Part 1, Chapter 5 (12)

Eun Yuha never leaves her mansion.

This is partly to solidify her image as a scoundrel, but also to minimize her own activities and focus on controlling her puppets like Eun Jaemin or the Black Market chairman.

Self-imposed house arrest.

Eun Yuha only makes an appearance at the socialite party on her birthday. Even in the original work, Eun Yuha only invited trustworthy people with whom she could speak openly to her home, revealing her true self.

Her nanny and butler who raised her since childhood. Baek Sang-woo, who is currently dispatched to Incheon but was originally from the main office. And Seok Harang, who figured out Eun Yuha’s true identity and became close with her.

I couldn’t help but be flustered when Eun Yuha, who rarely appears more than once a year, showed up directly in front of me.

“Why are you here?”

“How else would I come? You called for me, didn’t you?”

Eun Yuha tapped her smartwatch. Of course, I had called for Eun Yuha. But I didn’t mean her true self,

“You could have sent another puppet, whether it’s Eun Jaemin or the chairman, couldn’t you? I’m sure you have puppets placed in the government and the association too.”

“Of course I do. But I felt I needed to reconsider the contract with you.”

Eun Yuha brought up a screen. The destroyed Daejeon Research Complex came into view.

“…Ah, that’s Daejeon, isn’t it? It’s been noisy there these past few days, hasn’t it?”

“Why would someone who knows so much act like this? You did it, didn’t you?”

Just as I thought. A flimsy excuse wouldn’t work. Because of the 10 Heroes I’d sent in as PMC and Kang Soyeon’s presence, Eun Yuha must have already deduced the answer. I pointed at a drink with my finger.

“Can we talk while I drink?”

“Of course.”

I immediately chose a strawberry yogurt smoothie. Eun Yuha chose an Americano. Unlike a normal one, its color seemed a bit darker. I stirred the inside with a straw and answered Eun Yuha’s question.

“Yes. I had a fight with Gwanggeom.”

“Just as I thought.”

Eun Yuha took a sip of coffee and frowned. When she’s trying to calculate something, Eun Yuha subtly raises her left eyebrow.

It was a moment that absolutely shouldn’t be disturbed. I calmly waited until Eun Yuha came to a conclusion and spoke first.

Thud. The coffee was placed on the table. Eun Yuha finally spoke.

“It’s difficult to continue the contract as is. The risk is too great.”

“Why?”

I knew the reason, but I deliberately wanted to hear it from Eun Yuha herself. Eun Yuha tapped the table with her finger and spoke.

“If Gwanggeom falls, the Republic of Korea falls. Yuseong only has value because it’s a group within this country; if you look at it globally, it’s just a common chaebol. No matter how many Cores you earn for us, we cannot cooperate in destroying all of Korea. Yuseong still needs the fence of Korea.”

“So that’s the problem.”

Because the Yuseong group exists, Eun Yuha can accumulate assets. Since individual supernatural abilities also require a lot of capital, if Korea, the root of that capital, collapses, Eun Yuha and the entire Yuseong group will disappear.

A security vacuum. Someone was needed to protect the position left vacant after Gwanggeom disappeared.

“Don’t you think our Azure Syndicate can fill Gwanggeom’s void?”

“During the Imjin War, there were many righteous army commanders, but it was because Admiral Yi Sun-sin was there that the country could be protected. And your group isn’t even a righteous army; you’re a band of bandits, aren’t you? Impossible. No. We need a legitimate Hero we can put forward. Not a Villain.”

I couldn’t really deny it. Gwanggeom’s status was quite high in current Korea. Eun Yuha continued.

“The current international situation is also like that. Japan is looking for any opportunity to immediately swallow up this land if they get a chance, and China has completely established a forward base on Mount Baekdu. Russia has given up on the Far East since the Pyongyang incident.”

“In other words, if Gwanggeom falls, they’ll start a war?”

Eun Yuha nodded. Her increasingly stiff expression seemed to be grasping my true intentions.

“Client-nim. You don’t actually want a war, do you? If Gwanggeom disappears, it’ll be the start of a Sino-Japanese War. A war of conquest where the victor monopolizes the Korean Peninsula.”

“We can just stop them, can’t we?”

At my nonchalant reply, Eun Yuha fiddled with the cup with her fingers.

“Are you saying your organization’s power is stronger than the Round Table?”

“To be precise….”

I pointed at myself.

“First of all, I can kill them all. Gwanggeom, Unjang, and Jilpungek.”

“You’re full of confidence. Alright. Given the might you displayed in Daejeon, let’s concede a hundred steps and say you can kill them all.”

Eun Yuha bit her lip.

“What if China and Japan, both countries, cooperate? What if two members of the Round Table rush into different battlefields? What if you get injured fighting one, and then lose fighting the other?”

“I won’t lose, and I won’t get hurt.”

“Client-nim.”

Eun Yuha said in a firm voice.

“I’m making the gamble of a lifetime right now. If I succeed, I’ll become a magnate who controls the financial power of all of East Asia; if I fail, I’ll be a fallen chaebol of a ruined country. So, could you please approach this transaction a little more carefully? I mean…”

Eun Yuha glared at me with sharp eyes.

“Show me the basis for me to trust you and stake everything I have, everything Yuseong has. Otherwise, our deal ends today.”

“Indeed. So that’s why you came in person.”

If the giant named Gwanggeom could be buried in history, and this country could stand firm against both China and Japan, it would become the hegemon of East Asia. That is an ideal that all three countries-Korea, China, and Japan-commonly envision.

“As expected, a woman whose dream is ‘world domination’ has a different scale.”

“…People are supposed to dream big, aren’t they? I just want to put the world under my feet and manage it as I please. And make some money while I’m at it.”

“It’s sudden, but can I ask you something? Are you confident?”

Eun Yuha smiled and placed her hand on her chest.

“Client-nim. Do you think my dream is absurd?”

“……No.”

“Why not?”

She asked back. Eun Yuha was confident that I knew everything about her. I recited exactly what Eun Yuha wanted to hear.

“Because you have the ability to do so, it’s only natural to dream such a dream, isn’t it?”

“……Client-nim.”

Eun Yuha’s voice trembled.

“You didn’t happen to come from a parallel dimension, did you? Like, we were lovers there. I was only going to tell that to the person I marry. Did your gender just change when you crossed over to this world or something?”

“……Where in the world would something like that exist?”

Eun Yuha’s eyes were full of suspicion. I cleared my throat and calmed Eun Yuha down.

“This is the fifth time. It’s not the correct answer. Just know that I also have similar thoughts to you. My dream, you see, is…”

Eun Yuha focused on my voice.

“There’s only one thing: to kill the god that will destroy this world and protect this Earth. And survive myself, while I’m at it.”

“……And you naturally have the ability to do that?”

I nodded. Although it was truly an abrupt statement, Eun Yuha would deduce the truth as much as possible within the scope of what she knew. Eun Yuha moistened her throat with coffee.

“…Still, there isn’t enough evidence yet. I need to at least see my hand before I call, but with the cards I have, I’d have to bet my entire fortune just seeing one ace.”

“You need to reveal at least three cards to know if it’s a full house or a straight flush?”

“Of course. If I bet my entire fortune and it turns out to be just a pair of Aces, I’d be ruined.”

I’m conflicted. How much of my hand should I reveal?

If I turned her into a monstrous human, it would be easier on my mind, but Eun Yuha needs to conduct external activities as a human in the future. If I were to forcibly turn her into a monstrous human, Eun Yuha, out of defiance, would use her unique cunning to stab me in the back even if I gave her orders.

A woman who could be Zhuge Liang or Sima Yi.

There’s no other way. I have no choice but to talk about how to deal with the void after killing Gwanggeom.

Since she’s smart, she might even propose a better plan than mine.

What if she tries to use me?

‘Then I’ll kill her.’

“Listen carefully. My plan is…”

Eun Yuha put down the coffee she was drinking and began to listen intently.

* * *

“Ah, I’m seriously going crazy.”

Seok Harang nervously paced outside the alley, tearing at her white hair. It was just an ordinary alley in Seoul, but for some reason, she was reluctant to enter.

“So Unnie had that kind of taste?”

I understand. Eun Yuha had lived almost half her life pretending to be a man. And it wasn’t just one or two people; she had lived the lives of no less than seven individuals.

In that process, perhaps her sexual identity was shaken, or maybe she became bisexual. Eun Jaemin had quite a few flirtations with women, so there might have been a real one among them.

A chill ran down Seok Harang’s spine.

“Then maybe me too…?”

Seok Harang shook her head vigorously, denying the assumption that had popped into her mind. Fortunately, Eun Yuha’s demonic grasp hadn’t reached her yet.

“……Ugh, that’s really creepy.”

Ever since Gwanggeom, who found Seok Harang at the orphanage, volunteered to be her guardian, many people expressed interest in Seok Harang, but none of them could get together with her.

While there were things that didn’t meet Seok Harang’s own standards, whenever it seemed like something might happen, Gwanggeom would always appear like a light and block the opportunity.

All-girls middle school, all-girls high school. She virtually dedicated herself to Hero activities and only met the minimum attendance days. If the women’s universities in Seoul were still active, Gwanggeom would have unconditionally sent Seok Harang to a women’s university.

Gwanggeom was usually by Seok Harang’s side.

“I haven’t even dated once yet.”

Not a handsome man, but a beautiful woman? That can’t be.

“Right. When she comes out, I’ll reject her right away.”

Seok Harang took a deep breath. It had already been an hour.

She had been asked to stand guard outside, saying there was a secret agreement, but she didn’t want to go inside, and Eun Yuha herself didn’t want her to. However, they had agreed that if anything happened, she would be signaled immediately.

Beep. A text message arrived. Eun Yuha’s notification that the conversation was over.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Seok Harang repeated to herself. The other person was someone experiencing confusion about their sexual identity due to excessive use of their supernatural abilities. Although it would be difficult for Seok Harang to accept that love, she could at least offer words of encouragement.

Stomp, stomp.

Eun Yuha appeared from around the corner of the alley. Eun Yuha, who had maintained an iron-willed resolve and a scoundrel-like image outside, now seemed to be greatly shaken for some reason.

“…Unnie?”

Sadness, pity, mourning. The remnants of mana flowing from Eun Yuha contained profound comfort for Seok Harang.

Flash. Seok Harang squinted at the sunlight. Eun Yuha couldn’t step into the sunlight, as if she was melting into the shadows. Her shoe heel stopped at the edge of the shadow.

“Harang-ah. I’m sorry.”

“…What are you sorry for, Unnie?”

“I, I really did my best.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Let’s hurry back. People are already making a fuss.”

Eun Yuha had nothing to say to Seok Harang, who was chuckling under the sunlight. Seok Harang pulled Eun Yuha’s hand and said with a mischievous expression.

“Do you think love only exists here? There’ll definitely be someone in New Seoul who’ll love you, Unnie. Aren’t I a dating expert? If you come to Busan, I’ll introduce you to someone much prettier than the person who dumped you, Unnie.”

“What kind of dog-bone nonsense are you spouting now?”

“…Unnie, weren’t you just dumped?”

“……Don’t say strange things. Let’s go back. I’m tired.”

Eun Yuha shook off her sleeve and strode away. Tears that looked like they would fall at any moment welled up in Eun Yuha’s eyes.

Seok Harang tilted her head, yet smiled with a meaningful expression.

“She really did get dumped.”

* * *

“…Is that true?”

Eun Yuha denied it. It was a secret that even Yuseong’s intelligence, or the informants planted in the association and government, couldn’t obtain.

The person who had just laid out a shocking truth that would turn the world upside down calmly sipped their yogurt through a straw.

Their expression, as they closed their eyes and savored the taste of the yogurt, was as refreshing as if a ten-year-old blockage had been cleared.

“Whether you believe it or not, that’s your freedom, young lady. But…”

Phoenix’s hand was engulfed in flames. Soon, their arm transformed into black armor and blue flames.

“You understand the countless advantages to be gained after killing Gwanggeom, right?”

“…….Yes.”

She had weighed it countless times. The thought circuits for seven people, developed thanks to her supernatural abilities, compared the two scenarios from multiple angles. The scenario of killing Gwanggeom and colluding with Phoenix. The scenario of cutting ties with Phoenix and reaching out to Gwanggeom as things stood.

The conclusion was that Gwanggeom had to be killed. For Eun Yuha herself, for the continued existence of Yuseong and the Republic of Korea, and furthermore, for world peace.

Eun Yuha judged that it would be advantageous for her. Eun Yuha made up her mind firmly.

“…Alright. But you’ll consider my opinion, right?”

“No? I’m going to follow it exactly. Fufufu. I was just thinking about killing them, but it really was good to consult you. You’re truly an idea bank.”

“…Instead, you’ll give ‘that’ to me, right? Not as a gift, but as a consulting fee?”

“Yes. Use it as much as you like.”

The direction was set. Now, all that remained was for Eun Yuha to move the group and operate in the shadows.

The day of execution was Saturday, May 9th.

“But there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

Eun Yuha asked Phoenix, who was about to pick up her drink.

“On the day Gwanggeom is killed, why did you say to make sure Harang couldn’t wake up? Is it because she might interfere with the fight?”

Phoenix closed their mouth. Eun Yuha poured all the remaining coffee into her mouth, her throat parched.

“Seolhwa Princess…”

Phoenix opened their mouth.

“Seok Harang is Gwanggeom’s daughter.”

Drip. Coffee flowed from Eun Yuha’s lips like a waterfall.