Chapter 29 : The Emperor Has Returned (2)

“Ancestor? What are you talking about?”

I tilted my head at Rachel’s words.

The Toulon Gate was conquered by me, Rachel, Jeanne, and the Revolutionary Army’s Carrie.

Among them, there was no one Rachel would call an ancestor.

If she meant the Revolutionary Army as ancestors, then maybe, but it didn’t seem like that was what she meant.

Should I take it to mean she’s giving glory to Napoleon in heaven?

Yes, the glory of successfully conquering the gate will be dedicated to the ancestors.

‘Was it a metaphorical expression?’

Come to think of it, I’ve seen foreigners often dedicate glory to their nation’s heroes in the sky.

Since the Toulon Gate is deeply related to Napoleon, it seemed like Rachel was referring to her ancestor in that sense.

If Napoleon knew he had such descendants, he would be very pleased.

The reporter interviewing Rachel smiled warmly at her humility.

The interview continued in this warm atmosphere.

The success at Toulon Gate is not solely an achievement of the Bonaparte family.

─ Are you saying you received help from other hunters?

─ That’s correct.

Rachel nodded at the reporter’s words and then made a bombshell statement to the camera.

I received help from a Korean.

Ha, a Korean?

The reporter stammered in shock.

The interview room erupted into chaos.

A Korean, out of nowhere?

“Hmm, so it came to this after all.”

I had a feeling this was coming.

From the moment I decided to help Rachel, I had anticipated this situation to some extent.

Though I didn’t expect her to explicitly mention the country so boldly.

However, Rachel’s bombshell didn’t end there.

I plan to visit Korea soon to express my gratitude.

The moment my gaze met Rachel’s blue eyes staring into the camera, my heart skipped a beat.

In those eyes was a pure determination to come find me.

[The Hunter who Conquered Toulon Gate is Actually Korean!?]

[Rachel Bonaparte, Descendant of Napoleon, Announces Visit to Korea to Express Gratitude…]

[Who is the Mysterious Korean Who Helped at Toulon Gate?]

[Is the Mysterious Hunter the Connector Again?]

Rachel’s interview created a massive ripple effect.

After all, a Korean who helped a French S-rank hunter conquer a gate had appeared.

And according to Rachel’s interview, they did much more than just help.

I read the full interview, and it said they even saved her life. Is that true?

ᄂ If she said it herself, it must be true.

└ Normally, I hate excessive patriotism, but this is impressive.

└ Who’s the one who helped Rachel?

ᄂ I think it’s the Connector.

ᄂᄅᄋ All of our country’s S-rank hunters were active domestically. If that’s the case, it must be the Connector.

ᄂ But I heard it wasn’t just one person?

└ Not just one? What’s that supposed to mean?

└ Rachel’s latest interview said there were two who helped her.

ᄂ Is this for real?

└ Wow, this is insane. Our country is truly a hunter powerhouse.

I awakened as a hunter this time. Congratulate me.

└ Oh, what’s your rank?

LE rank.

The community was flooded with talk about the two hunters who helped Rachel.

But since Rachel didn’t disclose any details, speculation about their identities ran rampant.

Three Rivers Guild Meeting Room in South Korea.

The Black Witch, Baek Seorin, was watching Rachel’s interview on a large screen.

If they hadn’t helped me, I would have failed to conquer the Toulon Gate.

One was Korean, and the other was French like me.

“Could it be the Connector?”

“I’m not sure due to the lack of information, but it’s definitely possible.”

The head of the intelligence team answered Baek Seorin’s question.

As he said, Rachel’s information was too limited.

She only revealed that two people helped her, one Korean and one French, but nothing more.

However, from that alone, Baek Seorin guessed that the ‘Korean’ was likely the Connector.

Only an S-rank hunter could assist another S-rank hunter.

To have saved Rachel from a crisis?

That meant the Korean was likely an S-rank Awakener.

And the only anonymous S-rank hunter suspected in Korea was the Connector.

It was just speculation, but Rachel’s actions reinforced Baek Seorin’s belief.

“She’s not coming just to express gratitude.”

“She’s coming to recruit.”

Baek Seorin nodded.

Recruiting hunters from other countries was common in the hunter industry.

It was much cheaper to scout hunters from other countries than to train one from scratch.

China and Japan frequently scouted Korean hunters by offering high salaries.

Rachel’s visit was likely for the same purpose.

And if the head of the Bonaparte family was visiting personally for recruitment, then the target was no ordinary person.

‘An S-rank, or a promising talent with the potential to become one.’

This wasn’t information to be taken lightly.

The problem was that Baek Seorin didn’t know who Rachel was targeting.

Negotiations require knowing the other party.

“It’s someone suspected to be the Connector.”

The head of the intelligence team operated the console.

A man’s face appeared on the screen.

Baek Seorin’s expression became strange when she saw the man.

“Chief Park, I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”

She looked at the head of the intelligence team with a look of disbelief.

The man on the screen.

It was Choi Jeosun.

There was no way Baek Seorin wouldn’t recognize a guild member she’d worked with for ten years since the early days of Samdocheon.

She had even tried to nurture him because of his rare job class but eventually cut him off due to his lack of ability.

And the Choi Jeosun she knew could never be the Connector.

“How could an E-rank Appraiser be the Connector?”

“The relic used by Kim Hayun to conquer the Noryang Gate was purchased from Choi Jeosun.”

“Anwi’s Sword?”

“Yes. Our team members confirmed it firsthand the day before.”

The head of the intelligence team continued.

“As you know, Anwi was General Yi Sun-shin’s right-hand man. There are only a few places in Korea where his relics could be found. The most likely location is…

“Myeongnyang Gate.”

Baek Seorin spoke.

“That’s correct. And the timing matches perfectly. Anwi’s Sword appeared right after Myeongnyang Gate was conquered.”

And the one who sold Anwi’s Sword to Kim Hayun was Choi Jeosun.

This meant that Choi Jeosun was somehow connected to the Connector.

Or he was the Connector himself.

However, Baek Seorin turned off the screen, as if there was nothing more to see.

“It must be smoke and mirrors spread by the Dawn Constellation. Investigate thoroughly. It’s not Choi Jeosun.”

While the world was buzzing about the Toulon Gate, I began expanding my store.

I felt the space was a bit too small for living with Jeanne.

I planned to look for a new house slowly.

Especially with all the scams happening these days.

During the construction, I decided to stay at my parents’ house.

The only concern was Jeanne.

My parents might not react well to her.

“What a lovely young lady! Where did you find her?”

“Welcome! Our Jeosun isn’t bothering you, is he?”

I was worried for nothing.

My parents welcomed Jeanne with open arms.

“Your name is Jeanne?”

“Come over here and have some apple.”

My dad attempted his broken English, and my mom personally peeled apples to serve Jeanne.

“Mom, what about my apple?”

“You don’t have hands? You’re a grown man, and you want your mom to peel apples for you? Go and peel them yourself.”

While they treated Jeanne like royalty, I was left out in the cold.

‘I worried for nothing.’

I laughed, realizing that my parents were exaggerating their hospitality to make Jeanne feel comfortable.

Leaving Jeanne with my parents, I stepped outside.

I opened YouTube, and all the videos were about the ‘Korean Hunter Who Saved Rachel.’

Honestly, it felt fantastic.

Hearing stories about myself everywhere made me feel like I owned the world.

But the more I heard, the more one fact became clear.

Government agencies and guilds would start searching for me.

‘I can’t keep this a secret forever.’

Even if I wanted to, it would be problematic.

I needed to deal with the byproducts from the gate, but there was no way to handle items from a high-profile gate.

The moment I tried to sell them, my identity would be exposed.

Just like how I raised Kim Hayun’s suspicion when I sold Anwi’s Sword.

At this rate, the byproducts from the gate were useless to me.

It was time to find a place that could guarantee my anonymity.

In Seoul, there was only one group with that kind of influence.

“What brings you to call me?”

“Team Leader Hayun, is it possible to be an anonymous hunter, like you mentioned before?”

It was none other than the Dawn Constellation.