Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
62. Way back home (1) [1]
Outside the Garden.
There were people, who dealt with enemies and escaped a little before Balor blocked the entrance.
The two, who looked at each other and quarreled for a while, soon entered a stand-off.
Peuk!
Soon a loud sound of a strike rang out.
The one throwing a punch was a woman in a black suit, Heuk-ma.
Seodol, who took it on a chest, didn’t show any signs on pain, but the strike was enough that it was difficult to breathe for a moment.
In exchange for Heuk-ma not putting in a superpower wave into the hit, Seodol also didn’t defend himself and accepted it square, but Seodol belatedly regretted it.
‘… Feels like a true rib is cracked, and muscles around it are completely destroyed. I guess she had no plans on controlling her strength, eh?’
Seodol smoothed out the clothes, wrinkled because of excessive force, and set off regeneration of destroyed muscles and bones.
Heuk-ma made a relieved face, without an ounce of guilt.
Seeing that face, Seodol didn’t hide his dissatisfaction.
“… We had been in an alliance for a long time, how could you hit me so mercilessly and unsophisticatedly? I’m hurt and feel dirty, because I was hit by a horse hoof.”
“Wasn’t it You who made a bet? You talk a lot for a loser. Is it because rats were always noisy?”
Even if the two were easy-going with each other, they made a bet who can catch more Enemies in the otherworldized space.
As result of the bet, the victor was Heuk-ma.
The victorious Heuk-ma obtained a right to hit Seodol once, and she flatly turned down Seodol’s excuses of ‘As first promised, you hit me once and then we talk’.
Heuk-ma punched him with an intention of shutting Seodol’s mouth, but regretfully she wasn’t able to shut him up with an attack of this power.
“I could win in the first place. I had no plans on getting kicked by a horse hoof.”
“What is the use of saying that now? You already got kicked.”
Seodol kept endlessly talking about a horse hoof, when he was hit by a fist, but Heuk-ma generously didn’t point it out and let it go.
Right now, Heuk-ma was in a seriously good mood because she got to hit Seodol, so she felt open-minded and listened to Seodol without a hateful face.
However, at the same time Heuk-ma was thinking coldly in a corner of her head.
‘The gap is so big it’s disappointing. Even if he is a rat, Seodol is one of the 12 Zodiac’s heads.’
Excluding some exceptions, the 12 Zodiac Alliance had little exchanges and their relationships weren’t particularly good.
The 12 Zodiac Alliance was maintained for a long time as a result of each Jin tribe being wary and respectful of each other’s power.
But the appearance Seodol showed in a bet a moment ago was pretty disappointing.
‘… At one time, there was even a talk about excluding Seodol from the 12 Zodiac Alliance.’
That conversation was brought up on a brink of establishing the 12 Zodiac Alliance.
With Seodol’s easily antagonism-drawing personality, he had an ‘aggro sucker’ tendency if one was to put it vulgarly.
In addition, it was a fact known by everyone that Seodol was an extreme fan of humans.
‘There was an opinion that he may one day prioritize humans over the Jin people or the 12 Zodiac Alliance.’
With such a flow, a word came out that another Jin should be placed in Seodol’s place in the Alliance.
Most of the 12 Zodiac Jin people showed an indecisive reaction, but Zhu Ganglie and a head of a certain Jin tribe advocated for it with loud voices.
When people, who had no particular interest whether Seo tribe enters the Alliance or not, were about to put up their hands and do it, because they were annoyed, some people voiced an opposition.
— Seodol’s abilities are annoying. It’s necessary to tie him down with the 12 Zodiac’s non-aggression treaty.
Hwang-ho witnessed the plague Seodol brought upon.
Hwang-ho, who saw the power which withered and killed all plants and trees, seemed to regard Seodol as a headache and want to tie him down with an alliance.
— The symbolism and recognition of the 12 Zodiac was never small on the Korean Peninsula. Aren’t the beings of 12 Zodiac mentioned every time the year changes? The barrier constructed with the Power of Earth as a foundation needs the names of 12 Zodiac. If the Seo tribe is excluded, the barrier will be weakened.
When the head of Gyeon tribe[2], who had as extensive knowledge about barriers as Hwang-ho, added such, the opinion tilted towards putting Seodol in the Alliance.
Even though Seodol drew hostility, he remained as a part of the 12 Zodiac Alliance and his power was respected.
‘It was a bet, but he acted so confidently and then showed this? Wouldn’t it be better to throw another tribe into the Alliance, instead of the Seo tribe?’
Heuk-ma hid her thoughts, and asked:
“You. Did You completely lose your edge when working as a designer? I didn’t expect the gap to be so big.”
The gap between the number of Enemies Heuk-ma and Seodol caught was close to twice as much.
There was no way that Seodol, who was first to suggest the bet would slow his hands, if those were Seodol’s capabilities, she would be quite dissatisfied as a member of the same Alliance.
At those sounding-out words, the corners of Seodol’s mouth rose high.
“I couldn’t help it, You know? I met a crow on the road I went, so I greeted him, and time passed so quickly I didn’t even realize.”
“… Crow?”
Did he mean there was someone else in Fomori Demons’ Garden?
While Heuk-ma expressed her doubts, Seodol explained using a delighted polite tone.
“Yes, the human who is under the Crow Demon King was looking for a certain stone. If I became close with him first, I would give him a blessing, but that’s a pity.”
* * *
The two escaped the realm of Demons right way.
The Phantom Thief Neon was still noticeably regretful that he couldn’t return the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’ with his own hands, but he admitted defeat and withdrew.
“I’ll introduce you to the escape route I secured. It’s comparatively safer if you follow the south coastline, but it’s guarded by the Demons’ familiars…”
“That’s the way I came from. By familiars you mean those blue gloves? I found them annoying so I got rid of them. I bundled them together, and threw them into the party venue.”
“… You’re an aggressive phantom thief, huh?”
I guess the one who threw the gloves bundle into the party hall at the beginning was Gu Seulbi.
The two instantly found another escape route with the information each one of them gathered as a basis, so my hands and feet seemed unexpectedly fine if we left out the conversation about phantom thieves.
After I added the information I had and a perfect escape route was made.
The two of them asked me:
“Are you not going with us?”
“Shouldn’t we go together? There is a lot I want to talk about as a fellow phantom thief. I still didn’t heard about your phantom thief’s philosophy, logic and will…”
“… I’ll go a separate way.”
That bastard’s phantom thief sounds didn’t subside, but I was touched by my Playable Characters’ hearts, who were considerate of me, who they saw for the first time, anyway.
Regretfully, there were other Playable Characters waiting for me, so I couldn’t go with them.
When I said it would be difficult because I had company, the two nodded.
“… I want to thank you when we meet next time.”
“The phantom thief can’t leave lingering feelings in farewells!”
“Then you don’t leave lingering feelings and go.”
Because the two wouldn’t be able to leave like this, I decided to move first.
The Phantom Thief Neon talked about farewells, but I believed that we would soon meet again, so I left such goodbyes:
“See you at school.”
* * *
Some time around the daybreak, past dawn.
The Fomori Demon’s party ended on a half note.
It wasn’t revealed that Balor’s eye was hurt by the Spear of Lugh, or that a Garden appeared and disappeared.
The only strange phenomena was that it ended without the auction being held.
The Demon in a blue mask worked hard to hide his bloodshot eyes, and walked around asking each party participant for understanding.
When he apologized, caterpillars stood in the eyes met behind the mask.
‘He must been holding himself back in front of the guests.’
The moment he saw me wearing a crow mask, the Demon wearing the blue mask became momentarily wary.
But after I parted ways with Seong Gukeon, I wore a crow mask and costume of a different design, and changed my physique with a Gwangrim.
In addition, I wasn’t the only guest wearing a crow mask, so they couldn’t nitpick on that.
‘It was possible for them to rummage through the belongings of all party participants.’
But the Demons didn’t make such a choice.
Because if they did it, they would confirm that the reason they didn’t hold the auction was because the ‘auction items were stolen’.
If they ended without an auction and without revealing a reason, there would be doubts, and the party guests would be dissatisfied, but there would be a room for excuses.
‘Well, but if they grabbed the party invitees and rummaged through their belongings, they still wouldn’t be able to find them.’
I had an item window, and Jeon Mu-yeong could use Gwangrim that could deceive even the Ho tribe’s head.
The moment we obtained the items and safely escaped that place, the game was already over.
As such, after we left the Fomori Demon’s castle.
After I safely regrouped with Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong, we rode an air limousine and returned to a hotel.
We didn’t talk about the Fomori Demons’ auction at all until we arrived at the hotel, and only then it was brought up.
“I’m glad we returned safely.” [3]
“Let’s hold a toast for ‘Imoogi’s recapture’.”
They called it a toast, but Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong didn’t put alcohol to their lips.
‘They probably won’t lower their guard until they return to the country.’
I was overwhelmed with pride at the two people’s mindset.
The three of us toasted with rock glasses filled with carbonated water instead of alcohol.
Drinking with my Playable Characters, while admitting the cardified ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’, the tasteless water somehow felt sweet.
“You didn’t show up until the end, what were you doing?”
After the story of the Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’s retrieval process ended, the topic turned to me.
It was natural for Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong to have doubts.
‘We should talk about the sudden otherworldization and gardenrization later, but other things…’
I couldn’t properly answer the two’s doubts in the end.
“Nothing much. My apologies I couldn’t accompany You.”
“Hahee! I didn’t brought it up wanting an apology. But nothing much you say…”
It seemed that Seong Gukeon didn’t completely believe my words.
It didn’t look like Seong Gukeon had plans of questioning me, but it appeared he continued to guess.
“We didn’t meet Balor until the end. And we weren’t able to met the Phantom Thief Neon, who sent such flashy notice letter and appeared so eye-catching in the party venue. Nor did we see Merlin’s disciple, who appeared later.”
It seemed that Seong Gukeon guessed almost everything about things I was involved in.
But Seong Gukeon just smiled, and it seemed he had no plans on confirming them with me.
Seong Gukeon toasted again towards the rock glass I was holding in my hand and said:
“Uisin-ah, you’ve worked hard.”
I felt the fatigue being washed away, just hearing those words.
The initial afterimage of the death left by Balor’s eyes still shimmered in my eyes, but as I talked with those four, the Phantom Thief Neon and Gu Seulbi, Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong, it was gradually turning blurry.
We finished the celebration party and decided to rest for a moment before heading back to Korea.
‘Considering the time difference, it will be a time to sleep after we return to Korea, so I can keep being awake.’
I kept awake instead of the two people, who couldn’t sleep for the last several days.
When I was reading PMH setting book on the bed.
Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong, who woke up much faster than I expected, spoke up.
“Then let’s go to the airport.”
“Aren’t You planning to sleep a little longer and then go?”
“An urgent matter came up, so it seems we have to go to the airport right away.”
Something happened in Korea?
The two people didn’t give a detailed explanation for the reasons, but considering that Seong Gukeon was a politician, I didn’t ask too deeply.
“I asked senior Yeom Bangyeol for understanding. The private planes are on standby. Let’s go together.”
Seong Gukeon said something dubious, and his face, when he said those words, felt somewhat joking.
Moreover, I was bothered by one word Seong Gukeon said.
‘… Did Seong Gukeon just say ‘planes’?’
I was able to confirm that sense of incongruity after we arrived at the airport.
The exclusive private plane terminal.
There was someone here who should have had no way of being here.
“It feels like I’m seeing you after a long time, eh? Jo Uisin.”
Hwang Jiho came to Britain.
*~*~*
[1] Way back home — 귀갓길(gwigatgil) contains word 귀갓(gwigat) which could mean a turtle shell or the four corners of a go board. 귀(gwi) can also mean ears or rats/mice. There are quite a lot of different interpretations possible based on hanja, and I’ll try my best to point them out if I see one, but there is one interpretation that I think for sure applies. This title could also mean ‘the road of precious/noble things’.
[2] Gyeon tribe, Seo tribe — Gyeon for ‘dog’, Seo for ‘rat/mouse’.
[3] “I’m glad we returned safely.” — Jeon Mu-yeong’s sentence.
Translator’s note: I didn’t make a note after translating this chapter, so this is a note from the future after I translated six/seven chapters of this arc. I see 귀(gwi) hanja meanings everywhere now. It’s an invasion.
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