Chapter 1572. A New Normal (27)
“Saint of Sacrifice and Revival! Your Holiness!”
“The Sunset Swordsman and the Archmage are with him, too!”
“Protect him at all costs! Protect the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival!”
‘You idiots are the most dangerous ones here.’
“Down with the humiliating diplomacy! Humiliating diplomacy! Step down!”
“Please just wait a little longer, Your Holiness! We’ll save you!”
“Don’t waver, Honorary Cardinal! The Peace Preservation Association stands with you!!”
“Stop pushing! Stop pushing! Humiliating diplomacy!”
‘Damn it, is this really okay?’
“Let us sing the song of peace! The song of peace!”
“Humiliating diplomaaaaacy! Begoneeeeeee! Begooooooneeeeeeeeee!”
‘What is this? Is this some kind of exorcism ritual?’
“We sing! The song of peace! The song of peace!”
‘D-Damn, this place is seriously insane.’
I’d mentally prepared myself beforehand, but once I actually arrived at the scene, the intensity was on a whole new level, and that was despite the fact that we still weren’t even that close to the protesters themselves.
Honestly, I felt glad that we brought the seemingly useless peace delegation along with us.
The sight of people singing songs of peace from every direction while the anti-peace treaty protesters responded like they were performing some kind of mass exorcism ritual was truly something to behold.
Even I couldn’t adapt to the atmosphere, so I could only imagine how Kim Hyun-Sung and the others felt at the sight.
‘Well... maybe Hyun-Sung’s the only one looking uncomfortable.’
Jung Ha-Yan clung tightly to my side while we walked, so she didn’t even count. Honestly, she looked completely uninterested in the protesters altogether.
Han Sora, on the other hand, seemed a little nervous because of Jung Ha-Yan, but judging by how much effort she had put into dressing up compared to normal, it looked like she was more worried about the pictures of herself that would end up in the media.
The Blue Guild members were basically celebrities beyond celebrities at this point, so it was completely normal for photos of their daily outfits and fashion choices to circulate all over Benigoa Net. Incidentally, the person constantly showing up in the worst outfits wasn’t Park Deok-Gu but Jo Hye-Jin, who had an obsession with the color blue.
She had ranked in the Top 5 Worst Dressed list in gossip magazines more than once. Han Sora, meanwhile, had previously ranked in the Top 5 Best Dressed alongside Jung Ha-Yan, so it looked like she’d gone all out preparing herself today, too. She kept her posture perfectly straight and maintained a constant smile to avoid getting photographed in an embarrassing way.
Of course, she wasn’t only worrying about herself either. She was obviously checking Jung Ha-Yan repeatedly, too; she was probably afraid that she could accidentally get caught in some humiliating photo as well.
‘Ha-Yan looks cute no matter what angle you photograph her from, so there’s really no need to worry about that.’
Naturally, the supreme being of this district, Kim Hyun-Sung, transcended concerns like embarrassing photos altogether. Honestly, I wasn't really worried about some humiliating pictures or becoming a part of the worst-dressed rankings as long as I was with him. Instead, I was worried about whether some weird rumors would start spreading throughout the media outlets again.
“There are... more people here than I expected,” Kim Hyun-Sung commented.
The way he moved was stiff, making him look like some creaking robot. His expression was distorted, which was even worse than I’d expected. He rarely showed himself in public.
In addition, he was the type to become irrationally anxious whenever he ended up surrounded by too many people, so it made sense that this situation was uncomfortable for him. Spending too long on battlefields probably gifted him with unnecessary anxiety even in situations like this.
“There seems to be... even more people than I thought. P-Perhaps it would be better if we entered the estate by carriage instead...” Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.
“Of course, we can use a carriage if we want to, but this is supposed to be a symbolic moment. Naturally, we need to show our faces to the public. You’re feeling a little nervous, aren’t you?” I asked.
“N-no, it’s not that I’m nervous or anything. I’m just worried that there may be enemies mixed into the crowd,” he answered.
“That’s what being nervous means. Just stop thinking about it, don’t look around, and keep walking straight ahead,” I advised.
“Ah... okay.”
‘Yet he keeps glancing around while answering me.’
Kim Hyun-Sung usually listened obediently whenever I told him something, but it looked like instinctively scanning his surroundings was unavoidable for him. The reporters also swarmed us, shoving hand mirrors toward him to force an interview out of him, so there was no way he could calm down here.
Naturally, quite a few of them started throwing questions directly at Kim Hyun-Sung. Since they were probably convinced from the start that I wouldn’t give the media any useful information, it honestly felt like more reporters were rushing toward him instead.
“This is the Democratic Country Daily! Please give us a statement! Sub Guild Master of Blue! Is it true that you’re being politically pressured by the Democratic Country leadership and Oscar?!"
“Please tell us about the key issues being discussed in the secret meeting taking place at the Shadow Estate!”
“We’d like to know why the Guild Master of Blue personally accompanied you today!”
“Please comment on the rumors of conflict between the two of you!”
“Is it true that the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival plans to defect to the Republic?!”
“...”
“...”
Since this idiot was actually hesitating like he wanted to answer their questions, there was no way the reporters would just leave him alone. I clearly told him to keep walking straight ahead, but...
“Mr. Ki-Young will not defect to the Republic, and there are no conflicts between us. Currently, Mr. Ki-Young and I are in a state where our souls are connected, and...” he trailed off.
‘Come on, I told you not to answer anything. Seriously.’
“Could you explain in more detail what exactly you mean by your souls being connected?!”
“Well... it’s difficult to explain precisely, but it’s like two bodies sharing a single soul... I can’t describe it perfectly, but something has definitely changed between us,” he answered.
‘Stop answering them already, damn it.’
My face heated up for no reason, so I immediately quickened my pace. Naturally, Kim Hyun-Sung hurried after me while finally ignoring the reporters. The problem was that he was talking the entire time.
“Neither Mr. Ki-Young nor I fully understand yet what exactly this phenomenon is or how it happened. We’re still figuring it out ourselves, but I believe it’s proof that the bond between us has grown even stronger.”
“...”
“Even the Eye of Gold has become brighter as well. Does that answer your question? So please stop bringing up nonsense like rumors of conflict ever aga—”
“Stop... talking... to... them...” I muttered.
“...”
“...”
“Ah... s-sorry, Mr. Ki-Young.”
‘Geez, read the room a little, Hyun-Sung. Come on.’
Originally, I’d planned to walk a little more slowly, make eye contact with the crowd, calm the people down, and then enter the estate, but thanks to this idiot, the whole plan fell apart.
Without giving any kind of performance at all, we ended up standing directly in front of Commander Jin’s estate.
The one saving grace was that the moment I saw Commander Jin’s estate, I instantly forgot the embarrassing disaster Hyun-Sung had just shown to the reporters.
Up until a second ago, I felt like I was stripped naked in public, but the moment I stared at the massive palace in front of me, my mind went blank. To exaggerate a little, it honestly felt like standing before some historical monument.
‘This place is unbelievable...’
“...”
‘The taste really suits that bastard perfectly, too.’
One honestly wouldn’t be blamed for wondering whether this place was in China or the Republic. No, actually, I wasn’t even sure if the word "estate" was the right word to describe that thing before me.
I already knew the guy had a warm heart full of love for his homeland, but what stood before us looked less like a mansion and more like some Chinese emperor’s private palace.
In fact, it was even bigger than the Blue Guild headquarters. Even at a glance, the sheer scale of the property was overwhelming. Even Kim Hyun-Sung, who normally had zero interest in things like house size or luxury, looked genuinely stunned.
‘Does this bastard just have money rotting away somewhere or what? Damn...’
My commoner mindset briefly kicked in. For some reason, just stepping into this place felt intimidating. It felt like finding out that one's neighborhood buddy was secretly the son of some absurdly wealthy family all along. Of course, I had more than enough gold stacked away myself, but people always said that true wealth would reveal itself in the little details and the mindset behind them.
Perhaps for Commander Jin, living in a palace massive enough to make ordinary people uncomfortable was just everyday life. Honestly, I had expected as much...
‘That bastard was definitely filthy rich back on Earth, too.’
Kim Hyun-Sung, with his successful business background, already gave off the atmosphere of a rich heir, but Commander Jin was clearly on an entirely different level of wealth.
Just looking at Jung Ha-Yan nervously shrinking beside me made that obvious enough.
“I-It’s huge, oppa...” Jung Ha-Yan commented.
“I-It really is... Seeing it up close makes it look even bigger... The thing I thought was a park from far away... so it was all Commander Jin’s... house,” I said in agreement.
‘People like us naturally feel intimidated by this kind of thing.’
At least, I was somewhat used to luxury and extravagant parties by now, so it bothered me a little less, but Jung Ha-Yan definitely wasn’t the same as me. She had grown up dirt poor, so honestly, she would probably feel more comfortable at some cheap Big Boy hambier skewer stand than in Commander Jin’s estate.
Even so, I had already taken her to plenty of nice places, and Han Sora also tried exposing her to all sorts of experiences and environments, but the scale of this absurd palace was so overwhelming that all those experiences suddenly felt meaningless.
Even Han Sora herself looked visibly tense. Actually, I felt like Han Sora was more affected than all of us.
She wasn’t like Jung Ha-Yan, who simply walked her own path without caring about others, nor did she have the semi-rich heir aura that Kim Hyun-Sung naturally carried.
Han Sora was just... an ordinary person. It honestly looked like she had no idea how to react based on how she was checking her clothes again and again.
The atmosphere was tense enough that nobody would find it strange if she were to leave right there and then.
Just then, the enormous gates of the estate slowly creaked open. The gates were so ridiculously huge that they looked painfully slow to open, and the one who appeared beyond the fully opened gates was, naturally, Commander Jin. Then...
‘Wh-What the hell... man.’
There were retainers everywhere, and the craziest part was that every single one of them was dressed in clothing straight out of his homeland. For a second, I genuinely thought that I had traveled back in time to some ancient era. Men and women alike were all wearing qipaos.
‘This jerk... Does he have a thing for Chinese outfits?’
Well, a place this massive would truly need an absurd number of retainers to maintain it, but even so, the sheer number of them was ridiculous. Some of them were obviously highly trained fighters, too. Honestly, I barely even noticed Commander Jin.
Behind him was something that looked either like a lake or a pond with a small but absurdly luxurious-looking boat floating on top of it. The landscaping was so beautiful it bordered on insanity. As ridiculous as it sounded, this place honestly looked more impressive than the so-called Three Scenic Wonders we passed by on the way here.
‘Would he let me live here too?’
The moment I looked around, every retainer simultaneously bowed in greeting, and bizarrely enough...
“...”
“...”
They all greeted us with the traditional martial salute.
‘What even is this concept? You were never like this.'
“...”
‘All of them doing the martial arts salute together... isn’t that kind of weird? Or is this supposed to be normal?’
“...”
“Welcome to my estate, Lee Ki-Young. And...” Commander Jin trailed off before continuing, “Welcome to my estate, members of the Blue Guild."
Kim Hyun-Sung looked slightly uncomfortable to see Commander Jin speaking to me so casually, but honestly, I didn’t even have the capacity to care about Hyun-Sung right now.
“...”
“...”
I could no longer remember the pitiful scene starring Commander Jin getting pelted with cupcakes by Benigoa upstairs. In fact, the figure standing before me no longer seemed like Commander Jin.
‘Y-You... Why the hell have you been living a life of getting hit with cupcakes?’
