#339
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At the moment Kim Deok-Sung was declaring a ski trip from Shinozaki Mansion.
It was the New Year in London, England.
Buckingham Palace. Evangelin’s Room.
As Evangelin was having tea time with Beatrice, she heard a buzzing noise in her ear.
The phone resting on the table was ringing.
This phone was her personal mobile.
Very few people knew this number.
“Hawawawa… Who could it be contacting me?”
With that self-talk, Evangelin turned on her buzzing phone and answered the call.
[Hello, Princess Evangelin Stewart. This is Han Seo-Jin.]
The voice ringing in her ear was that of Han Seo-Jin.
Realizing it was Han Seo-Jin, Evangelin was taken aback and adjusted her posture.
Han Seo-Jin was not just anyone to Evangelin; she was a benefactor and the closest aide to “him.”
She was not a person to be treated casually.
“What brings you here, Han Seo-Jin?”
[Mr. Kim Deok-Sung has invited Princess Evangelin Stewart and Miss Trixie Smith to a ski trip in Korea.]
The moment she heard Han Seo-Jin’s words.
Clank.
Evangelin dropped the teaspoon from her hand.
Her face turned pink.
Thump, thump.
Her heart rate skyrocketed.
A ski trip with “him.”
“I-I’ll definitely go! I’ll take Trixie as well!”
Evangelin exclaimed upon hearing Han Seo-Jin’s words.
Since the exchange student period, she hadn’t actually seen “him.”
But to think he hadn’t forgotten her and invited her first.
Just that fact was exciting, and the opportunity to actually see him was given.
From Evangelin’s perspective, there was no way she could miss this ski trip.
[I’ll send you the date and location soon. If you’d like, I can arrange round-trip tickets to Korea… ] “You don’t need to get me the tickets. Hehe. I’ll just take the royal jet.”
Evangelin interrupted Han Seo-Jin’s words.
She was the princess and heir of the Stuart royal family ruling England.
With a royal jet available, she couldn’t possibly burden him just for a mere ticket.
[Understood. Then see you in Korea.]
“Hawawawa. Got it!”
Click.
Ending the call, Evangelin placed her mobile on the table.
A beaming smile spread across her face.
“Contractor, what brings you to smile so broadly?”
Beatrice asked upon seeing her.
The body asks.
“Wowwowowow. Trixie! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung has invited both of us on a ski trip to Korea! So you should start preparing for the ski trip tomorrow!”
At Beatrice’s question, Evangelin covers her mouth with her gloved hand, responding.
Hearing her answer, Beatrice clenches her fist beneath the table.
Korea, ski trip.
There’s no way Beatrice wouldn’t know what those keywords meant.
‘Finally, it’s starting.’
The Grand Priest, Diego Morales.
Famous as the Soul Reaper, an EX-rank villain.
An adversary who intends to turn her into a puppet and eliminate her someday.
Mr. Kim has finally prepared the stage to deal with him.
Thump, thump.
Beatrice’s heart trembles with tension.
She bites her lips.
A slight pain arises from her eyes, veiled by a blindfold.
‘I hope nothing goes wrong…’
Beatrice looks at Evangelin.
She sees Evangelin’s cheerful face, smiling brightly at the news of the ski trip.
‘Once all the events are concluded…’
At that time, she’ll have to reveal her true identity to everyone.
Evangelin and how others might react, who knows.
But she has to.
Beatrice thinks that while sipping some black tea.
The aroma of the tea lingers at the tip of her nose.
*
In the Arctic depths influenced by the Soviet Union.
There was a bizarre, gigantic metallic structure shaped like a hemisphere.
The identity of the structure was the headquarters of the Cult of Truth.
Once known as the underwater ruins called Deep Blue City.
Tick, tock.
The sound of numerous gears clicking together echoed impressively through the deepest part of the headquarters.
There lay the Grand Priest’s office.
An old man in a white priest’s robe, leaning on a staff.
The usual kindness on Diego Morales’s face had vanished entirely.
“Have you found the whereabouts of the Saintess?”
Diego Morales’s voice, brimming with anger, resonated through the office.
Tick, tock.
The grinding noise of the gears haunted the silence of the office.
His wrinkled hands trembled with agitation.
As the owner of the Gift known as Soul Eater, which manipulates souls, the Soul Gem created by trapping other souls was the source that amplified his immense power.
The stronger the soul used to create the Soul Gem, the greater the amplification of power.
Thus, the Soul Gem of Desperado, an EX-rank hero known as Five Crowns, was the most powerful item among the Soul Gems owned by Diego Morales.
However, that item was stolen.
There was no concrete evidence, but considering the fact that the only being who could go in and out of the Soul Gem storage without a record, other than the Grand Priest himself, was the Saintess, it was practically a given that she was the culprit.
In fact, news about the Saintess in England had ceased right after he realized the Soul Gem had been stolen.
“…I haven’t found it precisely yet.”
“What incompetence!”
Pachutsutsutsu!
An overwhelming wave of magic power erupted from the Grand Priest, cloaked in a white robe.
EX-rank villain.
The world’s most notorious technological terrorist, with a bounty of ten billion dollars placed on him, the world’s most wanted criminal.
The faces of the cult members turned pale at his overwhelming magical power.
“Damn saint…”
The cult.
To be precise, the organization known as the Cult of Truth was established by the archbishop, solely so that only the chosen ones could monopolize the relics of this otherworldly civilization.
The saintess was merely a convenient symbol, a token used to open the gate of the ruins.
Of course, the archbishop was well aware that the saintess had realized his ambitions through her gifts.
That’s why he planned to dispose of the saintess after opening the gate to the underground ruins of Shuo Hero Academy, where the ultimate power lay dormant—the Broken World.
If he could obtain that ultimate power sleeping in the Broken World, there would be no need to rely on a saintess.
The saintess, being wise enough, wouldn’t recklessly betray him when in a weakened state.
She was once part of the worst villain organization.
Even if she betrayed the cult, there would be nowhere for her to go.
She had no chance of winning a rebellion with her insufficient power.
Thus, the saintess was just a pawn in his hands.
That’s what the archbishop thought.
His decision to remain passive despite knowing that the saintess had infiltrated the British hero academy stemmed from that very confidence.
However, he never expected the saintess to pull a fast one like this.
“Archbishop! But, but from the recently acquired information, we’ve discovered the destination of the suspected saintess!”
A pale-faced cult member spoke urgently.
“Destination?”
The archbishop withdrew his magical aura.
His eyebrows twitched.
“The suspected saintess… Trixie Smith, along with the British princess Evangelin, is set to arrive in Korea on the invitation of the Black Beast Kim Deok-Sung to enjoy a skiing trip.”
The cult member stammered while pulling out a document from his pocket and presenting it on the archbishop’s desk.
The archbishop’s eyes sparkled as he reviewed the document.
“Korea…”
Korea.
The weakest of the weak nations, with only the Black Beast Kim Deok-Sung as its legitimate hero.
What a ridiculous idea to leisurely go skiing in such a country.
A smile crept onto the archbishop’s lips.
“What a childish thought. Well, that actually works in my favor.”
There might be a chance of a trap, but in a weak nation like Korea, compared to the hero powerhouse next door, Japan, setting a trap wouldn’t stop him anyway.
Thus, this was an opportunity to snatch the saintess and Damian’s Soul Gem together.
“If I capture the saintess this time, I’ll have to make sure she never steps outside the cult.”
With this thought, the archbishop gestured for the cult member to leave.
It was a signal to exit.
“Well then, have a good day! Archbishop!”
The cult member bowed and exited.
Click.
As the office door closed, the archbishop pressed a button on the desk.
Fwooosh.
With a sound of hissing steam, a holographic interface appeared on the desk.
[It’s been a while. Archbishop.]
A warm male voice rang in his ear as a handsome man with black hair and dark eyes appeared in the hologram.
The leader of the New World League, Messiah.
He was an ally.
“I’ve acquired the location information of the saintess who stole Damian’s Soul Gem. She’s apparently going skiing in Korea.”
“I’ve obtained the Saint’s location information. It seems she’s off to South Korea for a ski trip.”
[So?]
“Isn’t that important for you too? I was hoping the League could support our forces in this operation.”
As the Grand Elder, his direct involvement would guarantee a win rate of nearly 100%.
That brat, Kim Deok-Sung or whatever his name is, awakened as an EX-rank, but he can’t defeat him.
Yet, he had no intention of going solo.
He was the cautious type who sought a 101% win rate.
He wouldn’t move unless he had overwhelming power.
[Hmm······.]
The Messiah in the hologram fell silent.
“Did you forget that last year, at your request, a member of our order barged into Imgan School and was captured by the Association? Our cult fulfilled its alliance obligations. Now it’s your League’s turn to uphold its part.”
As the Grand Elder pressed the issue about the Priest sent to Imgan School, the Messiah chuckled and nodded.
[······Alright. Our League will send Dokta Shinahel and the Undertaker as support forces to your cult.]
Dokta Shinahel and the Undertaker.
Hearing that all four Horsemen would come, the Grand Elder smiled.
That reassured him.
With their joining, the success probability of the operation shot up to 120%.
Failure was not an option.
“Thank you for your cooperation, League Master.”
[No, I should be the one thanking you. Wishing you a successful operation, Grand Elder.]
Clunk.
With the eerie smile of the Messiah still lingering, the hologram communication cut off.
The Grand Elder stood up, leaning on his staff.
“This time, I won’t miss.”
The Saint Beatrice.
He swallowed the rest of his words down his throat with a grin.
*
Hero Kim Deok-Sung is coming back to Korea during winter break.
The news relayed by Han Seo-Jin naturally shook all of South Korea.
Flap.
Just like during summer break, the national flag was waving all over the country, and the news began pouring in.
[President Kang Myung-Hyun holds an emergency cabinet meeting in preparation for Kim Deok-Sung’s visit······.]
[Gangwon Provincial Office, going all out in anticipation of Hero Kim Deok-Sung’s visit. ‘Hero Kim Deok-Sung Welcome Committee’ established. Gangwon Province Governor takes on the role of chair. Local governments, businesses, and communities in Gangwon form a joint committee······.]
[Yangyang International Airport, once a burden for Gangwon Province, renamed ‘Kim Deok-Sung International Airport’—could revitalizing the airport be possible?······.]
[Hero Kim Deok-Sung’s visit to Gangwon expected to generate an economic effect of 1.5 trillion won······.]
[Hero Kim Deok-Sung! Finally visiting South Korea! He loves Korea!]
The people were ecstatic.
Hero Kim Deok-Sung.
The one and only hero of Korea, who defeated countless villains and saved Japan and France, was returning to his homeland as a living legend that reached EX rank.
At that moment, a wave of national pride washed over the Korean Peninsula.
At Yangyang International Airport—no, Kim Deok-Sung International Airport—his private jet landed.
Alongside, fireworks positioned at the airport erupted with smoke.
Boom! Boom!
The booming sound from the fireworks shook the airport beneath the fluttering national flags.
Twenty-one rounds were fired.
Thus, the ski trip was officially underway.
