episode_0042

Inside my office by the Holy See’s Netherto.

The two men, including Adjutant Ladem Seongjak, were finishing up some paperwork and having a short chat.

“Mr. Neterto? I’ve been wondering for a while, but is there a reason why you treat that child so harshly?”

“Let me just say that I’m also trying to find out the reason.”

The Holy See only gave vague answers. It seemed as if he had no intention of being honest. Accepting this, the Holy See nodded calmly.

“Yes, well, I guess there must be a reason for that. You are the brightest star of the empire, of all people.”

So, Radem Sungjak cleared up his doubts. He only asked because he was a little nervous, but he had no intention of actively taking action in the first place.

Wouldn’t it be a waste to create trouble for a brat who doesn’t even have a title?

“Oh, but I have to give you one negative piece of advice. This is something I’ve heard from experience, but it’s said that a person’s aversion to violence won’t change even if they die?”

As if an unexpected topic had caught the attention of his lord, the narrow eyes of the Holy See’s wife glanced at him.

“The son of a hunter I know was exactly like that. He had to catch something to make a living, but he was scared of killing animals or something. Whether you hit him with a whip or gently coax him, he never listened.”

“So, what happened?”

“Wow, this is another great thing. He ran away from home because he thought he would be beaten to death by his father, but he came back as a famous merchant. Anyway… The point is that even before he was beaten to death, the kid decided to run away from home instead of going hunting. He was only ten years old at the time. ”

“I see…”

Even after hearing the adjutant’s advice, there was no worry on the face of the Holy See’s Neterto. Instead, his eyes were fixed with a firm determination, as if he had made a firm decision.

“What do you think of that child’s skills?”

“Well, if you attack properly, he’ll do it whether he knows it or not… Well, at least his physical abilities are excellent, right? I wonder if he’s really that skinny guy. His growth is unbelievable.”

“If I challenge you to a duel, what do you expect the outcome to be?”

At his master’s question, Raden Castle’s breath escaped his nostrils.

“Are you talking nonsense? If you’re the kind of guy who would cower just by holding a weapon, you can take his neck off in 1 second.”

“I think it’s safe to say that there is absolutely no room to replace the existing masterpiece.”

“Of course.”

“… Okay.”

As we talked, Neterto’s determination to complete the work was completely solidified.

A boy summoned as a warrior is of no use. He will be a hindrance to a witch who has the power to destroy a country.

In the end, all we can trust is the 72 stars shining in the imperial sky.

‘If you really can’t prove your usefulness… there’s no need to endure it.’

Since last time, he had been worrying about many things. How to instill violence in a boy who was not developing at all.

Then he came to one conclusion. The reason there was no progress was because the world was still too comfortable for the boy.

Of course, that’s true. They train him to kill, but they don’t actually intend to kill him. The boy may know that, and so he just gets through each day.

Therefore, the Holy See gave its own answer.

That massive shock therapy is needed.

The time has come to shatter his comfortable daily life into pieces.

“… Send a letter to the Northern Margrave.”

“Do you have business in the North?”

“No.”

He revealed his feelings indifferently.

“It’s not me who’s going north.”

◇

January 1, 496 Imperial Calendar.

It was the New Year when Baekryeon turned exactly twenty years old.

He set foot on the North alone. The Northern Margrave, perhaps on the request of His Majesty the Count of Neterto, personally came out to greet Baekryeon and brought her into his mansion.

It wasn’t exactly welcoming.

Although she had only sent the guest in as an example, Baekryeon felt her heart pounding at the kindness she had received for the first time in a long time.

“You must have had a hard time coming alone. The railway is not connected yet, so you have to take a carriage. As for me, I wish Duke Arkaden would try a little harder.”

According to the Count, Duke Arkaden, who appeared like a supernova one day, completely changed the way of life and culture of the empire. In fact, it was so highly praised that the history of the empire was divided into before and after his appearance.

I was jealous. If I were that great, my life might have taken a different direction.

It was a world of difference from him, who had nothing to boast about other than the grandiose history of being summoned from another world.

“Do you need time to recover from the aftereffects? If not, how about having a dinner party together?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Please bring the food to my room so I can eat it alone.”

“Hmm, I see.”

In fact, the first impression that Baekryeon had of Byung-baek was not good. Not only the stuffy clothes, but the mask was the most unpleasant.

Perhaps he declined the invitation to the dinner party because he didn’t want to show his face. I wonder how ugly his appearance must be.

To put it simply, the person looked gloomy.

‘Oh, by the way, when you said you were going to send personnel to the Demon Realm, I was wondering who would come…’

A not-so-reliable man came.

What further disturbed the Count’s mind here was a very special request from the Holy See.

‘You want all the elite soldiers to be sent with Izawa to be beautiful women? Even though it is Seongjak’s request, I can’t understand his intentions.’

Even if you don’t understand, you must grant the request of the Holy See. Although their ranks are similar, the other party is the Emperor’s closest confidant who receives the Emperor’s full trust.

There’s no point in going against the grain.

‘For now, I have no choice but to do as I’m told…’

As expected, there are many excellent elites in the new kingdom, and among them, there are definitely some women with exceptional beauty.

The problem is… there are few women who would obediently carry out this blatant order among those who meet the conditions.

Therefore, the Count had no choice but to secretly summon a select few people to his office and honestly tell them the truth.

So, three people in total sat down in front of the Count, whose sense of indebtedness was evident.

“… Count?”

“Speak, Miss Aerin.”

“Let me start by saying, I’m married, right?”

“Well, um, I know.”

“Ah… yes.”

I know. I should know.

How easy would it be for a woman to be selected as an elite in a country where even men have a hard time surviving? Naturally, the personal information of such a unique person would be stored in one’s head.

“Even Jenna has a husband. Selena is the only one who is still single.”

Selena shivered as she was singled out for something different. Her transparent white hair swayed beyond the shoulders covered by the wizard’s robe.

In a scene full of resentment, the Count of Change waved his hand.

“Wait, I understand what you’re trying to say. However… I’m not specifically asking you to ‘receive’ that kind of ‘hospitality’. It only says to bring me along… Just come and inspect the demonic realm together.”

“What if he tries to harass us?”

“Withdraw immediately. I will guarantee that right under my authority.”

When the change of Count came out like this, they couldn’t refuse. They felt uneasy, but since they had obtained the safety device, they couldn’t express their dissatisfaction.

Given these conditions, it would have been nothing more than a mission to explore the Demon Realm together…

“… Okay. I’ll accept it. What are you guys going to do?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“I’ll accept it too.”

As even the most feeble Selena accepted the mission, the Count’s facial muscles slowly relaxed.

The changeling Count was quite anxious about the party that had been creaking from the start. Still, he tried to erase it from his mind, thinking that nothing could happen.

It was three days later that Baekryeon and her new companions met.

◇

April 1, 497 Imperial Calendar. The Magic Realm

On the surface, Baekryeon’s mission was to track down the worst villains who had committed crimes in the empire and fled to the Demon Realm.

He spent one year and three months in the toxic realm for that one mission. If he had been alone, something might have gone wrong, but fortunately, he had good colleagues by his side.

“Okay, the Masu meat soup is done!”

Aerin proudly declared the completion of her cooking. She was a woman with a healthy beauty, with slightly tanned skin that matched her passionate red hair.

In addition, he was a warrior who was skilled in handling spears and had nimble movements.

“Thank you for your hard work in purifying the meat, Selena.”

“No problem.”

Selena blushed at Aerin’s compliment. The color of her rosy cheeks was the same as her own red eyes, like a rabbit’s.

“Can’t you see that I’m being unrestrained?”

Jenna grumbled in a sarcastic tone. However, Eirin, who was the same age as Jenna, was busy teasing her.

“Are you jealous of your younger sibling? Let’s get along, okay?”

“Be quiet!”

“Hehehe…”

Selena let out a faint sigh as she watched her two older sisters bickering.

Despite being surrounded by the harsh environment of the Demon Realm, the atmosphere was friendly. They had overcome many hardships together and were often close friends, so it was a natural result of their deepening affection.

“Oh, I almost forgot my other brother.”

At that moment, Eirin, who felt the empty space, gestured exaggeratedly towards the young man far away.

“Hey, other brother! Stop standing guard and come here, the meal is ready!”

“… Yes! Ms. Eirin! ”

Baekryeon, whose stomach happened to be empty, reacted immediately.

He looked like he was just hanging out with the crowd.

Compared to when I stayed at the Neterto Castle, the white lotus was completely different.

He became a little more confident and his expression became much brighter.

If I had to pick one thing that had changed enough to be easily recognized, it would be the exterior.

Baekryeon no longer wore a wig, and he walked around without his gloves and mask. He roamed freely, as if he was announcing to the world that he was an immigrant.

… and, throughout all this time, I have never had blood on my hands before.

“Yeoniya, it looks delicious. Isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I guess they’re much more skilled than us.”

“Haha, is it because of experience?”

Selena whispered very quietly, knowing that her two older sisters were very sensitive to the word age.

Baekryun and Selena sitting around a campfire chatting.

It was a scene where warm air spread comfortably.

… It was a time when such a harmonious scene unfolded.

The woman, observing them like an intruder, was repeatedly clenching and shaking her fist.

It was Asher.

She is nothing but a ghost of this world,

At a distance that is burdensomely close,

With both eyes wide open,

I was watching the two people chatting away.

“Hey!!!”

Mr. Park, just…!