MAEPG: Episode 60
Episode 60 The Calm Before the Storm (1)
A basement with no windows.
In the middle of the pitch-black space, devoid of any light, a stone brazier stood alone.
“…It’s time.”
A low voice echoed through the darkness, where there had been no sign of life.
The owner of the voice then approached the brazier silently, without making a sound, and stood at a distance.
At that moment,
Whoosh—
Purple flames suddenly erupted from the brazier, reaching for the ceiling, then slowly subsided to the size of a bonfire.
Several shadows flickered in the purplish space, surrounding the brazier.
[Everyone… is here?]
[Yes, except for the fool who died this time.]
The shadows spoke to each other in low voices.
[What’s the rush? Let’s greet each other first and take it slow? Hehehe.]
[Shut up before I rip your mouth apart.]
“It seems like everyone has heard the news.”
The meeting wasn’t progressing quickly because of the strong personalities gathered here.
It wasn’t a place for socializing, so it was better to skip the unnecessary chatter and get straight to the point to move things along quickly.
[Ah, yes. I couldn’t help but laugh because it was so absurd.]
[Hehehe~ Me too. To think he would die so pathetically after even taking the World Tree’s branch. Hehehe.]
The regular meeting finally began properly.
They exchanged information about the recent events.
“So no one knows how the Church and the High Elf found Nurabe and attacked him.”
[Ha! It must have been the World Tree’s intervention. That idiot didn’t properly restrain the sacrifice.]
[Hmm~ I don’t think so. That old man properly received the sealing tool from me.]
Various opinions were exchanged again, but no conclusion was reached because nothing was certain.
[Anyway… we need to be more careful…]
[After Marcos, who was trying to monopolize the Immortal King’s Fragment, and now Nurabe, who was hiding well… Are we getting too complacent?]
“Speaking of the Immortal King… the Church’s movements have been unusual lately.”
The exchange of information continued.
[That Immortal King’s descendant. Can we use him?]
[Hehehe! What can we do with Marcos already dead? It wouldn’t be bad to join forces if our goals align!]
The conversation of the black shadows flickering in the purplish space continued.
After a long exchange of opinions, rebuttals, alternatives, and agreements…
“Let’s do that for that matter. Then everyone, there’s no other business, right?”
[Of course~ The Empire is always peaceful.]
[The east is also… all clear…]
The regular meeting of Oath of Heaven’s Defiance ended as soon as they reached a conclusion.
A basement with no windows.
In the middle of the pitch-black space, devoid of any light, a stone brazier stood alone.
“…It’s time.”
A low voice echoed through the darkness, where there had been no sign of life.
The owner of the voice then approached the brazier silently, without making a sound, and stood at a distance.
At that moment,
Whoosh—
Purple flames suddenly erupted from the brazier, reaching for the ceiling, then slowly subsided to the size of a bonfire.
Several shadows flickered in the purplish space, surrounding the brazier.
[Everyone… is here?]
[Yes, except for the fool who died this time.]
The shadows spoke to each other in low voices.
[What’s the rush? Let’s greet each other first and take it slow? Hehehe.]
[Shut up before I rip your mouth apart.]
“It seems like everyone has heard the news.”
The meeting wasn’t progressing quickly because of the strong personalities gathered here.
It wasn’t a place for socializing, so it was better to skip the unnecessary chatter and get straight to the point to move things along quickly.
[Ah, yes. I couldn’t help but laugh because it was so absurd.]
[Hehehe~ Me too. To think he would die so pathetically after even taking the World Tree’s branch. Hehehe.]
The regular meeting finally began properly.
They exchanged information about the recent events.
“So no one knows how the Church and the High Elf found Nurabe and attacked him.”
[Ha! It must have been the World Tree’s intervention. That idiot didn’t properly restrain the sacrifice.]
[Hmm~ I don’t think so. That old man properly received the sealing tool from me.]
Various opinions were exchanged again, but no conclusion was reached because nothing was certain.
[Anyway… we need to be more careful…]
[After Marcos, who was trying to monopolize the Immortal King’s Fragment, and now Nurabe, who was hiding well… Are we getting too complacent?]
“Speaking of the Immortal King… the Church’s movements have been unusual lately.”
The exchange of information continued.
[That Immortal King’s descendant. Can we use him?]
[Hehehe! What can we do with Marcos already dead? It wouldn’t be bad to join forces if our goals align!]
The conversation of the black shadows flickering in the purplish space continued.
After a long exchange of opinions, rebuttals, alternatives, and agreements…
“Let’s do that for that matter. Then everyone, there’s no other business, right?”
[Of course~ The Empire is always peaceful.]
[The east is also… all clear…]
The regular meeting of Oath of Heaven’s Defiance ended as soon as they reached a conclusion.
____________________
“Jin So-ran, deal with these as before.”
Heinz visited Jin So-ran’s office, where she was handling various tasks, and placed a bunch of items on her desk.
They were all expensive magic tools, including ones that allowed you to use subspace.
She was momentarily flustered, then jumped up from her seat with sparkling eyes.
“Wow… Lord, where do you keep getting these items?”
She had already seen them several times, but she exclaimed in admiration again as she examined the items he brought.
Since only returnees could obtain magic tools, their supply was limited, and you couldn’t buy them even if you had money.
“There’s a way. Anyway, how’s the thing I asked you to prepare going?”
“Ah, the pepper? I had people repackage and store it all.”
It was convenient to have subordinates.
He just had to give orders, and they would take care of the trivial matters.
‘I can’t sell them as they are, packaged in plastic and vinyl, so I need to repackage them. But that’s nothing compared to the profit we can make.’
Pepper wasn’t that expensive on Earth, but it was different in Auterica.
It was a high-end spice, and since it was far from the main production area, the profit margin was satisfactory.
It was perfect as a starting product for trade.
‘At first, I thought about selling artificial gems made on Earth.’
Artificial gems made with modern technology were difficult to distinguish from real ones with ordinary methods.
They could even be sold as a selling point because they were cleaner with fewer impurities…
‘But the fatal flaw is that they can’t be used for magic because they were made on Earth.’
The reason why gems were expensive in Auterica wasn’t just for aesthetic purposes.
Their value as materials for assisting with magic, such as magic experiments, barriers, and making magic tools, was included.
In that situation, if he sold defective products that couldn’t be used for magic, gems that were just pretty, he could get caught up in unnecessary trouble.
‘There’s no need to attract attention and take risks while starting a business. I’ll sell them as a premium later after we’re established.’
Of course, it was a shame to discard such a good business idea.
Turning such a unique characteristic into a unique selling point was what business was all about.
Rich people would be enthusiastic about such rarity.
“Where are the others?”
Heinz, after organizing his thoughts, looked around and asked Jin So-ran.
The number of people had clearly decreased compared to before.
It seemed like over half of them were gone.
“Ah, there was a problem in Incheon. Jin-seok went there himself, so it should be resolved soon.”
Many people had joined Heterosis as it grew.
Not only the existing hardliners, but also those who belonged to the moderates and the neutral faction.
Among them was even Jin-seok, a Gamma who was an executive of the hardliners.
‘But he’s surprisingly obedient. I was going to turn him into Blood Essence if he didn’t listen.’
He wasn’t at the villa because he was in charge of the provinces, and when Heinz visited him later, he immediately surrendered and swore loyalty.
Thanks to him being true to his survival instincts, the absorption of the hardliners was accelerated, so he was watching him with satisfaction.
‘It’s still a shame that I couldn’t get much information about Alpha. But the fact that he’s nowhere to be found means he must have already left Korea, right?’
Alpha, the leader of the existing hardliners, presumed to be a Level 8 vampire.
He had been trying to eliminate him when he got the chance, but his whereabouts had been unknown since that day.
They were still searching for him using the Blood Alliance’s influence, but there was no progress.
“Thanks to you, Lord, things have gotten much better for the Blood Alliance. Naturally, our Heterosis’s influence is also growing.”
Heterosis, which rapidly expanded its influence based on the force and financial power provided by Heinz, led the Blood Alliance and grew rapidly.
Of course, it was a covert operation, expanding their influence among underworld organizations in secret because if they openly expanded their scale, the Guardians and the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau would inevitably be wary.
‘The guys I sold the gold bars to also joined.’
They were showing promising signs of securing distribution channels for magic tools.
They were definitely capable, thinking back to the transaction.
‘Come to think of it, I should move soon…’
He hadn’t even thought about luxury because his mind was preoccupied with planning after learning about Heaven’s Turn Society.
But he could afford to relax a bit now, so he could start preparing slowly.
‘Not right now, though.’
“You said there was a problem in Incheon? I have nothing to do right now, so I’ll go myself.”
He needed to stabilize the Blood Alliance as soon as possible.
They were currently on the verge of a big event that would shake Auterica.
Once this event was over, Operation ‘Home Theater: Demon King and Hero’ would begin in earnest, and Heinz would be busy as well.
“Jin So-ran, deal with these as before.”
Heinz visited Jin So-ran’s office, where she was handling various tasks, and placed a bunch of items on her desk.
They were all expensive magic tools, including ones that allowed you to use subspace.
She was momentarily flustered, then jumped up from her seat with sparkling eyes.
“Wow… Lord, where do you keep getting these items?”
She had already seen them several times, but she exclaimed in admiration again as she examined the items he brought.
Since only returnees could obtain magic tools, their supply was limited, and you couldn’t buy them even if you had money.
“There’s a way. Anyway, how’s the thing I asked you to prepare going?”
“Ah, the pepper? I had people repackage and store it all.”
It was convenient to have subordinates.
He just had to give orders, and they would take care of the trivial matters.
‘I can’t sell them as they are, packaged in plastic and vinyl, so I need to repackage them. But that’s nothing compared to the profit we can make.’
Pepper wasn’t that expensive on Earth, but it was different in Auterica.
It was a high-end spice, and since it was far from the main production area, the profit margin was satisfactory.
It was perfect as a starting product for trade.
‘At first, I thought about selling artificial gems made on Earth.’
Artificial gems made with modern technology were difficult to distinguish from real ones with ordinary methods.
They could even be sold as a selling point because they were cleaner with fewer impurities…
‘But the fatal flaw is that they can’t be used for magic because they were made on Earth.’
The reason why gems were expensive in Auterica wasn’t just for aesthetic purposes.
Their value as materials for assisting with magic, such as magic experiments, barriers, and making magic tools, was included.
In that situation, if he sold defective products that couldn’t be used for magic, gems that were just pretty, he could get caught up in unnecessary trouble.
‘There’s no need to attract attention and take risks while starting a business. I’ll sell them as a premium later after we’re established.’
Of course, it was a shame to discard such a good business idea.
Turning such a unique characteristic into a unique selling point was what business was all about.
Rich people would be enthusiastic about such rarity.
“Where are the others?”
Heinz, after organizing his thoughts, looked around and asked Jin So-ran.
The number of people had clearly decreased compared to before.
It seemed like over half of them were gone.
“Ah, there was a problem in Incheon. Jin-seok went there himself, so it should be resolved soon.”
Many people had joined Heterosis as it grew.
Not only the existing hardliners, but also those who belonged to the moderates and the neutral faction.
Among them was even Jin-seok, a Gamma who was an executive of the hardliners.
‘But he’s surprisingly obedient. I was going to turn him into Blood Essence if he didn’t listen.’
He wasn’t at the villa because he was in charge of the provinces, and when Heinz visited him later, he immediately surrendered and swore loyalty.
Thanks to him being true to his survival instincts, the absorption of the hardliners was accelerated, so he was watching him with satisfaction.
‘It’s still a shame that I couldn’t get much information about Alpha. But the fact that he’s nowhere to be found means he must have already left Korea, right?’
Alpha, the leader of the existing hardliners, presumed to be a Level 8 vampire.
He had been trying to eliminate him when he got the chance, but his whereabouts had been unknown since that day.
They were still searching for him using the Blood Alliance’s influence, but there was no progress.
“Thanks to you, Lord, things have gotten much better for the Blood Alliance. Naturally, our Heterosis’s influence is also growing.”
Heterosis, which rapidly expanded its influence based on the force and financial power provided by Heinz, led the Blood Alliance and grew rapidly.
Of course, it was a covert operation, expanding their influence among underworld organizations in secret because if they openly expanded their scale, the Guardians and the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau would inevitably be wary.
‘The guys I sold the gold bars to also joined.’
They were showing promising signs of securing distribution channels for magic tools.
They were definitely capable, thinking back to the transaction.
‘Come to think of it, I should move soon…’
He hadn’t even thought about luxury because his mind was preoccupied with planning after learning about Heaven’s Turn Society.
But he could afford to relax a bit now, so he could start preparing slowly.
‘Not right now, though.’
“You said there was a problem in Incheon? I have nothing to do right now, so I’ll go myself.”
He needed to stabilize the Blood Alliance as soon as possible.
They were currently on the verge of a big event that would shake Auterica.
Once this event was over, Operation ‘Home Theater: Demon King and Hero’ would begin in earnest, and Heinz would be busy as well.
____________________
Half a month had passed since High Elf Rapori began searching for the Immortal King.
They had searched quite a few forests according to priority, but there were no results.
Heinrich was able to attend the interim meeting held after they finished scanning one of the candidate areas and hear about the progress.
He was now deeply involved in this operation, so it took precedence over his holy knight order duties.
‘But all I do is observe from behind and run errands.’
Rapori smiled awkwardly and organized the documents of the areas they had investigated.
“…Hmm, we’ve searched all the areas we thought were most likely, but there are no results, so I can’t even look up after confidently starting this.”
The Saintess and the Archbishop shook their heads firmly at Rapori’s seemingly embarrassed words.
“We’re just grateful for your efforts, Lord Rapori. It was our Church who decided on the search order in the first place.”
“Actually, he might be in a completely different area without forests. Even if that’s the case, we can significantly narrow down the area, so it’s not all bad.”
“Thanks to that, the Church’s search parties are currently focusing on areas without forests. Needless to say, efficiency has increased significantly.”
As they said, the search personnel were dispatched to areas like deserts and wastelands.
Of course, the forest search wasn’t completely over yet, but the Church needed to prepare for any contingency.
Archbishop Latiaus examined the map of the continent hanging on the wall and the documents with the priority list.
“Then shall we look at the next candidate group? Let’s see… this time, it’s areas with a probability of around 30%.”
“Sigh, it seems like even that probability is meaningless now.”
“Ahem, it can’t be helped, Saintess.”
“Ah! You’re right. That’s also the result of many people’s efforts. I was being insensitive.”
The Saintess sighed, looking regretful.
She seemed mentally anxious because there were no results, even though she said it was okay.
“Then, since it’s late today, we’ll start scanning these areas in order tomorrow.”
“Ah! Thank you, Lord Rapori. You must be tired, so please go in and rest.”
The meeting was adjourned, and Heinrich, who had been observing the progress of the Hans search operation in real time, also returned to his quarters.
‘Finally… It’s really close now.’
On the fifteenth day since the search began, the monster forest in the western part of the continent was included in the next candidate group.
‘I’m glad I can make it in time.’
He had just achieved the results of his research.
At the same time Heinrich headed to his quarters,
[Hehehe… I finally succeeded!]
An eerie laugh, as if rising from hell, echoed through a cave.
[As expected, there’s nothing impossible for this Hans. This is nothing if I’m given enough time.]
Hans, the descendant of the Immortal King, Arch-Lich Hans, opened the front of his black robe, exposing his ribs.
An object that showed off its presence in the empty space between his white ribs.
A black jewel, the fragment of the ‘Immortal King’s Heart’, pulsating periodically like a heart.
But there was a big difference from before.
It wasn’t clear, but rather translucent.
[Hehehe… A phase subspace using this body. It exists, but it doesn’t exist. With this, this body is closer to perfection! Hahaha!]
He created a space that overlapped with his existence and put the heart he extracted with “Immortality” in it.
Simply put, it was as if he had turned Hans’s body itself into a subspace magic tool.
An act that would have been impossible for a human… no, a living being.
Of course, it wasn’t a proper method, so he had to give up on complete separation, and the space was only about the size of his ribcage…
But that didn’t matter to him.
‘I’ve already achieved my initial goal!’
By turning his body itself into a pseudo-subspace, he was able to ignore the fragment’s limitations and create a smooth pathway to receive dark magic power.
Needless to say, he was also able to easily conceal his existence.
There was no way the difficulty of hiding it would be the same when it was completely exposed and when it was only connected through a single pathway.
‘And I can also properly use “Immortality” now.’
Now, even if his entire body was turned to dust, he could instantly recover with the dark magic power supplied through the pathway.
To defeat him, a blow that split space itself or a spell that manipulated it would be essential.
‘And there’s no way Hans would just stand there and take such an attack.’
It was a satisfying result in many ways.
It happened a few days before Rapori’s search began in the monster forest.
Half a month had passed since High Elf Rapori began searching for the Immortal King.
They had searched quite a few forests according to priority, but there were no results.
Heinrich was able to attend the interim meeting held after they finished scanning one of the candidate areas and hear about the progress.
He was now deeply involved in this operation, so it took precedence over his holy knight order duties.
‘But all I do is observe from behind and run errands.’
Rapori smiled awkwardly and organized the documents of the areas they had investigated.
“…Hmm, we’ve searched all the areas we thought were most likely, but there are no results, so I can’t even look up after confidently starting this.”
The Saintess and the Archbishop shook their heads firmly at Rapori’s seemingly embarrassed words.
“We’re just grateful for your efforts, Lord Rapori. It was our Church who decided on the search order in the first place.”
“Actually, he might be in a completely different area without forests. Even if that’s the case, we can significantly narrow down the area, so it’s not all bad.”
“Thanks to that, the Church’s search parties are currently focusing on areas without forests. Needless to say, efficiency has increased significantly.”
As they said, the search personnel were dispatched to areas like deserts and wastelands.
Of course, the forest search wasn’t completely over yet, but the Church needed to prepare for any contingency.
Archbishop Latiaus examined the map of the continent hanging on the wall and the documents with the priority list.
“Then shall we look at the next candidate group? Let’s see… this time, it’s areas with a probability of around 30%.”
“Sigh, it seems like even that probability is meaningless now.”
“Ahem, it can’t be helped, Saintess.”
“Ah! You’re right. That’s also the result of many people’s efforts. I was being insensitive.”
The Saintess sighed, looking regretful.
She seemed mentally anxious because there were no results, even though she said it was okay.
“Then, since it’s late today, we’ll start scanning these areas in order tomorrow.”
“Ah! Thank you, Lord Rapori. You must be tired, so please go in and rest.”
The meeting was adjourned, and Heinrich, who had been observing the progress of the Hans search operation in real time, also returned to his quarters.
‘Finally… It’s really close now.’
On the fifteenth day since the search began, the monster forest in the western part of the continent was included in the next candidate group.
‘I’m glad I can make it in time.’
He had just achieved the results of his research.
At the same time Heinrich headed to his quarters,
[Hehehe… I finally succeeded!]
An eerie laugh, as if rising from hell, echoed through a cave.
[As expected, there’s nothing impossible for this Hans. This is nothing if I’m given enough time.]
Hans, the descendant of the Immortal King, Arch-Lich Hans, opened the front of his black robe, exposing his ribs.
An object that showed off its presence in the empty space between his white ribs.
A black jewel, the fragment of the ‘Immortal King’s Heart’, pulsating periodically like a heart.
But there was a big difference from before.
It wasn’t clear, but rather translucent.
[Hehehe… A phase subspace using this body. It exists, but it doesn’t exist. With this, this body is closer to perfection! Hahaha!]
He created a space that overlapped with his existence and put the heart he extracted with “Immortality” in it.
Simply put, it was as if he had turned Hans’s body itself into a subspace magic tool.
An act that would have been impossible for a human… no, a living being.
Of course, it wasn’t a proper method, so he had to give up on complete separation, and the space was only about the size of his ribcage…
But that didn’t matter to him.
‘I’ve already achieved my initial goal!’
By turning his body itself into a pseudo-subspace, he was able to ignore the fragment’s limitations and create a smooth pathway to receive dark magic power.
Needless to say, he was also able to easily conceal his existence.
There was no way the difficulty of hiding it would be the same when it was completely exposed and when it was only connected through a single pathway.
‘And I can also properly use “Immortality” now.’
Now, even if his entire body was turned to dust, he could instantly recover with the dark magic power supplied through the pathway.
To defeat him, a blow that split space itself or a spell that manipulated it would be essential.
‘And there’s no way Hans would just stand there and take such an attack.’
It was a satisfying result in many ways.
It happened a few days before Rapori’s search began in the monster forest.
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