Chapter 168 – Sword Immortal’s New Seoul Adventures (3)

===================
Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
===================

Tae-ju received a call early in the morning.

It was a call from Deputy Director Mun Gyeong-sik of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.

– Chairman, we’ve found out where Daniel first departed from.

“Oh! Where is it?”

– Cairo in Egypt, a forward city for the Sahara-steppe demonic-beast concentration zone.

It was Africa.

And near a large demonic-beast concentration zone at that.

– For now, we’ve urgently dispatched overseas agents of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau to Cairo…, but a problem has arisen.

“What do you mean, a problem?”

– There were already European Imperial intelligence agents spread all over Cairo.

“Aha!”

The European government had not been sitting idle either.

Well, unless they were fools, they would have noticed that Vincent Moretti had something to do with the Moscow catastrophe.

Since after the explosion, that bastard had packed up and vanished somewhere.

‘They still haven’t found him.’

They must have made desperate efforts.

– Just a little while ago, the M-19 side of the European intelligence bureau also contacted us. They asked why agents of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau had come to Cairo,

It seemed they were curious about the evidence or clue held by the Samhan Imperial Intelligence Bureau, but there was no need to tell them.

“…Let’s keep Daniel’s existence hidden.”

– Yes, understood. We’ll investigate independently.

Tae-ju was also planning to go to Cairo.

‘Still, Sword Immortal…’

He should contact him.

So the moment he finished the call with Mun Gyeong-sik and was about to press the number of Sword Immortal saved in his contacts!

Jiiiing!

A call came just then.

Was it Sword Immortal?

‘Hm?’

No, it wasn’t.

‘Why is Yeon-hui calling?’

Tae-ju took Jeong Yeon-hui’s call.

And only after hearing the whole explanation did he say,

“…Haah, in the end he caused an incident.”

Well, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t expected something of the sort.

When Sword Immortal had said he was going sightseeing alone in New Seoul, he had prepared himself.

‘But why did he get caught by the police?’

With his abilities, even if the military were dispatched, he could toy with them however he liked; there was no way he could ever be restrained by the police alone.

Unless he had gone with them of his own accord.

‘…It might be because of me.’

Sword Immortal must have tried not to cause too large an incident if possible.

That must have been why Yeon-hui called her first,

instead of calling him directly.

‘This must be very awkward for him.’

His heart did not feel easy.

Honestly, this level of incident didn’t even count as an incident.

At minimum, no one had died.

‘I should broaden the scope of what he can do.’

At least within the Samhan Empire, he should be able to play freely without watching people’s reactions.

He too had to show consideration toward Sword Immortal.

So he picked up his smartphone and pressed a number.

* * *

Sword Immortal was dragged to the police station.

Thus another achievement had been obtained.

Wasn’t this too an experience he would never get again?

Every moment was truly spectacular.

What would he have done if he had not come to Earth?

He had saved a pitiful woman in danger.

And at the scene, he had also punished the scoundrels.

In the process, there had been excessive violence, and yes, those bastards had been carried to the hospital ICU and fallen into comas,

but now he had to choose.

Should he go to detention just like this?

Or should he get help and clear himself of suspicion?

If he went into detention,

[An immortal prisoner confined in an Earth police-station cell.]

And in addition.

[A Shawshank immortal who escaped from detention.]

He could attain two achievements at once.

This was the case he desired most.

But there was a problem.

If it were only him, he would have done exactly that without question, but the actress Lee Yun-mi whom he had saved was also dragged to the police station.

And on top of that, the situation flowed in a strange direction.

“Ms. Lee Yun-mi?”

“Yes.”

“Is your statement true?”

“How many times do I have to say it? Those bastards drugged me. And then the strength left my body and I was dragged away helplessly…”

“That’s strange.”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you perfectly fine? The testimonies of the officers dispatched to the scene were the same. They said it didn’t even look as though you’d been drinking.”

“Th-that…”

Because the drug effect had vanished completely.

Even she had no idea how it had happened.

Naturally, any excuse she made could only sound weak.

“Didn’t you deliberately approach Mr. Tsuchida?”

“What are you talking about? I’m an actress. Tsuchida was the one who first brought up sponsorship and forcibly…”

“Do you have evidence?”

“Pardon?”

“Exactly. You’re perfectly fine even now, and since you’re an actress, you could have acted as though you were under drugs.”

“…”

The actress Lee Yun-mi was the one under suspicion.

If he pretended not to know in this situation, what would happen to her?

And if the Immortal Realm immortals and the Yellow Springs Realm judges and grim reapers learned of this fact?

He would be faced with tremendous criticism.

He would probably be cursed for a long, long time.

Especially Yama and the judges and grim reapers of the Yellow Springs Realm wouldn’t even treat him as an immortal.

Because to them, Lee Yun-mi was a star actress.

‘Hmm, even so, I still can’t pass up an escape…’

Wasn’t this the best possible scenario?

So he was conflicted.

Should he pretend not to know, or…

But then,

bang!

“Who is the bastard that sent my son to the ICU!”

Led by a middle-aged man, a crowd of men in suits burst through the door of the police station.

“Who are you?”

Then the man in glasses stepped forward and said,

“This is Chairman Tsuchida Shohei of Fuji Construction, and I am the legal representative of Mr. Tsuchida Tomoya and Mr. Arai Kento.”

The police immediately tensed up.

Fuji Construction was a major conglomerate even in the Samhan Empire.

Since his son had been assaulted and sent to the ICU, it was only natural he would storm into the police station.

“Ah! Ch-Chairman, welcome.”

“How is the investigation going?”

“We are currently interrogating the suspect.”

“You’re not discriminating against us because we’re Japanese-affiliated, I trust?”

“Not at all! We will thoroughly uncover the truth.”

The lawyer intervened in the investigation tenaciously.

“Since this seems to be an awakened crime, have you properly placed the mana restraint cuffs on him?”

“Of course we have.”

“From the look of it, the circumstances are plain as day that this third-rate actress honey trap and this awakened are in cahoots. We absolutely will not let this pass, so handle it strictly.”

Sword Immortal’s eyes widened.

No, what a situation this was.

Wasn’t this flowing even more interestingly than an escape?

“Also, the victims are hovering between life and death at the hospital. Please investigate under the charge of attempted murder. And that no-name entertainer too, under conspiracy charges.”

Ahhh.

The conflict had reached its climax.

Sword Immortal realized.

That right now, since coming to Earth, was the greatest moment.

It was thrilling to an extreme degree.

He had not felt like this since acquiring the Harley bike in the Immortal Realm.

‘Heoheo, if only someone would film this situation for me.’

He needed evidence.

Because if he only told it in words, those suspicious immortals would never believe him.

So to the police officer dedicated to awakened cases,

“Is there CCTV here?”

“Why are you asking that? Shut up and answer. Name and resident registration number!”

“I already said it’s Dobin. As for the resident registration number, hmm…”

“Tell the truth! You’re a fraud, aren’t you? Why isn’t your name in the awakened database?”

“Well, that’s because…”

Because he wasn’t an awakened.

Because he was an immortal.

‘This is about the right point to bring the conclusion down.’

There was also the matter of actress Lee Yun-mi.

Sword Immortal raised his hand and said to the police,

“I’d like to call a lawyer too.”

“Ha! Like you even have that kind of ability?”

“At least give me the smartphone.”

Taking the smartphone from the police, he called the saved number and said,

“Yes, it’s me. I’ve run into an awkward situation. It’s at the police station…”

After explaining it in detail,

“That’s all?”

“That’s all there is. They said they’d send someone soon.”

The policeman smiled crookedly.

Send someone, my ass.

How did some bastard like him think he was going to handle Fuji Construction?

“Then let’s resume. Why did you approach Mr. Tsuchida?”

“I exercise my right to remain silent.”

“You little shit, are you still not getting it? Do you know who you touched? It’s Fuji Construction, you idiot.”

“Why should I care?”

“…Seriously.”

Time passed.

The interrogation continued, and he continued exercising his right to remain silent.

But Sword Immortal remained calm.

He even met the eyes of actress Lee Yun-mi, who was anxious, and signaled that she shouldn’t worry.

At that moment!

Bang!

The police-station door opened once again.

Ureureureu,

led by an elderly gentleman, men in black suits again entered the police station.

The police were startled.

When the Fuji Construction people first entered, they had needed to ask who they were.

They had heard the name of Chairman Tsuchida Shohei, but did not know his face well.

But the elderly gentleman who had just come in, they recognized immediately.

He was that famous.

“Huh?”

“Huhk!”

“…C-could it be?”

“Chairman! Wh-what brings you here?”

It was Jeong Uk-cheol, chairman of Baekdu Group.

It was understandable enough for Chairman Tsuchida Shohei, since he was the victim’s father, but why was Chairman Jeong Uk-cheol here?

There was no way anyone couldn’t be shocked.

The police, the Fuji Construction lawyers, actress Lee Yun-mi who was under questioning.

And,

“Wh-what brings you here, Ch-Chairman.”

Chairman Tsuchida Shohei of Fuji Construction asked with a stammer.

At that, Chairman Jeong Uk-cheol, with cold eyes,

“Tsk tsk, I’ve seen plenty of men who failed to control their sons and got wiped out in one blow. You’ll be like that soon too.”

“Wh-what?”

“Guard your company well. Though I don’t know whether you’ll be able to.”

Jeong Uk-cheol looked at his secretary and said,

“Secretary Jang.”

“Yes!”

“Tell Baekdu Investment Securities to begin short-selling Fuji Construction starting tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

Sword Immortal was brimming with excitement.

His hips automatically bounced.

To experience in reality such a typical story one would only see in novels or dramas, and moreover to be the protagonist himself.

‘And there’s an actress too.’

So he grinned at actress Lee Yun-mi, who looked dazed.

Her eyes turned glassy.

Sword Immortal’s chest swelled magnificently.

“Where is the person called Dobin here?”

Sword Immortal raised a hand.

“I am.”

Jeong Uk-cheol tilted his head.

Not only because of the casual speech.

“Hm? You are? You look completely different from what I heard from my granddaughter. I was clearly told you were older.”

“There were circumstances. Come closer here.”

“…”

Sword Immortal lowered his voice.

For the first time in a while, he revealed just a little of the immortal’s bearing he had kept hidden, directed only toward Jeong Uk-cheol.

At that, Jeong Uk-cheol’s body trembled.

Though the young man had spoken down to him, it did not feel strange at all.

When he told him to come closer, he had no choice but to obey.

“So you ate peaches.”

Jeong Uk-cheol jumped in shock.

Could what this man spoke of possibly mean ordinary peaches?

“…H-how?”

“You’ve encountered a lucky chance. A lucky chance that would be absolutely impossible for ordinary humans.”

“Uh-uh-uh,”

“You’ll likely live long beyond comparison to others. Without chronic illness as well. So you must live bearing Hero Tae-ju’s grace in your heart until the day you die.”

“Aaaah…”

Jeong Uk-cheol did not know what to do.

Now he understood why his granddaughter had told him to hurry over.

This man was a noble benefactor.

He was not someone who should be in a shabby place like this police station.

“I-I’ll escort you.”

“Good. Let’s go out first. That woman as well.”

“Please don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”

Sword Immortal straightened his shoulders.

Then he thrust his hands into his pockets in an arrogant pose and curved his lips into a crooked smile.

Because this was the very scene he’d been building up for all this time.

Everyone in the police station was trembling.

What in the world was this situation?

Had they chosen the wrong side?

The young man spoke openly in banmal, while Jeong Uk-cheol, far from getting angry, bowed his head and fawned.

Jeong Uk-cheol, the chairman of Samhan’s greatest conglomerate.

They were terrified of the consequences that would come.

Perhaps having heard the news, even the police chief came running breathlessly.

He didn’t even glance at Chairman Tsuchida of Fuji Construction.

“Ch-Chairman!”

He ran over in one go and bowed his head to Jeong Uk-cheol, but…

Bang!

The police-station door opened for the third time.

In truth, the real thing was separate.

“Who is the chief here?”

A white-haired man wearing a sword at his waist entered.

“Hiiik?”

“Eok!”

“Uaaah…”

“S-salute!!!”

It was Geum Su-ho, the court secretary of the Imperial Palace.

The moment he entered, he saw Jeong Uk-cheol and said,

“Hm? What brings you here?”

“…I got a call from my granddaughter.”

“Ah! I see. I came after receiving a call from Chairman Kim too. The person called Dobin here, who…”

“H-he’s over there.”

“Hm? He looks different from what I heard.”

Geum Su-ho looked at Sword Immortal and said,

“You must have suffered quite a bit. You needn’t worry now. Since I received Chairman Kim Tae-ju’s request…”

Sword Immortal looked at Geum Su-ho too.

‘Hooh,’

he was quite a strong one.

Of course, among humans.

So he beckoned Geum Su-ho with a hand.

“You come closer too.”

“What?”

At that moment!

Geum Su-ho felt it too.

‘Heo…’

His heart dropped.

It was an overwhelming dignity.

One could say their grade itself was different.

His Majesty the Emperor?

Compared to that man, he felt shabby.

He edged closer little by little.

“So you’ve eaten peaches too. Quite a lot, at that. And I smell Immortal Liquor on you as well.”

“…Th-that’s right.”

“Has the sword been useful? The Taeeul Divine Sword, I mean.”

“This sword, c-could it perhaps be?”

“It’s one of the swords I collected. It seems you received it from Hero Tae-ju. You can’t have simply gotten it for nothing, so it seems you’re rather well acknowledged by him.”

“I-I am helping him diligently.”

“Good. Please continue to look after him well.”

Geum Su-ho straightened up at attention.

He answered every question crisply, in the posture of standing at attention.

“Ah! It would be good if the CCTV footage here could be separately copied for me. I need it.”

“I will copy it for you at once. …Chief!”

“Yes, sir!”

“You heard him, right?”

“A-ah, understood.”

The chief moved quickly.

The police felt darkness before their eyes.

The same was true for Chairman Tsuchida Shohei of Fuji Construction.

‘Just who on earth is that man?’

Was he perhaps royalty?

Even when Chairman Jeong Uk-cheol had said to protect his company well because he was shorting it, Tsuchida had inwardly scoffed,

‘And now even Court Secretary Geum Su-ho and Chairman Kim Tae-ju?’

The company might really go under.

No, it felt like that was exactly what would happen.

* * *

In the Immortal Realm.

The immortals had lost motivation.

Nothing was fun no matter what they did.

Just thinking of that hateful Sword Immortal who would be rampaging over Earth as he pleased made them furious enough to go mad.

“Hero Tae-ju really needs to keep him under strict control so he can’t cause incidents.”

“That’s right! He should lock him up outright so he can’t go anywhere.”

“If left alone, Earth might be destroyed.”

Well, not that he would really destroy Earth,

but they did not say aloud that this was honestly just jealousy.

“He’ll see everything with his own eyes now. Even those skyscrapers rising high into the sky.”

“He’ll probably ride airplanes too.”

“I wish I could at least ride a subway. Tap a transit card for real.”

“I hear New Seoul has so many famous restaurants too.”

The more they thought about it, the more anger surged up.

“Could it be that he’ll even meet celebrities or actors?”

“Ei, how would those busy people…”

“Would celebrities really meet some old sword-squid like him!”

“Getting old is easy if you use rejuvenation.”

“Tsk tsk, even so, how can the original face go anywhere? He’d just become a young sword-squid.”

“That’s true.”

Backbiting him like this made them feel a little better.

Even if that country bumpkin from the Immortal Realm went to Earth, what could he do?

He’d be lucky if he didn’t get his nose cut off.