NOVEL NEXT Chapter 97
Chapter 97: The Aftermath
It was about time to discuss this.
While it wasn’t Toya, William was both a party to the incident and a witness.
If, during the investigation later, William’s story differed, suspicion would undoubtedly arise.
“Yes, that does seem necessary.”
Just as Si-hyun responded like that, he started pondering how to speak to William.
William, wearing an awkward smile, opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry, but can we leave the aftermath of this incident to Duke Kaiel?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
Si-hyun was taken aback by his unexpected request.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s a bit of a reason for that.”
“What reason?”
“I don’t want the church to know I’m off killing the bad guys. Of course, it’ll be known someday, but it’s too early for that now. If it’s found out now, I won’t be able to eliminate many of the bad guys, and my actions for justice will end abruptly. The church will find a way to stop me.”
William explained with a somewhat bitter expression.
He continued, “Actually, I was planning to eliminate him in a place where there were no people, but somehow things turned out like this. Uh, so what I’m ultimately asking is to keep my presence here a secret.”
“I see. I understand the situation now. So you want me to pretend this never happened?”
“That’s right.”
William nodded enthusiastically.
“But… you came here by boat, right? There must be quite a few people who have seen your arrival?”
After pondering briefly, Si-hyun voiced his doubts.
In such a situation, it seemed impossible to erase all traces.
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I used Teleportation Magic to come here.”
“Teleportation Magic?”
Before Si-hyun could speak, Eun-hye, who was beside him, gasped in surprise.
As a wizard, she couldn’t help but react to the mention of such an extraordinary spell that she rarely encountered.
Teleportation Magic was classified as high-tier magic, known for being difficult even for high-ranking wizards to use.
Setting the correct coordinates was quite challenging, and any mistake could result in fatal consequences.
Naturally, it was compelling to think he arrived here using such magic.
“Indeed. It was possible thanks to the help of the Sage of Blood Flow.”
At those words, everyone turned their gaze toward Tohya.
Tohya shrugged nonchalantly, though it seemed he enjoyed the attention a bit more than usual.
“Then, will you be using Teleportation Magic again when you leave here?”
Si-hyun asked.
“Yes. So, I don’t think I’m asking you for anything unreasonable. I’ll ask you all for a favor.”
William turned his request toward Eun-hye and Min-jun as well.
Eun-hye and Min-jun exchanged glances with Si-hyun.
Here, they were silently conveying their intention to follow Si-hyun’s wishes.
“Um.”
Si-hyun wore a thoughtful expression.
If they came here like that, it might indeed be feasible to pretend as if nothing had happened.
The traces inside the Gate would vanish the moment it closed, and the outside traces would likely be just footprints, which could be easily erased.
Upon reflection, this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Coordinating with Tohya and William would predictably be quite challenging.
But now, it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.
Once Si-hyun sorted through his thoughts, he looked toward William.
“Understood. We’ll do it that way.”
“Thank you, Duke Kaiel. May the blessing of the Lord always be with you.”
William smiled and expressed his gratitude.
One problem was resolved.
Now, there was only one issue left.
They had to create a scapegoat for the murders of the Human Butcher and the Face-avoidance Technician.
He had an idea in mind.
The Sword Master.
Only the Sword Master.
He had picked up on the reactions of the Human Butcher and the Face-avoidance Technician, but it seemed the Sword Master was still elusive.
A man with an unknown identity capable of killing the Human Butcher.
There couldn’t be a better person to use in this situation.
Nonetheless, Si-hyun decided to confirm one more time and asked William.
“Have you heard any rumors about the Sword Master appearing?”
“Huh? Why such a sudden question?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Um… I think I may have heard something. But later on, it all turned out to be unfounded rumors. So, it’s not because I know you, Duke Kaiel, that I was so shocked. Why? Are you concerned? You can trust me to keep it secret. I’m a man who’s hard-pressed, just like my looks imply.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“Ha ha, you can count on me.”
William patted his chest confidently.
Then he continued.
“I’ll erase all traces of my presence here too, so there’s no need to worry…”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Si-hyun suddenly interrupted William as if struck by a thought.
Was it really necessary to erase all traces of William?
If they wanted to exploit the Sword Master’s name, they would need more than just one person’s traces.
Thus, William’s presence could become the Sword Master’s presence.
“I’ll take care of that myself.”
◈◈◈
Hunter Association President Ryu Geon-woo.
He was the most famous S-rank Hunter in Korea.
And rightly so, as he was the S-rank Hunter holding the most responsible position with the most active public engagements.
Even at over sixty years old, he was vigorously working in his role as president.
Despite the option to retire for a more leisurely life, he energetically continued to fulfill his duties as president.
It wasn’t due to a thirst for power.
The weight of being one of only five S-rank Hunters in Korea was heavy enough.
In this era, the number of S-rank Hunters represented an important indicator of national strength.
Ryu Geon-woo knew that better than anyone.
When an S-rank Gate opened, if there were no S-rank Hunters available to resolve it, they would have no choice but to seek help from a major nation.
If not, the country would face destruction.
However, major powers didn’t help out of goodwill.
They would demand favors or exorbitant payments.
It was reminiscent of how imperialist powers exploited weaker nations in the past.
While there were no longer cases of outright colonization, consistently being extorted would undoubtedly reduce national wealth and increase burdens on citizens.
Ryu Geon-woo still remembered that day clearly.
The day the first S-rank Gate appeared in Korea.
The Korean government, lacking confidence in subduing an S-rank Gate, sought assistance from their long-time ally, the United States.
However, the U.S. demanded an astronomical sum in return for sending S-rank Hunters to fight.
It was more than ten times the annual defense burden shared with the U.S. military stationed in Korea.
It amounted to nearly 10 trillion won.
Given the high costs of maintaining S-rank Hunters, the U.S. government wouldn’t risk sending them out for anything less than a substantial price.
Of course, the required amounts varied depending on the nation’s circumstances.
For poorer nations, they often demanded trade rights instead of money or lowered financial demands.
The Korean government perceived it was capable of handling such an amount, which was why they quoted that figure.
Then one might think, could Korea not just increase its budget, even at a cost to its own resources, to recruit more S-rank Hunters?
There were certainly voices insisting that.
However, Korea couldn’t compete with major powers, not only in terms of economic strength but also in intelligence.
To identify new S-class Awakened Beings and attempt recruitment required information power, and winning the monetary competition demanded economic strength.
Yet, the reality was that Korea was lagging in both respects compared to major powers.
Additionally, S-class Awakened Beings tended to prefer strong nations over those perceived as weaker.
The Korean government even inquired informally through diplomatic channels to China.
China demanded three years of fishing rights in the West Sea and the removal of the THAAD missiles deployed in Korea.
Both were troublesome demands.
Handing over fishing rights would jeopardize the livelihoods of fishermen in the West Sea, and the removal of THAAD missiles would result in complicated diplomatic issues alongside significant economic loss, making it hard to make a quick decision.
The Korean government found itself in a truly awkward situation.
The S-rank Gate had to be conquered.
But achieving that would result in severe losses.
In the end, the Korean government had no choice but to pay a hefty amount for assistance from the U.S.
This was because, at that time, only three S-rank Hunters, including Ryu Geon-woo, existed in Korea, making it impossible to resolve the S-rank Gate issue on their own.
Ryu Geon-woo never forgot that event.
And precisely three years later, he became one of the heroes.
He was among the five S-rank Hunters who led the charge to resolve another S-rank Gate that had emerged in Korea.
This greatly consolidated Ryu Geon-woo’s position as President of the Hunter Association, earning him respect from the people.
Not many countries had succeeded in independently resolving S-rank Gates.
Korea proudly became one of those nations.
“Geon-woo hyung.”
Sitting in front of Ryu Geon-woo was a man in his late forties.
He had a slender yet sharp appearance.
This man was none other than Lee Tae-hwi, one of Korea’s S-rank Hunters.
“Do you still not know whose doing that incident was back then?”
The incident Tae-hwi referred to was a case that occurred in Yangju.
There had been traces of Hellfire found in Yangju.
During an investigation of a mansion nearby, the team leader of the Inspection Bureau, Seo Yong-gil, and the other staff members had lost consciousness.
Fortunately, no one died, but it was a humiliating incident for the Inspection Bureau.
They couldn’t even identify their opponent, which made it worse.
“That’s right.”
Ryu Geon-woo replied in a bitter voice.
It was frustrating to have a presumed S-class Awakened Being enter their yard and use Hellfire while still not being able to track them down.
“Hyung, I think it must be either China or Japan…”
Just then, there was a frantic knock at the door of the President’s Office.
It was clear that urgent news was incoming.
“Let them in.”
As soon as Ryu Geon-woo spoke, the door swung open urgently.
“There’s been a major incident, President!”
The staff member, with a dark expression, spoke in an agitated tone.
“What happened?”
Ryu Geon-woo asked calmly.
It wouldn’t be good for the head of an organization to panic, no matter how pressing the issue.
He always needed to present a solid, rock-like demeanor to earn the trust and loyalty of his subordinates.
“At Daeijak Island, two Association staff members and seven Hunters have died!”
“….”
Heavy silence fell instantly.
Ryu Geon-woo’s face hardened.
Lee Tae-hwi wore a serious expression as well.
“Any idea who was responsible?”
Ryu Geon-woo probed, breaking the oppressive stillness.
“According to a witness, it was the doing of a person known as the Human Butcher.”
“The Human Butcher?!”
Tae-hwi’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Ryu Geon-woo’s expression shook visibly.
If the S-class Awakened Beings with memories of their past lives knew anything, they wouldn’t be unaware of the Human Butcher’s notorious reputation.
He was undeniably a vicious murderer infamous across the continent.
“Are you sure it was the Human Butcher? Kashir?”
Tae-hwi raised his voice, seeking verification.
“Yes, they were definitely called by that name….”
“Damn it.”
Tae-hwi abruptly stood up from his chair.
“Hyung, this is not a trivial matter. Something bigger may happen. I need to head out right away.”
“Wait….”
“What?”
“That Kashir fellow has supposedly already died.”
“What?!”
Tae-hwi looked completely taken aback.
It was an utterly incomprehensible statement.
“How can that be? Kashir is dead? Who killed that guy?”
Kashir was known to be quite strong among S-class individuals.
He was the worst killer, yet his abilities were genuine.
It wouldn’t be possible for anyone to kill him unless they too were an S-rank, and a formidable one at that.
“It was said that a person known as the Sword Master took him down….”
“The Sword Master?!”
“The Sword Master?”
Tae-hwi’s eyes widened in shock.
Ryu Geon-woo looked equally taken aback.
He asked, as if seeking confirmation, “…Do you happen to know the name of this Sword Master?”
“Uh… I think it was… Delar…? Sorry, just a moment.”
The staff member seemed to struggle with his memory, pulling out a notepad to read.
“Oh, Delagardi. And he was also referred to as Duke Kaiel. One more thing – it’s said that the sword he wields is the Acureruts.”
Ryu Geon-woo, who was trying to maintain his composure, couldn’t help but spring to his feet.