An Outing

"So the Ignis Guild's ship has disappeared……."

"The Association was investigating as well, since they suspected the guild would smuggle out the mana stones it had left behind."

Of course, they failed to catch the trail. Not only did the Association lack the authority to search a ship docked at the port on its own, but the mana stones had been transported from a barge to a merchant vessel in international waters.

I had effectively been forced to sit back and watch Lee Dowon return to the United States, but that was no longer necessary. Moon Seoyeong cautiously asked me.

"May I presume to ask whether His Excellency the Great General might have had something to do with this……?"

"No, I know nothing about it."

It was clearly my pet barbarian—no, Shin Yuyu—who had done it. But I decided not to tell the Association.

If word got out that she had provoked the Seven Great Powers, she would be in trouble. She had probably read in advance, through the Heavenly Records, the request I had intended to make that day and acted on it, but I could only be pleased.

"Is that all for the report?"

"No! The director is expected to arrive soon!"

Hearing that Park Ingyu was coming, my mood sank for no apparent reason. It wasn't that I had suddenly taken a dislike to him.

I had always been uncomfortable with being treated as an honored guest. Even when I served as commander of the Water Mirror Guard, I flatly refused whenever a clan tried to entertain me by offering some paltry bribe or summoning women.

At least until now.

After Moon Seoyeong bowed and left, Park Ingyu entered. As always, his face was full of smiles.

"I greet the Great General."

"Welcome, Director. You look positively radiant."

"Is that not all thanks to Your Excellency's benevolence? Haha. Work has increased recently, so I can hardly ever leave on time, but I feel alive day by day."

Ever since the Ignis Guild effectively withdrew after suffering heavy losses from attacks by countless monsters every time it entered the Hidden Stage, monster hunting in the borderlands had picked up.

Korea had not lacked in magical engineering; it had merely lacked high-purity mana stones. So after the Association succeeded in controlling the supply, it literally began raking in money.

Of course, the total quantity was small. To avoid provoking the Empire's Water Mirror Guard, only selected parties and guilds were permitted to enter the Hidden Stage. Once the waiting list stretched into years, new parties found it nearly impossible to pass through the eye of a needle.

Even so, the Association's standards were so strict and it was so reluctant to open up spots that complaints appeared on Hunter Gallery every other day. As a result, magic tools made in Korea became items that money alone could not buy.

"This is one of our prototypes, a magic tool called the 'Eye of the Typhoon’."

"The Eye of the Typhoon?"

"Yes, it is equipment useful for detecting terrain as complex as a labyrinth."

They say that on some floors of the Tower, the locations of the exits and passages change every time someone enters. Rather than mapping the area from scratch each time, one could use a magic tool to create a map easily. It worked by detecting waves of magic bouncing back, and its efficiency had doubled thanks to mana stones that emitted explosive energy.

Before, it could barely detect nearby enemies or structures, but now it could even reveal the layout of an entire floor if the area was small enough.

"I hear Pamagok's terrain is also quite complex, and new recruits often get lost. I will donate the ten completed prototypes to the government as a first contribution."

"It won't explode, will it?"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. More importantly, this sort of thing……."

I didn't need any of them, though. That had become a growing concern lately.

"Aside from those, two more types of magic tools have already been made. That's not all!"

"There's more?"

"These profits came from the mana stones obtained in Pamagok—how could we keep them all to ourselves? We wish to return at least a portion of the grace bestowed upon us by His Majesty the Celestial Emperor and the Great General."

They were far too adept at offering tribute.

Once they realized I wouldn't accept money or valuables, they naturally shifted their offerings mostly to magic tools, specifically types directly tied to soldiers' survival rather than combat, making them difficult to refuse.

It wasn't that they had stopped giving money and valuables, either. Perhaps they had learned from Lee Dowon's example; they had reached the point of practically stuffing tribute into my mouth, saying, 'We found gold and silver treasures lying on the ground with no owner, so we moved them elsewhere! We didn't bring them here, of course!'

"We have set aside a portion of the Association's share of mana stones under Your Excellency's name, and it can be converted to cash at any time. Also, to commemorate Your Excellency's achievements, we plan to erect large statues all across the country……."

"Absolutely do not do that."

"Oh, yes, sir."

Though they never demanded anything from me or the Empire in return, it was clear that if I kept accepting things like this, someday I'd have to give them something substantial.

So I decided to take drastic action.

"Director Park Ingyu."

"Please give me your orders, Great General!"

"It seems we are meeting far too often."

"What!? How can you say something so hurtful!"

Wouldn't accepting tribute only about twice a year be enough? The instant I broached the idea, Park Ingyu startled in despair and prostrated himself, as if he'd received a report that ten top-grade magical beasts had dropped into downtown Seoul.

"Please take those words back! If I have done anything to displease Your Excellency, I will correct it immediately!"

"Ahem, I don't mean that you have been negligent. But the other officials of Daehan don't even show their faces here in Pamagok, do they?"

As soon as I thought of an angle, I seized on it like lightning.

Until now, no one from any institution other than the Hunter Association had ever come to see me. The excuse that Pamagok was dangerous no longer held water. Even Park Ingyu, despite being a non-Awakened, came to pay his respects like this almost every day, didn't he?

It was because I was annoyed at the others, not you. That was what I intended to say.

"Just as I am the Great General of the Empire, Daehan must surely have someone with a similar position. If my relationship with them remains so distant, how can I accept what they offer with an open heart?"

"Well, the thing is…… the minister you mentioned, Great General, has currently lost the authority to intervene in political matters related to the Tower."

"Why?"

"Thirty years ago, the former Minister of National Defense tried to force men aged twenty and over who had awakened their abilities to reenlist, and the hunters rose up as one. The country nearly collapsed."

"……."

What on earth had he done?

Because of the aftermath, most ministers were still effectively little more than figureheads. The reason Korea had failed to properly control the Tower was not only interference from the Seven Great Powers but also the incompetence of its politicians.

I had tried to push them aside discreetly, but it looked as though I had a knife in my hand. Without meaning to, I'd struck a sore spot.

Even so, I couldn't give up like this. If they insisted on coming, I could simply leave.

"Of course, my authority was directly entrusted to me by Association Chairman Kim Sangguk, so it remains unchanged."

"My decision remains unchanged as well. Given your circumstances, I won't ask you to reduce the number of audiences right away, but I will be away for a while, so act accordingly."

"Pardon? Are you going somewhere?"

"Nothing of importance."

It was the regular replenishment of prisoners. Since the Water Mirror Guard had originally been operated with penal units at its core, prisoners were still being sent steadily from all over the country to cities near the border.

Rather than accept them indiscriminately, I preferred to personally bring in those who showed potential, so I would go myself or send subordinates. Besides, I had promised Yeonri that we'd go flower viewing, so I intended to keep that promise while I had the chance.

"While I'm away, I'll put another subordinate in charge, so keep that in mind."

"Who might that be?"

"A man named Nochil, the commander of the Water Mirror Guard at the Thirteenth Pass."

I didn't distrust my other subordinates, but there was no one better suited than Nochil. He would certainly rein in excessive tribute.

Thus, after shaking off Park Ingyu, who clung like a leech, I went looking for Yeonri. Since her route was nearly fixed, it did not take long.

At the passage leading from the rear quarters behind the military camp to the laundry yard. Unusually, she was with Moon Seoyeong, who had left the audience chamber shortly before me.

'Had the two of them become close?'

If so, it couldn't be better. Recently, even Cheukmu and the other subordinates had considerably reduced their habit of aiming bows at Daehan barbarians on sight.

Yeonri had always been wary of others and found it difficult to form attachments, so I hoped this opportunity might improve her sociability even a little. Fortunately, she seemed to get along with Moon Seoyeong.

What serious matter could they be discussing, standing so close together? When I drew near, I could overhear them.

'Next time you go to Daehan, please copy the contents written on this bamboo slip onto the bulletin board.'

'Yes, I will.'

'And last time, I was banned for three days by the one called Armband on the bulletin board.'

'Ah, perhaps you violated one of the gallery rules?'

'Please exterminate his three-generation clan.'

'What!? I can't do that!'

'Then drag him into the marketplace and make an example of him.'

'That too is a little…….'

Yeonri……?

As soon as she sensed my presence, she quickly rolled up the bamboo slip and tucked it into Moon Seoyeong's pocket.

"Are you finished with your business, Lord Yoo Hyun?"

"Hm? Oh……."

Once we had set out, I would ask her exactly what she had wanted posted. As she demurely bowed as if nothing had happened, I ordered her,

"Yeonri."

"Yes, my lord. Please command me."

"Summon the crows from the border cities."

It was a term referring to cities near the border. Normally, when I went to requisition prisoners, advance notice was given.

There might be no prisoners in the jails, and the cities also needed time to prepare to receive the Great General. Normally, it took several days using relay riders, but Yeonri's ability reduced it to a few hours.

After briefly closing her eyes, she opened them and gave a small nod.

"I have just issued the order. Any city wishing for Lord Yoo Hyun's visit will send up a signal."

"Good."

Yeonri could communicate in real time with the small creatures she controlled, but extending her spiritual energy beyond the borderlands dotted with government offices was difficult.

However, she could issue simple commands to places far away. Thus, when the crows kept in cages in each city's received the signal, the magistrates would tie letters to their legs and release them.

This meant that those who wanted me to visit would send crows. I planned to depart for the areas selected in that way.

Before long, a crow flew to the rear quarters.

"A reply has come from Anmun."

"That was fast. Shall we set out there first?"

Then two more.

"Changnan and Hoean Fortress have also indicated that they want a visit."

"Hm? Really?"

Then all five of the remaining crows appeared from the cloudy southern sky.

"Samsu, Goryang, Hancheon, Gwangnok, and Imha as well."

"……."

"Every border city is requesting a visit from Lord Yoo Hyun."

This was unquestionably an unusual occurrence.