There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 147: Retrograder, Egoist, And Commie (4)

* * *

On the 33rd floor of a towering building better known as the Pantoliano Building than by its formal name, the Western Count Palatine, two men were having dinner in a spacious lounge overlooking the entire cityscape of Dreitherial in complete silence.

The menu consisted of lavish dishes made from the finest ingredients and imported high-end wine from Earth.

It was an extravagant meal that even most Mages wouldn’t be able to afford easily, yet yet the two men showed no hint of joy as they ate.

It was a calm, almost somber dinner.

The only sound heard was the occasional clink of dishes, until a refined-looking man with slicked-back blond hair finally spoke up.

“You seem a bit off today.”

The man sipped his wine. The manner in which he tilted his glass exuded a sense of noble elegance that was impossible to hide.

“Or is the meal not to your liking?”

“…No, Sir. The food is excellent. It is just that… I have quite a few things on my mind.”

The man sitting across from him replied in a polite tone.

He was an East Asian man, a rare sight in the city, and there was a sense of disciplined grace in his every move, like that of a well-trained beast.

“What could be troubling you here? Everything is going according to plan, isn’t it?”

“…Nothing ever goes perfectly as planned in this world.”

“A saying meant for young dragons? It does have a refreshing ring to it, especially hearing it come from an Earthian.”

The blond man chuckled, placed his wine glass on the table, and stabbed a piece of still-bloody steak with his fork.

“You’re not still worried about the attack on the station this morning, are you? It’s nothing to be concerned about. It was just the last-ditch attempt of some old fools.”

“It’s not a matter to be taken lightly. From our findings, the attack… was either carried out by a dragon or at least a Mage of comparable power.”

The East Asian man’s tone was serious, but the blond man casually chewed his steak, as if it were no big deal.

“A Mage as strong as a dragon? It seems like the old man in the south has finally lost his mind. He must be really desperate to make an appearance at the Emperor’s birthday celebration in a month.”

“…”

The East Asian man watched the other man finish his bite of meat silently and then spoke up once more as he swallowed.

“…We still have a month left before we reach the underground bunker.”

“To be precise, we only have one month left.”

“…Count Palatine, one month is a long time. The more active the elves and other outsiders become, the greater the variables will become.”

The blond man, addressed as the Count Palatine, did not reply immediately.

He sipped his wine, took a bite of the soft bread, and only then did he respond in a relaxed tone.

“Do you know what I’ve learned while living as a Count Palatine in this city?”

“…I’m listening.”

“The old man in the Eastern side is insane, and the one in the South is a fool.”

“…”

“No matter what desperate measures they take now, remember, the odds are already in our favor. Those old men aren’t even aware that we’re digging tunnels right under their feet.”

“That is….”

“The attack on the innocent northern station is the clearest proof of their confusion. When in doubt, they just cut off supplies… A foolish tactic indeed, truly befitting someone from an outdated era.”

The Western Count Palatine, Joe Pantoliano, declared with confidence.

While the East Asian man did not agree with the Count Palatine’s words, he wasn’t foolish enough to point it out and spoil the atmosphere.

And just as silence was about to settle in again, the Count Palatine changed the subject.

“Let’s leave the work talk at that, shall we? After all, I’ve already delegated full authority to you. Just like always, you can do as you please and spend my wealth as needed. That was the agreement from the start, wasn’t it?”

“…Thank you for your generosity.”

“Enough with the empty words. Right now… I’d like to hear about my reward.”

Reward.

At the mention of that word, as if he had been waiting for it, the East Asian man stood up and pulled out a bag placed under the table.

There were at least ten documents inside the bag, all of them forged papers proving one’s South Korean nationality without exception.

No, they weren’t forged; they were official documents issued by the Korean government, making them more legitimate than anything else.

“This is…”

“A birth certificate, graduation certificate, copy of resident registration. Once this is all over, you will be able to become a Korean… in other words, an Earthian.”

The Count Palatine examined the papers without hiding the greed in his eyes.

“This isn’t everything, is it?”

“Of course not. ‘His Excellency’ has instructed us to provide you with anything you desire.”

Anything he desires? As the mood relaxed further, the Count Palatine filled his glass with wine again.

“It seems His Excellency really knows how to treat people. Naturally, I’m a reasonable man, so I won’t ask for anything too extravagant.”

“…”

“Money—around fifty billion should be enough. Oh, all in dollars, of course. As for anything else I need… the rights of a ruler. Let His Excellency know that these two things will suffice.”

“And by the rights of a ruler, you mean…?”

“A member of the National Assembly, a city councilman, a provincial governor… even somewhere like Hamgyong Province would do just fine. I just need legitimate authority and land so my Mages can follow me to Korea without any complaints.”

A typical statement from a noble from the other side of the Dimensional Portal, one who was still unable to distinguish the difference between nobility and politicians.

Not bothering to correct him, the East Asian man simply bowed his head in silence, suppressing a sneer.

“Understood. I will relay that to His Excellency.”

* * *

Night time at Dreitherial.

Several large carts drawn by massive draft horses traversed through the city, escaping the old and foul-smelling sewers.

The carts were filled with tightly sealed wooden boxes, each labeled with things like ‘Magic Wand,’ ‘Chainsaw,’ and ‘Pinecone.’

The boxes had the unmistakable appearance of contraband.

However, thanks to the cover of night, no one made any attempts to steal them by the time they reached their destination.

Strangely enough, even the gangsters who would usually swagger through the back alleys and the guards known for abusing their power fled at the mere sight of them, tails tucked between their legs.

Of course, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

After all, no one in the South was bold enough to target contraband escorted by ten armed, burly men.

Anyway, the destination of the carts was a massive three-story inn, large enough to hold all these boxes and more.

“…This is an inn?”

But despite its name, the exterior of the building was far removed from what you would expect of a typical inn.

After all, what kind of inn surrounded itself with a concrete wall topped with barbed wire like a fortress and even had a guard post on the roof?

It even had a mount for a machine gun at the post, which made it seem more like…

“…This place doesn’t look like an inn—it feels more like a military stronghold.”

The blue-eyed girl muttered out loud while moving the contraband boxes into the inn(?).

A man behind her let out a chuckle.

“Good eye. This place used to be a Soviet military outpost which was then repurposed as an inn.”

“…”

“After I bought it to use for my business, I remodeled it back into a stronghold. It has quite an interesting history, don’t you agree with me?”

“…Not really.”

Contrary to the man’s friendly tone, the girl’s response was cold.

Without even glancing back at him, she continued carrying the boxes to the inn.

Some of the burly men at the back seemed ready to say something, but the man who had been ignored waved them off.

“Joseph-nim, but…!”

“She’s a customer.”

“…”

“And not just any customer, she’s a Superhuman customer with a chest full of gold. Don’t forget that the bonuses you received all came from her pockets.”

Lifting a box from the cart, Joseph added.

“And women who belong to someone are always like that. Not like any of you would know that since you’ve only been with bitches who get around.”

The burly men grumbled, complaining that his words were harsh or that Joseph-nim was no different, but they started unloading the boxes.

After they had moved several wooden boxes, and the draft horses were stamping their front hooves from frustration and the men were drenched in sweat, two familiar silhouettes drew closer towards the inn from beyond the alley.

Joseph greeted them with a bright, professional smile.

“Oh, dear customers, you’ve finally arrived—”

However, his smile faded quickly. The appearance of the customers under the moonlight was far from normal.

The man looked like a war refugee who had survived a bomb explosion, with tattered clothes and bloodstains covering his body.

And yet his expression remained as calm as ever. His golden eyes gleamed as he spoke.

“Did I arrive too late?”

Joseph hesitated, unable to reply with a straightforward ‘yes, you’re late.’

Instead, he responded with an awkward smile, saying that dinner was about to be served.

* * *

“…Did you guys really rob the back-alley gangs in the west?”

Seti asked with a bewildered expression while pulling a grenade out of a box labeled ‘Pinecone’.

“It wasn’t me. It was all brother-in-law.”

Neti answered as she dipped her rye bread into warm soup.

“…Why?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Why wouldn’t you know? You were with him all day, weren’t you?”

“Uh… I was just watching?”

“Why were you just watching?”

“…”

Sensing the atmosphere turn tense all of a sudden, Neti paused and stared intently at her sister.

As she expected, there was no trace of playfulness on her sister’s face as she held a grenade.

After swallowing the piece of bread she was chewing on, she answered cautiously.

“Well, I just… I thought he didn’t want me to join the fight, so I only caught the ones who were fleeing.”

“Ah, so that’s the reason he was the only one covered in blood when you returned?”

This was bad. Neti glanced around the room, hoping for some help, but Joseph and the other burly men were casually sipping their beer, deliberately ignoring the scene.

Allies? None to be found.

Avoiding her sister’s gaze, Neti spoke as calmly as she could.

“No, I mean, he said he’s fine because he has a fast Regeneration ability.”

“Even if his Regeneration ability is fast, the pain’s still the same.”

“…”

It finally dawned on Neti that having a sister who was in a relationship wasn’t all sunshine and roses.

Raising a daughter may have been pointless; who would have ever thought that her sister would also put a man before family?

Well, her brother-in-law was a good guy. But for her normally cold sister to behave like this…

Neti averted her gaze, suppressing the smile that was threatening to show. Seti’s delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed as she noticed.

“…Neti, where are you looking while I’m still talking? Do you find this funny? Is what I’m saying a joke to you?”

“Ah, sorry, but honestly, isn’t it a little funny—”

Shooting her a sharp glare, Seti began to rise from her seat. But just then, a savior descended from the second floor.

“What? You haven’t eaten yet? You should’ve started without me.”

Having washed off the blood and dust in the shower, Cheon Yeomyeong descended the stairs, drying his damp hair with a towel.

As soon as he appeared, Seti’s angry expression melted into a smile.

“Wow… love is really something scary, huh.”

Observing the immediate shift in her sister’s expression, Neti let out an amused sigh, but Seti ignored her and sat down directly across from Cheon Yeomyeong.

Soon, one of the perceptive burly men placed some soup, bread, steamed spam, and potatoes on the table.

Cheon Yeomyeong gave him a slight nod in gratitude, then took a spoonful of soup.

The bland, watery soup wasn’t anything special, but hunger made it passable.

Anyway, Cheon Yeomyeong spoke as he ate.

“…I found the shepherds.”

Joseph and his crew didn’t understand the remark.

However, Seti and Neti, who knew what he was talking about, frowned immediately.

“…Already?”

“The shepherd Dagal saw wasn’t the first. They’ve probably been active in the west of the city for at least half a year to a year.”

“What could they be after in this city? Are they also searching for the World Tree’s crystal?”

“Their purpose is still unclear. But they’re definitely scheming something in the sewers.”

Although they had expected it, seeing it firsthand made the situation feel more significant.

As Neti rolled her eyes, unable to follow the conversation, Seti leaned closer to Cheon Yeomyeong and whispered softly.

“…The sewers again?”

“Yeah, right beneath the residence of the Western Count Palatine.”

“…”

“While I’d like to figure out what they’re up to as quickly as tomorrow… the problem is Kahal Magdu is hiding somewhere in this city. If we don’t know where he is, going after the shepherds first would be dangerous.”

Seti nodded in agreement.

“…Then we’ll need to gather information from as many other places as possible.”

“Let’s hit the southern gangs tomorrow. As we gradually verify the information, we’ll get a clearer picture—”

Just as Yeomyeong was finishing his sentence, the inn door suddenly burst open, and an orc—no, an orc carrying a human—entered the inn.

“…Balagu?”

Seti tilted her head in confusion on seeing him, and then without a word, Balagu tossed the human he was carrying onto a chair.

Curious about what was going on, the group examined the person Balagu had thrown and realized he was a heavily drunk Superhuman… no, a knight.

The mana emanating from his body and his thick knight’s armor confirmed it.

And judging by how drunk he was, he didn’t seem particularly skilled… but why this guy?

As everyone’s gaze quickly turned toward Balagu, he shrugged and said.

“That guy is a knight of the Southern Count Palatine.”

“…Don’t tell me you kidnapped him?”

Seti raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had done something without being ordered, but Balagu shook his head.

“No, I brought him over for a third round of drinks.”

“…”

What kind of nonsense was he spouting? Yeomyeong frowned, but Balagu looked confident.

“Once he’s had enough drinks, this guy will answer anything he’s asked. His nickname is ‘Loose Lips’ for a reason.”

“…”

“And since he’s pretty drunk right now, how about we use this chance to ask about the Southern Count’s situation?”

Instead of answering, Yeomyeong took a gold coin out of his pocket and flipped it to Balagu.

Balagu caught the gold coin with a wink in response.

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