Part 1 Chapter 12-4

Perhaps unable to ignore the influence behind the special envoy group, despite their hasty dispatch, Russia sent S-rank Hero Rasputin to greet them.

– It’s just that such a scandal happened in Korea. If they want to bring Cheonghwa back, shouldn’t they avoid making a bad impression?

Regardless of the trouble caused by Undine, they couldn’t help but be aware of the influence behind Cheonghwa, who was in Seoul.

– My daughter is currently being slandered with all sorts of malicious rumors about fooling around with a Korean. Can you really say that now?

– It’s still uncertain whether that young man is Korean!

Regardless of Suvorov’s growling, engulfed in rage, that he would break the waist of the young man suspected to be Korean, the Russian authorities and the Association dispatched a level-headed individual to greet the hastily sent special envoy group.

“Welcome to Russia. You must have had a very difficult journey. Now, please come inside and warm yourselves. Hoo hoo hoo.”

The monk in a black robe who greeted the special envoy group at the airport had made a favorable first impression on the Koreans who had seen him before the broadcast cut off.

– So handsome….

– Look at his height. Fire Fist and Haneulseong are quite burly themselves, but they can’t even stand up to him and have to look up lol.

– Oh, I know a story about that person lololol his third leg is [bleep]

– He’s Undine’s fiancé? Aren’t they making a statement to us? Like, ‘Undine is our country’s princess, so don’t covet her’ tsk.

– Honestly, it’s true that we’re trying to take away another country’s princess….

That the S-rank ability user was, of all people, Rasputin, Undine’s chosen fiancé, held another meaning, but viewers, who could no longer witness the feast of muscles unfolding before their eyes, licked their lips in tension and regret.

– The live broadcast ends once the meeting starts? T_T

– Ah…. To have to go to work without seeing more of this hellish combination….

– Even if Old Man Pungbaek kills the writer who planned this broadcast, it’ll be considered mitigating circumstances. In my heart, that is.

The hellscape unfolded by the six men inside the airplane made many viewers stay up all night with their eyes wide open.

Thanks to this, late-night food businesses and convenience stores experienced an unexpected boom, but coincidentally, the time the special envoy group arrived in Russia and entered the meeting coincided with sunrise in Korea.

“Lee Seung-hyung-ssi, could you say a final word?”

At the request of cameraman Kim Ji-hwa, Lee Seung-hyung, looking utterly haggard, forced the corners of his mouth up and bowed his head.

“Ah, yes. ……Then, dear viewers.”

Lee Seung-hyung, who, with a single slip of the tongue, ended up gifting 200 billion won to some viewers, left his final remarks for the camera with a soulless expression.

“We apologize for not being able to continue the broadcast. We are now heading to the Vladimir family’s estate. They say it’s a no-filming zone from here on. We will turn the broadcast back on once the meeting is over. At that time, we will do our best to inform you of good results.”

Lee Seung-hyung quickly left his final remarks for the broadcast. Cameraman Kim Ji-hwa also ended the broadcast, and the special envoy group arrived at the reception room prepared in the mansion and waited for a moment.

“Everyone, don’t stand, please sit. While drinking a warm glass of water. Yes…. Did you say Fire Fist? If there’s no seat, you can come sit next to me.”

“…….”

Rasputin’s gaze, which kept looking at him, was incredibly creepy and unsettling to Lee Seung-hyung.

“Hoo hoo. Fire Fist-nim is truly a strong person. Just by looking, I feel s… *ahem ahem*.”

At Rasputin’s attitude, who smiled with his eyes every time their gazes met, Lee Seung-hyung felt like a rabbit placed before a leopard.

If he had to put it that way, he was a grizzly bear, but his opponent was a monster unafraid even when facing a grizzly bear.

“Then please wait a moment. I will go inside and speak with them.”

Rasputin opened the door to the office beyond the reception room, an office exuding killing intent. In the middle of the office, without a single speck of light, the beast-like gaze of Suvorov, the person the special envoy group now had to converse with, gleamed ominously.

“……Um, Architect-nim.”

Amidst the lingering silence, Lee Seung-hyung turned his head and tentatively began to speak.

“Is this perhaps that person’s scheme?”

Villain Phoenix was an object of overthrow and guidance for Lee Seung-hyung, but it was likely because he had orchestrated something that the Azure Syndicate’s executives were dispatched all the way to Russia.

The look in Lee Seung-hyung’s eyes as he gazed at the Azure Syndicate’s executives held the meaning, ‘There’s no way you just came to Russia for no reason, is there?’

“…….”

Architect was about to reach for a bottle of vodka piled high on the shelf but slipped back into his seat.

“That person, who?”

“That, well….”

Lee Seung-hyung glanced around. Although there were only attendants working for the Vladimir family in the room, Lee Seung-hyung sensed sharp mana emanating from them.

Flap flap.

Lee Seung-hyung cupped his hands like a bird and flapped them, and Architect, while shrugging his shoulders, secretly made a circle with his hand.

“How would I know? I’m the one this old man brought, saying he absolutely needed me.”

“Architect’s power is absolutely necessary to become a very strong allied nation, you see. Hahaha.”

“And why bother worrying about such things? Just focus on your mission. Your mission is to protect Haneulseong, isn’t it?”

Architect was grumbling, staring intently at the clinking vodka bottles on the shelf.

“Look at how he talks.”

“What good comes from praising heroes?”

As someone in a position where it was difficult to say good things about heroes, his voice was extremely sharp. Lee Seung-hyung, caught between the extreme 2:2 confrontation that had continued since they got in the car, felt his soul being drained.

It would be more comfortable if they just fought it out and decided the winner, but it was absolutely not the situation for that, and there would be no such opportunity in the future either.

“Hmm? Is there a problem?”

Rasputin, who had emerged from the office, stood behind Lee Seung-hyung and scanned the special envoy group with his eyes. Architect and Wusa, who had been locked in a tense battle of wills, turned their heads away from each other, avoiding eye contact, and only Haneulseong leisurely stood up from his seat.

“The Marshal, how…”

“Fortunately, he said he would meet you. Although no schedule has been set, given the circumstances, there’s no other choice. He doesn’t consider it rude, so you can enter without burden.”

The special envoy group glanced at the tightly closed office door. A chill ran down their spines at the feeling of a tiger opening its maw, but Haneulseong took a deep breath and turned his body towards the office.

“Then I’ll go in. What about the others…?”

“I will wait here. Ah, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a private meeting. Because the Marshal-nim wishes to meet all of you. However….”

Rasputin’s hand lightly gripped Lee Seung-hyung’s shoulder. Lee Seung-hyung was startled and tried to remove his hand, but his tension instantly melted away at Rasputin’s comfortable smile.

“Don’t worry. This is not an enemy nation. Didn’t you come here to build good relations? Your body is stiff with tension. Shall I loosen it for you?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

Rasputin leaned his upper body slightly and massaged Lee Seung-hyung’s shoulder muscles with his thumb.

“Don’t decline. How long was the flight distance you traveled from New Seoul to Moscow? When I was in the monastery, I learned acupressure techniques good for fatigue recovery from the priests…. Hoo hoo….”

Goosebumps rose on Lee Seung-hyung’s skin at the deep, gentle voice that sounded as if it could make one give birth just by listening. The other members of the special envoy group were grateful that Rasputin’s target wasn’t them.

“…….”

For everyone except Ryu Cheon-seong, who was practically the facilitator of the meeting, two choices remained.

1. Facing Suvorov, Undine’s father, an A-rank ability user exuding killing intent beyond the reception room.

2. Remaining in the reception room and having a ‘talk’ with Rasputin until the meeting between Suvorov and Haneulseong ended.

“Hoo hoo hoo.”

A chill ran down the group’s spines at Rasputin’s seductive laughter. Ryu Cheon-seong, who had become the group’s representative, placed his hand on Lee Seung-hyung’s shoulder and patted it.

“Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Huh?”

Ryu Cheon-seong, even refining his mana, moved his steps towards the office beyond the reception room, where the former Grand Marshal would be waiting. Architect and Kim Ji-hwa followed behind him.

“Then wait outside.”

“I will attend together and organize the meeting.”

The three men from the Azure Syndicate entered the tiger’s den. Lee Seung-hyung scanned his surroundings with trembling eyes.

“……We can’t just let them go in alone. Let’s go in, Old Man.”

“Indeed. Even if they’re someone you dislike, you have to protect what needs protecting. Ugh. Have a hard time.”

Pungbaek and Wusa, patting Lee Seung-hyung’s back from both sides, followed behind the Azure Syndicate executives.

“Then I’ll also-“

“You.”

Thud. Rasputin used mana to force Lee Seung-hyung, who was about to stand up, back down into his seat. The hairs on Lee Seung-hyung’s entire body stood on end at the deep, probing touch that seemed to be exploring him.

“Won’t you have a talk with me for a moment…?”

Slurp.

Rasputin moistened his lips with his tongue as if savoring a taste. The hand pressing on his shoulder was sticky, as if kneading firm shoulder muscles.

“……Yes. Understood.”

Lee Seung-hyung grabbed Rasputin’s wrist. As his opponent was subtly pressing with mana, he also drew up his own mana to remove Rasputin’s wrist from his shoulder. Then, he slowly stood up and faced Rasputin.

“Oh ho.”

“Let me introduce myself once more. I am Lee Seung-hyung, Korea’s S-rank Hero Fire Fist.”

“Then I’ll introduce myself again. I am Russia’s S-rank, Rasputin. My name is-“

“Shall we talk sitting down?”

Lee Seung-hyung politely declined Rasputin’s offer of a handshake and moved to the opposite side of the sofa and sat down.

“…Very well. Hoo hoo hoo.”

Rasputin, who repeatedly clenched and unclenched his embarrassed hand, was about to sit next to Lee Seung-hyung but, at his wary expression, raised both hands and sat opposite Lee Seung-hyung instead.

“Don’t be so wary. In my opinion,”

Rasputin leaned his upper body forward, facing Lee Seung-hyung.

“I think we could be good colleagues.”

“…….”

At that moment, Lee Seung-hyung sincerely felt the emotion of ‘disgust.’ And he instinctively knew that this feeling he had just experienced was Phoenix’s true feelings towards him.

* * *

At that time, at the Yuseong family mansion in New Seoul.

“Lee Seung-hyung is giving away the latest Yuseong Smart Watch…? Tsk, I don’t really like it, but since he’s selling dozens of units, let’s leave it be.”

Eun Yuha didn’t like the phrase ‘Lee Seung-hyung 200 Billion Won,’ which had started appearing on the search charts at some point.

“Anyone can see it’s viral marketing.”

Since she wasn’t mobilizing X-roids to increase search volume, it was clear that the Baek family was trying to promote it as propaganda for Hero Lee Seung-hyung.

“Miss Baek Heea’s work…. Tsk. Because of the customer, I’ve started saying it too.”

“What if I call her ‘Miss’? You, unniya, also always go on and on about ‘that Miss, that Miss,’ don’t you?”

Seok Harang, who had poured a lot of water into the espresso Yuha brewed to make an Americano, sipped her coffee and approached Yuha’s side.

“Where did that woman pop out from?”

“She was hiding herself because of Seonui Cheol, and came out right after he lost power. If Seonui Cheol had stayed in power, she would have been forced into a political marriage with Lee Seung-hyung, wouldn’t she?”

“Ugh.”

Harang shuddered with a face that showed she didn’t even want to think about it. Yuha tilted her head and asked.

“Aren’t you close with Fire Fist?”

“I am close, but people keep linking me with that guy, you know. Something about white and blue flames mixing to create a new sky, and so on. Ugh.”

“……Just thinking about it makes it an unpleasant comment.”

Eun Yuha took a small sip of her espresso and continued.

“Harang-ah. Do you know? Yuseong is prettiest when it shines blue.”

“Unniya. What goes best with fire? Of course, it’s water, isn’t it?”

“You’re ice, though.”

“Isn’t ice water?”

The two women, who had been as close as sisters, had now become rivals over one person. They smiled chillingly at each other, then chuckled at the same time.

“Alright. My head just hurts for no reason if I fight with you, you know.”

“I don’t want to fight with you, unniya, either. Then how about this?”

Harang stuck right next to the chair Yuha was sitting on and clung to her body.

“Unniya, want to share that guy with me?”

“……Oh my. Are you suggesting co-ownership now?”

“Think about it, you know. That guy knows all our weaknesses, doesn’t he? So, 1:1 is too much, so we fight 2:1.”

Harang showed firm resolve, as if she had made a big resolution. Yuha blinked a few times, then scanned Harang up and down once and patted her back.

“I think I could be a good ally with you.”

“Right? You looked at me with some suggestive eyes, but I’ll let that slide.”

“Okay. I get it. But you know what?”

Yuha spread all the fingers that Harang had only spread two of and smiled brightly.

“Perhaps we might have to fight 16:1 instead of 2:1, is that okay with you?”

“…….”

Harang fell into agony. And then, her face turning red, she shouted loudly.

“What is that guy doing right now! I need to talk to him face to face right now! No matter how I think about it, it can’t be 16 people!”

“His past is 16 people, and including the person he’s currently looking at, that makes 17. Ah, even if they’re his past, will they become our future?”

Yuha calculated all sorts of possibilities, folding and unfolding her fingers, and Harang huffed and puffed, changing the TV channel.

“What is the Russian broadcasting station doing! Aren’t they picking up the channel right now?!”

Local time in Russia: 1 AM.

The channel broadcast in Korea was showing a test pattern.