The Incompetent Hero and the Yeom Alliance (4)
After the audience with the Queen of Jo concluded, Seollin stretched her arms overhead, finally releasing the tension that had been coiled through her body.
"Uuuugh~! Phew... that was nerve-wracking."
"I did all the talking. What were you so tense about?"
"Of course I was tense! She's the ruler of an entire nation! You're the weird one for not being nervous."
Seollin shot back curtly. Then she lightly pulled Baekryeon into a hug.
"Anyway~ We let Baekryeon's enemy slip away, but we still managed to save Lady Baekho. So we've finished everything we needed to do here, right?"
"S-Seollin! Embracing me so suddenly in a place like this—what if others see?"
Baekryeon flushed with embarrassment and glanced around. A few soldiers were posted nearby, but they did not seem particularly bothered. Confirming their lack of reaction, Seollin smiled brightly.
"What's the big deal~ Friends can do this much."
"Mmm... still, it's a little embarrassing..."
"It seems your discussion has concluded."
As if he had been waiting for the perfect moment, the swordsman in the brown bamboo hat, Jangsan, appeared. He stood before us leading several members of the White Tiger unit.
"As you have heard, His Majesty has decided to support the Yeom Kingdom. He will no doubt dispatch another envoy to Yeom in short order."
"Will you be the one coming, Jangsan? If the captain of the White Tiger unit himself joins the support force, it would be an enormous help!"
Jangsan shook his head at Baekryeon's question. Given the recent assassination attempt, he could not abandon her protection.
"However, other members of the White Tiger unit will go, so you need not worry about the support."
"Even if all the others gathered, I doubt they'd match you."
"...Haha."
He simply laughed in response to my words. Of course, the other unit members who had been needled by the remark scowled and glared at me, but whether Jangsan had warned them in advance or not, they contented themselves with glares alone—none of them foolish enough to step forward and get themselves beaten.
"Still, I haven't heard much about the assassination incident. What exactly happened? I heard an assassin from a place called Tayogu was hired."
"I'll explain that."
"Wait—when did you even get here?"
Lucy was suddenly standing right next to me, smiling sweetly. Is this woman a nun or an assassin? How does she move around without making a single sound?
"Tayogu is an island nation that can be seen if one crosses the eastern sea from this Jo Kingdom. Being an island nation, it features a rather unique natural environment."
"You know a lot about it?"
"I visited once long ago. In any case... it is also a place where a considerable number of monsters—whom they call yokai—live, and thus the humans who dwell there live in coexistence with the yokai."
"Skip the digressions. Just explain the situation."
Lucy pouted at my words. The look on her face screamed I'm sulking~!, so Baekryeon offered an awkward smile and said,
"I-Impressive. You are clearly a person of the Western lands, yet you know of this place in such detail."
"...Hehe. I've researched several places I might visit once I retire or take a vacation. I'll share them with you later."
"Th-Thank you."
"Anyway, continuing the explanation: they fundamentally specialize in erasing their presence and killing the enemy with the first strike. Because the physical difference between yokai and humans is clear. As a result, they have quite a reputation for assassination."
Erasing one's presence and killing with the first strike. One of the means to victory against a strong enemy is a surprise attack. If you can land a fatal blow with the initial ambush while the enemy is defenseless, the chances of victory rise dramatically. So they leverage that trait to work as assassins. Interesting.
"And you're saying you saved her?"
"Ta-da~ I saved her~"
"..."
No matter how I look at it, I still can't tell whether this girl is amazing or not.
"Well, that's the story. Those who targeted His Majesty have already been quietly dealt with, so rest easy."
Quietly dealt with. He says something that blood-chilling casually.
"Since you say they've been dealt with, I won't ask further. I'd like to check on Baekho's condition, if that's all right?"
"Of course. It seems I've taken too much of your time already."
When we arrived at the royal infirmary, we found Baekho lying soundly asleep on the bed prepared there. The physician in charge of her treatment approached.
"Have you come to check on Lady Baekho's condition?"
"Yes. We'll need to leave soon, so..."
"Lady Baekho's condition is stabilizing very well. Her breathing is normal, and her color has returned considerably."
She certainly looked it. Just a few days ago she had been pale with unstable breathing.
"Ahem."
"..."
It would have been nicer without the nun beside me thrusting out her modest chest as if to say, You know this is all thanks to me, right?
"Has she woken at all?"
"She has woken, Doryeong. We even spoke."
"Really?"
"Yes. She said thank you."
I looked for a moment at Baekryeon, who was smiling with genuine joy.
"Baekryeon."
"Hm? What is it, Doryeong?"
"What will you do?"
"...Hm? What do you mean by that? What will I do?"
Baekryeon tilted her head, genuinely not understanding. Seollin was also looking at me as if wondering what I was talking about.
"I'm asking what you plan to do from now on."
"I... don't understand the intent of the question. What exactly are you trying to say?"
"We let Red Oni escape, but we managed to save Baekho. And even if Baekho's condition has improved, I don't think she'll be able to keep up with our schedule going forward. It would be better for her to stay here and recuperate. So I'm asking. Baekryeon—will you stay here and watch over Baekho? Or will you follow me?"
"Ah..."
Only then did Baekryeon flinch as if realizing, looking back and forth between me and the sleeping Baekho. Seeing that she hadn't even considered it, I let out a deep sigh and said,
"I'm not asking you to answer right away. Think about it. Anyway... there's something I haven't told you all yet, but we'll probably need to return to Yeom soon..."
As if cutting off my words, someone rushed into the royal infirmary. Probably a member of the White Tiger unit, though I didn't know the name.
"There you are! An urgent message that must be delivered to you has arrived from the Yeom Kingdom."
"?"
"From Yeom?"
Ah, don't tell me...
"Well now, it's been truly a long time."
Following the White Tiger unit member came the man we first met in Yeom—the one who had put us in contact with Haoman. Looking back, he had such a talent for guiding people that one might wonder if everything had been part of his plan all along.
"You haven't forgotten me, I hope? I am Yang Jamun."
"It has been a while, sure... but from the looks of things, this isn't good news."
"Exactly so. First, I've heard the full situation here. As expected of the great hero. Your handling of affairs is excellent. The Emperor of Yeom will surely be pleased as well."
Having said that much, Yang Jamun glanced around and then spoke to me.
"Let us change locations first and talk."
"Fine."
We moved to the place where I was staying. Present in this room now were Yang Jamun, myself, Baekryeon, Seollin, and Lucy...
"You, out."
"Why?! We're going to be traveling together anyway!!"
"You were serious about that?"
I let out a deep sigh and looked at Yang Jamun.
"What happened with the national conference?"
"You already knew?"
"Yeah. While we were here, we ran into someone who was probably a top executive of the Beastman Alliance."
"!"
Yang Jamun looked at me in great surprise. His eyes clearly wanted more details.
"Nothing special. While handling matters here, there was a connection to them, and we ended up in combat. Because of the situation at the time, we failed to finish it and it ended in a draw... but then the guy said something. That he'd sent the Demon King of Teaching to the national conference."
"?!"
"Th-That's true?! Then why didn't you say anything, Doryeong?!"
At the words "Demon King of Teaching," Seollin trembled as if having a seizure, and Baekryeon looked at me in panic. After looking at Baekryeon for a moment, I sighed and said,
"And if I had said something? Would you have abandoned Baekho and returned to Yeom? The one who said we should go to the Profound Realm because there might be a chance to save Baekho was you, Baekryeon."
"Th-That... is true, but..."
Faced with my rebuttal, Baekryeon immediately shrank and looked at Seollin. Seollin had only trembled for a moment and seemed okay for now. My promise to protect her must have been working. But Yang Jamun, on the contrary, looked at Seollin for a moment and then closed his mouth briefly. Then he continued.
"First... yes. As the great hero said, during the national conference, there was a sudden attack. We still don't know how they infiltrated, but with the raid by the Beastman Alliance that invaded alongside the Demon King of Teaching, the national conference has been provisionally suspended."
As if recalling the events of that time, Yang Jamun wore a bitter expression as he continued.
"And in that situation... Lady Juzaku prioritized protecting the Emperor of Yeom above all else, so His Majesty was able to remain unharmed."
"...That sounds like there were casualties on the other side. Am I right?"
"..."
Yang Jamun's gaze shifted to Seollin once more. Then he spoke quietly.
"The head of the Dangmun clan, Dokjon, has passed away."