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The Shire (2)
The Black Wizard Johan continued the story. He informed Kim Bongpal and Lee Kang-chul about quite a lot.
“To summarize what Johan said, this is it. The existing forces within the Shire can be broadly divided into three categories.”
A group of people came from Moorim, then those from Lupaine, like Johan himself.
“And those can be classified as human beings like us.”
If that was all, the Shire would have been a little more familiar to the people of Earth. However, unlike Earth, the Shire wasn’t entirely ruled by humans, and inhuman races had crossed over from Moorim and Lupaine.
That was pretty surprising. The fact that, in addition to simple monsters, many different races from the stories of legend and myth on Earth existed in the Shire. Moreover, even the monsters that Earth’s humans thought they knew to some extent had some differences from what these people knew.
“Hahaha! You defeated the Dragon Lord? You guys?”
Here’s what Johan said:
Here in the Shire – people from other worlds and Earth also called it the Shire – there was a being called the Dragon Lord. However, the one humans referred to as the Dragon Lord might be a different being.
“Mr. Lee Kang-chul. You said you’re one of the strongest among the people of the Earth, right? Yes. I’m sure Mr. Lee Kang Chul is considered a strong person here in the Shire. But the Dragon Lord…it’s different, and it’s a different existence.”
Johan also added that he didn’t underestimate Earth’s power.
But what kind of existence was the Dragon Lord?
“The Dragon Lord is a monster we cannot stand against even if dozens of people like us gathered.”
If it had been the real Dragon Lord that appeared on Earth, the human race wouldn’t have survived.
“Well. Perhaps the sub-dragon species monster on Earth was not the Dragon Lord, but one of the Dragon Lord’s subordinates.”
Lee Kang-chul frowned at the remark. Kim Bongpal didn’t know how terrible the Dragon Lord was, but he had participated directly in it. Therefore, Lee Kang-chul had no choice but to show such a reaction. A lot of blood was shed, and many sacrifices were made.
But the monster that caused such damage was only one of the real Dragon Lord’s subordinates?
“That’s quite….”
Lee Kang-chul glanced to Kim Bongpal next to him. He had to borrow one of Kim Bongpal’s favorite words this time.
“…a fucking thing to say.”
Anyway. Johan generously provided information on the geographical features near Earth’s outpost.
“If you go northeast from here for about 90 days at the pace of an average adult man, you will find Dreimoor. It is a free city established by the Black Wizard group I belong to and the Blood Mages of Moorim.”
Johan murmured and waved his hand once. Then his mana circled around according to his will and drew a map in the air.
It was quite a surprise. Even Kim Bongpal and Lee Kang-chul, who reached the level of being able to freely manipulate their mana, couldn’t manage such a thing. Even if Kim Bongpal was several times stronger than he was now, he wouldn’t be able to embroider a map in the air with his mana.
There seemed to be a fundamental difference in the way Johan handled mana from that of Earthlings.
“To explain it roughly by drawing a map, the Evil Alliance is located around here. And beyond that, there’s the Celestial Demon Cult.”
Johan continued on and on. Starting with nearby cities and, most importantly, the locations of the Evil Alliance and Celestial Demon Cult that were presumed to have kidnapped the Earth’s hunters, including Seo Hayeon.
Kim Bongpal engraved the directions in his head and looked at Johan.
It was actually quite strange. For Kim Bongpal and other people on Earth, information was one of the most valuable resources. Johan must know it, too. So why was he giving it out? Could he trust that information? Why was Johan so kind to the Earthlings?
Kim Bongpal didn’t turn a blind eye to the doubts that naturally arose. No matter how unbiased he was, there was a disparity between the words favorable and Black Wizard. Of course, everything could just be Kim Bongpal’s fears.
Who knew? Maybe Black Wizards were a bunch of good-natured people. However, Kim Bongpal didn’t free his doubts.
“Well. That’s it, Mr. Kim Bongpal.”
Moreover, Johan was strangely friendly. Today was clearly the first time they met each other, but he seemed to care more about Kim Bongpal than Lee Kang-chul. Like he wanted to buy favor. And it was then.
“Well, by the way….”
Johan cautiously spoke.
“I don’t know how this would sound by Earthling standards, but…uhm, Mr. Kim Bongpal.”
He paused.
“…May I try stroking your body?”
Johan looked as if he had encountered something ecstatic. Moreover, the way he spoke was so polite.
“Ah! To be precise, I want to examine it through my tactile organs and mana.”
“…”
“…”
Kim Bongpal’s mind went briefly blank. Was this bastard seriously asking, or was he picking a fight?
* * *
There was a moment of silence. Looking at Kim Bongpal, who didn’t hide his irritation, and Lee Kang-chul, who looked perplexed, Johan realized he had made a mistake.
“Oh! It doesn’t mean anything strange. I really, purely want to look at Mr. Kim Bongpal’s body. That’s how amazing your body is.”
It was understandable until that point. Interpretation magic, or whatever it was, didn’t seem to interpret everything completely. However, Kim Bongpal was still looking at Johan with irritation, and he wasn’t trying to hide his annoyance.
“Hey, Corpse Wiper.”
“Yes? Dressing a corpse for burial? Haha, that kind of thing is more a priest’s domain.” (T/N. The interpretation magic interprets Bongpal’s mockery of the act of wiping a body during the funeral before the burial.)
“Seems like that fucking magic isn’t all-powerful? Seeing how you understand what bullshit it is.”
“Yes? Hmmm. It’s a little weird. Unlike Mr. Lee Kang-chul, it’s hard to understand Mr. Kim Bongpal’s words….”
“Never mind.”
It was partly because of Johan’s words that caused a misinterpretation. Still, there was something else that touched Kim Bongpal’s nerves. Johan, or to be precise, his mana.
“Aren’t you going to get rid of this crude mana?”
He was trying to scan Kim Bongpal with his mana while pretending not to. Of course, Johan’s intentions were unsuccessful, and Kim Bongpal raised his force and blocked it before the mana could come near.
“Oh!”
Johan opened his eyes wide and looked surprised. Then he chuckled.
“As expected, you’re amazing. I can’t believe you noticed that.”
“It’s too obvious. Who wouldn’t know?”
“Haha. No one knew, though?”
Johan muttered like that and showed his palms. Mana was swirling in his hands. However, it was different from when he drew the map earlier. Johan’s mana was spinning across his hands with a subtle flow.
“You guys. Yes, Earthlings, and Earthlings are a bit peculiar, and at least by our standards.”
Saying so, Johan waved his hand once.
“Mana. That’s what we called it. Well, the other side called it Qigong. Anyway, you Earthlings are very unique, and you deal with mana, but you don’t know what mana is.”
The mana that floated on Johan’s hand was now circling around him. Soon, it headed to the sky. Kim Bongpal’s gaze moved along with it.
“I met a total of 41 Earthlings here, and four of them have died, so now it’s 37. Of those 37, 28 had enough mana to be called S-Class. And I scanned all 28 of them, just like I did to you.”
A strange atmosphere settled around Johan.
“But, do you know how many of them noticed my mana? There was only one person. Mr. Lee Kang-chul, who is right here. He didn’t even notice when he returned to his human form. But Mr. Kim Bongpal, you noticed it even before I tried!”
Well, Kim Bongpal had such a doubt. Even if it was mana that he couldn’t feel clearly, he could certainly feel that it was scanning him. However, Johan’s words seemed true, especially since Lee Kang-chul didn’t deny it.
Johan bowed his head.
“Anyway, about that…it’s obviously my fault, and I apologize.”
That attitude was beyond polite and even approached servile. However, that didn’t convince Kim Bongpal. Even if it was just an attempt, a peek was still a peek. It was rude to secretly unleash your mana to scan others, even if you weren’t human. In other words, in a way, this current situation was one where Kim Bongpal could be angry.
Kim Bongpal gradually boosted his mana. He wasn’t sure how strong Johan was, but Kim Bongpal wasn’t a man who gave up his temper because of his opponent’s strength.
It was then.
“I’ll give you this as an apology.”
Johan took something out of a pocket and handed it to Kim Bongpal. It was a small box, and Johan opened the box to reveal a small vial placed inside.
“This is an elixir. It’s a pretty valuable potion over in my world.”
What the fuck.
“Does it increase your mana if you drink it?”
“Oh! How did you know? What an amazing insight!”
He was actually just guessing. Kim Bongpal spat out a small curse inwardly.
“If you are reluctant to take it, it would be a good option to sell it in the city you will visit later. They’ll probably pay you a reasonable price. And I’ll give you one more token to apologize for my rudeness.”
“What?”
“This is the proof of my identity at Dreimoor. If you are planning to go to the territory of Evil Alliance or Celestial Demon Cult, you’ll have no choice but to go through Dreimoor. It will probably be of great help.”
Johan’s token was a useless dark ornament.
“I swear by my mana again this time. These two things come from a heart of pure kindness, with no other intentions.”
Once again, a stream of mana swirled around Johan and disappeared.
Whatever the value of these two items, it wasn’t a loss for Kim Bongpal. Besides, he could figure out one thing after a brief clash. His own body…there was something wrong with it.
“Well, if you change your mind, feel free to let me know. It’s a must! Please!”
There must be if a Black Wizard from another world kept asking him to examine his body.
“Hmm. Mr. Johan. What the hell is this friend’s body like…?”
“Well. Mr. Kim Bongpal’s body is special. From the outside, I don’t know for sure… Something is different. I don’t know exactly either. I thought I’d seen a lot of races so far, but it seems special. I guess that’s why I was too hasty.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Ah…how should I explain it? Right. If I met Mr. Kim Bongpal without meeting the Earthlings first, I might have mistaken the entire Earth for a place where Inhuman races, not humans, live.”
Johan looked at Lee Kang-chul and Kim Bongpal before continuing.
“The body of a Dragonian. That was certainly surprising, but it wasn’t without precedent. It’s a legend, but it’s still a legend of people who existed. I’ve seen a couple of people dealing with the bodies of Dragonians. But Mr. Kim Bongpal’s body….”
Saying so, Johan fixed his gaze on Kim Bongpal again. It was more cautious than the previous gaze, yet still polite. Was this what a collector looked like in front of the collection he had searched for all his life?
“I will say it again. Mr. Kim Bongpal, you are…special. Very special.”
As he said that, a sharp light flashed in Johan’s eyes.