I Had Overlooked It (1)
A reversal akin to magic. The world was struck with awe at that reversal.
Everyone except those who called themselves great powers.
Bam! The leader of the great nation, Ji Anwei, slammed his fist down on the desk. What grated on his nerves more than the stinging pain in his knuckles were the foreign reporters chattering away beyond the screen.
Scrolling subtitles flowed across it.
Magic-like Truth Revealed... The Brutal True Face of Cheonha Tongil
Ryu Ojuncheon: Why Did He Incite the Massacre?
Anonymous Ranker: "High Possibility Cheonha Tongil Members Are Suffering Status Abnormalities"
The aides watching the news alongside him spoke up.
"The outsiders have been yapping for days now, haven't they? As always, none of it reaches the people's eyes and ears. No need to worry, sir."
Grind. Ji Anwei gnashed his teeth.
Do I look like I'm fretting over the people?
They were utterly clueless.
'Ryu Ojuncheon...!'
At this moment, what Ji Anwei truly feared was none other than Ryu Ojuncheon himself. The man whose face had been utterly humiliated by this.
Shiver! Purges. Purges. An endless chain of purges. Just thinking of what Ryu Ojuncheon had shown so far sent chills down his spine.
He still couldn't forget those fierce, piercing eyes Ryu had fixed on him as a warning.
"Do not defy my will, Chairman Ji."
"Do you know why I let you live?"
"You have utility value to me. Pray you do not betray my expectations and negate that value. I cannot guarantee your safety if you do."
Damn it all! Ji Anwei was consumed by bone-deep regret.
'I nurtured a tiger cub with my own hands.'
The words that had emerged after the cataclysm: The one who dominates Arcana will dominate the world.
Ji Anwei despised himself for falling for it. Look at the result of his unlimited support for Ryu Ojuncheon and Cheonha Tongil. Wasn't it shaping up that Ryu, not he, would dominate the world?
Ji Anwei's instincts screamed.
'If things continue like this, my life won't last much longer.'
Whether Ryu Ojuncheon's pride was wounded or not didn't matter. What mattered was failing to prove his utility.
Hadn't he stuck his face in front of the cameras himself? Declaring that attacks on Cheonha Tongil would be seen as attacks on the great nation?
That was no joke—it was a grave warning. But as could be seen, it had zero effect.
The reason was simple. The opponent was who he was.
'...Lee Hoyeol!'
A player whose actions defied all public opinion and predictions, even more so than Ryu Ojuncheon.
Even now was no different.
'I thought it would at least buy time to scheme.'
The unforeseen mess with the Shadow Mercenary. He was certain he could cover up the truth of the incident. The massive bribes and connections spread worldwide weren't for show.
That's why he'd shown his face.
But...
'It was all meaningless.'
Lee Hoyeol—that man...!
Ji Anwei checked his wristwatch. Roughly five or six hours until Ryu Ojuncheon's return.
'The moment he returns...'
Would he even still be breathing?
After much deliberation, Ji Anwei reached a conclusion. Before Ryu Ojuncheon returned, he would flee the nation.
'I have no utility left.'
A man as cold as Ryu would surely realize he couldn't even play the figurehead role anymore.
But utility was relative. Hadn't he just witnessed potential on the screen?
'Lee Hoyeol—that man might...'
He seemed unlikely to bow to the likes of Ryu Ojuncheon. And Ji Anwei had confidence. Who knew more about the scandals of Ryu Ojuncheon and Cheonha Tongil than he did?
Soon, he spoke.
"Prepare yourselves, all of you."
"Prepare for what, Chairman Ji?"
"It's time to redesign our future."
Ji Anwei had kept only the most capable and loyal aides by his side. No leaks from them, he thought. That assumption led him to act.
"If you understand, move."
The aides' eyes darkened.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Didn't I make myself clear? I have no future here."
"That can't be."
"...?"
At the shift in tone, Ji Anwei looked at the aide—and flinched. For some reason, those eyes were murky, like rotten fish eyes. Like puppets, manipulated by someone—brainwashed..
'Wait, brainwashed...?'
Suddenly, the TV audio flashed in his mind. The Zero Mountains that had surfaced like magic. The voices of Cheonha Tongil players.
Ji Anwei stammered.
"Wh-when did he get to you all...?!"
But no answer came. Only the aides' rough hands restraining him from both sides.
"Let go! Let go, you bastards!!"
Even if it wasn't genuine, what showed was blind loyalty.
"To think of betraying your lord."
"I'm disappointed in you, Chairman Ji."
"Just wait quietly for your lord's judgment."
"...!!"
Thud. Ji Anwei's legs gave out.
*
Screech— I stepped lightly out of the Mage Tower office.
Amid the world's chaos, what had I been doing in there?
"Research on Ki."
Yes. Surfing the internet.
I'd been a bit worried, after all.
'What if someone recognizes Claudy?'
Naturally and fortunately, interest in Claudy was on the back burner for now. Thanks to my loose lips going all out.
'I dropped the Cheonha Tongil bomb.'
Of course, cleanup was always my job. After entrusting the Shadow Mercenary to Bellie, I'd gone straight to Marcelo. I figured he'd know, naturally. About magic that could substitute for CCTV, too.
And sure enough, Marcelo lived up to expectations.
'They must be burning up inside.'
The true face of Cheonha Tongil was far uglier than I'd imagined. Ryu Ojuncheon... I just couldn't warm up to the guy.
"A rotten stench that makes one's nose twitch."
Indeed. There was good reason for it, one might say. It even resolved the lingering doubts about the Shadow Mercenary.
'Cheonha Tongil struck first with threats.'
The world wasn't a flower garden. A player's world even less so. If you aim for someone's life, you steel yourself to lose your own—that's the players' realm.
In that sense, I, Lee Hoyeol, generously understand the Shadow Mercenary.
'Still, they were pretty gentlemanly for a shadowy group.'
Arcana's worst, most vicious criminal syndicate. But because Cheonha Tongil was there too? The Shadow Mercenary came off as surprisingly righteous by comparison. It wasn't just bias—the world's view aligned.
Henderson and Rackid getting overwhelmed helplessly, yet the Shadow Mercenary charging at the greater evil—it had spread worldwide.
'Good is good, after all.'
I just didn't want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
However. Who was Grandfell? A possessor of unyielding pride sharper than any blade. No slacking, no oversights—a fussbudget to the core.
Thus, my destination leaving the office was inevitably the healing magic school's annex.
Clack. My overwhelmingly present aura made a familiar face flinch.
Cley, the skilled healing mage.
She bowed deeply.
"Senior Lee! It's been a while!"
I responded graciously to her formal greeting.
"You've worked hard, Cley Odia."
"Not at all!"
In the Mage Tower—excluding that ugly cat (the Tower Master)—who wasn't overworked? But the healing school had been especially busy lately. From purifying the evil fruit swallowed by dragons to healing the Shadow Mercenary.
'I'd piled on the requests.'
Yet who was Grandfell? Living the most exhausting days, yet an iron man who could confidently advise anyone.
"Even so, one must not neglect research."
"Of course, Senior Lee!"
"Your research holds more than enough value."
Always adding a caveat after praise. Truly, no boss more irritating...
Good thing Cley had a sunny personality. Pushing open the annex door revealed patients on beds. Nine in total. The entire Shadow Mercenary except Kichi.
Only Wolf, fully conscious, sat up.
"Still too soon for that."
"...!"
Wolf whipped his head toward my voice, then spoke lowly.
"Why did you take us in, Grand Commander...?"
Wolf had turned his head but couldn't meet my eyes. He must suspect it. The request from the greater evil tied to Claudy.
'No, seriously, don't sweat that.'
Back then, not a single current member—including Kichi—was in the Shadow Mercenary. Even procedure-obsessed Grandfell could overlook that.
'No guilt by association here.'
Besides.
'Digging deeper gains nothing...!'
It'd all lead back to my dark history...!
Let's not mention that bottomless abyss of a past, Wolf. With that intent, I said,
"I hold no blame against you."
"...Why?"
"Hasn't Kichi, your captain, already shouldered it?"
"!"
Wolf seemed unwilling to back down easily, so mentioning Kichi was best. Though I had no plans to blame her later either.
Yet Wolf still wouldn't lift his head.
"Is that so...? But we have no right to accept your grace, Grand Commander. Associating with wretches like us will surely tarnish you."
He continued.
"Even now. Circumstances or not, we took adventurers' lives. If that gets out..."
Ah, that? No need to worry there either. Even if they tried swaying opinion for days, Marcelo's magic revealed the truth of that moment. Bribe-fed or not, they'd be speechless for a while.
Why? Backlash was blowing hard right now.
More certain than net opinion was Cheonha Tongil and China's reaction. The top leader's bold declaration rang hollow now that the truth was out—no response forthcoming.
So I declared confidently.
"No need to worry about that either."
"...Pardon?"
"You pose no blemish to me."
...Sounds great at first glance.
'Just showing off, huh?'
My ears, well-versed in Grandfell-speak, heard it differently.
But Wolf bowed his head again, murmuring softly.
"...At this rate, we'll never repay you, no matter our lifetimes of effort."
Of course—Grandfell demanded clear closure. So I needed the full story. And firm commitments on the Shadow Mercenary's future path.
Bzzz—
But the vibration made me pause.
Bzz. Bzzz. Bzz.
Relentless. Familiar alert rhythm. I sensed the gravity from that alone.
...This persistence screams enemy!