TRPM 119

chapter 119

After the briefing ended, Yeon Mirae asked the three people gathered in the same hotel room.

With her were the Academy’s chairwoman from Korea, and Rachel and Arthur from Britain.

Of course, it wasn’t that the four of them had been assigned the same room. Rather, Rachel and Arthur had come over to Mirae and the chairwoman’s room.

“(… Devices that launch shurikens aren’t particularly rare. So trying to trace who mounted one onto a dinosaur’s body is meaningless.)”

The chairwoman said calmly.

Shurikens and the devices to fire them weren’t hard for awakened individuals in Japan to get their hands on.

In fact, shurikens specially crafted for fighting monsters could be quite effective.

“(But missile launchers are different.)”

Guided rocket weapons like missiles were made by few, and they were extremely expensive.

And if they were small enough to be mounted on monsters, that made them even harder to acquire.

“(The Japanese government must know that there aren’t many organizations capable of obtaining such missiles. They might even already know who’s behind this.)”

At the chairwoman’s soft-spoken words, the others nodded.

Seeing them, the chairwoman smiled pleasantly and continued.

“(It’s good that you all catch on quickly. And if Japan is avoiding naming the mastermind behind this incident… that means revealing them would harm Japan itself.)”

“(So it’s unlikely to be an international crime syndicate. More likely, it’s a domestic Japanese organization.)”

“(Or not even an actual crime syndicate at all. It could be a respectable group in public, but secretly involved in dirty business.)”

Arthur and Mirae added their thoughts.

“(In any case, it’s not something we need to concern ourselves with.)”

That was Japan’s problem to handle.

No one here had the slightest desire to get dragged into messy political struggles.

They couldn’t speak for the other foreign elites, though.

“(In the end, what we need to do in Japan is only one thing, isn’t it?)”

Conquer the dungeon alongside the other strong ones.

Even if the dinosaurs were armed, with so many elites focusing on the dungeon raid, it should be possible to clear it without major casualties.

That was Rachel’s assessment.

“(……)”

But the chairwoman shook her head at Rachel’s words, denying them.

“(That dungeon is unlikely to be the end of it.)”

“(…What?)”

“(Even armed dinosaurs could be handled if Japan simply deployed its own elites. It might have been costly, but still cheaper than summoning awakened ones from abroad.)”

And yet, the Japanese government had called in powerhouses from all over the world.

That meant they judged their own elites insufficient.

“(It’s even possible that Japan’s own elites are behind this incident.)”

At that, silence fell among the four.

Japan received UN support.

After all, it was one of the countries most heavily affected by the Black Fog, while also serving as a barrier that prevented its spread into other East Asian nations.

‘And the Japanese government should have invested that support into its awakened population…’

But instead, there had been a major embezzlement scandal.

Worse still, those who led the embezzlement hadn’t been properly punished.

So it was no wonder the awakened no longer trusted the government.

It was an open secret that relations between the Japanese government and the Japanese Awakeners’ Association were strained.

“(So this whole affair could be a retaliatory strike by Japan’s awakened against their government?)”

“(That’s entirely possible. If so, it would explain why the Japanese government can’t—or won’t—deploy its own elites.)”

Because they couldn’t be trusted.

“(… Maybe we should just cancel the job and go home?)”

In the end, this was a mess born from the greed of Japanese officials.

That said, the awakened were too extreme as well.

It was understandable that they resented the government—but killing every single raiding party that entered the dungeon?

Well, maybe not outright killing. Perhaps just capturing them.

But given the condition of the Aura Master who managed to crawl back alive, the chances the rest were still alive were slim.

So there was no sympathy to be had for either side.

‘… Both sides are rotten.’

The Japanese government and the Japanese awakened.

Mirae wanted no part of either.

Of course, everything they’d said so far was just speculation. They wouldn’t be leaving right away.

Still, if proof surfaced that their suspicions were correct, Mirae had no intention of hesitating—she’d head straight back to Korea.

“(I’d better finish my tasks in advance too, so I can leave at any time.)”

The chairwoman agreed with Mirae.

“(Anyway….)”

With the heavy discussion wrapped up, she decided to change the subject.

“(Cadet Mirae? Cadet Arthur? Cadet Rachel?)”

When she called their names, all three turned toward her.

Sensing she was about to say something important, they listened closely.

“(The Artist… no, Han Geon-woo—when is he coming to Japan?)”

…The unexpected question left them stunned.

Naturally, Mirae and Arthur, who knew the Artist’s true identity, reacted differently from Rachel, who didn’t.

But the chairwoman read everything from their reactions alone.

“(Judging from that, Mirae and Arthur already knew the Artist was Han Geon-woo. Rachel looks like she has no idea what I mean.)”

At that, Mirae and Arthur fell silent.

Rachel, sensing the strange mood, kept quiet as well.

“(To be honest, I wasn’t certain the Artist was Han Geon-woo. There are plenty of rumors, but no evidence. I just tested the three of you, and your reactions gave me the answer I wanted.)”

She explained smoothly.

It wasn’t that Mirae and Arthur had slipped—it was that she had deliberately led them into it.

“(You two haven’t been out in society long, so you don’t have much experience with bluffs like that. Take this as a lesson and be more careful in the future, alright?)”

“(… Sigh… yes….)”

“(Ugh….)”

Mirae and Arthur sighed.

Fortunately, Han Geon-woo himself had recently said he no longer cared much if his identity was revealed.

And at least everyone present here was trustworthy.

“(Also, Cadet Mirae?)”

“(Yes?)”

“(From the look of it, the Artist is inside your bracelet right now… or rather, inside your subspace artifact.)”

Mirae’s face stiffened at that.

Arthur and Rachel turned to her in shock, as if asking whether it was true.

“(… How could you possibly…?)”

“(Your eyes didn’t give you away, but when I said the name ‘Artist,’ you unconsciously tensed your arm. In the future, when you try to hide or lie, be mindful of such things too.)”

The chairwoman’s tone was instructional.

Rachel, however, couldn’t agree.

How could anyone control something like that? she thought.

But the other two were taking the lesson seriously.

“(Thank you for the guidance.)”

“(Indeed… I may not need it, being a doll, but Rachel certainly will.)”

Rachel was aghast at the sight of them earnestly absorbing such insane advice.

What kind of lunatic Aura Masters are these people?

Is this really what happens when you become a Grand Mage or an Aura Master?

While Rachel despaired internally, Mirae, realizing that the chairwoman had seen through everything about Geon-woo, sighed and said:

“(Since it’s come to this, I’ll bring out my teacher’s doll. He should know that you’ve discovered his identity.)”

I was sitting in class when I felt my doll slip out of Mirae’s subspace.

At once, I linked my consciousness to it—

“…Hm?”

I realized there were more presences around me than I’d expected.

“Hello, Artist. Or should I call you Young Master Geon-woo?”

“……”

A soft, unhurried voice.

I’d heard it before—not just in my past life, but even in this round.

Recognizing it was easy.

“…Chairwoman Shin Maltong.”

“……”

Her expression froze.

Huh?

“…Maltong?”

“Was that really the chairwoman’s name?”

“…‘Tong’? In Korean, doesn’t that mean…?”

Mirae, Arthur, and Rachel all reacted in turn.

Wait.

Why had Mirae brought my doll out in front of Rachel and the chairwoman?

“Mirae. Don’t tell me you let Rachel and Chairwoman Maltong fin—”

“Kyahhh?!”

Suddenly, the chairwoman shrieked and covered my doll’s mouth.

…Why?!

“Teacher… please, consider a woman’s feelings….”

“…Hm? Ah….”

Only then did I realize what mistake I’d made.

Of course. In this day and age, a name like “Maltong” would be embarrassing.

And come to think of it, this was before her childhood name had ever been exposed.

‘The reason everyone eventually found out was because a necromancer resurrected one of her old acquaintances, who then saw her photo and called her “Maltong.” That’s how it became public knowledge.’

And for the record, her current name wasn’t Maltong anymore. She’d changed it.

“…Artist… I don’t know how you learned my childhood name, but my name now is Shin Hanji.”

Normally, she never revealed her name.

But faced with the risk of me blurting out “Maltong” again, she disclosed it herself.

Seeing her flustered like this gave me an odd feeling.

The chairwoman I knew was always calm and soft-spoken.

This was the first time I’d seen her genuinely rattled.

“Yes, Chairwoman Shin Hanji.”

“…Much better.”

Alright, with the name issue settled—

“Mirae. Explain the situation.”

I needed to know why she had brought my doll out in front of Rachel and the chairwoman in the first place.