road, so there was no problem. After a quick shower, I put on panties, wrapped bandages around my chest, threw on some clothes, tied my hair into a simple ponytail, and headed down to the lobby.
“Did you sleep well?”
The Mayor Doh Bok-soo, whom I had met yesterday, greeted me with a bright smile. The dark circles under his eyes had sunk almost to his nose, but he was beaming. I was tired, but it seemed he wasn’t doing much better.
“Yes, thanks to Your Honor’s consideration, my fatigue has eased considerably. And though it’s modest… if you brew this with tea, it should help restore your energy.”
As we shook hands, I slipped about five talismans into the mayor’s palm.
“Think of them as nutritional supplements. One per day. I recommend against taking extra doses.”
“…I feel like I’m only receiving. Thank you.”
We bowed politely to each other, then followed his attendant into the restaurant, where I spotted Dohwa eating in the corner.
…No, he wasn’t eating a meal! What Dohwa was currently devouring were cookies and chocolate. He had snuck out while I was asleep just to have this for breakfast.
“…”
When he noticed me with the mayor, he flinched and lowered his head. It was a habitual reaction of his whenever he got caught doing something bad. Without comment, I dragged Dohwa over and sat him down beside me.
“This is my younger brother.”
“Oh, what a lively and pretty little brother you have.”
…There was no particular reason for this. I simply wanted to show them off. And since he had done something wrong, Dohwa was behaving himself.
“Then, while we wait for the food, shall we discuss the main topic? I don’t want to take up too much of Your Honor’s time… and I believe I can give you a quick answer.”
“Well then…”
What came out of the mayor’s mouth was simple. It was a request—no, a commission—regarding the inner core that had come from defeating the Scale Snail, asking if I could use it for Jeju Island’s development.
“The difficulty will vary depending on the specific details of the commission.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whether it’s simply making water emerge to create a new water source, making the water emerge and then evaporate it to spin turbines, or extracting energy directly from the inner core itself—the difficulty changes accordingly. Naturally, it goes from easiest to hardest.”
For reference, what the government wanted was the latter option. It was more difficult, but it required fewer additional materials or locations. So what exactly did Jeju Island need?
Jeju already had quite a few wind and solar power plants. In other words, they had some leeway when it came to electricity.
“By the way, once that decision is made, is it irreversible?”
“…As of now, the latter option is irreversible. The former is a bit cumbersome but possible. The very first one can be done without much effort. However, if you leave it to me… I would personally not recommend the final option. I assume I don’t need to explain the compatibility issues between the East and West, between magic and shamanism. Especially at a time when everyone is still inexperienced.”
“That’s fortunate. Then, first of all, please take this.”
The mayor handed me something. It was a proposal titled New Era Tourism Resource Development Project.
I glanced over the proposal and looked at the mayor.
“You’re planning to develop hot springs?”
“…And we’re also thinking of developing a new drinking water source. A massive one that can be used directly as bottled water without any purification.”
I examined the proposal. On the surface it was presented as a hot spring business, but the actual content was clearly focused on the water source.
“But why did you title it as hot springs?”
Dohwa, who had been holding back his curiosity, finally asked. Since it was better to have him speak for himself, I decided to let him talk.
“It’s for advertising effect. ‘Jeju Island is this safe—they’re even pushing forward with a hot spring project.’ If not that, then quite a few people are already dipping their toes into hot spring development.”
“…Hehe, that’s correct. From major players to small business owners, many have been investing in anticipation of an unusual reversal of fortunes.”
He didn’t deny it. It also meant he didn’t want to engage in a power struggle with an outsider like me, and this was a contract that someone would have taken eventually even if it wasn’t me.
“I’ll do it. Then, where are the candidate sites?”
“There are three. You may proceed at whichever location you prefer.”
He was quite serious. If I said yes, it looked like he would abandon even this breakfast and immediately take me to the sites.
“Then I’ll call you once I’m ready. As for the cost… you can just attach a receipt to the Blue House saying you did this kind of work on my behalf.”
“…Hmm, understood.”
The mayor was silent for a moment before nodding. It was rather strange that the person who should be paid was saying money wasn’t necessary and to just report it to the country instead, but since there was no loss for the mayor, he didn’t ask any further.
What came out shortly after was sushi. Despite the situation, the variety was quite impressive. It seemed they still had some breathing room.
After finishing the meal with the mayor and confirming there was no immediate danger, I gave Dohwa some free time. With a light heart, I planned to rent a bike nearby and personally scout the candidate sites. However, that plan was slightly delayed because an elf suddenly blocked my path.
“Hello!”
“Um, hello?”
There was no hostility. If anything, the opposite—her eyes sparkled with even more vigor than when we first met.
“What’s the matter?”
“Please take me as your disciple!”
This was troublesome. Extremely troublesome. First of all—
“Did you get permission from the mayor?”
“…Why are you suddenly bringing up the mayor here?”
“It’s not sudden. Except for special cases, a mobilization order has been issued to all Awakened. In other words, you belong to Jeju Island, while I, who travels across the country…”
“Please accept me as your disciple! Master!!!”
She bowed deeply with a voice even louder than before. Naturally, it drew the attention of everyone around us.
“Yeah, Yuseong lives there. Mom’s leaving now.”
Vroom!
But what could I do? The best medicine for a tantrum-throwing child is to leave them behind. I started the bike and rode off.
“Master!”
Kim Yuseong kept calling me master as she ran after me. But… she’s pretty fast?
She was easily keeping up with me even though I was going fifty kilometers per hour. Of course, that level was more than enough for an Awakened, but for Kim Yuseong, it looked far too effortless.
Screech!
I stopped the bike for a moment and looked at Kim Yuseong properly. Not a single strand of hair out of place. Her breathing wasn’t even labored. It made sense, since she had been one of those five from the beginning.
“Now that I think about it, why were you in charge of supervising those kids?”
“Ah, well… I’m better than others when it comes to agility and speed-related things. Especially when it comes to finding people, you could call me Jeju Island’s top tier! If those kids get into an accident, it’d be a big problem. I have to respond quickly.”
She was highlighting her strengths. However, it wasn’t enough to change my mind.
“Hmm. So you’re an elf archer or rogue. In that case, you’ll need to find another master. I…”
“No, I’m a swordsman.”
“…What?”
A swordsman. Fundamentally, an elf skilled in magic and exploration becoming a swordsman was like wearing clothes that didn’t fit. But in reality, it was a little different. For a swordsman, agility was important. Unlike the game, reality didn’t neatly divide strength and agility. High physical agility also increased strength, and high physical intelligence didn’t necessarily make one wiser. Rather than pressing down on an opponent with a sword, it was more efficient to slip into gaps and land a decisive blow. Of course, that was a method for dealing with humans, but the principle was ultimately the same.
“What I can teach isn’t shamanism, but the sword. Well, since you’re an elf warrior, I suppose that doesn’t matter. What about your weapon and equipment?”
Personal equipment was the most important thing above all.
“…Ah, that is…”
Kim Yuseong trailed off. Was she worried that her weapon wouldn’t meet my standards? Or maybe she didn’t have one right now.
“Hmm, then the weapon can wait. Let’s see your equipment first.”
“Is equipment… really necessary?”
“Of course it is. It’s clothing made of pure energy. No matter what it looks like, it’s the most basic defense against greater youkai that an individual can obtain right now.”
With current technology, that was probably still impossible.
“Um, could I show you somewhere a bit more private? This place… feels too public.”
Kim Yuseong suddenly started glancing around nervously. I didn’t know why she was acting like that.
“Anyway, I have somewhere to go for work. It’s just a preliminary survey, so hop on behind me.”
If the gazes of others bothered her, it was better to take her along since I was heading to a sparsely populated area anyway.
“But a motorcycle? Wouldn’t running be faster?”
“This is more comfortable.”
There was no need to sweat when I could enjoy the fruits of civilization.