Episode 112 New Start (3)
It was my first time going through the departure process, and it was surprisingly simple.
After checking in your carrier or other luggage, just show your face to the customs office and get your passport stamped! That’s it!
I had imagined that a drug detection dog would scan my body with its nose and that a complicated procedure would await me… … .
However, I was satisfied because I was able to shake off the annoying group of reporters.
‘I’m finally getting to ride an airplane for the first time.’
It was a small thrill, but for someone this old and who had never been on a plane before, it really hit home.
Adding a spoonful of excitement to the experience is, of course, the prospect of boarding a private jet.
It was such a luxury from the very first flight in my life. A sense of elation welled up from the bottom of my heart.
-however.
What lay before my eyes was a narrower hallway than I had expected.
There are seats lined up in a row on both sides, all the way to the front corner.
“… … .”
Economy class.
That was also economy class on a low-cost airline.
I turned my eyes slightly to look at the swordsman and Abel. The two people, their faces covered with masks and hats, moved quickly to find their seats. Their movements were very agile and familiar.
The inspector suddenly turned around. He opened his mouth to me, who was standing blankly in the middle of the hallway.
“Can’t you see the person behind you is waiting? Come to work quickly.”
The tone was artificially lowered. It was probably a means to avoid being caught as a detective. I followed him tremblingly as he gestured to me.
As we approached, the inspector pointed to the seat by the window on the left.
“Your seat is over there. I usually don’t give up my window seat, but since it’s your first flight, I’ll give it to you today.”
“… … .”
I sat down without saying a word.
Embarrassment came over me belatedly. I was ashamed of my ordinary appearance.
‘I wasn’t originally like this.’
I feel like my brain is completely lost in this fucking world.
While I was lost in thought, I heard the sound of a cushion being pressed. Abel, sitting next to me, immediately took off his shoes and changed into airplane slippers.
‘Come to think of it, I guess I have to stick with this guy again?’
The flight time to Switzerland, where the Nibelung lands are located, is about ten hours. The three hours on the bus were also uncomfortable, so it would take three times as long to get there.
What a coincidence.
‘Should I ask to change seats?’
I looked across the narrow hallway. I saw the sword master, who was fast asleep with his blindfold on.
“… … .”
He quietly averted his gaze.
‘You’re not waking up a sleeping person.’
Abel, who had finished setting up this and that, nodded to my feet.
“Put your slippers under there, your feet will get uncomfortable on long flights because of the air pressure.”
“… Oh, okay.”
As he said that, Abel put disposable earphones in his ears. It seemed like they were for earplugs rather than for listening to music.
To be honest, I was curious. Why were the people of the Nibelung family, one of the highest families in the world, so commoner?
It was too natural to be called cosplay. It was too elegant and classy to be called a commoner.
The feeling of dissonance and dissonance lingers in my throat.
One, it is too rude to ask. There may be other reasons, such as the government being unstable or the family being in decline.
If you think about it, being famous and being rich are two different things. There are even celebrities who are deep in debt.
I swallowed the doubt rising to my throat and took out the slippers from under my feet.
“It’s better to sleep on the plane. The flight attendants will wake you up during meal times. Since it’s your first flight, you might be very excited, but it’s not as bad as you thought, so don’t be too disappointed.”
Soon after, Abel took out his blindfold and put it on like his grandfather.
A blindfold with a rabbit embroidery. It was wrinkled and creased, as if it had been washed many times. A few threads were sticking out, too.
‘… … .’
Abel folded his arms tightly, straightened his back, and then quickly lowered his head.
‘Did you just fall asleep?’
How dare you sleep like that on a bus? I briefly exclaimed, then rested my elbows on the window sill. The view outside the small oval window was the runway.
Even though it’s an asphalt road, my heart feels strangely excited.
… A moment later, the takeoff announcement sound rang out.
-Woooooooooo
The motor vibrates violently, the plane’s body tilts backwards, and then takes off.
The buttocks lifted a few centimeters. The strange feeling of gravity working behind your back and the feeling of floating.
It was the starting point of a vacation that I will never forget.
* * *
After more than nine hours, we arrived in Switzerland.
Perhaps because it is a country located at the foot of the Alps, the weather is chilly, not suitable for summer.
For me, who was tired of the scorching sun and heat of Korea, it was simply comfortable. Adding to that the excitement of my first trip abroad, and I couldn’t help but smile.
‘It’s definitely pretty.’
The scenery was also very beautiful.
The mountain peaks that surrounded the airport were the famous Alps.
Even though it was summer, the mountains covered in frost were poking through the clouds. The exotic architecture was a good mix of modern and contemporary.
In many ways, it was my first impression that made me realize why Switzerland is a tourist attraction.
After going through an immigration inspection similar to that of departure, they joined up with Inspector and Abel. Since they were citizens, the procedure was simplified and they came out first.
The swordsman who had been waiting greeted me and said:
“It’s your first time, but it looks like you went through the process well.”
“Yes, well. There wasn’t any major difficulty.”
I never expected it, but Korean is also an official language in Switzerland.
This world is free of language barriers. I do curse, but this is convenient. It also gives me pride as a Korean.
A half-asleep voice leaked out from Abel’s mouth.
“Grandpa, when did Mr. Gaines say he was coming?”
“He said he’d be here soon, baby.”
The masked inspector smiled broadly. It was a detailed and kind answer. However, one word in the sentence lingered in his mouth.
‘baby?’
Abel flinched. All the sleepiness had disappeared from his face.
“Ha, Grandpa! There’s a sword horse too, so don’t call me that!”
Abel’s face, revealed above the mask, turned red like a tomato. The inspector asked back with a look of incomprehension.
“… I’ve been calling you this since I was little, so what do you mean by calling me that?”
“That, that… That, but. There’s this kid next to me too, and above all, I’m all grown up!”
“Hahaha, you’re all grown up. In front of Grandpa, I’m just like a newborn baby at seventeen―”
Suddenly, the inspector’s gaze shifted towards me. He stopped laughing and lowered his voice.
“―Jin, sit down. There are always exceptions. Well, even so, Abel, you are still a beautiful child in my eyes.”
“Ha, Grandpa! Stop, stop! I’m dying of embarrassment!”
Words full of affection were exchanged. I smiled and watched the two. At that time.
-Squeak.
I opened my eyes to the sound of tires scraping asphalt.
More than ten black sedans, all flashing with dazzling lights, suddenly stopped in front of us.
The door frame of the thickest body among them opened, and a middle-aged man came out, neatly dressed and wearing a suit without a wrinkle.
Before I even had a moment to wonder who the author was.
“… … !”
Boom, boom, young men poured out.
Immediately after, the procession of the crowd, with middle-aged men as the standard, unfolds a vast school of wings.
Thud, thud.
A middle-aged man walks toward me. The grace in his gait is almost elegant.
The man approached Batu and bowed to greet her with a folder.
“Your Majesty, and Miss Abel. Welcome home.”
As soon as the middle-aged man’s mouth fell open, the young men saluted him politely.
The inspector said, removing the makeup that covered his face.
“What should I do if it’s always this noisy every time I come here? It’s embarrassing. And I’m already retired. This kind of treatment is too much for me.”
“Don’t say that, Your Majesty. You are a hero of humanity, and this is trivial.”
“You weren’t like that when you were young, but you’ve become more flattering as you’ve gotten older.”
“Hahaha, I guess it can’t be helped since I’ve been here for so long. Oh, right. President of the United Nations Session, Gervas Wallon, apologized for not being able to greet you.”
“Oh, you. You’re saying that you’re coming out now, but why is that person’s name coming out?”
“Your Majesty, you are still as easygoing as you were before.”
The middle-aged man smiled gently. Then his gaze lingered on me.
“Your Majesty, is that person the sashimi… … .”
“Up to there.”
The sword cut the words like a knife.
“I can’t explain in detail, but I would like you to keep quiet about that friend’s presence. Well, it will be revealed sooner or later, but for now, we need to be careful. It would also be better if you could make sure that those standing behind you are not caught.”
“Ah, yes. I understand. Is there anything you would like to know?”
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I trust you, Gaines.”
The swordsman tapped his shoulder. The man nodded his head and turned his horse.
“Anyway, thank you for coming. I will drive you to your parents’ house myself. Please get in.”
A middle-aged man and a swordsman who are having a friendly conversation. Although they may seem friendly at first glance, there is a clear hierarchy.
The swordsman was above and the man was below.
At first I thought he was a butler, but his attire was quite elaborate.
Even his gestures lack dignity.
Out of curiosity, I asked Abel, who was standing next to me.
“Who is that person?”
“Mr. Gaines? Just, what—”
Abel said it was no big deal.
“―President of Switzerland.”
“… … .”
what?
* * *
3 hours after leaving the airport.
A line of sedans formed a black ridge on the Alps ridge.
After climbing the mountain path for about 30 minutes, an open space appeared in the mountains. In the middle of it, an old-fashioned castle stood tall.
It wasn’t a fancy looking castle. It was an old castle, covered in the filth of time. It wasn’t worn out at all.
On the contrary, the stone walls that contain history create a sense of grandeur.
The Nibelung’s headquarters and residence.
Castle Sigurðr.
As I said before, from here on out, it is the realm of the swordsman Siegfried, that is, extraterritoriality.
To put it more simply, the driver of the car I was riding in, the President of Switzerland, is both a citizen and a foreigner here.
To be honest, I didn’t really understand the concept when I was talking. But since this happens often in Europe, I can’t help but think it’s a cultural difference.
-Squeak
I arrived at the gate. Before I could even grab the car door handle, a young man opened the door for me.
‘…to this extent.’
Luckily, there was no red carpet. If there had been, it would have been quite burdensome.
As we disembarked, the men formed a long line again and saluted.
The inspector responded with a light salute and then opened his mouth.
“Gaines, thanks to you I got home safely.”
“No problem, Master. I haven’t driven recently except when I go out with my wife, so my hands were itchy. Thanks to Master, I was able to get some fresh air for the first time in a long time.”
The inspector laughed briefly. It was a bitter laugh.
It seems he is not entirely happy with being humble.
So, pointless conversations went on between the two.
Suddenly, Gaines strode toward me. He held out his hand with a bright smile.
“… … ?”
“I was in a hurry earlier, so I wasn’t able to greet you properly. My name is Gaines Sebastian.”
“It’s Ganggeomma.”
I clasped my hand tremblingly. The corners of Gaines’ mouth went up.
“I watched the video of the duel during the Academy Festival. Since then, I’ve become a fan of Sashimi Kensei. Hahaha!”
“… I wish you wouldn’t call me that Sashimi Swordsman… … .”
“Yes? It’s a headline, but why is it called the glorious nickname of Geomseong?”
You put ‘sashimi’ in front.
Gaines licked his lips with a regretful expression.
“… Well, if that’s what you want, I’ll call you Kanggeomma.”
“… … .”
The word ‘nim’ is uncomfortable as well, but I thought that if I added more, the story would become longer. So I just kept silent.
“Anyway, it’s an honor to meet you. I hope we can maintain a good relationship going forward.”
For the commander-in-chief of a country to say something like that, it is not easy for me, a mere cadet, to choose the words to say.
“Oh, Gaines, you little fellow. Isn’t that enough? He’s still a young fellow.”
“Hahaha, I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Aren’t geniuses supposed to be attracted to people? I guess I was unknowingly drawn to that magnetism.”
A little more rambling conversation.
Finally, Gaines bowed to the inspector.
“I’ll go in now, Your Majesty.”
“While we’re at it, let’s have dinner and go.”
“I would like to do so, but I have some pending political affairs. I will definitely join you next time. Well, that’s all for now.”
I met Gaines’ eyes as he finished his sentence. He smiled so deeply that his eyes crinkled, then got into the car.
Tires stepping on the slope one after another.
As I was blankly staring at the rear of the black sedans, the inspector blurted out a question.
“What do you think of Gaines?”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“Just. Well… … . For someone so high up in the hierarchy, he seems quite informal.”
“Ha, so that’s what it looked like to you.”
The swordsman shook his head and said with a hollow laugh.
“Think carefully. The world is currently focused on my successor. But now that I have brought you into the domain, what will Gaines, the witness, think?”
“ah…….”
“I’ve known that friend of mine for a long time, but he’s not a very good-natured person. He’s someone who pursues practicality rather than loyalty. The only good thing about him is that he keeps his mouth shut when he thinks it’ll be beneficial.”
“… … .”
“When you go up high, most of them are like that. So don’t be fooled by appearances. Constantly doubt, analyze, and use them when necessary.”
The inspector continues speaking calmly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
“The Seven Stars’ armband is a position that carries enough weight to make even the president of a country bow his head. You shouldn’t tolerate too much kindness like today, but you shouldn’t reject it either. If you don’t press it, you’ll be ignored, and if you do, you’ll inevitably lose the right to speak.”
“… It’s complicated.”
The inspector gently patted my back.
“You’ll get used to it soon enough. That’s why I brought you here. Anyway, I’m going to the market, so let’s eat first.”
“I’ll… go in and take a look at the scenery.”
The inspector nodded in response. Abel looked at me with dull eyes and soon followed the inspector into the room.
“… … .”
I was lost in thought, watching the setting sun in silence.
The sky was soaked in black. A spectacular sight where the pitch-black darkness pushed out the pink glow of the sunset.
