NOVEL NEXT Chapter 164
Chapter 164: A Chance Encounter
“Excuse me.”
The window of a black Mercedes Benz rolled down, and someone waved their hand.
Seeing this, Si-hyun approached the Benz, opened the door, and got into the passenger seat.
In the driver’s seat was Miriam. She smiled and opened her mouth.
“I didn’t expect you to contact me this early.”
“Who knows when I’ll have the chance to come to America again once I return to Korea? Despite appearances, I’m quite busy, you know.”
“Hehe, busy, huh… Of course, you would be.”
“More importantly, I didn’t think Lady Miriam would come out directly. Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t happen even while I was contacting you.”
“Well, when the Lord summons, one must cancel any prior engagements to come.”
“That’s… quite an embarrassing thing to say.”
Si-hyun averted his gaze slightly as he fastened his seatbelt. It felt a bit awkward to stare directly at the woman grinning in the confined space.
“Shall we head to somewhere a bit more spacious for now?”
Miriam said as she took hold of the steering wheel.
“That sounds good.”
“Alright, I’ll get us going.”
She pressed the accelerator, and the Benz began to pull away from the hotel where Si-hyun’s group was staying.
Navigating through the city’s maze of buildings, the Benz headed toward a tranquil lakeside located on the outskirts.
There, the Benz came to a stop.
“Shall we take a walk?”
“Sure.”
Si-hyun nodded at Miriam’s suggestion.
They got out of the Benz and started walking towards the lakeside.
With the sun setting and dusk settling in, the area was devoid of other people.
After all, taking a stroll in such a place at this time wasn’t the best judgment for safety concerns.
Of course, they were hardly the type to worry about such things.
“The breeze feels nice,” Miriam murmured.
The cool wind tousled her hair.
‘She’s quite tall,’ Si-hyun thought.
He had never walked alongside a woman taller than him before.
Lin Xue was in the upper 170s, but this was another level entirely.
It was no exaggeration to say she exuded a sense of intimidation.
“Shall we sit over there?”
Si-hyun pointed to a bench he spotted.
Miriam nodded eagerly.
They sat side by side on the bench near the lakeshore.
In the darkness, the sounds of insects filled the air.
After a moment of gazing at the lake, Miriam was the first to break the silence.
“What did you want to discuss?”
“To be honest, I’m just curious about a few things.”
Si-hyun picked up a small stone from nearby and tossed it into the lake as he replied.
“What are you curious about?”
“I’m concerned about what the Little King said.”
“Ah.”
Miriam’s expression indicated she understood.
“Do you want to know more details?”
“Of course.”
“However, this is confidential information for now.”
“In that case, I can’t push…”
“Well, as long as you keep it a secret, I might share something.”
At Miriam’s continuation, Si-hyun turned to look at her.
She wore a mysterious smile.
Smiling back, Si-hyun said, “Then I would like to ask for your help.”
“You’re curious about the invasion of the Demon Realm, right?”
“Are you saying… the U.S. really has plans for that?”
Si-hyun questioned with a slightly surprised expression.
Arthur had hinted at it somewhat while at Alcatraz, but he was honestly skeptical.
It wasn’t just the content; he didn’t find him to be the most trustworthy person.
Yet here was Miriam saying something similar.
“There are plans, yes, plans.”
“…I see.”
“As you know, the U.S. has been actively recruiting A-Class Awakened Beings and above. They pour astronomical sums of money into it every year. If it were merely for national security, they wouldn’t need to go to that extent. They already have plenty of power to secure their safety.”
The global community knew about the U.S.’s aggressive pursuit.
They believed it was to reinforce its status as a superpower by building the strongest Hunter forces, just as they would with defense spending.
But it wasn’t just that.
Miriam continued to explain.
“And as you can see, they haven’t carried out executions on A-Class and above Awakened Beings who are death-row inmates. For a rule-of-law nation like the U.S., taking such a step is quite burdensome. It implies they have something crucial they desperately want to achieve, and you’ll likely understand what that is.”
“Hmm….”
Si-hyun took a moment to ponder, then asked again.
“Is there a reason the U.S. has to go so far? The risks can’t be trivial either. Of course, other countries would welcome it if the U.S. were to take the lead in a fight, but what’s the actual benefit…?”
“That’s a good question.”
Miriam smiled, adjusting her position as she crossed her legs.
“What do you think was the decisive moment that led to the gap between the West and East?”
“Excuse me?”
Si-hyun frowned at the unexpected question, meeting Miriam’s gaze.
She looked fixedly at him, waiting for his response.
“Hmm, well… I suppose the differences began when the Western age came about.”
Si-hyun thought for a moment about Western history before answering.
“Wow, you share my thoughts on that. I think so too. Among those things, the discovery of the New World by Columbus was certainly a pivotal event.”
Talking about history felt a bit strange to Si-hyun.
Discussing it made the presence of even S-Class Awakened Beings feel somewhat mixed in this conversation.
Not that concepts like the rule of law or the U.S. felt inherently in line with the West, though.
“The U.S. considers this plan comparable to Columbus’s discovery of the New World. The First Gate Wave changed the world completely, but this event is also seen as another turning point in history.”
“Is it really that significant?”
Si-hyun questioned in disbelief at Miriam’s explanation.
She chuckled.
“Hehe. There’s no more to gain on Earth. But we lack the technology for space exploration. So where could the new New World be?”
“Are you saying it’s the Demon Realm?”
“Exactly. When you hear the term Demon Realm, you might picture a barren, deathly land, but according to Ibraim, it’s not like that at all. Such barren land couldn’t possibly support a Demon King and numerous monsters.”
As Miriam spoke, Si-hyun’s perception of the Demon Realm rapidly shifted.
He had initially envisioned it as a hellish landscape, akin to what the church would depict.
Miriam continued.
“A vast land with endless potential for development, and who knows what precious resources could be buried underground. If victorious in battles over such significant interests… wouldn’t that stir some greed? If that were to happen, the U.S. would undoubtedly gain a new driving force for progress that other countries couldn’t even dream of.”
Wars breaking out over minor benefits was a common reality.
If such immense territory could actually be obtained, it went without saying.
Any nation would lose rationality over it. They would undoubtedly make sacrifices to secure it.
Now, Si-hyun understood why the U.S. was continuing to pour astronomical sums into securing capable Awakened Beings.
“Indeed, if that’s the case… it’s quite understandable now. But does that mean the U.S. possesses the technology to cross into the Demon Realm?”
“Yes, and probably the U.S. alone.”
Miriam affirmed.
“Is it the Great Sage behind that?”
“Indeed.”
“….”
Si-hyun expressed amazement.
At that level, it felt inappropriate to simply categorize someone as an Awakened Being or Hunter.
It was overwhelmingly powerful.
The enormous investment by the U.S. in Hunter forces and the grand plans they were formulating were all due to that man’s influence.
Not just any country, but a superpower like the U.S. was being steered by him.
“But…”
Si-hyun began.
“There will inevitably be risks. I don’t know much about the opposition, but they don’t seem like an easy match either. They’ve even conquered the Reitert Continent.”
“That’s right. There are certainly risks involved. However, the Reitert Continent they conquered is entirely different from the Reitert Continent where the Lord and I were.”
“Is that the future Reitert Continent you mentioned? It certainly feels like a different age.”
“I’m not just talking about the differences in timelines… um, I’ve never been to the future, so I can’t say for sure, but according to Ibraim, it was an age no different from the past.”
“Do you mean…”
An age no different from the past…
Si-hyun looked puzzled, not fully comprehending.
It seemed Miriam was also contemplating how to explain it and, after a moment, she spoke again.
“Um, I mean, it refers to the aspects of military power. Think about the past. How many strong individuals existed? It’s like they’re saying it’s no different from that era.”
‘The past… I don’t know much about….’
Si-hyun stared at her as if he were lost for words.
Fortunately, she spoke first.
“As you know, our era is somewhat insane, right? There are three Grand Sword Masters who come out once a century; there are two 9-Class Great Sorceresses that can match them, and the number of Sword Masters and 8-Class Wizards is beyond counting. It’s truly a mad age, no doubt.”
‘Wow.’
That was something he had never heard before.
Si-hyun tried to hide his intrigue as he gazed at her.
“The reason people from that era have awakened their powers probably isn’t unrelated to this fact. Ibraim didn’t explain that part precisely, though. Anyway, it’s possible that they might be the ones who are underestimating the situation. They might think they’re facing the same level of humans they’ve dealt with before.”
“Come to think of it…”
“Hmm?”
“Ah… never mind.”
Si-hyun waved his hand dismissively.
He was reminded of the fight between Lin Xue and the Demon King that Po-ahim had shown in a video.
In that footage, the Demon King seemed somewhat flustered, as if it was his first time facing such a level of human.
Finally, he began to understand that situation.
“If you’re really worried… how about this? The Lord visiting the U.S. would be an excellent support.”
Miriam said with a coy smile.
“It would be a huge help. People don’t realize that the Lord is much stronger than they know. Even in the Prison Castle, people who are usually top-tier can’t even breathe around the Lord.”
‘Prison Castle?’
It was a term he had never heard before, but it somehow felt familiar.
It seemed likely that referring to herself as the Lord related to this.
Naturally, curiosity piqued within him.
However, Si-hyun held back the question he wanted to ask.
For Po-ahim not to know about the Prison Castle was too strange.
“…That might be a bit difficult.”
Si-hyun scattered his thoughts and responded to her question.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Miriam displayed a genuinely disappointed expression. Then, suddenly, as if remembering something, she spoke.
“Oh, but I have something to ask the Lord as well.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Do you happen to know where Prince Kaiel is? I thought the Lord might know.”
‘Kaiel?’
Si-hyun recalled that the Sword Master Delagardi’s last name was Kaiel.
He almost answered “I don’t know” reflexively, as he had always done, but he recalled how she had kindly explained confidential information thus far.
Moreover, she knew he was Po-ahim.
So, he explained that he had not awakened yet and was elsewhere in a spiritual state.
Upon hearing the explanation, Miriam’s expression dimmed.
She let out a deep sigh.
“Ah… I see. I truly wanted to see Prince Kaiel…”
“…”
Seeing her suddenly turn gloomy, Si-hyun didn’t know what to say and remained silent.
Just then, a voice that sounded mocking came from behind.
“What the heck, what are you doing here?”