I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The possibility that Jeongjae might be able to return home didn’t change his position at all. In a situation where he didn’t know the method or have any clues, it didn’t matter much if someone claimed to have crossed over between worlds.

Right now, all Jeongjae could do was fulfill his role properly. Specifically, he needed to figure out the meaning of the documents left behind by the previous generation and see if they could help solve the current problem.

The notion that James Moriarty had a hand in the outbreak of World War I was certainly not far-fetched. Many Sherlock Holmes fanworks borrowed the idea that Professor Moriarty survived the fateful duel at Reichenbach Falls and inserted him into the background of the Sarajevo Incident, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Linking World War I with Moriarty was no longer surprising or novel. If this were a story from another comic or novel, Jeongjae would have easily brushed it off.

If it were a story from a comic or novel.

“The discrepancy between the case the professor actually knows and the prediction of that incident… Hmm… Well, simply put… Plans are always changing, right? Originally, it was supposed to be a Hungarian who was going to be used in the assassination, but somehow, someone else came into the picture…”

“Well, that could happen. I think that’s not important right now. But what I’m about to explain is much more critical. This could be information directly related to the fight that’s right in front of us.”

“I’m listening.”

Jenis straightened her posture, and Jeongjae cleared his throat before speaking in a serious tone.

“Did I mention the plot of our world’s novel, Dracula, and that Dracula ultimately gets killed at the end?”

“Yes, you said he was attacked in the neck and chest at the same time… and that he vanished like mist, didn’t you?”

Jenis proudly showcased her excellent memory. Jeongjae shrugged.

“Sherlock Holmes found it suspicious that Dracula met such an unexpectedly pathetic end, but he couldn’t outright reject it. What he truly found suspicious was that the moment Dracula died, his hideout, the Count’s castle, collapsed.”

“That’s a peculiar magic. Linking the castle’s durability to the master’s lifespan. It’s a technique often used when there’s a secret that must be hidden at all costs, even at the price of one’s life.”

Jenis explained dully. Jeongjae shook his head.

“Holmes’ suspicion was different. Sherlock Holmes found it odd that the record about Dracula had been altered multiple times about the point ‘the castle collapsed.’ Either the recorder wanted to conceal the fact that the castle had fallen, or the castle didn’t collapse at all, and the recorder wanted to record it as collapsed… one of those would be true.”

“Which one could it be? If I think intuitively, it seems likely that the castle didn’t collapse, and Dracula distorted the record to hide his appearance.”

Jenis put forth her own speculation. Jeongjae’s answer was different.

“Holmes believed that Dracula’s castle indeed collapsed, and that had very significant implications. It indicated that Dracula executed some grand magic at the cost of his castle.”

“Grand magic at the cost of his castle… U-Um, honestly, I can’t imagine the scale. Are we saying a mana device the size of a castle was activated? If so, the Magic Tower itself is a massive mana device, isn’t it? From that perspective?”

“There were no detailed explanations about it. But from what I understood, it seems right. Dracula was certainly cornered. The vampire hunter’s relentless assault must have put the vampire king’s life in jeopardy. And so, in a last-ditch effort, he executed grand magic that sacrificed his castle to escape the situation. Sherlock Holmes put forth that conjecture.”

“Dracula was incredibly strong.”

Jenis trembled. The night she faced the vampire lord undoubtedly remained one of her most terrifying memories.

“How could humans push such a being back? How is that even possible in a world without magic? Highly advanced gunpowder weapons? Or some miraculous scientific technology beyond that?”

“It’s unrelated to any of those. In fact, Dracula wasn’t that strong when he was in our world. It was stated in Holmes’ essay… It seems that the dark mana he could absorb and use was extremely minuscule, which prevented him from displaying his full potential.”

“Then when Dracula crossed over to our world, he absorbed an immense amount of mana and evolved into a being that could wield powerful magic…? That gives me a chill… Wait a minute. He crossed over to our world… He crossed over to our world… So maybe the grand magic he used to escape the hunters…”

“Right. The most likely speculation is that Dracula exploded a tremendous amount of mana to open a dimensional gate and crossed over to this world through it.”

“The idea of dimensional gates created by mana surges is merely theoretical. I mean… such a thing is impossible. At least in the realm of common sense.”

Jenis murmured, wrapping her head. Jeongjae agreed with her.

“Exactly. That’s impossible. I know it better than anyone.”

“You’ve researched that area, haven’t you?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t? No matter what method I tried, I couldn’t secure the level of energy needed to cause a dimensional collapse. Trying to extract such energy could lead to the destruction of this world. Even if I desperately wanted to go home, I wouldn’t resort to such means.”

Jenis sighed at Jeongjae’s words. In any case, it was fortunate that Jeongjae had concluded that it was ‘impossible.’

Jeongjae, for his part, had already resigned himself. This was a completely different issue than ‘Manhattan.’ The explosive power of Manhattan only affected a very limited area—ultimately confined to the surface.

The 150 megaton yield sounds impressive at first glance, but compared to the natural disasters that occur in the world, it isn’t an enormous amount of energy. Even with three times the power of the strongest nuclear weapon that ever existed, it’s merely this much, and in some sense, it’s nothing compared to the cosmic-scale havoc humans can wreak on nature.

In reality, no amount of life force could cause even the slightest destruction on the scale of a planet or continent. Simply activating a magic circle and reciting a spell to open the doorway between dimensions couldn’t be that simple. If Manhattan’s destructive power is an act of human domain, it is also a challenge to the divine realm.

“Regardless, my research leads to this conclusion.”

Jeongjae lightly explained his research findings.

“In truth, opening gates on both sides is a phenomenon that can only occur in our side, where mana is extremely scarce. So, that’s what I mean about my home universe.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The world we currently live in has such a dense amount of mana in the air that, no matter how powerful magic is used, it’s difficult to provoke distortions that could lead to dimensional rifts. However, in our side of the world, there’s no mana in the air at all, so even simple magic can cause significant effects on the fabric of spacetime.”

“Theoretically speaking, that would make sense. But if that’s the essence of the gate, then the powerful power that Dracula gained… um… could it be the result of absorbing the energy from a collapsing gate? Since a rift wouldn’t last for that long.”

“And there’s a strong possibility that my mana aptitude and capacity were also products of the same principle.”

Jeongjae concluded, as if his thoughts had finally sorted themselves out. Jenis nodded in agreement.

“Some try to interpret your talent as a gift of divine grace, but that’s undoubtedly the most plausible interpretation. For some reason, the professor passed through to our world at the moment of death, and in the process, absorbed an immense amount of mana that was holding the rift open with all his soul. It’s truly a blessing to have someone like you receive such a gift.”

While the fantastical element of ‘mana’ was involved, this was a highly scientific and rational analysis in the real world. Jeongjae also agreed with Jenis’ assessment.

“Indeed, I have a strong certainty that Dracula is targeting the materials left behind in this castle’s basement. Those materials hold significant value and must be worth hiding. I still haven’t read them all, but there’s an abundance of information that is very significant. Whether he intends to destroy these materials or use them, my conviction that he will not back down has only strengthened.”

Dracula would come again. Jeongjae could be certain of at least that.

It seemed that he had picked up something about Harriet Castle. Although he claimed it was due to the Demon King’s orders, Jeongjae wondered if that was truly the case.

The vampire lord was famously known for acting independently in a slightly different direction from the Demon King’s military orchestration. According to Walter, he was ‘the second most independent being after the Dragon Lord in the Demon King’s army.’

In certain ways, he might even be more independent than the Dragon Lord. While the Dragon Lord has an independent portion in terms of status and power, the overwhelming military power he could mobilize couldn’t escape the Demon King’s direct constraint and control.

However, with the vampires, perhaps due to the lesser power compared to the Dragon Lord, they seemed to operate with a degree of independence rather than facing reckless scrutiny. That was Walter’s opinion.

In fact, ‘intelligent commanders’ were very rare among the ranks of the Demon King’s army. Even if the succubi weren’t particularly skilled militarily, they could be summoned as officers of at least a platoon size when necessary, and the intelligence of vampires was very rare and valuable as a human resource in the Demon King’s army.

In the case of Dracula, given that he had lived for nearly centuries and possessed intelligence along with basic cognitive abilities, it wouldn’t be odd for the Demon King to grant him the authority for independent action.

“I also feel the same. More than anything, that mechanical device seemed quite suspicious…”

“Did you find out something?”

“That… other than that it has something to do with the divine power bulb, I have no clue… But… um… I think I’ll need to conduct research on it.”

Jenis had a hesitant expression. Jeongjae subtly tilted his head.

“If it’s research, then go ahead? I won’t interfere at all. There’s not much to do in our territory these days anyway…”

“Professor, or rather, Baron.”

But Jenis’ expression was resolute. As if she had made up her mind. As if she was prepared to say something incredibly difficult to express.

Jeongjae nodded.

“Go ahead, Jenis.”

“I want to visit the Magic Tower. With this material. This is something I can’t research alone, and it’s not something that can be completed in this territory. I think I need to see the huge mana apparatus of the Magic Tower with my own eyes and look through the materials there to grasp what’s what.”

“Uh, I see.”

“I’m truly sorry to say this after I offered to assist you, Baron… but if you’re okay with it…”

“I can’t allow you to take that device with you. If it breaks, it’ll be a disaster.”

Jeongjae said simply, and Jenis widened her eyes in shock.

“I… um… is that okay? I could just go to the Magic Tower right now…”

“Well, it might get a bit lonely, and it might take a bit longer… but, originally, I’ve been losing myself in these matters because we’ve got barely any responsibilities as lord. Go freely. While it’s disappointing, it would have been a pity to keep someone as talented as you tied beneath me.”

Even so, the tone completely lacked any hint of bitterness. Although it sounded like she was asking for permission, it felt like Jenis had a sense of dissatisfaction with Jeongjae’s attitude for some reason.

“Fine, so you’re saying you can manage perfectly well without me?”

“What’s with that tone when I say I’m sending you off with good intentions?”

Jeongjae asked while chuckling a bit. Jenis stood up abruptly, her face slightly sulking.

“Alright! Then I’ll head up to the tower myself, so you take care of yourself! I’ll just live there doing nothing but research for the rest of my life!”

Jeongjae could not contain his laughter and covered his mouth slightly. He understood that Jenis was sulking because he seemed completely unfazed by not holding her back, but he still couldn’t grasp that it stemmed from affection; to him, it looked more like a child throwing a fit, which he found amusing.

“No, that’s going to be a problem. Our situation might get urgent soon, so come back as quickly as you can. You might be needed.”

“I might be needed?”

Jenis squinted her eyes slightly. Jeongjae tilted his head, deciding to humor her.

“Okay, okay. You will be needed, Jenis. So please come back as soon as possible. Got it?”

“Well, if you’re saying that much, then I guess I have no choice.”

“Wow, listen to that tone. Why are you acting out of character?”

“Is it because you like a woman who isn’t straightforward?”

“Don’t say such things even as a joke. I can’t properly understand it even when you speak plainly.”

“I definitely get that without you saying it!”

Jenis answered and chuckled. Jeongjae suddenly stood up with a look as if he had remembered something very important.

“Then since it’s come to this, let’s go check on the carriage. In times like these, we have to be very, very, very careful when leaving the territory. I’ll personally cast protection magic on the carriage you’ll ride. I don’t know what might’ve upset you, but I hope this will lighten the mood a bit.”

“So if you notice that I’m upset, why don’t you try to act a bit more considerate from the beginning?”

“Please don’t expect too much from me.”

In any case, neither of the two truly felt deeply insulted. And Jeongjae wasn’t unaffected by the fact that Jenis had decided to leave suddenly.

It was just that it hadn’t crossed his mind at all. What would happen, would happen. Jenis was too big a vessel. The size of that vessel could hardly be contained within Jeongjae’s narrow confines.