Chapter 374.

Kim Suho reacted calmly to the New Evils’ attack .

In fact, there was no need to overreact . No demon could withstand the Authority of the Sword Saint . All he had to do was swing his sword and cut them apart .

Every time the Misteltein flashed, dozens of enemies met their end .

“Oi, Kim Sukho, did you call these guys too?”

“No, it’s not me!”

Heynckes and Kim Sukho’s voice rang out from the middle of the battlefield . Kim Suho glanced at them as he swung his sword .

“If it isn’t you, then who called them?”

“You idiot! Both the time and place of the party were recorded in the invitation . I’m sure they figured out when and how to attack by themselves!”

Kim Sukho roared, but Heynckes looked doubtful .

“Mmm… . Well, it doesn’t matter . You’ll end up taking the blame anyways . ”

“W-Wh, what did you say?!”

It was a scene of poetic justice .

Kim Suho took his gaze off them and looked out front again . There were still many enemies left . A demon with multiple arms and legs shot towards him .

The demon released several thin, sharp strings of magic power . Like a spider, it tried to bind its target, but Kim Suho unleashed his magic power and incinerated the strings . He then pierced the demon’s heart with his sword .

“Oi . ”

As the demon’s black blood splashed on his forehead, Jin Sahyuk called his name . She looked completely at ease .

“What?”

Kim Suho shouted back as he sent sword strikes flying . Jin Sahyuk chased Kim Suho’s lightning-speed Misteltein with her eyes . He brandished his sword to the right and calmly reacted to a sudden attack from the left by a member of the New Evils .

But Jin Sahyuk’s attention wasn’t on his swordsmanship but on his ‘sword’ itself .

“That sword, who gave it to you?”

“What do you mean… huup!”

With a short spirited shout, a fierce gale shot out from his sword . The demons encircling him were blown away in an instant .

Kim Suho immediately shot towards the closest demon . After destroying their formation with the gale, he was taking care of them one by one .

Jin Sahyuk asked .

“You didn’t receive it from someone? Then did you obtain it alone?”

“…Why are you asking me that!?”

Kim Suho shouted as he swung his sword to the front .

“Because I just don’t think this is right . ”

Rubbing her chin, Jin Sahyuk stared at the back of Kim Suho’s head . She seemed to be thinking, ‘Just what the hell is inside his brain?’

“What!?”

“…No, never mind . It looks like you won’t remember for the rest of your life . ”

But I should try just in case… . Jin Sahyuk murmured and transformed into a cluster of energy . Then, she flowed into Kim Suho’s body . She had been making good use of this ‘inner body infiltration’ technique ever since she developed it .

“Wait, you… . ”

Kim Suho didn’t have the time to resist . Taken off guard by Jin Sahyuk’s sudden infiltration, Kim Suho stopped . He felt like something sharp was rummaging through his head .

“Jin Sahyuk, what are you doing—!”

He wanted to scream at her to get out, but the fight wasn’t over yet .

“Auuk!”

A demon appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Kim Suho’s head .

KWANG—!

The demon smashed Kim Suho’s head into the ground . A powerful shock struck his brain .

And this shock allowed Jin Sahyuk to explore Kim Suho’s brain more easily .

**

“Ee, eek—!”

Kim Sukho screamed as he was being taken into custody by Heynckes .

He released his magic power desperately . His aged, worn-out magic power pushed Heynckes away, and Kim Sukho took this opportunity to escape .

“Kua, kuaaa . ”

He ran as if his life depended on it . He seemed to think his safety was guaranteed if he could just escape the party hall .

“Tsk . ”

Heynckes simply watched Kim Sukho run . He didn’t even consider chasing after him . Rather, he sent the frantically-escaping Kim Sukho a look of pity .

“Hua, hua, hua… . ”

As a result, Kim Sukho left the party hall without any hindrance and ran through the hallway .

“Uek!”

But at one point, he tripped on something . Kim Sukho flew up in the air before disgracefully falling down .

As most people subconsciously did, he turned around to see what had tripped him up .

“…?”

His face became dazed .

“Uh… uh… you… . ”

Strange sounds escaped his mouth as if his tongue were paralyzed . His head hurt, and he couldn’t continue his thoughts .

It was because someone who shouldn’t be here, no, someone who couldn’t be here was standing in front of him .

“It’s been a while, President . ”

A calm voice echoed out . The memories he had forgotten about surfaced from the deepest corner of his mind .

It was Jin Younghwan . He hadn’t aged a single bit and looked just like he did in the past .

“You, you… . ”

Kim Sukho pointed at Jin Younghwan with his finger . His body was shaking as if he were experiencing an earthquake .

Jin Younghwan spoke with a grin .

“It’s nice seeing you again . You thought I was dead, right? Ah, I might have been . Who knows… maybe I am an illusion created by your guilt . Well, then again, I doubt you have any feelings of guilt left in you . That must mean I am real . ”

Kim Sukho’s face was dyed with shock and astonishment . Cold sweat dripped down, wetting his disheveled hair .

Kim Sukho stared at Jin Younghwan with a dazed face .

“Now then, why don’t the two of us have a little talk?”

Jin Younghwan still had things to say, but Kim Sukho was completely out of it .

“Eeeek… . ”

He eked out a strange screech before collapsing with his eyes rolled back . He even foamed from his mouth .

Looking at this scene with a dumbfounded expression, Jin Younghwan raised his eyebrows .

“What a coward . ”

How could someone who killed so many people be such a coward? Did he kill people without fearing the act coming back to bite him?

Jain kicked the fainted Kim Sukho’s stomach before turning around . Then, she jumped slightly in a startle .

“Oh, you were watching?”

Jin Seyeon was standing there, staring at her father with bitter eyes . Even though she knew he was just Jain in disguise, sadness and reminiscence filled her heart .

Jin Seyeon spoke .

“…Please cancel that disguise now . ”

“Hm? Oh, okay . ”

When Jain undid her disguise, Jin Seyeon continued with a deep breath .

“Yun Seung-Ah is looking for you . ”

“Oh, yeah~ I’m sure she is~”

“…Are you not going to see her?”

“Nope, of course not . ”

Jain smiled brightly . Jin Seyeon glared at her dumbfoundedly .

Jain slicked her hair back and added .

“She probably knew I wasn’t going to come back when she let me go~ Mm, I guess you can call our relationship a MacGuffin . Besides~ I still have important things to do~”

Just as Jin Seyeon was about to criticize her with the words, ‘That’s an excuse’…

Dudududu—

The sound of helicopters resounded above .

Wiing— Wiing— The sound of sirens also became clear .

“Mm, hear that~? It’s time for us to run~”

Jain spoke with a bright smile .

Without any other choice, Jin Seyeon sighed .

About 10 minutes after the start of the New Evils’ attack, outside reinforcements had finally arrived .

**

—This is an unprecedented exposé of corruption . The fact that the chairman of the Hero Association and the former president of Korea colluded with Djinns is taking the world by storm . Yoo Jinwoong and Chae Joochul’s confession and whistle-blowing has led to the confirmation of the Association’s executives having secret trades with the Djinns . Naturally, the Hero Association has fallen into chaos . A retired Hero, Yoo Jangwon, also stood out in this incident as a whistle-blower… .

Pantheon, a subsidiary group of the Temple of Justice, was normally a resting place for the Temple of Justice’s Heroes . But starting from today, it was given the role of an investigative agency and headquarters .

Due to the sheer scale of this scandal involving countless Heroes, governments around the world realized a thorough investigation was needed and designated the Temple of Justice to be the investigators .

Although the Temple of Justice was also a part of the Association, the public did not oppose the choice . It was because their leader, Aileen, was far from the image of corruption in their eyes .

“…Hm . ”

On the other hand, Chae Nayun was sitting on a couch in the Temple of Justice’s lobby, fiddling with her necklace .

The New Evils had been suppressed, and the corrupt members of the Association, including Kim Sukho and Yi Yukho, had all been arrested . All this had only taken half a day .

Yoo Yeonha had told them, “Finish this without dragging it on . If we don’t end things within 24 hours, they will launch a counterattack . ”

The plan had succeeded .

…But for some reason, Chae Nayun didn’t feel refreshed .

If anything, she felt stuffy .

It wasn’t because the Chae family was involved in the corruption . She was resolved to this fate the moment she found out about what really happened with Chae Jinyoon .

The thing was, she felt like she had forgotten about something important .

And every time she felt this way, she subconsciously fiddled with her necklace .

However, this sense of disharmony only grew stronger as she touched the necklace .

Someone had given this necklace to her . She had to give it back, but she just couldn’t remember who she had to return it to . Every time she felt like she was going to remember, an unpleasant forgetfulness swept through her mind .

—Kieeeeek!

“Ah, geez!”

At that moment, a shriek rang out . Startled, Chae Nayun raised her lowered head . Rachel, who was sitting in the same room as her as a testifier, made a shocked expression .

The shriek had come from Spartan who was sleeping on her lap .

—Kieeeek! Kieeeek!

“S, Spartan? W-What’s wrong all of a sudden…?”

—Kieeeek! Kieeeeek!

He was almost having a seizure .

“H-Hey! Do something about him!”

The other Heroes, who were also present as testifiers, furrowed their brows . Yoo Sihyuk, who was a close friend with Yoo Jinwoong, scowled especially hard .

“Spartan- Spartan-!”

—Kiee… .

When Rachel grabbed his wings and whispered, Spartan stopped . But then, he began to peck Rachel’s smartwatch . What first started out as tk- tk- tk- quickly transformed into tududududududu-!

It was as if a woodpecker had evolved into a power drill .

“W-What now?”

Taken aback, Rachel turned on her smartwatch, wondering if she was missing something .

But she couldn’t find anything unusual – only a message from a connection who was set as a VVIP friend .

Right, the message was from Yoo Yeonha .

Chae Nayun, who was watching curiously, asked .

“…What is it?”

“I don’t know . ”

“It looks like that woodpecker wants you to check your smartwatch . Did you get something?”

“I received a message from Yeonha, but that’s it… . ”

“…Yo, can you choose between polite speech and casual speech instead of mixing the two together?”

Rachel blinked her eyes as she often did and stared at Chae Nayun . Then, she lowered her gaze without a reply and read Yoo Yeonha’s message .

In the next instant, her face stiffened . It wasn’t just her face, though . Her body became as hard as a rock, almost as if she fell into deep thought .

Chae Nayun perked up her eyebrows and asked .

“What? What is it? Did something happen?”

“…”

Rachel didn’t answer .

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

She ignored Chae Nayun no matter how many times Chae Nayun asked .

Slightly offended, Chae Nayun furrowed her brows and turned on her smartwatch .

She had countless new messages .

Among them, Yoo Yeonha’s message stood out .

Chae Nayun clicked on it without much thought .

Immediately afterwards, Chae Nayun made the same shocked expression Rachel had .

Her thoughts stopped, and so did her body .

Only her eyes slowly moved up and down, reading a ‘certain word’ .

“… . ”

The ‘certain word’ was an ordinary name .

But at the same time, it wasn’t so ordinary .

The text message Yoo Yeonha sent had someone’s name on it .

Chae Nayun didn’t remember this name .

However, it felt familiar to her eyes .

Chae Nayun subconsciously clutched her necklace . Then, she slowly raised her head . Rachel, who seemingly received the same message as her, was staring back .

When their eyes met, Rachel asked .

“…This Kim Hajin… who is he?”

Chae Nayun couldn’t answer .

They both needed time for deep reflection .

**

—A month has passed, yet the trial is still ongoing . Kim Sukho and Yi Yukho are still claiming to be innocent, receiving criticisms from the public . On the other hand, Yoo Jinwoong has admitted his wrongs and has been convicted of multiple charges . Chae Joochul stands at a slightly unique position . Taking into account how he was one of the whistle-blowers in this case, the contributions he made during the war against Orden, and his worsening physical health due to his age and participation in the Great Devil War… .

“…Things sure are changing quickly . ”

I was still staying in my cabin by the Alps’ cliffside, watching TV as I munched on some cereal .

The month-old [Hero Association Corruption Gate] had yet to die down in the news cycle .

“Huu . ”

In any case, it didn’t feel so bad looking at a world progressing towards a ‘story that shouldn’t have existed’ .

In fact, I was quite happy . Not only did this world escape from the adversity known as Baal, but it was also on the brink of eliminating the cancerous tumor that was the Hero Association .

But this setting that the Association’s executives colluded with Djinns to maintain their authority… .

No .

I should stop referring to things as ‘settings’ . I shouldn’t even use that word .

After all, it only made me sad .

Tok, tok—

At that moment, someone knocked on my door .

A guest?

I turned the smartwatch off and got up from my chair .

Although the world was turning rather rapidly, I was still living a life of leisure .

Tok, tok—

Today’s first guest seemed to be quite impatient .

I was about to open the door but paused for a moment . With my hand tightly holding onto the doorknob, I let out a faint breath .

I couldn’t help but think, ‘Could it be?’ But soon, I laughed and shook my head .

I was mocking myself .

For the past month, I had been anticipating something in the corner of my mind .

That they would remember me and come find me — an empty hope .

But now I knew that wasn’t possible .

So, I opened the door, not expecting much .

Kiik—

The wooden door creaked open, revealing two people standing beyond it . They were blonde, blue-eyed women . As expected, they were strangers .

The woman on the right gulped before opening her mouth .

“Ah… um… are you… the Cliff’s End Pharmacist?”

“Yeah, that’s right . ”

I spoke casually on purpose .

It didn’t seem realistic or charismatic for a mysterious pharmacist living on the edge of a cliff in a rough mountain to speak politely .

“Ah, I see! Wow, really, we finally… . ”

The two women cried while hugging each other .

“I’ll chase you out if you keep crying . ”

“N-No! We’ll stop crying!”

I led them inside as soon as they stopped crying and asked about the symptoms of the patient .

They said it was poison from the venomous Albahara Snake .

Even in this world, where both scientific and magical knowledge of medicine existed, the Albahara Snake’s venom was an untreatable poison that led to unavoidable death .

Although the death wouldn’t be instantaneous, an afflicted victim would suffer for 3 to 14 days before finally dying .

To my knowledge, there wasn’t an antidote .

“Do you have that snake’s venom or its tooth?”

“Ah, yes, just in case . ”

The duo were well-prepared . From their bag, they took out the snake’s venom, multiple teeth, and even its scales .

“We canceled our qi reinforcement after killing its mother and was ambushed by the baby that was hiding nearby . We let our guard down . ”

“I see . ”

“Yes . The Albahara Snake has weak teeth, so as long as you maintain your qi reinforcement at all times—”

“Yeah, yeah . Alright, you can leave . ”

“…Pardon?”

I retrieved the materials and sent them outside .

“I don’t like showing people the manufacturing process . ”

“Ah, yes, understood!”

As soon as I saw the two women leave, I swallowed the Albahara Snake’s venom .

In truth, detoxification happened automatically if I analyzed poison . Detoxification was one of the simplest ways of utilizing the [Medicinal Memory Physique] .

“…Auu, it hurts . ”

After about three minutes, the [Medicinal Memory Physique] stored the Albahara poison’s antidote . I immediately materialized the antidote in the form of a pill .

Holding the pill in my hand, I shouted loudly .

“Oi! Come in . ”

The two women quickly came in, and I handed them the antidote .

They didn’t doubt my pill in the slightest . They simply cried and handed me an expensive jewel – a blue diamond .

““Thank you!””

After bowing 90 degrees, they left my cabin .

“…Yeah, take care . ”

After sending them off, I sat back down on my chair and turned on my smartwatch .

—On the other hand, Essence of the Strait’s Chief Officer Yoo Yeonha announced her retirement, but the guild’s Heroes’ fierce dissuasion has made her retract her statement . Many people are sending Yoo Yeonha and Yoo Jinwoong’s family words of encouragement and sympathy… .

The watch had a TV projection functionality .

But the news wasn’t all that interesting .

I stared at Yoo Yeonha having a press conference before changing the channel .

—The Kwang-Oh Incident is a key subject in this matter… .

“Ah . ”

I immediately turned the watch off .

Kwang-Oh Incident .

To be honest, I was hoping that the Kwang-Oh Incident would help me . Although the memories of me were wiped from everyone’s minds, I was hopeful that someone would regain their memories once they heard the Kwang-Oh Incident . But that didn’t happen .

A month passed, but no one came to see me .

But that goes without saying .

It was proper for false relationships built up through the power of the author to disappear .

After all, this world wasn’t a novel anymore .

I was no longer the novelist Kim Hajin, but an insignificant Kim Hajin .

“…Ehew . ”

Tok, tok—

As I sighed, another knock rang out .

It was already the second visitor .

“Lots of visitors today, huh . ”

I got up from my chair and walked to the door .

The visitors this time seemed even more impatient than the last . Or perhaps, they were more urgent than the last ones .

“Alright, alright…”

Thinking this, I opened the door without hesitation .

Whish—

Black hair fluttered in the Alps’ cold wind . A dazzling sunset shone down, and one person was looking down at me from the orange-colored sky .

The scenery was truly beautiful .

It was so unbelievably beautiful that I couldn’t think about anything .

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