Chapter 47 : Ambush (1)
by fnovelpia
“Are you asking for Essence?”
“We need at least that much to purify Idus. And of course, it must be of high grade or above.”
Marquis Cunningham’s expression turned to one of bewilderment.
And for good reason—Essence was no ordinary item.
It was the purest form of magical power, extremely rare even within gates, and couldn’t be obtained just by defeating a typical boss-level monster.
Moreover, the “high-grade” Essence that Choi Seo-jun was referring to couldn’t even be bought with money.
Such items were managed at a national level.
Officially, it was known that the Cunningham family did not possess any high-grade Essence.
Of course, that was just what was publicly known—in reality, they had it.
They had received two high-grade Essences as gifts from the royal family.
Yet, Choi Seo-jun had specifically pointed out the Essence that was supposedly unavailable to the Cunningham family.
“I’m afraid Essence is difficult for me to obtain as well. Instead, I can increase your payment. How about doubling it?”
Twice 40 billion won would be 80 billion won.
An astronomical amount that an ordinary individual could never even dream of.
Even for Marquis Cunningham, it was by no means a small sum.
Most people would have compromised at this point.
However.
“It has to be Essence.”
Choi Seo-jun showed no intention of negotiating.
His unexpected response made even Marquis Cunningham’s attendants stiffen.
Dozens of eyes turned to Choi Seo-jun.
It wasn’t easy to hold one’s ground under such scrutiny, yet Choi Seo-jun looked completely at ease.
Because he was the one holding the handle of the knife, not them.
“If you refuse, I’ll just take my leave.”
“…Fine.”
Choi Seo-jun, who had begun to rise from his seat, sat back down.
“But it will take some time to retrieve the Essence from the main house.”
“I understand.”
Essence was always stored in a secure location as a rule.
If its location were exposed to outside forces, there was a risk of it being stolen.
It was an anomaly that Cardinal Francis carried Essence on his person.
“Sigh… But how did you know I had Essence?”
“I’ll keep that a secret.”
“Haha, I see.”
After that, Choi Seo-jun finalized the exact time and place with Marquis Cunningham before leaving the café.
Meanwhile, at the terrace where Choi Seo-jun had left.
“Your Excellency, are you really going to hand over the Essence?”
“You saw it too, didn’t you? That man holding the cursed sword and speaking so calmly.”
“…Even seeing it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe.”
“He must have been showing off to me.”
Marquis Cunningham shook his head.
Idus was a famous cursed sword.
It bore the curse of the second sultan of the Room Sultanate.
Even for Marquis Cunningham, maintaining his sanity while holding such a sword wouldn’t be easy.
Yet Choi Seo-jun remained completely composed even while holding it.
He even leisurely admired Idus as if the sultan’s curse was nothing.
As if deliberately showing it off to Marquis Cunningham.
That was when Marquis Cunningham became convinced that Choi Seo-jun had the ability to purify Idus.
In that case, 40 billion won wasn’t too much.
If Idus could be purified, he was willing to pay not just 40 billion, but even twice that amount.
Giving up Essence was painful, but…
‘If I want to save my family, I have to endure this loss.’
No matter how precious Essence was, it wasn’t more valuable than his family.
Russian Orthodox Church, Korea Branch.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Staring at the directive from Moscow, Nikolai clutched his forehead.
Lately, he had been going through the worst period of his life.
He had willingly sold out the church’s execution priests to the South Korean government.
As a result, he had fallen out of favor with the Patriarch, but he had no choice.
If he hadn’t done it, he would have certainly been dead.
Swish, swish.
The eerie sound of scissors snipping still seemed to echo in his ears.
Ever since that incident, Nikolai had been haunted by those terrifying hallucinations.
He had lost count of how many times he had bolted awake at night, hearing the sound of scissors.
He had removed every single pair of scissors from the church.
Just seeing a pair reminded him of that woman’s eerie smile.
“There are plenty of people to negotiate with.”
“……”
Nikolai trembled.
He only prayed that there wouldn’t be another negotiation partner.
Because that would mean his death.
The problem was that Moscow was demanding “results.”
Since his failure to secure the Saint, Nikolai had accomplished nothing.
But bringing back the Saint was impossible.
So, while he was stuck in a dilemma…
News arrived that Marquis Cunningham had entered Korea with the cursed sword, Idus.
An opportunity.
‘If not the Saint, then Idus is a decent alternative.’
Idus was both a cursed sword and a sacred relic.
It had once belonged to Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the Nine Worthies and a leader of the Crusades.
Since even the Patriarch had shown interest in Idus, securing it could redeem his past failure.
Of course, stealing Idus wouldn’t be easy.
Marquis Cunningham was a high-ranking hunter with the potential to reach S-rank, and taking Idus would mean dealing with his guards as well.
But it was still a better option than targeting the Saint.
Moreover, Marquis Cunningham wasn’t just bringing Idus into Korea—he was also attempting to smuggle in Essence.
Though the marquis had never publicly disclosed this, Nikolai, who had been closely monitoring him, knew.
The Orthodox Church had a vast surveillance network in the West.
From the moment the Essence left England, it couldn’t escape the Church’s watchful eyes.
‘Going after both Idus and the Essence is impossible.’
As much as he wanted both, the Russian Orthodox Church was currently struggling to operate in Korea.
With so many execution priests exposed, the South Korean government was relentlessly hunting them down.
Regretfully, he had to choose one.
After some thought, Nikolai decided to use the Essence as bait to lure another faction.
And he didn’t even have to think about who to call.
“Contact Ambassador Wang Wei.”
“Understood.”
China.
If he offered them Essence, China would go insane trying to get their hands on it.
The Mago Festival had begun.
The park in front of the headquarters of the Dawn Constellation was packed with countless hunters, leaving no room to step.
Meanwhile, I was meeting someone inside the headquarters of the Dawn Constellation.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Sua, the guild master of the Dawn Constellation.”
The guild master of the Dawn Constellation was a slender woman with twin-tails.
“I’m Choi Seo-jun.”
Shin Sua’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Choi Seo-jun.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the famous…!”
“Guild master!”
“Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?”
At Ha Jin-woo’s remark, Shin Sua scratched her head.
She might have seemed a bit clueless, but she was not someone to be underestimated.
Many hunters had been fooled by her innocent-looking demeanor and ended up beaten to a pulp.
The Dread Star.
As her nickname suggested, she was the type to charge in without hesitation once provoked.
A woman whose fists moved faster than her words.
During the Great Gate Break Incident, she even smashed the mayor’s face when he suggested abandoning Seoul.
—”Ah, s-sorry! My hands moved on their own… Oh no!”
That line from Shin Sua became so famous that almost everyone knew about it.
Because, despite apologizing, she kept punching. Completely unintentionally.
“…Oh, I-I’m sorry. That was my mistake.”
“No problem.”
I generously accepted Shin Sua’s apology.
This seemingly careless woman was, in fact, the ultimate weapon protecting Seoul.
An S-rank reinforcement-type hunter.
She didn’t need weapons.
Her entire body was a weapon.
“Unlike some people, Hunter Seo-jun has a kind heart.”
“…Guild master.”
“What? I didn’t say anything about the First Team Leader.”
Ha Jin-woo rubbed his forehead and turned to me.
“Hunter Seo-jun, I’m sure you’re busy. Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
I was already scheduled to meet Marquis Cunningham, so I stood up.
“See you next time!”
As I left, I was sent off by the guild master, cheerfully waving her hand.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Wang Wei gazed at the park where the Mago Festival was taking place.
After his failed attempt to seize Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s helmet by forcefully entering the Noryang Gate, he was preparing a new plan.
“The Essence is definitely ours.”
“Do as you please. I only need to retrieve the holy relic.”
Watching Bishop Nikolai mention the holy relic, Wang Wei clicked his tongue internally.
Tsk, tsk. These lunatics.
Not all relics were valuable.
Some were outright burdens.
Like the cursed sword Iduz.
Anyone who wielded it lost their mind and could only swing their blade endlessly.
Wang Wei could never understand why such a thing was considered a holy relic.
Not that he cared to understand these zealots in the first place.
As long as I get the Essence, that’s all that matters.
Learning from his previous failure, Wang Wei had meticulously planned this operation.
The chances of success were high.
The Dawn Constellation’s attention was entirely focused on the festival grounds.
Meanwhile, their target, Marquis Cunningham, was in a hall far from the park.
For confirmation, Wang Wei asked,
“There aren’t any dangerous individuals inside, are there?”
“Just be cautious of Marquis Gerald and his guards. There’s no one else of concern.”
From a hill overlooking the hall, Nikolai observed the scene.
According to his assessment, the only significant figure inside was Marquis Gerald.
The rest were just low-ranking hunters.
After all, high-ranking hunters were rare at events like the Mago Festival.
The only thing that unsettled him slightly was the rumor that Dread Star had returned from the U.S.
But it didn’t matter.
She wouldn’t be able to intervene in the operation happening inside the hall.
“Let’s begin.”
Bishop Nikolai took out a stake.
—The Stake of Titus.
A relic used by the 10th Roman Emperor, Titus, to isolate the Temple of Jerusalem while persecuting the Jews.
Its effect: Complete Dimensional Isolation.
It could only be used once, but its value was unquestionable.
Nikolai drove the stake into the ground.
At the same time—
KWOOM!
A deafening sound echoed as the hall was enveloped in a hazy barrier.
“Huh?”
What’s going on?
“What’s happening?”
“Not sure.”
Inside the chamber, where I was meeting with Marquis Cunningham, I suddenly looked up as the building trembled.
An earthquake?
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