Chapter 21: The best way to clear your name

Park Hyun-gun.

More often called Chief Park than by his own name, he took great pride in his work.

Of course, the status of a secretary was rarely respected.

But that also depended on who was on the other side.

From guild management and asset management to the operation of various corporations and political negotiations.

His influence, as he carried out the orders of the Infinity Monarch, Lee Cheon-gi, in all sorts of fields, was by no means small.

Even a nation’s President, the guild masters of giant guilds, or the chairmen of major conglomerates had to be wary of Park Hyun-gun’s moods.

Some mocked him behind his back, calling it “a fox borrowing the tiger’s authority,” but Park Hyun-gun didn’t care.

Compared to the benefits he could gain as the Monarch’s hands and feet, such cynicism was nothing.

That was why Park Hyun-gun was scowling fiercely at this moment.

“Are you saying you haven’t found anything yet?”

[As I already said, there are no changes.]

“Does that make any sense?!”

Thud!

Park Hyun-gun slammed his desk.

Then he barked savagely at the person on the other end of the phone.

“Do you know how many Tracers I’ve assigned to you? And yet, you haven’t confirmed the location of the Black Dragon Princess! What on earth have you been doing until now?”

[No matter how many Tracers there are, there is no way to confirm if the target doesn’t move.]

“If the target doesn’t come out, shouldn’t you go in yourself to check!”

[That is impossible.]

“What?!”

[You should know this. Leviathan is not just a hotel.]

“I know that Leviathan is one of the holding companies of the Seven Dragon Group. But…!”

[I’m talking about its position in the shadows, not the light.]

At the other person’s point, Park Hyun-gun fell silent.

As the Monarch’s subordinate, there was no way he didn’t understand the meaning of those words.

[Let me be clear, even if it is an order from the Monarch, I cannot perform such a suicidal act.]

“You… can you say that to the Master as well?”

[I’d like to ask you the same. If we infiltrate Leviathan and ruin things, can you take responsibility for that failure, Chief Park?]

‘This arrogant bastard…!’

He gritted his teeth.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to say he would take responsibility.

Instead, Park Hyun-gun chose to spit out another instruction.

“Then at least find a trace of Limon Aspelder. Surely you’re not so incompetent that you’d lose track of even that massive school bus.”

[Isn’t it just a guess that Limon Aspelder is here?]

“Enough with the excuses, just find something. If it stays like this until tomorrow, don’t expect to get away with it!”

Leaving only that one-sided notice, Park Hyun-gun hung up the phone irritably.

It was behavior unlike him.

No matter how much he was Lee Cheon-gi’s secretary, the other person was also the guild’s top Tracer.

Even just based on the fact that he was one of the top high-level Players in the Infinite Guild, he wasn’t someone Park Hyun-gun could give one-sided orders to.

Nevertheless, the reason Park Hyun-gun was pushing so hard was because of anxiety.

‘Damn it! I have to produce results somehow!’

Originally, Lee Cheon-gi was not a merciful Monarch.

He gave sufficient rewards if results were achieved, but conversely, he discarded people without mercy if they failed.

In that sense, this was dangerous.

Not only had he lost the trail of the Black Dragon Princess, whom Lee Cheon-gi was concerned about, but he had also failed to deal with Limon.

‘This is the last chance!’

Park Hyun-gun could feel it instinctively.

If he failed this time as well, he would no longer be able to earn Lee Cheon-gi’s trust.

And for him, who had handled all sorts of tasks as Lee Cheon-gi’s confidant for a long time and accumulated many grudges, it was no different from a death sentence.

Therefore, Park Hyun-gun had no choice but to cling to this matter with all his might.

‘I just need to confirm that Limon Aspelder is in Leviathan.’

Park Hyun-gun thought coldly.

‘If I only have the justification that she is hiding a traitor, I can catch the Black Dragon Princess.’

No matter how much wealth the Seven Dragon Group had as a major conglomerate, all they had was money.

It wasn’t enough to exceed the influence of the Monarchs, who controlled the Dungeons, which could be called everything in modern industry.

Furthermore, the Black Dragon Clan was the most declining among the Seven Dragons.

If there was a justification, even the Seven Dragon Group wouldn’t protect the Black Dragon Princess to the point of turning the Monarch into an enemy.

‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll take hostages again…’

A murderous intent filled Park Hyun-gun’s eyes.

Judging by how he went out of his way to rescue the children, Limon must be soft-hearted, as one called a hero would be.

In that case, his thought was that if he took those close to Limon—namely, Kang Jeong-su’s father and family—as hostages, he could draw Limon out.

But Park Hyun-gun did not know.

He had misjudged the Seven Dragons Society.

And he had no idea what a ridiculous delusion it was to think a hostage situation would work on Limon.

Fortunately, there was one thing.

He would never come to realize the former.

The unfortunate thing was another.

He was about to realize the latter.

And that wasn’t through the informants he had planted everywhere or the guild’s intelligence network.

Rather, it was through a subordinate who suddenly burst through the door.

Bang!

“Chief Park! It’s a disaster!”

“You, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Seeing the subordinate with a pale face, Park Hyun-gun made a grim expression.

Because for a mere subordinate to enter his room as he pleased was something he could not tolerate.

“Get out this instant! Where do you think you are, to dare…!”

“This isn’t the time for that. Look at the TV, look at the TV first!”

“What?”

He was momentarily bewildered by the random words.

While making a suspicious expression, Park Hyun-gun picked up the remote control next to him.

[Ah, mic test. Mic test.]

And the moment he turned on the TV.

Park Hyun-gun understood.

No, he had no choice but to understand.

[Can you hear me? You can, right? You’d better hear me well.]

Why his subordinate had burst in like a madman.

That this was not a situation to worry about dignity.

A white-haired man, grinning while dominating the TV channels of almost every domestic broadcaster.

The scene unfolding around Limon Aspelder brought realization to Park Hyun-gun, along with his jaw dropping open.

[If this broadcast isn’t properly delivered to the Infinity Monarch, this bastard’s head will fly off.]

…That attempting a hostage situation against that madman had been a massive mistake.

***

Let’s turn back time for a moment.

About several dozen minutes before Park Hyun-gun froze with an expression like his eyeballs were about to pop out while watching the TV screen.

There were others who had frozen with similar faces.

That was quite a rare occurrence.

Because they were people trained to respond without even twitching an eyebrow to most unexpected situations.

Nevertheless, the reason they froze was simple.

It was because something was happening that far transcended any ‘usual’ unexpected situation.

“What are you doing, you punks.”

A young face and clean white hair.

A scar faintly visible near the eyes.

A sword slung over his shoulder.

A man who was famous in the past, but whose fame had declined recently, causing many to forget him.

However, after the emergency official document was issued yesterday, he was a traitor whose face had become widely known in major institutions as a person of

interest who had committed National Treason.

Limon Aspelder mocked them as they stood frozen.

“When a suspicious person appears, you’re supposed to press the panic button and enter response mode immediately. Hmm?”

“Th-this is crazy…!”

Their bodies trembled.

And toward Limon, who stood there nonchalantly, they shouted in voices that cracked despite themselves.

“This is Cheong Wa Dae, you lunatic!!!”

The Presidential residence, which could be called the deepest heart of the country.

Limon’s response to the screams of the Cheong Wa Dae security guards, who were terrified by the unprecedented situation of a traitor—not just a common crimina—appearing alone and grandly with his face exposed at the main gate, was concise.

“So what?”

As if asking if he had come somewhere he shouldn’t.

Limon cocked his head to the side and swaggered.

Seeing that, those whose faces were turning red and blue belatedly began to take the actions they were supposed to.

That is, they made a fuss by sounding the emergency alarm, entering response mode, calling for reinforcements, and drawing their guns.

Wreeeeeeeee!

“Don’t move! Move and I’ll fire!”

“Hands up and get on your knees! I said get on your knees!”

“What’s going on? Why all this fuss…! gasp!? Limon Aspelder?”

“Is… is that the real one?”

Shouts were coming from all directions, telling him to stay still or to get on his knees.

The situations weren’t even properly communicated; conscripted policemen arrived in a panic with only shields and batons.

The security guards only crawled out after a dozen police cars had swarmed.

There were tourists taking photos of the situation with smartphones from afar, as if they had mistaken it for some kind of event.

Standing in front of the main gate of Cheong Wa Dae, Limon watched the unfolding situation with an appalled expression.

“Hey, who’s the person in charge here for things to be in this state…?…No, never mind. Don’t tell me.”

It was obvious without even looking.

Ten to one, it was some guy who snatched the position through bribes or connections.

These days, when war had long since disappeared.

No matter how important the key post was…

No, it was common for people with zero ability to occupy such key posts.

That was why he had come here.

Recalling his original purpose and clicking his tongue for a moment.

Limon, deciding there was no need to wait any longer, properly gripped the sword he had been carrying on his shoulder.

Then, slowly moving his steps, he opened his mouth.

“I came to check that anyway.”

Slice!

“…Uh?”

The people holding guns froze.

It wasn’t just because he had brushed past them the moment they thought he had taken a step.

They hadn’t even blinked, but suddenly their firearms were rolling on the ground, neatly sliced into pieces.

And the sight of many colleagues holding only the handles that used to be guns, just like themselves, made them freeze.

Because they could know instinctively.

Just now, when he passed by.

If Limon had harbored murderous intent.

What would be rolling on the ground right now wouldn’t be the remains of firearms, but their own remains.

“I don’t know if you’re hiding in a bunker, running away like crazy, or still staying in your place like an idiot.”

As if time had stopped.

A man who walked nonchalantly alone in a space where everyone was holding their breath, unable to make a single movement.

“Someone, pass the message to the bastard called the President.”

Humanity’s final Sword Master.

A hero of the nation and the Guardian Deity of Humanity.

But to his enemies, including the Seven Dragons Society, he was a man who had been notorious as a mad dog even more than for his brilliant fame.

And an obsolete man with an old-fashioned way of thinking, who believed without a doubt that it was more manly to grandly achieve a great feat than to be unfairly framed.

Limon split the tightly closed main gate of Cheong Wa Dae just by swiping his sword horizontally.

Then, he spoke with a pleasant laugh.

“The traitor has come to commit treason.”