“What’s this? Then I won’t do it.”
The Western Continent is a place unlike any other. While the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Continents are diligently preparing to obtain the Zero Code for their respective goals, the Western Continent is a land plagued by constant civil war, where murder, robbery, and all manner of vile acts are part of daily life.
In short, it’s a lawless land, a place that epitomizes chaos and disorder.
So when Baek Seoyeon mentioned the “Westernization of the Northern Continent,” the weight of her words was anything but light.
As expected, the moment Baek Seoyeon finished speaking, the conference room erupted into chaos. The noise and the exchanged glances revealed just how taken aback everyone was.
“Enough! Why all this commotion when you’ve already heard everything?”
At that moment, Lee Hyoeul’s sharp voice cut through the noise. From the moment I entered the room, she had been displaying a demeanor entirely different from what I remembered. After all, she had been a guardian for seven years. It would be disappointing if she didn’t exhibit this level of command.
“There are still questions to be answered and much to discuss. We haven’t even reached the climax yet, so it’s too early to be shocked.”
“Hah. If this isn’t the climax, then what is, Lee Hyoeul?”
One of the senior figures, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. He appeared to be in his late forties, a handsome man with gentle eyes and strong features.
Lee Hyoeul raised her eyebrows slightly at his somewhat authoritative tone and replied, “You’ll find out if you wait, Goryeo Lord.”
Then she turned to Go Yeonju, who was standing idly by.
“Shadow Queen? Would you continue?”
Go Yeonju nodded slowly and turned to Baek Seoyeon once more.
“Can you elaborate on what you mean by the Westernization of the Northern Continent?”
A new round of questions began, and the room fell silent again. Everyone was on edge, their attention fixed on Baek Seoyeon’s lips as she began to speak calmly.
“Yes. The first step towards the Westernization of the Northern Continent was to assassinate its guardian. This was achieved by killing the Matriarch.”
“What? The vagrants killed the Matriarch?!”
The room was filled with explosive revelations. Even though some had heard parts of this from Lee Hyoeul, hearing it directly was a different matter, especially in front of the ‘Eyes of Temptation,’ which left no room for lies.
“So it wasn’t Do Yeongrok who did it?”
“What on earth is going on…! Ha, really.”
The room alternated between chaos and calm, over and over again.
Amidst this intriguing cycle, Lee Hyoeul stepped forward. She began to walk leisurely along the center line, seemingly to project calm amidst the confusion.
“Yes. The culprit isn’t the Golden Lions, nor is it us. But while the real culprits, the vagrants, remain hidden, we’re fighting amongst ourselves.”
“Are you saying…?”
“Some of you might know, and some might not. I’m sure you’re all curious. Why do we call the Matriarch a guardian? And why did the vagrants want to kill her?”
I had a vague idea from previous conversations with Lee Hyoeul, but I didn’t know the details. It seemed worth listening to, so I focused on her words.
“First of all, let me say that I am the true guardian of the Northern Continent. I’ve held this role for seven years. You all know this, right?”
“Then what about what Baek Seoyeon just said? Are you saying she lied?”
“The Matriarch… well, it doesn’t matter if I tell you. To be precise, she did take on the role of guardian. But she stepped down after a year and chose me as her successor. That’s the truth.”
There were audible gasps around the room. After circling the room, Lee Hyoeul returned to my side and spoke in a louder voice.
“This means that the vagrants were simply mistaken, or perhaps they fell into a trap. They intended to kill me, but they targeted the wrong person. The Matriarch sacrificed herself in my place.”
The mention of a trap piqued my curiosity, but it seemed she wasn’t going to elaborate further.
The room was filled with the sound of people exhaling the breaths they had been holding. But those gathered here were not easily shaken. They quickly regained their composure, their expressions turning serious as they faced the reality of the situation.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand.”
It was Goryeo Lord’s voice again. He was watching Lee Hyoeul with a thoughtful gaze, his fingers interlocked. She nodded slightly, and he continued.
“Baek Seoyeon said she wanted to turn the Northern Continent into the Western Continent, and that killing the guardian was the first step.”
“That’s correct.”
“Even if they were mistaken, it could have happened. If that young man… ahem, excuse me. If the Mercenary Lord hadn’t shown up in time, you might have died, right?”
Murmurs filled the room.
He was right. Even if the vagrants hadn’t been scheming, Lee Hyoeul had been on the brink of death. Without my intervention, she would have died. I had assumed she had died in the first timeline.
“Yes. But what is it that you don’t understand?”
”…Let me be clear. I acknowledge your role, your abilities, and the achievements you’ve accumulated. I don’t deny any of that.”
It was an unexpected statement, but Goryeo Lord wasn’t one to speak frivolously. Lee Hyoeul seemed to understand this, showing no change in expression as she listened.
“I imagined a scenario where you died. The Northern Continent would have lost its guardian. I don’t care about your successor, but… it’s hard to believe that alone would turn the Northern Continent into a lawless land like the Western Continent.”
”…Hmm.”
“Even if the Golden Lions made a mistake, I still believe the Northern Continent’s forces are the strongest. The Western Continent and 15,000 vagrants? Even if we gathered all the combat users from the East and South, we’d have twice that number. And it’s not like we’re lacking in quality. Given the situation, how could killing just one guardian turn the Northern Continent into a lawless land?”
Goryeo Lord’s words hit the mark. Those gathered here had their own power bases in the Hall Plain. Most seemed to agree with his assessment.
All eyes turned to Lee Hyoeul. She wore a deep smile.
“You’re right, Goryeo Lord. You’re not wrong. But there’s one thing you’ve overlooked.”
“Overlooked?”
“Baek Seoyeon said killing the guardian was the first step. Doesn’t that imply there are second and third steps?”
”…”
Goryeo Lord had no response to this. Lee Hyoeul glanced at Go Yeonju, who checked her notes and addressed Baek Seoyeon.
“So what was the plan after killing the Matriarch?”
“Yes… First, we planned to occupy Barbara. Then, we would pretend to engage while retreating to the western city using the warp gate, intending to withdraw from the Northern Continent.”
“And then?”
“Having achieved our initial goal, we planned to settle in the Western Continent for a while. During this time, spies and agents infiltrated within each clan would work to exacerbate tensions between the East and South. Initially, we’d create issues over the rights to the now-empty Barbara, and then extend the resulting conflicts to the West and North…”
Baek Seoyeon’s explanation went on and on. The users listening were silent, shocked by the revelation of spies and agents within their ranks.
“Spies…?”
“What…?”
Looking around, I saw faces frozen in disbelief. Some seemed to think it was nonsense, but unfortunately, Baek Seoyeon’s words were true.
After the Western Continent users withdrew, the conflict over Barbara’s ownership between the East and South escalated, eventually leading the Northern Continent into a period of chaos reminiscent of the Warring States period. It didn’t become as chaotic as the Western Continent, but it was close.
“Listening to Baek Seoyeon, I had many thoughts.”
As Baek Seoyeon’s endless speech concluded, Lee Hyoeul spoke in a quiet voice. Most users listening wore somber expressions.
The difference between knowing about a situation beforehand and experiencing it firsthand is vast. When such a situation arises, can it be resolved peacefully?
Having already experienced this once before, I could confidently answer, “No.” Besides, I wasn’t in the dark about who the spy or informant that Baek Seoyeon mentioned might be.
“It’s good to have pride and think you’re the best. But as Goryeo Lord said, doesn’t it seem strange? If we set our minds to it, we could easily defeat about 15,000 of them. At the very least, we wouldn’t lose. So why did they come here knowing that?”
“Well…”
“In the end, it means someone informed the vagrants about our situation. A spy or an informant. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
”…!”
Someone tried to speak with a strained voice but clammed up as soon as they looked at me. They seemed to think I was still in the dark about the decision they had made, even though I had a pretty good idea.
“Anyway, let’s leave that topic for now. We still have one last step to confirm.”
“Haha… Is there more?”
“Of course. Baek Seoyeon is a vagrant who could be considered part of the leadership. She might not know everything, but she probably has a good idea of who the spy or informant is. Even if she knows just one, we can unravel the rest.”
As Lee Hyo-eul finished speaking, a spark of realization flashed across everyone’s faces.
”…”
”…”
A long silence followed. No one spoke, and the only movement was the nervous swallowing of those present.
Then, in a voice tinged with fatigue, Goryeo Lord broke the silence, his voice echoing softly in the meeting room.
“Let’s verify that claim first, and if it’s true… we’ll need to prepare the Stone of Truth.”
“What? Kim Seunghyun is a vagrant? Wasn’t he the guy we took in from the Golden Lion?”
“Yes, I remember he was there when he declared his withdrawal from the academy.”
The assembly had concluded. With Baek Seoyeon confessing what she knew about the vagrants, Lee Hyo-eul declared the end of the meeting. Yet, no one left the room. Everyone was clustered around Go Yeonju and Baek Seoyeon, double-checking the list she had provided.
“Mercenary Lord.”
A familiar voice called out to me. I turned to see Han So-young standing calmly a short distance away. She glanced at my face briefly before speaking with her lovely lips.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not really. I didn’t do much.”
“No one thinks that. If it weren’t for you, Mercenary Lord… things might have turned out just as that vagrant said.”
Hearing her say “might have” suggested that Han So-young was still uncertain. After all, these vagrants had been operating right under the users’ noses within the clan. Even she couldn’t predict what they might do next.
I nodded with a bitter smile.
“I see. From what I heard earlier, it seems the vagrants haven’t infiltrated Istantel Low.”
“Yes, that’s a small relief. Other clans aren’t so lucky, though…”
Han So-young crossed her arms under her chest, accentuating her figure, and let out a light sigh, her gaze dropping to the floor. Then she spoke quietly.
“Mercenary Lord, if you have a moment, could we talk…?”
“Su-hyeon.”
At that moment, my brother’s voice drifted to my ears from behind.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
The assembly part is over. It feels a bit rushed to conclude, but I skipped the scene where the list is read out. Haha. It’s something that will be mentioned later, so there’s no need to repeat it unnecessarily. It seems like there’s been a lot of dark content lately. As I mentioned, we’ll have a bit of downtime for cleanup, and then we’ll move on to showing the world the prowess of Korean gamers… Oops. Ahem.
Monday has passed! It was tough at first, but I’m getting used to it, and I’m feeling more energized these days! It seems people need to stay busy. Hahaha. Oh, and someone sent me a message. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the work. I have my plans, but your comments are the best way to gauge if I’m heading in the right direction. :)
『 Reader Comments 』
UsainBolt: Congratulations on being first. Oh, UsainBolt, you truly live up to your name!
Devaran: Actually, that’s my catchphrase. Hahaha. I have a habit of ending my sentences on a high note. (__ )*
Parkiel: Your first comment! Thank you for always reading! I hope to see you often!
DreamWeaver: If I had 48 hours in a day, I’d spend 24 of them writing Memorize. (By the way, your username is really pretty. I’m envious.) (__)
Bullet: Oh, no. Guardians can’t be forced. I really want to answer, but it’s content that will be revealed soon, so I’ll hold back. ㅜ.ㅠ
Blami: It’s been a while! How have you been? :)
Ersyrina: Yes, I think so too. Hehe.
NovelFanPen: I really struggled with this. Clan, guild. Clan, guild. I finally settled on clan. Hehe.
Akard: It will be in the next chapter. Look forward to tomorrow!
Cheonnyangboeun: I’m curious about how working people feel on Mondays. They say it’s really depressing. Hahaha.
Thank you for always reading. I hope you enjoy the story with a relaxed mind.