Episode 249
Since when has it been around?
Did you even hear the whole conversation about Verita?
‘no.’
I immediately denied the question that suddenly occurred to me.
It is nothing else but a question of cooperation with the denomination. This is something that even the Taon headquarters director hid on a large scale.
If Iron Blood Lord had overheard, he wouldn’t have been sitting quietly like he is now.
I glanced sideways at the head of the department sitting next to me, and suddenly remembered the moment when that man’s expression changed slightly.
The moment he praised Sanghyeolgong, which was unusual for him, his expression suddenly turned comical right before that… … .
‘It was that time.’
It seems that Iron Blood Ball appeared after Verita’s story and when I mentioned the black rose… … .
In other words, the moment I started talking behind Iron Blood Ball’s back, that man was already standing behind me.
Should I look at this as a blessing in disguise?
‘No, but why does the busiest man in the world bump into me so often?’
Suddenly, I felt unfair and had that thought.
I soon realized that this was not a coincidence or bad luck, but a natural result.
In any case, the goals of Iron Blood Ball and I were similar in some ways.
The more deeply I am involved with devils and cults, the more often I encounter Sanghyeolgong.
But how can a person be so oblivious?
Isn’t that almost at the level of foul play?
It’s not like I was particularly let down.
Even though I had already developed my senses due to the nerve war with the head of the headquarters, the sight of Sanghyeolgong was completely outside of my senses.
I felt a little helpless, and my pride was in tatters.
Still, it was even more so because he was somewhat satisfied with his daily achievements due to the recent improvement in martial arts and yesterday’s victory.
“… … .”
“… … .”
“… … .”
As I had a lot to think about, the silence became longer.
I, the general manager, and Iron Blood Ball kept our mouths shut and just stared at the table.
Since I was literally speechless, I decided it was better to just keep quiet, and for some reason, Sanghyeolgong didn’t even open his mouth.
“hmm.”
In the end, it was the owner of this office who was in trouble.
Director Taon sighed deeply and glared at Sanghyeolgong.
“Delak, I told you not to break into my office without making a sound.”
“It’s not an intrusion, it’s a visit. “You came in proudly from the front door.”
“What kind of visit is it that you just walked through the door without knocking? Even the Assassin of the Blood Moon would be louder than you.”
“hmm. “Be careful.”
“okay… “I feel like I’ve heard that 20 times, but I get it.”
Taon nodded and spoke with a different tone of voice.
“now. I’m a little busy, so can we, Badniker and his wife, please leave now? There’s a lot of work to do. Wow… “When are you going to take care of all this?”
At this point, you’re just going to send me out, just me and Sanghyeolgong?
I looked at the head of the department who was making shameless comments while looking at the table without a single document.
This incredibly cunning yellow dragon naturally caught my eye.
‘If you keep going like this, you’ll really be screwed.’
The greatest crisis in the history of the universe.
I rolled my tongue around in my mouth and desperately squeezed my head out, spitting out whatever came to mind.
“So, Chief, what is my grade?”
“huh? iced coffee. Didn’t I tell you that? You are now grade A. “The hero badge will also be issued within today.”
“Class A? “Not grade B?”
Theon nods.
“okay. What are you so surprised about? You completely overwhelmed Hiiro, who is considered the strongest among Class A players. Of course, it’s rare to get A level right away from D level… … .”
“It’s not unprecedented.”
Iron Blood Lord received Theon’s words.
There was definitely a living legend in this room who became A-level the moment he joined.
“There are a lot of guys who saw your sparring. Any complaints will be calmed down by those who were watching at the time. Moreover, on the other hand, Hiiro was demoted to B-class, so this makes more sense.”
I knew what he was talking about, but I shook my head.
“But please just give it a B grade.”
“why?”
“What I need is a Class B business card. What is Class A? I heard that as your authority increases, you have more responsibilities… … .”
I shook my head.
“It is difficult to do so due to my circumstances. “If you want to move freely, class B is appropriate.”
“Did you? hmm.”
Taon seemed to think for a moment and then said.
“Then I can’t help it. “I’ll keep it at Class B, but give it [Vigilante] status.”
“Vigilante… … .”
It’s a name I’ve heard before.
I responded with a somewhat subtle expression.
“Isn’t that the vigilante force that protects the city? “It doesn’t seem like the right position for me.”
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“You only know one, but you don’t know the other. Vigilante service is just one of the Vigilante’s jobs. “The true value lies in the right to independent action.”
“Right to independent action?”
“Most heroes often work together. There are times when heroes cooperate with each other, with the imperial family or mercenaries, or with the Magic Tower. But as you know, cooperation doesn’t always lead to good results, right? “Especially when multiple forces are involved, discord inevitably arises due to a battle of pride.”
I think I know what you’re talking about.
For example, if a few A-level mercenaries who were renowned in different fields gather together, it would feel like they would begin a fist fight to take control.
Even though the form may be different, the essence will definitely be the same.
“Yes.”
“I created Vigilante for such a time.”
Theon continued.
“When you join other heroes while performing a joint mission or an individual mission… In such cases, you should generally follow instructions from a higher level. But not Vigilante. “Not only when receiving orders from high-ranking heroes, but also when cooperating with other organizations, mentioning Vigilante gives you a certain degree of freedom of action.”
After listening to the story, it was the right I needed most now.
This means that if something similar to what Barter argued about last time in the other side of the world happens, it can be handled more smoothly.
But why are they suddenly giving me such unconventional authority?
Because there is almost nothing free in this world, I opened my eyes and looked at the general manager.
The person who intervened at this moment was Sanghyeolgong.
“Aren’t these rights too much for a hero who has just entered the military? The right to become a Vigilante would be held by only a very small number of Heros’ outstanding heroes. Moreover, Luan is still too young.”
The general manager shrugged his shoulders arrogantly.
“At that age, it wouldn’t be surprising if I became a monk already. Moreover, he is much stronger than his eldest son, Heero. “In the first place, I created Vigilante in preparation for when such a talented person appears.”
Then he looks at me and says.
“Vigilante’s motto is [Do your own thing.]”
‘… ‘This guy?’
I had no choice but to glare at Taon once again.
Somehow, I felt like I knew why that man wanted to make me his Vigilante.
– Well, now that you’ve legally given yourself the right to rebel against your superiors, you can speak out yourself, right? Tell me. Dad, I don’t want to go into that black rose.
– f*ck. It’s really too much.
– what? What the f*ck? Is this a kid with no dried blood on his head?
Maybe I was out of my mind, but I imagined having that conversation with Taon… … .
Anyway, I didn’t want to leave until the conversation was over.
So to speak, the head of the headquarters is my insurance.
If Iron Blood Ball suddenly turns his face and tries to kill me, he will at least pretend to protect me.
I declared based on such calculations.
“Matriarch, I will not enter the Black Rose.”
“… … .”
Sanghyeolgong was silent.
That alone made the room around me feel like it was getting darker.
“Didn’t you say that your goal is to subdue the demon lord?”
“Yes.”
“The fastest way to achieve that goal is to move with me. “Wasn’t it because of what I said that brought you to Heros in the first place?”
I guess what I said was that if we enter Heros, we should do a spiritual mountain-related mission together… … .
This is more self-conscious than I thought.
I shook my head thoughtfully.
“different. In the first place, I didn’t respond to what you said back then. And the way each person achieves their goal is different. “It means that the matriarch’s way may not necessarily be the right answer.”
“Do you hate me?”
When Sanghyeolgong suddenly said something like that… … .
I was truly speechless.
I wondered if he was asking because he really didn’t know.
I couldn’t help but cry for a moment because I could only see puzzlement in those dull purple eyes.
A past life, not this life.
Memories of wandering through the gutter flashed through my head like a flash of light.
I said this even though I knew I would definitely regret it.
“Is there any reason to like it?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever discriminated against you in particular. Or, if you don’t like the rewards I’ve given you so far.”
“It’s nothing like that. Don’t you know? “What you are saying now is all said as the head of the family.”
“… … .”
Iron Blood Ball closed his half-open mouth and opened it again.
I thought that was ridiculous too.
I thought this guy also had times when he was speechless. And that kind of thing happened in a conversation like this.
“You don’t even know why I’m saying this. I know. I guess I’m the one who’s being unilaterally rude. however… … .”
I am not angry with Sanghyeolgong. I have never been emotionally attached to this man before. Because he never expected it in the first place.
All I expected from a man called Sanghyeolgong was to be the head of the family.
But somehow this man had done something wrong, and suddenly he was trying to reveal himself as my father to me.
I was very annoyed by that attitude.
“Let me ask you just one question. “If I had been a talentless person until the end, what would you have thought of me?”
I told them one by one what had happened in the past.
“I did not receive any protection until the end, was beaten by my brothers and sisters in my family, was ignored by the person who called me the servant, and yet I could not let go of my attachment to the name Badniker and behaved poorly, and in the end, according to the will of the higher-ups, I was given an arm by the collector. If I knocked on the door of my family even though my tendons were broken and things like that happened. Do you think the matriarch felt any sympathy for me when she saw me like that?”
“… … .”
“Probably not. Even if I became a half-asshole and couldn’t fit in anywhere, couldn’t use anything I learned at Badniker, and moved around the empire like a wreck… “The matriarch will not show me any mercy, support, advice, or even criticism.”
I knew then.
Indifference can feel much more terrible than swearing or criticizing.
The one I most respected, admired, and worshiped.
Memories of a time when the person who made me proud just because we shared the same bloodline didn’t even treat someone like me.
That feeling is still vivid.
“And you’ll completely forget about me. You don’t care where you are and what you do, whether you work as a mercenary, whether you clean sewers and eat moldy bread for meals, or whether you end up as a random soldier on the battlefield. And since I, your child, have been judged incompetent, you will also forget my mother.”
The last tone was particularly emotional.
That’s because it’s already happened.
My mother, Lucia, eventually died.
Until I was living a miserable life, my mother regularly visited Badniker and asked Sanghyeolgong for leniency, but in the end, she was refused… … .
He was a very stubborn person and did not give up easily. I did it because he was the person to whom the term ‘exterior flow, inner strength’ best suited.
However, his health was not good to begin with, and as a result, his physical condition worsened.
So, I was the one who killed my mother in the past, and at the same time, I was also the Sanghyeolgyo.
‘You won’t know for the rest of your life.’
That you and I are accomplices.
“I know. I was a pathetic guy. He had no concept, no talent, and no sense. So, I know that the head of the family once forgot about me. I understand. There’s nothing wrong with that. As the matriarch of Badniker. however… … .”
I shook my head.
“If I had awareness as a father, wouldn’t I have given him at least one more chance? She would have at least come and had a few words before she cut the tendon. “That’s what I think a father is.”
“… … .”
I said everything I wanted to say.
Only then did I feel the heat rising to my face go down little by little.
It was impulsive, but I felt a little relieved to say everything I had been thinking about.
If Sanghyeolgong gets angry at these words, expresses dissatisfaction with me, punishes me, or even breaks off my relationship… … .
I was relieved enough to not have any major regrets.
I said finally.
“Don’t expect anything from me, I won’t expect anything from you either. “Matriarch, I will accept the punishment for today’s rudeness later.”
* * *
A heavy silence fell in the office after Luan left.
Taon thought as he licked his lips.
‘What should I do with this atmosphere?’
After all, we’re out of alcohol. The Iron Blood Ball said to Taon, who was licking the opening of the hip flask with his mouth.
“Taon.”
“huh?”
“Am I not a good father?”
Taon spit out the hip flask he was holding and asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“I’m serious? Do you say that? If everything he just said is true, then you are a walking piece of trash. “You black trash.”
“… … .”
“If you’re done talking, please leave quickly. There really is a mountain of work to do. “If this continues, Jerome will kill me.”
Taon said that because he was truly uncomfortable in this situation, but… … .
Sanghyeolgong spoke once more.
“… “I suddenly thought about it.”
“… … .”
“That boy almost never called me father.”
“… “Is that so?”
After that, Sanghyeolgong sat there for quite some time.
long time.
For a while.
fantasy,
