Chapter 54
The parking lot in front of Masked Castle was packed wall to wall.
Reporters had gathered to cover the event. Broadcasters, too. People who had come simply to watch. And beyond them, players from every corner of the world, each with their own reasons, all keeping their eyes on Masked Castle.
Police motorcycles waited in formation, and behind them stood a line of immense, imposing bikes. They had been specially built to bear the weight of the equipment worn by players, and their frames were made from monster carcasses.
Every one of the motorcycles was black, with a mask painted on the body.
Behind the bikes, a luxury sedan waited.
“Do we really have to go this far?”
At Yoon Sang-hyuk’s question, Baekjeong, sitting in the passenger seat, bowed his head.
“The Blue House requested it. It’s a performance meant to show the public you meeting with the Lord, isn’t it?”
“Anyway, the world’s number one at doing useless things.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk muttered in disgust.
“How’s the assault on the Castle of Chaos going?”
“We’ve broken through as far as Zagan.”
The sixty-first-ranked Demon Lord, Zagan.
“Is it manageable?”
“If we proceed with safety as the priority, I think we can clear it, even if the pace is a little slow.”
“The higher the Demon Lord, the more brutal the difficulty gets. Do it as safely as you can, even if it takes longer. Don’t spare the potions.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Any word on the Chaos Box?”
Baekjeong lowered his head again.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Whether it drops or not is just luck. It’s not a bad hunting ground, and besides the Chaos Box, the loot isn’t bad either. If you need anything for the clear, say so.”
“Actually, I have something to ask about that.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like Yang Su-chan to help us.”
The undead maker, Yang Su-chan.
“Having that guy around does make the clear easier. Ask him yourself. He’s holed up in the basement with the others, researching something again, so he won’t come out. He’s not the type to listen just because I say so.”
“Yes, Lord.”
- Ssshhk. We’re setting off.
A voice crackled from the radio mounted in the car. Then the police motorcycle in front started moving at once.
The Masked Mercenary Group motorcycles followed behind it. The red cloaks worn by the mercenaries snapped and fluttered in the wind.
“We’re leaving.”
One of the mercenaries spoke, and the car pulled out behind them.
The world’s media were filming it all. Looking out the window, Yoon Sang-hyuk muttered, “I don’t know what this is supposed to be. Some kind of clown show?”
* * *
They left Masked Castle and arrived at the Blue House. The reporters who had followed them from the castle could not pass the main gate, but even inside, even more press had already been waiting.
The sight of the Masked Mercenary Group members stopping their motorcycles in formation, red cloaks whipping behind them, and then lining up in two rows in front of the car door where Yoon Sang-hyuk would step out was a spectacle in itself. Baekjeong had taken great care with the protocol, preparing for the gaze of the entire world. The mercenaries assigned to the ceremony were not wearing their usual weapons, but matching armor and swords instead.
Baekjeong got out of the car and opened the rear door for him. After Yoon Sang-hyuk stepped out, he held out his hand, and Lilith took it, stepping lightly down beside him.
“Is this the place where the humans’ king lives?”
“King? Please. It’s where the kings of bloodsucking leeches live.”
“King leeches?”
“Heh. Yeah. King leeches.”
The reporters filmed Yoon Sang-hyuk and Lilith talking.
The Blue House had prepared well, too. A ceremonial guard in crisp dress uniforms came out to greet Yoon Sang-hyuk.
“Shall we?”
“Yes.”
Holding Lilith’s hand, he walked the path the mercenaries had cleared for him.
“Ha-ha-ha, welcome.”
The president, who had been waiting, spread his arms with a bright smile. It looked like he meant to embrace him, but when Yoon Sang-hyuk failed to react, he awkwardly shifted into a handshake instead. Yoon Sang-hyuk could hardly refuse that, so he took the president’s hand.
The president shook it vigorously, showing off a grip that didn’t match his age.
President Yang Min-ho. I spent more than twenty years over there, and this bastard is still president.
It wasn’t as if Yoon Sang-hyuk had any personal grudge against Yang Min-ho. Before being dragged to that other world, he had even cast one precious vote for him.
But the things he heard after returning to reality were enough to rot one’s ears. Hiding in a safety bunker while citizens were being killed by monsters was the least of it. He had become garbage, using the national disaster as an excuse to push constitutional revision for a two-term presidency and cling to power for the long haul.
“Ha-ha-ha, good to meet you. I’m Yang Min-hol.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk stared silently at President Yang Min-ho. The president grew uncomfortable under that wordless gaze and pulled a sour face, but then, conscious of the reporters, smoothed it away and put the smile back on.
“Is something wrong?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk spoke in a low voice, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
“Am I one of your subordinates?”
“W-what….”
President Yang Min-ho was visibly flustered.
“That tone, like you’re talking to one of your inferiors, really gets under my skin. If you invite a guest, treat him like a guest. Don’t play at being an elder and expect respect you haven’t earned.”
He withdrew his hand from Yang Min-ho’s grasp.
“H-ha-ha. We welcome the visit of the Masked Lord.”
As if he had never been scowling a moment ago, Yang Min-ho turned a brilliant smile toward the cameras and spoke loudly. A politician through and through, he put the mask back on in an instant.
“This way.”
Beneath the mask, the corner of Yoon Sang-hyuk’s mouth curled faintly upward. As Yang Min-ho turned around, Yoon Sang-hyuk had caught it clearly: the man’s face, smiling just seconds ago, had frozen over in an instant.
Maybe…
Maybe it was not Yoon Sang-hyuk who was hiding behind a mask.
* * *
The Blue House reception hall.
The building inside the Blue House used for large-scale meetings and official events for foreign dignitaries.
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked calmly at Yang Min-ho across the long table. The two men sat facing each other with the table between them. Their eyes met, but there was not a trace of warmth or familiarity between them.
Near President Yang Min-ho, more than twenty officials from the South Korean government were seated on both sides. By contrast, behind Yoon Sang-hyuk stood only Baekjeong, Gaejakdu, and Ice Flower, the leadership of the Masked Mercenary Group.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation.”
Without reporters present, Yang Min-ho’s tone was administrative and stiff.
“An invitation... That’s a rather unsuitable word for a place like this, but for the sake of argument, let’s call it that.”
Since this was an official setting, Yoon Sang-hyuk spoke formally as well.
“As for the players belonging to Masked Castle, including the Masked Lord, the standing of the Republic of Korea—”
Yoon Sang-hyuk raised a hand and cut him off.
“We’re not the kind of people who need to sit across from each other exchanging pleasantries and coating each other’s faces in honey, are we?”
“What is that supposed to mean….”
“It means let’s get straight to the point. There is a reason you summoned me... no, invited me, isn’t there?”
“Ahem.”
Yang Min-ho shot him an irritated look, but soon looked away. Yoon Sang-hyuk didn’t react, but the three people standing behind him were glaring at Yang Min-ho as though they would kill him on the spot.
If Yang Min-ho was someone the public cursed at every other day, then Yoon Sang-hyuk was a lord, a king who commanded absolute loyalty from the members of the Masked Mercenary Group.
“Since you put it that way, let’s move straight to the main point.”
At Yang Min-ho’s signal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jang Ho-tae, who had once met Yoon Sang-hyuk at the airport, rose from his seat.
“I am Jang Ho-tae, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Masked Lord wishes to build a city district on the state-owned land in front of Masked Castle. Is that correct?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk waved his hand as if to say, Keep talking and don’t interrupt. Irritated by the gesture, Jang Ho-tae’s expression darkened.
“The South Korean government is considering allowing the construction of a city district on the state-owned land in front of Masked Castle, in exchange for several requests.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As Jang Ho-tae spoke, Yoon Sang-hyuk drummed his fingers on the table.
“Just a moment.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk cut him off.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. If we don’t clear it up now, this conversation will go nowhere.”
“What misunderstanding are you referring to?”
“I’m not here to ask the South Korean government for permission to build a city district.”
“What…?”
“If you have something to say, could you wait until I’m finished?”
Jang Ho-tae pressed his lips together and fell silent.
“This isn’t a matter of asking for permission or approval. It’s a notice.”
“What nonsense is this?”
A man in his mid-sixties sprang to his feet and shouted. Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at him calmly.
“And you are?”
“Hong Joong-pyo, chairman of the Grand Korea Party.”
“From now on, if you have something to say, get recognized before you speak. Is it right to barge in so rudely just because it doesn’t suit your opinion? Shouldn’t a party chairman, especially one of the ruling party, know even basic manners?”
“You…!”
Hong Joong-pyo was about to fire back, but Yang Min-ho stopped him.
“Chairman Hong. Enough.”
“But Mr. President, this man—”
Bang!
“I said enough.”
At the president’s knock on the table, Hong Joong-pyo sat back down.
“Please continue.”
“Before I talk about the city district, I’ll make this clear. I’ve said it before, but Masked Castle, where I am and where the Masked Mercenary Group is, is not South Korean territory. Don’t make the absurd claim that land you’ve lost control of is still your territory. And also—”
Still seated, Yoon Sang-hyuk looked over everyone in the reception hall one by one and went on.
“Don’t expect me to give you anything by appealing to patriotism. Ah, don’t misunderstand. I love the Republic of Korea I was born and raised in, too. But the Republic of Korea I love does not include trash who will stop at nothing for their own gain.”
Uneasy sounds rose from all around the room. Yoon Sang-hyuk ignored them completely.
“I’ll make this clear here and now. If you keep making these shameless demands, then everyone belonging to Masked Castle, myself included, will leave the Republic of Korea. For your information, the Balhae Guild will go with Masked Castle as well.”
“Who said you could decide that!”
“Do you even count as a Korean?”
“Isn’t this going too far?”
Shouts flew from all around the room.
“Who said I could decide? I decide for myself. As you well know, there are plenty of countries willing to have us. Do you really think the United States, where even sneezing makes people catch a cold, would reject us? Or China?”
He felt President Yang Min-ho’s sharp gaze on him. Yoon Sang-hyuk sat back down and looked at him calmly.
“Let me take it back to the beginning. The city district. If you don’t build it, so be it. What happens next? I’d get tired of a country where not a single thing can be done my way. And after that….”
Crossing one leg over the other, Yoon Sang-hyuk continued.
“I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.”