Chapter 51: The Assassin’s Broadcast

The tragedy that befell Taylor spread rapidly.

Because he had exposed his own disgrace to the whole world through his personal broadcast.

And that news soon reached the Bulgeom Guild as well.

“Taylor… got caught…?”

At the Sub Guild Master’s words, Guild Master Crowing’s expression twisted into a deep frown.

“That bastard is an assassin.”

“That… really?”

“An assassin got caught, you say?”

“Well… I heard there were Elves at the scene too… The problem is, Taylor broadcast the whole thing live on his personal channel.”

“Ha.”

Crowing rubbed his face with both hands.

“What the hell is wrong with that guy? He streamed his assassination attempt? What kind of sh*t assassination is that! Does he plan to let the whole neighborhood know?!”

“I… don’t get it either, to be honest…”

From Taylor’s point of view, it was enough to make his stomach turn.

After all, it wasn’t because of the broadcast that he failed.

But once things had gone wrong, any excuse would only sound pathetic.

“Anyway, those people want to use the person we captured as a bargaining chip to negotiate.”

“Damn bastards.”

Still, there was one thing they could be certain of.

The Player they had kidnapped must be quite important to Jaeho.

If so, they could try to turn this situation in their favor.

“Ignore them. There’s no need for us to dance to their tune.”

He had nothing to lose by doing so.

Taylor was a Player with more than enough ability to break out on his own, given time.

If you considered that there was a limit to how long they could imprison him, eventually the opportunity would come to Taylor.

“This is a matter of pride. We absolutely can’t lose.”

But Crowing didn’t know.

That Jaeho didn’t particularly care what happened to Wansik.

And that there were no prisons in Elysia!

***

Finally, having returned to the Flower Garden, Jaeho began to tackle the tasks that had piled up during his absence.

“Wow, everything looks great!”

After checking all the Luxi Forest Flowers in the garden, Jaeho was amazed.

Even though he hadn’t been there, the flowers were perfectly cared for!

“Hehe, I got a lot of help from the Elves. And thanks to Alicia’s Plant Encyclopedia, managing them was a lot easier.”

Mei was humble, but it was clear she’d put in a lot of effort.

Even without that, her horticultural skills as his assistant from the very beginning had always been exceptional.

“Hey! By the way, what should we do about Pangpangi?”

“The dog? He’s been doing fine, hasn’t he?”

“Ah, no, I mean not if he’s living well in real life, but how do we rescue him?”

“Ah, actually, I already made a trade proposal.”

“A trade?”

Only then did Mei spot, off in the distance, a Player being harassed by the Elves.

Next to him, Huka was broadcasting in high spirits.

“…Wait, isn’t that Taylor?! Why is he here?”

“He got caught sneaking around, probably aiming for me again.”

Mei’s head spun in confusion.

Even if she hadn’t known before, she knew plenty about Taylor now.

He was a top-tier, famous name representing the Bulgeom Guild!

An assassin ranked among the best, and the one who contributed more than anyone to establishing the Bulgeom Nation.

Yet, after failing twice, he’d finally been captured and was now suffering humiliation at the hands of the Elves.

“So you’re thinking of trading that person for Pangpangi?”

“For now, that’s the offer I made…”

She’d just arrived when she’d heard Bulgeom Guild’s response.

They had no intention of accepting.

“Then what do we do?”

“Nothing we can do.”

As usual, he was completely unfazed.

“Is that… okay?”

“It’d be a lie to say it doesn’t bother me, but whatever. The Elves are guarding him, after all.”

“Huh?”

“Even if we don’t have a prison, it’s impossible for him to escape.”

Mei decided not to ask about Wansik anymore.

She now understood that Jaeho truly didn’t have a single worry about Wansik.

Just as he’d told Mei, there still wasn’t any prison in Elysia.

Moreover, there weren’t enough Players around here to require one.

From the start, anyone who’d made a name for themselves in the Elysia Garden or Luxi Forest knew better than to cross the Elves.

At this point, the wooden bars being constructed around Taylor were the very first “prison” in Elysia.

And sitting inside those bars, Taylor couldn’t help but smile.

“You really think you can lock me up behind these flimsy wooden bars?”

He wondered what they thought of the top-tier assassin.

“Are they counting on the Elves?”

Certainly, if it were the Elves, it’d be hard to escape their watch.

But that was only “hard,” not impossible.

As long as his stamina held out, breaking out wouldn’t be all that difficult.

“Might as well stay here a bit and observe Elysia.”

But that… would be an irreversible mistake.

The System didn’t recognize this as a prison, but as an ordinary Field, and—since it didn’t even know the bars were made of Moonflower—!

***

In the dark flower shop.

“Now, why don’t the three of us have a serious talk?”

At Jaeho’s words, Samantha, who’d been watering the plants, flinched.

“Eh? All of a sudden…?”

“Hm?”

Seeing her confusion, Jaeho smirked and pointed at Dae-wa Jingjing-i.

“I mean this guy, and the other one that’s been in my head.”

“…Oh. I see. In that case, I’ll give you some privacy.”

“No need for that, really.”

But Samantha, overwhelmed by embarrassment, scurried out.

“Well, whatever.”

Jaeho looked back at Jingjing-i.

“You said if I came this far, you’d teach me how to summon Fonda, right?”

It was finally time to settle things.

The method to materialize the Spirit of Vitality!

[ <Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘Are you really going to let me out?’]

“Yeah. It’s pretty annoying, having you whispering in my head.”

[ <Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘Even if I tattle to Shinmok?’]

It was a powerful threat, but Jaeho had already made up his mind.

“What’s he going to do at this point?”

He was ready to risk it!

Shinmok had already taken root, and because Jaeho was the successor to the Regent of Spirits, she had shown him considerable favor.

On top of that, the local specialties he’d brought back from his expedition had made her very satisfied.

“A small scratch on our relationship will be fine.”

Jaeho remembered clearly.

Even Shinmok had admitted that this guy was a bit of an idiot!

—Kirik! Serves you right for being so cocky!

“Shut up, coward.”

[ <Spirit of Vitality> laughs, ‘Kekekeke!’]

“What’s so great about a bunch of fools hanging around together.”

“……”

If you ranked them, even if you combined their powers, they probably couldn’t even reach the heel of the Spirit King.

“So I’ve decided not to expect anything.”

After all, isn’t it said that disappointment comes from expectations?

[ <Spirit of Vitality> shouts, ‘Don’t lump me in with that guy! I can really fight!’]

Grin—

A secretive smile crept onto Jaeho’s lips, subtle enough that most people wouldn’t notice.

“Really? Then prove it. Show me you’re better than Jingjing-i.”

—What?! If I put my mind to it, I can do anything! But as the Spirit of Vitality, in charge of life itself, how could I possibly take a life?!

[<Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘I’m not a coward like you!’]

“Wait!”

Just as their emotions were about to boil over, Jaeho interrupted.

“Let’s check that for ourselves. And whichever one of you proves more impressive, I’ll appoint as the Spirit King of the Elysia Garden.”

What an outrageous thing to say!

[ <Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘What nonsense is that…’]

Fonda tried to protest, but Jingjing-i reacted differently.

—Hmph! Scared you’ll lose, so you want to run away! Nyah-nyah—

[ <Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘…Fine—’]

Fonda fell for Jingjing-i’s provocation, and Jaeho nodded in amusement.

***

To perform the Summoning Ritual Jingjing-i had described, Jaeho left the flower shop and headed to the Luxi Forest.

This was where Fonda had been sealed, and it would be easier to gather the necessary plants.

If all he needed were flowers, he could’ve done it in the Flower Garden, but as the Spirit of Vitality, he needed more.

“Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Jaeho stood at the spot where he’d first discovered <Eternal Blooming Epfeltz Flower> right after starting the game.

This was also where he’d met Fonda.

“I spent over two months loitering around here.”

The Epfeltz Flowers were still blooming brightly, welcoming him.

Taking a moment to play a tune for the flowers, Jaeho communed with them.

Then, he took a place at an open clearing.

“Let’s begin.”

—Alright.

Jingjing-i arranged the twelve types of plants Jaeho had prepared in a circle.

In the center, he placed a Spirit Candle, then stepped back.

—Since the contract is already in place, materialization shouldn’t be difficult. I’ve drawn the Magic Circle.

[ <Spirit of Vitality> shouts, ‘Wait!’]

“What is it? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind now. That won’t work.”

Jaeho was firm.

[ <Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘That’s not it! The Magic Circle is wrong!’]

Jaeho’s sharp gaze turned to Jingjing-i.

—Hey, even Spirits can make mistakes, can’t they? And besides, this isn’t my kind of Summoning Ritual to begin with!

“Well, that’s not wrong… But if it weren’t for Fonda, everything you did would’ve been useless.”

Jingjing-i had nothing to say, so he averted his gaze.

In the end, Jaeho redrew the Magic Circle according to Fonda’s instructions, then began the ritual again.

Paaaah—

A brilliant light, clear to anyone that this would be a success, erupted from the Magic Circle.

“Hm?”

At the same time, Jaeho felt something leave his body.

“Is that Fonda coming out?!”

Fwaaah—

Gradually, as the light subsided, a small, white-glowing being stood in the center of the Magic Circle.

Its build was nearly identical to Jingjing-i’s.

It was a bipedal, upright creature with large, mint-colored leaves waving like hair.

However, unlike Jingjing-i, this one looked more feminine.

[Summoning of <Spirit of Vitality> has succeeded!]

[Your Fame has increased.]

The System announced his success.

“…Fonda?”

Jaeho called the being with a strange tone.

—Haaa…

A deep sigh flowed from it.

—So it’s come to this.

Its speech, so much livelier than what he’d heard through the System.

—I went through so much following Tinlight in the past… I thought I could finally rest.

“Haha, but you know I’m not that type.”

—…Wipe that grin off your face before you say that.

Her sharp voice stung.

In truth, Jaeho was ecstatic to finally be rid of Fonda’s nagging in his head.

She’d always meddled, muttering endlessly.

– Hey.

Just then, she narrowed her big eyes and glared at Jingjing-i.

—What?

—You got us into this situation, so you take responsibility.

—Why me…?

—Shut it, and get over here.

—Why should I?

—Dammit! Get over here right now!

Jaeho watched the two of them, dumbfounded.

Rather than equals…

Creep—Creep—

Hesitantly approaching, Jingjing-i bowed his head deeply before Fonda.

—You’re so pleased with yourself, huh? Why? Was it so tempting to get one over on me for once that you lost all sense?

—Maybe it would’ve been better to stay stuck in your head after all, huh? You knew the Magic Circle perfectly well, didn’t you? You just pretended to mess it up to slip by. You figured I’d keep quiet, right? Sorry to disappoint you!

As Fonda fired off her rebukes, Jingjing-i shrank ever smaller…

“Hm… The System really held her personality in check, huh.”

And another realization dawned…

“It really feels like I’m watching my mom and dad.”