Chapter 126: Cuckoo (1)
"That bastard Park Ji-hun lives like he's full of himself, so he's annoying. When you talk to him, you can subtly sense an elitism that's typical of a third-generation chaebol heir."
Sharp gossip echoed in a snow-white, round room.
Kim Su-ho, who had returned to his base, began badmouthing Park Ji-hun.
"Krkrk, it's so funny seeing that bastard living under the na Jang Du-sik with a gangster appearance."
It was a tone filled with petty inferiority complex.
Yet he seed genuinely delighted.
"Ah really, it was hilarious. Sister should've seen it! That guy kept blinking and said 'Park Ji-hun? I don't know' and played dumb like that—."
Above the snow-white mask, a laughing face was drawn with a split smile.
Then a knife-like sharp comnt flew from across from Kim Su-ho.
"Kim Su-ho, are you going to keep acting so pathetically?"
A woman in a leather jacket appeared between the white walls.
Below the jacket was a cropped top revealing her belly button, and below that were skinny jeans that accentuated her leg lines.
And she was even wearing sunglasses—truly a sight you'd see on Earth.
The guild master, commonly called Sister Gilma.
"Ah, sister, what's pathetic about this?"
Despite seeing her like that, Kim Su-ho played up to her.
"You're pathetic."
She pushed her sunglasses up with her middle finger and shot Kim Su-ho a sharp gaze.
She expressed deep disgust through her eyes and fingers.
"This much is okay to do, right?"
"Su-ho, do you really have no conscience? How much has Ji-hun been good to you? Huh? That's inferiority complex!"
Gilma began to scold Kim Su-ho.
"I got you a job when you lost yours, lent you money when you had no deposit for a house. And you're going to act shafully after receiving so much?"
"......Ah, I know all that, sistet! Koreans should listen to the whole sentence."
Kim Su-ho rely made excuses, claiming that's just how he talks.
He recounted his own situation—how he suffered greatly going all the way to the Empire to find Park Ji-hun, and how he had to eat crow in front of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table because of it.
And then he said.
"That bastard is shaless, but he's still a guild mber, so I should endure this much hardship for him."
Only then did sister Gilma bring up the main topic.
"How pathetic. So, how does Ji-hun's situation look to you?"
"Just fucked up. He definitely can't escape from there. There's a reason why he's living as a gangster nad Jang Du-sik."
Kim Su-ho began to recite the strongest beings surrounding the existence called Jang Du-sik.
"There's this guy nad Erik, a saint, who connects the Empire and the Astia Religious Order... You know about him, right?"
"That crazy bastard."
According to the information investigated so far, Erik was an extre existence who couldn't be reasoned with.
He solved everything through violence and deed it just.
Moreover, as a religious person, he had no hesitation in exploiting Possessor knowledge.
"Clearly Ji-hun must have had so influence on the tithing and such, but it only backfired and put shackles on him."
"That's right. I heard Erik that bastard modifies Possessors to accept Divine Power? That seed real."
"Things got complicated. Especially since Ji-hun possessed a body way before we did......"
Sister Gilma wiped her face gloomily.
"Plus, the Imperial Magic Tower Master got entangled with Ji-hun too. That tattoo on Ji-hun's body—is it real?"
"Ah, that Park Ji-hun who was extrely disgusted with rcenary thugs and tattooed delinquents had covered his entire body with magic circles shaped like interlocking arms."
"Aah."
A sorrowful voice ca from sister Gilma, and silence descended for a mont.
Once Sister Gilma had cald down, she continued.
"Since he can't undo it either, he must be staying next to Erik as Jang Du-sik."
"Right, that's probably why he built Earthtown and even did massive promotion to the community. Quite a few people in the allied nations were tempted and crossed over, aren't they?"
Park Ji-hun, in the form of Jang Du-sik, used Erik to create this structure.
This was Sister Gilma inference.
"Ji-hun is mixing the Empire and the Religious Order and trying to find his own way to survive in Earthtown."
"Sister, but... Erik isn't the problem."
"Ah, Ruelle?"
"Yeah. That was a real no-go."
"What was she like when you saw her directly?"
"Wow, she was really pretty. Despite her youthful appearance, she has such high grace? Maybe it's because of her wild eyes? She has so kind of mysterious charm?"
Kim Su-ho suddenly started complinting her appearance.
At that, Gilma pushed her sunglasses up with her middle finger again.
"Hm, hmm. Her age is aged like an elder of the Religious Order, but her actions are completely arbitrary. The Pope can't even control her!"
Only then did Kim Su-ho begin explaining Ruelle's dangerousness.
"She just recklessly charges into enemy territory and shoves a sword at the Allied Nations commander's neck... Wow, I almost shit myself watching from the side."
"The Pilgrim probably didn't get the nickna 'White Witch' for nothing."
Upon hearing up to here, Gilma's eyes beca moist.
"How much suffering must our Ji-hun have gone through next to such monsters......"
She put her sunglasses back on and turned her gaze away.
Gilma deliberately tried to hide her gloomy mood.
At that sight, Kim Su-ho muttered.
"Oh, so those two really are......"
"Hey! I told you that's really not it!"
"Ah, but didn't you sleep at your own house—"
"Sigh....... Su-ho, please stop acting so pathetically—."
"So sister, did you two really just sleep? You can be honest even though you've possessed a body—"
A mont of silence fell.
"YOU!!!!!!!!"
A cry that tore through all directions rang out.
When the situation cald down, Kim Su-ho's mask was half-torn.
"Ow, sister’s temper is—."
"It doesn't hurt anyway."
"Hehe, this is all thanks to the Chief. So what did the Chief say?"
"He approves of bringing Ji-hun. About conquering the Allied Nations, he said to consider it a bit more. Why does that bastard who's lived dozens of years after possessing a body have so much fear......"
Gilma covered her snow-white, pale face and turned her back to Kim Su-ho.
"To bring Park Ji-hun, that ticulous bastard, we need to be at a level to control an entire nation."
"Siister, will we really conquer the Allied Nations?"
"Not yet, but in the long term, yes."
The direction Gilma was looking toward was the Empire.
"Until then, we'll establish a nest in the Allied Nations and thoroughly pretend to be on the sa side."
***
[Possessor Managent Bureau]
Erik tried to sit in the Director's Office and organize his thoughts for once.
However, before he could even think, Jang Du-sik suddenly asked a heavy question.
"Brother, so what kind of guy is this Kim Su-ho bastard? He seed to know sothing."
Erik pondered for a mont.
How much could he tell Du-sik?
'Du-sik is soone who ends his ga when it cos to godly matters.'
If he told him to keep quiet, Du-sik would maintain strict silence.
Of course, he would recite things like "Brother told to keep it secret."
'But still, I feel more comfortable with him than with others.'
Given that his mind was complicated, he actually needed soone to confide in.
Erik gave an honest, straightforward answer.
"That bastard is a typical woman-crazy lunatic full of bluster."
"Woman-crazy?"
"It ans a bastard obsessed with won."
"Like Nishida Ryo? That guy also used to stare at Kang Ji-na in the Labyrinth with sinister eyes. Every ti he did, I'd beat him up, and even while getting beaten, he'd keep grinning."
"That's right. Kim Su-ho is just like Nishida Ryo."
Erik laughed dryly, recalling Kim Su-ho.
'That bastard who used to hit on sister Gilma.'
As if that weren't enough, every ti they did raids, he would brag to female guild mbers that he was a wealthy executive working at a famous Arican company.
'And it was a position I got for him too.'
Despite all that, he was a crazy bastard who regarded Erik as a rival and harbored jealousy and envy.
Erik explained about Kim Su-ho while appropriately hiding so things.
"Really, there was such a petty bastard?"
"Yeah, he's not just narrow-minded, he's downright small-minded."
"Then why is brother paying so much attention to him?"
Jang Du-sik tilted his head.
'If it were up to his usual self, brother would've cut his neck off.'
Or he wouldn't have cared at all.
Yet he's showing such excessive interest...
Jang Du-sik was very curious about the reason.
"Du-sik, why did you save Nishida back in the Labyrinth?"
"That sense of loyalty...... Huh. Was it for that reason?"
Erik convinced Jang Du-sik on the spot.
Since Du-sik was soone who lived and died for loyalty, 'a sense of loyalty of his own' was a sufficient answer.
'After all, there's the feelings exchanged through the keyboard.'
It was actually true as well.
Though he gave Du-sik a rough explanation, the most important reason was different.
'Gilma is the problem.'
Wasn't she his benefactor and soone with whom he had deep actual ties?
The fact that she was with Kim Su-ho provided so reassurance.
But the problem lay in the faction they had established.
"Especially since they're stuck with a Necromancer."
Erik's eyes narrowed.
His head was complicated because he had confird the danger of Necromancers.
Upon investigation, in reality, summoned creatures could be reinforced.
They seed to be treated as items, and it seed possible to create strange summoned creatures like Chiras.
Actually, that wasn't even the biggest problem.
The bigger problem was...
'That summoned creatures can be controlled by other Possessors.'
The Necromancer's third-class advancent skill, [Wraith Spirit].
A skill with the premise of transferring consciousness into summoned creatures.
This allowed players in the sa raid group to control the Necromancer's summoned creatures.
'Since they have no souls, they're not caught by Divine Power.'
In other words, in reality, Possessors could change bodies using skills and operate freely.
Erik explained up to this point to Jang Du-sik.
"Huh...... So that's why the Third Prince—."
The Third Prince's age at the ti of death was exactly twenty.
If that were the case, it ant the original Necromancer had already completed research on creating physical bodies more than 20 years ago.
"There are probably more Possessors impossible to detect."
"But I don't understand why the Third Prince, who's been dead for so long, is getting entangled now."
Erik added a few more explanations to that.
"The Emperor confined the Second Empress and ransacked her original palace, and suspicious things were found there, or so I heard."
"What were they?"
"Things resembling the human body precisely. They seem modular, but no matter how much experintation they've done, they don't work."
However, Erik already knew the answer before even examining those items.
'They must be profession-exclusive items.'
Just like the 'Paladin-exclusive shop' where he purchased Sacred Relics, such things exist for each profession.
So those items must be exclusive items of the Necromancer class.
And those bastards would be able to utilize them through skills.
As the conversation continued to this point.
―Knock knock!
[Cha Ye-rin: ???? The Prince is a cuckoo? Is that really true?]
A guild chat ca to Ruelle.
Erik smiled and sent a reply back.
As they exchanged ssages briefly.
"Smiling and grinning. Is it that funny?"
"Why ask sothing obvious?"
Erik explained to Jang Du-sik the convenience of ssaging as well.
There are large-scale slaughter magics like teor or Hellfire, but real-ti remote communication magic doesn't exist.
It's only possible using giant crystal orbs at best.
"Right, no matter what you try with magical waves, people like brother or sister Ruelle wouldn't receive magical signals anyway."
"That's why Possessors are useful."
Suddenly, Jang Du-sik had a question.
"But then, the Possessor playing the role of a smartphone would also learn this fact, right? This is top secret of top secrets, the Empire's sha, no?"
"Ah, the Possessor who managed Ruelle's smartphone was a reincarnation of Marquis Aaron back then."
Erik gave a very simple and clear answer, but Jang Du-sik could only blink repeatedly.
"Hey, who was Marquis Aaron?"
***
'At this point, maybe it's better to just quickly build a concert hall......'
Erik stared blankly at the renovated church.
Five tiers of audience seating surrounded the outer walls of the church, on which enormous myths were carved.
'Is it more of a runway concept than a concert?'
The church built by Janson had very high artistic value.
Though it imitated renowned historical buildings from Earth, the Sword Master's carving skills made its level superior.
That's probably why it evoked the image of a runway for a famous luxury brand rather than a concert.
'A runway with mythology as the motif—.'
Erik's mind sparked.
So he called Serena to have new clothing made.
As he was admiring the thus-transford church, a sweet fragrance drifted from sowhere.
"Ruelle?"
"Hmhm."
When Erik turned his head, Ruelle was standing right behind him.
Though montarily surprised, Erik asked a question as if indifferent.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't wear perfu so you wouldn't be detected by scent?"
"Erik, maybe it's because I'm your priest? I tested it a mont ago, and the scent disappeared!"
Ruelle puffed out her chest confidently.
Her eyes had deep eye-smile creases.
Ruelle quickly pushed her face toward Erik.
"So is that really true?"
Her cyan eyes were vastly dilated.
She seed to be asking about what they had discussed during the ssage exchange.
Apparently, she was very interested.
"It's classified, right?"
"Mhm, so?"
"It's 99% true."
"Wow, jackpot."
It's the Empire's gossip, no less.
Moreover, what's the content?
"So you an that Prince you purified back then is really that?"
Ruelle glanced around the surroundings and silently mouthed without sound.
The aning was: 'A cuckoo?'
"That's what I'm saying."
"Crazy, in this world."
It was a story that went beyond interesting and could explode dopamine.
Then, from behind Ruelle, ca the sound of a body trembling.
Erik's gaze turned in that direction.
"So Cha Ye-rin, or rather, Marquis Aaron. How much do you know?"
The fall of bla fell upon Cha Ye-rin, who had been clinging to Ruelle's side trying to find a way to survive.
She was in a sowhat wronged position.
"I, I don't know much. Heieek!"
A large fra approached quickly, and a deep shadow fell over Cha Ye-rin.
Cha Ye-rin, the world's second Eastern person, turned as pale as most Caucasians.
"I'll listen and make my own judgnt."
Cha Ye-rin swallowed hard and rolled her eyes.
'Keep going until the end with my trump card.'
She thought Ruelle would protect her...
But even Ruelle, who she thought would help, shot her a sharp glare.
"You! You're not thinking of sothing bad, are you?"
Into Cha Ye-rin's mind ca the advice Kang Pung-ho had given her.
"To sister Ruelle, we are foreigners."
Kang Pung-ho had given a warning, citing the example of Janson's body bursting, saying they could be abandoned like that.
Eventually, Cha Ye-rin confessed everything.
"A, actually......"
It started with using Duke Raffin to build a magical tool factory.
In the process, she had encountered a being who called himself Hua Tuo a few tis—that was all she knew.
Upon hearing Cha Ye-rin's words, Erik quickly organized the situation.
"So what you're saying is, this Hua Tuo guy periodically adjusted the Duke's son's body? Is that right?"
"......Yes."
"Moreover, that bastard took paynt in the form of Item Enhancent Tickets and swept them all clean?"
"Hieek! I, I'm sorry."
Erik's trapezius muscle twitched.
From the na Hua Tuo, as could be understood.
'A Chinese bastard.'
The nationality of the Necromancer Possessor was now identified.
The nationality itself was extrely dangerous.
Because of that.
"Seems I need to make a trip sowhere."
Erik imdiately decided on his next destination and left a ssage to Ruelle that he'd go sowhere for a bit.
Then ca a question.
"Erik, where on earth are you going?"
There was worry in her voice.
As far as Ruelle knew, Duke Raffin was currently building the front lines as the vanguard in the war.
Looking at the trembling cyan eyes, Erik smiled deeply.
"I thought I'd visit the place where the Empress is confined."
"......Huh? Suddenly the Empress?"
Erik pulled out a Fragnt of the Moon and took out the imperial decree the Emperor had given him.
And said.
"His Majesty granted the authority of the Executive Division."
"W-what is that?"
What does the Executive Division do?
Isn't it smashing things, beating, stealing, and capturing people?
"So you're saying you'll smash open the Empress's residence, capture the Empress, and investigate her?"
Ruelle asked as if thinking, what kind of crazy talk is that?
Erik nodded indifferently.
"There's a suitable person for this kind of work."
Then he looked at Jang Du-sik, who was dozing in a corner of the church.
And said.
"Du-sik, let's go."
"Yes, brother!"
Jang Du-sik, who had been nodding off, quickly lifted his club.
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