Chapter 185 Earthlings of Another World (2)

Episode 185 Earthlings of Another World (2)

The next day after arriving in Rohan,

As soon as Hesperon regained consciousness, the four-member hero party gathered in his hospital room, including the princess, for a conversation.

After all, their ultimate goal was to defeat Immortal King Hans, wasn’t it?

And there were those who had been captured and then escaped from his base, so it was a necessary process, even just for information gathering.

Of course, the fact that three out of the six people gathered here were actually the same person was something the others didn’t know.

“…And so, we were able to barely escape from there. Nothing much happened after that. We were heading south through a land teeming with monsters, and then you saved us from the Griffin.”

Even though Hesperon had regained consciousness, he was still a patient, so Riley volunteered to explain the situation.

He was leaning against the bed and was only going to add something when necessary, but there was no need for him to say anything because her explanation was clear and concise.

“Hmm, the Immortal Fortress. I already knew that the Immortal King had a base in the Northern Mountains, but no one had actually seen it because it’s located in such a dangerous area…”

Heinrich, who had been listening to the story with a serious expression, closed his eyes tightly, as if picturing the scene in his mind, and continued after she finished.

“Thank you for the valuable information. It’ll be a great help in facing the Immortal King.”

And Isea, who had already heard it and roughly knew, and Geos, who was leaning against the wall, hugging his spear, also had serious expressions.

Only Harley, who was dozing off, was carefree.

“…But I have a question.”

But at that moment, Geos spoke, his eyes gleaming.

Unlike his usual quiet self, he was being very active now that the topic of the Immortal King had come up.

“It seems like you haven’t clearly explained how you were able to escape from the Immortal King’s castle. The method that allowed you to escape despite Banshee Queen Olivia’s interference.”

“I already said that it was possible thanks to Hesperon’s special ability…”

“No, Princess. This isn’t something we can just gloss over. A means to neutralize the security that the Immortal King must have painstakingly prepared. This is something we have to discuss, even for the future.”

Geos Calkin spoke fluently, unlike his usual self.

Heinrich and Isea, who were seeing him talk this much for the first time, and even Harley, who had woken up, stared at him blankly with wide eyes.

“If it’s a special ability, how was it special enough to make it possible? Could it be that a specific condition for activating the ability was the key? Or is there no way to apply it to other techniques?”

He paused for a moment and then shifted his gaze from Riley to Hesperon, who was leaning against the bed.

His eyes, devoid of their usual gloom, were burning intensely.

“Don’t forget. Our opponent is Immortal King Hans. The Hans who destroyed the Rohan Duchy we’re currently in and massacred countless people on the continent. This isn’t the time to be picky about the means we use.”

“…Hmm.”

Riley couldn’t retort and just groaned.

He was a bit aggressive, but he was right.

It was an argument that would normally receive support and agreement from those around him.

The only unfortunate thing was that he was the only outsider here who didn’t know anything.

‘No, wait? This is actually a good opportunity.’

To think he was asking him to reveal his secret technique for the greater good… It was something he could apply to himself!

This incident was a good opportunity for him, who had been coveting his technique.

“Well, it’s not something I need to hide.”

After quickly making a decision,

Hesperon, who was receiving his gaze, spoke nonchalantly.

“Actually, I don’t know much about this ability. It hasn’t even been two months since I obtained it.”

“What… You’re saying you were captured by the Immortal King right after you went to the Northern Mountains after obtaining that ability?”

“Ah, I didn’t go there on my own. I just happened to land there. I’m an otherworlder from another world!”

“…Otherworlder?”

Geos made a dubious expression at his sudden coming out.

Isea also flinched slightly, but she just stared at him without changing her expression.

“And I obtained the ability in the process… so I don’t really have anything to say.”

He shrugged lightly, finishing his sentence.

Actually, Hesperon had been planning to go with this route from the beginning, so it wasn’t really a big secret.

He wasn’t planning to go around bragging about it, but he wasn’t going to try to hide it either.

‘It’s also a bit of bait.’

And he wanted to see Geos’s reaction, and he had been tilting his head in thought ever since he heard the word ‘otherworlder’.

“Sir Geos? Let’s move on from that issue. It’s meaningless to hear about the complicated details now.”

“Ah! …I understand, Saint. I guess I need more time to understand that kind of ability.”

“It would be better to leave it to Lady Isea, the Archmage. She probably knows more than us.”

“Indeed. I was too impatient.”

And so, Geos, who had been fired up, calmed down at Heinrich’s intervention, and the lengthy conversation finally came to an end.

“The conversation went on longer than expected. I’ll be going to the garrison for a while. You can rest comfortably today, as there’s nothing else scheduled.”

“Hahaha! I’m going to go hunting in the vicinity! I was getting restless, so this is perfect!”

The group members left one by one to take care of their own business.

But not everyone left.

Immediately after Riley cautiously left the room, subtly gauging the situation…

“Hesperon? Are you free for a moment? I’d like to talk to you.”

Isea, who had stayed until the end, looked at him with narrowed eyes and quietly smiled.

____________________

World Returnee Association Headquarters, located in the United States.

Click— Click!

“Whew, finally done. Ugh!”

The man, who had finished uploading the newly added information, stretched his stiff body and then slumped down.

“Ugh— This work never ends.”

He was a member of the Returnee Association’s ‘Otherworld Situation Analysis Team’, and his main task was to gather information from various places and update the status of each dimension.

It might seem like a thankless job, but it was actually a very popular service.

It provided advance information about other worlds to those who hadn’t awakened yet, increasing their survival rate, and it acted like news for returnees, allowing them to indirectly access information about the worlds they came from.

Actually, even if ordinary people awakened, they wouldn’t know which dimension they would be transferred to until the transfer, so the probability of obtaining useful information from the data of over hundreds of dimensions wasn’t that high.

But it was still better to know something than to be dropped into another world without knowing anything, wasn’t it?

‘If they happen to be transferred to a world they’re interested in, they can significantly reduce their adaptation period and increase their survival rate.’

The effect was clearly shown by the recent increase in the return rate.

‘Of course, from a worker’s perspective, it’s a bit troublesome because the changes are too frequent due to the time difference.’

And since the headquarters had to gather information from branches all over the world and even cross-check them, there were many cases where information that had been verified and organized was immediately discarded.

And another annoying thing was that it was difficult to verify the authenticity of information for dimensions that hadn’t been observed for long.

False information couldn’t be mixed in because the information compiled here was spread worldwide, so they had to thoroughly check it.

But it was inevitably difficult to verify information for dimensions where they lacked information and acquaintances.

‘But this dimension is a bit better in that regard.’

He quietly nodded, re-examining the information he had just uploaded.

-New) Auterica Dimension.

There weren’t many returnees from this place either, but it was a case where the verification process went quickly because the few who had returned generally agreed on what they said.

The times they returned were also similar, so there wasn’t much difference in the world situation they knew.

‘…They say the world is in chaos because of the Demon King’s descent.’

Not only were monsters rampaging throughout the continent, shaking various countries, but there was even a small country that had collapsed, and a country that had been taken over by vampire Devils who took advantage of the chaos.

So the association’s estimated danger level was ‘very high, caution advised’.

It was an environment where mediocre awakened ones who hadn’t secured enough Karma in advance would choose to return.

‘But it doesn’t really matter to those on Earth. Anyway, it’s already this late. I should get ready to leave work.’

He had finished his work, so the rest was up to those who would receive the information.

And so, the information that started from the World Returnee Association Headquarters spread rapidly throughout the world through the internet—.

It was translated into various languages in an instant by skilled individuals and advanced technology and was released to the public.

The latest information on each dimension, available to anyone who wanted it, even though it was a paid service.

“Oh? Is information finally starting to be released? It seems like there were quite a few Earthlings in Auterica.”

And among those who were looking at it was Han Seong-hyeon, who was living an ordinary life in Korea, across the Pacific Ocean.

He brightened up at the data he found while browsing the internet after finishing his workout and shower in the home gym, a towel draped over his shoulder.

There wasn’t much high-level information, but it was still quite informative compared to before, so it seemed like there were quite a few returnees.

But there was one thing he didn’t like…

-The world is in chaos because of the Demon King, ‘Immortal King Hans’, who invaded the Ion Continent. All monsters are consumed by madness…

The Immortal King’s name was known as ‘Hans’ even on Earth.

He had already given up to some extent, but he still had some hope because he had been diligently promoting it.

But it seemed like his efforts weren’t enough to reach the Earthlings living in Auterica.

“Tsk, it can’t be helped now.”

Actually, there was no need for him to be obsessed with the Immortal King’s name since he was called Hahoe Mask here.

It was just a name that existed on paper.

‘Hmm, but the content isn’t bad. It would definitely be helpful in adapting if you study it properly. …I wish I had this when I went there.’

He stroked his chin, looking through the information about Auterica.

-Heinrich Saint Landguard, the Saint of the Main God Church, the largest religious force in Auterica, is fighting against the Immortal King with his comrades, preventing an immediate war. But it’s still a precarious situation where anything could happen…

-Vampire Devils have taken over the Talia Kingdom in the western part of the Ion Continent. There haven’t been any problems so far because of the Vampire Monarch’s strong control, but it’s still unsettling…

Of course, he already knew most of the information.

Actually, it wasn’t like he really ‘knew’ it, as he had been involved in most of the major incidents.

‘What’s this?’

But not all the information was useless—.

Surprisingly, there was even information he hadn’t been aware of.

-A coup d’état has occurred in the Calcos Tribal Federation in the south of the Ion Continent. Details are unknown because it was carried out secretly. But since it’s a region that’s generally hostile towards outsiders, if you happen to start there…

‘Coup d’état?’

He already knew that the southern Tribal Federation was in a chaotic situation, and he had been planning to visit them soon.

He had just been putting it off because of the recent events.

‘But a coup d’état? And so secretly that even the various intelligence organizations in Auterica didn’t notice?’

Of course, the Tribal Federation was a closed-off place, practically a blind spot for information, but it wasn’t normal for no one to notice such a big incident.

It meant that the perpetrators had meticulously planned it.

‘But even those who thoroughly blocked information wouldn’t have expected an Earthling to escape to another dimension. Someone who knows this much must have been a close aide to a high-ranking official.’

Anyway, he was grateful to have obtained useful information.

“Hmm… The south, a coup d’état. How can I use this? It would be good if I could find out more about the situation.”

Big events came with big Karma.

And there were definitely more things Harley could gain in the south.

‘It’s his spiritual home, after all!’

Of course, it was something Harley had unilaterally decided.

But if he broke the spines of those who disagreed, everyone would understand his sincerity, wouldn’t they?

And so, a delicious scent started to emanate from the south, which he had been putting off because of lack of information.