The Silent Miko

“What do you think of flying through the sky?”

“I like it, sis.”

It was a little scary, but not bad. Being able to take in the entire vast continent at a glance really did feel like a privilege.

Unlike other forms of public transportation, the ride wasn’t exactly smooth, but the sights stretching out below made it feel almost like I was on some overseas vacation.

What stood out most were the grand natural landscapes: towering waterfalls, giant trees, an endless forest, and sheer cliffs.

I couldn’t claim I’d visited every famous landmark on Earth, but I could say with confidence that what I was seeing now from above wasn’t even in the same league.

“Magnificent.”

“It’s a place full of monsters. It’s not like Earth, where you can just develop it however you want. If there weren’t any monsters, all the trees down there would’ve been logged and cleared long ago. They’re valuable resources.”

Cha Heera was right.

I found myself thinking that maybe the only reason this ecosystem still existed, even in a place without tourism, was because of the monsters.

In other words, they were the guardians of nature.

I remembered hearing once that some writer had compared humans to the cancer cells of Earth.

If I were to accept that as a statement with even a little truth to it, then the monsters living here would be the vaccine wiping out the cancer cells.

For all I knew, without monsters, the natural world I was looking at would have been swept away completely.

Would this even work as a tourism business…?

Even as I was thinking that, I found myself a little startled by my own line of thought.

“Oppa….”

That was when Jung Hayan’s voice reached me.

Maybe she’d been feeling left out from my conversation with Cha Heera, because I could feel her clinging tightly to me.

Of course I gently stroked her hand in return. The fact that she was putting up with this much already made her adorable.

“……”

If it had been the usual Jung Hayan, she probably would’ve started something properly.

It didn’t feel like she was giving me permission merely because of the Cursed Shrine incident and the regression; it felt more like she herself was choosing to understand.

I couldn’t say for sure why, but it wasn’t as though I had no guess.

Is it because Cha Heera saved my life?

That was probably the likeliest reason.

The continent was dangerous.

It was dangerous not only because you never knew what might happen in the city, but because once you went outside, that danger became much more visible.

Jung Hayan probably sensed it too, more or less. After all, she’d been the biggest victim of that incident.

The choice she’d made to protect me from all the things she couldn’t understand had been to live together with me forever inside a dungeon.

If the route that had led to her imprisoning me after the regression incident had disappeared, then Jung Hayan might currently be standing at a moment where she had to make a choice.

A woman who can protect Oppa, even if she’s anxious.

She might have been judging Cha Heera that way. No, she definitely thought that.

Otherwise there would be no reason for her to stay quiet.

She might even think she’s using her.

It was a good thing that Jung Hayan was growing stronger and stronger.

At the same time, though, it was also unnerving.

Before I knew it, time had passed while I was lost in thought. After flying for more than half a day, the scenery in front of me was nothing like the Free City of Lindel.

“Wooooooow….”

Jung Hayan, still hugging me tightly, let out a gasp of awe.

“Wow…”

“First time seeing it?”

Of course I nodded.

The huge Gothic buildings, the massive temple reflecting the sunset, the sheer grandeur of it all—even from this distance, it was impossible to miss.

“Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

There were others coming here besides us; I could see several griffins flying through the air.

Probably guild masters from not only Korea, but from the other free cities as well.

Looking down, I could see the residents of the Holy Empire Benigore.

Their style felt a little more refined than the medieval image I’d been expecting.

Even so, they didn’t give off any sense of dirtiness or unsanitary conditions.

“This civilization isn’t as backward as you’d think. If anything, it has a long history and tradition behind it. Citizens and nobles alike take pride in their culture, and they have the strength and intelligence to back it up. There are some seriously strong people in the Holy Empire, too.”

“It does seem that way…”

“You’d better not look at them like they’re fools, darling. Players who look down on the people of the empire don’t tend to live very long.”

“Thanks for the advice, sis.”

Cha Heera was right.

Just by using Mind's Eye to check the soldiers’ stats, I could see that they were by no means inferior to the people in Lindel.

Of course, if I compared them one by one, our side still had the better individuals, but population was a factor, so comparison was inevitable.

I’d expected them to be reasonably competent, but this still exceeded my expectations.

Especially…

If they’ve even got forces on Cha Heera’s level…

No normal group of lunatics would dare invade the Holy Empire while ignoring people like this. There might have been such fools in the past, but if there were none left now, then it meant all the monkeys too stupid to know when to stop had already been killed off.

“That restaurant over there is pretty decent. That one’s actually delicious, and our Second should come with us too. And that blacksmith over there has better goods than you’d expect. Sometimes they even turn up Heroic-grade weapons and armor, and the prices are cheaper than in Lindel. Oh, and there are Players based in the capital, too. It’s a little difficult to get permission, but once you’re settled in, they say you’ve already got half your future secured. Hard to believe, right?”

“People are the same everywhere.”

“Well, yeah.”

Cha Heera was surprisingly chatty.

She seemed genuinely pleased to be out sightseeing after so long.

Of course, I didn’t think it was because she was with me. Her moods shifted too wildly for that. More likely she was simply excited to be touring the capital after such a long time.

“And that there is the royal palace where we’ll be staying for a while. Of course, we won’t be spending the whole day there. It gets a little boring inside.”

Even while she was carefully explaining her sightseeing plan for the capital, the griffin kept flying toward the castle.

As I listened to her, I also kept sweeping ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the people below with Mind's Eye.

When the griffin landed on what looked like a landing platform, the imperial soldiers waiting for us came into view.

What stood out most, of course, was the old man in gleaming full plate armor.

He smiled brightly at Cha Heera, which told me their relationship wasn’t bad.

“Long time no see, Heera.”

“It’s been a while for you too, Grandpa. You look more spry than I expected. Still on active duty?”

“Of course. More importantly, your reputation precedes you… let me see, is this the man rumored to be the Mercenary Queen’s lover?”

“My name is Lee Kiyoung.”

Activating Mind's Eye was second nature. The old man’s overall specs immediately appeared in my vision.

Victor Hart, 74 years old, stats…

Higher than Cha Heera’s.

So this was the kind of person Cha Heera meant when she talked about strong people.

His combat power was so monstrous that calling him a monster wouldn’t be an exaggeration. If he merely smacked my head with his hand, my skull would probably go flying.

The sight of him wearing armor that seemed almost effortless for him to carry was striking enough on its own, and his eyes moved over me from head to toe.

“Hmm. Then I suppose I should be looking after you. And the one behind you…?”

“My darling. My second lover.”

Biting her lip, Jung Hayan finally spoke up too.

She looked a little displeased, but she still bowed properly and introduced herself.

“I-I’m Jung Hayan.”

Good. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Good girl, Hayan.

“The young lady seems to have more ability than I expected…”

“That’s why I brought her this far. You think I’d drag around some useless baggage? Well, darling, you can explain things properly to him later. As for you, Grandpa, feel like sparring after all this time?”

“No. I’m not planning to make the royal palace noisy again. If I have time later, I’ll indulge you then. Tsk. You really haven’t changed no matter how much time passes.”

“I just haven’t had a proper chance to move my body lately. By the way, are we the first ones here again?”

“No, unfortunately you’re second. The ones from the Free City of Celia have been waiting for some time already.”

“Who is it?”

“Kasugano Yuno.”

“The miko?”

“Yes. I don’t know what wind blew her here, but…”

“The woman who’s always late has done something unusual, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guess.”

I watched the two of them move ahead while talking. It seemed Victor the old man had no particular interest in us.

Honestly, that suited me better.

Being singled out just because I was the Mercenary Queen’s lover would only be a pain in the ass.

As Cha Heera and Victor continued chatting, Jung Hayan latched onto me again, looking thrilled.

I wanted to say something to her, but first I decided it was more important to eavesdrop on Cha Heera and Victor’s conversation.

Casual talk from the people in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠power was an excellent source of information for someone like me.

Kasugano Yuno?

Probably someone running a major guild in Celia, where the Japanese Players were established.

Since Cha Heera wasn’t showing any particular hostility, it definitely wasn’t the Yamato Guild.

I was still mentally storing away the new information when a woman appeared from afar.

A Japanese woman?

No, not really Japanese so much as neatly composed. Several people seemed to be following around her like attendants, supporting her from behind.

The woman at the front walked with her eyes quietly closed.

As if she couldn’t see.

Her long braided hair looked as though it might brush the ground, and her calm, composed appearance was strangely memorable.

Damn it…

I immediately lowered my head.

I hadn’t expected this at all.

It was only natural that all sorts of thoughts would flood in when something happened that I couldn’t understand.

I was just starting to worry that she might have realized I’d tried to peek at her status when I saw the window change almost immediately.

What now…

What the hell…

A Legendary-grade trait, a Legendary-grade class, and Legendary-grade latent stats.

She was the sort of person anyone would classify as a powerhouse.

In particular, this was the first time I’d seen someone with luck potential this high, and yet the stats that had sunk all the way to the floor were incredibly unsettling.

Of course, what bothered me even more was…

What the hell…

That she was facing this way with her eyes closed.

…What is this?

She was even crying.