Chapter 11
Once I sat in the chair, I could see the entire interior of the military tent at a glance. I felt like the final boss of some dungeon.
The interior was large enough to serve as a small banquet hall, yet it was packed with soldiers. More troops than usual had gathered, some requisitioned from the surrounding prefectures.
Perhaps you could call it a rehearsal for concentrating troops in an area whenever an enemy appeared. I had devised it because I was no longer at odds with the commanders of the Regional Defense Corps, figuring it might reduce casualties.
Since the hunters' arrival was a foregone conclusion, I decided to use this opportunity to test it. It worked better than expected, much to my satisfaction.
The appearance of barbarians unlike any we had ever seen. Yet there wasn't a trace of tension on the soldiers' faces.
"They certainly look different from the Siseum and Yashin. Their clothes are all different too... In particular, the woman wearing that long coat that looks like a jewel beetle's shell is no ordinary person."
"What makes her unusual?"
"For starters, she's floating in midair."
"You bastard, Cheukmu. Why are you the only one who gets to see her?"
"Isn't that why I'm describing her in detail? Or would you like me to pluck out my eyes and give them to you, Brother Park Gyu?"
"You haven't been beaten in a while, so you've gotten cocky. All right, hand over one."
The youngest could perceive and interfere with areas outside his field of vision. His comrades crowded around Cheukmu. Some even brought the rice spoons they used at mealtimes to gouge out his eyes.
Even dressed in fine golden robes, you can't hide what they're really like. In truth, I was curious about what the hunters were doing as well, but I didn't call for Cheukmu. There was someone else beside me who could use a similar ability, though by a different principle. Better yet, she was mine alone.
"Yeonri."
"Yes."
She stepped forward from behind my chair when I called her. I had hoped that, as usual, she would be my perfect eyes and ears and analyze the hunters' strength in detail, but.
"How long until they get here?"
"I don't know."
For some reason, it wasn't working. Had it broken?
"We should have cleared away most of the magical beasts along the road."
"Oga got lost."
"Then what about the sorcery those barbarians use?"
"This time, she's cracking walnuts."
"Yeonri."
"Yes."
"Did I perhaps do something wrong?"
I prided myself on knowing Yeonri well. But I genuinely couldn't think of anything. The increased patrols had made me soil my clothes a little more often, but she wouldn't sulk this much over something so trivial.
Perhaps my silent frustration was getting to her, because Yeonri spoke first.
"There are flowers in the flower bed behind the official residence."
"Really? They won't last long. That's where Bunhui is staying."
"I believe Commander Bunhui planted them."
"……."
They were probably the flowers I gave her. I didn't know why Bunhui had planted them, but squirrels buried acorns beneath trees to survive the winter when they had too many, so perhaps it was something similar.
There wasn't much I could do right away to placate Yeonri. So I decided to play my most reliable card.
"I'm thinking of going flower-viewing in a nearby city soon. Want to come?"
"You really mean it……?"
"Of course."
"I'll look forward to it."
Strictly speaking, we would be stopping by periodically to replenish the prison's inmates, but I decided to make a trip of it while we were at it. I was listening to Yeonri tell me the hunters' route when.
"What do you intend to do with those barbarians?"
Her sudden question made the other soldiers look this way as well. They were probably curious because my intentions would determine their own actions.
I decided to ask them in return.
"What do you want to do?"
"Kill them and burn them."
"Idiot, if that's what you wanted, why let them come all the way here? Deal with them from a distance, before they can make a stink."
"Or how about beating them up just enough, then threatening them so they won't come back?"
"I heard there are others just like them in the prison?"
"Right. Seems like they're coming to rescue those guys. Should we cut off their heads and hang them up?"
What my subordinates suggested was how the Cheonyu Empire had dealt with groups from beyond the borders for the past five hundred years, and what we had always done.
I would have reached the same conclusion as my subordinates in the past, too, if I were dealing with hunters from Earth. But now I had one more option.
It was a policy of deference to a great power.
The Grand Marshal of Military Forces held absolute authority to conduct independent diplomacy with powers beyond the Central Plains. So long as I did not challenge the Celestial Emperor's authority, I could even show mercy to barbarians.
In other words.
"So what's the verdict, Captain?"
"I'm going to decide after seeing what they do."
That was only what I hoped for. Once the rift had opened, they would keep coming regardless. The Association, guilds, parties like Birang, and even people who got lost in a monster's stomach would all show up. Wouldn't this be better for both sides than driving them away every time?
The only thing that mattered was whether someone among those outside that wall could read my intentions.
*
"You three stay here."
"Huh? But……"
"What if the rift closes? I'll put up a barrier to keep monsters from coming near, so stand guard."
At Shin Yuyu's casual gesture, a blue barrier instantly surrounded the area. The hunters were impressed by the spell's sophistication, but she herself frowned.
Since Shin Yuyu was responsible for more than ninety percent of their combat power, Moon Seo-young cautiously asked her a question. She had been finding it a little hard to breathe in the energy spread through the air.
"What's wrong? Is it difficult to use your mana properly……?"
"You said we were subject to different rules. Even here, there's no reason my magic or my ability to read the heavenly secrets should be weaker. It's more than that."
Monsters were watching them from the shadows. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could also feel human gazes.
She knew by instinct. This gorge was a land steeped in death.
"It's obviously not a place where people can live."
"……."
"Let's move quickly."
"Let's. Miss Jihye."
"Oh, yes. This way!"
About thirty minutes after they set out, they got lost.
"S-sorry! I remember up to here, but after that, I don't really……"
It was more or less expected. The Birang Party had been wandering through the forest on its own until it encountered Yoo Hyun.
After stepping on the stone dust that appeared to be traces left by a basilisk, Shin Yuyu opened her book. She had confirmed the first divination.
《Using_the_stone_tree_as_a_reference,_climb_the_sloping_gorge_toward_south-southwest._Something_good_might_happen?》
"I'll take the lead, so follow me."
"Yes!"
They spent some time hiking—almost climbing—when an orc appeared from ahead.
Moon Seo-young placed a hand on the hilt of the sword hanging from her waist and asked,
"Should we go around?"
"No. Then we won't have followed the divination, and we can't guarantee that the result saying we'll reach our destination will come true."
"Then Miss Jihye and I will engage it. Director, please stay behind me."
The battle wasn't long, but it was fierce. An ordinary monster in the tower, the orc nevertheless gave the two B-ranks considerable trouble before they barely managed to kill it.
Shin Yuyu did not participate. They had agreed beforehand that she, as an S-rank, would only enter combat if the investigation team's safety was threatened.
In any case, a strong monster was not good news. While the team rested, Park Ingyu put the mana stone he had extracted into a ziplock bag. When he noticed Shin Yuyu watching from beside him, he gave an awkward smile.
"It doesn't seem like an ordinary by-product. It might be worth a fair amount, so I intend to take it back and have the laboratory examine it."
"……."
"Ah, as for your share, we'll calculate it according to the agreed percentage once the value has been assessed and deposit it into your account."
"That's a given. There's one thing I need to confirm."
"What is it?"
Shin Yuyu asked about the purpose of this investigation. There were several objectives—rescuing the prisoners, obtaining information about the Hidden Stage, and encountering a new civilization—but there had to be a priority among them.
"First, we need to meet this Yoo Hyun."
"And after that?"
"We'll apologize for the wrongdoing committed by the Birang Party, then begin full-scale negotiations. Once they learn about us, they'll certainly want something as well."
Considering the precedents, it was a reasonable decision. Other countries, too, did not maintain relationships with other civilizations that consisted solely of receiving.
Japan, in particular, even changed its state religion in exchange for having one of its hunters appointed a 'hero' by the saintess of the Holy Kingdom. Park Ingyu hadn't gone that far, but he had been delegated a certain degree of authority by the head of the Association.
"I think there's a decent chance it will work out. Magical engineering, in particular, is one of the leading fields in the world. The problem is that the guilds smuggle the mana stones from the monsters they hunt overseas, so our supply is practically nonexistent……"
"I don't know about that. Anyway, I understand. Since I have a contract with the Association, I was planning to adjust my words and actions to some extent to match what you wanted."
"You're already helping plenty."
After a short rest, they continued walking. At last, they began to see signs of civilization.
It was a fortress wall built atop a sheer cliff. A gigantic wave of black stone stretched endlessly along the ridge.
On top of the wall, a man with a bow and one eye covered was keeping watch over the surroundings. After confirming there were other soldiers as well, Shin Yuyu opened the Heavenly Record once more.
"Let's see."
At that moment.
《A_bird_that_flies_high_is_bound_to_fall》
"Huh?"
Thwip!
"Fuck."
"Are you all right?"
"An arrow? Did it hit the tree?"
"Ah, I can't see anything."
She couldn't react. More precisely, she had been unable to react even though she had detection magic wrapped around her.
Even separate powers weren't necessarily incapable of interfering with one another. The soldier's arrow had definitely dispelled Shin Yuyu's magic.
'That means he's at least A-rank, doesn't it?'
If she'd been even one second late checking the divination—or if she hadn't canceled her flight the instant she saw it—that invisible arrow would have pierced her neck. It had been that fast, and that powerful.
"Cheukmu, I knew this would happen. Didn't I tell you to bring them back without injuring them?"
"They dared come right up to the government office and use that strange sorcery. We couldn't just let them go, Brother Chunsik."
"Ahem! I told you to call me Joun when it's just the two of us. Still, even so... If you couldn't hit them, you shouldn't have fired so shamefully. What were you doing?"
"Sorry. I was certain I'd hit them."
The soldiers on top of the wall, meanwhile, chatted among themselves as though nothing had happened.
Eventually, one of them opened the gate and welcomed the investigation team.
"Excuse us. We're the ones who came here a little while ago……"
"Follow me."
"Huh?"
"The Great General is waiting for you."
Park Ingyu tried to take out a business card, but the man named Joun—or rather, Chunsik—didn't even look at it and merely jerked his chin at the group.
There was no order to discard their weapons, nor any warning not to make trouble. It showed just how confident they were in their own abilities.
"Go inside."
"Is Lord Yoo Hyun here?"
"How dare you, a barbarian, speak the Great General's name so casually?"
"Th-that wasn't my intention……!"
Shin Yuyu quietly picked up the Heavenly Record. Once she went inside, it would probably be difficult to open the book.
This was her last chance to check the divination.
With her heart pounding, she turned the first page.
.
.
.
.
《If_you_want_to_live,_lie_down_without_asking_questions_or_arguing》