The End of Bewitchment (1)
The disappearance of the Prime Minister of Cheonghae Kingdom and the General of Hongsan Kingdom.
It was like a large rock thrown into the world situation, which had been as precarious as a thin sheet of ice lately.
“The Imperial Palace has been invaded, and the Prime Minister has been kidnapped! If we sit idle now, the whole world will mock us!”
“How dare they harm our General within our own territory? This is an act that cannot happen without disregarding our Hongsan Kingdom. We must not remain passive.”
Both Cheonghae Kingdom, which failed to protect the political leader known as the Prime Minister in the very safest place—the Imperial Palace—and Hongsan Kingdom, whose symbol of national military strength, the General and his troops, suffered defeat at the hands of a single individual, both felt deeply wounded in their pride.
They couldn’t carelessly announce this incident to the outside world.
…Of course, just because they didn’t announce it didn’t mean they could hide such a significant event.
It would be reasonable to assume that everyone who needed to know already knew.
“So, who exactly is that outlaw?”
“They don’t seem like an ordinary Mage Practitioner…”
The problem was that they still hadn’t been able to pinpoint the culprit behind this incident.
They had tried to sift through their entire database based on witness information, but instead of identifying a suspect, they only found more questions.
As if the individual had fallen from the sky right before the incident occurred.
“Who is the outlaw, you ask? Isn’t it obvious?”
“Ordinary Mage Practitioners couldn’t possibly orchestrate such events. There must clearly be a backer behind all this.”
And that was the moment a strange atmosphere began to flow through the chaotic political landscape.
“Is there any place that would commit such a deed other than Hongsan Kingdom?”
“Cheonghae Kingdom. Those seal-like bastards have finally done it.”
Before long, the public sentiment began to stir, pointing fingers at the rival country as the mastermind behind the incident and calling for revenge.
What started as a claim from extremists gained subtle support and quickly transitioned into a serious discussion.
The fact that the rival country was also in a similar predicament didn’t seem to matter to them.
If anything, they could just dismiss that as a tactic to deflect blame.
“No, it’s suspicious to settle on that conclusion so easily…”
Though some felt something was off about this manufactured narrative, the momentum had long shifted towards the hardliners who had been preparing for war for quite some time.
Rather, they boldly pushed for war as if this situation was an opportunity for them.
This wasn’t merely a tale confined to the political arena.
It was as if someone had been working behind the scenes, for all kinds of slander and rumors against the rival country began to spread like wildfire among the citizens.
A tense atmosphere where it felt like war would erupt at any moment.
But the mind of the one who had directed things to unfold this way was just as complicated.
“…Tsk, I can’t believe things have come to this.”
A figure in the dark clicked their tongue.
Even after having undergone long years of training, feeling anxious in a situation that was slipping out of control was inevitable.
Originally, this unfolding was meant to be more natural and dramatic, without such forced developments as these.
‘That one I’ve been keeping an eye on isn’t making a move. Have I miscalculated?’
The name that had triggered a sense of foreboding—’Hoon’.
They did not let down their guard against that foreigner in the slightest.
The previous ambush aimed at toppling the Seongcheon Yoon Clan was not the only thing.
Assigning a deep Mage Practitioner to a relatively low-priority foreigner’s lodging and stirring the desires of those who bore a grudge against him was just the beginning.
If everything had been resolved with that incident, it would have been perfect, but they were always ready to implement contingency plans in case of unforeseen circumstances.
‘The moment he steps out like before, I had laid traps to ensnare him definitively, and I was prepared to whisk away the girl left behind…’
However, all those carefully laid operations had to be indefinitely frozen as Hoon remained cooped up without stepping even a foot outside Yoon’s clan.
Still, when they heard that he had begun interrogating the prisoners, they thought something might finally begin to change soon…
“…What the hell are those monsters?”
With eyes closed, they forcibly swallowed their boiling rage and let out a deep sigh.
Among the recent large incidents, nothing had gone according to their predictions.
The demon that turned the Imperial Palace of Cheonghae Kingdom upside down upon its debut.
And the monster that completely obliterated a whole mountain and numerous elite troops of Hongsan Kingdom.
Those two suddenly appeared figures were threats that couldn’t even be compared to Hoon, who had been on high alert.
‘I seem to have made a mistake. It looks like the warnings about the emergence of those two were mistaken for pointing toward Hoon. How coincidental that the timing matched up…’
In the end, they could only conclude that.
Who would even imagine that those three were entities derived from a single existence?
Of course, realizing that now wouldn’t change anything.
‘Now there’s no turning back. Even if I’m unprepared enough for things to go wrong, I have no choice but to get ahead of them before they do anything.’
The Prime Minister, the General, and the Black King were the highest-ranking administrators who proactively drove affairs in their respective realms.
The moment their fates fell into the hands of those unknown entities, the likelihood of success for the planned operations ahead would inevitably become uncertain.
‘No, I can’t even say I’m safe now.’
It was as if a blade was pressed against their throat.
It was now or never.
Before they could carry out their agenda using the pawn they had obtained, it was best to act first.
“…Wait, what did you say?”
Despite doing everything possible to incite a war quickly.
The fate that slipped from their hands would not smile upon them again.
“Someone has appeared at Yoon’s clan…?”
Once again, a development that deviated from their expectations.
Feeling a throbbing headache, they clenched their eyes shut.
*
The Seongcheon Yoon Clan, where countless people always came and went.
“…”
“…”
In the lobby of the guesthouse receiving visitors to the main family, an unprecedented silence hung in the air.
There were people nearby.
In fact, the crowd was dense enough to be busier than usual, but they were carefully focusing their gaze on one spot, barely even breathing.
‘Wow, this is quite the interest.’
In the center of those countless piercing gazes.
Hela, standing nonchalantly, swept her hair behind her ear with a wry smile.
“Whoa!”
“Cough cough.”
Just that ordinary gesture caused sighs to erupt from all directions.
Perhaps feeling embarrassed themselves, they quickly cleared their throats and averted their eyes, but that didn’t last long.
Unconsciously, they turned their gaze back to her, staring blankly.
“I apologize for making you wait. I am Yoon Jacob, the one in charge of this guest house. Please, this way. I will guide you inside.”
That bizarre situation only ended when the head of the guesthouse, who had rushed over after receiving a report from his subordinate, appeared in person.
Nodding, Hela followed him as he guided her inside with an air of composure.
‘I’ve walked this path many times as Hoon, but visiting as Hela feels awfully new.’
That was probably due to the reaction of those around her.
No matter how much she suppressed her magical aura, the charm she exuded was indeed capable of tilting an entire nation.
It was hardly a special event for people, regardless of gender, to be entranced and lose their senses before her.
‘It might also be because they recognize my identity.’
She glanced at Jacob, who was leading the way ahead, noting how he was so tense that the nape of his neck was already damp with cold sweat.
Visiting the Yoon clan meant encountering high-status individuals, so the position of the guesthouse head was not one to be disregarded, in order to match the stature of the guests.
But no matter how much he trained, there were limits.
It wouldn’t be easy to maintain his composure against a monster that single-handedly invaded the Imperial Palace of a nation and made a clean escape.
Let alone the ominous energy he could sense, which far surpassed that of a mere Mage Practitioner…
“Welcome to Seongcheon Yoon Clan. I am Yoon Seol-Young, serving as the Elder.”
And showing a tense demeanor was the middle-aged female elder he met after the guesthouse head led her in.
Striking a peaceable smile as befitted her rank as an elder, she was unable to escape from Hela’s keen gaze.
“Nice to meet you! You can just call me Hela.”
“Hela… you say?”
Responding with an awkward smile, Yoon Seol-Young was clearly searching for the reason behind this nuclear bomb’s presence here.
‘That feeling is completely understandable.’
Wasn’t she virtually the root cause of the political tension brewing between the two nations?
Now, the party directly involved had come to visit the main family through the front door…
They were probably holding an emergency meeting with all the heads of the Yoon clan right about now.
They were accepting the request for peaceful dialogue for the time being, but combatants secretly surrounding them outside would likely be an extension of that request.
‘But what can be done? If this is the best method to prevent war, then so be it.’
In the end, the main point asserted by the hardliners of both nations was this:
The incident that occurred in their own country was instigated by the rival nation.
So, to undermine the rationale for war, the one thing she had to do was simple.
‘I will go about this straightforwardly.’
She would step boldly into the spotlight, ensuring everyone’s attention was firmly on her.
Once Harley brought in the captured prisoners, it would become even more solidified.
The Seongcheon Yoon Clan, a perfectly neutral faction, was the best stage to showcase this.
Of course, this was a choice that couldn’t be made without confidence in her own strength.
If she stumbled, it could lead to conflict not just with Hongsan Kingdom and Cheonghae Kingdom, but also with Mage Practitioners and the Yoon clan.
It was truly an act that could turn the entire continent into an enemy, but…
‘What does it matter?’
Hela, casually crossing her legs and resting her chin, displayed a faint smile.
Would she really be concerned about such trivial issues at this point?
If they had the confidence to subjugate her through violence, they should try.
She would neither hide nor flee.
“…So what you’re saying, Hela, is that you intend to use our Seongcheon Yoon Clan as a shield?”
“Oh? It sounds a little disappointing when you put it that way. There’s a nice term called mutual cooperation.”
“That’s not something to say in this context… Hah, never mind.”
Of course, everything would attract every form of drama, so the host Yoon clan might suffer somewhat.
Perhaps suspicion could arise that the Yoon clan had been behind everything from the very start.
However, there were points to be made on their end as well.
‘If claiming to be the protector of peace, one must bear this much. Well, that’s a given.’
Ultimately, if war broke out, it was obvious that they’d be the ones to suffer the most as caught in the middle.
Considering that they were alleviating that burden, this was more than enough to be thankful for!
“Did you think we’d accept that?”
“Well, is there any other good way to prevent war? You should’ve gathered enough intel during your investigations to understand the current situation to some degree, right? It would be a bit disappointing if you lack even that ability.”
At Hela’s words, Yoon Seol-Young fell silent.
After all, she well knew that those words were the truth.
Just recently, one of the guests, ‘Hoon’, had succeeded in extracting information from the prisoners who had ambushed the Yoon clan.
What he discovered then had a remarkable similarity with Hela’s claim regarding the masterminds fomenting war.
The Prime Minister of Cheonghae Kingdom and the General of Hongsan Kingdom had also been named as culprits back then, so those words had a degree of credibility.
‘If they cannot have any intersections, then some level of objectivity will be guaranteed. However, further verification may be needed…’
Seeing Yoon Seol-Young frowning with her head in her hands, Hela softly smiled.
Given the strong similarities to the testimony of Hoon, with whom she had built some level of trust, it would be hard to dismiss it easily.
She hadn’t lied, so there was no reason to feel guilty.
‘Plus, while buying time here, there are other things to be done.’
In fact, anything they did here was merely a stalling tactic.
Ultimately, to see this all come to an end, she had to root out the mastermind behind all these events.
‘For that, I must first find a way to handle that bewitching chakra.’
One never knew who would be tempted to do something crazy at any moment.
Before their eyes turned wild, not even the victim would know who had entranced them, so touching the matter lightly would only result in a pointless mafia game with high stakes.
‘Coincidentally… had I not been a specialist in that area.’
For Hela, entrapping those whose mental barriers had weakened due to enchantment was as effortless as sleeping.
By gradually stealing control over the enchantment, there would inevitably come a moment when the threads of causation would meet the essence of the chakra.
The beginning of that plan was none other than the Seongcheon Yoon Clan.
