Chapter 214

"Someone from the Association has come." Startled by the sudden arrival, the three who were feeling down and in distress were awakened by Garmalterra, who was known to be a member of the Ten Orders and contracted with the Spirit King of the Earth. The man, who looked thin and nervous, scratched his eyebrow with his finger as if he were untangling twisted wires or looking at a chain-link fence. "Judging from the looks, it seems the mission was a failure." "...What about the others?" Instead of answering Garmalterra, Ahn Joo Hyeok avoided the question while wiping the sweat off his forehead. That alone seemed to be a sufficient answer, as Garmalterra spoke in a businesslike and subtly annoyed voice. "Lee Myeong Jun had urgent matters to attend to and went out. As you know, Lee Woo Wei is not in a condition to go anywhere. And Anastasia Rukiyannenko, she just fell asleep after taking care of Richard." Richard had suffered serious injuries in the front lines along with Lee Woo Wei, who was also severely injured. Everyone knew that Anastasia had followed Richard like a father, never sleeping and staying by his side until he regained consciousness. "So, it's only us left." "That's right. Fujiwara Reiko and Ose Evans left yesterday dawn to eliminate the giant sandworm that appeared in the Middle East." He let out a small sigh. "And as you know, I'm not good at negotiations or having discussions." "Why do you think they came?" "It's obvious. The reason those guys came to us." Responding to Garmalterra's answer, Ahn Joo Hyeok nodded as if he understood. With a groaning sound, he stood up from his seat, and Evangeline and Laura, who were either lying on the floor or half-lying down, also got up. Garmalterra, who was observing the two of them with an incredulous look, muttered as if he couldn't believe it. "But those three attached themselves to him for nothing...?" "Exactly." There was no need to hide it, so Ahn Joo Hyeok nodded quietly. "We just managed to restore the flow inside our bodies and slightly recover our physical condition. There's nothing more we can do." "What do you mean?" "They'll have to recover on their own." Even as he said that, Ahn Joo Hyeok seemed quite shocked. And Evangeline and Laura were the same. Seeing their reactions, Garmalterra turned his head slightly, licked his lips, and spoke with a low voice as if frustrated. "...That guy annoyed me." Garmalterra quietly opened his mouth. Originally, he was extremely reluctant to speak about others. But when he opened his mouth that way, the three who followed him as if they trusted him looked at him surprisingly. "Indeed, the spirits told me about him. They said he had the protection of the spirits. As you know, for those humans who have the protection of the spirits, many spirits tend to get entangled with them." He spoke quietly as he walked ahead. "But there was a foul scent and energy coming from him that surpassed the protection of the spirits. Moreover, for some reason, there was also the energy of a high-ranking spirit emanating from him." "A high-ranking spirit...?" "The fact that the spirits leave such strong energy and scent... Well, from our perspective, you could say it's like putting a 'mark' on something that belongs to us." "Pfft." Laura coughed involuntarily when she heard the word 'mark' from him, which was quite unexpected. It was fortunate that she didn't laugh, or so she thought. That's when Garmalterra, who gazed disapprovingly at them for a moment, turned his head slightly and clicked his tongue. "But that's not all. I can feel the energy of an unknown origin, little by little, in addition to the energy of those two." Garmalterra quietly exhaled. At first, he thought it was because they were members of the World Tree Clan. But from the spirits who approached and the extreme unwholesomeness he saw at that time, he realized that there was more than just those things. "Spirits are afraid of that guy. And so am I. You know as well, he has hidden many things and is quite suspicious. He even shows contradictory appearances." Garmalterra nodded quietly. Although he was known as one of the Ten Orders and a celebrated hero, he was not a foolish or narrow-minded human who would let his eyes and ears be blinded by personal whims or emotions. "But that's all. Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that we owe him a great debt and that we are deeply indebted to him." Regardless of the circumstances, Garmalterra was also an honored hero as one of the Ten Orders. It was a statement that meant he was not a person who would speak recklessly just because he felt a great debt to someone. "Lately, the Association's manipulation of public opinion has been increasing." When Eevangeline muttered in annoyance, Laura nodded slightly. "Just by raising suspicion, just by spreading rumors, it carries power. We all know, there's no reason for us to wait patiently knowing how annoying it is." "What could be the reason they came to see us?" "Obvious." Ahn Joo Hyeok let out a small chuckle. "They came to see what we could do about Yoo Ji Hyuk's situation and demand our cooperation." "I can't understand no matter how much I think about it." Eevangeline raised her head slightly. "Why did they shoot at Aegis? And by what audacity did they demand that he expose his personal life like a villain? Could it be that the power of the Association has become incredibly strong without me knowing?" The doubts she voiced were shared by everyone. Heroes and hunters. Although their areas of activity and the enemies they faced were different, the boundary between the two was actually quite ambiguous. It was just a title that was created for convenience. And even though they were heroes, aka hunters, who fought on the front lines, they were subject to unspoken rules akin to unwritten law. Using comrades as shields or decoys. Leaving comrades and fleeing were considered taboos that should never be violated, even in such unruly rules. And yet, the Association had attacked Yoo Ji Hyuk without hesitation, using him as a decoy. Not to mention, if it hadn't been for Yoo Ji Hyuk's distinction, most people would not have even left a trace and would have faced death. In that situation, there was no way the Ten Orders would abide by the Association's command to hand over Yoo Ji Hyuk. They could turn a blind eye to the plight of their comrades who fought beside them, but Aegis's actions were clearly a violation in the sense that they had violated a taboo. "...I have the same question." Ahn Joo Hyeok nodded. There was no choice but to be cautious in such a situation. Hence, they had to have some means to know Yoo Ji Hyuk's condition around him, and they realized that someone was approaching him. "...Who came?" "I don't know. It's someone from the Six Protectors, supposedly." Garmalterra answered with a chuckle. While doing so, the man who had ridiculed Evangeline approached and spewed out saliva on the ground. And then, a sound like leather pouches being torn and whipped sounded. Almost simultaneously, a dull sound reverberated on the ground. "It's noisy." Annoyed, Han Soo Young opened her mouth, as if indicating it was getting on her nerves. The man who had been sarcastic with Yoo Ji Hyuk was lying sprawled on the ground just as he had when he had lunged at her.