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141
“…Am I actually allowed to be here?”
“I didn’t expect us to meet face to face like this.”
A tavern they had moved to at Hanbit’s request.
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde, seated at the table, looked at Luna across from them.
That this was an unbelievable situation was evident from the chat itself.
-Is this real?
-So Black Dragon-level is what it takes to talk to Luna;
-I heard Luna is pretty prickly.
-I saw her shoot down a vanguard to their face. Lol.
-Nowaki? That was someone hitting on her and getting shot down.
-A chaebol heiress has no patience for that.
-Go look at her pictures. She’s genuinely celebrity-tier.
-Chaebol + stunning looks + vanguard.
-Black Dragon, go confess.
-Currently in a mentally weakened state, not possible.
The viewers poured out everything they knew.
The combination of chaebol heiress, looks, and vanguard was bound to draw public interest.
“Hmm.”
Luna’s gaze was fixed solely on Black Dragon across from her.
Having read his expression, she smiled and asked:
“You seem to have no immunity to fan clubs at all?”
“……I have some bad memories.”
Taking a deep breath, Hanbit tried to erase the placard crowd from his mind.
Support or praise directed at himself — that was neither here nor there.
But when that was put into ‘action,’ it was difficult to predict what kind of bizarre things might happen.
‘I really don’t want to even think about it.’
In the past, Hanbit had possessed a king of a small, weak nation called Edipenov at the far northeastern edge of the continent.
Total population — 20,000 people.
Of those, 2,000 held occupations dedicated to worshipping and praising the king.
What would it feel like if earth-shaking music played with every single step?
What would it feel like if the remark ‘The sun is bright’ moved retainers to tears?
What would it feel like if 2,000 people sent their personally envisioned hymns, festival plans, titles, and dedications all day long?
What would it feel like if every citizen had matching clothes bearing his face?
What would it feel like if statues carved in his naked likeness were erected across the nation?
Hanbit had absolutely no wish to experience those feelings again.
“Just what in the world happened to you?”
“To think Black Dragon-nim would reach this kind of state…….”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde, watching from beside him, checked Hanbit’s condition again.
Because he genuinely looked completely deflated.
-So there was a dark history;
-Living up to the name.
-But what are those people even?
-Feels like unofficial merch vibes.
-Black Dragon and the Guardians of Truth (Black Dragon is unaware).
-Unofficial fan club. Lol.
The viewers too began to wonder about the identity of the people with placards.
Hanbit, massaging his brow, looked at Avantgarde and asked:
“You said there were people who research the truths of RP, didn’t you? What kind of vibe was it?”
“People who have questions about Adventurer A’s guidebook, like me, or who are trying to interpret the world of RP itself. There are apparently social adult groups and university clubs as well.”
“……Sincere people.”
Taking interest in this world was not wrong at all.
The meaning behind cheering with placards was probably genuinely asking to be shown the truth of the RP world.
‘This is maddening.’
No ill intent, so there was nothing one could really be angry about.
Should he ask them to remove the word Black Dragon from the group name?
No — that might end up making their enthusiasm burn even hotter.
“Ha.”
A deep sigh escaped at the answer-less situation.
Watching that, Luna tapped the table and said:
“You’d better get used to it.”
“Pardon?”
“As you know, people’s attention takes many forms. A fan club is an unusual case, but.”
She added that she had experienced similar situations herself.
The daughter of a well-known major corporation chairman, and a vanguard overflowing with talent.
Characteristics with as much potential for popularity as they draw interest.
“How did you deal with it?”
“I froze the fan club president until they disbanded.”
“……?”
-Ooh;
-Undeniably tier 1 ice sword wielder.
-How are you going to beat a chaebol vanguard. Lol.
-Want a taste of the legal team?
-Social death.
A more refreshingly direct resolution than expected.
The viewers keep bringing up the chaebol — but the source of Luna’s confidence was different.
Abundant talent and certainty in herself, one might say.
“That method could work too.”
“Right? If something bothers you, just go for it.”
Luna said, stretching.
Words that weren’t empty — sincere advice.
‘Phew.’
In the middle of the conversation, Hanbit’s headache-inducing thoughts gradually faded.
As Luna said, doing as the heart moves was probably the best approach.
Clearing his mind of the worry, Hanbit quickly organized his thoughts.
“I apologize for showing such a state. I’ve taken your time needlessly.”
“That’s not a common situation, is it? It was fresh — I liked it.”
She smiled and shifted her gaze to the inside of the tavern.
Then she looked back at Hanbit and said:
“Then shall I hear your reason for reaching out? It seemed like you had something you wanted to ask.”
“Ah, just a moment. I’ll mute the viewers for a bit.”
-?
-Oh, why;
-Don’t abandon us.
-T_T
Hanbit, turning away from the chat that had become noisy, cut the broadcast audio.
And immediately got to the point.
“It’s a bit sudden, but I reached out because I had a question about Belmora.”
“Belmora — the starting city?”
“Yes. I’m looking to sell the episode walkthrough for that city.”
“Ah.”
Even with just a brief exchange, Luna grasped the situation in broad strokes.
Because the reason for coming to her — a vanguard — was clearly visible.
“What would you like to know? Transaction partners? Or price?”
“I’d be grateful if you could give your opinion on both.”
“One moment.”
She moved her hands and operated the system.
Astra — a community that only some vanguards were invited to.
Because quite good-quality information could be obtained there.
“Belmora’s atmosphere is a little ambiguous.”
After a short time, Luna began.
“Ambiguous?”
“The episode reset has appeared, hasn’t it? Because of that, it seems most companies that had been concentrating their efforts on starting in Belmora have also revised their strategy toward Edelen.”
“…Ah.”
The brief explanation was sufficient to understand.
The episode walkthroughs, hidden skill information and the rest of what Hanbit had been unveiling up to now had all begun with Edelen as the starting point.
Any businessperson who had been watching these moves would have no choice but to be tempted.
“So would it be difficult to sell?”
“Anything that’s Black Dragon’s information, anyone would want to buy. But there would be additional demands. Things like how good the information is compared to Edelen, or whether there’s additional Raven Kingdom-side information to be provided.”
Luna added practical advice as she explained the situation.
Listening to the account, Hanbit asked her:
“If all those additional conditions were not good — how much would it come out to?”
“In that case, they’d be offering the price of not cutting ties with you. There would probably be many places like me offering nine-figure sums, but ultimately it would get a bit troublesome. Because what those people bought wouldn’t be information — it would be a relationship with Black Dragon-nim.”
Luna, adding a warning that it would be completely different from when she had been an individual.
Certainly, once it became a corporate transaction, what one was bound to would tighten.
“Thank you. I’ll need to give this some thought.”
Having had no intention of putting on shackles, Hanbit moved to quickly settle his thinking.
But then.
“Ah, there’s one thing I haven’t mentioned.”
Luna suddenly got up from her seat and said.
“Yes?”
“The conversation until just now was from a general perspective. Meaning there are exceptions.”
“What do you mean by——”
Hanbit made a puzzled expression at the somehow strange words.
In the meantime, Luna began moving her feet with a smile.
Crunch—
Where she strode over was a table in the corner of the tavern.
Standing before it, she suddenly grabbed someone’s arm.
“Oh!”
The woman seated there startled in shock.
A wide-brimmed wizard hat on her head.
The face was covered, but the identity was quickly revealed.
“Did you think you wouldn’t be spotted?”
“Ah…….”
The woman whose name was called slowly raised her head.
Seeing that sight, Hanbit immediately recalled the memory.
“…Raphina?”
-Oh?
-Isn’t that Raphina?
-??
-Why is she there?
-Please turn the audio back on.
The chat with viewers recognizing the face quickly poured in.
“Oh?”
“Raphina is…… isn’t she the spirit user vanguard?”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde also widened their eyes.
The situation was that strange.
“L, Luna! Hold on!”
Raphina, held by Luna’s hand, was dragged to the table.
Two vanguards sitting across before anyone noticed.
After briefly organizing his thoughts, Hanbit asked with genuine curiosity:
“You are the spirit user vanguard, correct? But why are you here?”
“Ah…….”
Raphina, having been asked, subtly averted her eyes.
A completely different feeling from the first time they had seen her in Edelen.
The mature, warmly smiling appearance toward the people around her was nowhere to be seen.
Luna, reading Hanbit’s reaction, asked:
“You’ve seen her somewhere?”
“I saw her once in Edelen. From a distance though.”
“She’s very different from when she’s doing external activities, isn’t she? But this is the real one.”
Luna poked Raphina’s face with a finger.
She, hat pulled down low, was simply taking it.
Watching that with curiosity, Hanbit asked again:
“But why are you actually here?”
“This one’s a fan of Black Dragon-nim. She said something like ‘so admirable and enviable as a spirit user’?”
“How could you say that!”
A startled Raphina hastily reached to cover Luna’s mouth.
Only after hearing that story did Hanbit fully understand.
‘She was stuck at rank 3, wasn’t she.’
Raphina — vanguard in the 4,000s.
Even she had been stuck at rank 3 Heroic grade for spirit skills.
Even if the direction was a little unusual, the difference from Hanbit, who had reached rank 5 Epic, was considerable.
“You said you had contracted with two attributes of lower spirits, didn’t you?”
“Ah… yes. Water and wind.”
“And proficiency? I believe I heard you hadn’t been able to fill it yet.”
“It’s been over ten months…….”
Raphina’s voice as she answered gradually grew dejected.
But it wasn’t a problem that could be solved by pouring in more time.
“Shall I help a little?”
“What? Really?”
Her head snapping up, eyes sparkling.
Seeing that reaction, Hanbit immediately put a condition on the table.
“It’s not for free, of course. Luna — she is the exception you mentioned earlier, isn’t she?”
“More precisely, it would be Raphina’s company, Vestige, that would need the information. It’s a place that’s been steadily putting its effort into Belmora from the very beginning. Right?”
“Yeah. The CEO is firm about it.”
Raphina nodded in agreement.
A company that had been focused on Belmora from the start — surely they would offer a reasonable price.
“I intend to sell the episode walkthrough for Belmora. Would you be able to check with the company once?”
“……One moment.”
Raphina sent a message through the system to her company.
The reply came back in under a minute.
“Ah.”
Looking at the contents, Raphina’s expression became a little more troubled.
Then she shifted her eyes to Hanbit and said:
“The CEO is asking if you could meet in person……”
