chapter 80
My mother and I unpacked our things at the hotel Arthur had introduced to us.
We decided to rest here for a while, to recover from the long flight and jet lag.
Honestly, I didn’t really mind either way, but my mother wasn’t even an awakener. For her, rest was essential.
“(Here, when you have time, I’d like you to study this.)”
While my mother slept in the hotel room, I handed Arthur the equipment Yeon Mirae had captured.
“(This… even without a proper analysis, I can already feel that it’s no ordinary item.)”
“(Hm? Really?)”
Well, that made sense.
Even to me, the device that had weighed down Yeon Mirae’s magic was extraordinary. It wasn’t that unusual for sorcery to embed the power of a story into an object. The problem was which story had been embedded. In this case: “In human history, there has never been aura, magic, or any supernatural power.”
The irony was glaring.
That very concept had been embedded into the device by sorcery—that is, by a supernatural power.
‘Using a supernatural ability to enforce the story that supernatural abilities don’t exist… what a contradiction.’
It was like telling someone, “Don’t move, put your hands up,” and having them obey.
Yet Oracle’s subordinates had somehow managed to pull it off.
“(Sorcery and the power of stories, huh…)”
After hearing my explanation of the principles behind the device, Arthur fell into thought.
I left him to it and returned to the room.
“(Hm? Where’s Arthur?)”
“(He stayed outside. Said he had some things to think about.)”
“(I see.)”
Rachel seemed curious that I had gone out with Arthur but come back alone, but she accepted my explanation.
I sat down in front of her and asked:
“(By the way, sis. My mom and I were thinking of visiting Buckingham Palace and the British Museum. Do you think that’s possible?)”
After all, there had been a terror attack yesterday.
I was worried the tourist spots might be closed.
“(Hmm… I think it’ll be fine. Security around tourist spots will be strict, but in this case the SAS would be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. That might actually make it safer.)”
SAS…
That was the British counter-terrorist unit, right?
“(Of course, even if something does happen, we’ll be fine with you and Arthur around.)”
“……”
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
Still, wasn’t she planning to fight, too? I looked at Rachel with that thought in mind.
“(… What? You think I’m weak?)”
Sure, compared to an Aura Master like Arthur or me, she was weaker. But she wasn’t weak enough to call herself helpless.
I decided not to say it out loud and changed the subject—to something I’d been curious about ever since Arthur told me they were engaged.
“(By the way, sis.)”
“(Yeah?)”
“(Between you and Arthur, who proposed first?)”
Other people’s love stories are always entertaining.
Rachel’s face instantly flushed red.
“(W-why would you even want to know that…?!)”
That reaction only made me more curious.
I smirked inwardly and played the part of a harmless child.
“(So who was it? Arthur? Or you?)”
“(I… I did first, actually…!)”
So Rachel proposed, huh?
But there was clearly more to the story, so I waited.
“(But then… Arthur looked like he was about to reject me, only to give me a ring instead, saying he was planning to propose first and why did I beat him to it….)”
“(Oh….)”
That sounded like something out of a drama—or the internet. Probably Arthur got the idea from Korean dramas.
Rachel continued telling the story of what happened after the proposal.
‘Should’ve stashed some popcorn in my subspace.’
It wasn’t even something happening before my eyes, just a retelling, but it was so entertaining.
“(And then, as soon as we got home, he pushed me against the wall and… wait! What am I saying to a kid?!)”
Rachel caught herself mid-ramble, realizing too late.
Ah, too bad. I wanted to hear more.
Maybe I should’ve used Word Magic to coax her a bit longer. Not that it would last long on someone like Rachel.
“(Gunwoo, you can’t repeat what you just heard to anyone, okay?)”
“(Okay~.)”
Of course, I was going to share it with Yeon Mirae and Lee Ha-eun once I got back to Korea.
When enough time had passed and I judged my mother had recovered from her fatigue, we headed out into the streets.
London was still restless from the previous day’s terror attack.
“(Huh? Isn’t that…?)”
“(Isn’t that Arthur?)”
“(And the woman with him is his fiancée, Rachel, right?)”
For some reason, a lot of people recognized Arthur and Rachel.
Well, Arthur was publicly known as an Aura Master.
‘He didn’t become one as young as Yeon Mirae or me, but people know he was still a student at the Academy when he achieved it. No wonder he’s famous here.’
Maybe not world-famous like Mirae, but still.
“(And those two Asians with them? Who are they?)”
“(Ah, I know the boy. He’s supposed to be the youngest Aura Master.)”
“(The youngest Aura Master? I thought that was a girl?)”
“(That changed this year. I heard he’s about middle school age, maybe third year.)”
So some people recognized me, too.
But wait—third year middle school?
I was only in first year.
Rachel must’ve noticed my confusion, because she explained in Korean:
“In the UK, kids start elementary at five and secondary at eleven.”
“Ohhh….”
That lined up, then.
Learning about the differences between Korea and the UK, we made our way to Buckingham Palace.
Arthur said that if we wanted to watch the Changing of the Guard, we needed to head out a little early.
“My, I heard you need to arrive at least an hour early to get a good spot?”
“That’s for regular tourists.”
Arthur gave a refreshing smile.
“With two Aura Masters in the group, do you really think we’ll have trouble getting a good view?”
“… That doesn’t mean you’re planning to shove others aside, right?”
“Of course not.”
He meant the palace would treat us as VIPs.
“….”
“….”
My mother and I both fell silent.
Considering the strategic value of Aura Masters, it wasn’t unreasonable… but was it really right?
“Ah, looks like they’ve come to greet us.”
As if to prove Arthur right, some men in suits approached us.
“(Greetings, Sir Arthur.)”
“(Hello. My young friend from Korea is visiting. Would it be possible to tour inside Buckingham Palace?)”
“(If their identities are certain, of course.)”
Just like that, Arthur secured permission for us to tour the palace. He turned to us with a grin.
“See? I told you they’d treat us as guests of honor.”
Well… okay.
Things were moving so naturally I didn’t know what to say.
“Do we just follow them, then?”
“Yes. Please, this way.”
The suited men guided us not only to a great viewing spot for the Changing of the Guard but also inside the palace afterwards.
Thanks to them, my mother and I enjoyed the ceremony properly.
“(Did you enjoy it?)”
When the ceremony ended, one of the men asked.
“What did he say?”
“He asked if you enjoyed it.”
Since my mother couldn’t understand, I translated for her. Then Arthur suggested:
“Shall we tour the inside of the palace now?”
“… Wait, really? The inside?”
So we could actually go inside Buckingham Palace?
“There are areas open to tourists, but that’s not where we’re headed.”
Arthur smiled.
“To truly enjoy Buckingham Palace, you need to see the Private Residence—the royal family’s living quarters.”
“… Isn’t that normally off-limits except to royals and staff?”
“True, but when it comes to Aura Masters, they practically beg us to visit.”
And then—
Arthur placed his hand on my head and added:
“Besides, there are royal children about your age, Gunwoo. It’d be good for you to get acquainted.”
“Uh…”
My mother frowned, clearly uncomfortable.
Of course. She was an ordinary citizen. Meeting royalty would be overwhelming, no matter her son’s status.
I slapped Arthur’s hand away, using internal energy to sting him.
Smack!
“(Ack?!)”
That was also payback for patting my head. His wrist looked like it broke.
“(Oww… why’d you do that?)”
“Don’t put your hand on my head.”
“Ah… sorry.”
Arthur sensed I was genuinely angry and nodded quietly.
I reset his broken wrist, but then—
“Gunwoo! Even if someone touches your head, you can’t just hit them! Apologize to Arthur right now.”
“……”
“Hurry!”
“…Sorry.”
I apologized, albeit reluctantly. It was my fault his wrist broke, after all.
Arthur looked a bit surprised, maybe because he didn’t expect me to apologize so easily—even if my mother told me to.
“It’s okay. I was at fault too. Anyway, if we head inside now, you’ll probably get to meet the royal children.”
Arthur quickly changed the subject, perhaps to ease the tension.
“No, I really don’t think…”
Still, my mother seemed hesitant about meeting royalty.
‘Royal kids my age, huh…’
I wasn’t sure if I’d heard of them before. In my previous life, I hadn’t paid much attention to international affairs.
Arthur added, likely to persuade my mother:
“It’ll be good for Gunwoo to meet them early. After all…”
Those royal children would eventually study abroad at Seoul Awakener Academy.
“…What?”
“By the time Gunwoo enrolls, they’ll be his juniors or seniors. Better to get familiar with each other beforehand.”
I thought about it.
In my past life, this never happened.
Was this another butterfly effect?
Then again, it made sense. More and more awakeners worldwide were coming to study in Korea. At the Seoul Awakener Academy, where Mirae, Rachel, and Arthur had studied, foreign students outnumbered locals now.
So it wasn’t strange for British royals to come, too.
Still…
‘… They won’t be arrogant, entitled brats, will they?’
I’d seen my share of chaebol heirs throwing their weight around.
With those worries, I followed Arthur and the suited men into Buckingham Palace’s Private Residence.
