The Emperor Has Returned (2)
Rachel's words made me tilt my head in confusion. "Ancestor? What is she talking about?"
The Toulon Gate had been successfully cleared by me, Rachel, Joan, and the Revolutionary Army's carry. Among them, there wasn't anyone Rachel would call an ancestor. If she meant the Revolutionary Army itself, that could technically count, but that didn't seem to be what she was saying.
Should I take it as her giving glory to Napoleon in heaven?
─Yes, I will dedicate the glory of successfully clearing the Toulon Gate to my ancestor.
It was a metaphorical expression. Come to think of it, foreigners often gave credit for their achievements to the heroes of their homeland in the heavens. Since the Toulon Gate had such a deep connection to Napoleon, it seemed Rachel had used the term "ancestor" in that sense.
─Napoleon would be overjoyed to know he has such a descendant.
The reporter interviewing Rachel gave a gentle smile at her humility. The interview continued in that warm atmosphere.
─However, the clearing of the Toulon Gate is not an achievement belonging solely to the Bonaparte family.
─Are you saying you received help from another hunter?
─That's correct.
Rachel nodded at the reporter's question and dropped a bombshell straight into the camera.
─I received assistance from a Korean.
─Hah, a Korean?
The startled reporter stammered. The interview room erupted into chaos. A Korean, out of nowhere?
"Well, it ended up like this after all."
I felt like it had finally arrived. From the moment I decided to help Rachel, I'd more or less anticipated this development. Still, I hadn't expected her to be so straightforward as to name the country specifically.
But Rachel's bombshell wasn't over yet.
─I plan to visit Korea soon to express my gratitude in person.
"……."
The moment my eyes met Rachel's blue ones as she stared into the camera, my heart skipped a beat. Her gaze was filled with pure, earnest enthusiasm—the determination to come find me.
Rachel's interview brought an enormous backlash. After all, a Korean had appeared who helped an S-class French hunter successfully clear a gate. Moreover, according to Rachel's interview, it wasn't just simple assistance.
The community was completely flooded with talk about the two hunters who had helped Rachel. But since Rachel hadn't revealed any detailed information, only wild speculation about their identities ran rampant.
*
In the conference room of Samdocheon, one of Korea's top three guilds, the Black Witch Baek Seorin was watching Rachel's interview on the large screen.
─If those two hadn't helped me, I would have failed to clear the Toulon Gate.
─One was Korean, but the other was French, like myself.
"There's a possibility it's the Connector, right?"
"The information is too limited to be certain, but the possibility that it's the Connector is certainly there."
The information team leader of Samdocheon answered Baek Seorin's question. As he said, the information Rachel had disclosed was extremely restricted. She had only revealed that the two who helped her were a Korean and a French person, and had withheld everything else.
Even so, Baek Seorin guessed that this "Korean" was the Connector. After all, only an S-class hunter could assist an S-class hunter. Saving Rachel from a crisis? That suggested the Korean was highly likely to be an S-class awakener.
And in Korea, the only anonymous hunter suspected of being S-class was the Connector. It was still just speculation, but Rachel's actions added conviction to Baek Seorin's guess.
"She's not simply coming to Korea to express her gratitude."
"She's trying to poach him."
Baek Seorin nodded. Poaching hunters from other countries was a common practice in the hunter industry. It was far cheaper to recruit from another nation than to raise a hunter from scratch. It wasn't new for China or Japan to scout Korean hunters with high salaries.
Rachel's visit to Korea was undoubtedly for the same purpose. And if a heavyweight like the head of the Bonaparte family was coming in person to scout, it meant the target wasn't an ordinary person.
An S-class, or a promising talent with high potential to become S-class in the future.
It was information that couldn't be taken lightly. The problem was that Baek Seorin had no idea which hunter Rachel was targeting. Negotiation required knowing your counterpart, after all.
"The individual suspected to be the Connector."
The information team leader manipulated the console. A man's face appeared on the screen. Upon seeing him, Baek Seorin's expression turned strange.
"Team Leader Park, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now."
She looked at the information team leader with disbelief. The man on the screen was none other than Choi Seojun. There was no way Baek Seorin wouldn't recognize a guild member who had been with Samdocheon since its early days for ten years.
He had a rare occupation, so she had tried to nurture him, but when his abilities fell short, she had personally cut him loose. And the Choi Seojun she knew could never be the Connector.
"How could an E-class appraiser be the Connector?"
"The relic that Kim Hayun used to clear the Noryang Gate was purchased from Choi Seojun."
"An Wi's ring-hilted sword?"
"Yes. It was directly confirmed by our team members the day before."
The information team leader continued. "As you know, An Wi was General Yi Sun-sin's right-hand man. There aren't many places in Korea where his relic could have been found. Among them, the most likely location is..."
"The Myeongnyang Strait Gate."
"Correct. Even the timing matches. An Wi's ring-hilted sword appeared right after the Myeongnyang Gate was cleared."
And the person who had sold that very relic to Kim Hayun was Choi Seojun. In one way or another, it meant Choi Seojun was connected to the Connector. Or perhaps he was the Connector himself.
However, Baek Seorin turned off the screen as if there was nothing more to see.
"It's probably a smokescreen spread by the Constellation of Dawn. Look into it properly. It's not Choi Seojun."
*
While the world was in an uproar over the Toulon Gate, I started expansion work on my store. Living with Joan had made me realize the place was a bit too cramped. I'd take my time looking for a new house. There were so many scams these days anyway.
During the construction period, I decided to stay at my parents' house. The only worry I had was Joan. I was afraid my parents might not look favorably on her.
"Where did you find such a pretty young lady?"
"Come in, dear. Our Seojun isn't bothering you, is he?"
It had been a needless worry. My parents welcomed Joan with open arms.
"Your name is Joan?"
"Here, try some apples."
My father started using broken English, and my mother personally peeled an apple and offered it to Joan.
"Mom, where's my apple?"
"Don't you have hands? You're all grown up and still asking your mother to peel an apple for you? Go peel one yourself."
While they treated Joan like a precious jewel, their actual son was left in the cold. I worried for nothing.
I couldn't help but smile at the way they were obviously overdoing it so Joan wouldn't feel uncomfortable. After leaving Joan in my parents' care, I stepped outside.
When I turned on NewTube, everything was about "the Korean hunter who saved Rachel." Honestly, it felt amazing. Hearing my story everywhere made me feel like I owned the whole world.
But the more that happened, the clearer one fact became. Government agencies and guilds would soon come looking for me.
I can't keep it a secret forever.
Even trying to keep it hidden would cause problems. I needed to dispose of byproducts from gates, but there was no way to handle byproducts from famous gates. The moment I tried to sell them, my identity would be exposed.
Just look at how much suspicion I'd drawn from Kim Hayun when I sold An Wi's ring-hilted sword. At this rate, even if I obtained byproducts from gates, they'd be useless to me.
It was time to step into the shade of an organization that could guarantee my anonymity. In Seoul, there was only one group with that kind of power.
─What is the reason for your call?
"Team Leader Hayun, about that anonymous hunter position you mentioned last time—can I still take it?"
It was the Constellation of Dawn.