Chapter 773
Having a place to return to is a good thing. Even more so when there are people waiting for you there.
“Team Leader Choi-i-i-i! Taekyung-a-a-a!”
After several hours of flight, as we arrived at Incheon Airport, a huge, shaggy giant came running toward us from afar with his arms thrown wide open.
Thud!
My breath caught in my throat.
But Team Leader Choi Minwoo and I patted the shoulder of the sniffling Im Jeok-jung, who had trapped us in a body choke disguised as a hug.
It just felt like the right thing to do.
“Why are you crying? Are you already going through menopause?”
“I’m glad you’re, ngh, okay. Are you hurt anywh-, ngh ngh ngh!”
“We’re fine. Please calm down.”
“Do you know how wor-, worried I was, ngh ngh!”
Judging by appearances alone, even the Greenwood League Leader would have to step aside, but when it comes to sensitivity, no one can match him.
He’s the type whose outside and inside don’t match at all.
And over Im Jeok-jung’s shoulder came a voice every bit as refreshing as the impression she gave.
“You should say ‘we were worried,’ not ‘I was worried.’ If you phrase it like that, what does that make me?”
Song-Yi, who had stopped walking, carefully scanned Team Leader Choi Minwoo and me with her eyes.
“Hmm. The two of you look better than I expected.”
I shot back,
“Are you sure? At this rate, he might suffocate in five minutes.”
“That’s five minutes from now. For the moment, he looks fine.”
“Can’t you see how bloodshot his eyes are? He hasn’t slept properly in four days.”
“Why? He looks way better than he did on TV a few days ago.”
Song-Yi added,
“Back then, his eyes looked crazy. Like he was going to drop dead at any second.”
“…And now?”
“Well… now it feels like he’ll die in about a hundred years?”
Unable to think of any retort, I let out a wry smile.
As Song-Yi said, my body was tired, but my mind was incomparably clearer than it had been a few days ago.
The same went for both me and Team Leader Choi Minwoo.
“How did the matter I asked about go?”
At Team Leader Choi’s question, Song-Yi lowered her voice.
“I passed along the Team Leader’s instructions properly. To both the Peace Guild and the Ares Guild. Once we narrowed it down, there were fewer than ten people. That’s how loyal they are.”
“Any possibility of information leaking?”
“I selected only the most trustworthy people among the core members of both guilds. Their families are all staying in the country as well.”
“You did well. From now on, I will issue the instructions directly, so please focus on maintaining secrecy, Ms. Song-Yi.”
Song-Yi nodded, then cautiously opened her mouth.
“But is Michael Silbert really…”
“Shh.”
Im Jeok-jung, now wearing a perfectly normal expression as if he hadn’t been sniffling a moment ago, cut off Song-Yi’s words and whispered in a voice low enough that only we could hear.
“They’re coming.”
Just as he said,
several limousines glided smoothly across the quiet runway and came to a stop in front of us, and President Baek Hanseong, who looked as though he had aged ten years in the short time since we last saw him, stepped out of one of the cars.
“I welcome both of you back to the country.”
His voice was as worn down by exhaustion as his face.
A weekday afternoon.
The airport, which should normally have been crowded with people, was quiet. No, not just inside the airport. Outside wasn’t much different.
In the scenery sliding past the limousine window, police and soldiers could be seen everywhere, and every so often, people in black suits followed by others holding microphones would catch my eye.
Along with the Blue House badges pinned to their chests.
“It’s nice and quiet.”
“As requested, we cleared everyone out in advance for security reasons.”
President Baek Hanseong tossed aside the empty red ginseng juice pack and continued,
“Of course, considering that terrorist, it was a necessary measure anyway.”
Naturally, the terrorist he meant was the Prophet.
President Baek Hanseong added that only a few hours earlier, a huge crowd of reporters and welcoming supporters had surrounded the place, then muttered,
“It’s not something a president ought to say, but lately, everyone seems to have lost their minds. The atmosphere is getting too extreme and hollow.”
I agreed with him, and at the same time, I understood.
People who lack the power to protect themselves have no choice but to become extreme in the face of crisis.
They tremble in fear as if humanity might perish tomorrow, and blindly cling to the word ‘hope.’
“…That’s probably what he wanted.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”
President Baek Hanseong made a complicated expression, as if he had sensed something from my unconscious mutter, but I silently turned my gaze back to the window.
It’s true that he has helped us a great deal so far. And considering what is about to unfold, he could help even more.
But the reason I can’t reveal all the facts to President Baek Hanseong is not because I don’t trust him.
It’s because I don’t trust the circumstances surrounding him.
‘There are plenty of ways.’
Michael Silbert’s eyes and ears are everywhere.
There could be a provocateur even among President Baek Hanseong’s closest aides, and there is more than enough possibility that we’re being monitored.
Anyone would be shaken the moment they faced a truth too unbelievable to accept.
Just because someone is a seasoned politician doesn’t mean he can conceal every emotion, and if the enemy notices even the slightest hint because of that, the situation in this war becomes even more unfavorable.
‘We also can’t rule out the possibility that the clue we found isn’t the truth.’
The same thought was reflected in Team Leader Choi’s gaze when our eyes met naturally.
He too had given instructions only to a very small number of the most trustworthy among the core members of the Peace Guild and the Ares Guild.
Team Leader Choi’s orders had been relayed in the utmost secrecy, and even then, their contents had nothing to do with the truth we discovered.
Still, that too is only a precaution in case of an emergency. A safety measure to keep the pin from being pulled, or at least to keep the blast radius from spreading if it is.
But for now, nothing is certain.
Depending on how the Inauguration Ceremony, now less than twenty-four hours away, ends, everyone’s fate will be decided.
Michael Silbert and mine.
Beyond the simple divide of enemy and ally, even the direction this world will take from here on out.
In contrast to those complicated thoughts, the limousine carrying us sped smoothly down the wide-open road, and President Baek Hanseong passed along various pieces of news.
The current international situation. The fact that the National Assembly building had been designated as the venue for the inauguration ceremony. The list of confirmed participants so far.
And even news about my mother and Ha-yeon, who were staying under heavy security.
“Your family is extremely worried after hearing the news. If you wish, we can go see them right now…”
I shook my head, understanding the meaning behind his trailing words.
“No. I plan to see them after the inauguration ceremony is over.”
“Are you sure that’s alright?”
“Of course.”
They were the family I missed and longed to see more than anyone else in the world, but I couldn’t meet them in my current state.
No, I shouldn’t.
I was afraid that seeing my family would make me lose my composure.
I wanted to stand before my mother and Ha-yeon with peace in my heart after everything was settled. I wanted to rest in their warm embrace.
‘…If that’s possible.’
That one phrase I couldn’t bring myself to add lingered on the tip of my tongue, then scattered away, and at that moment, President Baek Hanseong asked as if he had suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, where is the other one?”
“Ah.”
“I believe he was definitely on the arrival list we received… Did something happen?”
After hesitating for a moment, I exchanged a glance with Team Leader Choi. Then I answered with a bitter smile.
“He’ll be a little late. Something came up.”
It was a lie.
Because the Skeleton King was with us right now.
It’s just that he was in an unknown space where no one else could see or sense him, maintaining an endless silence.
Even at this very moment.
‘How long are you going to stay holed up in there?’
But once again, there was no answer.
That day, the eyes of the entire world were fixed on a small peninsula in East Asia.
On TV, there were no cheerful entertainment programs full of chatter and laughter to be found. Countless news and current affairs channels, along with online communities, were boiling over with talk of the imminent first inauguration ceremony of the World Hunter Federation.
– “Who’s coming to the inauguration ceremony?”
– “No idea. They said they wouldn’t disclose the list in the first place because of the terrorism risk. They even cleared out the airport.”
– “I heard there won’t even be a live broadcast. But they’ll record it, so we’ll find out once it’s all over, right?”
– “Why aren’t they disclosing it? If terrorism is the concern, they should just do it over video conference like the UN did.”
– “He showed up in person during the Great Cataclysm too.”
– “It’s a statement of intent. That they won’t back down no matter what happens. Up until now, it’s been individual battles, but now that the federation has been established, the Prophet too…”
– “But anyway, Cheon Tae-min is probably going to be the representative, right?”
– “Who else would it be if not Lord Tae-min?”
– “Michael Silbert.”
– “Jin Taekyung.”
– “I like Lord Sibal too, but he definitely falls short compared to Michael Silbert. Seniority is seniority, and what Michael’s done lately has been incredible.”
– “What does it matter? It’s Cheon Tae-min anyway. Still, that’s true.”
– “Is it because Cheon Tae-min hasn’t appeared for so long? I feel a little uneasy. Or is it just me?”
– “Then turn on the boiler.”
The talk about who would participate in the inauguration ceremony, and who would be chosen as representative once they all gathered in one place, went on without end.
And as time slowly passed, guests who had crossed thousands, tens of thousands of kilometers began arriving on the peninsula.
“There will be a brief identity verification procedure.”
Neatly groomed brown hair and pale green eyes.
A young man who seemed to have stepped straight out of a fairy tale opened his mouth in an authoritative voice.
“The Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathclyde, Baron Carrickfergus, Knight of the Garter, Knight of the Thistle, Felix Alexander Louis.”
“Huh?”
“They’re nothing but empty titles, so feel free to address me casually.”
“Ah, understood. Then Mister Feli…”
“Feel free to call me Your Highness Felix Alexander Louis. Casually.”
“…Yes.”
Just as Prince Felix finished the simple identity verification process through a scan, a large shadow fell over him.
“Long time no see, Felix. Ah, should I call you Your Highness?”
At the familiar face looking down at him from high above, Prince Felix seemed to frown for a moment, then smoothed out his expression.
If it had been anyone else, he would’ve snapped, but the other man was one of the few people whose rudeness could be tolerated to some extent.
“Mr. Johnson.”
Magic Johnson gave a faint smile.
“Did you just get here?”
“Indeed.”
“Pai Chen will be here soon too. The comrades who fought together in China are all gathering in one place.”
“That seems to be the case. But who is the gentleman behind you?”
“He’s a companion. Of course, not a gentleman.”
Even though it was their first time meeting in person, Prince Felix immediately recognized the identity of the middle-aged man accompanying Magic Johnson.
A build as massive as Magic Johnson’s, clothes that looked straight out of the Wild West, and a cigar clamped between his teeth.
“…Chuck Hagel.”
Chuck Hagel, puffing his cigar right in front of a no-smoking sign, answered,
“Did you just call me, Prince?”
At that irritable tone, Magic Johnson subtly stepped forward.
“Since we’ve run into each other, how about a light drink? Just until Pai Chen arrives.”
Prince Felix stared at the two of them for a moment, then shook his head.
“I have no intention of doing that.”
“Oh my. What a shame.”
“Let’s meet tomorrow. Both of you.”
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
A conversation no different from any other.
Prince Felix gave a light nod, then moved off with his attendants.
Under strict security, he reached the accommodation assigned to him, unpacked, and went to bed early in preparation for tomorrow’s inauguration ceremony.
No, that was only how it appeared to everyone.
But…
Click.
When the locked door opened and the lights came on,
Prince Felix, who had secretly slipped out of his quarters, saw them.
The figures waiting for him in the darkness. And the young man seated at the center of them.
“Long time no see, Your Highness.”
Felix chuckled.
Team Leader Choi Minwoo smiled too. So did Magic Johnson and Chuck Hagel.
Pai Chen as well.
A night known only to them, and no one else, was deepening.