Chapter 1557. A New Normal (12)
‘I won’t forget.’
I honestly wanted to erase his very existence right then and there, but for now, the only choice was to turn my back. Getting out of here came first. The mana that Jung Ha-Yan had unleashed was no longer around, but the bystanders who had taken her anger and hostility head-on were still frozen in place. It was like they were struck by some kind of status effect. Leaving was the smart move to make here.
‘If we stick around, we’ll definitely get taken in by security.’
It wouldn’t take long for Republic mages to arrive, either. This wasn’t just a simple street disturbance; ot was a sudden burst of immeasurable mana. Whether from a nearby magic tower or the Republic’s intelligence division, there was a high chance an investigation team would be dispatched, and once they were here, priests would probably come along, too.
The people who had taken that head-on would need some treatment.
‘Hope they’re not traumatized...’
I couldn't care less about what happened to that idiot, but his companion and the crowd were different. I remembered reading somewhere that ordinary people could lose their minds just from witnessing a fragment of a transcendent being.
There were even cases of people who had seen the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep still suffering from mental issues, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that something similar could happen to them.
“...”
“...”
Of course, Jung Ha-Yan’s presence as a transcendent wasn’t strong enough to have that kind of overwhelming influence, and the exposure was brief, so the chances of a severe side effect were low, but ironically, it made it easier for this to become a problem.
‘It looks exactly like she used mind-type magic.’
Under the recently updated continental laws, mind-type magic was illegal. More precisely, it was placed under much stricter regulation. It was classified from Level 1 to Level 8 in terms of danger, and anyone capable of using Level 4 or higher mind-type magic had to be registered with the Continental Protection Management Committee.
In addition, they needed approval before using it.
It was hard to say exactly what level her magic would be classified as, but given the range, there was a high chance it would be judged as Level 4 or higher. Which meant that, in just a few minutes, this street would become a mess.
If I wanted to avoid getting dragged into something troublesome, the right move was to leave as quickly as possible.
“Ha-Yan, can you cast concealment magic one more time?” I requested.
“...”
“Ha-Yan?” I called out.
“O-okay,” she said.
“It doesn’t look like we can grab a meal around here... For now, it’s better to regroup with Sora, okay? I think people from the Republic will come here soon... We can come back out together tomorrow, or the day after, whenever we have time,” I suggested.
“R-really?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course.”
‘Look at her being so careful...’
Naturally, I gently patted her head. I wanted to tell her that she hadn’t done anything wrong, but it didn’t seem like she was being cautious for that reason. It wasn’t that she was upset, and it wasn’t that she was reflecting on what she’d done either.
“Hee... hehe... hehe...”
‘She’s... smiling...’
I could see her giggling to herself, almost too softly to hear. She couldn’t hold back the grin creeping across her face. At first, I thought she was just happy about getting a promise for another date, but after listening to her mumbling under her breath, it didn’t seem like that was the reason.
I couldn’t quite figure out why, but it looked like she actually liked what just happened.
“...”
“...”
She even seemed to be thinking that it was... romantic. Her fingers were still fidgeting, and her face had that strange flush to it.
‘She really thinks that was romantic.’
I had no idea how “you’re not a gigolo either, oppa!” could possibly count as a romantic ending. I figured perhaps there was some deeper reasoning I just wasn’t getting, but...
A little later, I watched as Jung Ha-Yan ran up to Han Sora at the tavern and excitedly explained everything that had happened.
I couldn’t help but nod at the sight.
“M-Miss Jung Ha-Yan, why are you back so soon?” Han Sora asked.
“S-so, you see... Sora...” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“What? You bumped shoulders?” Han Sora asked.
“Yeah... a-and then I-I shouted that oppa isn’t a gigolo...” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“Ah... I see.”
“A-and then oppa slapped him...” Jung Ha-Yan continued.
“W-what?!”
“A-and he said I wasn’t a country bumpkin...” Jung Ha-Yan added.
“Ah...”
“S-so then I also said... oppa isn’t a gigolo,” she said.
“Ah... I-I see.”
‘See? I’m not the only one who thinks that’s weird.’
Even Han Sora, who was usually unmatched when it came to reactions, couldn’t seem to figure out how she was supposed to respond.
“T-that must’ve been... nice...” Han Sora mumbled.
“R-right?”
She looked like she was seriously trying to figure out where exactly the touching or romantic part of that story was. The fact that she already had a few drinks with the guild members probably didn’t help her half-hearted response, but even if she’d been sober, her reaction wouldn't have been much different.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason she found it strange.
“But... that guy called you a country bumpkin?” Han Sora asked.
‘So, me getting called a useless gigolo doesn’t matter at all? Why does that part just get skipped?’
“Where did this happen... Actually, did you hear his name?” Han Sora asked.
“I-I don’t remember...” Jung Ha-Yan answered.
‘I remember it.’
“H-he seemed like he was from the Democratic Country,” Jung Ha-Yan added.
Just then, Park Deok-Gu, who had already been drinking and had a flushed face, remarked, “Well, I heard from that guy earlier... Seems like Democratic Country adventurers are kind of a headache here in the Republic.”
He pointed toward a group of Republic adventurers drinking some distance away. One of them met Park Deok-Gu’s gaze and raised his glass, and Park Deok-Gu responded with an exaggerated grin, waving his own drink back.
Perhaps it was his natural sociability, but it looked like he had already gotten acquainted with some Republic adventurers while drinking at the tavern.
‘Is his level of social skills that high?’
“S-so anyway, what was it again... Back then, with the Blue Guild... something...”
Kim Ye-Ri picked up where he left off.
“The Blue Guild’s Republic branch.”
“Oh! Right! Back then, didn’t Hyun-Sung go to the Republic to set up a branch for the Blue Guild? And it wasn’t just him, other Democratic Country adventurers came over, too... and then...” Park Deok-Gu paused.
“Visa,” Kim Ye-Ri said.
“Ahhh! Right, the visa. Honestly, those guys didn’t seem to know all the details either, but they were saying things like the first step was messed up or something... and after that, adventurers from the Democratic Country kept causing trouble... stuff like that,” he continued.
“...”
“...”
It was a long time ago, so I couldn’t be sure, but...
‘This isn’t Hyun-Sung’s fault, is it?’
It didn’t seem like their bias against Democratic Country adventurers came from any personal grudge against Kim Hyun-Sung. Still, thinking back to that trip to the Republic with Templar Gen, I found myself reconsidering.
I did remember that the recruits they picked for the Republic branch back then were complete trash. They focused only on results and ignored every other factor beyond ability when selecting people.
Of course, I couldn’t just blame Kim Hyun-Sung for every Democratic Country adventurer who ended up there, but I couldn’t help thinking that if they had been a bit more careful while establishing the branch and forming the expedition group, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this.
After all, just one rotten apple was enough for the rest to rot with it.
‘Still, it’s a stretch to pin all of this on him.’
Whether he was trying to give me a clear answer or was just defending Kim Hyun-Sung, I couldn't say for sure, but Park Deok-Gu quickly added, “Well... I don’t really get the complicated stuff, but the conclusion those guys kept repeating was this...”
“...”
“...”
“What is it?” I asked.
“They say the Democratic Country adventurers are looking down on them,” Park Deok-Gu answered.
“Yeah, they definitely said they felt looked down on,” Kim Ye-Ri chimed in.
‘Yeah, there was a more fundamental issue.’
I had already seen it back at the academy.
“Really...?” I asked.
“I’m sure of it! I only met them briefly, but it was the honest voice of honest guys!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.
“...”
“...”
Not everyone was like that, but some people from the Democratic Country definitely believed that they were superior to those from the Republic. I believed that was the root of the problem. It wasn’t that the kids at the Blue Guild’s Youth Center had just been immature, as even fully grown adventurers carried that same attitude.
They believed they were culturally, technologically, and economically superior. They believed that they were simply on a higher level. They thought their adventurers were stronger, their mages were better, and their everything was better than the Republic's.
One could honestly say that they were completely drunk on national pride. To be fair, it was understandable for the general public to think that way. No, it was inevitable. After all, it was true.
The continent was practically a one-power system dominated by the Democratic Country. The Republic followed behind, but there was still a significant gap. There was a huge difference across the board when it came to technology, standard of living, alchemy, magitech, and even fields directly tied to adventurers like dungeon exploration.
The Republic was pushing hard to catch up, but it wasn’t a gap that they could realistically narrow, especially when Ji-Hye and I were openly supporting the Democratic Country.
On top of that, there were plenty of figures that fueled the pride of the Democratic Country’s people. The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival, the Sunset Swordsman, the Archmage, and the Crimson War God. Each of those figures had firmly engraved their name into their respective fields.
There was a reason the Republic had been clinging so desperately to the Hero of Shadows. Even if I hadn’t created that figure, they probably would have made something of their own—no, not probably, they definitely would have done that.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
‘This might be a bigger problem than I thought...’
It wasn’t just one or two bad apples. If this kind of superiority complex were widespread across the Democratic Country, then it was bound to cause trouble. The environment inevitably bred that kind of thinking, especially among religious extremists.
For some reason, a phrase I once created without much thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Under Goddess Benigoa, all humans are equal.’
If put another way, anyone who didn’t believe in the Goddess Benigoa—those not under Her could not be considered one's equal. It felt like the very first step itself was a wrong one, and I frowned at the realization as I sat down.
“Haa...” I sighed.
I absentmindedly looked up and spotted Ahn Ki-Mo chatting away with some random twins tucked under each arm right in front of me.
“Hehehehe—Oh? Sir... you’re here?” Ahn Ki-Mo greeted me.
