Ch.124Past Connections Are Dangerous (11)

Julian Chenwiltz, the Seven Stars of Germany.

In truth, he had a secret he had never shared with anyone else.

“…As you instructed, I’ve retreated for now, Master Tesius.”

– Well done. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario was avoided.

On that day now known to all as the Day of Change, Julian gained a special connection while facing death.

The protagonist of this connection was Tesius, a soul from another world.

‘…I thought I was certainly going to die.’

Tesius, who had crossed dimensions by coincidence.

With his help, Julian had narrowly escaped death.

Since that day, he had lived with Tesius, learning and inheriting much from him.

Now Tesius was Julian’s only master and family.

And during the recent battle, this same Tesius had told him:

Never make an enemy of Baek Eunha.

‘He’s never drawn such a clear line before.’

Clearly, Tesius had seen something extraordinary in Baek Eunha.

When Julian gave him a questioning look, Tesius, in his soul form, continued in a low voice:

– Julian, you must have vaguely sensed it too. That she is somehow different.

“Yes. I certainly felt something strange.”

– I haven’t figured everything out either, but for a brief moment, I could see it. The enormous being residing within her.

“An enormous being, you say?”

This was the first time he had used such an expression.

This was Tesius, who had dismissed cursed treasures sleeping in dungeon ruins and ancient god-soldiers who were S-rank dungeon bosses as nothing special.

Yet now, he harbored an emotion close to fear toward Baek Eunha.

This fact shocked Julian considerably.

– To be honest, I still can’t believe it. Perhaps I saw an illusion. That power is absolutely not something a mere human could possess.

“…Are you saying her abilities are that formidable?”

– I never encountered such a being even on my planet. If she were to unleash her true power, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to gradually turn this entire planet into a land of death.

This was an entirely different scale of description.

Destroying an entire planet? Julian couldn’t even begin to comprehend what level one would need to reach for such a feat to be possible.

“Then, are you saying you couldn’t defeat her even if you regained your physical form at its prime?”

– That’s right. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s a power of an entirely different nature. A being of her caliber would deserve to be worshipped as a god somewhere.

“……”

If Baek Eunha’s power truly was at that level, there was certainly a reason why Tesius had so urgently stopped the fight.

At least for Julian as he was now, it was a realm completely beyond his reach.

“However, I didn’t sense that level of power from her. She didn’t give the impression of overwhelming Ryan.”

– That part puzzles me too. She didn’t seem to be holding back, nor did she seem the type to go easy on opponents. But whatever the case, she’s not someone you want to provoke. Avoid crossing paths with her as much as possible from now on.

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

His master had never spoken idle words. So Julian resolved to maintain as friendly an attitude as possible toward Baek Eunha.

And he thought to himself:

If any unforeseen calamity related to her should occur in the future, he would protect the citizens with his life if necessary.

#

Baek Seoha’s house near Ilsandong.

Currently, more people than usual had gathered there, creating a scene of chaos.

Xavier and Yesiel, Song Hayeon and Lee Jicheol, Helena and Astride.

In addition, there were officials hastily dispatched from the Korean Hunters Association and the government.

The topic of conversation for everyone was none other than Helena and Astride.

“So, everything’s been sorted out somehow?”

“…Yes. Surprisingly, both countries have sent word that they won’t press charges for previous incidents as long as no further problems arise. I believe Seven Stars Julian’s influence played a role.”

“Why would he go that far? I don’t understand.”

It seemed I wasn’t alone in this thought, as most people present nodded in agreement.

Among them, Xavier showed the greatest puzzlement.

“I’ve encountered Julian a few times before. However, this behavior differs from the man I knew.”

“…I suppose he must have his own reasons.”

Though it bothered me, there was no point in dwelling on it now.

Having reached that conclusion, we moved on to discuss the next agenda.

“In conclusion, the foreign countries would like us, the Republic of Korea, to take responsibility for the two individuals. However, we don’t know what the two of you think about this…”

“Is there anything to consider? I’ll be wherever my teacher is.”

“…I don’t mind either. Let’s do that.”

“Th-thank you!”

It must have been a more troublesome issue than expected, as the government officials expressed their gratitude to Helena and Astride repeatedly.

Indeed, regardless of their actual relationship, just taking them in would significantly elevate Korea’s status.

Although it was an unofficial battle, these two had not only held their own against a Seven Stars member but had even gained the upper hand.

Moreover, now that we knew the truth, the means to restrain them was right before us.

Though decades had passed since we parted ways in Thebes, they still followed my words without question.

“It’s amazing, though. Who would have thought artificial dimensional travel was possible…”

“Why wouldn’t it be? That’s how I got here too.”

“Pardon?”

At those words, the vice chairman and government officials turned to me with looks of astonishment, as if hearing this for the first time.

Oh, had I not mentioned this before?

“Didn’t you return to Earth the same way as other returnees, Ms. Baek Eunha?”

“That term itself is unfamiliar to me. Where I was, there wasn’t even a hint of being sent back even after a hundred years.”

It’s truly unfair. Some people return to Earth through an automatic return system and enjoy wealth and glory, while I had to endure countless trials over an immeasurable time, only to return with various side effects.

What kind of discrimination is this?

“I see. Would it be alright to report this to our superiors?”

“Do as you please. It wasn’t particularly a secret.”

“This gives us much to think about. If what you say is true, it means there’s a possibility that someone else could cross over to Earth on their own…”

If we’re discussing possibilities, that statement is correct.

If I, Astride, and Helena could cross over, there’s no guarantee that someone from another planet couldn’t transfer to Earth.

However, the probability is extremely low. Helena expressed her opinion firmly on this matter.

“In our case, we had precise coordinates and collaborators. Dimensional travel is a very delicate field. Without a connection to this planet, one couldn’t cross over with a clear purpose.”

“That’s reassuring, but…”

At that moment, Seoha, who had been listening attentively, spoke up.

“What about dungeons? From what I understand as a layperson, this dimensional travel seems quite similar to the appearance of dungeons.”

That was a fresh perspective. However, it was something I had vaguely considered before.

Helena, who knew Seoha was my family, answered him with a somewhat gentler attitude.

“The phenomena related to dungeons are indeed interesting. Though I can’t say for certain without experiencing it, in this case, it seems the other party already has clear coordinates and a pathway to Earth, along with a purpose.”

“Are you saying the dungeon incidents are a kind of invasion by outsiders with intent?”

“I didn’t go that far. But thinking about it in the simplest terms, that’s how it appears. At the very least, it’s not a natural phenomenon.”

In the end, as many experts had claimed, the appearance of dungeons was an artificial event.

On this point, I shared Helena’s opinion.

“Well, we’re hearing several unexpected and shocking pieces of information here today.”

“If there is someone who can cause such phenomena, the total amount of power they possess must be…”

As the atmosphere grew too heavy, Helena clapped her hands to divert attention and said:

“Let’s not worry too much. Whatever it is, it’s all speculation. More importantly, I’d like everyone to leave now. We have a lot to talk about.”

“…That does seem best.”

As the topics of conversation were running out, the outsiders each bid their farewells and returned to their positions.

Each carrying thousands of complicated concerns in their minds.