The Keen-Eyed Black Swan 1
Though I’d unexpectedly shared a father-son bond with the guy, the expedition had ended perfectly.
I’d secured one Mythic-grade item, two Legendary-grade items, and even a high-quality Heroic item.
Unfortunately, the shield had ended up in the Black Swan’s hands instead of Park Deokgu’s, but if Blue had dragged that away too, I wouldn’t have been able to hold my head up all the way back home.
Better this way, honestly.
All I had to do was make Park Deokgu a usable shield of his own.
Blue had a master blacksmith in the making, and materials weren’t exactly scarce—we had more than enough to drown in.
What mattered was that this side had come out ahead.
Considering the fact that the biggest credit for successfully leading the expedition belonged to Blue’s key figures, the distribution was probably fair enough. Still, if we were going to keep seeing each other and living in the same world, an honest split was only proper.
And that was even more true when you considered that the things we’d taken were the kind of treasures whose value couldn’t be measured in simple numbers.
We’d gained titles, items, and all kinds of things, but what stood out most of all was the Mythic weapon Kim Hyunsung had obtained and the museum control device I’d secured.
For now everyone’s attention was fixed on the Mythic-grade item, but for me, the things I’d gotten here were greater than any other achievement.
The world’s going to change.
If everything I was planning went smoothly, we’d be facing a massive transformation.
There’s so much I can do now.
Things that had been impossible until now were suddenly within reach.
I wanted nothing more than to get back to Lindel at once and throw myself into research, but the march was slow, and that was the problem.
Every expedition member had already hit the limit of their physical endurance, so naturally our pace had dropped.
I wasn’t especially impatient, though.
Once we got beyond this area, carriages would be waiting for us, and after that it would be a quick ride back to Lindel.
The mood on the march is good, too…
That was thanks to a new guest who’d joined us, though it was a somewhat baffling reason.
What was interesting was that even the isolated survivors were rather fond of this new addition to the family.
I’d expected as much, but apparently he hadn’t persecuted the Black Swan expedition members who’d been isolated with him.
On the contrary, he’d been friendly and had spent a lot of time talking with them. It was only my guess, of course, but I thought he might have been lonely.
Of course he was lonely.
He’d spent a lot of time by himself.
The museum had been his only friend, and judging by the way he’d fixated on it to an almost fanatical degree, it was probably fair to say he’d relieved his loneliness by clinging to the museum.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason the expedition members had accepted him.
“Uuugghhh….”
“Hwaaah…”
His story had been revealed, and almost immediately, a wave of pity had swept over the expedition.
“Eeehheeee…”
Especially that tearful pack led by Park Deokgu, who had taken it upon themselves to care for Manager Max with complete dedication.
“So what happened next…?”
“Well, from that point on I just kept living in the museum…”
“You must’ve been lonely…”
“W-well, a little, but I got used to it… and there were plenty of things I could do in the museum.”
“Hey, don’t say another word. Sniff… If you’re Hyung’s kid, then you’re my kid too!”
“Ah… yes.”
Of course, I hadn’t bothered hiding the fact that I’d become Max’s guardian.
It was just a title, after all, and I didn’t think anything would actually change in practice.
Jung Hayan, whom I’d expected to be somewhat shocked, reacted with a flat indifference as if she didn’t care at all, and Dialugia seemed similarly unconcerned.
Maybe she was worried I might start neglecting her little darling, but in the end she seemed to have decided that having an older sibling to grow up with wasn’t such a bad thing.
In any case, the guy had gone from being a traitor in everyone’s eyes to the expedition’s most lovable mascot. A complete and total change in status.
Unlike the mechanical dummy, the real body was full of emotion, and to top it off, the thing had a face so absurdly cute it was practically criminal.
Disgusting looks-based privilege.
It didn’t even need saying that he’d stolen the hearts of the Black Swan members in an instant.
I was quietly watching the boisterous group when it happened.
Before I knew it, we’d reached the area where carriages could enter.
Apparently word had gotten out in advance, because Black Swan’s carriages were already waiting for us.
Kim Yeri and Hwang Jeongyeon, who had come with us, were quietly seated atop one of the carriages as well.
The little chicks from Blue must not have come out with them. They probably had other work to do.
Before I even had time to raise a hand, I saw a small figure sprinting toward us from far away.
I supposed it was only natural that she’d come running like that, having been waiting so long for Kim Hyunsung, but when she passed me by without even a glance, my mood inexplicably soured.
What an unlovable little brat….
And right behind her was the sight of my own darling waiting so desperately for me, which made the whole thing sting even more.
Hwang Jeongyeon, too, ran straight past me and into Park Deokgu’s arms instead of bothering with a greeting, which only confirmed that my safe return wasn’t exactly cause for celebration in her book.
Meanwhile, Kim Yeri pushed through the others and flung herself at Kim Hyunsung in a fierce hug.
“Clank clank.”
“Huh? What did you say, Oppa?”
“Nothing, Hayan.”
Watching them hug so intensely made me uneasy for no good reason at all.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to be handling the little girl the way someone would handle a younger sister, but from where I stood, the look in that child’s eyes had already gone far beyond suspicious.
The only person who probably hadn’t noticed was Hyunsung himself, with that usual protagonist-level dullness that made him oblivious to obvious warning signs.
“Hurry and get into the carriage and rest, Oppa.”
“Yes. I should. I used up too much mana in the management room, and… I only slept for about three hours.”
“Aaaah….”
“Do you have any injuries or anything that feels off?”
“No, Heeyoung. I’m not hurt or anything.”
“Then you should be fine after some proper rest.”
As expected, the only ones really looking after me were Sun Heeyoung and Jung Hayan.
Just as I was about to board the carriage, leaving behind the noisy Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung, who looked like he might be dragged off by someone at any moment, someone called out to me.
“You made it back safely, Kiyoung.”
“Ah. Jihye.”
Lee Jihye had also come to greet her guild master.
Jung Hayan looked at Lee Jihye with a little wariness, but maybe because Lee Jihye spoke to her so casually, the tension seemed to loosen a little.
“Oh my. Hayan, it’s been a while. You two still look so good standing together.”
“Ah. J-Jihye. Hello.”
“Heeyoung, it’s been a while for you too, hasn’t it?”
“Yes. It has been a while.”
That was how it worked. If you came at people with that kind of easy familiarity, their defenses would crumble before they knew it.
The way she openly praised how well Jung Hayan and I suited each other was almost enough to make me feel awkward.
She always hyped Jung Hayan up in that sort of way, but today she seemed more fired up than usual.
So she heard.
Apparently she had business with me today, though it wasn’t a private matter—something official.
Black Swan already got the news…
When one of the rangers who’d left the dungeon early ran straight back to Lindel to deliver the news, there was no way he’d only have asked them to come meet us.
He must have told them about everything that had happened in the dungeon, and probably about the achievements each guild had secured as well.
He might even have passed on a rough strategy report.
Black Swan was one of the most information-sensitive guilds in Lindel, after all.
The fact that Lee Jihye had personally made the trip here, despite being a busy woman, meant she had at least received a direct message from the guild master, Park Yeonju.
I knew she had a good nose, but I hadn’t expected her to start moving before we’d even entered Lindel.
When I casually turned my head and looked toward where Park Yeonju was standing, I saw the two of them exchanging meaningful glances.
Jihye noona’s working hard too.
She was probably doing her damned best to secure her position within the guild as well.
Still, she kept chatting cheerfully with Jung Hayan and Sun Heeyoung while clearly waiting for the right moment.
I figured I should help out a little, so I cleared my throat once. As if she’d been waiting for that, she turned and spoke.
“Ah! Come to think of it, I had something to discuss with you… It’s a bit important, so it feels wrong to talk about it here. How about we have a little chat on the way back to Lindel? I’ve prepared a separate carriage.”
“I am a little tired, but…”
I let my words trail off, and her eyes sharpened at once.
If I had to translate that look, it was basically, You’re really doing this?
My mouth twitched upward before I could stop it. I’d only meant to tease her a bit, but judging by that desperate expression, she must have gotten the message loud and clear.
“Hyunsung and our guild master will be joining us too.”
“In that case… yes, I think that would be best, Jihye.”
Jung Hayan looked downright crestfallen, but there was nothing I could do about it.
This was basically a summit meeting, after all.
Kim Hyunsung also seemed to have gotten a message from Park Yeonju, because he was peeling Kim Yeri off him and heading our way.
Thanks to that, Park Yeonju and Lee Jihye probably ended up earning the resentment of Blue’s female contingent, but I decided that the issue right in front of us mattered more than winning affection from those two at the moment.
When we stepped into the carriage, its lavish interior was as eye-catching as ever.
It had a completely different feel from the one we’d ridden in on the way here. I understood the desire to treat us like honored guests, of course, but…
They know perfectly well they’re still taking a cut, so why go this far…?
The expedition hadn’t been completed by Blue alone. They seemed to understand perfectly well how to wash their hands after letting us do all the hard work for them.
They’re not quite that much trash.
I’d sold my conscience more than once or twice, but I wasn’t so rotten that I’d stab a comrade in the back after letting him watch my back.
Yeah. Not quite that much trash.
Anyway, with the four of us crammed into a carriage far too large for just that number, Kim Hyunsung and I took our seats while Park Yeonju and Lee Jihye settled comfortably onto the sofas.
Once the carriage started moving, we quietly settled into tea and small talk, and after the atmosphere softened a little, Lee Jihye naturally took the lead.
Once again, I was reminded that she was very used to this sort of setting.
Of course, the one actually doing most of the talking was Park Yeonju, but there was no denying that the soul mate of our little group was steering the mood with total ease.
“Before I congratulate you on a successful expedition, I’d like to thank you both for taking part in this one, Hyunsung.”
“Not at all. If anything, we’re the ones who should be grateful for being given the opportunity. Blue gained far too much for me to sit here and accept thanks without feeling embarrassed.”
“That’s because you both performed so brilliantly. In fact, you and Kiyoung were the decisive factors in the operation… no matter how I look at it, you’ve more than earned the right to have a share. At this point, the matter of ownership is hardly worth arguing over. But… well… the ownership of the museum is currently with Kiyoung, correct?”
“Yes. More precisely, I was granted the title of manager. I’m also Max’s guardian.”
My head started to ache at the thought that a dispute over the museum’s ownership might break out after all.
If we were only talking about me giving up a little, that might have been manageable, but if they started talking about splitting it fifty-fifty, I could guarantee I’d overturn the whole table—teammates or not.
Of course, the voice that came next made it clear there was no need to go that far.
“Just so we’re clear, we have no intention of claiming ownership of the museum.”
Lee Jihye, as perceptive as ever, dropped that one line and stepped back.
Park Yeonju nodded as well and spoke again.
“Yes. As Jihye said, we have no intention of asserting ownership over what belongs to Kiyoung. However, we would like proper investment in the work Kiyoung, Hyunsung, and Blue Guild will be carrying out from here on, a fair share to match that, and… just a little consideration, if you’d be willing.”
“Hmm…”
She called it just a little consideration, but what she wanted was definitely not little.
What she really meant was that without Black Swan, there wouldn’t even be a museum in the first place, so we’d better remember that.
Truthfully, they had every right to ask for more than that. An expedition isn’t something you do alone.
I’d already been planning to give Black Swan a certain stake anyway, and I had intended to push forward with this as a joint business venture. What surprised me a little was how quickly they moved.
They already knew what I was planning to do.
Once again, I had to admire their instincts.
Their nose for this stuff is insane.
Still, if they’d ever set foot inside that museum, even an idiot would have come to the same conclusion.
“I do think it’s a bit premature to be talking about this as business just yet…”
“Just say it plainly, Kiyoung oppa. I’m curious whether you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking…”
“Of course I am. I’ve got about two ideas in mind. I was already picturing a collaboration with Black Swan, too. The museum’s ownership ended up in my hands by chance, but without Black Swan, I never would’ve obtained it in the first place.”
“That’s a relief. If it isn’t too much to ask, could we hear a little more about what you’re planning?”
“Of course. The first thing I’m thinking about is running the Museum of Dungeon Rifts as a grade-less dungeon….”
She wore the expression of someone who’d already expected that.
“And the second is… I think I’d like to try creating a broadcasting station.”
I caught sight of Lee Jihye’s hand, clenched tightly into a fist.
She was probably thinking the same thing I was.
Total control of the media.
This was the moment a media outlet was born in the Holy Empire.