Chapter 329: What’s This? Then I Won’t Do It.
Chapter 329: What’s This? Then I Won’t Do It.
The light that had illuminated the magic circle was now completely gone. Baek Seoyeon’s gaze swept over my face. What words could possibly describe her expression right now? The arms that had been holding me so tightly just a moment ago slowly fell away.
Baek Seoyeon faltered, taking a step or two back. One thing was certain: a flicker of hope still shone in her eyes. A look that seemed to say, ‘No. This can’t be happening.’
After a moment of silence, Baek Seoyeon’s lips parted.
“Who… who are you?”
“Well, who do you think I am?”
I gave a small shrug and answered smoothly. Confusion instantly washed over Baek Seoyeon. She looked at my face, then whipped around. The Vagabonds stood there in the same underground prison as yesterday. Looking as though she had no idea where to go, Baek Seoyeon backed away unsteadily until her feet tangled. A moment later, the sound of her clumsy fall echoed through the quiet dungeon.
Even then, Baek Seoyeon tried to get up, but this was the same woman who could barely walk even while leaning on me. No, it seemed she was struggling just to accept the current situation. Behind her, the Vagabonds were closing the distance with each passing second. Baek Seoyeon clawed uselessly at the floor with one arm and her legs before finally letting out a scream.
“D-don’t come here!”
As if her words would actually stop them. The Vagabonds, who had already reached her, began to toy with her as they pulled her to her feet. They kneaded her breasts as if they were dough and violated her private parts.
As the sensations registered all over her body, reality seemed to sink in. The face that had held a flicker of relief began to contort. That faint wisp of hope that had blossomed within her now turned to tears, streaming down her cheeks.
“N-no. This can’t be… You’re Hyeon, right? I’m just seeing things, right?”
“Hyeon? My name is Soohyun. Come to think of it, you’ve been calling for Hyeon for a while now. Who is that, exactly? You seem quite desperate to find him…”
“What…”
Baek Seoyeon’s voice was choked with emotion. As if trying to convince herself this was all a dream, she squeezed her eyes shut. Had Vivian’s illusion really been this effective? I marveled inwardly and gave a Vagabond a signal with my eyes. One of them forced Baek Seoyeon’s eyelids open. Our gazes met. The pupils I saw were shaking uncontrollably.
“Hyeon… Hah!”
Baek Seoyeon managed to speak through a trembling voice, but the continued groping of the Vagabonds drew a strange moan from her. The drug’s effects still lingered, causing her body to react. Seeming to get to the main event, they stripped off the robe they had just put on her and laid her back on the floor. Then, they surrounded her and bent down in unison.
“S-stop! Don’t!”
Even in that state, Baek Seoyeon struggled. It might have been different before, but in her current condition, it was a futile resistance. A Vagabond grabbed her slender arm as she reached for me and forced her hand around his grotesque member. I watched this silently for a moment before slowly turning away.
“D-don’t go! Help me, Hyeon! Hyeon! Hyeeoon!”
Baek Seoyeon’s cries echoed through the once-quiet underground prison. It was a scream that seemed to boil up from the depths of her throat. But as I ascended the stairs, her dry voice gradually became wet with tears.
Before I reached the top, I glanced down to give Ko Yeonju a signal.
In that short time, a Vagabond was already thrusting vigorously, and Baek Seoyeon’s body rattled like a broken doll with each movement. The face that had been tinged with a hint of hope was now filled with the same despair as before. And her eyes… they held a dim light, like those of a dead person. The hope I had so carefully revived had been completely and utterly shattered.
I’ll have to call Lee Hyoeul.
After looking at those turbid eyes, I averted my gaze and continued up the stairs. Lee Hyoeul was the one organizing the Call to Arms, and there were things I needed to confirm with her before it began.
I sorted through my thoughts and let out a deep sigh. It was a sigh for no particular reason.
*
“Extra! Extra! Make way, everyone! The Western Continent and those Vagabond bastards have finally begun their invasion of Halo!”
I had stopped by the Temple on an errand, but there were too many Users, so I was on my way back. As I crossed the bustling plaza, I heard someone shouting at the top of their lungs. He rushed through the crowd of Users, and in an instant, he had posted a large report on the plaza’s bulletin board. He then dropped a stack of reports on one side with a thud and started running again.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
After the storm-like passage of the reporter, the plaza was instantly filled with commotion. But it wasn’t chaotic. News that their advance had been detected had circulated several times already, so most people had an air of ‘what was bound to happen has finally happened.’ Still, it’s human nature to want to know the details, so Users quickly gathered around the bulletin board.
I, however, had no intention of jostling my way through the crowd to read the board. I picked up a report from the stack and quickly left the plaza.
I didn’t know who wrote it, but the report contained some fresh details about the current war situation. First, the claim that they had already invaded Halo was a lie. However, their invasion was imminent, and they would be within striking distance in two days at the latest, so it was practically the same thing.
There was a lot of other information as well.
Their numbers would easily exceed ten thousand. The forces that had split to invade Bess and Dorothy were merging as they advanced. The northern cities were taking a passive stance on forming support troops, using the recapture of Mule as an excuse. Golden Lion had urged SSUN to abandon Halo, planning to retake it after regrouping and recruiting a volunteer army, but it didn’t look easy. And so on.
In some ways, it was cliché, but I could see the effort to write as factually as possible.
Abandon Halo, then regroup and retake it, huh.
According to the bottom of the report, the number of Users residing in Halo who were evacuating to other cities was increasing. Sung Hyunmin had told me that Golden Lion was having trouble forming support troops, and it seemed to be true. After all, they had lost all their key Users in the Steel Mountains expedition. Even if they managed to forcibly assemble a force now, it was obvious what its quality would be.
I let the report slip from my hand and quickened my pace toward the Clan House. Two days had passed since I finished Baek Seoyeon’s conditioning Lee Hyoeul was supposed to visit Mercenary before the Call to Arms, so it was possible she had already arrived.
As soon as I reached the Clan House, the employee at the counter informed me that Lee Hyoeul had indeed visited. I thought she might have, and it seemed she had arrived just in time.
Hearing that Ko Yeonju had personally escorted her to the office on the fourth floor, I went up the stairs without delay. I calmly opened the office door and saw her sitting gracefully on the sofa by the table, intently watching something. I quickly walked over to my desk. A familiar voice playing from the crystal ball flowed into my ears.
(The reason I became a Vagabond… It was probably a little over a year in…)
(The number of Western Continent and Vagabond forces that have invaded the Northern Continent is approximately…)
(The supreme commander of the Western Continent is a User named Simon. I’ve never met him directly, but…)
(From what I’ve heard from those who have, they said he didn’t feel quite human…)
Sensing my presence, Lee Hyoeul, who had been engrossed in the Video-Recording Crystal, turned her head and spoke.
“Oh? You’re back…? Ah, just so you know, I didn’t touch this on my own.”
“I know. I had to step out for a bit, so I told Ko Yeonju beforehand.”
“Hmph. I see. So, where did you go?”
“The Temple. I had business with the angels.”
I infused magic into the summoning stone bearing Ko Yeonju’s name and sat on the sofa across from Lee Hyoeul. She gave me a strange look when I mentioned the Temple.
“Really? What did your angel have to say?”
“I couldn’t meet them. There were too many people.”
“I see. Well then… you got the message I sent last time, right? What do you think? I’m very useful, you know.”
“Let’s talk about that with my brother later. There’s something more important right now, so let’s get straight to the point. You saw the crystal ball, right?”
It wasn’t a decision I could make right now, so I tactfully avoided answering. Lee Hyoeul pouted, “Then you should have told us to come together in the first place,” before answering my question.
“I saw a little of the beginning. I never thought you’d get information this way.”
“It’s the most accurate method. There’s no risk of lies, and it lets everyone see for themselves, doesn’t it?”
“True. That’s a good point.”
Lee Hyoeul nodded once or twice in agreement.
The crystal ball on the table was a recording of my conversation with Baek Seoyeon from yesterday. Two days ago, we had finally managed to break her. Vivian had personally dismissed it as a “failure,” but from my perspective, it was nothing short of a success. Although we had failed to completely shatter Baek Seoyeon’s mind, we had weakened her mental strength enough for Eyes of Temptation to succeed.
“……”
“……”
Lee Hyoeul and I fell silent for a moment. I glanced at her face and saw that her cheeks were slightly flushed. She appeared calm on the outside, but I was sure her heart was pounding with excitement. No more words were needed. We had already confirmed each other’s thoughts in our last conversation. Of course, the crystal ball was sufficient, but seeing is believing, and it would be better to hear it directly from Baek Seoyeon’s mouth.
About five minutes later, we heard a knock on the door. The door swung open, and Ko Yeonju entered, leading Baek Seoyeon. It seemed she had already cast Eyes of Temptation, as Baek Seoyeon’s eyes shimmered with a pale gray light.
*
Thump!
As if drained by Eyes of Temptation, Baek Seoyeon’s body collapsed to the floor the moment it was over.
“Phew. That’s a relief, at least.”
Thus, the storm of questions came to an end. And the first thing Lee Hyoeul said was that it was a relief. I immediately questioned her cryptic remark.
“What’s a relief?”
“Ah. Think about why the Vagabonds killed the Matriarch. If there had been a traitor among the people who knew me, what do you think would have happened to me by now? Hehe… If you hadn’t saved me…”
Lee Hyoeul didn’t finish her sentence, her words trailing off. A bitter smile played on her lips. She had a point, so I just nodded silently. Soon after, Lee Hyoeul smacked her lips and stood up resolutely.
“Simon… Both the Vagabonds and Simon are quite something. Their goal wasn’t simple revenge. Tsk. It seems I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I’ll have to move up the Call to Arms.”
This was also unexpected. I had thought she might postpone the Call to Arms after today’s meeting, but instead, she was moving it up. To put it nicely, she was decisive, but to put it badly, it could mean there would be holes in her preparations.
As if reading my thoughts, Lee Hyoeul spoke with a light smile.
“Don’t worry. I have that much influence. And the invasion of Halo is happening faster than I thought, so I was already considering moving it up a bit. Anyway, I’ll be going now. It looks like I’ll have to be busy from now on. Thanks for the invitation today. And…”
Lee Hyoeul was about to say more when she suddenly turned to Ko Yeonju, who was sitting quietly beside her, and bowed her head politely.
“Thank you for your help today, Sister-in-law.”
“Not at all. I hope to see you again soon, Sister.”
Ko Yeonju replied in an incredibly elegant voice.
As I watched the scene with a sense of absurdity, thinking how well they were playing their parts, Lee Hyoeul turned back to me with a look of realization.
“Oh, right. Mercenary Lord. Would you mind seeing me out?”
“Why should I…”
“There’s something I need to talk to you about, just the two of us. It’s about your brother. It won’t take long.”
“Fine. I’ll walk you to the Warp Gate.”
I was about to refuse, but since she said it was about my brother, I couldn’t just ignore it. I had already heard that he was quite sulky because I had vehemently refused to let him come here with Lee Hyoeul.
I asked Ko Yeonju to take care of Baek Seoyeon and left the room with Lee Hyoeul. We walked down the corridor, descended the stairs, and had just reached the first-floor lobby.
“Orabeoni!”
“Kkyu!”
Ahn Sol, who had been playing in the lobby, saw me coming down and shouted happily, hugging her unicorn tightly.
Ahn Sol and the unicorn each raised an arm to greet me.
“Is that a unicorn…? Nah, it’s still a baby… Anyway, it looks like those two have business with you. I’ll wait outside. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
Lee Hyoeul, who seemed to have seen the unicorn before, muttered in a calm voice. She glanced at Ahn Sol and the unicorn before starting to walk away.
Ahn Sol ran toward me as Lee Hyoeul passed by her. They were about three or four steps apart.
It was then.
Lee Hyoeul’s fluid steps came to a sudden halt. She whipped her head around and stared at Ahn Sol, who was now throwing herself into my arms.
This was the same Lee Hyoeul who hadn’t shown a single change in expression while listening to Baek Seoyeon’s story. But now, her face was the very picture of shock, startled beyond belief.