Chapter 97
“I owe you a huge debt. The next time I see you will probably be a month from now. But if I ever need help, I’ll throw myself into it, no matter what it is.”
Hyeondo responded with a trace of disappointment. “Thank you. Still, we were only staying here for one day before heading back. Since the place isn’t far, we can meet whenever you like.”
“Mm? No. Unfortunately, that won’t be possible.”
Hyeondo blinked slowly, then shook his head. “I’m no longer in the preparatory course this year. I’m technically not even a full member of the main course yet, but the students there are being dispatched all over the continent, so the time they spend here at the National Academy has dropped sharply. Therefore, we’ll probably only see each other again at the next gate.”
“I see. Then… I’ll meet you in a month.”
“All right. Take care.”
“I’ll look forward to it. Take care of yourself until then.”
After exchanging brief farewells, Hyeondo and Daebang, who had been waiting for his exam to end, left Hwabaek first. We, however, decided to stay here for a day and rest. Since Maru had barely survived the gate and awakened her Ineung, we needed time to monitor her condition. Thanks to Maru, no one else had been seriously injured, but the two gates had still left us all quite fatigued. With the Danju Selection complete and outsiders gone, Hwabaek had returned to its original rhythm. The guides went back to their regular duties, and the controlled access was now open. Even the subordinate who had been waiting in the outskirts, Jubern, was free to enter and search for us. “Eh? Yes?” “Why… are you asking?” “Maru-nim… awakened her Ineung? Is it really true?” Jubern’s pupils shook violently after hearing every detail from the Danju Selection. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.” “If Lord hears this, he’ll be very surprised.” Jubern’s gaze immediately shifted to Maru at my reply. “Maru-nim. How are you feeling right now?” “Maru, I’m completely fine!” “I see. But if you feel anything unusual, please don’t hesitate to tell me right away.” “Yes! I will!” After accepting Maru’s promise, Jubern turned to the people who had helped her and offered his gratitude. “My apologies for the late arrival. I am Jubern, who was responsible for guarding you. Thank you for saving Maru-nim.” “It’s nothing at all. You had to hide your faces, and I understand if you felt it went against etiquette.” “Ah, it’s fine. We’ll be counting on you for the journey.” *Tap.* Jubern and I shook hands. “There’s a whole month until the next gate starts. What are you going to do when we get back? Well, is there anything special you’ve already planned?” Looking back, it had been nearly a year since we left our original homes. During that time, we had lived at breakneck speed. The moment we left the village, we entered the National Academy because of the attack in the Western King’s Capital. After the first semester, we trained to prepare for the mission in Dongye and the Welcoming Night. The moment the second semester began, we faced the Welcoming Night and the meeting with the Pope. Later came Junior’s disappearance and Mirpia’s invitation. After the second semester ended, we had missions to raise funds and then the Danju Selection. Just as one task wound down, another always crashed in. But this time, there was nothing particular we had to do. We had earned an enormous amount from the last mission, so this was the perfect personal time. “Hmm. I’m still not sure.” “Honestly, with nothing to do, it feels weird.” “Brothers, how about taking a gastronomic journey for the month?” Blanser lit up with sparkling eyes and jumped into our conversation. “Let’s think about it slowly for now.” “…Eh? No, Bro. That food…” Teraden avoided Blanser’s gaze. “No, Bro…” “We should relax, but thinking about the next gate makes it hard to just slack off.” “….” In any case, we decided to think about the future later and each take our own time to rest when Eper suddenly appeared. “You’re here. I’ve been looking for you.” “What is it?” “I came to take you away.” “Us? What is this about…?” “There is someone who wants to see you.” “Who is that?” Teraden’s voice dripped with irritation. Eper, who hadn’t clearly explained the details, looked visibly displeased. “That is something I cannot reveal casually. However, I can guarantee one thing: meeting that person will bring you benefit, not harm. Of course, if you find me unreliable, you may refuse.” We had time, and he said it would be beneficial, so there was no reason to refuse. “All right. Please guide us there.” “Understood. Follow me.” Eper led us to a state-of-the-art high-rise building at the heart of Hwabaek. In the Imperial Capital or the Western King’s Capital it would have been impossible to miss. Here, however, because every building in Hwabaek was enormous, this one barely stood out. Inside the building, Eper continued to lead us through unfamiliar corridors. Eventually, he stopped in front of a single vast room on the highest floor. “The person beyond this door was once the peak of the continent and is now the representative of the Danju. From now on, please be especially cautious in your conduct.” After finishing his introduction, Eper stepped away. *The peak of the continent…?* I quietly placed my hand on the door after quietly repeating his words. *Srrk.* As expected of a modern building, the door opened without a single sound. And before long, two men stood before us. The only common trait was that both had completely hairless, shiny scalps. “Even together they have zero hairs…?!” Teraden, being playful, had committed a rude act from the start, but luckily the two seemed not to mind. “Hmph.” Both looked older, but a relatively young middle-aged man spoke first. “Welcome, prospective Danju. I am Jeongmyeong, the 4th Danju.” * * * *Low, low.* “How much longer do we have to wait?” One of the Yokai wandering around the area frowned and raised his voice. “You’re right. Ah, the tension is killing me. Just stay still, don’t keep going back and forth.” Ampong, lounging on the hammock, tried to placate the Yokai with friendly words. The Yokai looked deeply uncomfortable, but he continued his lazy attitude toward the situation. “Why keep waiting? It looks like a worthless city. Why not just rush in and wipe them all out?” “You guys don’t know much about the Danju, so you say that… tsk!” Ampong sat up from the hammock and spat out the grass he had been chewing. “We can handle up to the 3rd Danju somehow, but from the 2nd Danju onward, they are above the rank of you late-comers. If you clumsily interfere, you’ll only get yourselves killed.” “They don’t all always stay in this city, do they? Even if there are a few Danju, we can stall while the rest handle the rest—that’s an easy job, isn’t it?” One Yokai boldly spoke to Ampong, refusing to yield. “He’s talking like he’s not doing anything at all.” “Yet he has to follow orders that aren’t the King of the East’s.” “And if one of them dies, we might not be able to process the rest without harm and escape cleanly.” “Such arrogant talk!” “These Yokai bastards. Just wipe them all out… ugh. No.” Narrowing his eyes, Ampong, having successfully completed the task, recalled what he was supposed to receive from the King of the East and gave friendly advice again. “Of course, some Danju have their own professions, so they aren’t all staying here. But even if two or more 2nd Danju are involved, catching and killing those little brats is failure. Even if you manage to deal with the 2nd Danju, what about the 1st Danju who controls them all?” “I heard the 1st Danju, the Danju’s chief, is just an honorary position with only command authority. An old backroom guy like that is too easy.” “It is honorary, yes. But the 1st Danju has been a position held by former members of the Seven Pillars for generations. That means the current 1st Danju is also someone the Seven Pillars you fear.” Ampong plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth before flopping back down. “Ah, damn it, you keep nagging. Do as you wish. If you want to fight nicely, you guys go ahead. It won’t do any good—those living Buddhas will just slaughter you all anyway.” “K, kuh…!” “No. Even if he looks like that, he doesn’t kill. Maybe he’ll just kill you. Instead, he’ll show you a hell so bad you’d rather die.” Just as the frustrated Yokai was about to yield to the overwhelming power difference, *fsssh.* “I’ve been hiding here. I finally found you.” A few unknown figures stepped on dry twigs and broke them, locating the hidden place. ““…!”” Revealing their position openly meant they had declared themselves against the Seven Pillar-level Ampong and the horde of late-comer Yokai. The Yokai were about to panic at the revealed location, but after carefully examining the newcomers’ appearances, they calmed their racing hearts. “You startled us. How did you get here?” “We received new orders from him.” It turned out the two who had appeared were the Yokai currently accompanying Ampong—people they already knew. With two more Yokai of similar strength added, color returned to the faces of the group. “New… orders?” “Yes. From now on, we will carry out his command.” “Hmm, so two late-comer Yokai were added….” ‘Five late-comers is enough to start a war against a principality. They must have been desperate to kill them… things are changing.’ Ampong looked at the five late-comer Yokai and lifted one corner of his mouth. “Silence and wait a little longer. The opportunity will come of its own accord soon.” “We have more power. When exactly do we start?” “The moment they escape Hwabaek and enough distance is created.”