Etranger

“I think we’ll have to meet the owner of these investigative mechanisms someday,” San stated.

“That’s why it’s not easy to go to public spaces whenever we want. I bet all the restaurants will be the same. Unless we completely hide our aura, our locations and actions will be exposed,” Biyeon replied.

“What do you think is their purpose?”

“If ‘they’ are able to use electromagnetic waves to signal our cell phones, it would be fair to say that they know all of the Awakened Warriors of this world. They would not only know the numbers but have probably collected each warrior’s combat strength, location, and affiliation information.”

“So, we should presume that they control all the information of this world, right?”

“I don’t think it’s to that extent, at least I hope not. Unless they own a few nuclear power plants, they’d be hard-pressed to handle the necessary energy needed to operate such a large mechanism.” 

“Hope not? There’s no common sense in this town… Damn it…”

The party members left the restaurant using umbrellas made of oiled paper that they purchased from the restaurant. Hanyoung and the other two Han-Sung clansmen followed closely behind.

The rain was pouring steadily. It was the perfect ominous weather to make people despair.

***

“What?” San shouted out. He was at a loss of what else to say.

“I don’t know what else to tell you...”

After arriving at their hotel, San and Biyeon met Yuren and Raron, who were eagerly waiting for them. They knew that something was off, so they didn’t even take their rain-soaked clothes off before speaking with the two. The two stood with concerned expressions. Behind Yuren and Raron were the disheartened faces of the crew.

Next to San and Biyeon, the three Essen siblings looked at the two company commanders with dumbfounded expressions. The siblings were drenched in rain.

“Let’s go see.”

With an expressionless face, San headed to the storage room attached to the accommodation. The crew followed him with heavy expressions. The warehouse, consisting of two separate spaces, was still tightly closed with heavy locks on the iron doors.

“You have to look at the back of the warehouse,” Yuren said carefully.

The back of the warehouse storage building could only be entered through a sliding door. The entire area was built with sturdy stone. A guard’s office was connected to the warehouse. Guards provided by the hotel conducted perimeter security and patrol next to the sliding door. There was a high wooden ceiling above the warehouse to prevent rain from seeping through.

Considering the convenience of moving cargo in and out of the area, the warehouse could be opened on both sides like a corridor. The doors were large enough for carriages to come and go.

More than ten guards were struggling to make sense of the situation. As San and Biyeon approached, the guards moved away.

Biyeon carefully looked around. In one corner, she saw four injured guards lying on the floor and being treated. Considering the importance of their high-value cargo, these high-level warrior guards were specially placed by the hotel.

‘Addiction…?’

She bit her lips. A man in his fifties, who seemed to be the owner of the inn, was looking at them. San looked at the scene of the crime, pushing a guard’s shoulder lightly to walk outside the warehouse walls. The walls were made of granite stone and bonded with a material similar to lime. The entire area seemed impenetrable. 

The wall was fine, but a rectangular stone over two-meters long and one-meter wide was removed from the bottom of the warehouse. Below the floor from which the stones had been removed, there was a passageway that looked like it was constructed recently.

“In the end, one side was completely robbed, and the rest was left untouched?”

“A passage was dug underneath the warehouse in advance and a stone was placed on top… This was prepared in advance, and it was thoroughly done…” San mumbled as he entered the warehouse through the underground passage. The innkeeper, Ramondo, was questioning the guard with a firm expression.

“So. In less than an hour, two-thirds of their goods were stolen?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“At that time, the person in charge of the patrol, Sedum, disappeared, right? And the warehouse couldn’t be protected with the hotel’s three high-level warriors?”

“That seems to be the case, sir. From the symptoms exhibited by the victims, it seems they’ve been poisoned with drugs.”

“Head of security, how do you judge this situation?” Ramondo asked as he swung around to another guard.

“There’s a high possibility of a conspiracy, as the person in charge of the patrol has disappeared along with the goods. And he… if my eyes didn’t deceive me…”

He whispered the last words in Ramondo's ears. Ramondo’s eyes opened wide.

“Hmm… then there’s nothing more to talk about.”

After finishing his conversation with his Head of Security, Ramondo opened his mouth, looking at San, Biyeon, and the rest of their crew, “Judging from the specific circumstances, it seems that our hotel is not responsible for your losses. There’s a high suspicion that it was a conspiracy carried about by the person you appointed. He also injured the hotel guards.”

“That doesn’t make sense…” San said as he clicked his tongue. His eyes naturally moved toward Biyeon.

“We just arrived today. That underground passage is not something that can be built in a day. Also, the people who stole the goods can’t possibly sell them without suspicion… Why did the hotel need such a tunnel?” Biyeon asked Ramondo while looking straight at him.

“How should I know how that hole got there? No one knows.”

Ramondo laughed. While answering, he brushed his fingers on his lapel and rubbed his hands together lightly. He seems to be relaxed.

“The owner of this place doesn’t even know that there was a few days’ worth of major construction work done underneath the warehouse, is that so? Are places where valuables are stored taken so lightly? Do you think that can explain this situation?” Biyeon questioned as she continued to push back on Ramondo.

“All of these incredible acts are possible with your colleague ‘Sedum’. Didn’t you know about the person named Sedum when you traveled together?” the hotel owner retorted and laughed. His laugh was clearly filled with ridicule.

“?”

Everyone was looking at the hotel owner.

“He’s a high-ranking executive in the “Sword’s Eye,” a group of assassination undertakers belonging to the Dark Guilds Alliance, which is very famous in the Poran Kingdom. In short, he’s the best thief in the northern kingdom, and he’s a seasoned and capable worker. How did you come to accompany him? Unfortunate people…”

“No way! I met him at the Marquis of Norian, who said he was a martial artist. During the trip, he was attacked by a magical enemy and all of his colleagues died. He said he had escaped thanks to Captain San… and besides, he never left us…?” Biyeon strongly pleaded. 

Ramondo looked at Biyeon with a sad expression.

“It is known that the savage organization to which he belongs has the strongest organizational power among the dark martial arts guilds. He is also well connected and has various methods to contact associates. Unfortunately, some of our security guards were injured by the people he brought with him. I’m sorry for your loss. However, there’s nothing you or I can do about it at this point. So, let’s settle this matter quietly. I won’t ask for compensation for my guards’ injuries and destruction of property.”

Biyeon bit her lips tightly and looked at San. San had no expression. He was just staring at Yekin with very apologetic eyes…

Yekin was confused. Yeria and Yesil were blue with concern. Yesil plopped on the ground. Count Essen’s fortune had just evaporated. Their dreams also evaporated with their goods... the remaining one-third of the goods left in the other warehouse was their food supply and equipment. Those wares probably possessed little to no value.

In his mind, Yekin pieced together all the events leading up to this moment one by one, even in the midst of the confusion.        

‘A person called Sedum suddenly appeared as a crew member as we journeyed…’

‘It was those two people who hired him…’

‘The two people had let Sedum guide the way to the city…’

‘That’s why we took a dangerous shortcut…’

‘It’s strange that we left the hotel as soon as we had arrived…’

The more he thought about it, the more Yekin got angry. Even though he wanted to deny it, all of his reasoning converged to only one conclusion. His sister, Yeria, her eyes red with sadness and anger, seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

‘In that short span of time, our valuable goods disappeared. Is this a coincidence?’

‘And… their sorrowful expressions right now…’

‘Are they exhibiting any willingness to get the goods back?’

‘In the end… were their evil intentions planned from the beginning…?’

‘The problem is… the problem is…’

Yeria bit her lips. Blood burst from the lips.

‘... that they’re not opponents we can handle…’

Yesil was already lying face down on the ground and crying. The crew was looking at her without knowing what to do.

The rain kept pouring down in the darkness.

Episode 2. Book 4: Choice – Chapter 4

News about the theft of Count Essen’s goods spread quickly. It was a theft that occurred in a prestigious hotel, not elsewhere, such as a normal market or store. In particular, the people’s curiosity was focused on the part played by a high-level Dark Guild Alliance official, Sedum.

Now, the people’s interest was moving to the Han-Sung Clan. They were the ones who wanted to negotiate with the Count’s people. They’d have to now negotiate with the Dark Guild Alliance. However, the relationship between Han-Sung Clan and Dark Guild Alliance was not very friendly. Depending on what the number one clan on the continent, the Han-Sung Clan, chose to do, there could be a great ripple effect of war across the continent.

Archon bones, leather, and internal organs were the favorite items of the Han-Sung Clan. They gathered the beast’s items like fanatics. Thus, selling the goods to the Han-Sung Clan would be the most advantageous. The sellers just had to name their price. Until now, Archon products had only been seen on the market once every few years. Most of these items were the lucky findings of dead Archon remains or the changing ownership of existing Archon material in circulation.

With this in mind, Count Essen’s product could be said to be the first ‘true’ product released in the last twenty years. The Han-Sung Clan would not have missed this opportunity.

However, many people wondered why the Han-Sung Clan was so obsessed with these items. The question was valid. The Han-Sung Clan was strong enough to overwhelm all competing clans with their swordsmanship alone. Even if their sword or armor was poor, they could still overwhelm their opponents with only their Han-Sung Clan martial skills. It was true that the performance of a weapon makes a large difference in combat power, but it wasn’t enough to invest as much as they had. From this point of view, their collection efforts could be regarded as a collection hobby of the rich Han-Sung Clan nobles, the foremost and richest warriors on the continent.

However, there was also speculation that this may be because Archon accessories, such as their bones and leather, may pose a fatal threat to the leaders of the clan. Regardless, Hanyoung, Hanjun, and Hanya could not hide their embarrassment and disappointment.

“We’ve been cleanly beaten. And to the Dark Guild Alliance no less… this is the worst.” Hanyoung muttered. He made a bitter expression as if he ate something wrong.