Chapter 222: Many
Chapter 222: Many
‘A secret. So something did happen recently.’
I mentally cheered, but on the outside, I put on a matching serious expression. As I slowly nodded, Park Hyunwoo moistened his lips. What on earth could it be that he was so nervous and hesitant?
“Ahem… Then I will trust you and tell you. It’s been almost two months now. Do you happen to remember when the various clans gathered for the Call to Arms?”
“Of course.”
“Then you must remember the Matriarch as well.”
“I only met her once then, but I remember her clearly.”
The Matriarch. A Year 9 User, Son Bunrye. A legendary figure who laid the foundation for the Golden Lion and led the clan through its golden age.
Putting aside her personal abilities, the way she controlled a gathering of so many powerful figures was quite a sight to behold, so of course I remembered. I never expected her to be mentioned, so I listened closely to what he would say next.
“I see. Then I’ll get right to the story of what happened afterward. At the time, the Matriarch left immediately after the Call to Arms ended. It was to treat our Clan Lord, who had been severely injured during the Steel Mountains expedition.”
“Ah. It seems there hasn’t been much improvement yet.”
“Yes. We barely managed to save her life, but… In any case, the Matriarch simply said she was going to the Eastern Mountains. She didn’t tell us her exact destination.”
He doesn’t seem to want to talk about the Clan Lord’s condition.
I tried to probe casually, but Park Hyunwoo only mentioned the publicly known facts and chose his words carefully. He then clasped his hands together and continued.
“It seems she went to find a remedy she had scouted out before… To be honest, we haven’t heard from her a single time since the Inn of Beginnings’ portal opened. And it’s been a full seven weeks.”
“Did she say when she would be back?”
“She did not.”
“Then it doesn’t seem particularly strange. Finding a cure could be taking longer than expected, couldn’t it?”
“……”
“If you’re that worried, you could form a search party with Users who excel at tracking and dispatch them…”
“Actually, we’ve already dispatched one.”
Park Hyunwoo replied in a gloomy voice and took out a cigarette. When he looked at me for permission, I responded by taking one out as well. After lighting them for each other with a mana stone, we both exhaled gray smoke at the same time.
“…There are complicated circumstances within the clan. Most people—apart from the executives and a few clan members—know nothing about them, so it is difficult for me to explain in detail.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you. In any case, putting that aside, the Matriarch needs to return as soon as possible. That’s true whether you look at the external situation or the internal one. Mercenary Lord, you haven’t been in the Hall Plain for long, so there are many things you may not know yet. Right now, the Northern Continent is in a state of pure chaos. It’s incredibly unsettled…”
There was no trace of arrogance on Park Hyunwoo’s face. If anything, he sounded as though he were pleading. He spoke with complete sincerity, barely continuing while looking ready to collapse at any moment. I watched him in silence and took a long drag from my cigarette.
“As I said, we dispatched a search party long ago. We could not simply wait for her to contact us. To be completely frank, even the best tracker in our clan failed to find the Matriarch.”
“Were her tracks erased?”
“To be precise, her trail remained until she entered the eastern city. After that, we could not find a trace of her, no matter how hard we searched. She moves in mysterious ways, but she is not someone who would deliberately erase her own tracks.”
“In that case… it sounds as if you’re saying someone deliberately erased her trail.”
“That’s highly likely. Since she used a Warp Gate in the first place, it’s possible someone was acting with a plan. The search party has now entered the Eastern Mountains on their own, but we’re only getting daily reports that they can’t find any sign of the Matriarch anywhere.”
It’s certainly strange enough to worry about. But for a User of the Matriarch’s caliber, there’s no need to be so concerned… Ah.
I suddenly remembered checking her Player Status as she left the conference room. She had been carrying a deep internal wound even then. Compared with her legendary prime, she was considerably weakened.
As if he had finished his explanation, Park Hyunwoo let out a deep breath and flicked the ash from his cigarette. The remaining embers danced in the air before slowly melting into nothing. He stared blankly into space for a moment before speaking again, his voice returning to its initial solemn tone.
“It’s embarrassing to say, but if our own strength isn’t enough, we have no choice but to borrow strength from the outside.”
“So that’s why you asked about Ko Yeonju’s visit.”
“Yes. To put it bluntly, we desperately want her help. The tracking abilities of the Shadow Queen, one of the Ten Strong, are second to none. I am certain she can discover something our clan missed.”
“……”
“I am asking you as well, Mercenary Lord. It does not matter even if we gain no results. If you help us just this once, the Golden Lion Clan will never forget the favor.”
Watching Park Hyunwoo bow his head respectfully, I was lost in thought for a moment. Various ideas stormed my mind, quickly occupying my thoughts. I was in the middle of weighing this against our clan’s current affairs when I felt a gaze cutting through the air, as if to pierce me. I slowly lifted my head and saw Park Hyunwoo’s eyes. Though his face was still weary, his eyes were shining brightly.
Meeting his gaze directly, I opened my mouth calmly.
“That might be a little difficult.”
*
On my way back after speaking with Park Hyunwoo, I reflected on the meeting. I had accepted his invitation hoping to obtain even a scrap of information, but instead I had heard something enormous.
The look on his face when I refused was quite a sight.
Park Hyunwoo looked bewildered when I politely declined. But saying it might be difficult was not an outright refusal. I immediately explained that Ko Yeonju would visit near the end of the eighth week, which calmed him down.
Refusing the request and proceeding with our original plan was one option. Granting it and making the Golden Lion Clan owe us a favor was another.
Both choices had advantages and disadvantages, so I ultimately left the decision to Ko Yeonju. Since she was directing the clan’s current plans, she could judge the matter better than I could on the spot. We also owed the Golden Lion Clan several favors, making an outright refusal uncomfortable. Leaving the final decision to Ko Yeonju was the best approach in several respects.
Before I knew it, the sun was setting. As I crossed the quiet clearing of the academy, I could smell the warm scent of the evening air.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
This present moment… how much did I really know about it during my first playthrough?
Strictly speaking, not much at all. Back then, I was just a Year 0 User, and I was too busy just trying to take care of myself. Of course, the future had been twisted. That much was certain. Originally, the Western Continent should have been running rampant by now, leading to the fall of the western cities, but there wasn’t even a hint of such a thing. But I had a feeling that something I couldn’t see was still alive and moving.
Whether it would correct the twisted parts or follow the current and veer off in a different direction was something I couldn’t yet predict. The moment I thought that, the air that had felt warm just a moment ago seemed to turn utterly unpleasant.
I sighed and quickened my pace toward the dorms.
*
The eighth week of the User Academy began. The total duration of the program was about thirteen to fourteen weeks, which meant we were now just past the halfway point.
The training intensity had been gradually increasing since the first week. However, compared to my time, the intensity of the eighth week’s training felt similar to that of the first. In any case, the new recruits had learned a lot so far and were adapting well, and not a single person wanted to drop out. However.
Once you start doubting, everything starts to look suspicious.
On the surface, there didn’t seem to be any problems at the academy. With other clans participating in the training, you’d think one or two people might be suspicious, but everyone was too busy praising Park Hwanhee. The most they knew was probably just that he was popular among the new Users.
Ironically, that very fact was raising his value even higher. It seemed they thought that if they could recruit Park Hwanhee, it would be easier to scout the other talented Users he was close with. Of course, there was the clan backing him, but this was also a testament to how skilled Park Hwanhee was at handling himself.
After checking the approval clipboard Hanbyul had given me that morning, I headed to the classroom where training was scheduled. Morning training had already ended, and the afternoon held group physical training.
As I walked toward the central training ground, I could see the new Users gathered in small groups in the distance. I stopped for a moment to observe their formation. At a glance, they just seemed to be scattered about randomly, chatting excitedly. But when I circulated my magic power to enhance my vision, I soon noticed something strange.
I headed toward them at once.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ah. Huh? Oh! Hello…!”
Baek Hangyul, who had been slumped over in a corner, jerked his head up in surprise the moment I touched his shoulder. But his voice was strangely weak, and his face was clouded with gloom. He tried to stand up quickly, but I gently pushed him back down, saying, “It’s okay, there’s still some time before training starts,” and slowly sat down next to him. He seemed so glad that I had come over that he looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“Is something wrong? Why are you sitting here all by yourself looking so miserable?”
“Well…”
Seemingly a little hurt by my words, Baek Hangyul quickly turned his head away with a sullen expression. I turned my head in the direction he was looking and saw an interesting sight.
Users were gathered around Park Hwanhee. Among them, Cha Yuna was casting him a playful sidelong look rather than glaring in displeasure. Everyone was laughing and chatting as though they were having a wonderful time. Compared with how she and Baek Hangyul had always stayed together before, it was a strikingly unusual scene.
Baek Hangyul watched them with a wistful gaze before his shoulders slumped dejectedly again.
“Did you fight with your girlfriend?”
“……”
“Then did you break up?”
There was no answer. Instead, he slowly nodded, then immediately shook his head. He looked incredibly sad. His lips were trembling as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment. I gently stroked his hair, then moistened my lips and spoke.
“Well, it’s a relief if you didn’t break up. Can you tell me why you fought with your girlfriend? I may not look it, but I consider myself quite the expert when it comes to relationships.”
“R-Really?”
“Of course. There was this one time…”
“Kim~ Soo~ hyun!”
Just as Baek Hangyul’s eyes began to sparkle with hope, a prim voice rang out from afar. From the sound of it, Training Instructor Yeon Hyerim had arrived. I gave his hair one last vigorous ruffle and stood.
“Oops, the instructor’s here. I don’t know what’s going on, but hang in there. If things get too tough, you can come find me at my quarters.”
“R-Really? Is that okay?”
“Of course. As I keep telling you, I handle Lifestyle duties as well as Discipline duties. Listening to the new Users’ worries is part of my job.”
The bluff was wearing thin. It felt like I couldn’t keep up the lie any longer, so I said my last words with emphasis and turned to look at Yeon Hyerim.
As always, she wore a prim expression while waving enthusiastically—an oddly incongruous combination.