NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58: Party
Chapter 58: Party
“What do you mean?”
When Jin Beom-Min asked back, this time Ogre answered.
“Simply put, we need to prepare other means of attack besides Jin.”
“……How? Modern weapons don’t work against monsters with Defense Magic.”
[That part……]
Lee Sang-Jun added an explanation.
[……The prisoner we caught last time, Tyrel, was it? We are testing various methods using that prisoner.]
“Testing……”
[We are trying to find out if there is a way to neutralize the Defense Magic, or if there is an attack method that can bypass it.]
The Defense Magic cast on monsters usually lasts for 2-3 weeks unless it is dispelled by other magic.
The same would be true for Tyrel, so for the next two weeks, they could test various weapons against the Defense Magic.
Jin Beom-Min imagined Tyrel tied tightly to a chair and being hit by all sorts of weapons, and smiled faintly for a moment.
[……If we can secure a retreat method and means of attack, we will devise an attack plan based on that.]
“Then we have no choice but to wait for the time being.”
Jin Beom-Min let out a light sigh. In the end, they had no choice but to wait again.
He wished he could run to Jindar right away, confirm the truth from 28 years ago, and beat up the monsters, but…… reality was reality.
[Think of it as taking a short break. You’ve been busy running around here and there.]
“Well…… that’s true.”
[By the way……]
Lee Sang-Jun changed the subject, adjusting his posture.
[……I heard you’re coming back tomorrow night by plane.]
Sandman nodded and replied.
“I heard they’re having a small victory party tonight. I’ll get on the plane right after the party.”
[A party…… WECRO is overflowing with leisure, isn’t it?]
“It’s the success of the first official operation, isn’t it? The higher-ups wouldn’t just let it slide.”
Lee Sang-Jun sighed as if he was pathetic and then advised.
[……Alright. Just…… don’t drink too much.]
“Oh, of course!”
Imp, who had not said a word until now, shouted his answer with eyes filled with anticipation.
***
Five days had passed since the battle, but the Opera House remained closed to the public.
Although the traces of the battle had been completely erased, the body of the Sphinx, lying in the square, had not yet been disposed of.
The Sphinx’s body was currently covered with a clean waterproof cloth, and scientists in protective suits were using all sorts of equipment to analyze the body and figure out how to dispose of it.
Considering the time that had passed since its death, a foul odor would have started emanating from the corpse, but only the fragrant smell of food filled the upscale restaurant overlooking the square.
Ting ting ting―
The clear sound of crystal glasses clinking echoed.
With everyone’s attention focused, Foreign Minister Shim Jung-Min stood up.
“Everyone has worked hard.”
He began, looking around at the people gathered in the restaurant.
The interior of the restaurant was quite spacious, but there weren’t many people there, drinking and chatting.
Charlotte, along with WECRO agents dispatched from various countries, the Ghost Squad members, and Jin Beom-Min were the entirety of the party attendees.
In the first place, the identities of the Ghost Squad members and Jin Beom-Min were top secret, so the number of attendees was inevitably limited.
“……Thanks to your hard work since the tragedy in Paris……this time, we were able to complete the operation while minimizing casualties.”
Sporadic applause erupted from various spots.
Shim Jung-Min glanced at Jin Beom-Min for a moment and then raised his glass.
“Then, I ask for your continued hard work. For humanity!”
“Cheers!”
The WECRO agents, as fluent in Korean as they were familiar with Korean culture, raised their glasses with practiced ease.
It was clear how much effort the governments that sent them had put into selecting them to obtain information about the Ghost Squad and Jin Beom-Min.
As the glasses clinked and the atmosphere ripened, Charlotte, dressed in an elegant wine-colored dress, approached Jin Beom-Min.
“You’re returning home tonight?”
“Ah, yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my kids, so I need to go quickly.”
“Oh my, are you married?”
Jin Beom-Min briefly considered whether he should hide information about his personal life.
However, if he had to keep secrets even from Charlotte, who was the spokesperson for WECRO, it seemed like things would become too tiring in the future.
“Yes, I got married a long time ago. I have two children now.”
“That’s unexpected. I usually understand that people who do this kind of work don’t have families……”
Charlotte said, glancing towards the Ghost Squad members.
The Ghost Squad members, as usual, were boisterously chatting and drinking hard liquor, with a few WECRO agents joining in.
“……It just happened that way.”
“Hmm…… I’m sure you miss your wife a lot?”
“My wife……passed away three years ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
Charlotte frowned and patted Jin Beom-Min’s shoulder apologetically.
“There’s so little information available about you, Jin. I apologize if I offended you.”
“No, it’s okay.”
She subtly moved a step closer to Jin Beom-Min, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
Then, pointing to the Sphinx’s corpse visible outside the window, she continued.
“By the way, it’s still hard to believe, even seeing it like this. That you defeated that huge monster alone.”
“It was a bit of a struggle.”
“……Did you know? The video of you defeating the Sphinx has surpassed 300 million views.”
“No, is there such a thing?”
“I wish I had put ads on it. It would have been quite helpful for securing WECRO’s budget.”
Jin Beom-Min laughed awkwardly and subtly took half a step back from her.
Charlotte was definitely beautiful, and he liked her straightforward way of handling things, but somehow he felt pressured.
It was a strange feeling that was hard to describe. It felt like she was approaching him with some ulterior motive.
It seemed like he needed to change the subject to get away from her alluring aura.
If he continued drinking and talking like this, he might make a mistake.
That’s how attractive she was.
“Oh, come to think of it, there was someone who wanted to meet you.”
Jin Beom-Min suddenly remembered a way out and said to Charlotte.
“Me? Who?”
“This friend.”
Jin Beom-Min turned the Ring of Necromancy on his finger.
Kwa-deuk! Kwa-deuk!
Kuen rose like a ghost from the crimson carpet covering the restaurant floor.
“Kyaak!”
“Whoa!”
Charlotte and a few others screamed at the appearance of the half-rotten corpse clad in blue armor.
“You’ve seen him before, right? He was there during the interrogation……”
“Ah, yes……yes. But……it’s still hard to get used to……”
“His name is Kuen. He also has the nickname ‘Blue Rampart.'”
Kuen, who had been looking around in confusion, took a step forward and knelt in an antiquated gesture of greeting when Jin Beom-Min introduced him to Charlotte.
“……The eighth Knight-Commander of the Delphin Empire, Kuen of the Blue Rampart……”
“W-What is he saying……?”
Charlotte asked, bowing awkwardly in return, a bewildered expression on her face.
It was because Kuen’s greeting was in the Jindar common language.
“He’s greeting you.”
“Oh, then what, how……should I respond?”
Jin Beom-Min replied with a mischievous smile.
“Hold his hand.”
Charlotte cautiously extended her trembling fingertips towards Kuen’s old and scratched blue gauntlet.
Then, Kuen gently grasped her hand and rose.
“……It is……an honor……to meet you……Lady……”
“Charlotte. Charlotte Bowen.”
When Jin Beom-Min told Kuen Charlotte’s name in the Jindar common language, Kuen called her name in a soft voice.
“Lady Bowen.”
“Ah, yes……”
Considering that Kuen’s tongue was half-rotten and he didn’t have many teeth left, it was quite surprising that he could call her name so softly.
As expected, men display amazing abilities when beautiful women are present.
“Then, you two talk. I’ll be back in a moment……”
Jin Beom-Min nodded and left his seat.
“W-Wait a minute! I can’t even understand him……”
“Take this opportunity to learn a new language. Isn’t it a good opportunity?”
“That’s not the point……?”
“Kuen knows a little Korean. He’ll teach you well.”
“No, w-wait……”
Charlotte was flustered and at a loss for what to do, but Kuen calmly pulled her hand and sat her down. It was a skillful move, befitting a former playboy.
“……It is……an honor……to be with you……”
Leaving Kuen, who was greeting her in fairly natural Korean, behind, Jin Beom-Min headed towards the terrace.
Sandman was there, looking down at the Opera House square with a grim expression.
“……Those guys.”
Sandman began, nodding to Jin Beom-Min.
“……They’re quite interested in Jin.”
The ‘those guys’ he was referring to were likely the WECRO agents.
“Is that so?”
“They were very blatant. If they get the chance, they’ll try to recruit Jin by any means.”
“Haha, we’re on the same side……”
“……Well, there are no eternal friends.”
Sandman continued, his face serious and devoid of humor.
“Once we repel all the monster invasions, or even before that, they could turn into enemies at any moment.”
“Oh, come on.”
To Jin Beom-Min, who laughed in disbelief, Sandman added with a matching smile.
“Jin, you’re the strongest person on Earth right now. You alone can change the global military landscape.”
“Well……that’s true, but……”
“Even the poorest country on Earth could rival the world’s superpowers if they could recruit Jin.”
“Haha, you flatter me.”
However, Sandman shook his head seriously.
“It’s only because we have a common enemy, the monsters, that there’s no problem right now. Once all this is over……”
His voice was tinged with bitter skepticism.
“……They’ll choose one of two options. Either make Jin completely theirs……or eliminate him.”
“……Eliminate……me……?”
“Why do you think the ‘Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’ exists?”
“……That’s……”
“Powerful nations don’t want other countries to possess power they can’t control. But……Jin, you are a far more threatening weapon than nuclear weapons. Untraceable and unpredictable.”
Nuclear weapons fundamentally require facilities and personnel on a considerable scale for development and operation.
But that wasn’t the case for Jin Beom-Min. He was just an individual.
Someone who could move and act as he pleased, whenever he wanted.
“No country in the world would want us to have that kind of power.”