I even sent a note saying you're welcome.
…It's so quiet.
I looked at the scrawl on the parchment.
'I even properly apologized.'
Does that mean they need some time until the next demonstration?
Well, it was fine.
Even if it wasn't this, I had plenty of things to do.
My schedule seemed tight.
I covered up the magic book I was reading.
'Let's go now.'
To the Yusra Kingdom.
In the media and on the Internet.
Interest in the Yusra Kingdom never cooled down.
Korean media must be more excited than anyone else.
Gaon and Berserker.
A quest to rebuild the kingdom of Yusra that only two guilds had come to perform.
──────
[Exclusive] Expert said, "It's certain that Gaon and Inazuma rankings will change…. It isn't a dream."
[At this time, the National Assembly] "Dream of a future led by Gaon and supported by Shinhwa…" The self-claim that this achievement is the result of the national policy continues…
[Exclusive Interview] Nam Taemin refused an interview, "I have nothing to say. I will just do my best."
──────
When I looked at such articles.
I realized that not just anyone could be a player.
Can you imagine how tiring it is?
With just one word, all kinds of hints came out.
Turning to continued speculation.
And leading up to asking for an interview.
'In that sense, I can't help but feel grateful.'
With this feisty personality.
– Get out of my way. My patience is at its limit.
– I can't find any formalities.
– So I won't take questions.
Words that I had said in front of the camera without filters.
…Even just it remembering it again, those were lines that made me cringe to death.
Was it because of that?
I didn't have reporters rushing to me.
No, not just reporters.
Players were no different.
In the lobby of the tower.
Lots of players crowded around the portal.
"No, let's just change rupture…?"
"Yuck. It's Lee Hoyeol. Lee Hoyeol!"
"Shh! Just keep your mouth shut for now."
Flowing stillness—
The noisy place became quiet in an instant.
If it was me in the past, I would have been restless.
Are they ostracizing me?
It's just my imagination.
But humans were certainly adaptable animals.
I was getting used to this kind of reaction.
Both my head and my heart.
I was content with the silence.
Then, all of a sudden, a similar picture came to mind.
'…Well.'
This temperament, even in front of rankers who only collected the best players.
I was consistent even in front of the senior mages of the tower.
So, there was no need to comment on it.
It was just a daily routine.
Again–
As I entered the portal, I thought.
How can you become more and more brazen, Hoyeol?
.
.
.
The reason why I visited the Yusra Kingdom was simple.
'I need to see Harkon.'
I had to ask him about the 'aura'.
But before that, I needed to confirm it.
It's stupid not to take advantage of what you've gained, regardless of your integrity.
'Well, of course.'
The reward I obtained by completing a hidden quest.
My influence had risen to the maximum in relation to the Yusra Kingdom.
As a result, I activated the [authority] function in the Yusra Kingdom.
'Let's get to know it properly.'
I was thinking of figuring out exactly what the authority function was.
Actually, I could guess to a certain extent.
Well, it had been talked about a lot on the Internet.
– ㄹㅇGaon and Berserk are blessed, aren't they?
– If you build relationships and influence through quests, you can receive titles later when you finish rebuilding the kingdom, right? ㄷㄷ
– Shining and Skal are going to explodeㅋㅋㅋㅋ In Yusra Kingdom, they might have to use honorifics to Leonie and Nam Taemin.
Relationship and influence.
Up to the possibility of subsequently obtaining a title.
It was common sense from when Arcana was a game.
That's why players were obsessed with relationships and influence.
'Although, of course, the importance varies depending on the scale.'
Influence in a small town.
Influence in a country.
It would be impossible to compare those two in the same category.
'Well, the village chief can't give you a title.'
In that sense, the degree of relationship and the value of influence in the Yusra Kingdom was enough to make people waste their breath talking about it.
Above all, the Yusra Islands were the first Arcana country to appear in reality.
– First of all, the potential is crazy!!
– It's nothing else, it's a legendary treasure islandㅋㅋ
– Titles or something like that, just owning the mine is good enoughㄹㅇㅋㅋ
The most important thing was its development potential!
From the beginning, the Yusra Kingdom was rich in terms of resources.
Since it was the first country to appear, it had an opportunity to develop and make full use of its resources.
Players' expectations were also growing.
– First of all, the respawned monsters are a big deal
– You can level up while going back and forth between the kingdom and hunting groundsㅇㅇ
– Maybe later, there'll be an auction house or a store??
– ㄹㅇWhat, do you all think about going into Gaon or Berserker now???
– Who's going to accept it?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
So.
Personally.
My expectations are bound to grow as well…!
'It's not just an influence, it's the maximum influence.'
…Well, wouldn't I get a huge unexpected profit?
But again, the thing that drove me.
It was the pride in this heart.
"I have to judge wisely."
Enormous influence.
The responsibility that accompanied said influence.
It was truly Noblesse Oblige.
I sighed inwardly.
'…What's to gain from this!'
You have to take care of your own share.
If you don't, who will?
That's what I was like as an office worker.
It was the truth of society that I realized while rolling in the jungle.
'Huh?'
But my lament about life didn't last very long.
Maximum relationship and influence.
They usually didn't come as a reward.
Then, I realized.
'…Maybe I don't have to step up and take care of it?'
A golden palace in the distance.
Against the backdrop of the palace.
A man walked toward me.
The man was Hakuna, the king of Yusra.
"You've come? Benefactor!"
I thought while looking at Hakuna smiling brightly.
'To think the king greeted me with his socks on [1] and I took it for granted. Aren't I getting more and more brazen…?'
I wondered if my shamelessness has already reached its maximum.
*
"One, two!"
Loud shouts were heard.
Knights of the Lionheart.
The knight commander, Harkon Kingsguard, smiled.
How long has it been since he felt this peaceful?
"Your voice is too small. Again!"
For some reason, his head was calm.
Since being summoned to the world of adventurers.
There wasn't a single day when he fell asleep peacefully.
Last night he could fall into a deep sleep without tossing and turning once.
Harkon looked at the surrounding landscape.
There were no structures that the adventurers called buildings.
Nor there was any iron carriage in sight.
Is it because of the environment of the Yusra Kingdom, which was similar to his hometown?
"No."
Harkon shook his head.
He already knew it wasn't because of that.
It was impatience that had been bothering him.
「Will His Majesty the Emperor be fine?
What am I doing here now?
Am I allowed to close my eyes comfortably?」
But those hasty worries were now gone.
'It's all thanks to Sir Hoyeol.'
Yeah, it was all thanks to Hoyeol.
Because Harkon had learned a lot while working with Hoyeol.
'This puzzling situation must have been the same for Sir Hoyeol.'
Their hometown and the world of adventurers.
A cataclysm where the two worlds mixed.
It was confusing for adventurers, too.
The same must have been true for Hoyeol.
And the emergence of demons.
There must have been plenty of room to be discouraged like they were.
Harkon swallowed his admiration again.
'How could Sir Hoyeol stay so calm?'
He couldn't feel the slightest agitation from Hoyeol.
Even in front of Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Even in the battle against the great evil that made even Harkon himself tremble in fear.
There was no sublime decision or sacrifice in Hoyeol's behavior.
As if it was all only natural.
There was only Hoyeol calmly advancing to the great evil.
It had a big impact on awakening Harkon's spirit.
'Even that decision must be natural for Sir Hoyeol.'
How big is this guy's vessel?
He definitely had to emulate that.
Harkon knew.
'Of course, I wouldn't be able to keep up with hard work alone.'
But one thing was certain.
"…I have to do what I have to do."
Thump–
In a way, those words were natural.
The dead heart of the lion beat again.
So the Knights of Lionheart started training again.
Clang–!
The swords of knights clashed against each other.
Harkon enthusiastically elevated the knights.
"Set the blade! Pull yourself together!"
This was what he could do now.
"How can you bring down the demons of your hometown when you can't even bring down the demons of this world?"
This was what he had to do now.
Clang clang–!
When he saw the knights clenching their teeth, Harkon thought.
'No more regrets.'
The contact with the magic tower through Hoyeol.
Harkon also abandoned his plan.
It was also a mistake made out of his impatience to return home as soon as possible.
He couldn't repeat mistakes when he had already learned from it.
"I received Sir Hoyeol's consideration again."
He joined the rebuilding of the Yusra Kingdom.
It was like an extension of training.
Because the role of the Knights was to deal with monsters and enemies that could pose a threat to the kingdom.
Harkon closed his eyes gently.
The sound of cheers in his ears.
His calm mind.
Maybe he had nothing to worry about for a while…
But Harkon's prediction was wrong.
"W-What did you just say? Sir Hoyeol?"
This time, it was due to Hoyeol himself.
Flustered, Harkon asked back.
"You want to get into aura…?!"
.
.
.
"Huff–"
With a sigh, Yesica took off her helmet.
Her sweat-soaked dark-brown hair swayed.
Her narrowed eyes looked at Harkon…
No, to be exact, at the silver-haired person next to Harkon.
She approached Hoyeol.
'The mage.'
Furthermore, he was the mage that had a relationship with the Mage Tower.
Yesica knew what the mages of the Mage Tower were like.
It was because she had witnessed it herself.
Their sole purpose of exploring the truth.
Their moves toward that goal.
'…Crazy people.'
It was 'extinction'.
When something got in their way.
With just one thing, everything in the area evaporated in half a day.
Yesica had been sent there to clean up the mess.
But there was nothing left to fix.
Was there anyone who was caught up in it?
She couldn't even confirm that fact.
Because nothing was left there.
Not even a single leaf of grass was visible.
But Hoyeol was something different.
Is he really a wizard that has a connection with the Mage Tower?
Enough to make her doubt him.
Above all, the image of Hoyeol at the time when he split the lava and made the stone stairs that supported them was clear.
But Yesica shook her head.
Shake–
It was prejudice that was as clear as that memory.
'…I'm not sure yet.'
Is he really different from the other mages of the Mage Tower?
But then she overheard the conversation.
It sounded doubtful enough to make her wide-eyed.
"Sir Harkon. Is sword aura eal?"
…Aura?
Wait, how does a mage know about the aura!?
Just like her, it was natural for the commander to be surprised as well.
Well, It was a matter regarding aura…
"What do you mean, Sir Hoyeol?"
"The aura. I am talking about the light that shimmered in your sword."
"…No way, Sir Hoyeol. Did you see that light?!"
Not just anyone can see it…!
Natural talent and constant training.
Even accompanied by those two things, she could barely see the aura.
So she couldn't help but be surprised.
But the surprise didn't stop there.
"Is that so? Then I guess I can handle the aura, too."
He would handle aura.
It was what Hoyeol declared.
Enoch, who was listening in silence, murmured.
"…What is he saying? That mage."
She didn't answer back, but Yesica felt the same way.
'It's amazing that he could see it. But.'
Dealing with aura is another matter!
Even within the Knights of Lionheart, only Yesica and Enoch could handle the aura, including the leader. First of all, wasn't he a mage?
Yesica was frankly dumbfounded.
"Before that, can you hold the sword properly?"
Harkon handed his sword to Hoyeol.
'I don't know what you're thinking, but…'
Yesica thought it was a waste of time.
Because a mage's body was weak.
Mages only opened books in front of their desks all day long.
How could he wield a sword with such a slender forearm…
"…?!"
The moment he took off his jacket.
Slip–
"…What, how is that a mage's body?"
Yesica's prejudice
It was cleanly broken.
The muscles exposed under the white shirt.
It was not the body of a mage.
It looked incredibly solid.
'…He has fair skin. No, t-that's not it!'
Yesica momentarily swallowed her dry saliva without realizing it.
Hoyeol accepted the sword that Harkon had handed to him.
And the moment he raised that sword.
"!!!"
Everyone was shocked–