Episode 69 New Member (1)
… after leaving the principal’s office.
Thud, thud.
The sound of my footsteps and that of the inspector filled the main hallway. The inspector walked in front as if leading the way, and I followed behind him.
A silence fell between me and him. A silence so suffocating that it was almost impossible to breathe.
The reason for this awkward atmosphere is, of course, because of the bombshell announcement made by the inspector a little while ago.
‘I will hand over my position as the Seven Star Hero to Kanggeomma.’
The moment I heard those words, I felt my heart sink. In fact, even now, a few minutes later, the back of my head still feels cold. My eyebrows furrow in question.
Suddenly, I raised my head and looked at the back of the swordsman. He was walking so fast that he quickly gained distance from me. But he also showed off his graceful and dignified walk.
‘I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure he’s eating some good medicine.’
I moved my feet, my lips moving. I was cautious about how to open my mouth. But I felt that if I didn’t move on from here, I would regret it forever, so I opened my mouth, which had been hesitating.
“Your Majesty, is it okay for a moment?”
Only then did the inspector slow down and look back. His eyes were as stern as usual, the lightness from the principal’s office gone.
‘I guess you were acting to ease the principal’s worries.’
The swordsman stared at me for a moment. His pupils glowed with golden light from the sunlight streaming in through the crack in the hallway window. After a few seconds of that subtle air current, he spoke.
“Is it because of the succession of the Seven Star Heroes?”
As if he had expected it, a sharp voice whispered in my ear. I nodded, flinching. He soon stopped walking and leaned his back against the wall.
“It must have been a sudden situation. But as I said before, I thought about it for a long time and made a decision after much thought. Of course, I feel sorry for not telling you in advance, but I wanted to tell you in front of the media when I had made up my mind anyway.”
He let out a short breath. Then, out of nowhere, he asked me a question.
“Do you know why the Seven Star Heroes have been sticking with four people until now?”
“Uh, that’s… … .”
I hesitated to answer. It was a question I had never really thought about, but thinking back on it, I felt a sense of discomfort.
There were originally seven heroes of the Seven Sages. However, after the Battle of Basmon, three of them died, and now only four remain.
Fifty long years have passed, but the three seats have remained vacant. I vaguely thought they were kept empty to commemorate the three who were sacrificed to Basmon.
“…Isn’t it to honor the colleagues of the late Master Inspector General?”
When he answered like that, the inspector opened his mouth again with a faint smile.
“Well, I guess you could take it that way. Oh, of course, I have no intention of belittling those friends who went before. It is thanks to their noble sacrifice that you and I are able to live on this land. However, it would be unfair to leave the position of the Seven Star Hero empty for that reason.”
The inspector shook his head and swept his hair back with one hand. His silver-tinged white hair bore the marks of the years. He then added.
“To be honest, the reason is simple.”
“… … ?”
“Because no hero stronger than us has appeared so far.”
I just blinked. The inspector let out a short laugh. Then he lifted his back from the wall and stared at me. His pupils were filled with a clear gunshot.
“The strength of the Demons is far beyond our reach. Although the human race outnumbers them, if the Demons raise an army, they will be destroyed in less than half a year. Dialogue and trade can only be successful if they are on the same level. The only means to restrain them is force.”
“What does that have to do with leaving three seats vacant?”
The inspector shook his head sharply.
“It’s better to have a pitiful half-penny and no power. Think about it, if the Seven Star Heroes were to be defeated by a mere demon, would humanity be able to have faith?”
“That’s true too.”
“The Seven Star Heroes are not just a place to enjoy a movie. They are a role to restrain the demons and represent humanity. There is a famous saying that with great power comes great responsibility. It seems like the meaning has faded now.”
The swordsman who said that frowned for a moment. I guessed his reaction. Perhaps a certain person had flashed through his mind.
‘The best, Saki Kojima.’
He is a person who actively uses the fame of the Seven Star Hero to serve as the lifetime Prime Minister of Japan. I don’t want to say anything bad about him since he is also the father of Saki Ryozo, but in reality, he is treated as a dictator by the world.
‘… Now that I think about it, that guy Ryozo hardly ever talked about his family.’
Even though Chloe occasionally brings up the subject of home, Ryozo strangely doesn’t talk about his own family or circumstances.
Even when I played ‘Miracle Protection M’, the other seven stars, Jeolgung and Changseong, were only mentioned and did not appear, so their personalities and actions are also unknown to me.
… Ah, this is not what is important right now. I was caught up in the words of the inspector, but what I wanted to ask was not why there are four Chilseongs or anything like that. I shook off my distracting thoughts and asked quietly.
“I understand what you are saying, but that is not what I am curious about. Please explain why it has to be me.”
As I said that, the inspector looked at me with a look of bewilderment. He kept tilting his head and looking me over as if he was assessing me.
“… Kanggeomma, are you pretending to be naive, or are you really naive?”
“yes?”
“I’m saying this because I think you didn’t understand what I meant. The reason I’m giving up my position to you is because you’re stronger than me, by a lot. Isn’t that obvious?”
“…ah.”
I couldn’t say anything in response. Strictly speaking, there was some truth to what the sword master said. After all, I was the one who turned the 5th Corps Commander Agor into a super swordsman.
One, the sensation at that time was so hazy that it was hard to believe that it was solely my power. When I was lost in thought and didn’t say anything, the inspector looked at me intently and then spoke.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about you for a while now. But now I need to know.”
The swordsman’s voice was quiet. I was momentarily puzzled, but I tried to hide my expression and nodded. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
“It seems like your power has a time limit.”
“… … !”
My heart was pounding. I felt like I had been caught cheating.
There was no particular reason to hide it, but I didn’t tell anyone because there would be no benefit if it were revealed.
Thud, thud, thud.
My eyes met with the swordsman’s. He studied my face, shrugged his shoulders, and added.
“Don’t panic too much. To be honest, I was only guessing, so I wasn’t sure. But it’s impossible for a human to use such great power without any restrictions. Even for you, the Strong Sword Master.”
“… … .”
“Oh, and I guessed that the time constraint was a limitation. During the class placement test and Avalon Island, I would collapse after about a minute.”
I listened to him for a long time in silence, weighing the pros and cons in my head.
On the left, the benefits of revealing the constraints to him, and on the other, the risks.
After pondering like that for a while, I made up my mind.
“Your Majesty.”
The smile on the corner of his mouth dropped as he looked serious. I took a deep breath and slowly opened my mouth.
“I have something to tell you about my power.”
* * *
After a while, when I finished explaining, the inspector nodded as if he understood.
“So what you’re saying is… when you manifest a blessing, you get a lot of pain in return for the power, and then you suppress that with another blessing?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I explained to him about the swordsmanship and the protection of painlessness. Of course, I omitted the detailed explanation. Even the most trustworthy swordsman is cautious about revealing his weaknesses to someone.
The reason I said this was to borrow wisdom, not to seek sympathy or understanding.
I stared at him silently. Feeling his gaze, Geomje patted my shoulder as if to reassure me.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of telling anyone. And using a guardian to suppress the limitations of another guardian is a truly groundbreaking idea. You definitely have talent.”
The inspector tapped his forehead with his index finger.
“But sometimes, power allocation is also important. You don’t want to fight forever, pressed for time. To do that, you need an experienced teacher.”
The swordsman hung his horse’s tail. A smile appeared on his aged lips.
“⎯I really needed a talented disciple.”
I blinked. Then, the inspector stroked his right sleeve and burst into a bright laugh.
“Since I’ve chosen you as my successor, shouldn’t the handover be my responsibility? And although I’ve decided to retire, just thinking about it makes me shiver. Anyway, once things are sorted out, I’ll call you, so enjoy your academy life in the meantime, hahaha!”
“Hey, Your Majesty!”
Then, the swordsman quickly turned his body around and moved his feet briskly.
I belatedly reached out and called out to him.
But my words didn’t even reach his ears, and he quickly reached the end of the hallway. His footwork was so quick and nimble that it was hard to believe he was an old man.
“… … .”
I briefly considered using the protection of the swordsman to chase him away, but then shook my head.
“To think that I would rush at someone who has shown me kindness while holding sashimi… … .”
It looks like he got a head injury on the island. Or maybe it’s the aftereffects of Agor’s mental magic.
I sighed and stopped fumbling with my pockets.
* * *
After that, the weekend passed.
Since it was the last holiday before going back to school, I planned to get some rest, but… … .
“under.”
I let out a short sigh. I couldn’t rest properly because I was worried about the words I had been given as homework by the inspector.
“…I wonder what on earth is going to happen.”
Now, I tried to laugh off the minor discrepancies, but it seemed like things would turn out completely differently if things continued this way.
I walked down the hallway of the faculty building, suppressing the thoughts that were running through my head.
The sound of cadets’ chatter, like background music. Listening to it, I feel like my tension is being relieved a little.
“Nothing will change even if you grumble.”
Yes, as the inspector said, the succession process will take at least half a year even if it goes smoothly. I should be able to persuade him somehow before then.
Honestly, the special privileges of the Seven Star Heroes are tempting, but when I think about the Second World War that will take place in three years, I feel like I should decline.
I was so scared when I imagined myself wielding a knife while holding sashimi in the midst of the chaos of Shisanhyeolhae. And more than anything, it was really burdensome.
“I guess it’s because it’s been a while since I went to school, but I don’t feel too bad.”
One corner of my mouth slightly went up. I raised my head and looked around. When I looked, I saw that there was a large crowd of cadets gathered in one of the hallways.
Unable to overcome my curiosity, I turned in that direction. The cadets were gathered in front of a bulletin board with several posters on it.
“Hey, did you see this? What’s with the club poster? Wow, the sense is really bad.”
“So, even if the student body president is a member of a club like this, I won’t join.”
“But the background is so crazy, doesn’t this blue sea otter look strangely hazy?”
As we approached Batu, the cadets’ murmurs rang clearly in my ears. I looked at the bulletin board from the back of the crowd.
Since I am tall, I can clearly see the tops of the heads of the male students.
‘Some of them will be taken off later.’
The gaze that had been looking down sadly also stopped for a moment. In the place where my eyes met, there was a poster with such bright colors that it made me feel dizzy.
“Wow, this is awesome.”
A design that will make your jaw drop.
In my previous life, I was a chef and a businessman, so I know the importance of publicity so well that it’s hard to even begin to explain it. Even though it was just a club poster, it was extremely crude.
The moment I got a little closer, the cadets who were standing glanced at me and suddenly made way for me. I turned to face them nervously, but my body stopped in its tracks.
⌜Recruiting members to join the ‘Travel Club’. Produced by. Speed Weapon.⌟
The pupils dilated to the size of a lantern. Then, the lips opened on their own.
“What the heck, sickness⎯”
I couldn’t bring myself to say the next words. I felt ashamed later.
* * *
Same day, lunchtime, in the backyard of the Academy.
There was a happy reunion with the travel club members. Chloe clung to him with tears and a runny nose, and Ryozo indifferently handed him a piece of yokan. The atmosphere on the lawn was filled with relief and joy.
But where my eyes linger, there sits Weapon. I cross my arms and stare at him. He congratulates me on my discharge with a pleasant smile.
“Mommy, do you know how much we worried about you while you were hospitalized?! It’s good to see you’re still healthy. Oh, that’s right. While you were away, we prepared to start our own club.”
Weapon spoke while rubbing the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be secretly hoping for praise. I silenced my quivering lips and spoke in a low voice.
“… Oh, I saw the poster.”
“Oh, really? Well, I did pay special attention to visibility. How could you not notice it?”
“… … .”
I thought about how to react. I think the sincerity is admirable, but if I praise it, it would be like acknowledging the poster.
The blood of the businessman imprinted on his body seemed to be reacting violently to it. He responded by just nodding his head weakly.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Mr. Geomma. I should have stopped you.”
Chloe was chewing on her lower lip next to her, mocking herself indignantly. She turned her head slightly and saw Saki clutching her forehead. There was a dark look of fatigue under her eyes.
“Ugh, sorry. Weapon, that guy is so stubborn… … I tried to block it as much as I could, but I didn’t know that kid would post it on the bulletin board at dawn, really.”
“…great job.”
The smell of early summer sunshine. The scent of life and greenery lingered faintly.
Even in the midst of all this, the mood among the members, excluding Weapon, was gloomy.
‘If we keep doing this, we’ll never be able to save the rest of the members.’
In terms of conquering dungeons in the future, creating a club is a major step. The plan was to gather members to conquer demons and use derivative materials to strengthen Murasame… … .
It is by no means something that can be taken lightly when the establishment of a club is hindered by a mere poster.
While I was drooling and trying to figure out a way.
Tiring, tiring, tiring!
A sharp phone ringing sound was heard from somewhere. Weapon then took out his cell phone from his pocket. He tilted his head and answered the phone.
“Hello⎯”
Weapon spoke cautiously, as if mumbling. After exchanging a few words, he hung up the phone. Ryozo supported his chin with his palm and blurted out a word to him.
“What’s going on? The administrative office wants me to take down a poster? Well, it’s strange that such garbage is hanging on the bulletin board, tsk.”
“…no.”
“Then what’s with that expression on your face? Don’t hesitate and tell me quickly.”
“…I heard you’re coming for a club interview later?”
“what?!”
