There Is No World For ■■

***Bullet holes adorned the base camp, with broken tables and chairs scattered around.A suffocating silence pervaded the inside of the camp because none of the five people sitting inside dared to open their mouths.First, Captain Kwon.After confirming that all the mercenaries guarding the entrance were unconscious, he decided to keep his mouth shut.After all, it was a matter of pride. It was fortunate that the opponent had shown some mercy. Else, it would have been a complete annihilation if she had intended to kill them.The dwarf sitting besides him was no less uncomfortable.The dwarf, who had been tossed outside, returned to the base camp with a rather large bump on his forehead. He looked pitiful, rubbing the bump with his ring-filled hand.Fortunately, the Saintess kept her mouth shut, although she occasionally muttered something about the ‘damn snowfield’... but that didn’t last long.Lastly, the Saintess' mother—the main cause of all this silence, still wearing the Invisibility Cloak.Her hands, sticking out from the cloak, trembled slightly, indicating that she was too ashamed to raise her face.Well, it wasn't an incomprehensible reaction.After all, she had shot at him while speaking about her daughter's snowfield(?)... only to find out it wasn't true. Anyone in her shoes would be ashamed.However, understanding and forgiving were entirely different matters. And Yeomyeong had no intention of forgiving her.Since he couldn't just cut her head off and be done with it, he eventually sighed and spoke up."So, how do we go about this?"Yeomyeong's golden eyes scanned the other four people.The dwarf and the Sonjuk Mercenary Group Captain, the Saintess and her mother, and Yeomyeong himself. It was time to sort out their intertwined thoughts and goals."If no one else has anything to say, I would like to make a suggestion. First, let's each take turns and express what we want. Right now… it seems like we have some misunderstandings."The first to respond to Yeomyeong's suggestion was the dwarf. He raised the hand that wasn't rubbing the bump and nodded in agreement."Not a bad idea. I agree."It was a businesslike attitude. Seeing that no one else objected, Yeomyeong gestured to the dwarf."Then, would you like to start?""If it's alright with you, of course."The dwarf cleared his throat and dusted his body. Though he couldn't do much about the bump on his forehead, he still tried to maintain a respectful bearing.Then, he spoke to the Saintess."Well... Saintess?""Huh?""On behalf of the Dungan Heavy Industries and the Sonjuk Mercenary Group, I would like to make a proposal, Saintess."The dwarf then repeated the explanation he had given Yeomyeong earlier.About a treasure hidden in Manchuria and the dragon guarding it.He also added that mercenaries and a few Superhumans would be mobilized in order to obtain the treasure and that the Saintess just needed to join them.As soon as the dwarf finished with his explanation, the Saintess spoke up.“Is that treasure... perhaps located near the northern region of the Khingan Range?”"O… Oh?"Great surprise, followed by a brief silence—the dwarf's mouth dropped open."How did you know?""It’s because…”Glancing back and forth between Yeomyeong and the dwarf, the Saintess trailed off.Although her thick blindfold made it hard to tell, her red lips curled into a smile, indicating that she was probably up to no good.“It just so happens that I need to go there as well.”Trying to avoid her gaze, Yeomyeong turned his head slightly. However, the next moment, the Saintess raised her hand.“Then it's my turn to speak, right?”“Uh, Saintess, about my proposal…”“I’ll give you an answer in a little while.”She put her finger on her lips to silence the dwarf, then fixed her gaze on Yeomyeong.“Hm, Cheon Yeomyeong… What should I call you? Yeomyeong-ssi? Yeomyeong-gun? Yeomyeong-oppa¹?”Oppa? That’s ridiculous. Yeomyeong frowned as he gave her a reply.“Just call me Yeomyeong.”“Anyway, Yeomyeong, do you remember my proposal from this morning?”Yeomyeong nodded instead of speaking.She had asked him to be her bodyguard while she secretly searched for something in Manchuria, without alerting the old folks. Of course, he refused immediately.“My request remains the same. So, how about it?”“My answer also remains the same. No.”The conversation they had in the recovery room was being repeated here. However, the Saintess' reaction was a bit different this time.She turned towards the dwarf with a meaningful smile on her face.“Darulma-ssi? I’ll join the treasure hunt on the condition that you include him in our group.”“…”“A mercenary should obey the orders of the mercenary group, right?”The dwarf was unable to respond. He glanced back and forth between Yeomyeong and the Saintess, bewildered.Why is he behaving like that? As the Saintess tilted her head in confusion, Yeomyeong spoke up.“I have resigned from the mercenary group.”“What? So suddenly?!”“If you want to know the reason, ask the dwarf.”“It doesn’t even matter how much you dislike me, quitting the mercenary group over something like this is just…”Yeomyeong raised his hand to interrupt her.“It’s my turn to speak now.”In the end, the Saintess, who was about to say something, sighed in resignation and folded her arms.Yeomyeong unbuckled the sword sheath from his waist and placed it on his knee, then turned to address the figure hiding beneath the Invisibility Cloak.“You are the mother of the Saintess, correct? May I ask you a question?”“...Yes.”“Someone tried to shoot me in the head due to a misunderstanding, and someone else tried to use me to further their own schemes.”Yeomyeong glanced at the dwarf and Captain Kwon.Upon meeting his eyes, the dwarf coughed and looked away while Captain Kwon quietly touched his lips.Fortunately, it seemed like both of them felt some shame. Or at least, they were pretending to.Either way, the fact that they weren’t being shameless was good enough for him. It meant that it would be easier for him to get through them by using words instead of swords.Yeomyeong licked his lips and continued speaking.“Honestly, this is the first time I've had to deal with a situation like this, and I really don't know what to do. So, since you are older and more experienced than I am, I would like to ask for your advice.”His manner of speaking was slow but respectful. Yeomyeong blinked his eyes.“What do you think will be the appropriate compensation for the hardships I have faced?”As soon as he heard the word ‘compensation’, the dwarf’s complexion changed. He quickly whispered something into Captain Kwon’s ear with a serious look on his face.Shortly after, Captain Kwon stood up without making a sound and walked out of the base camp.However, the woman beneath the Invisibility Cloak remained silent as she clasped her hands tightly, seemingly deep in thought.Yeomyeong waited patiently, and finally, a dull voice emerged from the Invisibility Cloak."It seems like this will take a while. Could you wait for a moment?"A voice tinged with faint mana. It was as if it cast a spell, connecting Yeomyeong and her using some type of magic.Yeomyeong pondered whether to draw his sword but he allowed the magic connection to form.Partly because he didn't sense any hostility and partly because he was curious to see what she was up to.Then, when the magic connected the two, her voice echoed in his mind.- You don't need to be so cautious. It's just simple telepathy. There are too many ears, so I have to speak this way.Telepathy? As she said, it seemed like the dwarf and the Saintess were unable to hear her voice."First of all... as the guardian of the Saintess, I will not apologize for this incident."While saying that out loud, what she conveyed via telepathy was completely different.- Cheon Yeomyeong... no, Dung Beetle. My name is Moryne. I am the president of the Blue Rat and the mother of the Saintess."As the parent of a daughter, I only did what I was supposed to do. There were no personal feelings involved."- First of all, I would like to apologize as the representative of the Blue Rat. This is not only due to the current incident but also to the display of rudeness in the past … and the mistakes our employees made towards you.A person who knew him as Dung Beetle and the president of the Blue Rat at that.They said bad connections were like a web, entangling you before you realized it. And this situation was exactly that.Hiding his distorted expression, Yeomyeong clenched the hilt of his sword tightly."And to be honest, wasn't it your fault for acting in a way that caused further misunderstandings? You should know that the value of the life of the Saintess and that of an ordinary mercenary are not the same."

* * *Value of a life. He knew she didn't mean it sincerely, but it still felt unpleasant to hear.

Yeomyeong kept his mouth shut and replied to her in his mind.- Why are you behaving like this?- Because I'm about to say something my daughter should not hear.- ….- Do you know why the Saintess is a Saintess?- ...I'm not particularly interested.- She is a person blessed with the Foresight of the Five Gods. If it's a man, he is called a Saint; if it's a woman, she is called a Saintess.- ...Foresight?Yeomyeong narrowed his eyes without realizing it.Foresight? He thought it was a lie, but the actions shown by the Saintess so far had some meaning behind them.She was able to locate the site where he was fighting the dragon rather quickly and was the first to know about the tragedy in North Manchuria.The timely support from the Manchurian base was also thanks to the Saintess, wasn't it?If all of that was the result of her Foresight ability... all her incomprehensible actions so far made sense.- Foresight is a powerful ability. Depending on the conditions, it can even be used several times to glimpse into the future.Yeomyeong blinked calmly. His golden eyes were directed at the Saintess' face beyond the Invisibility Cloak.- But it's not an ability that can control all futures. Once she sees a certain future, she can't see it again, and the gods don't teach her the correct method to change the future.- ….- Like all free wills, if misused, it can turn good intentions into an even greater disaster... that's the kind of ability it is.- So, what's your reason for telling me about the Saintess' ability in such detail?When Yeomyeong replied mockingly, the Invisibility Cloak on the other side swayed, and a deep sigh followed.- Actually, the moment my daughter became a Saintess, I too saw a future.- ….- The future I saw for my daughter... wasn't exactly rosy.Her deep sadness was conveyed to him through their telepathic connection. It was a mother's sorrow, something Yeomyeong had never experienced before.- She became a companion to the hero and helped save the world, but she was unable to save her own happiness. She wasn't chosen by the one she loved, grew old all alone in the sanctuary, and... died lonely.Yeomyeong stared at the Invisibility Cloak with a sense of disbelief. But that disbelief turned to be true.- The moment I heard about you from my daughter, I had a thought. Could it be… that because she’s playing this dangerous game with you… my daughter hasn’t been able to find love?Yeomyeong took a deep breath, holding himself back from drawing his sword. So, all that talk about fate and snowfields was related to this.- Did you really try to kill me for such a trivial reason? Just to change your daughter's fate? Without any evidence to back it up?- ...Yes.It was a selfish and cruel thought. Indeed, this was not something that could be said in front of the Saintess.And another thought crossed Yeomyeong’s mind– perhaps the reason the Saintess seemed slightly insane was not because of her Foresight but because of her family.However, regardless of his thoughts, Moryne continued their telepathic conversation.- But just now, when I saw the expression of my daughter who was taken hostage... I suddenly had a different thought.- ...You changed your mind after seeing me hold a sword to your daughter's neck.She let out a small laugh and a sigh.- I know that it sounds strange. But what can I do? My daughter was so happy.Happy? Yeomyeong was at a loss for words.Should he say… like mother, like daughter?The daughter was unhinged because she could see the future, and the mother was the same because she glimpsed into her daughter's future.But the craziest of all was probably Yeomyeong, because he could sympathize with the Saintess' mother, even if it was just a little.Yes, Yeomyeong, who never had real parents, knew these types of parents all too well—the madness called maternal love.The unprincipled action of pulling the trigger on someone, even if it meant changing her daughter's future.Perhaps that was why Yeomyeong felt disgust towards her. It was a disgust towards a feeling he knew all too well.And thanks to that... Yeomyeong was sure of one thing.Moryne knew he was Dung Beetle but didn't know the reason he became Yeomyeong.Because if Moryne knew that, she would have opted for a life-and-death struggle instead of this petty telepathic conversation.- Yeomyeong, may I offer a proposal?- ...After rambling on as you pleased, you now have a proposal for me?- Please, give your youth to my daughter.- …- In return, I'll give you all the information and wealth I possess.It was a truly insulting proposal to both Yeomyeong and the Saintess.In the end, he was unable to hold back any longer and unleashed his mana. As he activated the Surging Mana technique, the air around him began to churn.- Find someone else for that damned youth nonsense.- My daughter is not good at making friends. She only has one peer friend, and they haven't even met for almost three years.- Get lost.- What should I do? Should I get on my knees and beg?The chair hidden by the Invisibility Cloak rattled. Moryne stood up.She seemed prepared to kneel at any moment, but fortunately, it didn't happen.Because, before she could, the Saintess suddenly shot up and blocked the space between Yeomyeong and Moryne."Oh, come on, knock it off already!"

1. Here, Saintess is trying to figure out whether Yeomyeong is older or younger than her or whether he prefers a formal way of addressing him.

Some of these have been explained before, but I'll explain it again.

-ssi is used as a neutral formal way to address someone.

-gun is used by an older person to call a younger guy but in a formal way.

-oppa is used by younger females to address an older male; it can be a sibling or just an acquaintance. But for acquaintance, it is usually used for someone you are close to. If not, it would be considered overly friendly or flirting, which explains Yeomyeong's reaction.