108 –
“Hey, hero. You don’t have to answer. I already know you’re the master.”
“…Uh… Yeah, that’s right.”
The voice presumed to be the ‘Ancient Ego’ within Vestark continued its chatter nonstop like a fish out of water.
“Hmm, I’ve been wanting to catch some slang. Do you hate it when people use extreme slang? If so, I’ll stop cracking jokes.”
“…Not particularly.”
“Is that so? Haha, we seem to understand each another. Meeting a Korean person here feels like destiny, so just call me ‘hyung’ (older brother)!”
I was too shocked by two facts to even open my mouth.
First, the fact that this thing was effortlessly using Korean slang and catchphrases that only Koreans would be familiar with like “confirmation? Acknowledged” and extreme slang.
Second, the more shocking point was…
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“How do you know how to speak Korean?”
I can hear Korean.
This is not a foreign language automatically translated. The Ancient Ego is currently running rampant in my head in Korean.
Just a moment. My mind is too confused. What is happening right now?
“Let’s… Let’s organize this.”
The Vestark used by Witch Knight Han. An ancient ego resided within it.
Right, I also remember seeing this item description from a long time ago. Back then, my skill level in The Eye of Mimir was insufficient to examine it thoroughly.
The ancient ego suddenly awakened. Judging by the notice window’s content, it was likely because the accumulated death energy from repeated deaths caused the blade to absorb that special malignancy.
Alright. So far, I understand. Input completed.
“And next…”
The awakened ancient ego started using slightly outdated Korean lunch break slang.
“Krkru ppeong ppang ppang?”
Wait a moment. My brain froze again. Hearing Korean again after so long feels like my internal language system is collapsing.
As I clutched my head in anguish, the ancient ego spoke again without any care.
“Why so surprised? Koreans naturally speak Korean. Are you going to speak Japanese?”
Naturally, it was in Korean. Moreover, it claimed to be Korean. The tone implying it would speak Japanese was filled with displeasure. It was a very authentic Korean stance.
The decisive moment came right after that.
“Hey. Why have you been speaking so briefly? How old are you?”
The ancient ego attempted to establish a hierarchy based on age.
… This guy is definitely Korean.
*
“Uh… So, Ancient Ego-nim (honorable suffix). What exactly is your true identity?”
Ultimately, I ended up being ranked lower in the hierarchy.
It was impossible to compete in age with an ‘Ancient’ ego. This was the sword used by the infamous betrayer in the world’s history, the Witch Knight. Starting with hundreds of years of age, how could this even be a fair game? My goodness.
As I questioned using extremely polite Korean, Ancient Ego-nim (?) immediately responded.
“Are you asking my name, or do you have another question?”
“My name is Park Jeong-yong. I am curious about your name… and many other things.”
“Protect. My name is Sooho. From the Han clan of Cheongju, my name is Sooho. Get it?”
What the… So his last name being ‘Han’ was why he was the Witch Knight Han? This is unbelievable.
I chuckled bitterly at how ridiculous this was while continuing the conversation.
“Ah… Then, Sooho-nim. Or should I call you Ego-soke (respectful term)?”
“Call me ‘hyung’! Why are you being so formal with me?”
What kind of relationship do we even have? We’ve only been talking for 5 minutes. This Ego-soke is way too friendly.
I looked at the blade where sinister red characters were creeping, and then with a sigh, resumed my questioning.
“Yes. Then, Hyungnim (older brother), what kind of job do you do?”
“Job? Hmm… what should I introduce myself as?”
After pondering for a while, Ancient Ego… no, Older Brother Sooho exclaimed and continued.
“Alright. Though I look like this now, originally, I wasn’t sealed in this sword. I was originally a person.”
“Ah… I can tell you’re Korean. So, how did you end up in this sword?”
“I wasn’t sealed. I willingly had a fragment of my consciousness sealed in Vestark. And when I asked Diana, she did it for me.”
“Ah. Diana…”
I automatically nodded my head and then suddenly stopped.
Diana? That name came out so casually. Could it be the Diana I know?
I barely managed to move my hanging jaw and asked in an unconscious manner that brought my face very close to the sword.
“Could it be… that Diana? The Witch Diana?”
“Yeah, that’s right. She was called the Witch Diana back then. I’m more used to when she was called ‘Terror Queen Diana.’ Back then, I was also known as ‘The King’s Henchman’ and ‘The Fallen Warrior.'”
“…”
What kind of conversation is this? A ridiculous assumption formed in my mind after hearing Older Brother’s words.
‘Fallen Warrior’ Sooho-nim.
The casual way he addresses Witch Diana like a friendly next-door younger sister.
And the statement about willingly being sealed in the sword used by the Witch Knight.
Couldn’t be… Could the identity of this Korean be…
“Could you by chance be the Witch Knight yourself?”
“Oh, yeah, that too. Strange, it was quite a minor nickname back then. Looks like it’s become representative now, huh? You learn a lot when you live long.”
Though I asked this with a flicker of hope,
It was unexpectedly followed by a casual ‘yes’ and a typical TMI response.
“Shit.”
My mind went blank. It completely got reset.
I couldn’t process this sudden change in the situation and cursed.
‘The original summoned betrayer warrior… was Korean?’
I closed my mouth as various thoughts swirled in my head.
One of them was about the Three Fates I owed a favor to during the job trial.
“Is it because… this person and I look similar?”
“Witch Knight Han.”
“We promised to trust this person.”
‘So it was just because our appearances were really similar?’
I sighed in confusion but, at the same time, understood to a certain extent.
After all, people with Korean appearance are quite rare here. There quite a lot who resemble East Asians, but their features are closer to Middle Eastern or Arab types. Northeast Asian types are extremely rare.
Even my initial very casual interaction with Seop Baek was partly due to the joy of seeing someone with a familiar appearance after a long time. So, it’s no surprise.
‘…Is it similar to how we can’t distinguish between Westerners based on their looks?’
I don’t know how much I resemblance this Han Sooho guy. But if only our build and age are similar, these people might see us as interchangeable.
I let out exasperated nose sounds repeatedly and began grumbling to him.
“Still, why is it the Witch Knight ‘Han’? If it were ‘Han Sooho’ or ‘Sooho,’ I might at least have guessed from the sound. There’s a limit to how much name format variation one can handle, Older Brother.”
Older Brother Sooho let out an ‘Ah’ sound in response and, after a short silence, continued in a tone that was clearly embarrassed.
“…Look. I proudly introduced myself as ‘Han Sooho’ to people.”
“Yes. And?”
“Here, like in foreign countries, the first name comes first and the last name comes after. So people thought my first name was ‘Han’ and my last name was ‘Sooho.'”
It was a matter of name order.
Right. Name order. It’s the kind of misunderstanding that often happens between Earthlings and foreigners.
I scratched my head in confusion and managed to produce some sound after a long pause.
“Seriously? Can you believe that’s the reason?”
“That’s the reason. Nothing grand. People just started calling me that by misunderstanding. And later, explaining would have damaged my reputation, so I just let it be.”
The sincere statement of someone who took care of their pride while being the closest confidant of the ultimate boss.
With that, I began to think that perhaps I could have a somewhat decent conversation with this guy. With a complicated mood, I absentmindedly scratched the back of my head.
‘The shock… hasn’t worn off yet.’
I only realized much later that I had spent too much time and hurriedly headed towards the Kern city. Even as I walked, my thoughts were fully focused on Vestark.
After that, I asked various things to Witch Knight Sooho, Older Brother Sooho-nim, and he answered all questions smoothly and thoroughly.
Strangely enough, considering he was someone who marked one of the worst pages in history, we had an unexpectedly smooth dialogue.
“Alright, ask anything. But let me clarify, I can’t directly help in combat. I’m just a commentator and a human wiki. So, ask questions and pull out the benefits.”
“Alright. I’ve asked enough about me. What about your current situation? I need to know to give advice. As your older brother, I’ve been the longest-serving warrior of all.”
“Hey. Stop whining about dying 88 times. These days, young people lack perseverance. In my time, I would die repeatedly for days trying to defeat a Demon King. You’re lucky. There’s a system that supports the warriors now. The world has really improved, hasn’t it?”
As I conversed, I realized a few things about this person.
Firstly, despite the stereotype of being a ‘darkened warrior,’ his character is surprisingly down-to-earth and straightforward.
Secondly, much of his living memories have been lost, making it difficult to learn much about him.
Thirdly, for someone several hundred years old, his communication is surprisingly understandable.
And both Witch Diana and Older Brother Sooho were also immortal. Moreover, at the time, there was no warrior support system.
Some smaller points include: because he’s lived a hundred years and counts in hundreds, he’s a bit of a know-it-all older adult type. This reminds me of the kind Uncle Kim I worked with during manual labor.
That’s it. On the whole, he seems like a good person.
Oh right. There’s one important fact left.
When I interrupted Older Brother’s incessant older-adult talk by asking, “If there was no warrior support system in your time, how do you know about it?”
The answer was this:
“Obviously, I know because I created it.”
“……Yes?”
Today, I met the GM of the RPG system that trains heroes that is prevalent across this continent.
“I designed it, Diana established the framework, and some lesser deities implemented it through Paradise due to their trust in me. Have you met the Fates? They did it. They were cute kids. Yea.”
Too shocked to even move a finger, I stood frozen. Vestark hummed lowly and spoke again.
“Koreans are the game-loving nation, aren’t we~.”
The voice was filled with pure joy.
