The Main Characters That Only I Know

Yu-hyun licked his lips and opened his mouth after sorting out his thoughts.

“I guess I was mistaken about something from the start.”

He wondered why Baek Seo-ryeon had deliberately framed him as a suspect and locked him up in the detention center, and why she had explained the situation of the alliance beyond Old Town in such detail.

He felt like he understood now through her last action.

“…Was it all a play?”

“It was the only way to have a conversation with you like this, where no one’s eyes could reach. Of course, I didn’t expect Yura to barge in so suddenly.”

“You expected me to come alone right away.”

“That’s right.”

The most unexpected situation for Baek Seo-ryeon would have been Kang Yura’s initiative.

“I’m sorry to Yura, but I had to do this, even if it meant lying.”

“Is it because of the Salio Empire?”

“I told you, right? They’ve been increasingly overtly restraining us.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“You wouldn’t care, would you? You wouldn’t think so yourself. But do you think Salio would leave you alone?”

“…”

He couldn’t refute that.

If what Baek Seo-ryeon said about Salio’s nature was true, they would have noticed Yu-hyun’s existence early on and tried to reach out to him somehow.

“So you intervened before they did. I must look like a very attractive prey to them.”

“That’s right.”

“So what do you want from me? I can guess from the circumstances, but I don’t know everything, so I need more explanation.”

“As I explained earlier, there are five major powers, and Salio is the one that doesn’t hide its ambition. That’s all true.”

“What about the terror?”

“It’s been happening before, but today’s incident was my play. It was all to meet you like this.”

“That means, Salio already tried to contact me in some way, and there are also some people in the central administration who are under their eyes.”

“Yes. That’s it.”

Thanks to Yu-hyun’s quick understanding, Baek Seo-ryeon didn’t have to explain much.

She couldn’t completely root out the existence of internal spies, so she had no choice but to use such an extreme method.

“If I call you separately, they’ll surely hear about it.”

“What about now?”

“Actually, this isn’t a very clean method either. But we can buy more time.”

“To go this far just to buy time…”

“It means the situation is more serious than you think.”

Yu-hyun sighed.

He thought he had finally found someone he knew and was about to relax a bit, but he got involved in this incident on his second day in Old Town.

“I know your reputation from the alliance’s information. The Black Thunder Lord… You defeated Hyerim unnie and even the Divine Spirits and transcendents of Sung-gun who tried to recruit you.”

“Not all of them.”

“I know. Great Army Mabinogion, Knight of the Round Table Gareth came with you to the alliance’s territory, right? I know exactly how many died by your hand and how many returned safely.”

He really knew everything.

He had heard that the alliance’s information was great, but he didn’t know it was this much. Yu-hyun was genuinely impressed.

“And then you fought and won against Choi Do-yoon, the executor.”

“I didn’t fight seriously. I didn’t intend to kill him in the first place.”

He said that, but anyone who saw the scene of that fight wouldn’t have believed Yu-hyun’s words.

If that wasn’t serious, then what would happen if they fought with the intention of killing each other?

It would be impossible to imagine.

“You’ve done so much, it would be strange if Salio didn’t eye you. Lindel, a small city, was mostly under Midland’s jurisdiction, so Salio couldn’t interfere. But Old Town is different.”

“It’s practically an enemy territory.”

“Of course, the place that can be called Salio’s base is one of the other big cities, Elder Control. But their claws are also stretched out here in Old Town.”

So Baek Seo-ryeon had tried to meet Yu-hyun first before Salio contacted him, avoiding their eyes.

“From what you asked me for help… You must be part of a secret organization that opposes Salio’s tyranny.”

“Yes, that’s right. Salio is still expanding his power. Two of the few Executors in the Alliance belong to Salio, and the other one is about to join him. If we have a civil war in this state, our defeat is certain.”

“Isn’t the Alliance composed of more than 50 Lords?”

“Would you believe me if I said that almost 30 of them are affiliated with Salio?”

“That’s a big problem.”

Every Lord-level force was precious in this situation.

And Yu-hyun, who had won against an Executor… He was too tempting a target for Salio.

“They don’t care about the means or methods to get what they want. If I hadn’t done this much, they would have tried to recruit you somehow.”

“I don’t respond to threats.”

“I know. But what if they threaten the people around you? Can you endure that?”

“…”

Yu-hyun immediately thought of Kang Hye-rim.

What if they took Kang Hye-rim, or his parents including Kang Yura, as hostages?

If that really happened, then…

“As I said, Salio is using the power of external forces to destroy the other four factions. They are the Great Army of Olympus and Asgard. I don’t know if they get along well because they have similar personalities, but it’s not good for us in many ways.”

“But if Salio goes that far, the other four factions won’t just sit still, right?”

“That’s why Salio couldn’t move until now. Even if he has 30 Lords on his side, we have more than 20 on ours, and we have Executors too. Especially Sumin’s help was great.”

Seo Sumin was neither a Lord nor an Executor. But he had a power comparable to them.

Of course, from Salio’s perspective, Seo Sumin’s existence was a deterrent as powerful as a nuclear weapon in a cold war.

But Seo Sumin had been absent for a month.

He had left for a journey to eliminate Mara Papias.

That gave Salio an opportunity to act.

“The balance has collapsed. Salio thinks this is his chance and is raising his heat blatantly. At this rate, the Alliance will fall apart in a civil war, and we won’t be able to resist them with the help of Olympus and Asgard.”

“Is that when I appeared?”

“Yes. You have a deterrent power comparable to Sumin who left. Of course, Salio wouldn’t like you. If you join our side, he will have to postpone his ambition again.”

“Hmm.”

Yu-hyun realized that the situation was not normal.

The Alliance that he thought was a fortress for the weak was in a precarious situation on the verge of being torn apart.

And this situation was aggravated by his entry into Old Town.

‘Damn fragment of Codex.’

This fragment that he possessed led him to all kinds of incidents in the mixed world.

Yeah. It was something that happened on Earth too, so he had to adapt now, but he was sick of this situation that pushed him without giving him a break.

“Where does Seoryeon belong?”

“There’s no name for the organization. If I had to name it, it would be Anti-Salio Alliance.”

“Yura doesn’t seem to know.”

“Yes. I didn’t tell Yura. Not only that. I didn’t tell Sumin either.”

“Why?”

“Because they have precious people to protect.”

“…”

Yu-hyun widened his eyes and Baek Seo-ryeon smiled self-deprecatingly.

“I know. It’s funny, right? I’m doing such extreme things as staging a terrorist drama, but I’m keeping it secret from the people I know because they have families and safety as an excuse. You can call me hypocritical.”

“…No. That’s not it.”

Yu-hyun shook his head.

He wasn’t surprised because Baek Seo-ryeon had changed.

Rather, she was too similar to her previous life.

He remembered when she greeted him as an envoy sent by Choi Do-yoon and told him everything without any ulterior motive.

“I’m just relieved that Seoryeon is still the same as I knew her. No matter what you do, you always move for others, whether it’s then or now.”

“…Thank you for saying that.”

“Then are you really the only one moving? What about the others? By the way, I heard Yuchan is also there.”

“Yes. I’m keeping it secret from Yuchan too. Of course, I’m getting some information from him, but I’m keeping the line. Yuchan is now a head of a family too.”

“Kyungseo?”

Baek Seo-ryeon nodded at just the name.

“It’s been a while since Kyungseo unnie and Yuchan got married. They have a cute daughter named Seulha. I don’t want to drag them into my business.”

“…But Salio won’t think the same way.”

“That’s why I need your help, Yu-hyun.”

“What exactly do you want me to do?”

“First of all, we need to show them that we have a strong connection with this side. So that Salio won’t be greedy.”

“What if they still try to cross us?”

“It wouldn’t be bad if we get a reason to fight back.”

“But aren’t we the ones who will lose if we fight?”

“I don’t mean war. The fight I’m talking about is something different.”

Yu-hyun read something else in Baek Seo-ryeon’s tone.

“So you have another way within the alliance.”

“Yes, that’s right. The alliance may seem like a union of weaklings, but the mixed world is already different from the Earth we knew. Of course, in this place, the ones with great stories, that is, the ones with power, are the top dogs. Morality and law, those are nothing but hollow words.”

Yu-hyun knew that from hearing it.

A world ruled by power.

The Earth after the end of his previous life was similar to this, so the mixed world was surprisingly familiar to him.

“In other words, if something happens, we just have to solve it with power. Rather than war… It would be easier to think of the duels between collectors that happened on Earth.”

Well. It wasn’t that strange when he thought about it.

This place called the lord alliance was also practically where the lords were not elected by votes, but by being strong.

They say it’s an alliance, and everyone seems to live equally… But in reality, the alliance is also a world dominated by the logic of power.

Race, ethnicity, the stories they possess.

All these things make a difference in the gap of power, and there are hardly any people who point fingers at the strong ones who oppress the weak ones.

“I thought it was an ideal utopia, but it wasn’t.”

“Harmony and equality are nothing but illusions here.”

Equality made by power is not true equality. In the end, it is also another form of suppression.

“The choice is yours, Yu-hyun. I don’t intend to force you. I just want you to know that there is something like this, and that’s enough for me.”

“But don’t you need my help, Seoryeon?”

“I do. But… You’ve been through a lot of hard times coming here, haven’t you? Just look at Hyerim unnie’s case. But I’m not so shameless as to ask you for more help after coming this far. You have your own things to do.”

“…If I refuse, will you do it alone?”

“Not alone. I have other comrades who share my will.”

“People who have nothing to lose.”

Baek Seo-ryeon nodded with a bitter smile.

Sung Yu-chan and Kang Yura kept it a secret because they had families to protect. That means those who joined her will are not like them.

People who have nothing to lose and nothing to protect.

Yu-hyun clicked his tongue and got up from his seat.

“I’ve heard enough to not let it go. Besides, if Salio takes everything away, what will happen to this peaceful alliance… I don’t even want to imagine it.”

He didn’t have much affection or resentment for the alliance itself.

But there were people he cared about in this place.

Sung Yu-chan, Joo Kyungseo, Kang Yura, and his parents.

He wanted them to live in a world that was… at least more peaceful than other places.

That’s what Yu-hyun thought.

“I’ll help you. Seoryeon… You’re also precious to me. How can I stay still when you might die?”

“…Don’t say that to anyone else.”

Baek Seo-ryeon rolled her eyes and glared at Yu-hyun.

Yu-hyun asked innocently.

“What did I say?”

“…Sigh. You’re just as oblivious as you were five years ago or now.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t understand even if she told him, Baek Seo-ryeon decided to accept this reality.

Yu-hyun felt somewhat wronged, but he didn’t ask because he instinctively felt that she wouldn’t give him a proper answer anyway.

“Let’s move. Salio might be up to something too.”

“Let’s go.”

Baek Seo-ryeon used the key she had prepared in advance to get Yu-hyun out of the detention center.

Yu-hyun was speechless at how flimsy the process of releasing a suspect of terrorism was.

“Is it really okay to let him go so easily?”

“There’s no way to prove his guilt anyway, and no one can argue with me if I say he’s innocent. Who would dare to question the chief’s decision?”

“Power does have its perks, huh?”

“More than that, people are afraid of Mr. Yu-hyun. Who would be crazy enough to lock up an executioner-level in the detention center?”

As the two men opened the iron door and stepped outside, they saw Kang Yoo-ra waiting for them.

She had been restless near the entrance, but when she spotted the two men coming out, she hurried over to them.

“Are you okay, oppa? Nothing’s wrong, right?”

“Yeah. It turns out that Mr. Yu-hyun is innocent, so he’s been released.”

“So, oppa is fine now, right? Really?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Yoo-ra was about to sigh in relief when she heard that.

“Th-this is bad!”

A soldier in armor came running from the other end of the corridor.

Seeing him, Baek Seo-ryeon sensed that something had gone wrong and felt anxious, but he asked calmly.

“What’s going on?”

“W-well… A while ago, some people from Salio came regarding the terrorist incident.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“They’re trying to contact the Black Thunder Lord, who we had isolated…”

“What?”

The one who reacted faster than anyone else to that was Yu-hyun, who had been listening to the conversation from the side.

“Where?”

“H-huh?”

The internal security officer of the central administration was flustered when Yu-hyun suddenly pushed his face into the conversation.

Who the hell is this guy, interrupting the chief’s conversation like that? He was about to scold him, but when he met Yu-hyun’s eyes, his throat closed up.

His eyes were fierce and cold.

“Where is it?”

“O-over there…”

The soldier pointed with a trembling hand.

Yu-hyun immediately ran in the direction he indicated.