Chapter 328.

[Transnational Peace Conference D-24]

I was at the President’s residence located at the heart of the capital . To be exact, I was at the office of the President’s Secret Service Institute . It was imposing but had substance and was well-cleaned .

With a director’s suit hanging in the closet, a teakwood desk, and a clearly luxurious black chair, the room was the perfect director’s office .

“…Hm . ”

I ended up becoming Head of Presidential Secret Service . I tried sitting on the chair . It was comfy .

I picked up the nameplate on the desk with the words, [Director of the Secret Service Heiji], written on it . It was heavy .

“Hm… . ”

Seraine told me that my job was the protect the core members of the Republic, including the President and other high-ranking officials . Now that I recovered my stats to a certain degree, it wasn’t so difficult .

—You’re at work?

At that moment, a voice rang out from the desk . Startled, I stared at the desk . The crystal ball standing on a miniature pedestal at the corner of the desk was shaking .

“…Ah, yes, I am . ”

I replied .

—Great . Your job as the director is simple . All you have to do is protect my father and I during the upcoming Transnational Peace Conference . Oh, and also other high-ranking officials .

Seraine mentioned the Transnational Peace Conference . For a moment, I stood still without replying . If Baal would really descend that day, I wasn’t sure if I could annihilate him, who was the strongest devil in existence .

—Your subordinate will arrive soon . The Secret Service is something we quickly formed, so it doesn’t have many employees .

Tok, tok—

Someone knocked on the door at the perfect timing .

—Ah, that person must be here . Then please take care .

The crystal ball stopped shaking, and Seraine’s voice cut off .

Tokk, tok—

The knocking continued .

I walked to the door and opened it myself .

“…Hm?”

I saw an unexpected face .

“Hello . ”

Her mouth curled up into a beautiful smile, and her blue eyes shone radiantly like jewels .

“My name is Rachel . ”

My first subordinate was the elementalist swordswoman, Rachel .

**

[Transnational Peace Conference D-23]

I went out on a business trip with Rachel . The goal was to inspect the Plaza of Glory, where the Transnational Peace Conference would take place .

“The plaza is spacious, but I hear the conference will take place in that small temple-like place . ”

I nodded my head at Rachel’s explanation .

The Plaza of Glory was located in the Republic’s capital . The place was too open to properly protect a large number of people, but the ‘International Summit’, the most important part of the conference, would take place in the small temple at the corner of the plaza . Since there was a high ground in the center of the plaza to serve as a watchtower, seeking out threats should be easy .

“…The problem is that there’s only one enemy . ”

But we already knew there weren’t multiple enemies .

There was only one, the world’s strongest evil god and the rank 1 devil, Baal .

“I’m sure we can win . ”

Rachel encouraged me with a smile .

“Well, we can only hope that’s the case… . ”

Just as I was about to smile back at her…

Jiing—

I felt a strange, penetrating gaze on me .

Feeling the intensity of it, I paused and tracked the source of the gaze . The Thousand-Mile Eyes easily spotted the person glaring at me .

“…What . ”

My thoughts cut off for a moment . The culprit was someone I knew . In fact, it was someone I was very close to .

The woman named Yi Byul was hiding behind a wall, glaring at me .

Has she been following me this entire time?

“Hajin-ssi? What’s wrong?”

“Uh… nothing . Let’s go . ”

I walked through the plaza with Rachel and checked up on Boss at the same time . She was still following us while hiding her presence .

“…I am a bit worried . I hope she’s doing well . ”

At that moment, Rachel spoke up . She was talking about Evandel .

I smiled bitterly and nodded my head .

“I’m sure she is . She has Hayang and Ah Hae-In-ssi with her . ”

Plus, Spartan should be playing with her as well . Both Ah Hae-In and Spartan were people I could trust .

“…Yes, I think she’ll be as cheery as always . She’s like me, after all . ”

Rachel said proudly .

“You’re right . ”

I stared at Rachel and laughed . Then, I remembered something .

“Oh yeah, Rachel-ssi, what happened with Lancaster?”

“Huh? Ah… I’m not really sure . ”

“…You don’t think he followed you all the way here, do you?”

I said jokingly . Rachel also took it as a joke and laughed .

“Haha, what if he really is? Lancaster might…”

Rachel replied light-heartedly . But as I thought more about it, a chill went down my back . This wasn’t something to laugh about . If Lancaster was alive, he most definitely would have followed Rachel to this world… .

“Well, there’s no use worrying about ifs . ”

To be honest, I was more worried about Boss, who kept following us secretly . Her gaze also seemed to carry more and more killing intent as time passed .

“Should we go back now?”

“Go back?”

“There isn’t much to inspect, and there’s something I need to do . ”

Rachel stared at me for a moment and then smiled like she knew what I meant .

“Ah~ I understand . Then let’s do that . See you later . ”

Rachel spun back . Ssk— The nearby trees shook, as if to react to her movements, and a cherry blossom-like flower fell on her shoulder .

I said to her back .

“See you tomorrow . ”

After sending Rachel off…

I assembled Stigma’s magic power according to Shimurin’s teachings .

I planned to use ‘Teleportation’ to appear behind Boss’s back .

Woong—

My feet seemed to float . In the next moment, my surrounding scenery shifted .

“…Where did he go?”

Boss peeked her head out like a meerkat and stared at the spot I disappeared from . I placed my hand on her shoulder .

“…!”

Startled, Boss turned around .

“What… . ”

Her eyes, nose, and mouth widened when she saw me . I gave her a grin .

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh… nothing . ”

Boss pushed her hair back and coughed .

I stared at her fixedly . Boss was wearing casual clothes and not the robe she usually wore . Frankly, she was even more beautiful in casual clothes .

“Nothing much… just… . ”

“Just?”

I smiled faintly and grabbed her hand .

“Well, if you’re not busy, why don’t you go on a walk with me?”

With the plaza being so beautiful, I wanted to stroll around with Boss openly .

**

[Transnational Peace Conference D-16]

“…I won—!”

In Priton Mansion’s backyard, Chae Nayun’s voice cut through the air . Lying on the ground next to her was a pair of man and woman . One was Shin Jonghak, who had already fainted, and the other was Jin Sahyuk .

The surrounding area revealed that a fierce battle had occurred .

“Whew… I’m exhausted . ”

With a faint sigh, Chae Nayun staggered until she plopped down on the ground . Jin Sahyuk turned her head slightly sideways and stared at Chae Nayun .

“…Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Chae Nayun flinched for a split second before she turned to Jin Sahyuk .

She had certainly won against Jin Sahyuk . But the problem lied in the process . Chae Nayun had teamed up with Shin Jonghak to fight Jin Sahyuk . Right, it was a 2 on 1 battle .

“… . ”

Chae Nayun dodged Jin Sahyuk’s gaze without replying .

“Pft . ”

Jin Sahyuk smirked and raised her body .

“Eh? You can still stand? I thought you were out!”

What Chae Nayun didn’t know was that Jin Sahyuk’s Authority gave her an insane rate of recovery .

“I’m different from you . ”

“…Ha, there you go again, being annoying . Just wait . I’ll be ready to go in three minutes—”

Jin Sahyuk ignored Chae Nayun and entered the mansion . A maid greeted her .

“Shall I prepare your meal?”

“No, it’s fine . ”

Jin Sahyuk was staying in the mansion as Shin Jonghak’s guest . She walked up the stairs to her room on the fourth floor .

Kiik—

But after she opened the door…

“…?”

She was faced with an unexpected guest . A robed man stood tall in her room . The sword on his waist was taller than him, and Jin Sahyuk easily recognized his appearance .

“Kim Suho . ”

Kim Suho had come to see her .

Jin Sahyuk stared at Kim Suho and smiled .

Kim Suho took off his robe and faced her with a stiff expression .

The tension broke when Jin Sahyuk spoke .

“You’re finally here . ”

“…You knew I’d come?”

“Of course . ”

Kim Suho’s eyebrows went up at how confident she was .

“…I came to hear your plan . ”

“Oh? That’s a surprise . You’re going to trust me?”

“I know you’re not a liar . ”

This time, Jin Sahyuk’s stiff expression changed . The corner of her mouth twisted up .

“Right, right . I don’t lie . But… . ”

Jin Sahyuk glanced behind Kim Suho . The person she was looking for wasn’t here .

“Kim Hajin’s not here?”

“Hajin? I didn’t think I needed to bring him with me . ”

“…Tsk, useless . ”

Jin Sahyuk clicked her tongue, then pushed Kim Suho to the side and sat down on her bed .

Kim Suho glared at Jin Sahyuk and said imposingly .

“Tell me what you know and what you’re planning to—”

“There’s 16 days until Baal’s descent . ”

Jin Sahyuk interrupted Kim Suho and said with a serious face .

“Before then, you need to kill Yi Yeonjun . ”

**

Priton Mansion after Kim Suho’s departure .

Jin Sahyuk stared at the ceiling on her bed . It was already dark outside, and a cool breeze entered the room through the opened window .

“…It’s almost time . ”

She murmured quietly as the night made her a bit more emotional .

“The return to my beloved home . The ending I strived for my entire life . Soon, my life’s purpose will be fulfilled… . ”

“What do you mean?”

At that moment, a voice that wasn’t Jin Sahyuk’s rang out .

The voice arrived suddenly with no trackable source .

Jin Sahyuk even wondered if the voice came from her heart .

“…?”

But she knew that couldn’t be the case . She blankly raised her head .

“I’m going to ask again . ”

A man was standing next to her bed .

The moment Jin Sahyuk saw him, a smile emerged on her face .

“…It’s you . ”

A black robe inscribed with a lotus flower covered his body, and his face was fully covered by a mask . Still, Jin Sahyuk knew who the man was .

“You told Kim Suho that we had to kill Yi Yeonjun . ”

He was the infamous Black Lotus, but his real name was Kim Hajin .

“Explain to me in detail . ”

Jin Sahyuk stared at Kim Hajin . Perhaps because it had been a while since she last saw him, she felt happy . She wanted to keep staring at his eyes .

“Hey . ”

“… . ”

“How long have you been watching me?”

Kim Hajin didn’t answer . He had followed Kim Suho secretly and had watched his conversation with Jin Sahyuk .

“A while ago . ”

Just as Kim Hajin was about to speak…

—HEY!

Kwang—!

A loud shout rang out, and Jin Sahyuk’s door burst open . Chae Nayun stomped in from the other side .

“Is it true that Kim Suho came and le…?”

But Chae Nayun couldn’t finish her sentence . She noticed the robed man standing in Jin Sahyuk’s room .

“Uh… . ”

Her eyes naturally fell on the lotus symbol on his robe . A jet-black robe with a lotus symbol .

“…?!”

Chae Nayun jumped slightly . The robe was clearly a symbol of Black Lotus .

“Who’s… . ”

Black Lotus was well-known by both Heroes and Djinns . Some worshipped him like an idol and some despised him . Some called him the world’s strongest man, and some criticized him as the world’s worst criminal .

He was both an anti-hero and a villain .

Seeing Black Lotus up front, Chae Nayun’s eyes widened to a full circle .

“… . ”

On the other hand, Kim Hajin was drenched in cold sweat under his robe . He was flustered to the point his thoughts temporary stopped, but he quickly regained his calm .

Even with Chae Nayun’s incredible intuition, there was little chance she would figure out his identity . After all, the Black Lotus Uniform was designed to hide his identity .

Even Chae Nayun’s sharp senses shouldn’t be able to see through the equipment made with Dwarf’s Dexterity…

“…Puhaha . ”

While Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin were standing in a daze, Jin Sahyuk burst into laughter and got up .

“Looks like even an idiot like you knows who he is . ”

“…Idiot?”

Chae Nayun scowled . Jin Sahyuk grabbed Kim Hajin by his collar and said to Chae Nayun .

“Let me introduce him . He’s my friend, Black Lotus . ”

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