Chapter 298
※ This chapter does not feature Yongyong-i’s point of view.
* * *
A distant world.
A distant Continent. Among the nations of humanity, the largest, Armeria, boasted the greatest civilization on the Continent.
However, unlike the massive nation, the Empire’s Emperor Velia did not live up to that standard.
It was simply too much of a stretch to see the Emperor as the Emperor of the Empire, acting like a ruffian on a regular basis, walking around naked in the Imperial Palace, and beating up nobles at the drop of a hat.
Today, as always. The Emperor acted like a ruffian.
“I am bored. Summon the Grand Tutor.”
Velia muttered while looking down at the noble who had lost consciousness and was dripping blood beneath her feet.
Not long after, a woman holding the position of Grand Tutor, the one and only teacher to the Emperor on the Continent, entered the Imperial Palace.
“What is the eccentric Emperor going to say today?”
The Grand Tutor was sick of the Emperor’s eccentricities, which had happened more than once or twice, but she soon doubted her ears at the words she heard from the Emperor.
“Your Majesty the Emperor. Please say that one more time.”
“I mean. I read an ancient text, and it said that people of this world migrated to a world that developed a civilization different from ours. But do other worlds actually exist?”
The Grand Tutor frowned.
The Emperor had handed her a scrap of paper, claiming it was an ancient text.
Wasn’t this just a novel.
It was just a novel that was popular in the distant past.
People of this world going to another world. People of another world coming to this world.
Fuck. Was she just spouting whatever came out of her open mouth?
Ah, of course, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Because among the ancient texts in this world, some definitely existed regarding the possibility of world migration.
“Uh. Well, that is.”
Before she could even answer, Emperor Velia fell to her knees.
“Will you feel satisfied only if this Emperor kneels?”
The Emperor knelt right in front of her.
She was a fool. Truly. This ruffian Emperor was acting however she pleased, chipping away at every last bit of the Imperial Household’s prestige.
The only fortunate thing was that she herself was a member of the Ashtar Family, the greatest family in the Empire.
Regardless, this was not good.
What would happen if rumors spread right now that the person called the Emperor had knelt before a vassal?
National prestige or whatever aside, the Emperor, who was already being pointed at by the nobles, might receive even more miserable insults.
First, she had to raise the Emperor up, even by force.
“No, please. Stand up! It does exist in theory!”
“I see. Right.”
The Emperor smiled despicably and raised her body.
“Wait, I feel like I’ve been tricked somehow.”
She was springing right up as if it were nothing.
Was she playing a joke on her right now?
“Now, then, Grand Tutor. You know what I mean, right?”
It meant to find it. That world.
She was a person with far too much free time. Even though the Empire was massive, it was still a world where demon race, the enemies of humanity, existed.
Well, they did have a little breathing room.
“I just have to find it, don’t I.”
“Make sure you find it properly. Understood? That is, if you don’t want to hear me call you Mother.”
It was ridiculous for a woman old enough to know better to act like this.
Calling a girl who wasn’t even married yet and was much younger than her, Mother. What kind of bullshit was this.
The Grand Tutor shook her head.
“How old are you even.”
“What?”
“Ah. It’s nothing.”
It was just baffling that an Emperor who had given birth to several children was acting like that.
It couldn’t be helped. world migration was a field she was somewhat interested in anyway.
If she was allocated a budget, she could at least do some research.
At first, it was for a simple research purpose.
Using an ancient communication device she happened to find, referencing various theories, and researching until it connected to somewhere.
[“Ah, ah. Mic test. Mic test. This is Yongyong-i.”]
Grand Tutor Olivi-ah heard a bizarre voice from the ancient communication device during her research.
To think a voice could be heard from this device that should have been broken.
More importantly, what was a Yongyong-i.
The words were similar, but the feel seemed somehow different from the Empire’s language.
What was this. What on earth was this voice. It sounded like it was mocking someone. No. More than that, what was it. Was it really connected to somewhere?
Now looking at the formulas embedded in the communication device. The flow of mana was definitely not connected to anywhere in the current world.
“Yongyong-i? What the fuck is a Yongyong-i.”
[“This is the Archive. The Archive. Who is that over there? Do you like kimchi?”]
Do you like kimchi? What was that.
Having heard various ancient languages, she wondered if there was a similar word, but what was certain was that the entity beyond this communication device was speaking those words with ease.
“It definitely connected to somewhere in another world.”
This was a little intriguing.
At a time when the Empire was ruled internally by that ruffian Emperor and corrupt nobles, and externally the attacks from the remnants of the Demon King’s Army never ceased. Olivi-ah had found something intriguing.
Perhaps she could gain something through this person called Yongyong-i.
“This is Olivi-ah of the Armeria Empire. Where is that Archive?”
[“This is Korea. Songdo New City, where the Archive was relocated. Or in other words, Yongyong City, to distinguish it from the past Songdo New City.”]
“Korea? Songdo New City? What. Fuck, that’s weird. What kind of neighborhood is that.”
She was hearing it for the first time in her life. What kind of neighborhood was it?
Korea. She didn’t know what kind of Nation Korea was, but anyway, it definitely seemed to be a Nation.
[“Armeria Empire? What kind of fantasy world is that? Are you kidding me? You’re the one who shouldn’t be lying.”]
No, what kind of nonsense was this.
“Fantasy? Hey. Why are you treating a nation that clearly exists like some fantasy?”
Where did this woman live that she didn’t even know the greatest country on the Continent?
Depending on how she thought about it, there was a possibility this was a dangerous bitch.
Dangerous in many ways.
[“Judging by your tone, are you Joseonjok? China?”]
Joseonjok? China? What kind of tribes were those.
However.
For some reason, the word China immediately made her angry.
“I’m suddenly getting pissed off. I don’t know what kind of humans Joseonjok or China are, but Empire citizens are demi-human mixed bloods! You’ve been spouting some bullshit about Yongyong-i or Korea since earlier. Where the hell is that place?”
She felt strangely angry at that person calling herself Yongyong-i.
She wasn’t usually like this, so why was she. She herself didn’t know why, but still, one thing was certain.
That another world existed.
[“Why have you been getting so angry since earlier? Anyway, you sound like a woman. Are you pretty?”]
“But listening to you since earlier is pissing me off. I don’t know who you are, but if you’re not from the Empire, explain in detail.”
Listening to her tone, was she some kind of lesbian?
Was it important that she was a woman?
[“Umm. This is Korea on the Korean Peninsula, located on Earth where 3 or 4 billion people live. No, is it Manbando now. Since it’s Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula, anyway. It’s Songdo in Korea.”]
What was the Korean Peninsula, and what was Songdo in Korea. Why on earth was this person called Yongyong-i confusing people so much.
Anyway, just listening to her words, did it mean this nation called Korea was also quite a large nation in its own right?
No, before that, a total of 3 billion lived in a place called Earth?
“Bullshit. The population of the Empire, the greatest country on the Continent, is barely 50 million right now. 3 or 4 billion on a single planet? Does that make sense to you?”
[“That’s why I said it’s a planet. Korea’s own population is roughly over 30 million, including this and that.”]
Even assuming a minimum of 3 billion on a single planet, a nation of 30 million among them?
It didn’t seem like a lie over something like this. What would be the benefit of lying in the first place.
However, what was certain was that this person called Yongyong-i had a bizarrely sly voice.
[“I can tell just by hearing your voice. You have big milk jugs, right? Hmm, seeing how hot-tempered you are, you probably have a job that only uses physical strength.”]
Grind.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. What on earth was this woman. She didn’t know what the word milk jugs meant, but it made her angry.
This bitch called Yongyong-i really seemed to be mocking people somehow.
“I’m a mage! More importantly, what the hell are milk jugs?”
[“What do you think, they’re breasts.”]
Grind.
Why was she sexually harassing someone else’s breasts. Anyway, she understood that another world existed and that there was a pervert in that other world.
“I should just ignore her.”
The Grand Tutor cut the communication with the woman called Yongyong-i and reported to the Emperor.
“Then what are you doing? Why haven’t you gone there and returned?”
“What?”
“Think about it. Doesn’t the existence of such a world mean there is no threat from the Demon King? Otherwise, would a population of 3 or 4 billion make sense? That means, in other words, it’s a world without a mighty enemy to control the population.”
That would be right. It probably was.
Looking at the personality of that person called Yongyong-i, it really felt like she had never seen a true enemy in her life. It meant she lacked the sort of urgency that the people of this world had.
So, since there was no entity to reduce that population, it reached 3 or 4 billion. Perhaps if a peaceful era continued without an entity like the Demon King, the population centered around the Empire could also exceed hundreds of millions.
That world definitely didn’t have an entity like the Demon King.
Even if there had been wars between humans, there probably hadn’t been any for at least a century.
“Ah. I suppose so.”
“Then they must also have a civilization developed to that extent.”
Well. Would that really be the case.
Even if they had developed, it could surprisingly be full of agricultural nations.
Besides, the world develops through war.
If such a population existed, it wasn’t like there had been a war capable of overturning the world either. The limits of their development were probably clear.
If they were affluent enough to eat and live, what competitors would they have to strive for development?
“Uh. But actually, the world develops through war. Even if that world has a large population, it might just be an agrarian era with only a large population.”
It couldn’t be unconditionally considered developed.
“That wouldn’t be it. If that were the case, would they have been able to contact you? It means they possess at least the basic civilization required to contact us.”
“I suppose so.”
Possessing a basic civilization. She acknowledged that. What was certain was that the place called Korea, where that person called Yongyong-i was, had secured enough skill to receive the flow of mana from another world.
Right. Well, some countries might be developed and other countries might be agrarian societies. That would be it.
“Perhaps we can see their power? If push comes to shove, we could even get help in the war against the Four Heavenly Kings, you know.”
“That sounds plausible, but.”
“Plausible, but?”
She didn’t want to speak with that person called Yongyong-i again.
She just felt somewhat unpleasant. Still, for now, the Emperor right in front of her was more important than an entity far away.
Because if the Emperor acted annoyingly, there was no telling what she would do next.
Eventually, sighing, Olivi-ah nodded her head.
“Understood.”
Of course, she had no intention of following obediently.
Because connecting with another world was a crazy act. Even if it was theoretically possible, she didn’t know how it was possible, and if that place called Earth had a population of billions, even the Empire would become anxious. It meant their fifteen hundred years of history could be shaken.
In the first place, the problem would be what would happen to the world if that occurred.
“Still, maybe it wouldn’t be bad.”
Depending on how she thought about it, that other world might be of help.
That was true. Because the world she lived in was filled only with low-intelligence individuals around her, starting with the ruffian Emperor.
Even though it was a world with the Demon King, the enemy of humanity, as a result, even the fellow humans inside were so stupid that she was at the point of wanting to overturn it all herself.
However, an unexpected incident occurred.
[“Hello?”]
“No, what, you can make outgoing calls too?”
That pervert had initiated the communication.
It was a world where even this was possible? Then it wasn’t a world to ignore.
[“Hello. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. My name is Yu Eunha. I am the Commander of the Baekhwa Cult Autonomous Region in the Republic of Korea.”]
Was this the same person from earlier?
The voice was the same, but the atmosphere seemed a bit different? Which one was the real one?
“Ah. Is that so? But what about that person from earlier?”
[“Ah, that was me. I thought it was a prank call, you see,”]
A prank call?
“A prank call? Ah. I roughly understand what that is. Understood.”
She understood what it meant.
That there was a similar concept over there as well.
The language was similar, and if it was to this extent, well.
[“It seems your world and this world might be different. If it’s alright with you, could we meet?”]
“Does your place happen to have a Demon King or an enemy of humanity?”
[“It’s not that we don’t have them, but they aren’t enemies that threaten humanity. Rather, they’re enemies for making money or showing off national power? Those exist.”]
Perhaps their level was unexpectedly high.
Just as she was feeling a little surprised. The person who introduced herself as Yu Eunha spoke.
[“Do you happen to have any thoughts of coming to this world?”]