Ch.270270. Hanyang (5)

After a series of events had finally concluded.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

At last, at long last, we were able to enjoy the sightseeing that was our original purpose for visiting the Kingdom of Kore.

Hanyang, the capital of the Kingdom of Kore where we were currently touring, was a city so vast that it defied comparison with ordinary cities.

To give you an idea of its scale, it was even larger than Frank City, which until now had been the largest city I’d ever experienced.

When I briefly stayed at Dongnae Port before, I recall hearing locals speak with nuances suggesting that “Hanyang is essentially the Kingdom of Kore.”

At the time, I merely thought it strange that they would speak that way in an era where local patriotism was naturally stronger than usual. But now, experiencing the situation firsthand, I understand they weren’t exaggerating.

Because, surprisingly, this city sprawled across an area comparable to the entire territory of one of the city-states in the southern Western Continent.

The southern Western Continent—comparable to modern-day Italy or the Iberian Peninsula—consists of countless small nations without any dominant hegemonic power, and among these are naturally city-states centered around a single city.

Of course, a city-state isn’t literally comprised of just one city; typically, it consists of one city and several nearby villages… that’s the standard composition of city-states in this era.

If inland, these villages would be farming communities; if coastal, fishing villages; if near ore veins, mining villages; or villages based on whatever primary industry their local resources support.

In short, this enormous city called Hanyang is essentially equal in size to the entire territory of an ordinary city-state.

Of course, Hanyang isn’t a city of ten million—a scale that would be equivalent to an entire nation’s population living in one city by this era’s standards.

After all, constructing a city and infrastructure to accommodate such a population would be impossible in this age without the magic of an ancient empire.

However… even so, a city with a population exceeding 500,000.

The fact that a number far surpassing the population of a typical great noble’s domain was gathered in a single city evoked images of a metropolis to me, who had grown accustomed to the cities of this era.

A river that divides the city in half. It’s unbelievably wide for a river flowing right next to the urban center, with waves even forming sandy beaches along its banks.

Throughout the city, there are parks that appear to have been artificially created, and most buildings are “high-rises” of five stories or more—towering by this era’s standards.

Moreover, magic-powered street lamps are placed throughout the city, and judging by the faint sound of flowing water from underground, they’ve even completed sanitation systems for water supply and sewage.

Thanks to this, the city was more “modern” than we had imagined, teeming with abundant sights and elements to attract tourists.

The most representative example would be the museums.

While museums in the Western Continent serve the purpose we commonly know, the museums in the Kingdom of Kore are more like PR rooms established by prestigious families to honor their ancestors.

Proving that the claim about museums becoming popular after their concept was introduced from the Western Continent wasn’t wrong, from the royal family to various prestigious houses, they all display and preserve their art collections and heritage.

…It’s worth noting that the Western Continent museums, which are the model for these, themselves copied Elven museums, where over 90% of the exhibits are stolen or looted goods.

Anyway, these museums might seem boring at first glance, but in this world, they include fantastical elements.

Additionally, since the Kingdom of Kore bears a suspicious resemblance to my homeland from my previous life, there was considerable enjoyment in tracing the origins of various elements.

With stories like how a ghost, presumed to be a banshee, appeared at the Chief State Councillor’s house and was exorcised with a cannon loaded with yang energy, it was impossible not to be entertained.

“Hohoho…”

As for Sophia, well, she seemed interested in this sort of thing anyway, so without me saying anything, she was already wearing her translation glasses and reading the exhibit descriptions.

Meanwhile, there was much more for us to enjoy.

For instance, in Hanyang’s bustling districts, there were street performances similar to those in modern metropolitan areas, which were refreshing and enjoyable in their own way.

From musical performances like instrumental playing and singing to magical performances, various artists were showcasing their talents on the streets.

Particularly, the artistic differences between the Eastern and Western Continents were generously and actively displayed.

Though the quality might be somewhat inferior to professional fields, they were perfectly adequate as exotic sights to encounter while touring.

The food, too, contrary to my slight concerns, was an excellent feast that fully satisfied my expectations.

A formal meal consisting of dishes that seemed similar yet subtly different from the Korean cuisine of my previous life, which I missed so dearly and was so familiar with.

Of course, without certain ingredients like red pepper powder, some dishes tasted a bit different from what I expected, but these characteristics actually provided a refreshing stimulus, which was quite pleasant.

What appeared to be a primitive form of kimchi, closer to white kimchi or water kimchi. A beef dish resembling neobiani. They served tofu pancakes and even something similar to tangpyeongchae made with seasoned green mung bean jelly.

Additionally, I greatly enjoyed creative dishes like fish dumplings made with fish skin as the wrapper and filled with salted freshwater shrimp roe, or meat dumplings using thinly sliced meat as the wrapper.

Beyond these, there were what seemed to be salt-preserved grilled fish similar to gulbi, various pickled foods, boiled octopus, and a dish of thinly shredded chicken mixed in a vinegar-based seasoning.

Each item inevitably stirred memories, allowing me to enjoy a truly pleasant mealtime after a long while.

※ ※ ※

And so, after a full day of enjoyable sightseeing in Hanyang.

“This place… has nice facilities, huh?”

“They seem to have been quite considerate in many ways.”

Sophia and I returned to the luxury accommodations that the court had thoughtfully reserved for us after our enjoyable day.

Of course, these accommodations weren’t like the hotel-style luxury lodgings of the Western Continent, but rather more like a high-end pension, if I had to describe it.

It felt like renting a small mansion with several tiled-roof houses, a small garden, and even dedicated servants and cooks, allowing us to enjoy a genuinely comfortable travel experience.

Since we had already finished dinner, all that remained was to rest and eventually fall asleep.

So, after entrusting our luggage to the servants and changing into more comfortable clothes, we moved on.

Between the tiled-roof houses that seemed to easily exceed several in number. As I was admiring the beautiful Oriental garden, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the fact that the placement of buildings everywhere was nothing short of magical.

And as we were briefly taking in the scenery of our lodgings, we were about to enter the inner quarters, which served as our bedroom and practical living space—essentially the core of our accommodations—when…

“…?”

Suddenly, I realized I was sensing a faint but distinct life response from inside.

At first, I wondered if it might be a servant attending to us or a cleaning servant, but what struck me as odd was the form this life response was taking.

No matter how I looked at it, the way this unique wavelength of life force was trying to conceal itself wasn’t something an ordinary servant could do, and decisively, the life force was close to intermediate level.

‘Sophia, did you sense it too?’

[…Yes. I felt it too.]

Therefore, we—Sophia and I—could draw a certain conclusion from sensing this intermediate life force in the inner quarters.

This was an assassin. Someone who had mastered the art of concealing themselves from various detection methods used in this world, and furthermore, specialized in killing targets using certain methods.

And assassins in particular hold an advantageous position when dealing with magic users, and even high-level mages have low chances of survival if unexpectedly stabbed in the belly with a blade.

Having confirmed the assassin’s presence, we decided to take them down before analyzing the cause and who might be behind this—

-Swoosh!

Just then! The door burst open, and a ninja clad in black clothing appeared!

‘…A ninja?’