◈ Episode 497. The Noble Ones (2)

AAU Korea Branch.

“Uh-huh.”

The Branch Leader Park Minjae’s eyebrows twitched.

No, this is not the person to say something out of character.

What are you talking about?

Gaon Building has become their guild house?

“…… Are you making fun of the salaryman?”

Well, I did hear about it a while ago.

Gaon bought the entire 50-floor building.

They’ve nearly tripled in size with their Great Alliance.

An understandable expansion of power.

“Well, I’m jealous. It looks pretty grand from here.”

Park Minjae bluntly muttered to himself.

This time, the phone rang.

Park Minjae’s complexion changed dramatically before a few words were exchanged.

“Is that true, even a system message?!”

The guild house in the text was not an ordinary guild house.

That’s why I’m looking through the window right now.

It meant that that warm building was being equipped with Arcana’s system!

Even.

“The siege has begun. Wait, I’ll write it all down!”

Park Minjae was taking notes with a ballpoint pen.

Crash!

This time, the door to the branch manager’s office opened.

“What’s up, everyone?”

“Mr. branch leader, there’s an emergency update!”

“Emergency update? Mr. Cheolmin, wait a minute!”

Park Minjae clenched his fists as he read the update.

──────

Seoul, the land of anomalies, is coming to you.

From now on, Seoul will be covered in the colors of Arcana.

All guild systems will be active from now on…….

──────

There you go, Raymon Sean.

Only three lines later.

Park Minjae’s voice calmed down, regaining his composure.

“Mr. Cheolmin, I don’t know if you’re aware, but a few moments ago, an emergency update came through. It says that Seoul has been colored by Arcana, and all guild systems have been activated under its influence.”

-All guild systems……. That makes sense.

“That’s right, there are many guild branches in Seoul.”

If we only look at the qualifications of the analyst.

Nam Cheolmin can be counted on one hand in the whole world.

He knows how to pretend, and he knows how to tell a story.

-Since Seoul is ruled by the rules of the vast Arcana continent, it’s very cramped, which means there can’t be this many guild houses in one area.

Park Minjae nodded.

“This is a tricky thing.”

Under the Holy War Alliance, the guilds had managed to keep their own peace, but this emergency update seemed to blatantly encourage the disintegration of those guilds.

Even.

“It appears that players are not the only ones involved in this.”

Branch Leader Hotline.

The virtual conference room that would normally have been ringing dozens, maybe hundreds, of times was silent. The meaning of the words was simple. It meant that AAUs and countries around the world had complicated thoughts about the upheaval in Seoul.

“……Raymon Sean.”

I knew it wasn’t him. It wasn’t even a regular update, it was just the natural order of things, the influence of the Arcana continent permeating reality a little deeper.

But.

‘You seem to be enjoying yourself in your updates, you.’

Park Minjae scanned the update history with a sarcastic gaze.

Wait a minute…….

Suddenly, there was a line of patch history that caught his eye.

──────

From now on, all territory systems will be active.

──────

……Activation of all territory systems?

“Oh no.”

The repercussions were familiar. For there were lands in the real world where Arcana’s territorial system was still in effect. Frost, the Kingdom of Yusra, the Holy Land of Muon, and so on…….

Park Minjae frowned.

“Wait, does that mean our AAU is also……?”

Park’s guess was correct.

The information came from players on the outside.

Park looked at the smartphone his subordinate held out to him.

-Is it true?? I’m not seeing things, am I?

-I just walked into a convenience store and got an entry message?

-What the hell, does that mean convenience stores will sell items from now on?

-Ah, that’s not true;;;

-Will that mean there will be a lord in Seoul?

“……!”

A lord.

It was likely to be activated.

No, it was weird that it didn’t.

Suddenly, beads of sweat sprang from his pores.

An ominous image flashed through his mind.

‘……In Arcana, the word of a lord can change everything.’

A time when Arcana was just a game.

Why did players put their lives on the line for their territory?

Because being a lord gave them immense power. From taxes to punishments, to even calling in the troops. Because the words spoken by the lord soon became law in the territory.

‘If you become Lord of Seoul.’

Ten million Seoul citizens would be at the mercy of that player’s word. That would include us, the AAU Korea Branch. Nam Cheolmin, who had been listening to Park Minjae’s voice for a while, replied.

-You can imagine, can’t you, Mr. Park?

“……What, Mr. Cheolmin, did you also guess?”

-It was a surprise, but I was prepared.

Park was dumbfounded.

‘Should I be relieved? No, I don’t know yet.’

Nam Cheolmin.

I knew he was not an opportunistic person, but the situation was different. As the branch leader, Park Minjae remained vigilant. Even so, his next words made me gasp again.

-From the moment Seoul became a land of anomalies, we were worried. We discussed it together and came up with the only way to resolve the situation.

…….Gulp.

“Do you dare me to ask?”

Park Minjae swallowed hard, then answered.

“What, what?! He declared himself the owner of Seoul……!!”

A moment of panic.

They overheard Park Minjae’s words.

AAU employees whispering amongst themselves.

“Seo, he’s the owner of Seoul?”

“Who, Nam Cheolmin, or his brother Nam Taemin?”

“No, I don’t feel comfortable entrusting him with our lives……!”

Park Minjae calmed down and covered his mouth with his hand.

‘……I see.’

The sweat that had covered his spine cooled down.

His arm, which was not bent even for Nam Cheolmin, was bent properly.

At this moment, Park Minjae was relieved.

What I can think of at this point.

It was thanks to facing the best way.

After catching his breath, Park Minjae opened his mouth.

“Owner of Seoul, we will also participate in that plan.”

*

Following strict protocol.

Only after I had finished mourning for Yugweed could I slowly retrace the cause of the situation. Well, I suppose I can break a time commitment, depending on the circumstances.

‘But, it’s a bit strange that everyone is not attending.’

Surely, something must have happened.

That’s what I was thinking, and then I remembered that I was on a quest for anomaly……. So I checked my phone. And there it was. Dozens of messages, and a fresh batch of emergency updates.

I blurted out my thoughts.

“The colors of the Arcana continent.”

Indeed, the brains of the Great Alliance.

Things are going as Nam Cheolmin had predicted, but I didn’t expect it to be this full-blown. I turned to the men guarding the memorial.

“Yugweed, I finally understand how you felt.”

Grandfell style of speaking becomes more difficult day by day.

If only.

I wonder if even Marcelo was scratching his head because he couldn’t understand it right away.

Of course, there was no explanation.

I added, again in Grandfell’s style.

“The Magic Tower will no longer have to stand alone in solitude.”

“……!”

Marcelo’s eyes lit up.

“Seoul. Something has changed in this city of adventurers, sir.”

……How do you understand this, Marcelo?

I, Grandfell had concluded arbitrarily.

Because the Magic Tower of the Arcana Continent, standing alone in reality, looked lonely. For such a Magic Tower, Yugweed overlaid the colors of the Arcana Continent onto reality.

If you wear it on your ears, it is called an earring, and if you wear it on your nose, it is called a nose ring.

It was a rough interpretation, but it fit together…….

I replied shamelessly.

“Yes.”

Anyway, thanks, Marcelo.

I turned to Marcelo, the senior mages, and the Holy War Alliance troops from the Arcana continent and declared.

“This land, Seoul, is under the rule of Arcana.”

“……!!!”

“That is.”

I summarized the point in a single line.

“It means that whoever owns Seoul owns everything in it.”

Now, let’s see what you got there, Hoyeol.

‘Let it out.’

I, Lee Hoyeol, have just made the most brazen declaration that I will be the master of Seoul……! I, Lee Hoyeol. In a situation like this, I rationalize as much as I can.

‘……I don’t really want to admit it, either.’

There’s no one else I’d trust with Seoul but Grandfell. I had trusted allies like Marcelo and Harkon, but that was on the Arcana continent.

Seoul is literally another world.

“You seemed to notice when I told you yesterday.

It’s different from yesterday when I said it in front of my parents, my sister, and Nam’s sibling. Now, all the big names in the Arcana continent are waiting for my lips to fall.

Maybe that’s why.

I’m going to rearrange my clothes.

I will refine it again.

I take a final breath…….

“Forgive me, sir.”

……Eh?

‘I haven’t said anything yet.’

Suddenly, Marcelo bows his head.

He’s even interpreting my Grandfell-style speech.

I wonder if he knows what I’m going to say now.

Maybe that’s why he rejected me early.

No matter how you slice it, I’m sure you’ve crossed the line as far as the owner of Seoul is concerned……?

This was the moment when Lee Hoyeol’s ax soldier was defeated.

“Our weakness forces us to rely on you.”

……What, was it something like that?

‘I was thinking completely wrong.’

Yes, you were.

I’d gotten lucky, but everyone had guessed. They bowed to me, including Marcelo. I didn’t hesitate to turn to them and say

“Your current weakness is not a problem.”

“……?”

“What matters is the right pride to move forward.”

Why do you have bones in your words, Grandfell? Everyone has their reasons, but they’re all addressed to those who didn’t attend Yugweed’s funeral. I muttered to myself.

‘Please, let’s do it in moderation, Grandfell.’

As Nam’s sibling said.

Player cooperation is important!

I must have pouted firmly at Grandfell.

I was trying to make amends.

“I’m sorry!”

A large silhouette enters with a booming voice.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

Nam Taemin.

And Hisagi, and Leonie.

It was the Great Alliance.

The three Guild Masters of the Great Alliance were dressed in matching black outfits and had even finished laying flowers for Yugweed. As I watched them, the content of the text message flashed through my mind.

‘…… Didn’t I tell you that the competitive quest has started?’

I thought I saw a text from Nam Cheolmin saying that he was trapped in the guild house due to the start of the siege……? By the way, our Grandfell seemed to have grown up a bit.

“It must not have been an easy road.”

I thought I’d greet them warmly.

But who cares about the time of the appointment?

What matters is that you’re mourning Yugweed.

Nam Taemin replied coolly.

“It wasn’t easy, to be honest, Chief Commander.”

When you see Nam Taemin saying things like this, there must be something there. I listened to him in silence. And soon, I was inwardly shocked……!

‘No, not even close.’

Guild House.

So, that magnificent Gaon Building.

You came here with the intention of giving that up……?!

‘Even the real guild members came.’

The guild house was literally empty.

And what if the other guilds try to break into the building?

Why, just the Bohemian Guild, the one closest to the Gaon Building.

They were a force to be reckoned with.

‘The price of land in Seoul is high.’

Elder Mage Yugweed.

This, I think.

You’re about to receive the world’s most expensive condolence payment……?

‘Anyway, if you were just a little less strict with your time commitment.’

This was the moment I felt unnecessarily guilty.

Apparently, this wasn’t the end of the story.

Or, more accurately, it was just the beginning.

“Excuse me.”

Does this mean that even tigers appear when they say something?

And then, it appeared.

Guildmaster Guyver of the Bohemian.

Following in his footsteps.

One by one, the guild masters of the top-ranked guilds that had opened branches in Seoul appeared in the Magic Tower. Jesse Heinness and other named players were not left out.

The meaning was simple.

Guildmasters with branches in Seoul.

All of them had come to the Magic Tower with the intention of giving up their guild houses.

Competitive quests.

The siege hadn’t even begun.

“I see you again, Mr. Guyver.”

“Who cares what to say, Hisagi.”

“Both of you stop holding your asses and say hello properly.”

As an added bonus, they were able to check each other’s pride.

“Are you watching, Elder Mage Yugweed?”

Grandfell’s appraisal falls from my lips.

“Quite a sight, indeed.”

*

Camilla says through the closed door.

“Well, then, I’ll go to the Magic Tower myself. Lox.”

“I’m sorry, please do me a favor.”

“Eung.”

And with that.

It’s already been four days.

Camilla couldn’t look at Lox’s face again today.

.

.

.

[※Warning: mental strength is too low.]