124 – Legal Visit (4)
The ruler of darkness is a clear asymmetrical force.
Of course, Kim Hyun-woo had never seen her power in Arteil, but considering the power Merilda had shown, and thinking about how similar their stats were in the game, it was right to assume that she possessed a power on par with his.
She, like Merilda, was a 5.5-star unseen character in the game.
However.
“So, I appreciate the offer, but it seems a bit difficult to receive support from the ruler of darkness.”
No matter how certain the asymmetrical force was, Kim Hyun-woo had no choice but to refuse the support of the ruler of darkness.
And rightfully so.
[New Territory Inflow Rate: -285%]
The notification window appearing in front of Kim Hyun-woo showed how risky it would be to accept the ruler of darkness due to the negative impact it would have.
“At this moment, receiving support from the ruler of darkness is a disgrace.”
There were indeed many benefits to be gained from accepting the ruler of darkness.
Her strength, strong enough to be called an asymmetrical force, would undoubtedly be of great help in the current situation with the demons descending upon the continent.
However, the problem was that the advantages of recruiting the ruler of darkness were few, while the disadvantages were overwhelmingly many.
As soon as she entered the territory, even if not immediately, the territory’s inflow rate would naturally decrease, leading to a spontaneous exodus of territory residents rather than new residents coming in.
Moreover, if the unrest among the territory residents increased even slightly, a mass exodus would occur, and it was uncertain what effect it would have on the mercenaries who had not yet appeared at the territory gate.
In other words, from the moment Larutania harbored the ruler of darkness, the territory would begin to decline paradoxically.
To put it more plainly, it would be like becoming Kim Jong-un holding a nuclear bomb.
“That won’t do.”
Kim Hyun-woo had no desire to become like Kim Jong-un holding a nuclear bomb, so he spoke to her while looking at her.
“…As you know, her notoriety is still a bit difficult for our territory to handle.”
“I see.”
Shasha spoke, observing the ruler of darkness who had turned into stone.
Looking at her, Kim Hyun-woo continued.
“However, that doesn’t mean I intend to reject the offer.”
“…Is that so?”
“If, as you mentioned from the Kalan Kingdom’s side, they provide resources in a reasonable manner, I am willing to accept the offer. Oh, and if you can allow me to have a conversation with the ruler of darkness instead of supporting her, that would be even better.”
“!”
At Kim Hyun-woo’s words, Sasha momentarily brightened her eyes and looked at the absolute ruler of darkness that had been frozen just a moment ago.
Soon after, seeing her nodding her head as if she had started a motor, Sasha replied, “Yes, if that’s okay with you… let’s go with that.”
####
After a brief exchange of proposals and acceptance, Kim Hyun-woo was able to talk alone with the absolute ruler of darkness.
“…”
“…”
And thanks to that, the mind of the current absolute ruler of darkness was constantly spinning tightly in a state of overthinking.
‘Wh-wh-what should I do? Why did he create a situation for us to talk alone? Is this intentional or not? No, no, I shouldn’t think about that. First of all, how far have I gone without properly apologizing-‘
Though she tried her best not to show it, Lin, with her ears turning red, was trembling with wide eyes.
‘Calm down, I need to calm down. Somehow-‘
She tried to calm her overthinking mind by taking deep breaths.
Knowing all too well that she shouldn’t blabber in this conversation unless Sasha, who couldn’t stop her, was absent.
Therefore, despite taking deep breaths several times, the absolute ruler of darkness was still overthinking.
“Um… it’s been a while?”
“Uh, yeah, it’s been a whi-while.”
In response to Kim Hyun-woo’s continued words, Lin, who was about to answer, bit her tongue, and her efforts to calm down were in vain as her thoughts spiraled out of control again.
“… Is it a bit awkward meeting after a long time?”
“Uh, no! No, it’s not! It’s not like that!”
Responding to Kim Hyun-woo’s following words in a fit of panic, Lin blurted out.
Her momentum was so intense that even Kim Hyun-woo seemed startled at first, but he nodded and said, “Well, then… don’t need to be so stiff, treat me like old times.”
“Like old times? But-“
“…But?”
“But… it’s not over yet, right? Like… forgiveness, or something.”
As if the previous overthinking was a lie, Kim Hyun-woo spoke to Lin, who was now speaking with a sudden drop in tension, her head bowed deeply.
“Forgiveness? What part of it?”
“…Huh? Uh, yeah… that… I mean, there are some things, right? That-“
“Ah, the part you mentioned before, the part that didn’t come up first?”
“Is that, is that it-“
In this very uncomfortable situation, Kim Hyun-woo gestured with his hand as Lin continued to speak, rolling her eyes incessantly.
“I’ve said it before, there’s no need to apologize for that. We talked about it, right? It doesn’t matter.”
“But, still-“
“I mean it sincerely, I’m not trying to mock you or anything.”
“Are you, are you serious?”
“Of course, why would I lie in the first place? I never got mad at you to begin with.”
“But, but-“
Ultimately, Lin, who was about to ask if she had left because of him, felt a sudden suffocation she couldn’t explain.
Of course, during the conversation with Kim Hyun-woo, Lin had already realized to some extent that he was not angry with her or mocking her.
The reason she couldn’t utter the last words was simply because, despite having had this much conversation, she was still afraid.
Rather than being angry in this way, at the point where she realized that she wasn’t actually mad, she didn’t want to bring up that topic just to see even 1% of him getting angry for no reason.
That’s why Lynn, who had been keeping her mouth shut, said, “Actually, I’m somewhat glad.”
“…G-Glad?”
“Isn’t that right? Last time we met so abruptly that we couldn’t even talk properly before I left. Actually, I wanted to have a conversation like this once. I have some concerns, you know.”
“C-Concerns!?”
Upon Kim Hyunwoo’s following words, Lynn felt her lips twitch involuntarily.
‘Oh, this can’t be happening…!’
Upon just one word from Kim Hyunwoo’s mouth, Lynn felt her mouth corners shoot up as if possessed, desperately trying to bring them back down.
“Well, it’s been a long time since the two of us sat down like this.”
At Kim Hyunwoo’s next words, Lynn’s smile shot up uncontrollably.
At least, the words that came out of his mouth at that moment were indicating to her one very important fact: ‘Kim Hyunwoo isn’t really angry.’ Furthermore, interpreting Kim Hyunwoo’s words led her to realize that he might even have a certain level of liking towards her.
That’s why Lynn didn’t bother hiding her rising smile anymore.
“W-Well, there was actually one thing I wanted to ask.”
“O-Of course, ask away! I can answer anything!”
At Kim Hyunwoo’s following question, Lynn found herself answering without realizing, breaking into a bright smile.
No, she was smiling and even indulging in some fantasies.
Suddenly, Kim Hyunwoo brought up something about a ring, which was a completely unexpected topic, but Lynn’s already overloaded mind was already aboard the fantasy train, running wild.
And then.
“Hey, Lynn.”
“Why are you asking that?!”
“Among the heroes of the Round Table. Was there a fifth one?”
“…Fifth one?”
At Kim Hyunwoo’s words, Lynn felt her fantasy train of thought derail for a moment, but quickly composed herself and replied, “Yes, the fifth one. Was there?”
At Kim Hyunwoo’s question, Lynn shook her head.
“…If we’re talking about figures in the Round Table, there were only four, right?”
“Indeed, right?”
Looking somewhat uneasy, Kim Hyunwoo nodded, then spoke, “Got it.”
“…Got what?”
“Why?”
“Well, didn’t you say you had a concern?”
Lynn was flustered.
But Kim Hyunwoo said, “It’s about this concern?”
“T-Then, the conversation…?”
“That’s also about this. Anyway, thanks for the chat. I was curious about this. Let’s meet again next time.”
With that, he smiled.
And 30 minutes later.
“…Hm.”
…
Shasha couldn’t help but make a strange expression as she watched the figure of the desolate ruler, who looked somewhat melancholic, plop down on the carriage with a cute sound.
That moment when the desolate ruler was leaving the territory of Lartania.
“…What is it?”
Kim Hyun-woo felt a peculiar sense of puzzlement.
It was partly puzzlement about the fifth hero, but more precisely, it was the puzzlement he felt while conversing with the desolate ruler.
No, to be more precise, it was a sense of discomfort.
A very peculiar discomfort.
‘Surely, I felt like I had more questions to ask. Why did I answer like that?’
Though it wasn’t entirely clear who was in control, he couldn’t help but recall himself being unusually composed to the point of being cold.
“…”
Kim Hyun-woo furrowed his brow.
And then.
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot com[Meet the Crimson Merchant.]
“…?”
As if waiting, an alert window popped up in front of Kim Hyun-woo.