Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Earthlings of the Other World (2)
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The day after arriving in Rohan.
When Hesperon regained consciousness, the four-man hero party, including the princess, gathered separately in his hospital room for a conversation.
Their ultimate goal had been to defeat the Immortal King Hans from the start, hadn't it?
In that context, there were people who had been captured as prisoners and managed to escape from his stronghold. It was an essential step to gather information from them, at the very least.
Of course, the fact that three out of the six people gathered were actually the same individual was something the others couldn't know.
"...And that's how we barely managed to escape from there. Nothing much happened after that. We crossed land swarming with monsters heading south, and in the end, we were saved from a dire situation with griffins by the Saint."
No matter that Hesperon had regained his senses, he was still a patient. Riley stepped forward first to explain the full circumstances.
Still leaning against the bed, he planned to chime in only when there was something to add, but her calm, well-organized explanation left nothing more to say.
"Hmm, the Immortal Fortress. We already knew from observations that the Immortal King had a base within the northern mountains, but it's such a dangerous area that no one had actually seen it..."
Finally, her story came to an end.
Heinrich, who had been listening with a heavy expression as if visualizing the scene in his mind, closed his eyes tightly and continued.
"Thank you for the valuable information. This will be a great help in dealing with the Immortal King later."
The serious atmosphere was shared by Isea, who had already heard most of it beforehand, and Gios, who leaned against the wall clutching his spear.
Only Harley, who had been nodding off with his head drooping from the lengthy tale, remained utterly carefree.
"...But there's one thing I'm wondering about."
At that moment, Gios, who had been quietly listening, opened his eyes sharply and spoke up.
Unlike his usual reticent self, he was showing remarkable initiative now that the topic had turned to the Immortal King.
"You haven't clearly explained how you escaped from the Immortal King's castle. Especially the method that worked even under interference from the Banshee Queen Olivia herself."
"Well, as I mentioned earlier, it was thanks to Hesperon here's special ability..."
"No, Your Highness. This isn't something we can gloss over. A means to neutralize the security that the Immortal King must have poured his heart into—this is something we must clarify, especially thinking ahead."
Geos Kalkin, speaking fluidly unlike his usual self.
Heinrich, Isea, and even the dozing Harley woke up, staring at him with wide eyes in bewilderment—this was the first time they'd seen him talk so much.
"If it was a special ability, how exactly was it special enough to make it possible? Were there specific conditions needed to activate it that served as the key? Or could it be applied to other techniques?"
He paused for a moment, shifting his gaze from Riley to Hesperon, who was leaning against the bed, and stared intently at him.
His eyes, devoid of their usual gloom, burned fiercely with some intense fervor.
"Don't forget. Our opponent is that Immortal King Hans. The one who crushed this very Principality of Rohan and massacred countless continentals. We can't afford to be picky about our methods right now."
"...Mm."
Riley let out a groan, unable to refute him outright.
He was a bit extreme, but undeniably right.
In normal circumstances, his argument would garner agreement and support from those around.
The unfortunate part was that he alone, in this room, was the only outsider who knew nothing.
'No, wait? This could actually be a good opportunity.'
Demanding personal secrets for the greater good... But didn't that apply to him just as well!
From the perspective of someone who had long coveted his techniques, this was a golden chance.
"Hm, well. No real reason to hide it, I suppose."
After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Hesperon calmly met his gaze and spoke.
"Truth is, I don't know much about this ability myself. I've had it for less than two months."
"What do you mean...? So you got this ability and headed straight to the northern mountains, only to get captured by the Immortal King?"
"Ah, going there wasn't my choice. I just happened to land there. I'm an otherworlder from another world, you see!"
"...An otherworlder?"
Gios made a dumbfounded face at the sudden coming-out.
Isea flinched slightly as well, but she simply watched him without any change in expression.
"I got the ability during that process too... Not much else to say, really."
With that, he shrugged lightly.
In truth, Hesperon had always planned to go this route, so it wasn't much of a secret.
He wouldn't go around broadcasting it, but he wasn't desperate to hide it either.
'It even feels a bit like bait.'
At the same time, he wanted to gauge Geos's reaction, but the man had been tilting his head thoughtfully ever since hearing "otherworlder."
"Lord Geos? Let's put that aside for now. No point in dwelling on something so complicated right away."
"Ah! ...Understood, Saint. If it's that kind of ability, we'll need more time to understand it fully."
"For matters like that, it's best left to Great Mage Isea. She surely knows far more than we do, right?"
"Indeed. I let my impatience get the better of me."
With Heinrich's intervention, Geos's fervor cooled, and the lengthy conversation began to wrap up.
"This took longer than expected. I'll head back to the garrison for a bit. No other plans today, so feel free to rest easy."
"Hahaha! I'm gonna go hunt around the area! Just what I needed—been itching for action!"
The group dispersed one by one to attend to their own business.
But not everyone left.
Right after Riley glanced around awkwardly and cautiously slipped out...
"Hesperon? Got a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss—just the two of us."
Isea, who had stayed till the end, fixed her narrowed eyes on him and curled her lips into a quiet smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ World Returnee Association headquarters in the United States.
Click—click!
"Phew, finally done. Oof!"
The man, having finished uploading the newly added information, stretched his stiff body before slumping down.
"Ugh—this job never ends, no matter how much you do."
He was a member of the Returnee Association's "Otherworld Status Update Team," whose main task was compiling information gathered from various sources to update each dimension's status.
At a glance, it might seem like the effort outweighed the rewards, but surprisingly, it was a popular service among the public.
It provided advance info on otherworlds to those not yet awakened, boosting their survival odds, and served as news for returnees eager for updates on their origin worlds.
Even if awakened, ordinary people didn't know which dimension they'd be sent to beforehand, so sifting useful info from hundreds of dimensions was hit-or-miss.
But still, knowing even a little was worlds better than dropping in blind, right?
'And if you get sent to a world you'd studied closely, adaptation time shrinks, survival skyrockets.'
The effect was evident in the steadily rising returnee rates lately.
'Of course, from a worker's view, time lags make updates a hassle with changes happening too fast.'
Plus, headquarters had to compile and cross-verify reports from branches worldwide, so verified info often got outdated or discarded before finalization.
Another annoyance: newly observed dimensions with scarce, hard-to-verify info due to lack of prior knowledge and contacts.
Since this compiled data spread globally, rigorous checks for fakes were essential.
'But this dimension was easier in that regard.'
He nodded quietly while reviewing the info he'd just uploaded.
-New) Auterica Dimension.
This one also had few returnees, but their consistent accounts sped up verification.
They'd returned around the same time, so their world situation knowledge aligned closely.
'...The Demon King's descent has plunged the world into chaos.'
Monsters rampaging across the continent, nations reeling—some small countries even fell, seized by vampires amid the turmoil. Need more be said?
The Association rated its danger as "Very High, Proceed with Caution."
Half-baked awakeners with saved karma would wisely opt to return.
'Irrelevant to folks on Earth, though. Geez, time flew. Better wrap up and head home.'
His work was done; the rest was up to those who used the info.
Thus, the information originating from the World Returnee Association HQ rapidly spread worldwide via the internet—
Quickly translated into various languages by advanced tech and talented staff, then released to the public for a modest fee.
The latest data on each dimension, accessible to anyone who wanted it.
"Oh? The info's starting to roll out? Looks like plenty of Earthlings were in Outerica without us knowing."
Among those checking it was Han Seonghyeon, living his usual routine in Korea across the Pacific.
After working out and showering in his home gym, towel over his shoulders while browsing the net, he lit up at the find.
Not much high-level stuff, but fuller than last time—clearly more returnees had contributed.
One gripe, though...
-The Demon King who invaded Ion Continent, 'Immortal King Hans,' has thrown the world into massive chaos. All monsters are berserk...
The Immortal King's name had inevitably reached Earth as "Hans."
He'd half-given up already, but after all his efforts to promote otherwise, a sliver of hope lingered.
Apparently, it wasn't enough to reach Auterica's Earth residents.
"Tch, too late now. Can't be helped."
Here, it was called a Hahoe mask anyway—no need to cling to the Immortal King's name.
It was just a paper alias without real substance.
'Hm, the content's surprisingly solid. Mastering this would hugely aid adaptation. Wish I'd had this when I went.'
He stroked his chin while scanning Auterica info.
-The Church of the Main God, dominant in Outerica's religious world, has its Saint 'Heinrich Saint Landgard' and allies holding off the Immortal King, averting immediate war. But the precarious situation remains...
-Vampire have occupied Talia Kingdom in western Ion Continent. Currently stable under the vampire lord's iron grip, but still unstable...
Most info he already knew.
Hardly surprising, given his involvement in nearly every major event highlighted.
'This?'
Not all useless, though—surprisingly, it included details he'd missed.
-Coup in the Kalkos Tribal Federation in southern Ion Continent. Conducted so covertly that details are unknown. Being xenophobic, starting there would be...
'A coup?'
He knew the southern federation was turbulent and planned a visit soon.
Just kept postponing amid recent busyness.
'A coup, though? So secret even Auterica's intel networks missed it?'
The federation was info-blackout central, but missing something this big was no small feat.
Meant the plotters were dead serious and thorough.
'But they never expected an Earthling to dimension-hop out. Whoever leaked this must've been high up.'
Anyway, valuable intel—nothing to complain about.
"Hmm... South, coup. Wonder how to leverage this? More details would be ideal."
Big events yield big karma.
And the south surely held gains for Harley.
'His heartfelt homeland, after all!'
Though Harley unilaterally declared it so.
But snap a few dissenters' spines, and everyone would acknowledge his sincerity, right?
Thus, the scent of ripe opportunity wafted from the long-delayed south, where lack of info had stalled plans.