Black World (3)

A completely pointless sense of self-loathing came over me.

Still, if I was going to do this, I ought to see it through properly.

“I’m planning to run a few tests….”

“Of course… sir. I’m in your care.”

Leaving behind that strangely eager expression of hers, I slowly opened my mouth—and found, to my surprise, a face lit with obvious delight staring back at me.

“I don’t bear you any ill will.”

“Yes. I understand that you’re punishing me because you care about me.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it punishment, but whatever you want to make of it is your business… For now, you won’t be able to breathe.”

“…….”

I could only stare at her, eyes wide.

When she gave me no reaction at all, I almost started to wonder if this miko had been conning me.

But then she spoke again, and I had no choice but to realize the mistake was mine.

“You need to infuse your words with mana.”

“…….”

Embarrassing, obviously.

So I opened my mouth again, and the instant I did, she drew in a deep breath, her expression flashing into view.

“You won’t be able to breathe.”

The mana draining out of me was instantaneous.

I hadn’t imagined it would take this much, but for something that amounted to taking full control of her body, it was cheap enough.

Her face twisted before she could stop it.

The way she clutched at her throat and coughed for breath was definitely not an act. She keeled over, repeatedly reaching toward me as though to beg for help, and the sight made it obvious just how much pain she was in.

“Ma… ster… kkh….”

She writhed, as if the air simply refused to enter her lungs, regardless of her will.

Tears spilled naturally from her eyes, and her tongue stuck out farther and farther as though it were desperately seeking air.

The moment I wondered if she was really about to suffocate to death, I had no choice but to speak.

I didn’t want her dying here.

“From now on, you’ll be able to breathe.”

The test ended there.

The somewhat reasonable contract between her and me had, in the end, been successfully completed.

After gulping down all the air she’d been deprived of, she breathed out, almost as if she were spitting the words from her throat.

“Th-thank you, Master.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what exactly she was thanking me for, but in any case, the bond she had placed on herself was complete.

And more perfectly than I’d expected, at that….

I wasn’t taking on any penalty whatsoever. If I had to name one, it would be the fact that I’d apparently become responsible for her.

This should be fine.

If I had seen that scene before casting the spell, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with this annoying little experiment in the first place.

I couldn’t tell why that image had flashed through my eyes, but I didn’t think it was an effect of the spell.

The more likely explanation was that there’d been a brief error during the process of linking her body to my mind.

What kept rising in my head was the miko’s face as she’d hugged me tightly. At the very least, the fact that she had saved my life was undeniably true.

When I helped her to her feet—she had been lying almost flat on the floor—her face came into view, looking at me with a baffled expression.

An expression that said she understood nothing, and yet was still happy.

I’d thought the same thing a moment ago, but my conscience was still prodding at me all the same.

I’ll treat you well from here on out.

I knew perfectly well I had done something vile enough to make the first-round Lee Kiyoung look like an amateur.

It felt as though I’d shoved one innocent person into some unfathomable abyss of evil.

After seeing the expression on her face in the Black World, I only felt more sorry.

Damn….

But it had been a rational choice, and the result wasn’t bad either. Most importantly, she was the happiest of all, so in a sense, it was a win-win.

Obviously that’s just me rationalizing it….

If I was really going to claim I’d gained a trustworthy ally, then I ought to fling the guilt somewhere far beyond the horizon.

“I’m not really sure what to say, but….”

“Yes?”

“For now… thank you.”

“Th-there’s no way I deserve that….”

As I gently swept back the miko’s long hair, I could see her face turning visibly red.

She looked so flustered that she seemed about ready to collapse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again, which was absurd—but still, if she had come here on her own, I supposed it was only fair to reward her.

“Ah, um… Master….”

When I quietly leaned in, she squeezed her eyes shut. I pressed a light kiss to her forehead, and she seemed to go completely slack.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“What you’ve done in return for my trust is beyond comparison. And compared to the kindness you showed me in the Black World, it’s nothing.”

“Ah….”

“It was only for a moment, but I think I saw what you saw as well.”

“You did?”

“That time. Were you right when you told me I was a pitiable person?”

“Yes. That’s right. W-why….”

“I can’t fully understand it myself, but perhaps it really was a fated pull, just as you said.”

Her face was ridiculously happy.

That was definitely something I said to make her feel better.

It was right then that I became aware of a sudden commotion outside.

Jung Hayan?

It seemed the information from when I’d made physical contact with the miko had reached Jung Hayan.

I’d thought she was doing a good job of holding it in, but apparently she couldn’t stand it any longer and had hurried over here.

Ugh….

I still had a little more to say to this woman.

But I couldn’t keep Jung Hayan waiting forever.

“Just in case, have you told anyone else about me?”

“Of course not.”

“Good. Then this meeting ends here.”

“As you wish.”

“And, naturally, our relationship must remain secret from everyone.”

“Yes. I understand.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

She nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, which made it seem as though something similar had happened in the previous round as well.

I nodded back and opened the door, only to find that, unlike before, it swung open easily this time.

I was wondering how I should soothe Jung Hayan when the person in front of me turned out to be a man I’d never seen before.

He was a little tall, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

A Japanese sword?

On a continent built on a medieval foundation, seeing a Japanese sword was ridiculous enough on its own.

I wondered if it had been custom-made, but I didn’t have time to think any further.

My attention had already been drawn to the man as he looked down at me.

What the hell?

The moment I checked his information with the Mind’s Eye, a flood of data came pouring in.

Why is it that every bastard I run into is a monster?

An agility-based swordsman.

I didn’t know who he was, but he definitely didn’t look ordinary.

Frankly, anyone with stats like that couldn’t possibly be normal—at the very least, he was on Cha Heera’s level, if not above it.

He had the sort of abilities that would be more than enough to serve as a guild master.

The amusing part was that his disposition was the same as mine: a cautious strategist.

Even so, thinking about the fact that someone like this had still been blessed with such power made the whole thing feel unfair for no good reason.

I was just about to slip past him when—

“…….”

“Lee Kiyoung?”

I felt the man’s hand lightly seize my shoulder.

“Mr. Ito, what is it?”

The lovely miko naturally bristled at this unpleasant bastard.

But the man just kept looking at me, grinning like an idiot.

That’s irritating….

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ito Souta, guild master of the Yamato Guild.”

…….

For a second, I was completely speechless.

That terrorist attack in Lindel flashed through my mind.

I couldn’t exactly call it trauma, but I still remembered the blast and the arrows and blades that had come flying at me all too vividly. It was more like an extremely annoying memory.

Still, I swallowed hard and took the hand he offered for a shake.

I couldn’t afford to look rattled.

This is annoying….

This place was safe.

In a place where conflict was completely forbidden, there was no way this bastard could touch me.

And behind me stood a reliable miko, while Yuliena at my waist could probably block at least one surprise attack.

Considering his agility, the odds are low anyway….

For the moment, there was nothing wrong with pretending to have a perfectly ordinary conversation.

Since we’d met like this, I might as well treat it as fate. Besides, I’d come all the way here to formally lodge a complaint against the Yamato Guild, so it was only right that I try to squeeze out as much information as possible.

“It seems you’ve seen me somewhere before.”

“Not at all. I haven’t seen you before, but I’ve heard a great deal about you. You were at the center of the recent Lindel terrorist incident, after all.”

This bastard….

The smile on his face was something to behold.

I’d expected him to play dumb, but he was far calmer than I’d imagined.

A cautious strategist?

Maybe that was because his disposition was similar to mine.

“I was honestly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shocked when I heard the news. A terrorist attack right in the center of a free city? The city may be different, but since we came from Earth to this world together, I couldn’t help but worry.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you for your concern.”

“However.”

“Yes?”

“There’s been talk in Lindel that our guild was named as a suspect in the attack.”

And what do you want me to do about that?

It was far too uncomfortable a topic to discuss here. At the very least, we ought to talk about it where Heera noona was present.

“It would be better to arrange a separate meeting for this conversation. The timing isn’t ideal right now.”

The moment I turned my head slightly once more, I felt another hand seize my shoulder.

Of course it was Kasugano Yuno who stepped in. Her voice was quiet, but there was a weight to it that carried all the same.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing to my guest….”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing. I simply wanted to speak a little longer.”

“Please refrain from rude behavior.”

That was when I felt killing intent from somewhere.

Damn it.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt the ominous shift, because a pale barrier immediately began to spread around us.

When I glanced to the side, I saw Kasugano Yuno already chanting at speed. On the other side, the Yamato bastard was wearing a faint little smile.

I hadn’t thought he’d do something insane here, but given that these were the same people who’d carried out a terrorist attack in Lindel, I couldn’t help wondering if he might be trying to eliminate me for good right here and now.

Kasugano Yuno was strong, no question—but she was still a mage, which meant that in a direct duel she had her limits. If this man’s skill was what it seemed to be, it wouldn’t take him long to break through her barrier and cut my throat.

Hyunsung….

For some reason, I found myself longing for Kim Hyunsung’s warm embrace.

Woooooooom!

At the instant Yuliena burst from my chest, the only thing I could still see was Ito Souta’s grinning face.

“Ah….”

Something was wrong.

“Yuliena, no!”

By the time I shouted, Yuliena had already pierced the neck of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the swordsman standing beside him.

A cautious strategist?

It was a perfect dead end.

Damn it.

After the man made a choking sound and crumpled to the floor, I heard Ito Souta’s voice as he grasped the hilt of the sword and muttered under his breath.

“No, no, no… what is the meaning of this, Mr. Kiyoung? You’ve suddenly sent a sword flying at me? And here, in the royal palace of the sacred and great Benignore Holy Empire? Hah… Did you just kill one of your cherished subordinates? Pffft….”

“…….”

“May I formally lodge a complaint over this?”

“…….”

“Or should I take it as a declaration of war against the Yamato Guild?”

It wasn’t just his disposition that was similar.

His behavior pattern was disturbingly similar, too.

The moment I saw him looking at me with that infuriating expression, I had no choice but to understand it.