The Butterfly and the Tempest
Thinking that Nora at least seemed somewhat normal, Mari gave a polite nod, though her eyes remained wary. "It's nothing else, but..."
"Are you here because of Yun... I mean, Slender Forearms?"
Mari cut straight to the chase, proving that even if she lacked awakened abilities, she didn't lack intuition. The two agents smirked and nodded.
"You catch on quick. I guess being from the same neck of the woods makes it easier to communicate."
"Ah, North Carolina?"
"Shelby, to be exact."
Shelby wasn't that far from Charlotte. Since both cities were in the same state and relatively close, they might as well be from the same hometown.
Yet, instead of looking pleased, Mari's expression stiffened further. She realized with absolute certainty that they were American ability users who had approached her solely to get to Yunjae.
"What do you..."
Feeling her blood sugar plummet even further, Mari froze. Nora chuckled softly and slid into the seat across from her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Men are always like this, aren't they? Utterly lacking in delicacy."
Mari wanted to snap back that Nora's fake friendliness was even worse, but she swallowed the urge and spoke flatly. "I don't know what you're hoping to find out, but 'Slender Forearms' really doesn't mean anything."
"Are you absolutely sure about that?"
At their question, Mari let out a dry, incredulous laugh.
"Yes, I am absolutely sure."
Even she had never imagined that a username created purely as a joke would cause such a global uproar.
"Then let's get straight to the point."
"Was that not the point?"
"We want Mr. Lim Yunjae to work for his country."
Mari froze at their words.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Work for his country? Why were these Americans saying that to her?
"Mr. Lim Yunjae's current citizenship is American. He acquired his citizenship at Point 6. Therefore, shouldn't he naturally be working in the United States, not here?"
Mari stared at them, completely caught off guard. She had never imagined that the citizenship Yunjae had obtained at Point 6 just to get to Korea would come back to haunt him like this.
"Yunjae isn't American. He wants to live here, and he will never do what you want him to do. So please, stop harassing an innocent person."
Watching him from the side, Mari couldn't help but feel deeply sorry for him. She knew better than anyone how desperately he craved a normal, mundane life. To someone like her, who had always yearned for superhuman strength, his desire might have seemed like a luxury. But considering Yunjae had spent what felt like thousands of years in absolute isolation, it was only natural.
"Well then."
As she made a move to stand up first,
"Wait a moment."
Johnson stopped her.
"Could you give us just a little more of your time?"
Unable to coldly brush off his polite request, Mari let out a heavy sigh.
"...Do you have anything else to say?"
At that exact moment,
Shiver!
What is this?
Panic seized Mari. A chilling sensation shot down her spine, and her body refused to move.
"Ah..."
She couldn't even form words. Everything felt completely frozen.
"I'm sorry, but we can't just let you leave like this."
Nora, sitting across from her, snatched the Cafe Mocha from Mari's hand, took a sip, and smirked.
"We're going to need your cooperation."
"Let's do this for the country, Mari."
"Ugh..."
This was the bitter reality of being a non-awakened human. As Nora's ability took hold, casting a spell over her mind and causing her consciousness to fade, a familiar voice drifted in.
"You shouldn't eat it with so much whipped cream on top."
The voice was instantly recognizable.
"Ah..."
Materializing out of thin air between them was none other than the platinum-blonde Lupinus!
"Well, though your body certainly has the capacity to handle that much sugar."
As she chuckled softly,
"When did she—?!"
Nora and Johnson, who hadn't detected her approach at all, stared in utter shock.
"By the time you notice, it's already too late!"
With a sharp snap of her fingers, thud, Nora and Johnson collapsed instantly.
"Perverted Goddess... thanks..."
Freed from the mental binding, Mari looked down at her newly mobile limbs with a slightly bitter expression. Lupinus looked at her with rare seriousness.
"This is only the beginning. Brace yourself."
The Cadmus portal near Sumatra Island.
Completely forgotten after the destruction of Cadmus's avatar, the area was plagued by exceptionally foul weather today.
Torrential rain poured down as thunder rumbled across the sky.
The bizarrely tempestuous weather was concentrated solely around this specific zone, as if actively repelling any outside intrusion.
However, because it was quite far from Sumatra Island itself, and because the locals who had witnessed the devastating Nova Field Yunjae used to hunt Cadmus had avoided the area ever since, no one was around to notice the strange phenomenon.
Flash!
At that exact moment, a blinding flash erupted from the Cadmus portal.
A crimson light shot up toward the heavens, and within the pillar of light, a strange silhouette flickered.
"..."
The figure shrouded in red light paused, staring briefly in the direction of Sumatra Island.
Hummm!
Simultaneously, a new portal tore open. Without a moment's hesitation, the crimson figure leaped inside.
The entire sequence unfolded in a split second, completely masked by the raging storm and thunder, leaving no trace for anyone to discover.
"So, you expect us to believe that? That 'Slender Forearms' has absolutely no meaning, and you just made it up as a joke?"
This was an emergency video conference, bringing together the leaders of major guilds and the highest-ranking government officials.
"Exactly! Who is this 'Girl' you speak of? The entity giving you orders!"
Having learned that American ability users had approached Mari, Yunjae had no choice but to call this meeting.
"Ah! It really was just a joke! Why on earth does everyone keep thinking there's some deep meaning behind it?!"
Ironically, however, no one believed the absolute truth coming straight from Yunjae's mouth.
"You can't just brush it off like that! If it's just a joke name like you claim, then who is the girl standing right next to you?"
Perhaps because he looked far more gentle and youthful than they had anticipated, Yunjae merely wore a flustered, helpless expression as they bombarded him with questions.
"Indeed! There is clearly a hidden agenda! Could it be that you are actually the mastermind behind the portal incidents?!"
Secretary Trumpkin of the United States—who had already lost two of his dispatched agents to Lupinus and had long championed the theory that 'Slender Forearms' was a front for a shadow organization—pressed Yunjae aggressively.
"Calm down, Secretary. This meeting was called to clear up your misunderstandings and explain the situation, not to hold a congressional hearing."
"The future of humanity is at stake! That man possesses the power to control the fate of the world! If he is the mastermind behind the portals, we cannot simply sit idly by!"
As the saying goes, a pig sees only pigs, and a Buddha sees only Buddhas. Yunjae let out a bitter smile as he watched the man work himself into a frenzy over absolutely nothing.
"...This is truly baffling, but it seems you've already decided on your answer."
'I have already decided what the truth is, so you must confess to it.' If that was their attitude, why bother asking questions in the first place?