Chapter 197 : Chapter 197
Chapter 197 - Combo (7)
When I met Kang Jae-gu again after a long time, it felt like the wrinkles on his forehead had deepened in the meantime.
"Have you been well, Family Head?"
"How could I have been well?"
The expression of Kang Jae-gu as he countered was significant.
"Indeed, you look very tired."
"As you know, it is absolute hell. Because of this Busan zoo incident, our Gwangun Sword Family is facing ridiculous suspicions, is it not?"
Ridiculous suspicions.
It was simply absurd.
"By the way, I thought you would come alone, but you have a companion."
"This is my secretary."
"Secretary?"
"Yes. Since she accompanied me to Hardeon, I brought her along."
Rosie bowed slightly to Kang Jae-gu.
Kang Jae-gu scanned the entire body of Rosie, who had polymorphed into a beautiful secretary.
He said he was going through hell, but seeing that he had the presence of mind to admire a woman's body, it seemed he was not quite there yet.
"I do not feel the aura of a martial artist at all, yet she accompanied you to Hardeon?"
"One always needs someone to handle the trivial tasks by one's side. And even if she looks like this on the outside, she is capable of protecting herself."
"Well, looking at you, I think Unit Leader Seo Ji-han is also just an ordinary man."
With that, Kang Jae-gu smirked and continued.
"Then, let us get straight to the point. Did the trip to Hardeon go well?"
Seeing him bring it up so quickly, he must have been anxious all this time.
"Yes. Thanks to you readily providing the report, I was able to find the portal location easily, and there were no great difficulties in progressing through the quest."
"No great difficulties? I heard that the quest in Hardeon is quite tricky."
"The report from the Gwangun Sword Family was so perfect. And although it is late, I would like to offer my condolences for Unit Leader Yoo Seong-jin, who wrote the report."
When I mentioned that name, Kang Jae-gu's expression stiffened.
However, he did not particularly seem to be in mourning.
Of course, it could have been my imagination.
"So, what is the business for which you asked to see me? You said you had something to discuss with me regarding what happened in Hardeon."
"Before that, there is one thing you must clarify, Family Head."
"Speak."
"The Busan zoo incident. You said a moment ago that the Gwangun Sword Family is facing ridiculous suspicions. Are you sincere about that?"
"…What do you mean?"
"Must you not first show a sincere attitude for me to also reveal what I obtained there?"
At my words, Kang Jae-gu took a sip of his tea and wore a rotten smile.
"What is the reason you feel I am not being sincere?"
"Do you not know that better than anyone, Family Head?"
I pushed Kang Jae-gu a bit more.
"If you intend to keep feigning ignorance, I will simply take my leave."
A moment of silence.
Kang Jae-gu's deliberation was not long.
"It seems you also found out about the zombies in Hardeon."
Finally, the word zombie came out of Kang Jae-gu's mouth.
It was a strange word that the world did not yet know at all.
Kang Jae-gu had also brought up the word zombie to test me.
Depending on how I reacted here, Kang Jae-gu's stance would change.
Honestly, I was impressed by this coping ability that came from his years of experience.
"With this, the conversation with the Family Head can continue."
I looked at Kang Jae-gu and slightly curled the corners of my mouth, and his gaze became even more serious.
"Before that, may I perform a body search on you and your secretary?"
"There are no recording devices, but do as you wish."
He had a suspicious personality, just as I had heard.
Only after Kang Jae-gu called an attendant and completed a thorough body search of the both of us did he resume the conversation.
With a threat that if the conversation we had here leaked out, he would not stand for it.
"You do not need to worry about that. What would be the reason I came to see the Family Head like this?"
"Then, can I consider that you are also in the same boat as me?"
"Of course."
"You said you also learned about the zombies?"
"Yes. I am well aware that it is an unwelcome situation for the Gwangun Sword Family. Even when Unit Leader Yoo Seong-jin wrote the report, he intentionally omitted information about the zombies. Probably, except for you and Unit Leader Yoo Seong-jin, no one in the Gwangun Sword Family knew about them properly."
Kang Jae-gu nodded unconsciously.
"I really did not know such an incident would occur. Unit Leader Yoo promised to manage the zombies thoroughly."
Kang Jae-gu was drawing a line between himself and Yoo Seong-jin.
He withdrew by saying that this zombie incident was Yoo Seong-jin’s personal mismanagement and that he was never involved.
Since the dead cannot speak.
The slimy bastard.
"I thought about revealing the truth about the zombies to the media, but I decided against it because I thought our family would face unnecessary misunderstandings. You understand, do you not?"
"Of course."
"Then, it is your turn to speak. What did you find out in Hardeon?"
"I found out who the being that created the zombies is."
"What?"
As expected, Kang Jae-gu's eyes wavered slightly.
This sight solidified a suspicion I had.
Kang Jae-gu indeed knew about the Demon King.
It was highly likely that Yoo Seong-jin, who had made a contract with the Demon King, had not spoken of the Demon King's existence to Kang Jae-gu.
Because he had intended to use the Demon King's power to take revenge on Kang Jae-gu.
Nevertheless, if Kang Jae-gu knew about the Demon King, there was only one conclusion to reach.
Kang Jae-gu had also been to Hardeon.
Perhaps, even much earlier than Yoo Seong-jin’s visit.
"Tell me. Who created the zombies?"
If my guess was correct, Kang Jae-gu already knew.
"The Demon King."
"…."
And silence fell.
"You do not seem very surprised."
"No. I was very surprised. That is why I could not continue speaking."
"But there is something even more unexpected. Must it not be the proper order to ask what kind of being the Demon King is before being surprised?"
According to what I had looked into, there was no mention of the Demon King in any documents on Earth.
Because such a concept did not even exist.
"Hmm."
The sight of Kang Jae-gu momentarily faltering at my words was certainly suspicious.
"When you explore various worlds through the Abyss, you end up having experiences you never imagined. In that sense, have you not considered that my knowledge would be much broader than yours?"
"Then, do you mean that you, Family Head, were already aware of the Demon King?"
"I will not necessarily answer that part."
"I understand. Information obtained in the Abyss is a precious asset of the sword family."
And now was the time to throw another sudden hook at Kang Jae-gu.
"In fact, I made contact with the Demon King's avatar in Hardeon. That is how I learned about the origin of the zombies."
"What?"
"You seem quite surprised this time."
"Is that not indeed surprising content? So, what did you talk about?"
"The Demon King said he must meet the contractor on Earth again. Those were the words he left."
"He wants to meet again?"
"Yes. He told me to deliver the message to return to Hardeon. And in fact, I thought this would be Unit Leader Yoo Seong-jin. But since that person has died like this, my position has become a bit awkward."
"Is there a reason he wants to meet the contractor again?"
"I am not sure about that either... However, the Demon King seemed to consider the reunion with the contractor to be very urgent."
At my words, Kang Jae-gu's brow narrowed, and he seemed lost in deep thought.
"In fact, I think I must go back to Hardeon tomorrow. Because I have a promise with the Demon King."
"It should be impossible to re-enter a place you have cleared once, yet you are going there again?"
"It seems the Demon King can remove that much of a restriction."
I had thrown the bait for now.
Whether Kang Jae-gu took the bait or not would depend on the magic Rosie was currently casting.
***
"Unit Leader Ji-han. But no matter how much I think about it, you seem to be making things too troublesome."
"How so?"
"I mean Kang Jae-gu. Couldn't you have just finished him off right there, like you did with Yoo Seong-jin?"
If someone were listening to this conversation, they would be horrified.
Talking about finishing off Kang Jae-gu, one of the Three Sword Gods.
This was because it was an act that would not be easy even if an entire average sword family were to move.
"If the Family Head's corpse was found in his office, and it was revealed that the third son of the Haewon Sword Family had visited right before that, what would happen to the two families?"
"Wouldn't they go to all-out war?"
"You make it sound so easy."
"It does not matter. You could just finish off the entire Gwangun Sword Family as well. Or you could sweep them away all at once while you are striking down Kang Jae-gu."
A dragon's thought process was certainly convenient.
If something was in the way, they would deal with it mercilessly.
However, I wanted to end it in a cleaner way.
I intended to create a situation where Kang Jae-gu confessed on his own to uncover the truth and then dispose of him without anyone knowing.
"But Rosie, will Kang Jae-gu really take the bait?"
"Yes. Since I cast the magic with all my might, he should. And thanks to that, I had a very hard time today. Mental-system magic is the highest difficulty."
"Good job, Rosie."
I patted her head.
The magic Rosie cast was a kind of hypnosis.
Something to help him believe that the things I said were true.
Of course, since the success rate of all mental-system magic was said to be low, Kang Jae-gu might not take the bait.
In that case, I would have to go with Plan B.
"Unit Leader Ji-han. It is not good to just pat my head and end it with nothing else."
"Do not worry, Rosie. Tell me anything. I will do everything you want today."
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Do not be surprised, Unit Leader Ji-han. What I want today is not something to eat."
"Then?"
"There was something I have wanted to ask of you for a long time, and I am going to say it now."
Seeing Rosie hesitate like this instead of saying it at once, I had a somewhat ominous feeling.
"I said anything is fine. Speak."
"I want to spar with you, Unit Leader Ji-han."
With that, Rosie puffed out her cheeks and waited for my answer.
"You told me not to be surprised, but you really surprised me."
"So, what is your answer, Unit Leader Ji-han?"
"Since I promised to do everything, I must keep it. What else can I do?"
"Really?"
Honestly, I was also curious.
If I sparred with a hatchling, what kind of match would unfold?
Before entering the nest of the Red Dragon Devrias, it was an issue I absolutely had to check once.
A mature dragon was a being with a clear difference in rank from a hatchling.
If I could not overwhelm Rosie, it meant that revenge was still a distant matter.
"The location here is not quite right, is it?"
"Correct. To spar properly with you, Unit Leader Ji-han, we will probably need an entire mountain."
A dragon was truly a being that could not be gauged.
Despite knowing her for this long, I still had no idea what her full power was.