Part 1 Chapter 8 (3)

Phoenix and the two executives, dismounting from the Flame Wolf, obediently followed the Praetor’s guidance down to Anyang. The path created by the Fire Dragon while chasing Lee Seung-hyung suddenly became a road, transformed into a four-lane paved road by Architect.

“Um…”

Lee Seung-hyung cautiously approached Phoenix. Phoenix, who had been acting like a delicate girl, slightly frowned upon seeing Lee Seung-hyung.

“……What is it?”

As the brusque voice came out, both Lee Seung-hyung and Phoenix were surprised.

The two executives wondered how long it had been since they started cosplaying for her true nature to already show, but fortunately, only Lee Seung-hyung and Praetor Yoo Young-ho heard it.

“Um… Have we perhaps met before?”

“…….”

Inside the limousine, Phoenix shifted her hips sideways, moving away from Lee Seung-hyung. Lee Seung-hyung, flustered that the other person might have misunderstood, waved his hands.

“Ah, no! I’m absolutely not trying to hit on you or anything! I truly feel like I’ve seen you before-“

“Fire attribute.”

Phoenix continued, casting her gaze out the window.

“Anyone with a fire attribute, I can enhance them. Whether they’re a monster or an ability user.”

“……!!”

Only then did Lee Seung-hyung realize the other person’s true identity. The incarnation of the sun, who had given him, an A-rank, the power to rise to S-rank, and whom he had longed to meet even in his dreams, was none other than Cheonghwa right before his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything to be thanked for.”

“Still, thank you. …In many ways.”

Lee Seung-hyung instinctively knew. This girl before him was the one who had saved Cheon Gaeul.

“Um… Is there anything I can do to help you, or anything-“

Although Cheon Gaeul had turned into a monstrous form for some unknown reason, it was clearly thanks to Cheonghwa that her life hadn’t been cut short. Lee Seung-hyung blushed, trying to catch Cheonghwa’s eye.

“Fire attribute…? That attribute theory? Indeed. Lee Seung-hyung and even the black goat… The reason why monsters follow… I see. Yes. That’s how it was.”

Yoo Young-ho was able to deduce Phoenix’s true nature to a certain extent, close to the truth, based solely on the fragmented information Phoenix had thrown out.

“It seems only those with the ‘fire attribute’ can be enhanced. Regardless of species.”

“That’s right. If the other person has talent, I can raise them to S-rank. …Though I do struggle a bit.”

Phoenix deliberately let the words slip, leaving room for interpretation. At Phoenix’s words, which pointed out a clear limit even in awakening talented individuals, Yoo Young-ho pondered to himself, speculating about the risks involved.

“Her own mana? Lifespan? Or perhaps memories? Such power usually comes with a great price…”

“…….”

There was no such thing. Phoenix didn’t bother to clear up Yoo Young-ho’s blunders and misunderstandings.

The moment she said, “I can awaken fire mages with no risk,” Yoo Young-ho would obviously start advocating for a 100,000 fire mage army and try to bother Phoenix.

“…I don’t know what it is, but you’ve truly gone through a lot of hardship, Cheonghwa-yang.”

“It’s nothing.”

From the moment Phoenix admitted to awakening Lee Seung-hyung to S-rank, the two executives of the Azure Syndicate immediately entered a meeting via their smartwatches.

-Why did she awaken him when he’s Cheon Gaeul’s almost-boyfriend?

-Either she didn’t know, or she fell for him. I’ll bet one B-rank Core on ‘she didn’t know’.

-Then I’ll bet two B Cores on ‘she fell for him’. It might not be that she fell for him romantically, but for his talent, right?

Snap! Yoo Young-ho snapped his fingers. The gazes of those in the limousine turned towards Yoo Young-ho.

“The SS-rank Villain, , who defeated Seok Harang. He’s an ability user you enhanced.”
“…….”
Phoenix answered by gazing into the distance. She considered correcting Yoo Young-ho’s grand misconception, but Yoo Young-ho was expounding his hypothesis with too serious an expression.
“There was someone with the talent to reach SS-rank, and you made that man an SS-rank ability user.”
Yoo Young-ho couldn’t even imagine that Cheonghwa and Phoenix were the same person.
He was quite good at inferring hypotheses ‘close’ to the correct answer, but when it came to illogical aspects judged outside his experience and common sense, he often made wild guesses.
-Common sense dictates it’s hard to believe that little kid is actually an SS-rank monster who treats human lives like insects.
-Then what do we do? Won’t she be found out during the mana test?
“Don’t worry.”
Phoenix looked around at the four men in the car and gave a single answer.
“Absolutely, that will never happen.”
“……Excuse me.”
Lee Seung-hyung apologized for the situation, as if he had drawn attention to himself.
“……Absolutely, absolutely do not think bad thoughts. Understand?”
Yoo Young-ho, lost in his own world, clung to his misunderstanding about the risks Phoenix possessed.
“…….”
“…….”
The two executives realized the meaning hidden within those words.
– If you talk nonsense, I’ll turn you into a monstrous human.
Azure Flame Phoenix.
She was a being who pretended to be a benevolent ruler in front of others, but was a rare tyrant who, whenever they had a Chinese restaurant dinner, would pour the sweet and sour pork sauce without even asking for opinions.
* * *
New Seoul.
Praetor Yoo Young-ho and S-rank Hero Fire Fist Lee Seung-hyung went all the way to Seoul to pick up Cheonghwa and bring her back.
Under the mediation of the Round Table, the Chinese government earnestly requested the removal of monsters in China, and Prime Minister Baek Se-jun was racking his brain, being tossed around by the political world that had split in half.
– Let’s trust Seok Harang and ignore China. Aren’t we a Round Table-holding nation now?
– What if we have to cross the Amnok River again? A real war could break out.
They fought day and night over the debate: ‘Should we send ability users who can suppress monsters to China?’ Baek Se-jun, caught in the middle, could do nothing.
‘Why is this happening to me?’
Seonui Cheol had merely placed someone with a moderate desire for power in the position of Prime Minister. But then Seonui Cheol suddenly quit everything, and Baek Se-jun ended up in charge of running a nation.
“Prime Minister-nim! Please say something!”
“Aren’t you the one acting as President now?!”
Key figures in the political world began to press him. With no consensus reached, they were forcing the Prime Minister to state his opinion.
“……Hmm.”
The Prime Minister intertwined his fingers and let out a groan. No matter how flustered he was, the reputation of a former six-term National Assembly member didn’t easily diminish.
“What happened with the Praetor?”
At the Prime Minister’s question, a girl seated at the far end of the conference room bowed her head. The girl with black bobbed hair seemed a bit too young to stand before these older individuals, but she was one of the Heroes representing the Association in place of Yoo Young-ho.
“The Beast Tamer readily agreed to the conditions. Association registration, domestic monster removal, and even going to China.”
A commotion arose in the conference room. As the woman in question readily agreed to the Association’s and government’s pleading requests, all previous debates turned to naught.
“……Why weren’t you saying anything?”
“Well.”
The girl frowned, as if asking ‘Why are you asking such an obvious question?’
“Because my microphone was off.”
The girl tapped the broken microphone. She was currently speaking by imbuing her voice with ‘mana’. The Prime Minister briefly lowered his head, then asked again.
“Why weren’t you saying anything?”
“Well.”
The girl pointed a finger at the stern-looking man sitting right next to her and said.
“I asked this person, but they told the ‘extra’ to shut up quietly.”
“…….”
The Prime Minister sighed, then waved a finger, giving instructions to the man.
“Contact the Chinese side.”
“……Yes.”
* * *
A moment later. Hero Association New Seoul Branch.
The limousine stopped at the main gate of the Association. Reporters and citizens who had been waiting for their arrival were blocked by a human wall formed by Heroes, welcoming those who had come from Seoul.
“It’s a real commotion.”
Phoenix greeted the people of New Seoul with a sour expression. Half of them were welcoming Phoenix, but about half were spewing all sorts of insults and curses.
“Why are they like that?”
“What else could it be? It’s because New Seoul’s housing prices have dropped.”
Phoenix scoffed at them with a scathing tone, then got out of the limousine and strode towards the entrance of the Association building.
“Huh, huh?!”
Lee Seung-hyung and Yoo Young-ho quickly followed behind Phoenix, who had gotten out of the car first and was walking ahead. Phoenix entered through the main gate without anyone’s guidance, as if she knew the layout of the Association building very well.
“Haneulseong. Is this your first time visiting the Association?”
“That’s right.”
“Then isn’t entering like that impossible unless you’re familiar with the place?”
“……Architect. There’s a fallacy in that statement.”
Ryu Cheon-seong frowned and shook his head.

“Someone familiar with the Association building implies they were at least a Hero of this land, doesn’t it? Do you think the leader was a Hero?”
“Right?”
The two, deep in thought, had to cut through the crowd and enter the Association.
“Wait, just a moment! An interview!”
“…….”
Phoenix ignored even the photo line set up at the Association entrance and went inside the building. At her outrageous behavior, Yoo Young-ho quickly shouted to the people, making excuses for Phoenix.
“Ch-Cheonghwa-yang is a girl who is very shy around strangers! She’s not used to the attention you all are showing! P-Please calm down a little!”
Lee Seung-hyung inadvertently turned Phoenix into ‘a shy girl with social anxiety’.
“Is that… so?”
“Well, she’s a country bumpkin from Seoul, so that makes sense.”
The people quickly accepted it. Phoenix, looking tense to the point of not even noticing the photo line, entered the Association building.
“Then the interview…”
“Oh! Aren’t those the heroes who saved 60,000 citizens of Seoul?!”
People’s gazes turned towards the two executives of the Azure Syndicate. Unlike the mixed feelings towards the monster controller, their public image as ‘heroes who saved Seoul’ was not bad.
“Mayor-nim! Is the monster controller such an important figure that you came all the way from Seoul yourself?!”
“Um… Your name… Ah, Ability User -nim! Is it true that you alone created underground tunnels to provide living spaces for 60,000 people?!”
The crowd swarmed towards the two executives. Haneulseong and Architect ground their teeth, looking forlornly at Phoenix’s retreating figure, which had disappeared beyond the glass door.
She ran off.
She ran away because it was bothersome.
“Please say a word!”
“What happened underground in Seoul?! How on earth were you able to survive that hellscape?!”
The human wall formed by the Heroes also began to slowly narrow. Haneulseong had no choice but to stand in front of the photo line and pick up the microphone.
“We…”
The executives had to fill the leader’s empty spot.
* * *
“They put you in that position to do this kind of work, didn’t they?”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“No, no. …….”
Phoenix scanned her surroundings and sighed inwardly. The Hero Association building was a place Phoenix had a considerable love-hate relationship with, so she wanted to leisurely look around, reliving memories for once.
‘But it was Phoenix who became the spectacle.’
Peeking, peeking.
End of the hallway. Windows. Wall cracks. On the terrace. From every part of the Association, they were watching the guest named Phoenix. From D-rank Heroes to veteran A-rank Heroes, each showed a persistent interest in Phoenix.
– Is she the one who stopped the Seoul Reclamation Operation?
– She single-handedly beat down a quarter of the nation’s forces. By controlling monsters.
– Isn’t she a child? Isn’t she too small?
“…….”
Phoenix suppressed her surging emotions and continued forward. Yoo Young-ho and Lee Seung-hyung, following behind, sensed something unusual about her movements, and that unusualness turned into a conviction that ‘Phoenix knew the layout of the Association building’.
“Have you ever been here before?”
“Yes. Before.”
The Hero Association Headquarters was a place the world’s strongest commander and dating sim protagonist used to visit whenever bored. Phoenix walked, recalling past memories, then paused in front of a certain door.
“…….”
“Ah, that’s not it. That’s an empty lounge.”
“Is that so? …….”
Phoenix’s gaze lingered on the lounge for a long time.
“I see.”
Phoenix turned her head again and walked down the hallway. Yoo Young-ho was flustered by Phoenix’s movements as she walked, looking around, but then he realized what was at the end of the direction she was heading and got goosebumps.
“……Examination room?”
The Mana Pattern Examination Room.
It was a massive hall with an enormous testing machine that determined whether a human had awakened mana, and simultaneously, a counter for registering the mana patterns of awakened ability users with the Association.
Phoenix found that examination room herself, without anyone’s guidance, and arrived at the examination room.