episode_0315

The next events after the birth ceremony were the closing ceremony and graduation ceremony.

December, the month when the year ends.

A monumental event marking the end of a semester and the departure of graduates who have spent four full years in the cradle.

Thanks to this, it is a mandatory schedule that all cadets must participate in.

– Smart

It was a busy morning with a graduation ceremony and a closing ceremony. I finished getting dressed and knocked on the door.

– Suddenly

“Huh? Mr. Hayul?”

The one who opened the door was Baek A-rin, with short, flowing blue hair.

Baek A-rin, who was blinking, was wearing a fancy cadet uniform just like me.

“Uh… Would you like to come in first?”

[Yes, excuse me]

Baek A-rin tilted her head and moved away slightly. I nodded and quickly went into the room.

A clean room without any clutter. The dressing table in particular looks messy, as if it hasn’t been prepared yet.

I need to finish up my business quickly and go back so as not to be disturbed.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

[I have something I want to give you before the vacation]

Baek A-rin, who was standing with her back to the door, had an expression on her face as if she didn’t understand English.

Without delay, I quickly took out what I had stored in the subspace.

“That’s… ”

Baek A-rin, who had been staring at the subspace with familiar eyes, opened her eyes wide when she saw me being caught in her grasp.

What he took out from the subspace was a ring… to be exact, it was a ring with several bright red jewels set into it.

[I prepared this in a hurry because you said I had to exert myself at home during the vacation]

Production began when I heard from Maxwell that a special dungeon had been discovered in the Changhae Territory.

Special dungeons are often referred to as hit-or-miss boxes.

It can be an easy dungeon to conquer and full of all sorts of treasures, but it can also be a dangerous dungeon with no rewards.

Since it’s almost vacation time, Baek A-rin also returns to her family.

It will naturally add power to the commotion that occurred in the territory, and may be linked to a special dungeon.

Special dungeons are threats that require special attention, so I did the same.

[Here, there are a lot of magic engraved, so you won’t have any inconvenience wearing it]

Finally, after observing the condition closely and confirming that there were no problems, he handed over the ring.

[In particular, the red gemstones embedded throughout the ring are filled with a lot of magical power. If you feel the need, you can activate it by putting the magic of the sea into a spell.]

It’s about putting a scare into a jewel and detonating it when necessary. At the same time, the scare doesn’t cause any damage and is focused only on ‘thawing’.

It was a difficult task even with all my fearsome nature and magical skills invested.

But eventually, I succeeded in a short period of time. Since I referred to the blueprint of the Bonghwa Sword, it worked somehow.

The materials used were also quite precious. The highest grade ruby stone that had been accumulating by receiving the energy of nature since before the Great Cataclysm, and several other auxiliary materials. They were taken out secretly from the Siyoram Vigo.

“A fire ring? How can you apply that to a magic tool… No, you’re so talented, you must have done it well.”

Baek A-rin, who secretly accepted the ring, expressed her doubts for a moment, but soon nodded her head in agreement.

“… Ahahaha. By the way, this is already the second ring. I’m having trouble deciding where to put it… Thank you.”

[That’s for practice so it’s not very effective… slurp]

– Ugh

Baek A-rin, who saw my other ring that I was already wearing, smiled brightly and hugged me tightly.

My face was buried between her large breasts. The cold had not yet melted away, so a chill rose from my skin.

But now that I didn’t feel bad about it, I hugged Baek A-rin’s waist tightly.

“Huh, it seems like hugs aren’t that exciting anymore. By the way, aren’t we going to the next stage?”

Baek A-rin, who was giggling, put strength into the arm that was wrapped around my waist.

“I’m starting to get impatient. I’m going to end up in last place. What if I can’t control my impatience and just grab it?”

A gaze like a thorn stabbed straight into my forehead. I flinched at it and hid my face deeper in my arms.

[That, that later…]

Baek A-rin makes a pouty expression at my answer.

But I can’t help it.

I want to see Baek A-rin in person, share her voice, and smell her body.

But it’s still too early.

We can’t be sure that just scaring it will completely burn it, so we have to consider other external conditions as well.

If you really think it won’t work out, you might have to wait for the moment when Baek A-rin and I become closer.

So I’m also holding on tight.

“Hmm… I believe you won’t abandon me after bringing me all the way here, so I’ll wait for now.”

As I hid my face in her arms, Baek A-rin, with her pouty expression slightly erased, buried her face in my crown.

Feeling the cool breath seeping through his hair, he tightened his arms around Baek A-rin’s waist.

[I’ll go help you too if the work is finished quickly]

“That’s a really strong statement, but shouldn’t Ha-Yul himself return safely?”

[… This time it will happen]

.

.

.

– Spring, when buds bloomed, has passed and winter, when vitality fades, has arrived.

– At the same time, it is a time of preparation for moving into spring. We survived winter by preparing for the past season, and we will survive the next year by preparing for winter.

Both events were relatively modest.

Just a few days ago, I was exhausted from the big event of the birth ceremony. It’s too early to tackle the remaining schedule.

Moreover, the fact that it was modest was only based on the standards of the city, so objectively speaking, it was grand and had no shortcomings.

The only event I properly participated in was the graduation ceremony.

Since I wasn’t the one graduating and I didn’t have any close friends among the graduating seniors, I naturally didn’t need to get involved.

The graduation ceremony ended quickly as if it wasn’t worth dragging on.

As I walked down the street in my stylish ceremonial attire, I could easily come across cadets carrying their luggage here and there.

‘Now you’re even unpacking your dorm luggage.’

The dormitory building in particular was crowded with people.

While some people were properly packing their bags before going out for a while, there were also many staff and technicians who were taking care of the dormitory in one way or another.

It looks like there will be a lot of major inspections and maintenance next year as new students are coming in.

‘Because I’m a freshman…’

When it came to freshmen, my thoughts were a little complicated.

It seems like only yesterday that I entered as a freshman, but already half of the complexity of being a sophomore is gone.

Among the freshmen, I became friends with cadets who had good potential in the original work…

‘… I think our friendship is actually wrong now.’

Friendship with the cadets. Honestly, if you asked me if I was on friendly terms with all of them, I couldn’t nod my head.

Didn’t I miss the drinking party on the 4th day of the birth anniversary because I was with Yeonhwa?

To begin with, it’s funny that I’m so proactive about making friends.

In a way, it was inevitable that I had few friends.

“Baby, you wouldn’t go into a really dangerous place without thinking, would you…?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if we went together right now?”

[negative]

“No…”

It was around the time when I was slowly packing my bags in my room after finishing the graduation ceremony.

The teacher and Professor Riana, who had been wandering around me for a while, finally hugged me tightly in their arms.

My face was buried in a thick mass of flesh, making it hard to breathe, and the fragrant scent of the body was forcibly filled my nasal cavity.

The gaze that reached Jeongsu-ri was dripping with worry and affection.

“Ugh… ”

It’s not an incomprehensible reaction.

Both of them had seen what I had been through in Shipnaha and China, so it was only natural that they would be worried.

But that doesn’t mean I can just play around and whine in your arms during the vacation…

… I want to, but in reality, that is not possible.

I shook my head, the corners of my eyes drooping in regret.

“The place you’re going now is a place that’s more dangerous than it is. If it’s dangerous for the association, the whole world is already dangerous.”

The final destination is the back entrance.

But our immediate destination is an association in the American region. There is something we need to say before we explore the back entrance.

Also, there is no guarantee that you will find the entrance on the other side.

If it seems like I’m just going to waste my time, I’ll just come back and head to Changhae’s territory.

So, it wasn’t an entirely dangerous schedule.

Even though I tried to reassure them, the anxiety did not disappear from their expressions.

Rather, it is to the point where a ray of doubt begins to creep in.

“… Didn’t you say something similar last vacation, and didn’t you end up in danger after visiting the Gaphwa family first?”

“Oops.”

Certainly, the Twin-Headed Dragon incident wasn’t that dangerous at first. It was completely ruined by variables afterwards.

The number of attempts to reassure was refuted.

Soon, I was being held in his arms and rubbed here and there.

* * *

This world is full of all kinds of strong people and huge forces.

It was inevitable, as the gap in power between individuals was so wide due to magic and abilities.

It is not impossible for hundreds of people to be massacred by the hand of a single individual, and it is certainly possible to do worse things than that if one so desires.

It is extremely difficult to control a force of dozens or hundreds of such superhumans.

But at least some of the white and gray areas, where humans have effective control, maintain a plausible society.

Among the various reasons, most people cite one group as the fundamental reason.

World Superhuman Association.

A global management group jointly founded by the Tower of Space and the Tower of Harmony.

This group, which most people call the Eolreongttang Association, plays a major role in maintaining world balance.

“Haa… ”

At the same time, of course, there is a lot of burdensome work.

The man sighed deeply as a thought occurred to him during his brief pause and leaned back in his chair.

As I raised my head, a spacious office caught my eye. Outside the window that took up one entire wall, a single cloud floating across the blue sky could be seen.

The association’s headquarters are located in Washington, D.C., United States.

This is the office of the state assemblyman, which occupies the upper floor of the association headquarters, which is easily over 1,000 meters high.

“The sky is refreshingly indifferent.”

The man who had been staring blankly at the sky, Robert Heyline, one of the association’s state representatives, rubbed his throbbing brow.

With the association’s presidents in hiding, the highest authority in the association is the state legislators.

In other words, he is no different from the highest authority in this huge group called the Association.

No matter how much the legislators check each other and no matter how much there are lower-level inspection departments, the power that the legislators can wield is enormous.

If you decide to wield it and start swinging it, you can enjoy all kinds of pleasures and luxuries.

‘The sky is refreshingly blue, it’s the kind of weather that makes you want to get off work…’

It wasn’t Robert’s fault. To be precise, even though he had power, he didn’t have the capacity to use it for personal gain.

Because it is too much to use for public good.

Profit? How could I possibly use it when I can’t even get off work properly?

Even Robert’s talk of leaving work meant heading to the bed in the small dormitory next to the office.

Even if an urgent matter arises, he must be immediately grabbed by the collar and dragged to the desk.

The office of the Assemblyman, who is one of the most powerful men in the world, is filled with only documents, books, work, and responsibilities instead of gold and wealth…

“I’m so tired today… ”

Robert, clutching his hair, lowered his head. The fatigue was melting away from his entire body and he wanted to fall into deep sleep right away.

The duties of a member of the National Assembly are many.

The types of work are too vast to describe in detail, but even the basic paperwork is murderous.

If you add in all the other important and minor tasks, it’s really not something a person should do.

If all the members of the National Assembly had not been superhumans, they would have died from overwork long ago.

I really wanted to just throw it away and enjoy some leisure and comfort…

“Haa… I feel full.”

But that really shouldn’t be the case.

The five current state legislators have something in common.

They were outstanding superhumans who were active during times of chaos, and they were people with their own honest and righteous thoughts.

Additionally, everyone was directly appointed after a rigorous selection process by the Tower Master of Tuning and the Tower Master of Space.

‘Probably, the living room that considered seclusion from the beginning and elected the state councilor.’

The tower owners are in hiding, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Thanks to this, the person leading the association now is no different from a state councilor.

In such a time when the association president is in seclusion, the power and responsibility of the assemblyman are enormous.

Robert cannot just leave his seat without permission, because if he puts an incompetent person in charge, some kind of chaos might arise.

– Hey, you who are making a good name for yourself! Would you like to be my subordinate?

“Haha.”

Robert shrugged his shoulders slightly as a pleasant memory suddenly came to mind.

Whatever it was, at that time Robert nodded his head of his own volition.

So, I couldn’t just run away when the handover wasn’t going well.

In the end, the hand that bore the marks of time and struggle held a thin and short pen.

– Congressman Robert, this is Maxwell.

“Come in.”

After calming down and concentrating on his work for a while, Robert put down his pen when he heard a voice from outside the door.

– Woohoo…

The door opened and a man in a suit entered the office. It was Maxwell, who had a sad business smile as a habit.

“It’s been a while since I’ve received a report in person. Has anything been going on?”

“Yes, I’m busy with work as usual.”

“Me too. We both have a hard time. You are especially miserable at such a young age.”

“I’m at an age where it’s embarrassing to brag about being young.”

“Hey, man. If you say that, what will I become?”

“Oh, sorry.”

After a brief greeting, Robert stared at Maxwell.

Maxwell. No surname was given.

Although he is nominally a member of the Disaster Management Department, he is actually a member of the executive branch, which is no different from the association’s secretariat.

He is also a precious being who travels around the world under the direction of the assemblyman.

“Any special reports?”

Robert asked, holding the papers weakly.

Maxwell and Robert are so busy with their work that remote reporting is common.

But, judging from the fact that he insisted on meeting me in person to report, it seems like it is a serious matter.

“Yes, I have a report to give you in person.”

As expected. Maxwell nodded inwardly and listened to Maxwell’s voice as he stamped the document.

“This is an instruction given by the authority of the Association President.”

“What?”

I tried to respond after listening to everything, but I couldn’t.

What kind of authority is this?

As Robert, who had thrown down the seal, raised his head in a hurry, Maxwell cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“An internal meeting will begin. The date and time will be in three days. Attendance is mandatory for all members of the National Assembly, and vice-members are encouraged to attend if possible.”

That’s how the story ended.

While Maxwell cleared his throat again and straightened his posture, Robert looked dumbfounded.

The instructions of the association presidents who had been silent for over a dozen years. If they had been given in advance before going into seclusion, they would have added an explanation.

In other words, it was really the association president who gave the order.

“Uhh… ”

Robert could feel his heart pounding with anticipation.

‘What has happened that has made you break your seclusion…?’

… At the same time, the waves of events and work that might come loomed.

Robert swallowed his fear.