I held the Sacred Power in my hands and sprinkled it in front of me.
The gently swirling pink energy followed my will, dancing in the air before gathering at a single point. Slowly, it shaped itself into a round mirror.
Sacred Spell, Blue Light of Heaven.
A Sacred Spell used to observe distant places. It was the same one I had used during dinner with Liam and Hainha last time.
Now, I needed to specify the coordinates of the person or place to reflect in the mirror. Naturally, the subject of observation was the self-aware nuclear weapon.
“First, let’s keep an eye on the situation.”
The Goddess had told me to relax and continue broadcasting.
But I just couldn’t do that. It wasn’t like it was just anyone; Liam was flying to America, how could I just sit back?
If things went south, he wouldn’t hold back even against America.
That would be the end. No matter how much of a former hero he was, winning against the ‘Land of Opportunity’ with a lacking mana supply here was impossible.
Moreover, according to Seo-yoon, America had the highest number of Returnees. Although exact numbers weren’t disclosed, it was said to be at least over a thousand, right?
“Just like America.”
Unlike before my reincarnation, a world where Returnees existed had emerged, but the fact remained that America was the strongest nation.
Thus, keeping an eye on Liam’s actions was necessary.
– Eluke.
At that moment, the Goddess quietly called my name. I wondered if something was wrong. I replied nervously.
“Yes, what is it?”
– Do you have any snacks to munch on while you watch? If you have something, go ahead.
“……”
I stared blankly at the sky for a moment before fetching some snacks. They were potato chips I had bought for the kids.
I carefully cut the top of the potato chip bag and tentatively asked, “I’m sorry, but are you not busy?”
I had missed her voice when it was absent, but now that I heard it, it was becoming a little annoying. It felt somehow more dignified if she remained silent.
– I am busy.
“Then you should go.”
– Why do you want me to leave? Are you already wanting to believe in another god?
“…”
It seemed there was nothing urgent for her to handle. After all, with the angels at her command, she wouldn’t need to run around in a frenzy.
Eventually, I finished preparing to observe Liam with the Goddess in ‘Blue Light of Heaven’.
Seo-yoon also sat next to me without leaving.
However, her complexion was slightly stiff. The Goddess was looking our way.
Still, since I had nothing particular to do, I just patted her shoulder and activated the mirror.
Soon, Liam appeared on the screen. Our enemy was flying slowly in the sky.
But he wasn’t alone. A huge figure with flapping wings, clearly resembling a Returnee, was with him—a black man.
“Wait? Who is that…?”
Seo-yoon, who had been quiet, opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Do you know who that is?”
“That person is ‘Quick Eagle.’ He’s a famous Returnee.”
“Quick Eagle? I hope that’s not self-proclaimed.”
“It probably is.”
“…….”
To call oneself ‘Fast Eagle’ was quite a spectacle, similar to how I might call myself the ‘Pink Pope’.
“So what does he do?”
“A hero.”
“…Is that self-proclaimed too?”
“Yep. But he’s so capable that the American government is supporting his hero activities. The name was his idea, though.”
He was thicker-skinned than I expected.
His shamelessness was quite similar to Liam’s. Perhaps that’s why they were flying amiably together while chatting cheerfully.
– “Personally, I think Captain USA and Iron General should have been female.”
– “I agree with you, buddy.”
– “And if possible, I’d prefer them to be of Asian descent. That way it’s PC, right?”
– “You definitely know something!”
Quick Eagle’s words came through in Korean. It seemed like a translation spell had been cast. It might be a bit awkward in phrasing, but it wasn’t bad overall.
But while I could understand the words, the meaning eluded me completely.
“Seo-yoon, what does it mean to be PC?”
As far as I knew, PC was short for ‘Personal Computer’. But why was ‘하다’ attached to it?
While I was guessing, Seo-yoon suddenly placed her hand on my thigh. Then she shook her head.
“That’s something you don’t need to know. Just ignore it, don’t even think about it.”
“Is that so…?”
Despite the serious atmosphere around it, I decided to comply without question. Seo-yoon wouldn’t lie to me.
Soon, Quick Eagle spoke again in the mirror.
– “Bro, how about we celebrate together with some drinks at my place? I’d like to celebrate this meeting.”
– “Sounds good to me.”
They slightly altered their flying route, exchanging friendly words like long-time friends.
I stared at them blankly and murmured, “What in the world is going on?”
Why was someone headed to the Tribe headquarters suddenly going to drink with a self-proclaimed hero? And when did they become such good buddies?
I couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.
Seo-yoon, who seemed just as dumbfounded, eventually shared her thoughts.
“It seems Yi-jeong is controlling things well?”
“Are you talking about him?”
Thinking it over, it actually sounded plausible. There was no way Liam would be so polite to someone he’d just met based on just his own thoughts.
Typically, he wouldn’t act like that.
If it were the original Liam, he would have asked why he had feathers all over his body but none on his head. Or why his feathers were white when his skin was dark.
But he was saying only things that the other person would like to hear now. It was clear that someone else’s influence was at play.
It seemed like the Goddess had connected our minds, and Kim Yi-jeong was continuously advising him on how to speak and act.
“That’s a relief.”
Seo-yoon, who had been tense the whole time, finally relaxed.
“It looks like he’s handling things calmly, just like during the interview.”
…Perhaps he was.
“Is that a kind of speech correction?”
“It’s a passive one compared to me, but it doesn’t seem entirely wrong.”
Reading Liam’s thoughts and choosing the words he should say. He was even suppressing his actions. It was a sort of ‘passive behavior correction’.
He was the external affairs personnel I had picked for this role, but it was a bit perplexing. He was doing much better than I expected.
‘How on earth…’
How could an ordinary job-seeker suppress Liam’s temperament so well? I couldn’t understand at all.
Could it be that he was truly a competent military dog handler?
Thinking about it, that seemed to be the right answer. The methods for handling dogs and restricting Liam would not differ greatly.
When training a pet to ‘sit,’ it’s effective to do so while treating them. My past methods of temporarily correcting the behavior of a former hero and current slacker were rather similar.
‘If you behave for a week, I’ll give you a kiss. And if you don’t cause trouble for a month… imagine what I might do.’
The so-called ‘Training and Reward’ strategy. It was quite effective. But as soon as the reward was given, they would return to their old ways.
In any case, Kim Yi-jeong was truly a competent military dog handler. He was handling a former hero more ferociously than most fierce attack dogs.
– “See? I was right. You trusted me, and it’s sort of worked out.”
The Goddess raised her voice proudly in my mind. I almost nodded in agreement but cautiously raised an objection.
“You just trusted the external affairs personnel based on your motto of charging headlong, didn’t you?”
That was a reasonable objection, but it was the Goddess. It meant that my words were ignored.
– “I’m leaving. From now on, try to solve things on your own as much as possible.”
With that, the presence of the Goddess that filled my mind vanished. She was truly off to work.
Even as the Goddess exited, the voices of Liam and Quick Eagle continued.
– “I believe PC principles should be taught in schools.”
– “Buddy, that’s a bit radical, don’t you think?”
The conversation was hardly nourishing. Since it didn’t seem like it would have much significance, I stretched out my body.
Then I spoke to Seo-yoon.
“Please go in and get some sleep. You have to work tomorrow, right?”
“What about you, oppa?”
I shook my head and looked at the mirror.
“I must keep an eye on our nuclear weapon.”
Somehow, I had a feeling tonight would be long.
*
At 3 AM, the time when everyone was asleep.
I was still gazing blankly at the ‘Blue Light of Heaven.’ I was lying sideways on the sofa.
‘Just how long are they going to drink?’
Liam and Quick Eagle were indeed throwing a drinking party. They were slurping down some strong Russian alcohol and making a ruckus.
The noise was so loud that I had to lower the sound a bit.
It was almost tantamount to noise complaints. Yet, no one came to complain. Quick Eagle’s place was a boat.
Actually, it was questionable to even call it a place. It was just a motorboat. It was quite large but hard to call it a home.
I wondered why someone lived in such a place. It seemed a bit expensive to say that the income from pretending to be a hero wasn’t quite fitting.
-“So why are you living in such a place?”
Just then, Liam asked a question that had been on my mind.
Quick Eagle gulped down his drink and replied.
-“Buddy, the strong must be lonely. For someone like me, a sanctuary with such solitude is befitting.”
I had initially expected some profound reason, but it was nothing special. It sounded like something out of a teenage angst fantasy.
‘Could he actually be young?’
He looked nearly fifty on the outside, but I suspected he was probably younger than he appeared. Both his exterior and personality were different from mine.
How much had he struggled in another world to get such a weathered appearance? I chuckled while grasping the importance of self-care at that moment.
-“Overly strong?”
Liam muttered in a puzzled tone, and after a while, he blurted out.
-“Is that really the case?”
The moment I heard that, I sprang up in surprise. It was a remark that couldn’t be ignored.
‘Why all of a sudden…’
Just now, Quick Eagle’s expression turned cold. It was due to Liam’s provocation.
I was baffled as to why he would react so suddenly. Could it be that Kim Yi-jeong, unable to resist the morning drowsiness, had fallen asleep?
I wasn’t sure what caused it, but I did know what was about to happen.
‘It would be a mess.’
– “I can’t let that slide.”
As expected, Quick Eagle, who looked younger than he appeared, couldn’t ignore Liam’s provocation and rose up abruptly, grasping a feather in his hand while aiming it at Liam.
– “Bring it on. Show me your skills.”
I gripped my fists tightly in tension.
If it came to blows, Liam would probably win. And that was the problem. The American government wouldn’t sit idle with their Returnee getting beaten up.
– “Alright, follow me to the sky.”
Of course, Liam didn’t hesitate to accept the fight.
It seemed like it was time for the Goddess’s carefully prepared alternative to come into play.
‘…It’s going to get troublesome.’
Worrying about the aftermath, I prioritized calming the both of them first.
I gathered the Sacred Power in my hands and rubbed it on the ‘Blue Light of Heaven’ slowly and gently.
As I did, the mirror expanded wide.
Soon, the gazes of both men, who had been focused on each other, turned directly towards me. Their eyes both widened in surprise.
– “Clitia?”
– “Who are you?”
I transformed the ‘Blue Light of Heaven’ into a bidirectional observation spell without being detected. Although they couldn’t physically touch each other like this, their influences could still affect one another.
Just like this.
“You both need to calm down.”
I concentrated all my Sacred Power near my chest.
Then, my chest, covered in the Holy Body, started to shimmer with an intense light that could pierce through my clothes. A vividly bright pink glow.
I focused that brilliant light at a single point and sent it forward, filled with utmost sincerity.
“Please be at peace.”
Immediately after I uttered those words, a blindingly bright pink light surged through the mirror.
In no time, the fierce determination burning in the faces of Liam and Quick Eagle transformed into gentle smiles.
Peace had arrived.
– “Haha, why were we going to fight? On such a beautiful sunny day.”
– “I guess we temporarily forgot the Goddess’s grace.”
Their conversation, surprisingly warm and gentle, seemed utterly mismatched with their appearances. It appeared to be a temporary symptom of ‘Faith Infection.’
I sighed as I absorbed the sight of the two who had calmed down in an instant.
‘I wish O Philseong could have seen this.’
It was a lethal technique I regretted not entering the game to use.
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