episode_0012

‘This is too hard…’

I looked at the scene beyond the hospital window. Thanks to the hospital room being located on a high floor, I could clearly see the winter scenery of Seoul through the window.

The trees along the streets show their bare bones, and the snow that has not yet melted on the trees catches the sunlight and presents sparkling jewels.

I love winter. They say tastes change as you get older, but my favorite season has always been winter since I was young.

I heard somewhere that the queen of seasons is spring. But I don’t really agree with that.

If you were to choose a queen, wouldn’t it be summer rather than spring?

Spring’s image is closer to that of a fresh-faced girl than to that of a queen.

summer. The sweltering heat and the deafening sound of cicadas. Because it fits the image of an overbearing and coercive villainess who finally ascends to the throne as queen and gives orders to her servants.

Rather than something like that, I like the winter of waiting for the next spring. I like waiting for the girl called spring to come back after a long time. I like the snow falling from the sky. I love the feeling of lying down in a white field and feeling the snow falling on my face. The ski resort is good and there are tangerines that can only be eaten in winter…

“…Oh my.”

I almost lost myself in contemplation again.

There are many things in this world that make people childish, but if I had to choose just two, one would be the harmonica and the other would be winter.

I think this is something that everyone who has played the harmonica can relate to.

No matter where you are, when you play the harmonica, it reminds you of some past memories, you are dominated by sick emotions in middle school, and your eyes become sore after finishing a song. It is an instrument that disperses the mental illness.

Well, this is the same for ocarina. That is why it is not for nothing that patients with depression are told to stay away from instruments such as the harmonica or ocarina.

And as I said before, winter is a season of contemplation for me.

Because I was deep in thought thinking about winter, I was so distracted that I almost got my picture taken by the paparazzi who were taking pictures of this side of the building across from me.

I used my magic power to pull the corner of the curtain and close it.

So this is all because of winter!

“I think I can get up soon.”

If I think about it calmly, it was winter and the root cause, apart from Harmonica High, was that I was so bored.

After the metabolic crisis that gave mana to the Earth, I was somehow brought to the entrance of the hospital.

I secretly drank the potion and rested for about half a day after treatment. When I was about to leave the hospital, agents from all over the world flocked to the hospital room.

Their purpose was clear without me having to think too much about it, so I pretended to lose my mind.

It was a postponement because it was clear that they would try to take me to their country. I can’t force you to take me because you’re sick.

As a result, I had to lie down all day without being able to move, so I fell into a pit of boredom and thought like a brain in a vat.

Hmm.

I feel sorry for those who came with such a serious decision, but I cannot leave Korea now.

The original work was already distorted due to my interference, but I wanted to follow the novel in its broad outlines.

In the original 『Kishi.Sen』, the Academy was located in Korea. In order to maintain that fact until 2039, when the main story begins, Korea’s crisis from the Gate incident must be alleviated as much as possible.

In fact, it is not that we have not considered establishing an academy in a powerful country such as the United States, Russia, or Germany.

I thought maybe it would be treated better than if it were set in Korea and followed the original story.

An academy that receives direct support from the U.S. government and is protected by the world’s most powerful U.S. military! Doesn’t your heart feel great just by hearing it?

However, since 『Ki.Si.Sen』 is a Korean romance novel and it is based on a Korean novel, I thought it would be better to follow the author’s intentions.

I don’t know if the author sent me to this world directly, or if some other powerful force intervened, but I’m sure he didn’t send me into a Korean novel to do good things for other countries.

‘There’s not much time left now, so should we get up soon?’

With that in mind, I got up from the bed and cleaned up, when a passing nurse saw me and started making a fuss. After a while, a doctor in a white coat and several other people burst into the room.

“You’re awake. Are you feeling well? Are there any other inconveniences?”

“The magic power in my body hasn’t stabilized yet, but it’s okay. How much was I losing my mind?”

“…About four days.”

“It’s a big deal.”

As I was having a formal question-and-answer session with the doctor, I noticed a blonde woman behind me looking at me with a stern expression. She left an impression on me because she tried to come into my hospital room on the first day. Was it part of the CIA?

When I turned my attention to her, she immediately started talking to me.

“Hello, this is Helen Burns from the CIA. It’s an honor to meet you, Northmund.”

“This is Deokjae Lee of the National Intelligence Service. Hello.”

“Okay, nice to meet you. Could you tell me a little about the current situation? How prepared is the Earth?”

“Yes, that is…”

After listening to the circumstances, it seemed like the government had worked hard to prepare. In Korea, DEFCON 1 has already been issued nationwide, entering a state of regular warfare, and all troops have come out of their garrisons and are tightly guarding each major city.

When I think about it, Deokjae Lee reports the current situation one by one, as if he were reporting to the commander-in-chief, to the point where I wonder if he can tell me everything like this even though I am still an outsider.

After listening to Helen’s words, it seemed like the United States was also fully prepared. Well, America will take care of itself.

“I see. If so, me too…”

When I raised my hand, the light coming out of my hand crackled and disappeared, making a sound like a firecracker.

“…The remaining magical power has not been properly stored yet. I never thought even basic magic like this would fail.”

Two people looking at that scene… They had some hope, but their expressions darkened when I revealed that I would not be of much help in the battle that was about to take place.

Deokjae Lee looked at me for a moment and opened his mouth as if he had decided something.

“Northmund. Please follow me. We will take you to the VIP shelter. The President and the Prime Minister are already there. A battle will break out soon, so you’d better move quickly.”

Lee Deok-jae takes out something from his shopping bag and holds it out to me.

It looked like it was a new set of clothes. Now that I think about it, the clothes I’m wearing right now have been soaked in blood due to the heart-rending performance, and the front has been discolored black over time.

The medical staff tried to remove my blood-soaked clothes and change me into a patient gown, but they failed due to the energy I gave off and they sighed and stepped away.

“Then, after changing your clothes, please come out of the hospital room. I’ll wait outside.”

With those words, Helen and Deokjae Lee open the hospital room door and disappear. From the looks of it, Helen seems to have given up on taking me to America.

Except for her, all the agents who had been filling up my hospital room until recently had disappeared. I guess they couldn’t stay here any longer because time was running out.

She still stayed until the end, so I thought she was trying to encourage me to go to America when I woke up, but I was surprised.

I picked up the clothes he brought. It was a navy blue suit.

I don’t think I ever told him my size, but the suit was cut to fit my body shape as if someone had measured it.

The pants had an oval cut in the back so I could pull out my lizard’s tail. I was slightly touched by this kind of detailed consideration.

Now that I think about it, I can actually change into a human.

Still, since I brought you clothes that fit the lizard’s body type, it would be polite to wear them.

When we put on the clothes they brought us and followed them out of the hospital, the limousine we had driven in before was waiting for us with the back door open.

As I got into the limo and sat down, I naturally saw Helen following me into the limo.

“…What are you doing, Mr. Burns? The place we are going is a confidential area in Korea.”

“Huh. I feel sorry for you, Mr. Deokjae. Is this what happens between us?”

“…We first met each other at the hospital. If you don’t take it down right away, I will force it out. Please don’t be rude in front of the VIP.”

The moment Lee Deok-jae, who had raised his voice, stretched out his hand to pull her out, she let out a loud laugh and took out something that looked like a passport from her pocket and held it out to him.

I didn’t see the contents as I held it out to him, but I saw Diplomacy written on the shell, so I guess…

“Although I belong to the CIA, I am a first-class diplomat of the United States. Did you know that in the case of American diplomats, in the event of a disaster such as a natural disaster, they can enter even confidential or secret areas of the country for the purpose of refuge? Because he is as good as an agent of the National Intelligence Service.”

“Isn’t this a certificate issued for intelligence purposes, not as an official diplomat? That much…”

“Oh my. If you don’t believe me, try contacting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although Deokjae is right, it is true that my name is on the list of dispatched diplomats. Hehehe.”

“Huh…”

Deokjae Lee makes a dumbfounded expression and looks at me as if asking for my understanding. When I nodded to indicate that I was okay, he gave me a silent bow and closed the limo door.

As soon as I heard the thudding sound of the car door closing, Helen came next to me and leaned towards me with a grin.

Is it the beauty world this time?

“I’m sorry. I’m not in a normal state yet, so I’d appreciate it if you could leave me alone.”

When I politely declined and pushed her away, she looked a little surprised, apologized, said “I’m sorry,” and sat down in the seat in front of me.

The spacious limousine’s seats are U-shaped, so the woman sitting in the front seat is looking at me.

As the car started and I felt a light vibration, she started talking to me.

“The clothes suit you really well. This may be your first time wearing a suit, but you put it on quite easily. It’s quite difficult to tie a tie for the first time. Does Grandis have a similar outfit?”

“…The law is the same wherever people live. In fact, Grandis’s clothing is much more cumbersome. There are a lot of clothes that are flashy but not practical, so clothes of this level cannot even be considered cumbersome.”

“Well, you said that Mr. Northmund was the person who was on the throne.”

She chatters away as if she wants to talk to me.

Since he pushed her away with the excuse of being sick, it seems like he wants to avoid hand-to-hand combat and somehow make her like him as much as possible.

This would be the first stage of their plan to bring me to the United States later.

But I have no intention of going to America.

Well, I was free to be mistaken, and there was no reason to push away the favor that came my way, so I responded appropriately to her words and looked at the scene outside the window.

The streets were so quiet that it was hard to believe it was Seoul. Almost no citizens had already evacuated or had taken refuge in their homes or safe areas, and the streets were filled with soldiers.

Temporarily installed concrete trenches, yellow and black barricades, and even tanks and armored vehicles positioned on major roads.

The soldiers on the streets were fully armed and their faces were full of tension.

What was surprising was that there were quite a few heavy machine guns. Each guard post in each block was equipped with at least one heavy machine gun or squad support weapon.

20mm Vulcan guns, usually used as anti-aircraft guns, were also often seen.

Surprisingly, the Ministry of National Defense seemed to have analyzed the situation in Seoul a few days ago and provided quick results and feedback.

The power of 5.56mm bullets such as K-2 or M16 cannot cause significant damage to monsters.

If so, a weapon with greater physical power is needed. All you have to do is literally tear your enemies apart with 12.7mm and 20mm bullets.

There was also a battery installed with a Browning heavy machine gun that seemed to have been taken from somewhere, although it was already retired a long time ago.

Although I am not knowledgeable about unit management tactics, I felt that the commander in chief’s judgment in deploying the military units was not as bad as I thought.

The gate through which monsters appear is not concentrated in one place, but appears in all directions, front, back, and sides.

Therefore, rather than concentrating troops in one place, it seemed like a good strategy to prepare for individual battles by spreading out a certain number of troops in all directions.

This is because the battle against monsters is a type of war in which it is difficult to form a proper front line between allies and enemies.

As I was looking around, an apartment caught my eye. A white Jugong Apartment where the walls have collapsed, possibly due to an attack by monsters, and rebars are visible.

For a moment, I remember what happened to that girl.

‘mister! It’s dangerous! Avoid it!!’

And that girl led to an earlier intervention than planned. But when I think about it now, it wasn’t a quick time at all. Rather, it was late.

I felt my heart sink as I remembered the people dying on the streets.

Intervene from the very beginning. I should have taken away the sorrow that filled that world as quickly as possible.

Death of countless people. scream. scream. flurry.

For a romance novel that sings of love, the story is quite cruel.

Of course, from the author’s point of view, it may have been written without much thought in order to create a background setting, but for us living in this time period, it is extremely cruel content.

In that case, I guess I have a duty to do it as someone who entered that era of cruelty.

“Mr. Northmund is unexpectedly sweet. I thought you were a scary person because you spoke harshly to other people. Please listen to my story carefully.”

“…Okay, I finished capturing it.”

“Hehe. So, before I came to Korea, I was with Sarah… Huh?”

I ignored her words and moved forward and knocked on the driver’s window.

A few seconds later, a window opened in the wall blocking the passenger seat and driver’s seat, and Deokjae Lee’s voice was heard.

“What’s going on?”

“Stop the car. I will join them and fight against monsters.”

“…Yeah?”

After giving a warning to Deokjae Lee, who was shocked, I opened the door of the limousine that was still running.

The cold winter wind comes inside and tickles my cheek.

“No…Mr. Northmund… please wait a moment…”

Before he could finish his sentence, I quietly uttered the magic starter word and stepped out of the moving limo.

[Fly]

When I stepped out of the limousine, my foot landed in the air and didn’t roll around unsightly.

When I saw Deokjae Lee, who had parked his car in front of me, rushing towards me, I canceled the fly spell and put my feet on the ground.

Helen also seemed surprised and was quickly approaching me.

“Finished capturing horsepower. It’s still unstable, but it can fight.”

“Mr. Northmund! You’ve just been discharged from the hospital! Let’s fight right away!”

“Agent Deokjae Lee is right! Now Mr. Northmund has had his magic organ removed, so he can’t use magic properly!”

Due to the commotion that occurred, other cars came and stopped as if surrounding us.

I guess I’m a VIP. There were a ton of cars escorting the car far away.

Black suits lined up from the stopped cars and even the surrounding soldiers showed interest and were approaching.

“You say you can’t use your magical power properly…that’s true.”

I looked at them and smiled.

they don’t know

Elm Northmund in 『Grandis Saga』 was originally a magic swordsman. Of course, he was a magic swordsman who was more inclined toward magic than swords.

The magic swordsman is a character who is treated as a so-called miscellaneous character. It is ambiguous in terms of magic and ambiguous in terms of swordsmanship. It’s a character that feels like a red mage.

But wasn’t I a dead body? I have made up for my lack of ability by investing time and cash.

Because I loved myself. Because the moment I played the game, I felt like I was Elm Northmund. If you think of it as an investment in yourself, it wasn’t a waste of money at all.

And when all the shortfalls are met, the miscellaneous character is no longer a miscellaneous character.

“But have I ever told you that this body’s ability is only magic?”

Sereung─

With the sound of sharply cutting through the wind, a huge greatsword appeared in my hand.

When you swing the great sword with a booming sound, you can hear the sound of the air being torn apart.

Helen let out a small moan at the sight. This is because every time he swung his great sword, a typhoon-like sword wind struck her.

Due to the strong wind pressure, he secretly turns his head and covers his face with the back of his hand, and his trembling legs take a step back without the owner’s permission.

How could something like this happen with just a sword?

“I am Elm Northmund. A person who has reached the pinnacle of sword and magic. So-called All Master.”

As they stretched out their arms and thrust their swords forward, a storm of sword winds rushed towards them.

A whirlwind of subversive and coercive will blows past them and rushes forward.

“This…this…”

“No way…”

Seeing their reaction, I put the sword I was swinging on my back and walked towards them.

One step, one step. As they get closer, I gradually see their faces. Astonishment. Those eyes of astonishment were directed at me.

I smiled and told them.

“If this has been proven, will you please open the way?”

And there was no one who resisted those words.