26. Princess Run (1)
In early spring, there were three incidents that shook the country.
The first, of course, is Princess Vermi’s visit to Korea.
Contrary to the official announcement, rumors that the purpose was to prepare for the immigration of the Schutan people, who were despised in the Gelanco dimension, to Earth spread strangely quickly.
Naturally, the alchemy and human supremacist groups were staunchly opposed to the visit, while general manufacturers and liberals issued statements in favor.
The divided public opinion did not seem like it would be easily reconciled.
And second, the collapse of small and medium-sized domestic alchemy companies.
The International Council of Alchemists was already increasing gold production in order to drive the biosynthetic gold produced by the Shutanians out of the market, but the rumor that they were immigrating to Earth was like adding fuel to the fire.
As expected, the international gold price plummeted by 20% compared to the same period last year. Except for the big players, there was no way to hold out, and many companies went out of business as the operating cost could not be met.
The industry outlook looked bleak.
Third and last, the forest fire that occurred in Bukhansan Mountain.
The fire started late at night and burned for six hours. Everyone was certain that it was not spontaneous combustion. A fire that does not spread for hours, burns only certain areas, and changes color constantly cannot be called a natural product.
Anyway, thanks to that, the citizens of Seoul that night were able to watch the sky alternately dyed in dazzling green, yellow, and blue like neon lights all night long.
What’s even stranger is that the Dobong Fire Department’s entry was blocked by agents hired by the owner of the property. They sent back fire trucks and helicopters, saying they would put out the fire with their own capabilities.
Meanwhile, the owner of the field was a fairly well-known company.
Jenkinson, Father & Sons Company Limited.
And Minjun didn’t pay much attention to these three pieces of news.
The Shutan immigration was a story that had nothing to do with him until it was confirmed, and no matter how much the price of gold fell, it wouldn’t have much of an impact on Minjun’s finances. It wasn’t new news that Jenkinson’s reckless sons would shoot fireballs at each other when they got into a fight, and the punishment for burning the mountainside would be personally inflicted upon Jenkinson when he returned from his business trip.
So Minjun had half forgotten about those news.
That is, until I heard a story from Jeongpal, who came to the office to play in the evening.
***
“What? Road closure?”
Minjun made a dumbfounded expression.
“No, it’s not even the year of the Twin Pounds. Who on earth came up with such an idea?”
The man sitting across from me shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“The kings will be very angry. My superiors, who are so high up in the world that I will never see their faces, will also be included in that.”
But Minjun couldn’t believe that explanation.
“How great is Princess Vermi that she can tie the feet of the citizens of Seoul?”
The news that Jeong Pal delivered was absurd. In order to ensure the safety of the princess, who was an alien envoy, all areas included in the route were prohibited for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. However, the area in question was close to 20% of the entire area of Seoul.
“No matter how much gold Princess Vermi sells and how much money she spends, it’s impossible to move around this vast area in a few days!”
Minjun was pointing out that it was an impossible route unless you rotate the wizards and teleport dozens of times a day.
As if he had expected the question, Jeongpal answered calmly.
“We intentionally made it wide so that it would be difficult to pinpoint the detailed route.”
“Okay.”
He frowned as if he was displeased.
“If cars can’t run, then buses and subways will all stop too?”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with you, hyung. When was the last time you rode the subway?”
He searched his memory for a moment and then answered.
“Was it when Line 2 opened? I heard it passed near my house, so I took it and gave it a try.”
‘Then that’s right.’ Jeongpal nodded. He habitually gritted his teeth and then suddenly asked as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, right. By the way, can you ride the subway for free, too? I’ve never tried it, though.”
“No. I’m a quarter elf, and I’m already registered at the community center. I’m excluded from the things that pure-blooded humans my age enjoy. I don’t even get a pension.”
The enthusiasm and obsession that modern people show for pensions is amazing. After a certain age, an amount starting from 200% of the median income is deposited every month.
Of course, there were also pitfalls. If a record of committing a crime or exhibiting anti-establishment or anti-social behavior was confirmed, the pension would be reduced or eliminated.
In other words, if that were not the case, then at least twice the statistical waist point would be promised. Most people lived with the hope that if they could survive until that age, no matter how miserable and terrible their current life was, they would receive a pretty good amount of money.
Minjun often feels that this is similar to a religious worldview. Just as if you live according to the law and meet certain conditions, you can go to heaven after death, if you live obediently as the state tells you, you can live without worrying about your finances in old age.
Of course, the fact that mortality rates increase rapidly across all species after the age of 75, which is the equivalent of a human age, is a topic rarely covered by the media.
“Do you care about that too, hyung? You make a lot of money.”
“Just. It’s frustrating not getting what everyone else is getting.”
“But you live a long time. How long do quarter elves live?”
“······I don’t know either.”
“Anyway, because of that, my third brother is really upset right now. He’s not making much money these days, and he’s been forced to close the store.”
“I wonder if Jeongsam’s store is there?”
There is no need to get confused about the names of the brothers in that family.
“Yes. That place just so happens to be included in the lockdown zone.”
Orcs give birth to 6 to 8 babies at a time. In human terms, this would be like having multiple offspring. As was the case with the Orcs of that era, Jeong-pal’s parents did not place much importance on names, so the eight siblings were named with simple and clear numbers, from the oldest, Jeong-il, to the youngest, Jeong-pal.
That’s why whenever Minjun imagined the school life of Jeongpal’s fourth brother and sixth sister, he couldn’t help but feel a pity. It was a time when it was hard to live as an orc.
“by the way.”
Jeongpal changed the subject as if he had been very considerate.
“When are you going to make the next move? How long are you going to keep beating around the bush?”
There was a Go board in front of the two of them, and it was now Minjun’s turn. Minjun, who kept bringing up other topics of conversation to stall for time, eventually gave up.
“Just give me a step back.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“You don’t catch criminals and just play baduk all day long? Why are you so good at it!”
“Considering the time we’ve lived, I’m sure my brother has had a lot more than I have.”
“Oh, shit.”
He grumbled and took out a 50,000 won bill from his wallet. Jeong-pal snatched it away with a laugh.
“How about cards next time? Or maybe Hwatu.”
——————
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“Do you play a game where you break magic? It’s impossible unless I get shot in the head.”
Jeongpal knew very well that looking at the back of a card was an easy task for a wizard like Minjun.
“Do I look that lethal to you?”
“I don’t know if he’s lethal, but he’s the most unyielding wizard I know. Are you done with your beer? I’ll get some more from the fridge.”
Jeongpal got up from his seat. Minjun, who was looking at the Go board seriously as if he was reviewing the game, spoke without looking away.
“Okay, go and check to see if Cathy’s been in any trouble.”
“What on earth is he doing that keeps him cooped up for so long?”
When Jeong-pal arrived, she was already at Min-jun’s house across the hall on the second floor. Min-jun answered his question with an even more gloomy expression.
“We have a new recipe to present to you.”
Minjun, who slightly opened his eyes, witnessed the rare sight of a terrified orc.
“Why? Why now? Why all of a sudden?”
“······YouTube, you need to get rid of that thing quickly.”
He sighed and muttered to himself in a depressed tone.
“Otherwise, he’ll poison us all one day.”
A moment later, when Jeong-pal opened the front door of Min-jun’s house, the first thing he sensed was a terrible smell of coal.
“Hey, Serin! Did you really set it on fire?!”
A curt reply came back.
“Don’t be so excited. I just burned it.”
If it felt this strong to the orc nose with its dull sense of smell, it would be enough to fight the urge to call 119 for a human.
Passing by Cassie, who was busy with something that seemed to be either frying or torturing, Jeong-pal went to the refrigerator and found something in the trash can. Looking down at the charcoal that was once food, the middle-aged orc said.
“Even with makeup, you can’t get a tan this bad.”
Clicking my tongue.
“!”
I told her as if a brilliant idea had occurred to me.
“Hey, if that’s the case, why don’t you just ask your brother to lend you that frying pan?”
Jeongpal didn’t forget the self-PR that AI spews out just by holding the handle. Not only does it have 2 million built-in recipes, but it’s a frying pan that anyone can use to make a masterpiece.
If that were true, then maybe Cassie could be saved too.
“You call yourself a housewife’s secret weapon and a kitchen wizard? Doesn’t it sound appealing?”
Cash responded with a disapproving tone.
“Of course I asked, but they said absolutely not.”
“why?”
“That frying pan is a total pervert and a total piece of shit… If you’re exposed to that kind of telepathy for a long period of time, your mind will be polluted. Am I right?”
Ahem, Jeongpal says, coughing in vain.
“Please beg more earnestly. Maybe you lacked sincerity? Express your desperate appeal that you really want it.”
Cash didn’t respond, either because she noticed his intention or because she let it slip. Oak shrugged and headed out the door, holding a can of beer in each hand. It seemed like this attempt had failed.
Then, Cassie asked him in a low voice behind his back.
“By any chance… did you know, sir?”
He turns his head and asks again.
“what?”
She pursed her lips for a moment, then turned her head away.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s bland.”
He returned to the office and handed Minjun a can of beer. The (self-proclaimed) quarter elf, whose competitive spirit was starting to burn, took out the chess board, saying that he couldn’t end it like this. As he was arranging the pieces on the board, Minjun’s cell phone rang.
“Who is it, at this crucial moment!”
Minjun’s face hardened slightly as he checked the LCD display outside the flip phone.
“What’s going on at this hour?”
“Who is it?”
“Yes, an elf with a lucky streak.”
“Blair Campbell (Princess Jenkinson’s Secretary),” she says curtly, opening the flip phone cover marked “Blair Campbell (Princess Jenkinson’s Secretary).”
“hello?”
I thought I heard a few words coming out of the receiver.
“!”
Minjun’s expression quickly hardened.
***
A few hours before Minjun received the call.
Elf Chief of Staff, Blair Campbell, was in her office.
He wasn’t alone. He was with the fairy who was initially emitting sweet smoke throughout the office. The air in the room was sweet, but the atmosphere wasn’t. The two were speechless because of the shocking news they had just received.
Blair asked again, breaking through the heavy, solemn silence.
“Really… really everything was taken out?”
It was a question that had already been repeated five times. The two looked at each other with expressions that had lost their composure. Her voice, which was unusual for her who always maintained a businesslike expression and tone of voice, trembled slightly and her face fell slightly.
The fairy answers the elf’s question. This is also the fifth time, and it is a perfect answer.
“Yes, everything that was in Sector B-39… was completely gone. The other sector barriers weren’t even touched. They just took everything that was there.”
The interior of the Bukhansan warehouse is divided into numerous cells, but only the B-39 section, where a large amount of unidentified cargo had recently arrived, had its seal broken and everything was stolen.
The fire in Mt. Bukhan last night, reported in the media, was a ritual to activate a huge spell. The fire broke the barrier that the dragon had set up himself, and burned the material and spiritual worlds simultaneously, erasing even the traces of the intruders.
It is a scale and courage that cannot be considered the work of ordinary people, and it is a skill that is scary to guess their identity.
“I feel a crushing fear in my body,” asks Larissa, the property’s security chief.
“Excuse me, Sister. I’m scared to death, so please tell me what was in there?”
Normally, a safekeeper doesn’t care what’s inside the safe. Larissa was also quite faithful to her duty, but things were different now.
The chief secretary hesitated for a moment and then gave the answer he had been putting off for a long time.
“······The reason the Chairman went on a business trip to another world was because it was stored there.”
“what?!”
A nightmare-like scenario spontaneously appeared in the fairy’s head.
If the chairman himself is going to cross over to the second dimension, it must be a very important business. It is a fierce deal where neither side easily shows off their cards and negotiates the terms down to the last penny before the last day.
But the matter that the chairman had been so absorbed in that he hadn’t even responded to calls for several days suddenly went down the drain. ‘Oh, customers. What should I do? The item I was trying to sell was sold out in the meantime. It’s all thanks to my excellent employees. Haha! Hahaha!’
“······You’re crazy. You’re crazy!”
As if the medicine wasn’t enough to calm her mind, Larissa threw the incense she was smoking into the air. Then she took out a transparent plastic zipper bag from her bosom. Inside was a pure white powder. It was a fine particle, sweet frosting powder used for sprinkling on baked goods such as muffins.
He sprayed it on the back of his hand, breathing heavily. His body shook due to the shaking, but he didn’t spill it thanks to the thick veins on his hand and the wrinkles that looked like dried chicken skin. He put his nose in and sucked it in in one breath.
“Phew.”
The fairy, barely able to suppress her panic as she felt the ecstasy of sugar seeping into her nasal mucosa, remained silent for a few seconds. Then, with great difficulty, she asked again.
“Sister.”
“yes?”
The next question that came to my mind was one still steeped in anxiety.
“When was the last time that gentleman Jenkinson had elves or fairies on his menu?”
