Episode 164 Hahoe Mask Rises (4)
It had been almost two weeks since Princess Riley was captured and brought to the Immortal King's castle.
But as expected of humans, who were creatures of adaptation, she had become accustomed to this place and was living a relatively peaceful life, unlike at first.
After all, worrying wouldn't change anything.
So she decided to let go of all her unnecessary worries and find peace of mind first.
And there was one person who had a significant impact on the princess's change in attitude…
"Hmm—? So Hesperon isn't your real name?"
"Uh, yes. That's right, isn't it? I thought I needed a cool name befitting a new beginning in another world… Ahaha!"
It was Hesperon, the self-proclaimed otherworlder who had recently moved in.
"Then what's your real name?"
"It's Ha Seung-hoon, but you can just call me Hesperon. It sounds cooler!"
"Ha Seu… Hmm, okay. That's not important."
Riley glared at the simple-minded man with disapproval.
He was of the same race as Isea, with black hair and black eyes, but his personality was completely different.
If she was an intelligent and diligent honor student type despite her somewhat cold appearance, this man was careless and clueless despite his intelligent-looking appearance.
He was so carefree and nonchalant in this serious situation where they were imprisoned by the Immortal King and could be subjected to anything at any time, that she felt like a fool for worrying.
But there was one thing he was surprisingly similar to Isea in…
Crackle—
His overwhelming talent for magic.
"Oh! I did it, I did it! Riley, look, look!"
"Again, again. Use honorifics properly!"
"Ah, I'm sorry! I got excited. But look at this. This is even easier than what we did before."
White sparks flickered in Hesperon's palm.
She thought it was fate and decided to teach him a few things, remembering the time she taught Isea magic…
But his growth rate was even faster than hers back then.
'…Could it be that Earthlings are born with a natural talent for magic?'
It didn't make sense otherwise.
Some people were still stuck at the beginner level after ten years, but these humans were shamelessly trying to surpass her!
'Ugh, even if I wasn't trying my best, it's still been ten years.'
But it was a misunderstanding that stemmed from her not knowing his special characteristics.
It was true that 'Hesperon' was learning magic for the first time…
'This much is nothing. Even though the direction is different from dark magic, it would be a shame to Hans's name if he struggled with basic magic.'
He was sharing thoughts with Hans, the Immortal King.
Of course, he couldn't replicate high-level magic because of his physical limitations, but wasn't this the stage of learning the basics of magic?
And he was even receiving indirect help from magic-related skills like "Wicked Wisdom", "Forbidden Knowledge", "Path of Magic", and "Magic Domination".
It would be impossible for him to struggle with middle school level problems when a Nobel Prize winner was next to him, with a supercomputer turned on, telling him the answers.
"…Good job. Then let's move on to the next stage. Whew— I didn't know there was someone even worse than Seah."
Incidentally, Isea, who had surpassed the princess without any such help in the early days of her transfer, was just a genius.
And while Princess Riley and Hesperon were spending time together,
What was Crown Prince Simon doing…?
"Your Highness? I specifically told you to finish cleaning, laundry, and gardening… It seems like my words mean nothing to you."
"Ugh— I-I'm the Crown Prince of the Azeria Empire! I've never done this kind of…"
"You're talking back again? It seems like the punishment wasn't enough… It can't be helped."
"N-no, that's not it. I…"
"Uhuhut! Come here. I'll educate you properly so you can become a new person. Growth always comes with pain."
"No! Why am I the only one being punished while Riley is left alone?!"
He had barely escaped Andrew's torment, only to become Siana's plaything, who was using the alias Lilith, and was having a difficult time.
Slap—
Siana smiled happily as she swung a small riding crop.
It was a meaningful opportunity for her, who had disguised herself as an imperial noble, to toy with the Crown Prince as she pleased.
Of course, Princess Riley just thought that the Crown Prince had done something to deserve it, but naturally, the Immortal King's influence was also involved.
Hans was sitting on a large throne in the middle of the demon king's castle, observing everything happening inside.
'Hmm, I don't have to worry about the hostages. If anything happens, I'll know right away because Hesperon is there.'
He left the management of the followers in the demon king's castle to Siana and entrusted Arch-Lich Dwell with the care of Salma, who was being steeped in the abyss and maturing smoothly.
As expected, he didn't have anything urgent to do right now.
[Then I'll entrust the rest to you while I'm away. Olivia.]
[Don't worry… I will follow your orders…]
Olivia bowed respectfully at Hans's quiet order.
Naturally, she was curious about where he was going and why he was leaving them behind, but…
She couldn't dare to question the Immortal King and just nodded in agreement.
And after taking one last look around the castle, Hans…
Disappeared from the spot.
____________________
Late at night.
Whoosh—
A black shadow silently swept over the dark sea, illuminated only by the faint moonlight.
Something moving at high speed without a trace, blending into the darkness of the night.
Naturally, it was Hans, the Immortal King, who had crossed over to Earth.
'I can't teleport recklessly because I've never been there before. It's troublesome, but I have no choice but to do it this way.'
He immediately headed southeast after teleporting to Busan.
He was flying low to avoid being detected by radar or satellites, but of course, 'slowly' was relative to Hans.
He passed Tsushima Island ten minutes after departing from Busan, and after twenty minutes, he started to see the Japanese archipelago.
'I should be able to reach Fukuoka in thirty minutes from Busan. Well, it's closer than from Seoul to Busan.'
Fukuoka, on Kyushu, the third largest island in Japan, was the closest major city to Busan.
It was the place he chose because he wanted to start from a place of some scale, commemorating Hahoe Mask's first entry into Japan.
'It's also my first trip abroad.'
He sensed a faint defensive barrier along the way, perhaps to monitor for illegal entry, but he casually ignored it and entered.
And as he was about to head towards the brightly lit port even at this late hour,
'Hmm? What's this?'
He detected a very familiar presence some distance away.
'…Should I go check it out?'
Being familiar to Hans wasn't usually a good sign.
He had a premonition that he would have to start working before even setting foot on Japanese soil and immediately moved towards where the energy was felt.
Whoosh— Splash—
And so, the place he arrived at was a fairly large ship floating in the middle of the sea.
A ship that was quietly drifting without a single light, like a ghost ship, despite the dark sea and the periodically surging waves.
A faint dark magic power and death energy that he wouldn't have easily noticed were leaking from inside.
'As expected, they've put in some effort, the barrier is meticulously installed.'
But Hans entered the ship as if it were his own home and headed towards the cabins.
And what he saw inside was exactly as he expected.
A blood magic circle, obviously for some evil ritual, was drawn everywhere, and catalysts of bizarre shapes were placed here and there, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
And the corpses of those who had been sacrificed, their stomachs split open, on the altar in the center.
'Why are all dark magic power users like this?'
The ones he had captured in Auterica, and the ones he had hunted in Korea.
It was natural, considering the nature of their energy, but he couldn't help but sigh.
"······!"
At that moment, the dozen men and women who had been chattering and giggling around the altar finally noticed him and started to make a fuss.
Alertness, warning, tension, murderous intent…
They were all at a level that couldn't compare to Hans, but he didn't eliminate them immediately and fell into thought.
[Hmm, this is a problem.]
"%*#%&!"
"@&*#%#?"
They were saying something, but he couldn't understand a word.
He had been so used to naturally communicating that he had forgotten for a moment.
Of course, they were probably wary of him, who had suddenly intruded, but he was planning to be active in Japan for a while, so smooth communication was essential.
'I might make a mistake if I judge based on the situation alone.'
Language was essential when operating overseas, no matter what you were doing.
But it wasn't really a big problem.
[Hehehe— I can just learn it now if necessary.]
If he didn't know the language, he could just learn it.
It was simple.
Goooo—!
At least for him.
"Gasp!"
"Ugh!"
An overwhelming presence filled the cabin.
Those who had been tense and raising their energy all clutched their chests and staggered.
They tried to resist, but their dark magic power rampaged uncontrollably, and they couldn't even move their limbs properly.
Hans slowly approached them, like a fish on a chopping board, and grabbed one of their heads.
"Kraaagh!"
And he instantly read the memories in their heads.
But unlike usual, he wasn't searching for strong memories or incidents, but focusing on their language system.
But it wasn't easy to acquire a language.
'It seems like I need to increase not only my mental strength but also other abilities. Like memory, reasoning, and thinking…'
They would be helpful in the long run anyway.
And he had plenty of points left, and it was steadily increasing, so there was no need to save it.
'It's also a good time because he's currently learning magic.'
While the original body was diligently spending points, Hans leisurely looked around.
Those who were intimidated and cowering after witnessing one of them being sacrificed right before their eyes.
Their eyes were filled with resentment, as if they felt wronged by the sudden misfortune.
'…How shameless.'
He subtly turned his gaze and looked at the corpses of those who had been sacrificed, and then began the 'learning' process in earnest.
Fortunately, he still had many native speakers to teach him.
And they were all very dedicated.
____________________
A warehouse district on the outskirts of the port, which had an eerie atmosphere unlike the brightly lit port.
A group of people who met there exchanged meaningful words.
"Hey, how are the goods this time?"
"Check them out. I prepared fresh ones."
One of the groups opened the container and looked inside, then smiled with satisfaction.
Young men and women, some even seemingly underage, were lying there, bound and trembling with fear.
"Hehehe— Thanks as always. It's a hassle for us to even have a meal because we can't go out in public. You're a big help."
"We'll do anything if you pay us. Please use us again."
The deal was quickly concluded, and the Devil with glowing red eyes and the human covered in tattoos shook hands amicably.
But at that moment,
A chilling voice, as if emanating from the depths of the earth, interrupted their warm atmosphere…
[Indeed, I can understand you now. It's working.]
"What?!"
"Who's there?!"
This place, with layers of security and control, was inaccessible to outsiders.
As they instinctively sensed danger and turned their heads towards the source of the voice,
Swoosh—
A cold, eerie air swept in, and something slowly emerged from the shadows.
A dark body, as if blending into the darkness, a wooden mask with a grotesque smile that stood out even more because of that,
And a pair of blue ghost fires burning like will-o'-the-wisps inside.
[Hehehe— But it seems a bit lacking. I need your help.]
It was the moment 'Hahoe Mask', who had crossed the sea, finally landed in Japan.