Chapter 296: I Really Have No Idea What's Going On.
Chapter 296: I Really Have No Idea What's Going On.
Roughly four days have passed since the night of Yumil’s brand of fireworks.
To summarize what happened during that time:
Nothing happened.
The Management Bureau failed to grasp exactly what occurred that night.
The roughly one-minute window when the Heavenly Sword and Yumil met, and Yumil drew her hammer to fight—during that time, the Martial Alliance Headquarters recorded that absolutely nothing happened.
Whether by satellite, prophecy, Clairvoyance, or various other means, not a single record remained.
Having a hunch, I posed a question to those I suspected were the culprits.
* * *
"Was it you guys?"
"It’s thanks to Quilp. In reality, if it exceeds a minute even slightly, the Double-Blind Backup System of the verification department's Espers would notice the information interference and restore it. Fortunately, it was resolved within a minute, so it seems we weren't caught."
Well, it was something like that.
I don't really know what a "Double-Blind" system is, though.
Following that, Seini—who was currently floating around as a crudely made human-shaped mass of light with a light bulb for a head instead of his boyish form—continued to speak.
...Even though he didn't have a mouth.
"Looking at the mess that was made, it might have been better if Quilp had come to the Alliance and I had handled the information interference, but then Yumil would have been caught using that technique. In the end, it turned out to be the right choice."
Haha.
Seini laughed, his light-bulb head flashing, despite the fact that he had been in mortal danger.
They really are easygoing fellows.
Anyway, just as Seini said, the Management Bureau couldn't obtain complete information and only gathered testimonies stating that "there was an attack."
However, they seemed to have missed the most crucial parts.
For instance, Yumil’s Crimson★Hammer.
Yumil woke up three days after the incident.
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I'm dying. Thanks to a certain someone."
I told you I was sorry.
Still, I offered another apology in that same vein.
I had to; the state Yumil was in was simply disastrous.
She somehow managed not to die, but fine cracks had formed all over her body, and even the slightest movement caused her hardened skin to crumble into dust and scatter.
Her right arm, which had held The Hammer, and the right side of her body, which had been in contact with the heat, were gone.
It wasn't as if her left side was fine, either.
Her left leg had become little more than a stick, and her left hand was paralyzed.
To summarize, she was barely clinging to life.
In that pathetic state, she was currently hospitalized in a large hospital owned by The Society.
Thanks to that, I learned that The Society is absolutely filthy rich.
If you look around The Society's hospital, you'll see that ordinary people use it too, but once you step into certain restricted areas, you realize that entities that shouldn't exist in the human world are roaming about.
What should I call this? A specialized ward for Mutants?
Well, it’s that kind of hospital.
Because of this, even though Yumil’s body was a total wreck, she was able to rest and was even assigned a personal doctor who was quite the luxury.
Speaking of that personal doctor...
"Yumil! No bad words!"
The one saying that while slathering on thick black mud was Linshua.
"...It wasn't even that bad of a word."
Yumil began to grumble weakly, seemingly finding it difficult to be firm with the being who was healing her—and who was also her distant superior.
"No! It’s because you say such bad words that you ended up like this."
No, I don't think that's it.
There's no correlation at all.
But well, she’s cute, so I guess it’s fine.
As I watched the scene of Linshua applying more mud to Yumil with a smile...
"What are you sitting there grinning for, you nuisance?"
Zap.
Along with the sound of an electric spark...
"Gah!"
A fist slammed into my side.
A bizarre sound escaped my lips thanks to the unexpected blow.
"Hey, is this my fault? I mean, sure, the plan started because of me, but saying it's my fault she ended up in that state is..."
Honestly, I am at fault, but I don't think I'm responsible for more than half of it.
I tried to plead my case, but...
"Who was the one who raised the alert level saying they were going to hunt down Villains in the middle of the night?"
Hmm. That was me.
I thought that, but before I could even speak...
Zap.
An electrically accelerated slap whipped across my back.
"Right, that was your fault. Then, who was the one who just stared blankly and only ran over when it looked like things were going to hell?"
Wait, are you reading my mind now?
And how do you know that? No one should know except Chong So-rim.
"Ah, I can tell by your face. You're wondering if Chong So-rim blabbed, right? Relax. I just figured that's what you would've done, so I was testing you."
...Oh, damn it.
The Thunder God baited me.
The only silver lining is that she doesn't seem to be a mind reader.
"If it was that important, you should have stepped in yourself, you idiot."
Whack. Whack.
The Thunder God’s physical and verbal discipline continued.
I let the lecture go in one ear and out the other, so I don't know what she was saying.
As for the beating, since there was no murderous intent or malice in her fists, I wasn't being launched into the air or anything, but...
Pain is pain.
Regardless of the impact, electricity was loaded into every single hit, making my nerves scream.
By the time my hands were trembling from the accumulated electrical interference in my nerves, the Thunder God’s lecture finally ended.
Right on time, Linshua finished the treatment of remolding Yumil.
So, I voiced the question I had been curious about to Yumil.
"Can you still bring out The Hammer?"
"The black one comes out, but you're asking about the silver one, right? That one won't come out."
Yumil said, waving her restored left hand in the air.
Every time she did, a Black Rod would be summoned and unsummoned repeatedly, but there was no sign of the Silver Hammer appearing.
Hmm.
Is there some condition attached that even Yumil herself doesn't know?
"Then, do you remember using my S-Rank Technique?"
"Ah, I remember that. However..."
"However?"
"Umm... how should I explain this..."
Yumil fell into deep thought, but I didn't press her.
I simply waited quietly for her to find her own answer.
"Ah, this is the best way to put it. It felt like... something was guiding my hand."
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
"A bit more detail."
"Well, like... it felt like some invisible person was holding my body and leading me, showing me that this is how it's done? But it's true that I moved on my own. I have memories of defeating the Heavenly Sword at the end, and making the attack soar into the sky before it hit... you."
Hrmmmmmmmmmmm.
"So, you mean you don't actually know how to use it? Because some Unknown Entity showed you?"
She can't even summon The Hammer, so this is probably the same.
"No, I know how. If I can just hold that hammer again, I could probably use it. But, well... if I were to compare it to a Magic Circle, it feels like the fine details are blurred, so I can't guarantee it would activate."
What is it with this girl?
So, basically...
"You can't summon The Hammer, but you roughly know how to use my S-Rank Technique?"
"I guess... so? Now that I say it, it sounds weird to me too."
This is a real headache.
Ha. Fine.
Still, I know one thing.
If I hand her The Hammer in an emergency, she can fire off even a one-second burst.
Not that I have any intention of testing it, though.
Who knows what would happen if a one-second burst activated, but this time there was no Otherworld Erosion or some other catastrophe occurred.
Anyway.
I can tell that Yumil has grown.
The power I feel inside her has increased significantly.
That Si-hyun fellow is going to have a hard time the next time they meet.
"Then, get some rest."
"Don't go running wild as the Black Marauder while I'm gone."
"Sure, sure."
With that joking farewell, I left the hospital room.
The Thunder God followed me out.
In the quiet hallway, I spoke to her.
"What about the Pseudo-Black Hole Shells?"
"Enclu secured them from the black market. Blur severed the causality, so there's no chance of being tracked."
That’s a relief.
With this, Danger Rifle should be a bit better off.
Even though all circumstantial evidence points to her as the culprit, having unused black hole shells will help her step away from the suspicion at least a little bit.
Those Society bastards, they can even do things like this now that they have so much money.
Next.
"The plan?"
"I've secured the Martial Arts Manual. I've already removed the dangerous parts."
"Then we can execute it. Tell them I'll leave the timing to them."
"Got it."
And so, the conversation regarding the upcoming villainy ended.
But because the Thunder God had been so strangely, almost unnervingly compliant with my words regarding the plan...
I asked her a question.
"Don't you have any complaints about this plan?"
"Of course I do. Your self-righteousness, the chaos that will follow... but."
She paused for a moment and gave a slight, bitter smile.
"It doesn't seem like anyone will get hurt in this plan."
I suppose that's true.
* * *
"You're awake already? You really are sturdy, aren't you?"
To think he’s already recovering after his body was turned into such a mess.
I threw that greeting, filled with such thoughts, at him now that visitation was permitted.
"...Is that Lee Ha-ram?"
"Yeah, it's Lee Ha-ram."
After that brief exchange.
I pulled over a nearby chair and sat down.
It was hard and had no backrest—the worst kind of circular stool commonly found in hospitals—but a chair is a chair.
And then, silence fell.
I kept my mouth shut, fearing that if I said something unnecessary, he’d find something to nitpick.
But why was the Heavenly Sword staying so quiet?
Time passed in silence.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The only thing ringing was the electronic sound of the medical equipment.
Yet we both continued to remain silent.
How much time had passed?
"Old Man Liu... that is, Inmubulsal, apparently wrote a Martial Arts Manual."
The Heavenly Sword brought up a completely unexpected topic.
"What? That Old Man isn't dead yet?"
I thought he retired ages ago. If he's still alive, he must be nearly eighty or ninety, right? No, maybe over a hundred.
I got beaten up by that Old Man quite a bit during my training.
He said my attacks were too full of murderous intent or something.
"He closed his eyes yesterday. They say he wrote his final sentence and collapsed while others watched."
I see...
Even though we weren't that close, hearing that a former comrade has passed away is heartbreaking.
I should at least show my face at the funeral.
I have no idea why the Heavenly Sword is bringing this up here, though.
And again, silence took hold.
Time flowed, but I didn't speak.
The Heavenly Sword didn't speak either, until...
"According to Inmubulsal's final wishes, five copies of the manual were made to be handed over to designated individuals."
Suddenly, the story that had been cut off earlier continued.
"One copy for you. One for me. One for the Management Bureau. One for the already deceased Heavenly Demon—he asked for this one to be burned. And finally, one for the Tiger. There's a lot of debate about who the Tiger is, so it was decided to just leave it be for now."
The Tiger must be Liger.
It would be good if I could get it to him somehow... but there's no way right now.
Anyway.
"Why give one to me? He should've given it to his disciples."
Honestly, an Old Man like Inmubulsal could have easily founded a massive sect.
"He... had no disciples."
Damn it. I think I stepped on a landmine.
"So, he must have left them for our master, who was his friend, and for us. So, take it with you when you leave."
Honestly, even hearing that, I don't know what I'd use it for.
But if it was given with such sentiment...
It’s only right to accept it.
I'll store it somewhere.
"Fine, I'll take the manual. Visitation time is almost up. Anything else to say?"
In the end, visitation was ending without us having much of a conversation.
It’s a shame I couldn't draw out any information, but I suppose I should be satisfied that an acquaintance is alive and in one piece.
"I see. Something to say. I'll leave you with one more word."
The Heavenly Sword spoke, quietly inhaling and composing himself.
Then, he opened his mouth.
"Nothing happened that night. And the manual you received from Inmubulsal..."
He paused for a moment, then met my eyes.
He spoke again.
"Use it well, Lee Ha-ram. I'm trusting you with it."
And with that, the visitation ended.