Chapter 97

“…. It’s Yanagiya Riki from the Eastern Alliance.”

“…. Yanagiya Riki?”

It’s a name I’ve never heard before. Well, of course, she’s from the Eastern Alliance, so it’s natural I wouldn’t know her.

“Yeah… She’s the master of Kotozuke Clan, a large clan in the Eastern Alliance.”

“A large clan, huh…”

I kind of expected this. Only a large clan could pull off something on this scale.

“Tell me more about this Yanagiya Riki.”

“…. I’ve only met her a few times. She’s a dangerous woman. I heard she was the daughter of a famous yakuza family back on Earth.”

“Yakuza, you say?”

“… I’m not sure. It’s just a rumor.”

“… So, she’s like a pampered daughter from a yakuza family or something?”

“…. You idiot. If you spout that nonsense in front of her, your head will roll. She hates that kind of talk the most. She’s not some delicate flower raised in a greenhouse. Her combat skills are top-tier among players.”

“……”

Seems like we’ve gotten tangled up with a real headache of a person.

I don’t know how the Neutral Country will handle this situation, but it’s best for us to avoid any conflict with her as much as possible.

‘No need to get into a scuffle with a woman like that.’

The problem is, for whatever reason, Eternity has already messed with a business tied to Yanagiya Riki.

“Alright, so what exactly does she do? Were you following her orders here?”

“What the hell… Orders? It was just a business relationship. But… we were also on the receiving end of her drug supply, and given the difference in clan size, we had to bow our heads a bit.”

“…..”

“… Originally, I wasn’t directly involved in drug distribution.”

“What do you mean?”

“The former clan master handled it. I just took over after him…”

“So, there was internal conflict?”

“Tch… I wish it were that simple. The former clan master and his crew were all wiped out by some slave girl.”

‘Wait, what? A slave girl out of nowhere?’

“What… What are you talking about?”

“Damn it, I’m telling you straight. The underground market in this city was shut down after some slave girl escaped and killed everyone! That’s why the market closed!”

“What… So, a single slave girl killed everyone involved in the underground market?”

“Yeah, damn it! Everyone who was there died, except for me and a few clan members who weren’t present! We’ve been busy cleaning up the mess ever since!”

The man spat out his words, filled with resentment.

“Damn it! I was planning to get out of this business soon anyway! That’s why I was rushing to sell off the remaining drugs, and that’s how they ended up reaching you!”

‘Now I get it.’

I wondered why the dealer at the gambling den was so eager to bring up the drugs with me. Turns out, he was trying to offload the remaining stock quickly.

I asked the most important question.

“Is the drug production facility here?”

“No… it’s not.”

‘Sigh… Figures.’

I have enough drugs bought from them to make do, but it’s still a bit disappointing.

‘This should be enough.’

It’s not ideal for framing someone as a drug criminal, but it’s not impossible.

“This is just a personal curiosity, but what’s your relationship with the Sword Monarch?”

“… Why are you asking that?”

“Just genuinely curious. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

I didn’t mean much by it, but the guy seemed to take it as a threat.

“…. We just knew each other. We first met at a martial arts tournament and became friends. Well, not exactly friends…”

“Ah…”

I recalled Wi Ho-yeon’s title and the mention of the martial arts tournament.

‘Wi Ho-yeon is a martial arts tournament champion, and this guy was a participant, huh.’

“I think I get the gist. Well, my business here is done.”

“… I trust you won’t lay a hand on my sister. I answered all your questions. If…”

“I’m not that much of a scumbag. If what you told me is true, there’s no need for that.”

“…. Alright.”

I’ve learned everything I needed to know. There’s no reason to stay here any longer.

******

A storm had passed through Silan.

The fact that drugs, which the Neutral Country strictly prohibits, were being distributed in Silan had come to light, and the news that the distributor had been caught spread like wildfire, causing quite a stir.

Ultimately, the distributor, the current clan master of the Red Ant Clan, and the clan’s executives were sentenced to execution.

The fact that it was our clan that resolved this matter also caused quite a buzz.

We debated whether to reveal that our clan was behind this, but since this incident also established a direct connection with the royal palace, we figured it was time to start making our presence known.

As I was reading the newsletter about our clan in the clan house, Kang I-seo approached me.

“Hey, I heard about it. You really pulled it off this time, huh? Not bad, Iseo…”

“… Who told you?”

“I heard it from Ho-won. Even if he didn’t, Yoo Ju’s been blabbing all over the place. You’d have to be an idiot not to know.”

“Sigh…”

Yeah, I’m not denying it this time.

I definitely played a big role this time… but Yoo Ju’s been bragging about it like a proud mom, and it’s kind of embarrassing.

‘Damn… Should I just spill some dirt on her too?’

Of course, I know Yoo Ju doesn’t mean any harm, but honestly, I kind of want to spread some embarrassing stories about her too.

‘Seriously… I could totally spread the word about that outfit she wore.’

“Hehe… Feeling embarrassed? Didn’t think you’d be shy about this kind of thing.”

“Ha… Whatever. It’s not that embarrassing. More importantly… Did anything happen in the clan while we were gone?”

“Nope, nothing. Oh… wait, no.”

“… What?”



“Did something happen?”

“Uh… nothing special, just some weirdo was loitering in front of the Clan House for a bit and then disappeared. Haven’t seen them since.”

“Weirdo?”

“Yeah, they had their hood up, so no idea who they were… maybe they came for a request or something… no clue.”

“…..”

“Hey, I heard you’re going to the Royal Palace this time? Wow, moving up in the world, huh?”

“Ah, that…”

“Listen, I heard that among players like us, almost no one has been to the Royal Palace directly. At most, it’s the big Clan Masters and their executives.”

“Actually, that’s why I took care of this request. The Royal Palace will probably give a decent reward. Yoo Ju took it on to establish a connection with the Palace in the first place.”

“Ah, I see…”

“And… you seem to be misunderstanding something. You’re going to the Palace too. Actually, everyone is.”

“Huh? I have to go too?”

“Yeah. This request wasn’t a personal one, it was for the Clan, so of course, as a Clan member, you’re coming along.”

“Oh, really? But… what am I supposed to do there? I wasn’t even part of the investigation… is there anything for me to do?”

“It’s just a formality. You can just eat and hang out. I hear the Palace food is amazing.”

“Ugh… who do you think I am, a pig? Going there just to eat is a bit…”

I chuckled and teased Kang I-seo.

“Well, what else are you gonna do? Just walk around cursing like you always do? ‘F*** this! F*** that!’?”

“Damn, are you crazy? You’ve been on edge lately, huh?”

“Just imagining it is hilarious. If you do that in front of the King, I’ll give you props.”

“…Who’s trying to get executed here?”

“Execution would be the best-case scenario. Anyway, a carriage is coming to pick us up in a week, so we’ll head out then.”

“Ugh… damn, I’m nervous. Meeting a King? I’ve never even seen a president back on Earth.”

“Don’t overthink it. They’re just calling us to give us the reward.”

Honestly, even I’m a bit nervous saying this. I mean, we’re not meeting some high-ranking noble, but the King himself. It’d be weird if I wasn’t nervous.

While talking with Kang I-seo, I saw Yoo Ju coming down to the first floor.

“Ah… Yoon Seong. You’re down here?”

“Yeah, just needed some air.”

“What were you talking about with I-seo?”

“Just about this whole thing… and the Royal Palace. We’re heading there in a week, after all.”

“And also… Yoo Ju keeps bragging about you, so I was teasing her a bit.”

“Huh?”

“She keeps going on and on about Lee Yun-seong, it’s like a broken record.”

When Yoo Ju heard Kang I-seo’s words, she glanced at me and spoke up.

“Ah, no… I was just stating the facts!”

“Why are you so defensive?”

“I-I’m not being defensive!”

“Pfft, stuttering like that? Definitely defensive.”

Lately, Kang I-seo seems to have taken a liking to teasing Yoo Ju, just like me. Others might not get it, but Yoo Ju is definitely fun to tease.

‘With reactions like that, how can you not tease her?’

I can’t be sure, but back on Earth, Yoo Ju was probably the target of her friends’ teasing too. Not in a bad way, just playful banter among friends.

‘Earth…’

It’s been almost a year since I came here from Earth. Lately, I’ve been feeling more like myself in this world, Eras, than I ever did on Earth.

‘It’s probably for the best…’

It’s better to adapt to where I have to live now than to cling to a place I can’t return to.

Not that I don’t think about Earth, but most of my memories there aren’t exactly pleasant.

The only thing that still lingers is the thought of my older sister being left behind, but that’s not something I can solve right now, so stressing over it won’t do me any good.

‘…I’ll look into ways to deal with Earth-related stuff later. Right now, survival is the priority.’

“Hey, what are you so deep in thought about?”

“…Nothing, just… thinking about Earth for a moment.”

“Ah…”

‘Did I bring up something unnecessary?’

It’s been almost a year since I came here from Earth, but in a way, it’s only been a year.

Yoo Ju and Kang I-seo might still have lingering feelings about Earth, so their sudden silence makes sense.

After a moment of silence, Yoo Ju cautiously spoke to me.

“…Yoon Seong, do you still have regrets about Earth?”

“Not really. It’s not like I have no regrets at all, but… honestly, I don’t think about it much anymore. Well… if there’s one thing…”

“…….”

“It’s that my older sister is still on Earth, but what can I do? It’s not something I can solve right now.”

“Ah…? You have an older sister?”

‘…Didn’t she know?’

I thought she might know since we had a connection in the first round, but it seems Yoo Ju is hearing this for the first time.

“Ah… yeah.”

“Ah… I see…”

She seemed a bit shocked to learn something new about me.

I hesitated but couldn’t resist asking out of curiosity. I was curious about Yoo Ju’s situation as a Returner.

“…Yoo Ju, do you have any regrets about Earth?”