Chapter 252. a
"What did you say?"
"If you don't like that one, then how about this. Is your real name actually Kim Giryeo, Hunter?"
"Haa."
"There were a few items on the list Hunter Kang brought in. Honestly, most of them are just weird nonsense."
"It's a long-standing question. What on earth does Kang Changho usually think about in his daily life?"
"Oh my."
Seonwoo Yeon continued the conversation with a calm face, effortlessly steering it forward. Watching her, I quietly reflected to myself. In all my life, I had never been cornered in such an absurd situation. Back in my prime, I'd never even imagined having to leave my beautiful home planet and scrape by in some far-off world like this. And really, the way that Earthing Kang Changho operates is downright bizarre. From the moment an Association employee suddenly showed up, I had a feeling the signs weren't good.
Sparkle.
"It's not like he used money or power to hire a thug to kill the conman."
Justitia.
"To think he'd just hand over such an expensive artifact for someone else to carry."
I glanced resentfully at the artistic-looking scale that didn't match the cheap flooring of the one-room apartment. Even at this moment, the same question kept running through my mind.
What was Kang Changho's intention in doing this? And just what did that Earthing know that allowed him to threaten me like this?
"Hunter Giryeo?"
Seonwoo Yeon tilts her head slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. The questions were so out of the blue that my brain just froze for a moment."
I quickly continued speaking before her suspicion could deepen.
"Actually, I had a pretty big argument with that S-rank Hunter recently, and I think that's why Kang Changho must have held a grudge and started approaching people around me... probably trying to stir up trouble or something."
"You had a fight? With Hunter Kang Changho?"
"Otherwise, what reason would that guy have to suddenly pull a bizarre stunt like this?"
"Hmm."
"Anyway, I'm sorry for dragging you into such a troublesome mess."
Fortunately, I had demonstrated my skills as an appraiser often enough before.
"However, the [Justitia] Seonwoo Yeon brought is likely just a convincing fake on the outside. So, this whole line of questioning is meaningless from the start..."
I expressed my concerns about the authenticity of the magical tool that Kang Changho supposedly transferred. Since I had only seen it briefly, I couldn't give an immediate answer, but it could very well be a fake scale made by some malicious hunter just to slander me, so I warned not to believe it recklessly. That's how I subtly whispered to the other person.
"I need to buy time!"
Originally, I had planned to use this gap to begin analyzing the structure of Justitia.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but this item is genuine."
However, the employee who had been touching the head of the scale immediately denied it.
"I'm currently under a contract with Hunter Kang Changho..."
"Contract? You don't mean a knight's oath, do you?"
"No, it's not a contract with mutual effects like that."
Seonwoo Yeon's voice continued.
"Have you ever heard of an item called the Fairy's Promise?"
"...!"
"This is a unique-level item where one side is contracted as the master, and the other side as the slave."
"So?"
"Hunter Kang Changho, who came to find me, said this Fairy's Promise... while 'putting it around his own neck."
When the effect is activated, a black wing tattoo appears on the back of the slave's neck, a magical item from Earth. Seonwoo Yeon briefly explained the characteristics of the substance—the Fairy's Promise.
"From now on, if you lie to your contracted master—meaning if you tell me a falsehood—you will immediately receive the strongest divine punishment."
"A divine punishment."
"With the Fairy's Promise, you can set the intensity of the penalty the first time it's used."
Kang Changho. Did that S-rank Hunter go as far as doing this to prove his innocence?
I briefly closed my eyes at Seonwoo Yeon's continuing words.
"But even after being given the status of contract master, I still had my doubts."
"..."
"I even went to the auction house and had appraisers verify its authenticity separately. So I'm certain that this scale is genuine."
As I closed my eyes and fell silent, a changed voice slowly reached my ears.
"Giryeo-ssi, I'm sorry, but why haven't you been answering my questions since earlier?"
Seonwoo Yeon had sensed something.
"Now that I think about it, the attitude of Kang Changho, who made the request to me, seemed sincere."
"..."
"That kind of person... made a request to me. He even bowed his head while asking. He said he was deeply worried about something lately and hoped that, as someone from the Agency, I could please help."
A B-rank Hunter in casual clothes slowly stood up, holding the scale. The tremor in her voice grew stronger. It was an attitude tainted by suspicion, fear, or perhaps tension.
"Hunter, but are you aware that not only in [Nameless Cave], but recently, there has been an increase in monsters overseas that steal people's consciousness?"
"Wait a minute."
"How about cases of boss monsters like [Doppelganger]? Have you come across them?"
"Calm down..."
Someone's scheme was gradually starting to take effect.
"Please answer my question. Just answer me for now. This is so strange, but is the person I'm seeing move right now really Hunter Kim's body...?"
The situation became quite complicated due to the subtle scheming of the S-rank Hunter. It was like the first time I saw myself grab the neck of a beginner killer. Seonwoo Yeon, tensing up and tightening her muscles.
"Anyway, each and every question is fatal and interesting."
I calmed down my mouth that was about to twist upward. First, let's slowly find out how Kang Changho was able to touch my sore spot. Quickly scanning with my senses, I could clearly tell that the dark-haired Awakened one was indeed carrying a curse, which seemed to be the Fairy's Promise.
But that was all.
"There's no magic for sharing hearing spell, and aside from the phone sticking out of her pocket, none of her belongings contain any material conducting electricity."
The human before me wasn't wearing any Earth-style surveillance device. Besides, no matter how pathetic my physical condition is now, I was an archmage in my previous life—there's no way I wouldn't have noticed an S-rank stalker creeping all the way to my doorstep.
"That guy hasn't even entered the alley of this studio, let alone the Mapo District itself..."
"So it's the Scales of Truth."
Why did Kang Changho choose to send Seonwoo Yeon out of so many people? I can at least understand that part. After all, the most threatening weapon that the black-haired mammal possesses isn't her low-level B-rank magic or her meager wealth, but rather her status.
"An official affiliated with a public institution."
I recently learned how to send emails using humanity's literature. So I was able to make this kind of deduction, too.
"If I were to turn Seonwoo Yeon into a corpse right here, would a scheduled email send the culprit's name to her comrades?"
Of course, even without such a reason, I still couldn't have harmed Seonwoo Yeon recklessly.
'B-rank.'
If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have taught that wind sorcerer any skills.
"This is a completely different issue compared to fighting low-intelligence monsters. If I fought in this tiny 5-pyeong room, I'd get beaten up."
What should I do now? Realizing that I couldn't overpower Seonwoo Yeon with force came at about 2 seconds. The security magic on the barrier could subdue her, but the probability of the fragile B-rank dying was high, which came to light at around 2.1 seconds. And I came to the conclusion that avoiding the interrogation she had just started would be difficult at around 3 seconds. I spent about 2 more seconds here, ultimately making my best decision.
"Have you ever stolen the identity of Kim Giryeo...?"
Considering the complex structure of Justitia, the combat power unique to a B-rank Hunter, and the personal nature of the situation, like Seonwoo Yeon... Making up lies just to escape the immediate crisis wouldn't be a good choice. It's clear that solving this issue will take a considerable amount of time.
"Yes."
It's a do or die situation.
"Is this the answer?"
Click.
The plan was fully formed in my mind. As soon as a certain statement was made, the Justitia scales tilted with a metallic sound.
Right.
"... The truth!"
Seonwoo Yeon, in shock, began pressing me on what I had done to the real Hunter Kim Giryeo. However, I kept my voice calm. The other person was still holding the silver scales, and what I was about to reveal would be a confession so unique that it would undoubtedly catch the interest of anyone listening.
Crack.
The spark from Seonwoo Yeon's smartphone signaled the consequences of my earlier interference. The damage, done just before executing my plan, had now made its presence known.
"Kyaaak!"
"Don't scream. Did you forget that this is a cheap studio apartment?"
Only after eliminating even the slightest possibility of being recorded did I finally begin to speak.
As I thought earlier, the civil servant in front of me is B-rank or S-rank—so if I don't want to get hit, calming her down takes top priority. Electrocution, knocking her out with a box, or using a hydra—any method of confronting her directly would only be a short-term solution. If I can just manage to persuade her, I'll actually gain a card that could pressure Kang Changho even further.
Alright. Since I can't lie, I might as well go for a direct confrontation just before I hit rock bottom.
"Anyway, I didn't possess this body against Kim Giryeo's will. I merely inhabited an abandoned corpse."
"...?!"
"The original owner of this body died about a year and a month ago. So the blond Hunter you know—he was me, from beginning to end."
Sharp noises fill the narrow air of the one-room apartment.
"Oh, right. I guess I should tell this story first so you'll understand better."
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
"I'm actually an alien!"
[Justitia] now fixed with its tilt to the right and motionless.
"Not a monster, but an alien. And I absolutely have no intention of hurting you, Seonwoo Yeon. So could you please just sit down and calmly listen to what I have to say? I mean I—there are honestly a lot of things I feel wronged about here."
Bugh.
The poor mammal who saw the result of the scale eventually fell down noisily from the continuous shock...
...
...
...
The moon. That pale earring adorning a beautiful planet—Earth. A celestial body ruled by mammals in a modest solar system, Earth appears from the universe's perspective like a tiny pearl trinket, delicately fastened in space.
But someone else's home was different. A world of arrogant grandeur, one that boasted not just one but three massive moons—each dwarfing Earth's own. That was the homeland of a certain alien being. And really, the way that he viewed the distinct landscapes of that world, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of longing deep inside.
***
... the blue sea is visible.
Alphauri. It had been hundreds of millions of years since life first began to flourish on the planets orbiting this binary star system.
The story begins with a certain conflict. In fact, after Alphauri had developed to a certain level of civilization, it had been embroiled in constant wars. When various nations, each vying for control over the thermocline, pointed their powerful weapon—Magic Science—at one another, that's when the war began.
(The asymmetrical ruler from the first satellite came to invade the main star's resources.)
(... What did you say?)
(In Earth's terms, it's like the Moon People who live on the moon unexpectedly appearing as the world's main enemy.)
(... Really?)
(That's why I'm asking—are we really the whole "rabbits living on the Moon" thing is just a myth? I'm starting to feel uneasy about it.)
According to the arbitrary translation method devised by a certain archmage, Alphauri had a satellite roughly referred to as Belastar.
Surprisingly, the vast underground world of that giant satellite was home to intelligent beings that could rival even those of Alphauri.
However, the gap in space is inherently black, and with no medium for sound to travel through, it feels like an absolute void for marine creatures. Millions of kilometers. Neither the Alphaurians nor the Beta beings had the technological capability to cross this vast space, so for hundreds of millions of years, they never influenced each other. In fact, due to a lack of advancement in magical science, the main planet's inhabitants were almost completely unaware that life existed on its satellite until the very end.
Plop.
But one day, they began to appear from the distant skies.
Plop, plop, plop.
For the Alphauri, who had been mesmerized by the beautiful mana produced by the planet's core and had been living while constantly looking down at the ground, it was a shocking event.
Perhaps due to their survival in an environment lacking resources, the Beta beings who lived on the satellite developed transcendent methods of movement, even surpassing the inhabitants of the primary planet. When their homeland was on the brink of devastation from resource depletion, they immediately set their sights on a cosmic scale invasion. The appearance of beings capable of tearing apart space itself and wielding magic—it was truly a terrifying sight.
Huh. What is that? I don't think now is the time for us to fight each other. Would it be possible to end the war right now?
It was the beginning of a great battle. Furthermore, it was also the first time in history that Alphauri beings died in the hundreds of thousands.
