Chapter 288
Chapter 288
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: Chapter 288
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: White Knight (3)
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The internet was the most immediate medium for gauging public opinion in modern society.
Especially in Korea, where the vast majority of people carried smartphones.
People snapped photos and videos in real-time, spreading news from all over the place, and this had a huge impact on its dissemination across SNS and online communities.
And there was one topic that had been steadily dominating conversations since the previous afternoon, holding the spotlight nearly exclusively even as a full day passed.
<Sudden Appearance of the White Knight, Randomly Touring Hospitals Nationwide.>
It was news about the reappearance of the mysterious hero, the 'White Knight,' who had burst onto the scene like the wind and vanished just as quickly.
As a figure who had recently captured the attention not just of Korea but the entire world, it was only natural that the public would be drawn to his sudden activities.
💬 Comments — User123 Is that guy for real? He was hiding all this time and now he's suddenly out doing volunteer work everywhere? — SkepticAnon Not just one place—he toured several? Didn't they say holy power has limits when you use it? While some raised valid doubts and eyed it suspiciously, what confronted them was a flood of evidence from various locations.
CCTV footage, close-up photos and videos that looked like they'd been shot right there.
Irrefutable proof poured in, impossible to deny.
— BelieverFan Insane... it was real? — DesperateMom Where is he? My mom's sick, please share the location ㅠㅠ ↳ Reply Too late. He's vanished again. — TechNerd Why isn't a single one in focus? ↳ Reply Right? It's immersive but too hard to make out. The reactions were, naturally, explosive.
Yet amid the frenzy, one point drew regret from the crowd: aside from distant CCTV footage, there was hardly any material that properly captured the scene.
— FrustratedViewer Hold the camera properly! — LOLKing LOL he shows up briefly at the start then just films the floor the whole time ㅋㅋㅋ — CuriousCat Clicked out of curiosity and now I'm even more curious. Damn it. But on second thought, it was unavoidable.
Those who encountered the White Knight this time were mostly patients, their guardians, or hospital staff.
How many could calmly turn on their cameras, frame the shot, and shove the lens forward amid overwhelming holy power blanketing the area and miracles unfolding?
All while an aura of overwhelming charisma from a superior presence froze everyone in place.
Thus, even the footage that existed was mostly coincidental—people filming for other reasons who happened to capture him.
But then, amid all this...
One particular video from the scene went public, flipping the communities upside down once more.
— FangirlScreams Insane, he's ridiculously handsome;; — BlurryBeauty Wow... even with the focus all messed up, how does he look like that? It's like only his side has a filter on. ⭐ Top Comment — SimpCentral Following Phantom oppa, another total hottie♥ ↳ Reply At this point, I'm rationally suspicious that even Hahoe masks are flower boys. Hahoe mask perfect attendance go~! — EthnicityDetective Foreigner? Features look East Asian-ish... no, mixed? Halfie? It was a video from his first stop, the children's hospital, capturing the moment he removed his helmet and revealed his face.
The silver-haired, golden-eyed, ethereally beautiful man in that footage sent the masses into a frenzy.
Especially the response to the moment he gently stroked a child's head with a benevolent smile—it was terrifyingly enthusiastic.
Fan cafes praising him sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
And the words he'd spoken then resurfaced, bouncing around between people.
💬 Comments — CuriousNewbie He said the church is Aouterica, right? First time hearing it. Anyone know? — ConvertDay1 Aouterica Church convert day 1. Don't know the doctrine, but starting with blind prayer. — VagueMemory Sounds familiar somehow... Aouterica was a dimension whose existence had only been revealed a few months ago, so unless someone had a specific interest, most people hadn't even heard of it.
But this was South Korea on Earth, famed for rapid information exchange.
True to their modern sensibilities, they quickly dug up and shared relevant info.
— InfoBroker Aouterica's a newbie dimension recently registered with the Returnee Association. (link) ↳ Reply Oh? For real? What's the connection then? ↳ Reply I've spoon-fed you this much—figure out the rest yourselfㅡㅡ ↳ Reply Ehhh too lazy. 'Do it for me' ⭐ Top Comment — LocalFromThere Whoa, what a mess all of a sudden—Aouterica dimension? I'm from there. As the buzz grew, someone directly connected to that world finally emerged to testify.
Info on specific dimensions wasn't exactly classified anyway, and it was a common drinking topic among returnees, so nothing unusual.
💬 Comments — StoryTime Oh! Spill some stories. What do you know? — IdentityHunter Do you know who the White Knight is? Someone that strong should be pretty famous. Curious about his identity. — ReturneePro Uh, no. Aouterica does have a world-class religion called the Church of the Main God. But something feels off? The White Knight from there? But the returnees who actually knew Aouterica well were the ones harboring doubts about the unfolding situation.
— GlitchyReturnee Wait, no way? This can't be happening... Why? What's going on? For real? Nah, no chance? ↳ Reply Why's this guy glitching? ↳ Reply Don't hoard the info—share with us. ↳ Reply Troll alert? No bait. And rightly so...
— InsiderLeak There is one guy who fits the description perfectly. Never seen him myself since I steered clear. But he's a hero, right? In the middle of saving the world—why's he here? Did the war end? ↳ Reply ???? ↳ Reply What nonsense is this? ↳ Reply That troll was creative. Brain break over—stop here. The figure that came to their minds was someone who shouldn't be on Earth.
And this confusion wasn't confined to the internet—it was spreading offline as well.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In an office that appeared utterly ordinary at first glance.
"So, what Mr. Kang Taekyu is saying is..."
But the people gathered inside were anything but ordinary.
"That the most likely identity of the White Knight is the Saint from the Aouterica dimension, correct?"
Agents from the Ability Management Bureau, tasked with controlling those with abilities on behalf of the state.
Officials from the Returnee Association, united to represent and protect the rights of the awakened.
A priest from the Pantheon's otherworld religion alliance, dispatched to recruit the White Knight.
Despite the lack of intimidation, the man facing them managed an awkward smile as he spilled everything he knew.
"Yes, yes. That's right. Given his position, he was incredibly famous. Heinrich Saint Landgard. Even without direct ties, his full name is unforgettable."
"Hmmm..."
The others in the room exchanged glances, murmuring thoughtfully.
Though returnees were still few, fortunately four from Aouterica were registered in Korea.
And the witness testifying before them now was one of them.
"Are you certain the man in this video is him?"
An Ability Management Bureau agent, stroking his chin, tapped the tablet nearby.
An edited compilation of White Knight footage had been looping there.
"Well, not a hundred percent... As I said, we had no connection, so I've never seen him in person. I just operated small-scale on the empire's outskirts. Unless you're extraordinarily lucky or top-tier elite, meeting a Saint is no easy feat."
"...Fair enough."
"But it's probably him. One hallmark of the Saint and Saintess is silver hair and golden eyes. Plus, Heinrich was originally a Holy Knight... That sword might be a holy sword."
At this point, the White Knight's identity seemed all but confirmed.
Yet everyone present—investigators and the summoned Association witness alike—wore unsettled expressions.
"But why would someone like that be here..."
Yes, that was the issue.
"Even if he's originally from Earth, that's one thing... But isn't Aouterica currently at war with the Demon King... er, Immortal King?"
"I heard it's quite precarious. The Association rated the risk as 'high, caution advised.'"
"For the hero who should be on the front lines to flee to Earth... doesn't that seem off? And if it's real, he bolted with the holy sword too? No god would grant a Saint that level of holy power for such a thing."
Objectively, the White Knight appeared to be Heinrich Saint Landgard, hero of Aouterica and Saint of the Church of the Main God.
But accepting it at face value left too many loose ends.
"Speaking of, any new updates from the World Returnee Association on Aouterica? Like the Saint vanishing or something."
"...Nothing I've heard... but I'll check again just in case."
Frankly, other dimensions' affairs weren't their concern.
Worlds pushed to the brink and becoming 'closed dimensions' after collapse weren't rare.
But for those targeting the White Knight as a top recruitment priority, the backstory felt ominously suspicious.
As people from various organizations pored over documents and conversed...
'Asking him directly would be fastest. Any way to make contact?'
Kang Taesan, a rookie Ability Management Bureau agent tagging along with his senior, leaned against the back wall, smacking his lips.
He owed his life, his grandmother's, and his friend's to the White Knight, so he bristled at the unfounded speculation.
'Sigh, what can I do? Just follow orders.'
Swallowing his dissatisfaction, he pulled out his smartphone to monitor communities.
They'd quieted since yesterday's blaze but still buzzed with White Knight talk.
"Huh?"
But that peace was fleeting.
Frowning at the sudden traffic spike—like a prelude to something—he soon pinpointed the cause.
"S-Senior! Right now...!"
He let out a scream-like shout.
And simultaneously...
Beep-beep-beep!
Ring-ring—!
Notifications of all sorts blared from pockets throughout the office.
As if heralding the start of a major incident.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I kept pondering.
How best to reveal Heinrich's existence?
To divert the investigation from my main body and slip the net, having the target himself step up was ideal.
But methods varied, and choice mattered.
'I could operate masked like Hahoe Mask Hans, faking an alibi for the main body. Or create a plausible fake identity like Phantom Heinz 2nd, pretend to hide it, and sow confusion.'
Each had pros and cons, none foolproof.
Plus, now that they'd sniffed out Reverse Heaven Society involvement, proactive counterplay required bolder moves.
So this was my choice.
'Yeah, just go full open.'
Reveal himself as Aouterica's Saint.
Of course, full disclosure wasn't possible—some backstory tweaks were needed.
As long as the main body's identity stayed hidden, details hardly mattered, but better options were preferable.
And besides...
"S-So, White Knight... no, I mean..."
"Heinrich Saint Landgard."
"Y-Yes. So, what Mr. Heinrich Saint Landgard is saying is..."
I realized this excessive attention could be leveraged another way.
In modern society, public interest and support equaled power and influence.
Harnessed well, it could smooth future paths immensely.
Why not use it?
"Yes, I'm from the place you call the Aouterica dimension. More precisely..."
Heinrich eyed the nervously held camera.
"...I'm not an Earthling—an otherworlder, you could say."
With a gentle smile, he casually dropped the bomb.
"By the will of the Main God, to eradicate the evil overshadowing Aouterica and all dimensions."
It's fine.
Scamming's second nature now anyway.
And technically, not wrong.
'Try biting this.'
Auspicious radiance swirled around Heinrich's entire body.
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