The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably Chapter 81 : The Moment You Need Popcorn (1)

The Mont You Need Popcorn (1)

'What is this now?'

Suddenly, another dinsional gate had supposedly opened inside the gate.

At the randomly triggered mission, I furrowed my brow. Did this an another gate appeared inside a gate?

'It's not like there's another ocean inside the ocean or sothing.'

But then I recalled the conversation I'd had with Kwon Yongha, leader of the Hwasan Guild.

In that chat, I had learned so information about his past.

That people from wzealand were coming to Earth through certain dinsional gates.

And that those gates could link up with gates existing on Earth.

'That's also how Kwon Yongha first t Sang-ah's mother.'

In other words, people from wzealand could appear inside this gate at any ti.

So it also ant it wouldn't be strange if another dinsional gate opened within this gate.

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[A mission has been assigned. (Unique)]

― Another dinsional gate has opened inside the labyrinth known as the Golden Gate. Close all the gates before catastrophe strikes.

Reward: Karma greatly increases (2% recovery), raise any 5 stats you wish

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Just as described in the mission, a familiar presence grew stronger.

It was the scent of wzealand I had felt upon entering this gate. That presence was coming from sowhere.

'Where is it?'

A rift was clearly opening sowhere. But perhaps because it was still small, I couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

I was just contemplating whether to slip out of the party and search for it myself when—

"Huh? What kind of magic power is this?"

Suddenly the other hunters began to react to sothing strange mixing in the air.

The distinctive scent of wzealand that only I was used to—they were now beginning to sense it too.

"Team leader! Over there..."

Just as they were in the midst of beating down monsters, sothing began to manifest in front of them.

A buzzing, crackling sound ca from midair. Like shards running through glass, cracks started to form in space itself.

"What is that?"

At the sudden abnormal event, the hunters grew tense. Like another gate appearing inside a gate, the rift grew wider and wider.

"Is it the boss?"

"What are you talking about? There's no boss in the Golden Gate."

"Then what is that thing?"

An unknown and inexplicable phenonon. White light was streaming out from within the rift.

It looked as if sothing holy might pop out, but the hunters couldn't hide their uneasiness.

Then, slowly, sothing erged from the fully opened rift.

"Watch out!"

A dark silhouette, shrouded in light, stepped out of the fissure.

Judging by the shape, it didn't look like a monster.

But feeling an ominous aura, Yoo Cheon-hwa warned his team mbers to be alert.

Step. Step. Step.

The sound of multiple footsteps could be heard beyond the rift.

Before long, those that appeared revealed themselves to be—'humans'. There must have been well over ten of them.

"Huh?"

"... Eh?"

The people crossing from the rift and the hunters locked eyes. The hunters wore expressions that seed to say, "Who the hell are these?"

Whereas the newcors looked bewildered, as if asking, "Where exactly are we?"

'Those guys are definitely...!'

My eyes went wide when I saw the symbols on the newcors' clothing. A sword rising between angel's wings.

That was unmistakably the emblem of the Reveli Empire's knight order. The Reveli Empire was the most prosperous nation in wzealand.

Wearing that emblem ant...

"Who are you people?"

"That's our line! Who are you?"

The newcors and the hunters each pointed their weapons at each other, standing on guard.

From the hunters' perspective, these unknown presences were threatening; for the new arrivals, it must have felt like stranding on an alien planet.

"I am Alois Trace, son of the knight commander of the Reveli Empire."

"Reveli? Where's that supposed to be?"

"What...?"

The man at the front, introducing himself as Alois, looked puzzled.

He was in his early twenties, strikingly handso, wearing the sort of uniform knight officers would wear.

He blinked as he asked,

"How... How could you not know the Reveli Empire?"

"There's no such country on Earth."

"..."

Alois silently lowered the spear he was holding. With a brief gesture, he quelled the alertness of his followers.

"Are you perhaps the natives of this world?"

"And what if we are?"

"Please, I hope you're not alard. We aren't here to invade your world."

"And why should we believe that?"

It wasn't easy to trust strangers who had suddenly barged in. In order to convince us, Alois continued his explanation.

"We are simply here to help your world. We must protect it from a great demon!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Our empire was destroyed by the sudden appearance of the Demon King."

So it was about , after all. It seed that this Alois guy had crossed over at a point in ti just after I had conquered the empire.

"Isn't it more like you're refugees than rescuers?"

"I admit, it may sound that way; but we have no intention of causing harm."

"..."

"And if you are warriors of Earth, there's sothing urgent you must hear."

Alois raised his voice with conviction.

"Naly, that the Demon King is right here on Earth!"

"What?"

"For the sake of the Reveli Empire—and for your world as well—no matter what, we must capture the Demon King. Otherwise..."

This world too will perish at the Demon King's hands.

"So please, even a little help will do. Lend us your strength!"

Along with Alois, the followers behind him all bowed their heads.

At the sight of these outsiders displaying not even a sliver of hostility, Yoo Cheon-hwa's expression beca awkward.

Was what they said really true?

Was this all a ploy to stab us in the back at the last second?

But no matter how you looked at it, that young man appeared sincere.

His conviction that he was fighting for the world seed anything but a lie.

"Fine. We'll do it your way."

"Really?"

"But in return... you'll be subject to supervision by our governnt and the authorities who manage Awakened individuals. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course! Just your cooperation is thanks enough!"

Alois and Yoo Cheon-hwa, leading each group, stepped closer to each other. As the mood took a positive turn, I bit my lip.

'This could be a big problem.'

If the hunters bought Alois's story wholesale, things would get ssy.

If the governnt or international organizations mobilized all their might to find the Demon King, my identity would be exposed in no ti.

'Because I am that Demon King.'

I didn't even need to imagine how everyone would react once I was discovered.

Once that happened, my parents and even Yunhee would all be at risk.

My family had nothing to do with any of this.

Except for having given birth to , they had no connection to the demonkin of wzealand.

Would the newcors really leave my family alone?

'Of course they wouldn't.'

That was an absolute certainty, not a guess.

In the worst-case scenario, they might even put my family on the operating table, asking how they'd birthed the Demon King.

Those people were definitely capable of such things.

Back when I had just ford my Demon King's Army, a deford child was born in the Reveli Empire.

People treated that child as an outcast and locked them away, simply for being different.

The parents who birthed the child were also arrested.

Rumors spread claiming the family had touched upon the corrupted power known as 'dark magic power,' and so the family was completely ostracized by the Empire.

They even—

—That child possesses dark magic power! It's a demonkin for sure!

The child was said to carry a dark magic power he had never even co in contact with.

People clamored that he should be executed imdiately.

—But wait, I'm curious. How did a demonkin get born among ordinary humans?

—Now that you ntion it... It's a sha to simply kill it.

Out of curiosity, the empire began using the whole family as research subjects.

I once thought they were lucky not to be killed on the spot.

'But...'

The experints inflicted on that family were horrific.

They injected various toxins to test for resistance, and fed dangerous chemicals to the child just to see what would happen.

It was clear that their aim was simply to tornt, all because their child belonged to another species or possessed dark magic power.

'It would have been better to die.'

In the end, the parents died from the experints.

As the years went by, the aftereffects mutated the child's body.

Its skin turned ghostly white, its eyes lost focus—it looked like an undead.

Having fully beco a demonkin, the child was finally scheduled for disposal.

'But our Demon King's Army rescued him before that.'

He was the first child we rescued after establishing our army.

The child was taken in by Bern, the vampire who had helped form the legion.

Even now with the empire destroyed, I wondered if Bern was still taking care of that child...

'That's why I'll never get along with those bastards from wzealand.'

Alois and Yoo Cheon-hwa clasped hands. The sight of them shaking hands disgusted .

If you had a horn on your head or even a hint of dark magic power, those people would imdiately strip you of your rights.

After that, it was normal to beco their prey—or livestock.

'That's their value system.'

Fine, let's call it a 'value system.'

After all, they'd spent so many generations brainwashed by their guardian deity's doctrine.

But after I devoured that guardian deity, a truly bizarre phenonon occurred.

—We worship a new god!

—Oh, Lord! Please guide us!

—Ahh... Oh, Lord...!

When the demon who killed their god stood before them, that was how most people reacted.

Their scramble for a new idol, after losing faith in their guardian god, still disgusts .

After all those years spent oppressing demonkin in the na of their deity... they suddenly reversed course and started worshipping the demon lord as their new god?

'No wonder it makes want to take a celestial dump.'

So I found the words Alois had just spoken absurd.

When it suited them, they tried to worship as god, and then suddenly, they labeled a demon and tried to kill .

Did they have erasers in their heads or sothing?

Watching how they rationalized everything for their own comfort was almost funny.

'And with that kind of nerve, you dare to offer a handshake?'

Such bullshit ought to have limits. I had to stop this negotiation sohow. That ant I'd have to make a move myself.

"Huh...?"

"What's wrong?"

"Wha—what's happening!!"

Just as I reached out to block the handshake, Alois suddenly shuddered, recoiling and letting go of Yoo Cheon-hwa's hand.

What's up with him?

'Did he feel a spider or sothing on her hand?'

I hadn't even done anything yet.

Yoo Cheon-hwa and the other hunters looked puzzled by Alois's unexpected reaction, and then Alois, face ashen, spoke up.

"Y-You... I can feel dark magic power coming from you."

"What...?"

"Dark magic power...! That is a power that must never exist."

What was he suddenly talking about? Just as Yoo Cheon-hwa was at a loss for words, Alois caught sight of sothing else and gasped.

"Huh...? No way... How...!"

"What is it?"

"Why are there demonkin at your side?!"

Alois had only just realized it.

Among our hunters were people with nonstandard ears or tails. On Earth, we called them Mutamit...

"You... you're allied with the demonkin?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! Then how do you explain that dark magic power?"

Dark magic power.

It was the power opposite to the holy magic wielded by the humans of wzealand.

It was believed that anyone who possessed it would inevitably have an unstable mind and eventually transform into a demonkin.

And yet—you could sense that power from Yoo Cheon-hwa, an Earthling?

Honestly, I hadn't expected that either. But thanks to that...

"Don't tell ... Has this world already fallen into the demon's hands?"

... I got a most satisfying spectacle.

"If that's the case, then we cannot stand idly by! Ready for battle!"

The warriors from wzealand raised their weapons at the hunters.

The hunters, taken aback by the sudden change in attitude, fell into confusion.

I decided to watch it all unfold while using my stealth skill. I only regretted that I didn't have any popcorn in hand.