Chapter 104 — A Bet...?
“He’s younger than I expected.”
Standing on the balcony of the penthouse that offered the clearest view of the Black Market, its administrator, May Diemi, looked down at the strange presence that had just entered her territory.
Normally, her entire routine consisted of relaxing inside the penthouse and letting time pass peacefully.
However, when the troublesome figure who had recently become the hottest topic in the Empire appeared here, even she had no choice but to move.
There was always the possibility that the Great Hero of Insight had sent him here because he intended to interfere with the Black Market as well.
So naturally, she had to remain cautious.
...But no matter how I look at him, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
He had entered a tailor shop with his eyes shining, happily shopping around.
Then he held a little girl who looked like his daughter in his arms, laughing as though nothing in the world could possibly make him happier.
That image felt quite different from the Indomitable Hero she had heard about.
I heard rumors that he’s connected to the Fanatics as well... Is that really true?
On the surface, the existence of the Fanatics might have been shrouded in mystery.
But in the Black Market, they were not quite as secretive.
Of course, discovering their true identities was still almost impossible.
Even so, their representatives occasionally came to meet May, the administrator.
Because of that, to her, the Fanatics were not some vague rumor with no substance behind it.
“Administrator.”
While she was staring down below, lost in thought, a cybernetic being specialized in stealth silently appeared behind her.
He knelt without making a sound and waited for her response.
Outside the Black Market, merely seeing a cyborg like him was extremely difficult.
In fact, most people did not even know that beings like him existed.
May, however, was already accustomed to them.
Without even turning around, she gestured with her chin for him to speak.
“Give the order, and I will eliminate him immediately.”
These beings were created using creatures that had originally been Hero-class as their foundation.
They functioned almost like personal guard knights reserved exclusively for the Elders.
Even when facing a Hero such as In-gwang, they showed complete confidence.
Of course, if they became frightened by a man who possessed neither the aura nor dignity normally associated with Heroes—and who currently looked more like some nouveau riche man out shopping—it would only diminish their own value.
“No. The Great Hero of Insight and the Great Hero of Salvation are watching that man.”
“If we eliminate him here, the Great Heroes will simply assume he disappeared.”
“I said no. I don’t know about the Great Hero of Insight, but the Great Hero of Salvation knows this place exists. Can you withstand the wrath of a Great Hero?”
Just imagining the Great Hero of Salvation becoming enraged was enough to make anyone familiar with his power tremble.
May herself was known to outsiders as someone whose strength was comparable to a Great Hero.
But she knew the truth.
She was nowhere near a true Great Hero.
Compared to the vague and unknown fear surrounding In-gwang, the threat of a Great Hero was clear, undeniable, and terrifying.
She had no desire to poke a hornet's nest when she already knew she would get badly stung.
“Keep watching him. If he shows any suspicious behavior, politely tell him to leave.”
“Yes.”
“If he keeps testing our patience... then we’ll have no choice but to eliminate him.”
If things reached that point, then at least the Great Heroes would have less justification to interfere with them.
For people like them, what mattered most was not private emotion, but justification and the benefit of the greater number.
Even if a friend died.
Even if a lover died.
Even if family died.
If acting on that anger risked harming what they had sworn to protect, they were the kind of people who could suppress their emotions without hesitation.
“We only really need to avoid provoking the Great Hero of Insight. Compared to the other Great Heroes, that man is much more human. He might actually act on personal emotion.”
“...Understood. If we detect any abnormal behavior, I will report it immediately.”
“Good.”
Just as silently as he had appeared, the cyborg vanished.
May glanced once toward the place where he had been standing before looking down at In-gwang again.
He wandered through the passageways, touching this and that with the excitement of a child seeing everything for the first time.
May tilted her head.
He shouldn’t normally be like that.
Had the atmosphere of the Black Market somehow brought out his inner child?
Or perhaps because In-gwang was an Otherworlder, she simply could not understand his behavior.
Is he... plotting something?
“Administrator.”
“You’re back quickly.”
“The Indomitable Hero wishes to meet you.”
“...What?”
That man down there?
The same man currently giggling while playing with what looked like a child’s toy?
He wanted to meet her?
“Hah. Ridiculous.”
Did he think that simply because he had brought along the president of Outpost, an executive of the Black Market, he could casually meet her?
May possessed overwhelming authority within the Black Market.
Everything beneath her feet was under her jurisdiction.
His request was nothing short of arrogant.
Even meeting the administrator normally required scheduling an appointment at least a month in advance and preparing an enormous gift.
The same was true even when requesting an audience with one of the Elders.
“Tell him to get lost.”
“That is... Actually, he said something strange.”
“Stop hesitating and speak.”
“...He wants to make a deal involving the body of a Great Hero.”
May had spent many years as an Elder and experienced countless strange events in the Black Market.
Very few things could make her even blink.
But this time, she could not hide her surprise.
The body of a Great Hero?
A Great Hero's body?
The Great Hero of Hope had once created an astonishing weapon simply by incorporating tiny fragments of bone and severed flesh into it.
It has to be a lie. There’s no way he possesses something like that...
Wait.
He is acquainted with two Great Heroes... Could it possibly...
If she only considered his friendship with the Great Heroes, she would have dismissed it as a lie or some kind of trap.
But In-gwang was also connected to the Fanatics.
When that connection was taken into account, his title as a Hero and even his relationships with two Great Heroes suddenly seemed insignificant.
If he truly belonged to their side...
Then yes.
It was entirely possible for him to possess part of a Great Hero's body.
“Tell him to show me the item first. What nonsense.”
“Yes. I’ll immediately—”
He stopped.
“I have confirmed it. The item is said to be... the rib of the Great Hero of the Fish-Men, who fought against the Great Hero of Hope in his final battle.”
The cyborg did not even need to explain further.
A gigantic rib suddenly protruded through the window of the corridor below, shattering the glass.
Even from the penthouse, May could clearly see it.
Her curiosity immediately ignited.
I thought he was just some lunatic...
Turns out he’s a lunatic on a level you might never see twice in this world!
There was no chance he had bought something like that.
And no matter what conditions anyone offered them, the Fish-Men would never willingly hand it over.
Which meant there was only one explanation.
He had stolen it.
That was absolutely not something someone carrying the title of Hero should ever do.
As expected of someone connected to the Fanatics.
May nodded and ordered them to bring him up.
Normally, even now, she should have made him wait.
However, that overwhelming size and the power radiating from the rib could easily be sensed even from a distance.
The other Elders would definitely notice it soon.
If she wasted time maintaining her authority, another Elder might contact In-gwang first and steal the deal from her.
Speed mattered now.
If that truly is part of the monster from four hundred years ago who fought the Great Hero of Hope...
Simply possessing it would already be profitable.
May quickly walked back inside the penthouse and began preparing to receive her guest.
One thought quietly lingered in her mind.
Do the Great Heroes not know that he possesses part of a Great Hero's body?
She gave separate orders to the cyborgs to strengthen security around the penthouse.
She also ordered an extensive sweep for possible listening devices.
After that, she summoned several people she trusted.
She stood before a mirror, checked her appearance once, and then walked elegantly toward the reception room.
He said he wanted a trade.
What exactly does he intend to ask from me?
No matter how foolish he might be, there’s no way he doesn’t understand the value of that thing.
She received another report stating that In-gwang was already on his way up.
The guards she had urgently summoned arrived shortly afterward, and May ordered them to remain on full alert.
Is it because he’s an Otherworlder?
No. Even if he is, he owns the Spear of Hope.
There’s no way he doesn’t understand its value.
And if that was true...
Then the real question became whether May possessed anything valuable enough to exchange for part of a Great Hero's body.
Negotiation might lower the price somewhat.
But if the deal created even the slightest possibility of a Great Hero entering the Black Market...
Then it might be better not to make the trade at all.
BANG!
“Come forth~!”
“Please enter.”
In-gwang entered the reception room wearing a wolf mask, giving off a rather strange atmosphere.
He was holding a child in his arms.
Everything about him—from his clothes and attitude to the companions following him—was overflowing with playfulness.
May could already feel a headache coming.
If he were simply an idiot, that would make things easier.
But can an ordinary idiot become a Hero?
Is that what Otherworlders are like?
“Thank you for coming such a long way.”
“Sure. There was plenty to look at, so it wasn’t much trouble.”
After handing Jayeon over to Pai, In-gwang practically threw himself onto the sofa.
Then, as though he had thought of something incredibly amusing, an almost malicious smile appeared on his face.
If he wants something from me, it would be far wiser to let the president of Outpost negotiate on his behalf.
Does this man truly believe he can obtain exactly what he wants by negotiating with me personally?
May had spent many years as a merchant.
She had developed an almost supernatural ability to see through people.
Yet even that seemed useless against him.
She wondered if his mask possessed some kind of special power and raised her guard slightly.
“I heard you wanted to make a deal with me.”
“Yes. But before we get into the actual discussion, you should inspect the goods.”
The enormous rib was brought out.
It was large enough to fill almost half of the reception room.
A fishy smell lingered in the air.
Seeing it up close, May could feel the immense power contained within.
Her body almost trembled without her permission.
It was undeniably genuine.
But she refused to show any reaction.
Instead, she slowly stood up and carefully examined the item as though she were still seriously considering whether it was real.
“Hmm. So this is the body of a Great Hero?”
“Yes. I stole it.”
As expected.
He really is insane.
May smiled gently at In-gwang.
Internally, however, she was horrified.
Stealing something like this was insane enough.
But casually admitting it without hesitation was either unbelievable courage...
Or unbelievable stupidity.
Perhaps both.
The Fish-Men had recently begun recovering their strength.
With the Alliance and Empire aggressively supporting them, Karantlia was rapidly rebuilding its power.
And this madman had stolen one of that nation's treasures.
No.
It was more than a treasure.
It was practically a symbol of the nation itself.
May felt the same chilling sensation she experienced whenever she dealt with the Fanatics.
Quietly, she returned to her seat.
“It is certainly an impressive item. However, as you already know, something like this has never appeared on the market before. That makes it difficult to verify its authenticity or determine a proper price.”
“Really?”
“Even assuming it truly is part of a Great Hero's body, the only comparable object would be the Spear of Hope, which is currently believed to have disappeared. For now, I have summoned an expert, so perhaps if you wait—”
THUD!
Before she could finish speaking, In-gwang pulled out the Spear of Hope and placed it on the table.
Then he gestured toward it casually.
Compare them yourself.
...It’s genuine.
That really is the Spear of Hope.
It had no extravagant decorations.
Yet the power radiating from it resembled the overwhelming aura of a Great Hero.
And just as the ancient books described, there was a gemstone embedded between the two split spearheads.
An Angel Crystal.
And not an ordinary one.
It was the highest-grade crystal, pure white with a faint golden glow.
That writing...
It’s the signature of the Great Hero of Hope, written in a language no longer used.
And the magical formula visible through that worn section... That’s ancient magic!
“Incredible! This... This is a treasure of humanity! The Spear of Hope!”
“Compare them.”
“Yes. Then I will do so immediately.”
May fell into deep thought.
Now that the Spear of Hope was literally within her grasp...
Part of her wanted to possess it even if doing so risked provoking a Great Hero.
Of course, she could only hold it temporarily because its owner had permitted her.
Even so, the temptation radiating from the weapon was overwhelming.
Get a grip.
She wanted the spear desperately.
But investments made without considering future consequences rarely ended well.
She carefully kept her emotions hidden.
Then, deliberately making a serious and troubled expression, she compared the spear with the rib.
“...I will acknowledge that this appears to be part of a Great Hero's body.”
She paused.
“However, perhaps because it has been abandoned for so long, its condition isn't very good.”
“...”
Naturally, that was a lie.
But if she did not lower its perceived value somehow, paying for it might bankrupt her.
Her task was simple.
Drive the price down as far as possible.
May hardened her resolve.
“The sacred presence one normally associates with a Great Hero is barely noticeable. Its overwhelming power has faded considerably as well.”
She sniffed slightly.
“And it has an unpleasant fishy smell.”
“It was sitting in the ocean.”
“...Even so, there is no denying that it possesses significant value.”
“Hmm.”
In-gwang leaned back.
“Then... I guess I can tell you what I want now?”
May wondered what the man would demand.
