Part 1, Chapter 11, 20

Undine Anastasia.

He, who visited Korea for business, fell into a new world after eating pork soup with rice in Busan. Anastasia, who had always shown strong favor towards Korea, appeared in gukbap restaurants throughout Busan.

– “Who’s that blonde foreigner always with her?”

– “Dunno. Probably a bodyguard assigned by Russia.”

– “I know a lot about Russia, and there’s no handsome guy like that there lol”

– “Then is that face Korean? But they sure eat gukbap well, lol. Of course, you have to add kkakdugi soup!”

The handsome blonde young man guarding her side always followed Anastasia, blocking the pesky flies that swarmed around her. The young man took Anastasia all over Busan, speaking fluent Korean, and Anastasia’s trip to Busan became quite prolonged.

– “I’m a motel owner in Busan. Some foreign couple stayed one night and terrorized the place….”

– “I heard they’re turning accommodations into a mess these days. Be careful. The man seems to disguise himself freely, but the woman looks exactly like Undine.”

– “Turns out it’s her.”

– “Sounds like tea will be delivered from Russia lol Undine is going around banging all day in motels and-“

As there are only 12 Undines in the entire world, her eccentric behavior garnered much attention, and people grew suspicious about the existence of the handsome blonde young man acting like Undine’s boyfriend.

– “Is he really a Russian bodyguard? To me, he just looks like an Asian guy who dyed his hair blonde.”

– “I’ll bet my C-grade Core that they fell for each other in Busan and are dating lololol”

– “Ah, if tea gets delivered by parcel, I’ll know it’s you, Suvorov-nim.”

– “No, seriously, if she’s really going around banging, isn’t that crazy? A Round Table Hero is just dating in Busan for over a month, but she’s not killing the monsters appearing in Russia?”

As Undine’s trip, initially thought to be brief, became prolonged, people began searching for Undine and the unidentified blonde young man.

Naturally, the news reached the ears of the Vladimir family, and Suvorov, Undine’s father, issued an ultimatum to Undine.

– “If you don’t return within three days, I will proceed with the engagement.”

Undine did not return. Furthermore, on the third day, rumors even spread that two blonde foreigners were seen walking in a certain park near Haeundae, Busan, engaging in leash play outdoors.

As soon as Suvorov heard the rumor, he asserted that his daughter was by no means such a promiscuous woman and pushed for the engagement. The groom-to-be was Rasputin, an S-grade ability user renowned in Russia for his strong sense of justice.

The engagement between Undine and him, who was also called a monk and lived an ascetic life, made the Russian people uneasy. And Undine, with no other choice, returned to Russia and was staging a silent protest by refusing to eat.

House arrest.

Anastasia became a butterfly trapped within the cage of her mansion, with a massive, thick python flicking its tongue towards the cage.

That was the trolling of Gwanggeom and Rusalka, a couple whose actions I had not fully grasped.

I liberally sprinkled this story with enough “MSG” to Baek Heea’s liking, adapting it like Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

Though it was a scam.

***

“Undine met a young man in Busan. They instantly knew they were destined for each other and fell in love at first sight. However, the young man was just an ordinary man in his twenties who had completed his military service, and their social status difference was stark. The young man came up with a trick. He thought if he dyed his hair blonde, no one would know.”

“To dye his hair blonde for love… Such!”

Perhaps because she was a child from an influential family, Baek Heea empathized greatly with Rusalka.

“Undine asked the young man with whom she spent the first night, ‘Let’s go to Russia with me. I’ll take full responsibility.’ But the young man firmly refused. ‘Though I love you, I cannot leave this homeland.'”

“My goodness…! To think there’s still a young man with such admirable ideals!”

In truth, he was just holding out without returning to Russia, but it was true that Gwanggeom had not left Korea.

“…In the end, it was Undine who gave in. The young man took Undine around all of Busan, showing her the place he lived, and Undine was deeply moved by the young man’s pure heart. You saw the video, right? The one where he put a lot of salted shrimp in gukbap and mixed it with kkakdugi soup.”

“Even a love for Korean food! She’s from Russia, so it shouldn’t suit her palate well!”

In the first place, she’s not from a foreign country but from another world, so it’s questionable whether even Russian food would suit her palate. Of course, the original Miss Anastasia is a pure Russian, but Rusalka, who resides within her, had the experience of living as a pregnant woman in Busan with Gwanggeom for a year.

“Thus, they shared their love, but the world didn’t leave them alone. While Undine was in Korea, an arranged marriage was arranged by her main family. Undine had already become someone who couldn’t live without the young man.”

“Preventing outflow abroad through arranged marriages…. It’s a strategy we also attempted but failed at every time. I was also a target of it.”

“…….”

“Why the face?”

“It’s nothing.”

One useless piece of information was added. I felt a slight surge of emotion but continued my deception without showing it.

“So, the young man is now desperately walking all the way to Seoul, clutching at straws. He asked Cheonghwa to take him to Russia using a Black Flame Dragon.”

“To try not to receive help from the country, *groan*.”

“……You can think about that on your own. So, what is the Praetor’s esteemed opinion now?”

Baek Heea bowed her head for a moment, lost in thought. I anxiously awaited her answer while Baek Heea came to a conclusion.

“……If that young man is determined, it seems there’s no choice but to take the direct approach. Make a public declaration. ‘Undine and I are in love. Such an Undine is now held captive because of her family. I want to meet Undine again.'”

“Rely on public opinion?”

“Unfortunately, there’s no way to help. You’re talking about national assistance, aren’t you? If so, there’s no room to do anything. If the young man decides to go to Russia, the only thing I can do is help expedite the process a little.”

“Tsk.”

Even though it was an important chance to have a Round Table member immigrate through marriage, Baek Heea was afraid to bear the associated risks.

“Is it impossible after all?”

“Yes. With the emergence of ability users, the military is gaining power in Russia. The Vladimir family, Undine’s family, is at the pinnacle of that military. …And international public opinion wouldn’t be favorable either.”

“He’ll probably look like an immature fool blinded by love, right?”

“Yes. They’ll probably think it’s just a momentary fling. ……If the man goes to Russia, I’m willing to pay out of my own pocket to assign at least one bodyguard to him.”

“……I understand your intentions well.”

Baek Heea’s suggestion.

Let’s gain justification through the power of public opinion. Unlike the reckless methods of the Azure Syndicate, this was a very orthodox approach, but it was a method I found quite unappealing.

“For now, I’ll convey to that young man whether he’s prepared to save his beloved wife, even if it means starting a war with all of Russia.”

“……That sounds incredibly tragic. That young man, he was the one who appeared as an Azure Syndicate executive back then, right? How strong is he? A-grade? Is there an S-grade Korean I don’t know about?”

“…He’s not S-grade.”

He’s SS-grade. I swallowed the rest of my words, and Baek Heea clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“That’s a shame. If he were just a little stronger, we could use other methods.”

“Other methods?”

“Yes. That general, Undine’s father, who is practically the head of the military. If I recall correctly, I know he’s said things like this repeatedly, hasn’t he?”

Baek Heea searched for information and showed it to me.

“‘If you want to marry my daughter, first try to defeat me. Or achieve something that everyone else will acknowledge.'”

“Hoo.”

In that case, it’s a different story. I kept the words I heard from Baek Heea in my heart and subtly hinted to her.

“What would you do if I were to get Undine to immigrate through marriage or naturalize?”

“……Should we hold a wedding ceremony at Gwanghwamun Plaza? With the Prime Minister-nim officiating? Ah, Seoul residents could come as guests. Hmm… for symbolism, perhaps it would be better to do it in Busan?”

Baek Heea trembled as if delighted just by the thought. A shiver also ran down my spine at Baek Heea’s idea.

‘Come to think of it, we haven’t even had a wedding ceremony yet?’

It felt like it might actually happen, and I was scared.

***

Currently, I face three main problems.

1. Going to India to catch Gaetcheongwang Karna.

This was the most urgent task among the three, but after the Kim Fenrir incident, I decided to refrain from acting alone, relying solely on my own strength.

‘There’s no reason to needlessly go 1-on-1 against Karna.’

I don’t know with what intention Karna threw the cube to Seok Harang as if giving alms. But if Karna’s personality, as I know it, is still maintained, then Karna will at least not run away from India.

‘I have one day until I go to India the day after tomorrow.’

Baek Heea said she would start up the Baeknaro-ho as quickly as possible, and Eun Yuha spared no effort in supporting this both materially and spiritually. There’s still a little time left before going to India.

And the next problem. If number 1 was the urgent main quest, then number 2 was a sub-quest for strengthening an allied comrade.

2. Protecting Anastasia from Rasputin’s massive dick.

Surely Rusalka wouldn’t abandon Gwanggeom and switch to Rasputin, so I had to secure Anastasia for the peace of the Seok Harang family.

‘Other ideas will come up besides the snatching plan.’

Regarding that method, the executives of the Azure Syndicate would put their heads together and rack their brains for wisdom, and I wouldn’t be of much help in that process. More than anything, as long as I held such negative feelings towards Rasputin,

– “I think it would be fine to just kill Rasputin and kidnap Rusalka.”

…Since that thought was the first to come to mind, if I were to commit such an act, it would immediately trigger a Korea-Russia war. It seems Anastasia’s father has an immense love for his child.

Therefore, to efficiently utilize the time until the Baeknaro-ho takes off and until the Azure Syndicate finds a peaceful solution, I naturally had to solve the third problem.

The Cube.

To retrieve the Cube guarded by the Hulao Pass Locust in China, I became Phoenix and visited China.

* * *

2 PM, Beijing Hwanryongdan Secret Base.

“What brings you here this time? We haven’t yet located the whereabouts of the other executives.”

Bonghyo Baek Cheongyeong emerged from the base and greeted me. He, who regularly supplied me with S-grade Cores and assisted Hwanryong, already knew the full story of the world to some extent from me.

“Where’s Hwanryong?”

“He is currently accompanying the Son of Heaven-nim on a national tour. Since the monsters haven’t been completely subjugated, the Son of Heaven-nim is personally confronting the ones that sporadically appear and building up his strength.”

“Useless training. Tsk.”

Of all times, Hwanryong was absent. It was the worst timing, but since I had come without an appointment or prior notice, I couldn’t complain.

“Then, since I’m here, I should ask you first.”

“Yes. Please give your command.”

Fortunately, Baek Cheongyeong was someone easy to communicate with. Though he was practically a heretic, precisely because he was a heretic, he might offer opinions I hadn’t considered.

“Given that the Russian princess is in this situation….”

Unlike with Baek Heea, I briefly conveyed the situation of Gwanggeom and Rusalka *only* to Baek Cheongyeong. If the other Hwanryongdan subordinates hadn’t been present, I would have spoken more casually and given commands.

“Hmm, indeed. So that’s the situation.”

“I thought you might know something about Russia, at least.”

“I don’t know everything. But I know what I know. My opinion is this.”

Baek Cheongyeong pointed downwards with his finger, then made a chopping motion with the side of his hand.

“Even if it’s an arranged marriage, it’s still a marriage in the end. If the man can’t perform his duties as a man, the engagement will also end in disaster.”

“But the opponent is a man with the strongest ‘thing’ on Earth?”

“Heh heh, Phoenix-nim.”

Baek Cheongyeong lowered his Black Ox Fan and curled up the corners of his mouth.

“If his lower half is the problem, then let’s just castrate him! And give me his genitals. I’ll ask Hwanryong-nim to turn them into a monstrous human. And then make them a partner monster that Huksagal can breed Cores with! It’s hitting two birds with one stone: eliminating a troublesome monster and producing Cores!”

“Wow, that’s a truly insane idea.”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh and clapped.

“Perfect.”

It was truly a perfect heresy. Except for Rasputin’s genitals being cut off, it was a brilliant scheme that could perfectly break off the engagement.

“Adopted.”

“Heh heh.”

Baek Cheongyeong, it was good that I kept him alive.