Chapter 111: A New Start (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: A New Start (2)
Inside a bus speeding down the highway.
In the two seats three rows from the back sat a young man and woman.
They were Kang Geomma and Abel. The other passengers in the bus stole frequent glances at them.
While a black-haired cadet was unusual enough, Abel's presence was simply too striking.
"...Wow, she's even prettier in person."
As a man staring at Abel muttered in low admiration, the woman sitting next to him pinched his side.
"Ow!"
"Is that something you should say in front of your girlfriend? And what do you mean, pretty? She obviously looks—"
But the moment she turned her glaring eyes toward Abel...
"...Huh."
Her small spark of hostility instantly fizzled out.
Crazy.
Even to another woman, Abel's beauty was utterly surreal. It was no wonder men were losing their minds.
Yet, for some reason, a chilly breeze blew between the black-haired boy and Abel.
Anyone else would have been ecstatic to sit next to Abel, but the black-haired boy had a completely indifferent look on his face.
Abel shifted her gaze slightly to the right. Kang Geomma was resting his chin on his hand against the window frame, silently watching the scenery pass by.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking behind those pitch-black eyes.
Abel considered starting a conversation but quickly decided against it.
...Things are still a bit awkward between Geomma and me.
Their disgraceful first meeting, followed by their second encounter on Avallon Island. Every time their paths crossed, he seemed to speak less and less.
As he grew increasingly taciturn, Abel couldn't help but feel a bit hurt deep down.
It feels like he's intentionally keeping his distance...
She wanted to ask why. The burning question rose to the tip of her tongue, but she held it back.
Besides, he was the one intentionally keeping his distance. There was no need to go out of her way to talk to someone like that. It would hurt her pride to be the first to speak, anyway...
"..."
"..."
Her lips twitched, and her fingers fidgeted. This endless silence was incredibly uncomfortable.
But didn't he get along well with the others?
Suddenly, a few names came to mind.
Chloe, Rachel, and Saki Ryozo.
Those three.
...
Before boarding the bus, listening to those frivolous seniors had made her frown and speak up reflexively.
But thinking about it now, could it be true that Geomma was surrounded by rumors involving other girls...?
It had been three months since they entered the Academy. Even if he didn't change girls every week, a new one seemed to appear every month.
For a brief moment, she regretted defending him.
...Ugh, my head suddenly hurts.
Abel reflexively pressed a hand to her forehead. A faint wave of dizziness washed over her.
Is it motion sickness?
Come to think of it, how many years had it been since she last rode a bus? The last time was when she was a child, traveling to the UK with her parents.
Her mother, who would stroke her back when she suffered from car sickness. Her father, who would give her a warm smile, telling her they would arrive soon, and stick a motion sickness patch behind her ear.
What was the name of that sticker medicine? I think it was a Korean product...
Trying to recall the name of the medicine only made her feel more nauseous. Abel leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes.
It's been about ten years.
Faces that were now a distant memory.
Before she grew up, Abel used to flip through photo albums from time to time so she wouldn't forget them. But doing so only piled on more sadness and longing.
That was why Abel no longer opened those old photo albums.
Grieving wouldn't bring them back, and it felt disrespectful to her grandfather, who lovingly cared for her.
The death of her family.
That despair and sorrow were not hers alone to bear. While she had lost her parents, her grandfather had lost his own child and daughter-in-law.
"..."
Gloom washed over Abel's face. It was her first trip back home in a very long time.
Yet, a single fragment of memory made her heart ache.
"Abel."
At the sound of the voice from her right, Abel's eyes snapped open. Startled, her shoulders flinched.
"Y-yes?"
"If your motion sickness is bad, try this."
Kang Geomma held out a piece of paper no larger than a fingernail. Abel's eyes darted between his face and his hand.
"What is this?"
"Motion sickness medicine."
A profound sense of déjà vu washed over Abel at his words. Her golden eyes widened even further.
"I don't usually get motion sickness, but since it's my first time flying, I brought it just in case. I bought it as an emergency medicine at a pharmacy yesterday. If your motion sickness is bad, try it. It works really well."
Abel took the small piece of paper in a daze. Kang Geomma tilted his head and asked,
"Do you not know how to use it? Well, I guess that makes sense since it was developed in Korea."
"No...! I-I know how to use it!"
Abel waved her hands in denial. She even stuttered, something she rarely did. At her reaction, Kang Geomma turned his head back toward the window.
Abel let out a sigh of relief. Then, she looked down at the paper she had been handed.
⌜Gwimitae⌟
The name of the medicine, which she had finally learned after ten years, was incredibly literal.
A faint smile seemed to touch Abel's lips, but it quickly turned into a wry, cool smirk.
Even on Avallon Island, he was just like this...
Kang Geomma was always like this. He would casually offer small acts of kindness as if he didn't care.
Minor gestures that weren't exaggerated and seemed to carry no hidden motives.
Because they felt so genuine, they carried a strange, persuasive charm.
Perhaps the reason why the usually indifferent Saki went all the way down to the Wolf Class was because of this side of him?
Abel fiddled with the sticker paper for a long time before carefully tucking it away in her pocket.
The bus sped along the wide-open highway under a clear sky.
Feeling both the unpleasant emotions lingering at the bottom of her heart and her motion sickness subside, Abel closed her eyes once more and leaned back into her seat.
* * *
[Dear passengers, our bus has now arrived at Incheon Airport. To prevent any safety accidents inside the vehicle, please remain seated until the bus has come to a complete stop...]
The arrival announcement echoed through the speakers.
They had finally arrived at the airport after a long three-hour ride.
Passengers stood up and stretched. Their wandering gazes soon locked onto them.
And a few grown men began to whisper.
"Hey, look over there. Abel is sleeping on his shoulder."
"Damn, lucky bastard. What kind of great deeds did he do in his past life to deserve that...?"
I was a raw fish restaurant owner.
"Forget it, man. That's the Sashimi Sword Saint. In the end, the strong get the beauty. If you've got a problem with it, be stronger than him."
"Ugh."
The man bit his lower lip and walked away, while his companion shook his head and patted him on the shoulder.
A pale shadow fell over their retreating backs.
"..."
This might be the first time since coming to this world that I had received such envious glares. However, the situation itself was rather ironic.
I didn't mind lending my shoulder to a beautiful girl, but because it was Abel, too many eyes were on us.
I should wake her up.
I nudged my left shoulder. Her glossy blue hair swayed slightly.
"Mmm..."
Abel blinked her sleep-filled eyes. Her eyelids looked incredibly heavy.
"We're here. Wake up."
"...!"
Abel's face flushed bright red. She instantly bolted upright and silently gathered her things.
I'll keep the fact that she drooled a secret.
After retrieving our suitcases from the luggage compartment, we entered the airport.
* * *
"Oh."
They said Incheon Airport was world-class. Although I had never been to an airport in another country, this was certainly impressive enough to be considered top-tier.
In fact, it felt even more imposing than the Incheon Airport on Earth. Come to think of it, in this world, Korea was the only country capable of standing on equal footing with the United States.
The developers of Miracle Blessing really did a great job with this kind of world-building.
Unlike me, Abel seemed familiar with the airport's layout and took the lead.
Not a single word had passed between us since we got off the bus.
Even so, she consciously checked to make sure I was keeping up. When I looked around the glittering airport interior, she even showed the consideration of slowing her pace.
The more I see of her, the more I realize she has an unexpectedly thoughtful personality.
A deep, caring personality. The only problem was her excessively eye-catching appearance.
After walking for a few minutes, we spotted a figure surrounded by a dense crowd of reporters.
"This is NBC! Sword Emperor, could you share a few words about your plans after retirement?"
"I'm Yoon Pil-seong from WTN! There are rumors that someone has been designated for the next Seven Stars seat. Could you tell us who it is?"
"We heard this is related to the passing of Elder Cladi. Could you tell us if you were directly involved?"
"Is it true that Metflix is filming a documentary about your achievements, Sword Emperor?!"
A downpour of questions and a barrage of camera flashes.
With no bodyguards or assistants in sight, the Sword Emperor was facing them entirely on his own.
The Sword Emperor furrowed his brows deeply and kept his mouth shut. He was clearly displeased.
Yet the reporters didn't care and shoved their smartphones forward.
He could kill them all with a single flick of his finger...
I couldn't help but marvel at the reporters' sheer audacity. In a way, they were no different from war correspondents.
"Tsk, they're at it again."
Clicking her tongue, Abel pulled out a hat, a mask, and sunglasses from her clutch bag—the classic celebrity disguise kit.
Just then...
"......!"
The reporters' attention shifted toward us. At the same time, their eyes gleamed like wolves spotting fresh prey.
A look of panic crossed Abel's face.
She was the next head of the Nibelung family, possessing stunning beauty and immense public interest.
In other words, she was the perfect target for those desperate for a scoop.
Abel tried to steer clear, but weighed down by her suitcase, she had no room to escape.
Step, step, step, step.
Step, step, step, step.
Step, step, step, step.
Reporters clutching high-performance cameras rushed over all at once.
They formed a tight circle, surrounding us. Abel quickly put on her hat, mask, and sunglasses.
Soon, one of the reporters spoke up.
"Mr. Kang Geomma, this is NBC! You're currently making headlines as the 'Sashimi Sword Saint.' How do you feel about that?!"
"I'm Reporter Yoon Byeong-seon from FBS! You recently defeated China's Mao Rang. What are your future plans?"
"I'm Michael Jopan from the British media outlet CCB!"
"I'm Alon Mask from DEF in the United States!"
The reporters' camera lenses were pointed not at Abel, but at me.
Abel froze at the unexpected turn of events. Her sunglasses slipped slightly askew on her nose.
Dumbfounded, Abel stared. The reporters didn't pay her the slightest bit of attention. She was treated like a complete ghost.
However, I was just as bewildered as she was. Smartphones were thrust toward me like weapons, their screens showing active recording apps.
...What is going on here?
Their eyes were filled with greed—eyes of people determined never to back down without a story.
Ah, damn it.
I absolutely hated annoying hassles. I wanted to just push my way through, but that would only complicate things.
"What is the purpose of your visit to the airport today?"
A female reporter who had squeezed close asked. The other reporters looked equally curious.
"...Ah."
This was troublesome. While my existence was public knowledge, my whereabouts during the break needed to remain undisclosed.
If it got out that I was accompanying the Sword Emperor, it would cause a massive headache.
If I ignored them and walked away, speculative articles linking me to the Sword Emperor would flood the news.
In that case, it was better to throw out some random statement to completely divert their attention elsewhere.
Since I was heading to Europe, I would point to a continent in the opposite direction.
"I'm going to America."
A blatant lie. Naturally, I felt no guilt whatsoever.
If it could divert their attention, I would have said Antarctica.
"America..."
The female reporter who asked the question muttered the word. Then, as if struck by a bolt of electricity, her eyes lit up.
"...No way! Is defeating Mao Rang, the Iron Leg, not enough? Have you thrown down the gauntlet to America's All Mute as well?! Jesus Christ!"
"..."
Her sharp, astonished cry quickly infected the surrounding crowd.
"Right, there's no other reason he'd suddenly go to America."
"Come on, All Mute is on a different level... She's not like Mao Rang. No matter how much of a genius he is..."
"Hey, does the truth even matter? He just threw us a massive bait. Let the public decide. I thought he was just strong, but he even knows how to handle the media. He really is built different."
"Now that you mention it... We came to cover the Sword Emperor, but we just landed an unexpected jackpot!"
The atmosphere grew chaotic. Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed Abel's wrist.
"Now's our chance. Let's go."
"Huh?!"
We pushed through the disarrayed ranks of reporters. Any obstacles in our path crumbled as I put some weight into my shoulders.
"Hey! This guy pushed me! He pushed me!"
Ignoring the complaints, the other reporters opened their laptops. Soon, their fingertips were furiously clacking away at the keyboards.
When I checked the articles they had written while on the plane, I deeply regretted leaving after saying just that one sentence.
•
•
•
『The Sashimi Sword Saint Walks the Path of Hegemony: "All Mute, Get Out Here!"』
『"China Has Become So Boring I Want to Die." America's Supernova, All Mute, Is His Only Worthy Opponent.』
『Youthful Vigor or Childish Arrogance? His Next Move Demands Attention.』
『Sashimi Sword Saint, Kang Geomma, Embroiled in Reporter Assault Controversy.』