1260 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

After calming the barrier, they left behind the bewildered sorcerers and headed towards where Mi Hyoran was. The state of the formation was quite satisfactory. After removing the parts that felt uncomfortable at first glance, it couldn't have been better. ‘Not that I’m completely pleased with it.’ It was the best that could be done in a short amount of time. Truly, it seemed acceptable at that level. But. ‘Why were they struggling so much over something even like that?’ It was hard to comprehend the so-called formation masters. It was something that could be easily tidied up by simply organizing it lightly, yet they were all clustered together struggling, which was frustrating to no end. In the end, he had to step in and take care of it, and he still remembered the looks in their eyes at that time. ‘Like they’d seen something strange.’ The eyes of those watching a bizarre spectacle. Previously, the Palace Lord of Northern Sea Ice Palace had looked at him with exactly those eyes. Or maybe God had looked at him like that too. He couldn’t understand why people looked at him that way. In any case, leaving behind such a formation, he and his companions headed towards Mi Hyoran’s quarters. As soon as they arrived, Mi Hyoran greeted them with a serious expression. “……You’ve met Young Master Gu.” Already informed through the message sent by the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord, Mi Hyoran inquired about her father as soon as she arrived. “Yes... We encountered the Divine Dragon outside the area.” “What happened? Did he go outside the base?” “……Yes.” “……Deputy Lord!” Mi Hyoran spoke with a distorted expression. “Of all people, knowing the dangers outside the area best, how could he……!” “……I thought it was necessary. My apologies…….” “Haa…….” Mi Hyoran sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead. “……But at least you returned without any casualties, right?” “……That’s correct.” As he answered, the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord gestured with his eyes. At the end of his gaze was the disguised King of Assassins. Upon seeing his eyes, Mi Hyoran seemed to grasp the situation and narrowed her eyes. “……First, please compile the information from others and bring it. Young Master Baek and Iron Dragon Deputy Lord, please stay for a moment.” “Understood.” “Yes.” Hearing her words, the group retreated. In the midst of this, the Poison Phoenix looked at me. I nodded as if to say everything was fine. After sending them off, those who remained exchanged glances. After a brief silence, it was the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord who spoke first. “……Thank you for saving me, Great Hero.” He offered his gratitude to the disguised King of Assassins. The King of Assassins remained unmoved by his actions—no, it would be more accurate to say he didn't show any reaction at all. Seeing this, Mi Hyoran spoke to the King of Assassins with a peculiar expression. “Despite saying you wouldn’t get involved, what made you act?” Her curiosity was evident. It seemed she found the King of Assassins’ involvement puzzling. Only then did the King of Assassins break his silence. “It was a whim.” “……A whim, you say.” “Yes, it was merely a whim. No more, no less.” “……I understand.” Despite the somewhat crude answer, Mi Hyoran seemed to accept it—or at least, pretended to accept it. Then she turned to him. “Young Master Baek.” “Yes?” “……The presence of the King of Assassins here is a secret, even in this area. Please ensure it remains confidential.” “Ah, yes. I will.” Given what he'd seen of the King of Assassins’ actions and demeanor, it seemed fitting. ‘No wonder.’ The strange sensation he had been feeling around Mi Hyoran. He had been wondering who could escape his senses. ‘It was the King of Assassins.’ Now it made sense. If it was him, then it was understandable. “More importantly… the fact that Young Master Gu appeared directly here is problematic. What was his apparent purpose?” “I am unsure. He initiated an attack as soon as we stepped out of bounds. It seemed he intended to hunt…” “That’s not it.” Mi Hyoran was firm. “Young Master Gu has never ventured out to hunt others until now, except for the first time.” “…….” “This time won’t be different. If he attacked, it had a purpose. And perhaps it is related to…….” “The Poison Phoenix’s hideout must be the issue.” “……!” As I chimed in, Mi Hyoran looked at me in surprise, as if wondering how I knew. How did I know? ‘It’s obvious from the situation.’ I had a hunch. While I might not know the specific reason or context behind why father became an apostle, I had already grasped the situational context. ‘Isn't that right?’ If this was an unusual event, the cause must be found in the recent anomalies. There was only one plausible issue upon reflection. ‘The death of an apostle.’ Chu Youngyeon. I surmised that his death at my hands might be the cause. From what I had learned from Mi Hyoran and the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord, an apostle was a being hard for a martial artist to slay. If the count of deceased apostles is very few, then the death of Chu Youngyeon would indeed be substantial chaos on their end. Thus, sending another apostle to ascertain this event was a plausible course of action. The problem was. ‘In this case.’ It suggested they had a means of recognizing an apostle’s death. ‘If not…….’ While he ought to consider other possibilities, this seemed most probable at the moment in his view. ‘And it seems Mi Hyoran thinks the same.’ Her expression indicated she had reached the same conclusion. “Isn't that the issue?” “You……” Mi Hyoran responded with surprise. I shrugged at her expression. Then, the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord spoke. “Then…… does this mean the trouble arose because the group that dealt with the apostle drew attention?” Hearing this, I frowned. “What nonsense are you speaking?” “What?” It was absurd. “If we consider the cause, the issue is not the group that vanquished an apostle and came here, but the unnecessary act of crossing into defined territory, don't you think? Why blame unrelated individuals?” Who instructed him to whimsically step outside the designated area? “Isn’t this happening because you insisted on verifying something unnecessary by taking me along? If we had just continued with what we were doing quietly, would things have turned out this way?” “……You insolent…!” “Enough…!” Mi Hyoran interrupted, stopping the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord from flaring up. “Stop it. Now is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves. We need to come up with a plan.” “…….” Listening to Mi Hyoran, the Iron Dragon Deputy Lord bit his lip. “Young Master Gu... The apostle hasn’t discovered our location. Thankfully, thanks to the efforts of the King of Assassins, our location should remain concealed. However.” He wore a troubled expression. “They’ve likely realized something happened around here. We might need to enhance the formation or something.” She contemplated defense and withdrawal rather than a full confrontation with the apostles, seeming aware of how apostles were perceived by martial artists. “Tomorrow... I’ll gather the Wind Dragon Corps and other members to hold a strategy meeting. Deputy Lord, please notify others of this.” “Understood.” “And.” Mi Hyoran’s gaze shifted to him. “Regarding this matter... I'd like Young Master Baek to attend the meeting as well.” “Me?” Have me join the meeting? Why go out of the way to do that? Though puzzled, he agreed. “Yes. I will.” * * * After concluding the conversation with Mi Hyoran, he stepped outside her quarters. They had decided to discuss important matters tomorrow after the night had passed. When night fell, the lights around the hideout were extinguished. Even the few lamps that remained were put out, leaving the place shrouded in darkness. It was likely to avoid attracting the eyes of beasts. Examining this, he surveyed his surroundings. People had disappeared. It was the time when everyone started to sleep without revealing any presence. At that moment, I began to move slowly. Though the end of his steps was the lodging assigned to him, it was not his destination. “Shall we continue our conversation from earlier?” I whispered quietly, sensing a presence beside him. Glancing over, the disguised King of Assassins stood there. “…….” The King of Assassins stared at him expressionlessly. “Is it safe to assume you’ve accepted my proposal?” “……What do you want?” The King of Assassins inquired. It was safe to say that he had crossed the threshold. Hearing this, he gave a sly smile as he replied. “What I want is unchanged from before. A transaction.” “A transaction.” “Yes. Assist me with the task here. Then… when we go outside, I will help achieve your purpose.” “That suggests going outside will be necessary to fulfill it?” Ah, is that so. With the King of Assassins’ remark, he promptly revised the terms. “Then, shall we say I fulfill it immediately after you complete my request?” “……Such confidence. Are you sure?” “Of course. It’s not difficult.” “…….” The King of Assassins’ eyes locked onto him with an unsettling intensity. Though no killing intent was present, just meeting his gaze caused that reaction. While they exchanged looks silently. “What exactly is your request?” The King of Assassins asked. At his inquiry, I smirked. “It’s nothing major.” It's the task I must do in this world, and the needs to regain the energy that's been lost and vanished. The method for this was remarkably simple. As soon as I arrived, he realized something. There was no need to overthink it. Recalling this, I spoke to the King of Assassins. “I need to hunt down some apostles. I'd like you to assist with that.” Hunting down apostles. Upon reflection, that seemed to be his destined task in this world.