Ch.154Season 2 – To a New Place

“First of all, we’re most lacking in manpower.”

The remaining humans from the future finally began to emerge from underground.

A procession of a thousand people—merely a thousand, yet as many as a thousand.

Dorothy, the leader of the human rebels, was worried about where to evacuate these people.

Meanwhile, Leon, the First Imperial Prince, had more important matters than those humans.

“Father, we need to go to Shinan now.”

“Shinan? …Could it be the Shinan I know?”

“Yes. It used to be a regional name, but now only the name remains.”

Leon nodded at Shinwoo’s words.

“I’ve heard that in this world’s Shinan, there are many criminals imprisoned for rebelling against the Emperor.”

“…!”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to make those people join our side?”

“That’s right. Either way, they share our cause. And with our current forces, we’re not in a position to be picky.”

Leon calmly explained the current situation to Jaewon who had asked the question.

“If you’re worried about the human group, I just had an idea.”

“You had…”

“An idea?”

“Think about it. The humans living outside the Empire aren’t just the rebels from the underground village.”

“…!”

“Ah…”

That’s right.

Come to think of it, there were others.

When we first traveled 20 years into the future by time machine, we were surrounded by a group of bandits.

“We’ll take their sanctuary.”

“…!”

“That could actually work…”

“And conveniently, we now have the ‘Human-Monster Alliance’ of the rebel forces here, though they’re small in number.”

Human-Monster Alliance.

Shinwoo’s eyes lit up at those words.

Right.

My two adorable daughters from the underground village.

With the speech by Laira, Lia’s youngest daughter, and Shina, we had essentially formed an alliance here.

“Since your past self will be going to Shinan anyway, we plan to attack with a small elite force.”

“Have you already… decided on the members, Leon?”

“Yes. I’ve thought of the perfect team.”

As the underground village residents began their march toward the bandit hideout, stepping over dead monster corpses, Leon spoke after a moment.

***

Xiaoling said she could teleport them close to Shinan with her instantaneous movement ability.

However, she explained that she couldn’t send them inside the prison itself due to some special barrier.

“I’m sorry… this is the best I can do…”

“No, Ms. Xiaoling. This is already amazing—we’re practically near Seoul!”

Shinwoo kept reassuring Xiaoling who felt her help wasn’t perfect.

Meanwhile, the people who would be heading to Shinan, separated from the rebel group:

The matured Lia.

The psycho nun Kang Mirae.

His first son, Han Jaewon.

And the 24th Imperial Princess.

Yurian.

“Wait, what?! Me?”

The first three made sense—they were either from the past or bound by strong paternal love.

But Yurian, who had been somewhat awkward with the past father, couldn’t believe she was included in this group.

“Brother, am I really suitable…?”

“Are you feeling burdened?”

“What? No, it’s just…”

“Yurian. If you want, I can remove you from the team.”

Yurian wasn’t yet someone who had completely betrayed the kingdom.

She was just someone who had failed her mission and been abandoned, joining the Human-Monster Alliance “out of necessity”—perhaps a pitiful sacrifice.

Considering his sister’s circumstances, Leon offered to remove her.

But looking at Leon…

“Um… Brother Leon.”

“Yes?”

“There must be a reason why you specifically put me on that team, right?”

“Of course.”

Yurian asked about her thoughtful brother’s intentions, and as expected, Leon seemed to have something in mind.

“Something that everyone with Han Shinwoo’s blood knows. But something only you don’t know. That will be found in that adventure.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes.”

“Is that… something I really need?”

“At least I think so.”

“Why?”

“Because… if you realize it too late, you’ll end up like me.”

“…?”

To be honest, Yurian couldn’t understand what her brother was saying.

But this man was once the Emperor’s most beloved child.

The hero and villain who helped bring monsters to the surface and send humanity underground after being born to Empress Lia.

Because Yurian absolutely trusted his words:

“I understand. Then I’ll go join them.”

“…Good.”

After briefly saying goodbye to Leon, Yurian walked toward Shinwoo’s group, who were preparing to leave.

Looking at the four people turning their heads toward her:

“Let me introduce myself again. I am Yurian, the 21st Imperial Princess.”

She bowed politely.

“Yes, nice to meet you, Yurian.”

The first to acknowledge her greeting was, of course, past Shinwoo, who had been paying attention to Yurian all along.

Pat pat pat.

Shinwoo began using the “patting technique”—something all his attention-starved children loved—to gradually relax Yurian’s stiff body.

Next to receive her greeting was the now mature Lia, no longer a little kid.

“Brother, whose child is this? Who did you marry to have her?”

“Hmm, well…”

“Ah, I’m one of the children born from the Sixth Empress.”

“Sixth Empress?”

“Brother… having six wives is quite shocking…”

Riverine glanced to the side briefly as she said this, but then looked back at the two people in front of her with a bitter smile.

“Could you tell me who the Sixth Empress is?”

“Ah, that’s… a bit difficult to say. From what I know, my father from the past isn’t yet very close with my mother.”

“…I see.”

Wait, so I even slept with women I wasn’t close with?

While Shinwoo was getting used to such thoughts, he still couldn’t help but be shocked.

Seeing her brother like this, Lia felt somewhat upset despite surely being his first.

Meanwhile.

“So we’re going with this kid?”

“Huh?”

“…!”

The Vatican’s saint.

…or rather, a human-hating psychopathic nun with that setting.

Kang Mirae walked over to Shinwoo, who was being pinched from all sides, and began examining Yurian.

“Are you here to pick another fight?”

“Hey! I’m the only healer on this team. Should I just not heal you?!”

“Well, you could act a bit more proper…”

“Shut up! Do you know how hard it is to maintain a smiling face around disgusting humans every day? I keep telling you, this is my utopia! …if only the streets were cleaner.”

The two continued to bicker as always.

Kang Mirae pulled Shinwoo’s cheek, and in return, Shinwoo pulled hers.

But since Lia was also pulling him, his head was being stretched in both directions.

It looked so funny.

“Pfft!”

“…!”

Even the usually tense Yurian laughed.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry.”

“No, you look much better when you laugh, Yurian.”

“…! Yes, Emperor—no, Father…”

And finally.

Thump, thump.

“””…!”””

Would he pour cold water on the mood here too?

In the somewhat relaxed atmosphere, Sophia’s son, Han Jaewon, finally walked toward Yurian.

When he stood in front of Yurian, not only the person directly involved but also the other three people watching the atmosphere froze.

Shinwoo was especially tense.

After all, this child came to hate his siblings because of his future self.

He prepared himself to take the hit if a hand was raised.

But.

The rising hand opened wide and extended forward.

It was a gesture for a handshake.

“I’m Han Jaewon.”

“…! Ah…”

“This is the first time we’re properly greeting each other.”

“Y-yes…”

Yurian carefully took the hand of her brother who had grown up in a completely different environment.

For a moment, she prepared herself for having her arm ripped off.

But her right arm remained intact.

And all she could see was Jaewon’s smile, which seemed much lighter than before.

“Your name is Yurian, correct?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! That’s right…”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes…”

The two exchanged greetings and parted.

The three people beside Yurian were dumbfounded by this situation.

“Isn’t he… supposed to be crazy when it comes to Han Shinwoo?”

“Don’t call someone else’s son crazy…”

Smack!

“Ow! That hurts!”

“But seriously, brother. What did you do…?”

“Nothing really. If anything, Jaewon has just grown more mature.”

“Really?”

The five people who had finished their preparations.

Since Yurian had already said goodbye to her brother Leon, she was now greeting her half-sisters.

“Come to think of it, we’ve never all gathered like this before.”

“Sister Yurian. Have a safe trip.”

“Please take care of our mother.”

“It feels so strange to be together like this!”

“Hehe. I feel the same way.”

Starting with Lia’s youngest daughter Laira, then Shina and Karuna all encouraged their sister Yurian.

Meanwhile.

“Mr. Shinwoo… I’m sorry…”

“Lady Kurumi…”

The underground prison they were about to raid was a tower-like building with a very wide structure.

Since they would need to move around a lot, Kurumi, who was physically weaker as a Beast Hunter, unfortunately couldn’t join Shinwoo’s group this time.

So before they left, she hugged Shinwoo tightly to express her regret.

Then, looking up, she made a request.

“I can’t go with you this time, but next time I’ll definitely be of help.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And one more thing.”

“…?”

“How long are you going to keep calling me ‘Lady’?”

While he addressed others casually.

Shinwoo was momentarily flustered by this, but even as she said this, she was still speaking formally to him.

“Everything will be over soon anyway. So from now on, address me casually. Understand?”

“…! Yes. I’ll be back, Kurumi.”

Shinwoo decided to follow the brave clan head’s order with a bright smile.

And so, the five people stood on the white portal created by Xiaoling, about to embark on an adventure to find new allies.

“We’ll be back soon!”