The nation’s system in this world is not democracy.
The rulers are not elected voters but powerful super-beings and their factions.
It’s a world reminiscent of a feudal society in the past.
The government collapsed long ago, leaving the super-beings to take over.
Such factions settled in specific areas, claiming them as their territories.
The super-beings reign over the ruling class, protecting the commoners from external threats like monsters, while the commoners accept a world dominated by them for survival.
The subjects or territory inhabitants are the common folk of that region.
The kings and nobles are the super-beings of the respective factions.
The super-beings that make up the territories carry the same prestige as kings and nobles.
There are many places where even the association’s influence does not reach, creating a kind of lawless territory.
Without proper institutions, many of these areas have fallen into disrepair and ruin, and factions that engage in tyranny have turned those regions into living hells.
It’s a world maintained by the association’s proper adjustments to keep the overreach of such factions in check.
“Gop-hwa’s influence… felt rather developed.”
Among them, the Gop-hwa Clan stands out as one of the major powers.
As a testament to that influence, the surrounding cities were thriving, and the Gop-hwa’s main house facilities were impressively grand.
It’s spacious. It’s big. It’s massive.
Since entering the Gop-hwa Clan’s estate, those thoughts kept popping up in my mind.
Having visited the mansion, it’s basic etiquette to first meet the owner there to greet them.
Following a lukewarm welcome, I left my luggage to the servants and stepped into the mansion alongside Hong Yeon-hwa.
And it took quite a while.
We walked along the long red carpet in the corridor, but we still hadn’t reached the destination.
The mansion was that vast and immense. I felt like I was passing countless doors I might have easily exceeded a hundred.
In fact, calling it a mansion felt off.
At this scale, calling it a castle would be more accurate, and considering its internal defenses, the term fortress was even more suitable.
“A fortress…”
The materials used for the mansion were defensive by nature, and the magic installed above them was for protection and defense.
Also, reflecting on the personnel consistently patrolling inside and outside the mansion, saying it was a fortress was indeed appropriate.
Even the eleventh iteration ‘Diamond Warrior’ took a fair amount of time to breach it.
Considering I hadn’t matured at that time, it must’ve taken quite a bit to break through those defenses, even for the Diamond Warrior.
Now, I wouldn’t even dream of breaching it.
“““Hello, Miss!”””
While I was lost in thought, every servant I passed by in the corridor bowed deeply to greet Hong Yeon-hwa.
Hong Yeon-hwa accepted the greetings with a casual familiarity as she continued walking.
I felt a strange emotion in this situation. Perhaps I was realizing Hong Yeon-hwa’s status anew.
Normally laid-back, I hadn’t felt it, but Hong Yeon-hwa was the heir of the Gop-hwa Clan and a person destined to be one of the greatest powers in this world.
With just one word from her, it could be easy to take several lives.
Holding her hand and walking along, I felt a sense of security.
In the past, I acted with fear and tension regarding Hong Yeon-hwa’s status, but now I felt comfort in the warmth of her hand.
Also, maybe because this place was unfamiliar to me, Hong Yeon-hwa felt even more dependable by my side.
It was a truly strange feeling. It was something I could never have imagined back then.
And…
“““Hello, Young Master.”””
‘…….’
Along with Hong Yeon-hwa, I felt another strange emotion at the sight of the servants bowing respectfully to greet me.
It wasn’t unusual for the mansion’s servants to show courtesy to guests, but the degree of their politeness felt particularly odd.
Was it because I had never received such treatment before? It just felt very awkward.
After walking a while longer, I reached the upper floor of the building and found a lavish door right in front of me.
Without needing to observe, I clearly knew who was inside here thanks to the conversation between Ariel and Hong Yeon-hwa.
– Knock knock
“Chairperson, the Miss and Young Master have arrived.”
– Come in
As Ariel knocked, a voice replied from inside. With that, Ariel opened the door and stepped aside.
Hong Yeon-hwa boldly stepped through the open door. Following her unhesitating step, I also quietly entered.
I could see a woman buried in a mountain of paperwork.
Shoulder-length black hair. Chey Ji-yeon, who was peering at the documents with a bored expression, looked up.
Her lifeless brown eyes blinked once.
Chairperson Chey Ji-yeon.
She was the head of the Gop-hwa Clan, bonded by marriage, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s mother.
’Sigh…’
Tension involuntarily filled the air.
Was it because she was the chairperson? That was true, too.
The prestige of the Gop-hwa Clan was no joke, and Chey Ji-yeon held significant power as its chairperson.
It was also not an uncommon sight for them to take lives without a second thought.
That was not the only reason for my tension.
The fact that she was Hong Yeon-hwa’s mother influenced my state of unease even more.
I had never made friends in my previous world. Naturally, I had never met a friend’s parents either.
With no experience in that regard, I had nothing but tension.
“Welcome. You’ve come earlier than I expected. And…”
Chey Ji-yeon stood up from her seat.
Her gaze, which had been on Hong Yeon-hwa, shifted to me.
After staring at me for a moment, Chey Ji-yeon bowed her head slightly.
“Thank you for your precious visit. I am Chey Ji-yeon, the chairperson of the Gop-hwa Clan. Lee Ha-yul.”
Her greeting was more formal than I expected.
I felt flustered. I whisked my hands and bowed deeply in return.
[Thank you for welcoming me]
[I am Lee Ha-yul, a friend of Hong Yeon-hwa.]
“Indeed, a friend…”
Chey Ji-yeon glanced at Hong Yeon-hwa.
However, her gaze was very peculiar. It looked as if she was observing something pathetic.
As if she wanted to say something, she shook her head.
“…No.”
“Why, what? Why did you look at someone that way and stop talking?”
Eventually, we sat facing a table.
Chey Ji-yeon sat opposite me, and Hong Yeon-hwa patted the seat beside her.
As I quickly took a seat, the sharpness in Chey Ji-yeon’s gaze softened slightly.
“Do you enjoy any particular tea?”
[No]
[I’m not knowledgeable about tea.]
“If so, I will serve you the same tea as the Miss.”
Soon Ariel brought out tea and snacks.
Both Chey Ji-yeon and Hong Yeon-hwa sipped their tea. Following suit, I raised my cup.
It was warm water.
“First, I would like to express my apologies.”
Ha! After wetting her throat with the tea, Chey Ji-yeon continued.
“It is appropriate for the owner of the mansion to greet a distinguished guest, but since the head is absent, I will be greeting you in place.”
[I’m thankful for the generous hospitality.]
“Is it so? Is father still in the African Demonic Realm?”
At that, Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been listening from the side, tilted her head.
“He entered early this year. It’s been months, and he’s still in the hunt?”
“The hunt was actually completed a while back, and now he’s just tidying up. But something came up, so he cannot leave his post.”
“Uhm… So, the banquet? Are we proceeding without the head?”
“Probably.”
‘He’s absent, huh.’
Listening to the ongoing conversation, I nodded internally.
Currently, I couldn’t detect the head’s presence in the mansion or the surrounding lands.
Even after expanding the scope of my observation to the cities outside, it remained the same.
Currently, the head of Gop-hwa, Hong Jin-sun, is an active top-tier hero and was someone who must have nearly reached the stage of pioneering.
It was odd not to sense his presence, and it seemed he was in the African Demonic Realm.
‘Circumstances?’
If he’s already deep into the Demonic Realm and can’t leave for certain circumstances…
‘Has he discovered a tower?’
Inside the African Demonic Realm, there are two towers.
One is an undiscovered tower not known to the public.
In the eighth iteration, we attempted to breach it but had to retreat in haste due to an attack on our base. Ultimately, we succeeded in breaking through in the eleventh iteration after several attempts.
Clearing that tower grants a wish token, allowing the bearer to wish for something within the tower’s limits.
The other is… the Tower of Necromancy, which hasn’t been invaded yet.
In the original story, the Tower of Necromancy is discovered around this point.
Of course, they still didn’t know its true nature and would silently have them dispatched after confirming its existence.
‘……’
The Tower of Necromancy is the first to start an invasion and is located in a significantly tricky position.
It inconveniently lies within the Demonic Realm itself, proving challenging to approach.
Even if an invasion were launched, that could pose a problem.
As the name suggests, the necromancer at the Tower of Necromancy is a boss of the necromancer-type.
Someone who meticulously raises the corpses and souls of the deceased as a military force.
And naturally, they would have a plethora of monsters around to command within the Demonic Realm.
Therefore, if an invasion begins, the African Demonic Realm will effectively become a territory of the necromancer—a harrowing scenario.
“─Anyway, keep that in mind. Also… Lee Ha-yul?”
[Yes]
“I have much to discuss, but… I doubt it’s appropriate to hold onto a newly arrived guest. Ariel will guide you to your room. Ariel?”
“Yes, I have received instructions.”
“Please take your time to relax, and whenever you feel ready for an examination, just let me know. Everything is prepared, so you can start whenever you’re comfortable.”
[Thank you for your kindness.]
As I replied, Chey Ji-yeon gazed at me for a moment and then broke into a faint smile.
*
After Lee Ha-yul and Ariel left the room, only the two remained in the chairperson’s office.
“With his growing stature, he could very well become twisted, yet he seems exceptionally polite and refined.”
Chairperson Chey Ji-yeon, staring at the quietly closing door, took a sip of her tea. The smile from earlier had slipped away.
Right across from her, Hong Yeon-hwa, understanding the atmosphere, silently munched on the snacks without opening her mouth.
“So? Now that we’ve opened the conversation?”
As she drained her teacup in silence, Chey Ji-yeon suddenly asked. Although there was no subject mentioned, Hong Yeon-hwa understood what she meant.
The topic of engagement.
Thus, she had nothing to say. Avoiding Chey Ji-yeon’s direct gaze, Hong Yeon-hwa mumbled.
“…No.”
“Oh dear.”
As soon as the response escaped her lips, a sigh brimmed from Chey Ji-yeon, causing Hong Yeon-hwa to flinch.
However, she couldn’t oppose it.
“You didn’t say a single word? Really? During all that time?”
“Yeah…”
“Oh my…”
Goodness.
Chey Ji-yeon drank the remaining tea in one go, probably trying to cool her nerves, but unfortunately, the hot tea wasn’t refreshing.
Stealing a glance at the opposite side, she saw Hong Yeon-hwa curled up, seemingly at a loss for words.
Recognizing this, Chey Ji-yeon pondered for a moment.
Usually, this rascally kid, who spoke boastfully, was completely flustered about this.
Of course, lacking experience, it might have been about those tender feelings…
– …I avoided it because it felt more encroaching…
‘Tender… Love is love anyway, so…’
Regardless, she had expected her child to bring up a conversation or say something during that time, but nothing came up, just returning in a slumped state.
Chey Ji-yeon realized some shock was needed to spur Hong Yeon-hwa into action.
“Yeon-hwa.”
“Yeah…”
“Are you going to stay like that, having someone pilfer you away?”
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