The Necromancer
72.
"Otherworlders? What on earth is that supposed to mean?"
"Those two came through my Gate from another world."
"Through a Gate? How could anyone come out of a Gate...?"
Park Sena looked stunned.
Twenty-seven years since Keepers first appeared on this land—not a short stretch of time—and I was almost certainly the first person anyone had ever seen emerge from a Gate.
"That's how it is. My Gate isn't one I go into. It's one other people come out of."
"Does that even make sense?"
Sena's eyes went even wider. Looking at her like this, her eyes were actually quite large—and large eyes made a person look a little clearer, a little purer. Strange, given how thoroughly decadent her image usually was.
"Sense or not, what am I supposed to do? It's already here. I don't know the reason either. I don't even know why I became a Keeper—how am I supposed to explain why my Gate is different from everyone else's?"
"...You're right. That was a careless thing to say."
"I understand. It's a shocking story."
She apologized and composed her expression. Even so, the surprise still lingered in her pupils.
"So those two aren't Korean... no—aren't from Earth at all?"
"That's correct. And they're not Keepers either."
"Not Keepers? What does that mean? One's a mage, the other's a knight... wait. Don't tell me..."
Park Sena's mind worked fast. Her grasp of a situation was just as quick.
"Exactly. Their world is a real fantasy world. They can't open Gates, so they aren't Keepers—and that means they can't register as Keepers."
"That's true, but... if you consider the spirit of the law..."
"Right. So I'm thinking of registering them eventually. Once I've gotten my body back in order, we'll take it slow. In the meantime, maybe the Association could draft a few provisions for exceptions like this?"
"...Understood. I'll put in a recommendation."
That bought us a little time, at least. And while the Association was deciding how to respond, we needed to move too—so that no one could touch us.
"Fortunately, it seems I don't need to take your two benefactors into custody. Thank you for helping me avoid that discourtesy."
From the way she spoke, Park Sena was quite favorably disposed toward us. Camaraderie from fighting for our lives on the same battlefield, maybe?
"Is that everything, then?"
"One last matter. Do you know anything about the villain's identity? The body vanished, so we have no leads at all. You called it a demon at the time—did you know it?"
The body vanished?
Did it disappear when the 'power' scattered?
Thinking back, the succubus's corpse hadn't remained either. Maybe a demon's flesh wasn't real flesh at all.
"No. It was a real demon, plain and simple."
"A demon... so things like that exist in this world..."
Gates and monsters were one thing. Gods and demons existing was another matter entirely. But after hearing about otherworlders, she had no choice but to accept gods and demons as well. That was simply how the logic ran.
"According to my otherworlder friends, demons are beings that roam across dimensions, trying to surpass humanity and become gods. You couldn't call them common, but they do appear from time to time in other worlds."
"And the demon's goal was Ttanttani?"
Park Sena had been on the scene that day. She would already know what the demon was after—she'd seen it herself.
"Most likely. In other dimensions, Ttanttani is called the 'Devil's Metal,' or Adamantium. It's said to amplify a demon's power, so of course a demon would come hunting for it."
"I've heard of that. Some of the crafting Keepers wanted to change Ttanttani's name."
"Is that so? Figures."
Every question was answered. The name "Ttanttani" was the tyranny of Kim Mujin, leader of the Shinyongsan Crew. Maybe he'd chosen it specifically to replace the image of the "Devil's Metal."
"Do you... happen to know why demons appear?"
Sena asked with extreme care. Given the flow of this conversation, that wasn't really the question she wanted to ask. What she was curious about was whether there was a connection between the demon and me—between the demon and the otherworlders.
"I don't. But I can swear on everything I am that it did not come out of my Gate."
"...If that sounded like suspicion, I apologize. That wasn't my intention."
"I understand. But it's also a point that has to be addressed clearly. Even if you don't suspect me, Sena, plenty of people will under these circumstances."
The moment she returned to the Association, people would start suspecting me. The timing of the demon's appearance and the otherworlders' arrival had overlapped far too neatly. Even if there was no connection between the two, people always linked events that happened around the same time.
Maybe there was a connection I didn't know about. Not a simple causal chain—like the demon appearing because the otherworlders did, or vice versa—but something on a higher plane. A hypothesis, for instance, that the boundary between dimensions had grown thin enough for both demons and otherworlders to cross through. The truth was unknowable.
"If anyone does, I'll defend you, Jungmin. I believe in you."
"Having you on our side is reassuring, Sena."
"I'm the one who's glad I can help my benefactor."
I'd even used the phrase "on our side," and Park Sena accepted it without batting an eye. This went beyond simple friendliness.
"Is the business actually finished now?"
"Yes. Ah—and the bait operation is on indefinite hold. There might be other factions after Ttanttani."
"That's a shame. Is this the last we'll see of each other, then?"
"...Pardon? Ah, well..."
Sena's face went slack with fluster.
"Come over here for a second."
She glanced at the Crew Leader and Suyeon, then hesitated her way over to the bedside. I held out my hand.
"...What's this?"
"A handshake. Since this is the last time."
"Ah—ah, right."
She looked like someone who'd suddenly gone stupid. Had the word "shame" hit her that hard? She'd been the one to seduce me with her body first... and once again, I'd been the only one taking it seriously.
Looking embarrassed, Park Sena gently took my hand. Through that contact, I extended my senses—and discovered that "that power" was seeping out of her body as well. The only way to detect it was through physical contact.
"See you next time."
"...Yes. I hope you recover soon."
Park Sena finished her goodbye and bolted from the hospital room.
"Suyeon, you heard all that, right?"
"Huh? Oh—yes!"
"Pass it along carefully to Crew Leader Kim Mujin. He'll have a lot of questions. If there's anything he wants to ask about it, he can come to me anytime."
I'd deliberately had this conversation with Suyeon present so the Shinyongsan Crew would learn the relevant facts too—the existence of otherworlders and demons, and that demons were after Ttanttani. Just as Park Sena would carry my story back to the Association, Suyeon would carry it to the Shinyongsan Crew.
I didn't know how either group would react, but with friendly messengers delivering the news, the odds of a good response were high. And those odds were higher with the Shinyongsan Crew—where one man ruled everyone—than with the Association, a collective of many. Suyeon's sense of debt toward me was also greater than Sena's.
"And if it's research on Ttanttani, I'll keep helping with everything I've got. Working under the same roof like this time might be hard, but we'll find another way."
"Okay. I'll look for a method."
I'd probably have to go to the Shinyongsan Crew directly to help with the research. That was the normal approach. Commuting back and forth would be a little tiring, but I needed to keep a firm grip on Shinyongsan—if only to keep the Association in check.
"Oppa... can I ask just one question?"
Suyeon's manner was uncharacteristically cautious.
"What is it?"
"The power you use—is that demonic power? Or is mana the power that demons use?"
Of course she wouldn't just let it slide. The fact that Suyeon was asking meant Park Sena had wanted to ask too. Sena had held back because of the weight of the question; Suyeon, as a researcher, couldn't contain her curiosity. She'd already been suspicious because the energy I used was different from the energy that came out of Magic Stones.
"You're right. It's demonic power. But—"
"I knew it! Then everything fits. So what comes out of Magic Stones really is mana, right?"
Suyeon excitedly asked me another question before I could even deliver the excuse I'd prepared—but power is just power, and I'm not a demon.
"Ah—probably, yeah."
"I thought something felt off, and that was it. Could I research mana too? If you can't, maybe that mage?"
Suyeon looked like a child who'd found a new toy. Same as Keira. Researchers were the same in every dimension, apparently.
"If you want to, Suyeon, absolutely. That mage loves research too."
"Great. Looks like I'll have a lot to do. I'm going to go get ready right away. Once I can handle mana better, I can make your arm into something even cooler."
True to her word, Suyeon made to leave the hospital room immediately. She was still a patient in a hospital gown, and she looked ready to process her discharge on the spot.
"Uh, Suyeon—about that..."
"Don't worry about that part. It's you and me, right? I believe in you, Oppa. So please believe in me too. I'll keep the secret for sure."
Suyeon left those words and a bright smile behind as she exited the room. The subject and object of her final sentence were almost entirely omitted, but I knew what she meant, and so did she, and so did the Crew Leader.
"Your knack for winning people over is something else, Jungmin."
"You're too kind. I'm perfectly ordinary."
"So ordinary that you turned Shinyongsan's young prodigy into your little sister and pulled the Association's secret weapon onto your side?"
"That's all the fruit of my efforts for GGC. My position is a little ambiguous right now—don't I need at least a few people who are friendly toward me?"
"...I could help more..."
The last part was so quiet I could barely hear it. I didn't need to hear it to know what it was. Plain jealousy, obviously.
"Keira and Elena haven't said anything? About you being like this..."
"About me fooling around with other women?"
Nari noona flusteredly waved both hands.
"No, that's not what I—"
"Nari noona, come closer."
"...Why."
She tried to sound curt, but her body was extremely honest. She stepped right up against the bed—into a position where I could easily wrap an arm around her waist. I did exactly what she wanted, pulling her in by the waist.
"Hey, wait—mmph... slurp."
Nari noona's lips, tasting like something I hadn't had in a long time. It had only been three days, really. Her tongue still moved more skillfully than mine. We kissed for a while before pulling apart.
"..."
"It's quiet now. Jealous because it looks like I'm getting along well with other women?"
"No, that's not— hnn..."
I found her nipple precisely through her suit jacket and pinched it.
"Again, again, again. No reward if you won't be honest."
"...Fine. I hate it so much I could die. Someone stayed up all night worrying about you, and you don't even notice—you're off playing with young girls."
"Sena's probably older than you, noona."
"Is that what matters right now? That kind of—mmph... hnnph..."
I sealed her mouth again. She seemed angry, but the kiss was scorching hot. Maybe the angrier she got, the more intense it became. They say late-blooming passion is terrifying—Nari noona's jealousy was the worst of them all.
"...So you hate me now?"
"...No. I like you."
"Then what do you want me to do? Not even talk to other women? Dump Keira and Elena too?"
"No, that's—seriously, stop teasing me already. I was wrong. So now just..."
I wanted to tease her a little more. Make her squirm a little more. She was already rubbing her thighs together, holding herself back, but it still wasn't enough.
"So now, what?"
"...Give me some love too."
"Hmm?"
"Fuck—just give me that cock!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Nari noona hiked her skirt up over her hips and tore her pantyhose open herself. She shoved her already-soaked panties aside, and her pink pussy came into view.
"Good girl, noona."
I threw off the blanket and pulled out my cock, already raging hard. Nari noona sat down on it immediately.
"Hnnngh! Fuck, this is it—ah, this is iiiit—"
One good, clear moan. Excellent. Keira and Elena waiting outside would handle the sound somehow. I snapped my hips up hard to match her rhythm.
"Yes, Jungmin—there, right there— hnnph!"
Nari noona's eyes flooded with pleasure, just like always.