Chapter 179
"I'm Lee Seong-jun."
After exchanging formal greetings, Seong-jun's gaze swept over the cat's body, which was Anna's vessel.
'A kind of spiritual familiar... I suppose it's an ability called a familiar.'
Magic King.
It was another title for Anna Ferris.
Naturally, Anna Ferris wasn't called the Magic King for no reason.
From the moment she first appeared in the world, Anna Ferris's talent was undoubtedly overwhelming.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had received the blessing of mana.
In fact, Anna Ferris perfectly understood and utilized her own mana, creating unique magic.
And the power of those spells needed no explanation.
'...There was a precedent of changing the world map with just one spell.'
Handling a familiar was not a big deal for someone like her.
'Still, this familiar is a bit unusual.'
Typical familiars were limited to just connecting consciousness.
However, the cat in front of him, Anna's familiar, was emanating energy from its entire body.
'At this level... it could be considered a kind of avatar.'
In Earth terms, or rather, in Hunter terms, it would be SSS-rank.
No, it could even be compared to a Ranker without shame.
'The main body's power must be dozens of times stronger than this.'
At the very least, it meant she was a master who had reached the Life and Death Realm.
'Fortunately, it seems her fame isn't just for show.'
As Seong-jun was finishing his assessment of Anna, right in front of him, Anna, with her sparkling blue eyes, also finished sizing up Seong-jun and opened her mouth.
"I don't want to engage in pointless mind games, so I'll skip the meaningless chatter, meow. What do you think? Are you interested in joining the Guardians, meow?"
As Anna asked the question, her blue eyes shimmered with a strange light.
This was because Seong-jun's actions so far could be considered exemplary for the Guardians' purpose of "world protection".
From the perspective of Anna, who led the Guardians, he was an irresistibly talented individual.
However, contrary to Anna's earnest feelings, Seong-jun shook his head without a moment's hesitation.
"I decline."
A position to be admired.
A position to be coveted.
He flatly rejected the opportunity to put his name on the list of Guardian members, which could be considered the goal of Hunters.
Normally, this would have been a shocking situation, but Anna nodded with an unsurprised expression.
To be precise, she spoke as if she had expected it.
"I thought you'd say that, meow."
She had actually faced Seong-jun in person for less than a minute.
It was an extremely short time, but Anna had already grasped Seong-jun to some extent.
The sense of kinship, of being the same kind, allowed her to instantly understand Seong-jun's existence.
In that brief moment, the aura emanating from Seong-jun was exactly the same as her own, Anna Ferris.
"Someone who reigns like you wouldn't serve under anyone else, meow."
Anna, who had been using her front paws to wash her face like a cat, opened her mouth again.
"Nevertheless... The fact that you responded to the invitation means you have another purpose, meow."
"That's right, I came because I have questions I want to ask."
"I like your straightforward attitude. I'll answer kindly within the limits of what I know, meow."
As soon as Anna gave her positive response, Seong-jun asked the question he had prepared without hesitation.
"Do you know anything about the anomalies currently occurring on Earth?"
Unlike her initial willingness, Anna's pupils dilated, showing surprise.
However, soon after, she gazed at Seong-jun with a strange smile.
"...You're certainly qualified, so there's nothing I can't tell you, meow. But since it's sensitive information, I'll take some precautions, meow."
Anna looked around and then nodded.
"Toru Karasu."
As blue mana rose in her eyes, a short magic incantation flowed from Anna's mouth.
Instantly, the walls of the room where Seong-jun and Anna were changed.
In place of the luxurious marble, blue mana formed a massive barrier surrounding the entire room.
The mana, which had become like a huge wall, was covered with strange magical formations throughout.
"There's nothing to worry about, meow. These are magical formations to guard against external eavesdropping and intrusion, meow."
"It seems your defenses are quite thorough."
"A magician should always be well-prepared, meow."
Anna spoke calmly, but a wry smile played on Seong-jun's lips.
'To instantly cut off the space itself from the outside with a short incantation cast by a familiar, not even the main body...'
Moreover, each of the magical formations on the walls emitted an aura that was at a master level.
'It's difficult to grasp just by looking at it.'
It was quite an ability, even considering that it was magic performed in her own home where thorough preparations had been made.
The title of Magic King began to resonate deeply in his mind.
'The pinnacle of the Life and Death Realm... She might have even reached a realm beyond that.'
It made sense that she was active as the undisputed number one and leader within the Guardians.
At the same time, he could inwardly rejoice.
'If a high-level magician has made this level of defense...'
There was a high probability that she would provide clear answers to the questions he had been harboring.
No, he could be certain of it.
As Seong-jun shifted his gaze with high expectations, Anna, with a curve on her lips, opened her mouth as if she had been waiting.
"You called them anomalies, but this is actually a natural progression, meow. However, the situation itself is indeed strange because the timing has been greatly accelerated, meow."
Anna stretched out her paw with pink jelly pads, and mana gathered in the air, taking the form of Earth.
It was similar to the globe he had occasionally seen in classes in the past.
However, the massive veil surrounding the entire Earth was clearly different from what he had seen on globes.
"What is this...?"
As Seong-jun tilted his head slightly, fixing his gaze on the veil enveloping the entire Earth, Anna spoke.
"As you know, there are countless life forms on Earth, meow. For beings that feed on life force and increase their power, it's an irresistibly tempting dimension, meow."
Seong-jun nodded slowly.
It wouldn't be strange for any race to invade at any time.
No, it was strange that creatures like demons, who amplify their power through life force, hadn't invaded Earth until now.
"But they're all blocked by the veil I'm showing you and can't cross over, meow... That's why I call the veil surrounding Earth 'Gaia', meow."
"Gaia?"
"Literally, meow. This veil is like a god protecting us, meow. You know that monsters poured out for decades after the Great Cataclysm, right meow?"
Stories that could be considered common knowledge on Earth flowed from Anna's mouth.
"With the help of Awakened and other races, they managed to clean up the monsters that were pouring in, meow. The current peace is maintained thanks to the Returnees who joined later, meow. This is the commonly known history, but the reality is completely different, meow."
Anna's gaze, glowing with blue light, met Seong-jun's eyes.
"We didn't stop it with our own power, meow."
"Then you mean it's thanks to this... Gaia we see here?"
"Exactly, meow. Gaia not only blocks the invasion of monsters but also suppresses the power of monsters that crossed over during the early stages of the Great Cataclysm, meow."
It was hard to believe, but Anna had no reason to lie.
This made the question even more perplexing.
"Who on earth created something like this?"
"I don't know either, meow. What I know now is that Gaia's defensive ability is weakening day by day, meow."
A bitter smile appeared on Anna's lips as she spoke.
"Originally, it was spread out so strongly that it would have lasted at least a few decades, giving humanity time to grow a bit more, meow. But this year, in '85, a red flash suddenly pierced through Gaia and invaded, causing significant damage, meow."
Seong-jun listened attentively to Anna's story, as it was the information he had been hoping for.
"Since then, Gaia's defensive ability has been noticeably declining, meow. I've urgently contacted allied dimensions, but... because the original plan has changed so drastically, they're all hesitating to give a definite answer and can't provide support to Earth, meow. Everything has gone awry because of that damn red flash, meow."
"..."
As the story continued, Seong-jun's expression hardened like a stone statue.
He could somewhat guess the identity of that red flash that had pierced through the veil this year, in '85.
* * *
After the long conversation ended, in the master bedroom of the most luxurious mansion within the Moon Line.
In one corner of the room filled with countless books that could be called a library, a black cat jumps onto the lap of a white-haired woman sitting in a rocking chair in front of a crackling fireplace.
Meow~!
The cat with blue eyes rubs its cheeks against the woman, showing affection with its eyes closed.
Nyaa~! Nyaa~!
At the noisy meowing, the white-haired woman looks at the cat, Bay, with a smile on her lips and beautiful sapphire eyes.
"As expected, Bay. You liked him a lot too, didn't you?"
Meow~!
"Indeed... Lee Seong-jun was an exceptional talent rarely seen these days."
Myaa~!
"That's right, and he wasn't just strong."
When he heard the story that could be called the world's secret, most Hunters would feel fear about the gloomy future and reality, prioritizing questions about their own safety.
But Seong-jun didn't say a word.
At first, she thought he might have been overwhelmed by fear like some Hunters, losing his senses. However, when she looked up and met Seong-jun's expression, it was completely different from what she expected.
"He clearly... felt a sense of responsibility."
He clearly understood that with great power comes great responsibility.
How long had it been since she met a Hunter like this?
It could be said that there hadn't been any in recent times.
"Skill, personality, even appearance... he was flawless."
Anna's voice, gently stroking Bay's fur, was tinged with slight excitement.
Of course, Bay, being her familiar, couldn't miss that emotion.
Myaa~!
"I'm not harboring ulterior motives, I just mean he'd be great as a Guardian member."
Meow~
At Bay's action of narrowing its eyes and raising its front paw to press its own cheek, an awkward smile appears on Anna's lips.
"Was it that obvious? But! Bay, you said you liked him too."
Meow~!
"...No matter how I think about it, I don't want to let him go. I'm not even hoping for a lover... isn't there a way to recruit him as a Guardian member, or at least as an ally?"
Myaa.
"Yes, as you say, there's no good solution right now... But let's not give up and think about it a bit more. I feel like I'll regret it for the rest of my life if we let him slip away."
Anna's blue eyes, sparkling like stars in the night sky, gaze out the window towards the main gate where Seong-jun had left.
"Lee Seong-jun... He really was perfectly my type."
A deep smile played on Anna's lips as she muttered to herself, as if savoring the words.