83 – Welcome to Yongjugol (2)
-Six months before Hans’ death-
“By the Jade Hall of the Transforming Sword Association! You have revealed your own sins!”
A man wearing a black jumpsuit appeared, spinning in the air with exaggerated sound effects.
With his appearance, a bright blue light flashed and turned on.
“What the.”
The clueless audience laughed heartily, but I couldn’t be satisfied.
The dialogue was so worn-out and devoid of personality that it made my limbs feel like squids on a hot plate.
“…A runaway ninja. I don’t regret my actions. I am the embodiment of ‘justice’.”
The kid who had been staring down the thug in front of him confidently pulled out his sword.
“Your arrogance will also crumble before my ‘belief’.”
“Is that possible? My body is made up of ‘order’.”
As the kid raised his sword, weapons tied to ropes descended from the ceiling.
“What a sh*tty situation.”
I stuck out my tongue while watching the two idiots fighting on the stage like they were dancing.
“It’s a play, you know. They’re intentionally exaggerating.”
Orphe, who was sitting next to me, started making excuses, but that didn’t make my anger go away.
It had been a while since I took a break and came to see a play, partly to see Diana. Saiten was involved in the production and investment of the play.
I didn’t come to see it just because Saiten gave me a free ticket.
Anyway, it was nice until before watching the play. It was an opportunity to have a date with Orpheus and see if Diana was growing well as a “human.”
The problem was this absurd play. It was fine that I came out as the protagonist and appeared as a righteous character.
The cheesy lines, overflowing with unnecessary passion, written by a third-rate writer were uncomfortable, but I could overlook that to some extent.
But the problem was that Jade, who was supposed to play the final boss, was portrayed as “another form of justice.”
Jade is a psycho-pathetic villain who collects the heads of the people he kills. He evolved into a completely insane schizophrenic samurai who joined forces with demons and became a showgun of despair.
“Even if it’s just a play.”
I couldn’t stand the sight of that bastard confidently talking about “justice” in front of me.
“You’re an actor. Not a prosecutor. Don’t get too immersed.”
Orpheus and Diana were looking at me with worried eyes.
“But you’re playing Jade’s role.”
“Robin, your voice is too loud.”
“…”
I decided to endure not shouting in a public place. I really hated it, but I shifted my gaze back to the stage to concentrate on the play again.
Suddenly, I saw the sight of a kid fallen down, spilling ketchup.
– I lived in delusion.
It was the sudden narration of the kid.
– I envy you.
– I envy you, you brat.
– I wanted to be one too.
– I wanted to be a hero like you.
– So it was you.
– You were the hero I wanted to be.
– My order falls apart whenever I see you.
This line sounds like something I read in a webtoon.
– And now.
– Even now, it’s falling apart.
“Ha…”
I just want to cover my ears and eyes.
“The, the runaway ninja! You defeated him!?”
A middle-aged man who suddenly appeared on stage spoke to the trembling man who played my role.
“My dear friend, Saetun.”
The trembling man nodded.
“Ugh.”
I can only sigh.
Saetun didn’t even show up in this battle. Yeah. This is a typical distortion of history and fabrication. I should have noticed it when Saetun said he was in charge of investment and production.
“Though he was radical, Byeon Geomgyeong was a person who could suppress the evil Red Whale Matapju. Now that he’s dead, people will lose hope and Matapju will go crazy.”
“I won’t let Matapju win.”
“What do you mean?”
“Spread the word. The fugitive ninja killed the corrupted prosecutor.”
“Well, that’s absurd! Didn’t you swear to protect the people from the shadows? If everyone finds out, your true identity hidden behind the hood will be revealed in an instant!”
“People need a symbol of hope.”
“…We’ll have to deal not only with the Order Maintenance Army and the Red Whale Matap, but also with the soldiers of the Irugal Kingdom.”
“Many will blame and chase after me. But I can handle it. I’m a fugitive ninja.”
With those words, he disappeared, swirling around like a remaining swallow in the air.
“…”
I’ve seen this structure somewhere before.
“Fugitive ninja! Fugitive ninja!”
A woman jumped out from behind a middle-aged man who had taken on the role of Saiten Station.
Wearing a robe with a pattern of white stone whales, she is the heroine of this play.
“Mr. Saiten! Why is the fugitive ninja running away?”
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Something, something feels familiar.
“…The fugitive ninja is a hero that everyone needs, but right now-“
No…!
This is a Batman Ninja rip-off! The scene where Batman Ninja kills the Joker and runs away is too similar.
“Damn it, seriously!”
Unable to bear it any longer, I just left.
Saiten. I should have killed him the moment I first saw him, as expected.
“Has the tension eased a bit?”
Orpheus offered me a drink and observed my expression.
Gulp, gulp.
Since I wasn’t feeling any better, I just downed the drink.
“It was my first time watching a play, so I was a bit worried, but it was so much fun! Let’s come see another one later!”
Diana was jumping around in excitement, clearly having enjoyed herself.
I can understand. At that age, everything is fun to watch.
“If only Jade wasn’t there…”
Thinking about it again still makes my blood boil.
“I’m fine. Misha said something like that too. ‘Those who are twisted are obsessed with justice and righteousness.'”
Diana and I locked eyes.
“That, that’s not what it meant. Really!”
“What are you talking about?”
Maybe because she’s still a kid, she often says things out of the blue. This is why I don’t like kids. It’s not like I was a VIP customer at the No Kids Zone Cafe for no reason.
Anyway, it wasn’t enjoyable, and the dialogue was too childish.
Glorifying villains, distorting history, fabricating lines, even plagiarism. The illegal acts committed by that play are not to be taken lightly.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get. The roots of being a monster enthusiast don’t just disappear.
“But you liked that kind of stuff, didn’t you?”
Orpheus suddenly said something off-topic. Has he also been influenced by Diana?
“No, why would I?”
“Every time we fight, you always say something similar.”
“Well, that’s different from this.”
What I said was cool, while the lines written by the playwright were idiotic. I should compare them for real.
“You try to sound cool sometimes, and you even write down famous lines in your practice notebook…”
“Stop it.”
I didn’t want to talk to the usher who couldn’t distinguish famous lines from chuunibyou anymore.
“Heh.”
Heh?
“It’s a joke, just a joke. Of course, I know it too.”
…
Lately, she’s been playing these kinds of jokes a lot. I don’t know if she finds it amusing or if she does it without shame because we’re in a romantic relationship, but it’s a little strange.
But just because I’m a little angry, it doesn’t mean I can tie up my girlfriend and hit her.
“Diana!”
A large, chubby woman who looked like a bear approached our group, waving her hands. It was Misha, the teacher who said unnecessary things to Diana.
If you’re a baker, you should just quietly make bread. I don’t understand why she goes around saying weird things to the kids.
“Oh, teacher, you’re here! Today was really fun! See you next time~!”
For some reason, Diana ran towards Misha, bouncing around. The baby dragon yokai and the baby-sitter witch left like that.
“We should start heading back too.”
Orpheus smiled and took my hand.
…
I don’t really want to talk.
“It’s just a joke, so don’t worry too much, okay?”
Poke.
My cheek collided with her small lips.
Orphe, who used to behave awkwardly and shyly just a year ago, seemed to have adapted now.
“I’ll let it slide because I’m nice.”
Since she always gets angry, I decided to let it slide this time.
Holding hands and a light kiss. That’s the progress we’ve made as a couple on our date. Some might say it’s too slow. But there was no other way.
According to the truth revealed through sincere conversation, it was because Orphe was a minor.
When she was 12, she escaped from a Yakusa attack and spent three years at a relative’s house. Then she was kidnapped by the tail bastards of Sagal and spent a year in a coal mine. And she fought with me for a year.
And she waited for me for two years, and after capturing Nubel-Pierre, who was plotting in the Watcher’s Gorge, a year has passed… If you roughly calculate, the conclusion is that she’s a minor.
I didn’t bother to calculate separately because it was too troublesome and gave me a headache, but 12 years old is definitely a minor.
Although I fell into this other world, unless I get involved with Yasayoga, I couldn’t meddle with Orphe, who faithfully adheres to social laws and Confucian logic as a law-abiding citizen, and is still a little kid.
Well, if I wait for just one more year, won’t she become an adult?
“I’m tired. Let’s go.”
I got on the carriage with Orphe. She didn’t let go of my hand until we arrived at the mountain where our house was located. It seems like she still thinks I’m angry.
“Wait.”
It happened while we were casually climbing up the mountain. Although it was quite a distance to our house, I felt someone nearby.
“Who was supposed to come today?”
“What? Auntie said she wasn’t coming today.”
The cleaning lady. She’s the only person who comes and goes in our house. If it were my friend, they would at least send a letter before showing up unannounced.
I wonder who it is?
“There’s someone in front of the house.”
I have a bad feeling about this.
“…I see.”
Orphe nodded. We used the shadow step and moved slowly.
Finally, we arrived at the house.
“…”
A black man with a shaggy appearance was sitting on a rock.
He was holding a black bag and a black stick, just like the runaway ninja costume I saw in the play earlier.
What is he implying?
Well, he didn’t have any companions and his weapons were weak. I don’t feel like I’m going to lose.
I had lost all the abilities of the monitors I gained so far because of the Demon King Monica, but objectively speaking, I was still a superhuman.
I also had the ability to crush souls that I obtained by absorbing Monica completely (even the great spirit Nouvel-Pierre was sent away with this), and I could use my ultimate move, “Orbit Bombardment,” about once a month.
I may not exhibit as much power as I did during the Battle of the Red Whale Matap, but I was still capable enough to take on the strongest of the Seven Swordmasters, and even if the tragic Shogun Jade were to resurrect and come at me again, I could handle it.
“Who are you?”
I released the shadow step and approached the black man.
He must be in his mid-40s, a natural-born black man rather than someone with sunburnt skin like a savage.
Truly, politically correct skin color.
“Hmm.”
“Why are you nosing around someone else’s house?”
The black man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and compared it with me.
“Ah…Ah!…”
The muscular giant who had been comparing the paper with me suddenly burst into laughter.
“So you’re a runaway ninja! You must be Robin!”
“What? How did you…”
“Well, well! Nice to meet you! My name is Maximus! I’ve been with the Thunderhorse Mercenaries for 20 years! Ah, I heard that I have a deep friendship with Jess, the ‘Golden Mane’! Well, he’s my senior, you know!”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Who is Jess anyway?”
The middle-aged black man, who had a silent demeanor, suddenly turned into a rapper.
What’s going on?
“And! I was also in the Red Whale Matap Battle! The sight of me having a one-on-one battle with the monstrous Red Whale Matapju… was truly amazing!!!”
“Enough noise, why are you here?”
I interrupted the black man’s words because it seemed like it would never end.
The black man, Maximus, took a deep breath and shouted.
“I also want to become a runaway ninja!”