Chapter 330: What’s This? Then I Won’t Do It.
Chapter 330: What’s This? Then I Won’t Do It.
The Mercenary Clan had grown to over ten members, but the conference room still felt spacious. Even the small third-floor meeting room had this much empty space; I wondered when we would ever get to use the grand conference hall on the fourth floor.
Snapping out of my trivial thoughts, I placed the document in my hand onto the table. I felt the gazes of the seated clan members shift toward me.
“Clan Lord. Where is the messenger from?”
“…It’s an invitation to a summons. It’s for the entire East and South, and they’ve asked Mercenary to attend this time.”
“Oh my… That means representative clans can participate. Are you saying Mercenary is included?”
“Not included. Invited.”
I answered Jung Hayeon’s question with only the publicly known facts. While I’d had no choice but to tell Ko Yeonju, the angels had asked me to keep it a secret, so I planned to be as tight-lipped as possible.
“I see. But since we’re still managing the Vagabonds, it would be good for our image to participate. Where is it being held?”
“At the clan house of Goryeo, the representative clan of the eastern general city, Prinsica.”
“I understand. In any case, if it’s a summons covering both the East and South, it must be quite large-scale… It seems they’re finally going to discuss a proper solution.”
“Who knows. I suppose we’ll find out when we get there.”
Large-scale, huh? If anything, I suspected it would be small-scale.
Though it was publicly hosted by the Goryeo Clan, the true organizer was Lee Hyoeul. I already had a rough idea of the inner workings, but I couldn't reveal that yet. The clans had likely already finished their discussions in their respective cities and had begun to take action. In other words, a solution had already been found, and this summons was focused on the Vagabonds I was holding.
“Oppa, are there attendants, too?” Lee Yoojung asked, her eyes sparkling. Everyone seemed puffed up with pride that Mercenary had been invited.
“Yes, there are. There are, but…”
I picked up the document again. The invitation, much like the one from Golden Lion, had a limit on the number of participants. This time, however, there was a clear reason for it, so no one was likely to complain.
And, of course, the Mercenary Clan had a list of people who could attend. Ko Yeonju and Baek Seoyeon were essential for this summons, so their attendance was a given. The problem was the postscript written at the bottom. It was a handwritten request for Ahn Sol to attend as well. I suspected Lee Hyoeul had written it herself.
I have a feeling this is related to True Name…
Recalling Lee Hyoeul’s reaction when she saw Ahn Sol last time, something felt unsettling. After a moment of organizing my thoughts, I turned my gaze to Ahn Sol, who was sitting on my left. She was simply beaming, as if she had not a care in the world. Seeing her without a single shred of worry, two questions suddenly came to mind.
How on earth did Ahn Sol become a Priestess of Radiance in the first playthrough? And why did she go over to Odin instead of staying in the Northern Continent?
Countless questions followed, but I decided to stop thinking about it. It wasn't a problem I could solve right now, and I felt I would have to find a breakthrough through direct action.
*
On the day of the summons.
I was visiting Prinsica for the second time since the start of the second playthrough. The last time was to see my brother; this time, it was to attend the summons.
Comparing this moment to the first playthrough, the difference was like night and day. In the past, I was an insignificant User, struggling to get by. Now, I was a Clan Lord attending a meeting of the leaders of the Northern Continent.
Feeling a slight sense of awkwardness from the disconnect with my first playthrough, I started heading toward the Goryeo Clan House.
As I recalled, the distance from the Warp Gate to the clan house was a short fifteen-minute walk. However, it took us nearly thirty minutes to reach our destination. Baek Seoyeon was so out of it she could barely walk, which significantly slowed us down.
We were a little late, but we finally arrived at the Goryeo Clan house. As we reached the main gate, Users who had been waiting there approached us and spoke in a polite tone. The emblem of Goryeo (高麗) shone blue on their chests.
“Please state your identity.”
“Kim Soohyun, Lord of the Mercenary Clan.”
The moment I identified myself, a flicker of interest crossed the Users’ eyes. They looked me over, then the people behind me, before bowing their heads respectfully once more.
“Thank you for answering the summons. We will guide you personally.”
“Thank you. Are we very late?”
“Everyone else has arrived, but someone else just went in a moment ago. Still, it would be best to hurry. This way, please.”
I grabbed Ahn Sol, who was gaping in awe at the sheer scale of the place, which was several times larger than the Mercenary Clan House. Then, I began to follow the guide who had opened the main gate.
We were officially in a state of war. Yet, looking at the atmosphere in Prinsica, or Monica… no, even within the Mercenary Clan itself, it didn't feel like we were at war at all. Watching a fire from across the river. Wasn't that the perfect expression for it?
The intensified conflict between clans after the Matriarch’s summons had probably affected the Users living in the cities. Those who had experienced even a little of the war might feel differently, but I was curious to see how the others would react if they knew the reality of the invaded cities.
We crossed the vast grounds and entered a large building that looked like the main hall. We didn't go up any stairs. The Goryeo Clan member turned right down the first-floor corridor and led me to a door that looked to be over three meters tall. Above the door, the word ‘Conference Room’ was engraved, emitting a soft glow.
“Hoo-ah. Hoo-ah.”
“…I will open the door for you.”
Finding Ahn Sol’s nervous panting cute, the User suppressed a laugh before speaking quietly. Knowing how important our external reputation was, no matter how trivial it seemed, I decided to thank the User who had guided us.
“Yes, thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
The User replied in a gentle voice and slowly gripped the handle. The crack in the door began to widen, and the heavy air unique to a conference room flowed out, enveloping me. I took a deep breath and calmly stepped inside.
*
As I entered, the view of a vast conference room came into sight. The internal structure was reminiscent of an open-air theater. The space was twice as large as the grand conference hall on the fourth floor of the Mercenary Clan House, but the number of people seated was extremely small, only about thirty.
Three people were seated at the head table in the front. Two of them I knew: Lee Hyoeul and Jo Seongho, the diplomat of the Goryeo Clan. The person sitting next to her with a stern expression didn't look familiar, but I guessed he was probably the Lord of Goryeo.
As I walked toward the center, I slowly scanned the room from left to right and realized that quite a few clans had participated in this summons.
Goryeo, the representative clan of the eastern general city, Prinsica. And Moonlit Night Clan and Han, the representative clans of its subordinate small cities, Eden and Dana.
Blue Wolf Clan, the representative clan of the southern general city, Khan. And Su Clan and Istantel Low Clan, the representative clans of its subordinate small cities, Coran and Monica.
Besides them, I could see that most of the well-known clans, such as Haemil Clan and Reverse Clan, had also attended even though they weren’t representative clans. It was a fresh reminder of Lee Hyoeul’s influence over the East and South. Without stopping, I took the opportunity to exchange nods with Users I knew, like my brother and Han Soyoung.
When I finally stopped in the center, Lee Hyoeul, who had been sitting with her arms crossed, spoke with a subtle smile.
“Everyone, your attention. Now that the man of the hour, the Mercenary Lord, has arrived, we will officially begin the summons.”
Her characteristically sharp voice echoed through the air. There was no seat for me in the room, only a single chair placed in the center. Since we had already discussed this, I wasn't flustered and led Baek Seoyeon to the chair.
Just as I was about to seat her, I paused. There was a document on the chair. Wondering what this was, I picked it up. Just then, I saw Lee Hyoeul rise from her seat and walk toward me.
“I’ve compiled a list of questions. The only one who can ask them is the Shadow Queen, so this is more convenient, isn’t it?”
I nodded silently at Lee Hyoeul’s reasonable explanation. I then handed the document to Ko Yeonju and sat Baek Seoyeon in the chair. (She kept trying to slump over, so it took some effort to get her to sit properly.) When I looked up again, I saw countless gazes fixed on me, each one filled with immense interest.
Although there was a slight difference in our standing, there was no reason to be intimidated. I straightened my back and met their gazes head-on. Then, planting my feet firmly, I spoke.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Soohyun, currently residing in Monica and leading Mercenary, a Free Mercenary Clan.”
A light round of applause followed my simple introduction. At that moment, my brother’s face caught my eye.
He was staring at me with an expression of profound emotion, like a parent looking at their grown-up child. Praying that he would, for once, just stay quiet, I passed the baton to Lee Hyoeul. She had already closed the distance between us.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard the gist of it from me, but many of you probably want to see it with your own eyes. And indeed, there were many such people, weren’t there?”
Raising the end of her sentence, Lee Hyoeul suddenly grabbed my arm and continued speaking.
“This man here is a User with whom I share a very deep connection. He is the younger brother of the Haemil Lord over there, and the savior who saved my life. Of course, the most important thing is something else. You’ve all heard the rumors. The Mercenary Lord was in Mule on the day of the Vagabonds’ first attack, and…”
“On that subject, I have one question for the Mercenary Lord.”
Someone spoke up in a quiet voice. I glanced over and saw a man from the southern line on the left raising his hand. Looking at his emblem, I could confirm it was the character for Su (秀). Just as I was about to nod, Lee Hyoeul stepped forward and stopped him.
“Can’t you see I’m talking right now?”
“I-I’m sorry. But I was just so curious…”
“How many times have I told you to learn when to butt in and when not to… Tsk. In any case, I can’t allow questions right now. I’ll give you time later, so do it then.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Lee Hyoeul snorted lightly. At the same time, she grabbed Baek Seoyeon’s limp hair and pulled her head up so everyone could see her face.
“My apologies. Let me rephrase. The woman sitting in this chair is a Vagabond named Baek Seoyeon, a person of considerable infamy. I trust there’s no one here who doesn’t know of her. Mercenary Lord? For the sake of everyone present, would you mind briefly explaining how you captured this Vagabond?”
“Yes. As we were leaving Mule and returning to the city, a pursuit team of Vagabonds came after us. I fought them with the Users who were with me, and in the process of defeating them, we were able to capture several of them as prisoners. That is all.”
I answered simply, just as Lee Hyoeul had asked. But the content of my answer was anything but simple, as I could feel a subtle stir ripple through the previously quiet conference room. They must have known I was a Year 0 User, so such a reaction wasn't entirely strange. I listened closely to the murmurs circulating in the room.
“What? So the rumors were true? Not an exaggeration?”
“That doesn’t make sense… I thought it was an exaggeration, too. But I recently met a User who escaped from Mule…”
“That damn bitch. She’s finally been caught.”
“Serves her right. That damned Vagabond bitch.”
Amidst the murmurs, there were also several Users who expressed their anger upon seeing Baek Seoyeon. It seemed she had made even more bitter enemies than I had.
After about a minute, Lee Hyoeul raised her hand to quiet the commotion. She let go of Baek Seoyeon’s hair and spoke.
“Since many of you wish to confirm the facts, we will now begin the verification process. Shadow Queen?”
“Yes. I’m ready.”
At Ko Yeonju’s crisp reply, Lee Hyoeul winked and gave a slight nod.
“Very well. Then please ask the questions written on the list. You can ask questions one through four all at once.”
“Understood. One moment.”
At Lee Hyoeul’s request, Ko Yeonju moved to stand in front of Baek Seoyeon. I stepped back slightly and moved to stand next to Ahn Sol, who was looking anxious. Ko Yeonju then lifted Baek Seoyeon’s chin and looked around at everyone.
“I’ll begin now.”
Holding the list of questions in her left hand, she began to read in a languid voice.
“Number one. What is the total number of Western Continent Users and Vagabonds who have invaded the Northern Continent?”
“I don’t know the exact number… but I believe it’s around 15,000.”
A hoarse voice, completely devoid of energy, echoed through the room. The subtle noise that had been filling the conference room instantly fell silent. Ko Yeonju continued with the next question.
“Number two. Who is the User in overall command of the Western Continent Users?”
“His name is Simon. I don’t know the details, but he is a young man said to be the closest thing to a ruler in the lawless Western Continent.”
“Number three. Is the reason you Vagabonds invaded the Northern Continent to retaliate for the Vagabond Extermination Plan?”
“That is not it. Revenge is a part of it, but it is not the final objective.”
An unexpected answer. The commotion that had just started to die down began to stir again. But Baek Seoyeon wasn't finished speaking, her pale, ash-colored eyes gleaming.
“Then what is the Vagabonds’ final objective?”
“That is…”
Baek Seoyeon seemed to hesitate for a moment before finishing her sentence in a quiet voice.
“To turn the Northern Continent into the Western Continent.”