FYI, the Current Association President...
FYI, the Current Association President...
I finished everything I needed to do at Siyoram.
Checking the supplies packed to bursting in my subspace made my stomach feel satisfyingly full by proxy.
I had secured my supplies and wrapped up the closing ceremony. I had left my regards with the fairies and the baby unicorn who remained at the mansion. And I had invested a solid stretch of time patiently soothing Seo-yul, who had been sulking over my long-term absence.
There was no reason to delay any further.
Since I had to sweep every area suspected of housing an entrance to the Reverse Side, I had time—but that did not mean I possessed boundless leisure.
"Hm."
A flurry of gazes landed on me. They belonged to the cadets who, like me, were visiting the gate terminal.
I did not pay much mind to that sort of minor attention.
"......"
The thick, distant fog. Through it, I could clearly make out the expressions of the people precious to me—and they were not good.
Eyes and voices dripping with worry and concern.
Their anxious looks, as if they were seeing off a child being hauled to the battlefield, made my shoulders hunch on their own.
At the same time, the memories of the past few days surfaced.
【Happiness】
"Happiness, my foot. You call this smiling?"
"Peh, uueeeng..."
Had it been persuasion... or perhaps temptation? Every moment, they had held me in their arms, coaxing and cajoling me not to go somewhere so dangerous, calmly trying to talk me into staying.
Whenever they had a chance, they would pull me tightly into an embrace, meet my eyes, stroke my hair, pat my back, wrap me up, and whisper affection into my ear...
To say I was overcome with happiness would be accurate.
I nearly nodded, spellbound, dozens of times when they asked if I could not just stay at Siyoram over the break.
Still, I cannot stop here...
If it were up to my heart, of course I wanted to stay. I wanted to cuddle up and act spoiled in their warm arms and spend a happy vacation...
Had I actually given in to the temptation, I would have spent this break in bliss.
But the future is uncertain.
My current level had undeniably skyrocketed compared to the original story, yet it was still insufficient.
High-grade dungeons and monsters. Catastrophes as perilous as the Reverse Side. And most importantly, the Tower Masters' invasion.
I doubted I could stop it, and even if I did, I had no way of knowing what price would be paid in the process.
So I could not afford to rest on my laurels just because the current results were good. I had to use them to seek even greater power.
That was why, swallowing bitter tears, I shook my head.
"I will come back safely."
I dodged the fingers that had been tugging at my lips and wrapped Master tightly in an embrace. The warm, comforting sensation curled the corners of my own mouth upward.
"I will stay in contact regularly, and I will come back quickly as soon as my business is done, so please do not worry too much."
"...Sigh."
At my actions, Master, who had been pinching my lips, swallowed a resigned sigh and patted my back.
"Stay... stay safe while you are out. Do not go wandering into strange places recklessly. And be especially mindful of dungeons."
"Before you go on about a hero's duty or whatever, you have to look after your own body first. And do not go charging in headfirst to fight without a plan."
I was not the only one leaving the academy during the break.
Master and Professor Liana had also been cooped up in Siyoram recently, so they had business outside during the vacation.
Baek A-rin naturally had to go to her territory for family matters, and Yeon-hwa and Lee Ji-yeon had to return to their families as well.
Ellia would stop by her hometown briefly, then, surprisingly, said she would accompany Baek A-rin to help out.
I understood the reasoning.
Healers are always in short supply on the battlefield. She is still a cadet, but Ellia already possesses high-caliber skill—she is a vital asset.
"But still..."
"No, you are saying that, Ha-yul? When you are even being vague about your destination?"
"Buhbubup..."
"Ugh, I am just going to be healing in the rear, so do not worry about me. And if you do not want to see me collapse from dehydration this time, how about you come back safely, Ha-yul?"
"Yesss..."
When I showed my concern, Ellia, exasperated, stretched my lips. Only after being pinched and whining for a stretch was I released.
"Yeon-hwa."
The farewells were mostly done. I wet my stinging lips and sidled up next to Yeon-hwa.
"...I will come back safely?"
At my small voice, Yeon-hwa's gaze fell toward me.
Her crimson eyes. Inside them, a whirlpool of complex emotions churned, and concern clouded my own eyes in turn.
Yeon-hwa's state had grown strange over the past few days.
She had spent more time brooding absently by herself and often pulled me into her arms, looking down at me with a complicated gaze.
When I had whined and pestered her for the reason, no answer came back, leaving me frustrated... though of course, I was hardly in any position to throw a fit about it.
Had I not been hiding the matter of the Reverse Side myself?
Granted, the Reverse Side was not something I was particularly restricted from mentioning, but if I stated my objective, it would only invite a mountain of needless worry, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Ha-yul."
Yeon-hwa pulled me tightly into her arms.
The sensation of soft, warm flesh and the soothing heartbeat beyond it, which calmed body and spirit, reached my ears.
"I will look after Seo-yul properly, so do not worry. If your work is done fast, do not wander off on some detour—come straight back. Got it?"
"Yess."
"Right. You answer nicely enough."
【......】
With nothing left to say, I clamped my mouth shut, and Yeon-hwa, nodding slowly, stared intently into my eyes.
Eyes whose thoughts I could not read. Amid the complex, churning waves, the blatant affection was unmistakable.
As I stayed there, head tilted back, meeting that gaze, Yeon-hwa gave a faint smile and pressed her lips to the bridge of my nose.
"Keep in contact. If it gets cut off like last time, I am coming to find you right away."
"I will do it regularly..."
At the declaration that she would come charging straight for me, I shivered and nodded.
* * *
Three days had passed since Maxwell had delivered the abrupt news.
Robert—for the first time in a truly long while!—barely managed to wrap up his work around lunchtime and tidied his clothes neatly in front of the mirror.
"Hm..."
A high-quality suit with no particular flair, but one you would be hard-pressed to find just anywhere.
Complex to wear and straighten compared to the rags he had worn while roaming the battlefield, but as the saying goes, even a dog at a school learns something after three years—the attire was now familiar.
"Hoo."
Finished with his grooming, Robert turned.
A door was set in front of him. But instead of opening it, he tapped the floor with the tip of his foot.
- Whooom...!
A strange resonance rose from his toe. The moment it swallowed him whole to the crown of his head, Robert stepped into a space utterly different from before.
It was a fairly large chamber, with no windows leading outside and no doors by which to enter or leave.
This was the deepest heart of the Association Headquarters—a hidden conference room that those without special clearance could not set a single foot inside.
"Robert, is your face not a rather rare sight?"
The room already had prior arrivals. Robert checked his attire once more and turned.
In the center of the conference room, clustered around a rectangular table that floated legless in the air, sat four people.
Samuel Delaney.
Alfred Bester.
Fritz Leiber.
Isaac Asimov.
They were Robert's fellow Association Councilors.
"You are the last. I see you still have not fixed that dawdling habit of yours."
The graying elderly man occupying one corner of the table, Association Councilor Samuel Delaney, opened the conversation with a sly affect.
"It is not yet the appointed time—what do you mean, 'dawdling'? Do not go sitting yourselves down ahead of time and then picking a fight."
"Oh ho, is it not basic courtesy to be seated before the appointed time?"
"By your own words, the time is not yet upon us. Stop grating on my nerves and keep your mouth shut."
Robert wrinkled his face and sat down on a chair that hovered legless in the air.
"You seem as close as ever."
"A nauseating remark, even after hearing it for decades."
At the sight of Robert's abruptly twisting face, the other three smiled wryly.
"You have all aged in a heap. Look at you, nothing but more gray hair. Could you not have taken better care of yourselves?"
"As if you have, yourself."
A familiar warmth was laced through the grumbling tone.
Either way, they were the ones who had been leading the Association since the Tower Masters withdrew into seclusion, so an inevitable fondness was bound to develop.
"So, are the Association Presidents withdrawing their seclusion now, then?"
After the brief reunion, Fritz, who had been quietly nodding, raised the point.
Robert let out a low hum.
"...We cannot confirm that among ourselves. Besides, it is a matter that will be resolved soon."
"Still, let us at least find value in speculating among ourselves. If the people who have been in seclusion for decades are returning, there must be a reason, no?"
"It could simply be that the situation is bad enough to prompt their return."
"Ah, that is certainly true as well."
At Alfred's answer, Fritz, who had posed the question, nodded.
The fact that the world's current state was not exactly positive was something even ordinary citizens knew.
Of course, if anyone asked whether it was dangerous enough to make the Association Presidents come rushing back in a fluster, he would shake his head—but it could amount to a sufficient cause.
After all, a threat like this needs to be handled well in advance to minimize the damage.
"Hardly something to be proud of...."
They had been placed in the Association Council seats and told to lead the Association well after the seclusion, and yet the world was showing signs of chaos once more.
Whatever it was, it was not a reason for the Presidents to be proud.
- Whoooong!
It was while everyone was voicing their thoughts about the Presidents' summons.
The empty air a short distance away rippled with a small tremor.
At the vibration spreading inside, as if someone were knocking on a door, the Association Councilors' faces brightened.
The return of the Association Presidents. They had not received a firm confirmation, but thanks to the first directive from the Presidents to arrive in decades, they were half-certain and could do nothing but await it with anticipation.
"Hm?"
Which was why they blinked upon seeing the two figures who breached the spatial tremor and revealed themselves.
One was Maxwell. An agent of the Execution Department, he held the clearance to enter this conference room.
The other was...
"Huh...?"
Alfred, who had been scrutinizing Maxwell's companion, let out a breath of admiration.
White from head to toe. Even the parts that were not white gave off the impression of being white.
Simultaneously, his features were flawless, without a single inch of dissonance, and their perfect harmony made the pure-white impression stand out in a favorable light.
In the comparatively dim conference room, it was almost enough to mistake that one had stepped into direct sunlight.
"Cadet Lee Ha-yul?"
Alfred murmured, and by then, everyone had already recalled Lee Ha-yul's name.
There was no way they could not know. Lee Ha-yul was someone who had drawn the world's constant attention from the moment he enrolled.
On top of that, his appearance was so outrageously striking—once you laid eyes on him, you could not forget him.
【Hm.】
A brief moment of mutual observation. Eyes still closed, Lee Ha-yul took a step forward and touched his necklace.
【It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lee Ha-yul, currently enrolled at Siyoram.】
"Yes, a pleasure to meet you, Hero Lee Ha-yul. I am Robert Highline, holding one of the seats on the Association Council."
At the courteous greeting extended first, Robert rose from his seat.
"Having heard of Hero Lee Ha-yul's achievements, I have long looked forward to a meeting, and now, as the opportunity has come, I meet you in person."
Robert offered a textbook smile steeped in decades of professional experience.
"Sipnaha. And for the devotion you demonstrated in China, Hero, allow me to once again express my gratitude on this occasion."
So saying, Robert lightly bowed his head, weighed with sincerity. The others, following suit as they rose, similarly inclined their heads.
Gratitude for devotion. It was no empty remark, nor was it a gesture for show.
They were genuinely, deeply grateful to Lee Ha-yul—for stopping the dungeon rampage at Sipnaha and the Twin-headed Poison Dragon in China.
【I am the one who must thank you. In both incidents, the protection you extended to me afterward allowed me to rest at ease.】
"That is the very founding purpose and the reason for the Association's existence. If it could not accomplish even that, the Association would have no need to exist."
The cordial exchange went back and forth for a moment.
Having finished the initial pleasantries and confirmed that the atmosphere had relaxed considerably, Robert spoke.
"By the way, Hero Lee Ha-yul, might I ask for what reason you have visited this place?"
Though Robert had posed the question as a formality, he had, in truth, a rough guess at the answer.
The conference room was a space that the Tower Master of Space had personally overseen in terms of security long ago.
With the Authority of Space applied to it, this room was no different from another plane, one where even common coordinates could not be identified.
To have entered such a conference room in perfectly sound condition meant, by whatever means, that the person was connected to the Association Presidents.
Perhaps Lee Ha-yul had been invited by the Association Presidents for some reason... he deduced to himself.
"This is Maxwell of the Execution Department."
It was then.
Maxwell, who had been standing upright behind Lee Ha-yul, took a step forward and answered.
"Hero Lee Ha-yul is participating in this meeting in the capacity of 'Association President's Proxy'."
"Hm, I see. Association President's Proxy, is it... Understood."
Robert nodded. The others also nodded in understanding and returned to their seats.
"What kind of position?"
Robert, who had raised his head, blinked. It was a question seeking reconfirmation, as if to ask what exactly he had just heard.
The other four were in a similar state. None of them spoke, but with faces clearly rife with bewilderment, they alternately stared at the faces of Lee Ha-yul and Maxwell.
"Association President's Proxy."
Maxwell continued speaking, undeterred by the blank stares trained on him.
"In the past, Hero Lee Ha-yul was formally delegated the authority by Association Presidents Gracia Tehulin and Sierra Skariar."
"Authority... delegated? Already?"
"Yes. Hero Lee Ha-yul is currently the 'Association President's Proxy,' bearing the overall authority of the Association."
"......"
"For reference, I have been assigned, for the duration of this meeting, to serve as aide to Association President's Proxy Lee Ha-yul."
Maxwell calmly nodded and concluded his explanation.
His tone was composed, but the content he delivered was not light.
Overnight, the massive power known as the Association had gained a supreme leader with no equal.
At the staggering news, everyone's mouths fell open.
In the midst of this, Lee Ha-yul—who had not prevented Maxwell from speaking—stepped over and carefully perched himself on one of the empty seats of honor.
【As such, I am Lee Ha-yul, temporarily carrying out the role of Association President's Proxy.】
A seat floating in the air, slightly higher than the others.
Lee Ha-yul, who fidgeted briefly as if the seat felt unfamiliar, nodded slowly, feeling the gazes fully trained on him.
【Of course, I understand that further explanation is needed, but first, I will announce the objective of today's meeting.】
The voice emanating from the necklace was exceedingly level, perhaps owing to the nature of the business.
【Please ready whatever subjugation forces and defense forces can be spared, so that they can be mobilized at any time.】
"Pardon?"
Though he could not understand the reason, Robert, who had been listening with a dumbfounded expression, could not help but ask back without thinking.
Compared to the flat tone, the content was brutal.
The Association President's Proxy, who had just—taken office?—was moving troops with his first order.