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“Ugh…”

My vision went flying.

I couldn’t hear anything either.

My senses were shattered by the shock.

It’s a familiar situation.

I naturally knew that my senses would return soon.

But…

Should a 9-year-old really be this used to such situations?

Why is life like this?

Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen the Demon King back then.

…If I hadn’t, I might already be dead.

‘But why does it feel so stuffy? Am I already buried alive?’

No.

The criminals targeting me usually aim to take me hostage.

Being buried alive doesn’t seem likely.

Finally, my senses are starting to return.

I barely managed to hold onto my consciousness and looked ahead, seeing Matthew shouting something.

‘My ears are still not working.’

Slap—

…?

I felt a stinging sensation on my ear and cheek.

Wait…

Did I just get slapped?

“What are you…”

“Ah, thank goodness. Are you conscious now?”

“I was conscious even before getting hit…”

“…But your eyes were rolled back then.”

I can’t tell if that was real or not.

I can’t shake the feeling that he just wanted to hit me.

Well, since I probably survived thanks to him, I’ll let the small stuff slide.

Why does this kind of thing always happen when I come to England?

Actually, things kept happening in Korea too.

At this point, incidents seem to follow me around.

I’m not Detective Kim Gyeoul or Detective Kogyeoul, so what’s going on…?

A dark shadow just won’t leave my side.

But… I guess it’s true that humans are adaptable.

Even though I was attacked in the middle of the street, I’m not scared.

Who could it be this time?

Rather than being scared, I’m more curious about the identity of my opponent.

Whoever it is, they’ll just end up getting beaten by the Demon King anyway, so I don’t understand why they keep attacking.

Well, that’s probably why they keep targeting me.

“We need to get out. It’s dangerous inside the car.”

“…Okay.”

I got out of the car with Matthew pulling me along, but…

It was a complete mess.

Dozens of cars overturned on the road.

Moans could be heard from everywhere.

…This time, they didn’t care about civilians and just caused chaos.

Were the villains I met before actually good villains?

They never harmed civilians.

These guys are dangerous.

We need to get out of here quickly.

My long-dormant intuition was ringing alarm bells.

“…Bodyguard, I think we need to run fast.”

“The palace is closer than the Clock Tower or the mansion from here. Let’s go back the way we came. Excuse me, but I think I’ll have to carry you.”

“No, I think my magic power can handle it to the palace. I can run on my own.”

When he mentioned carrying me and running, it reminded me of Team Leader Jeong Ho-min.

But I’m different now.

I’m not the incompetent, troublesome kid Jeong Gyeoul anymore.

Matthew seemed to ponder for a moment before quickly making a decision.

“Understood.”

As soon as he nodded, I channeled magic power into my legs.

Just as I was about to dash backward—

Boom—

Something landed in front of me.

A huge cloud of dust rose, blocking my vision.

Damn. Too late.

Whoosh—

Something flew through the dust.

Before I could even think, my body moved on its own.

“Wow… dodging that? Not just a simple E-Class.”

“See, according to Jack’s report, Jeong Gyeoul should also be considered part of the main force…”

“Ah, that damn Jack, Jack, he’s not a sparrow, stop chirping already.”

“…Rude bitch.”

“What? What kind of older brother talks to his sister like that!”

A burly East Asian man with one mechanical arm and leg.

And an East Asian woman in a red cheongsam.

The two who had just landed in front of me were busy bickering among themselves.

‘Chinese?’

Why are even Chinese people targeting me?

I guess our Demon King is playing on a global scale.

The fact that they’re acting like this in front of me and Matthew only shows their confidence.

I could vaguely sense the woman’s magic power—probably A-Class.

She has less magic power than Matthew, but since battles aren’t just about magic power, I’m not sure who’s stronger.

But… I can’t sense the man’s magic power at all.

That means he’s at least stronger than Matthew.

Our escape route is blocked.

Bodyguards are crawling out of the overturned SUV, but since the Chinese duo has their own subordinates, we can’t expect much help from the bodyguards.

So it’s the Chinese duo vs. Matthew and me.

We’re totally screwed.

“…Do you happen to know where Jeong Ha-yul is right now?”

Matthew, standing next to me while keeping an eye on the Chinese duo, cautiously asked.

Judging by the magic power overlaying his voice, it seems like something the Chinese duo shouldn’t hear.

Since I can’t use that kind of technique yet, I just shook my head in response.

Matthew’s already stiff expression hardened even more.

“…I’m not sure about the woman, but if a fight breaks out, I probably can’t hold out against the man for more than thirty minutes. Even if the royal bodyguards on standby notice and come, it won’t be easy.”

We need Heinz from the Clock Tower or the Demon King to come.

But the Clock Tower is over two hours away by car.

By the time Heinz arrives, I’ll probably already be captured.

My eyes momentarily turned to the watch on my wrist.

‘…Does this work in England too?’

The watch the Korean Hero Association gave me after the Starfield attack incident.

When I send an emergency signal, my location is transmitted to the Korean Hero Association.

Then they can coordinate with Jeong Ha-yul to find me immediately.

But there are two problems.

One, I’m not sure if it works in England.

And two… my relationship with the Hero Association isn’t great right now.

But it seems like I have no choice but to rely on it.

‘I’ve been wearing it every day out of habit, and now the day to use it has finally come…’

Click—

After sending the emergency signal, I casually lowered my arm.

If the Chinese duo realizes what I did, they’ll go all out to capture me.

Since I can’t overlay my voice with magic power, I can’t convey this to Matthew.

“Let’s hold out as long as we can…”

“…I’ll definitely protect you.”

I was trying to hint that I had called for backup, but he seemed to take it as a final resolve.

Matthew’s eyes became resolute.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew from somewhere.

The Chinese duo suddenly disappeared.

“Watch out!”

At the same time, Matthew shouted and stepped in front of me.

He raised his hands and feet, blocking the attacks from the Chinese duo.

Boom—!

The road shook instantly. Tremendous vibrations spread in all directions.

“Ugh!”

“Matthew!”

Matthew, with magic power surging in his palms, repelled the opponents.

The Chinese duo, back in their original positions, showed different reactions.

The cheongsam woman licked her lips and smiled.

The mechanical man took out a notebook and started writing something.

“Crazy bastard, record that after the fight’s over.”

“That bodyguard’s record is done. Let’s wrap this up.”

The mechanical man seemed to have already analyzed Matthew’s strength after just one clash.

“If both of them come at us at the same time, we can hold out for about ten minutes. Any longer will be difficult.”

“…I’ll take on the woman.”

“Huh? That’s not allowed!”

“You said we can only hold out for ten minutes, right? No backup will arrive within ten minutes. So it’s better if I fight too.”

“…”

Matthew seemed to know that what I said was the best option.

He couldn’t argue.

“That mechanical man seems more dangerous than the woman… Be careful, Matthew.”

Before Matthew could respond, the mechanical man charged at him.

In an instant, dozens of exchanges happened, and Matthew moved away from my side.

“Kid, you’re saying something interesting? You’re going to take me on?”

“…If I don’t want to die, I have to.”

“Tsk tsk, your looks and personality are exactly my type, but why do you have to be the target…?”

She looked genuinely regretful.

Crazy bitch.

Then why don’t you just let me go?

“But a job is a job. Our little kid. You can endure the pain, right?”

“No. I’ll cry.”

“Pfft. That would be cute too. Then… cry all you want.”

“Crazy bitch.”

“…Our little kid knows how to say ‘I want to get beaten to near death’ in just three words. Smart, huh?”

***

Korean Hero Association.

After Jeong Ha-yul left for England, the association president decided to resign due to the overwhelming public opinion.

Jeong Ho-min took over, and the association was still in chaos.

“…The transmitter on Jeong Gyeoul sent a signal.”

“Isn’t she in England right now? She went overseas and is moving separately from the Demon King?”

“It’s not far from Buckingham. Maybe she trusted the royal protection…”

“Find out Jeong Gyeoul’s exact location immediately. And contact the Demon King and the Clock Tower right away.”

“Yes!”

Jeong Ha-yul, who thought she’d spend her whole life as a hero in Korea.

After gaining a younger sister named Jeong Gyeoul, she changed.

She might even decide to emigrate.

The association president realized this far too late.

Despite Team Leader Jeong Ho-min reporting multiple times that they needed to take care of Jeong Gyeoul more than Jeong Ha-yul, the president ignored it.

The result was his resignation.

And Jeong Ho-min took over.

“Contact Jeong Ha-yul first. Then get in touch with the UK line and send support there.”

“Team Leader! No, Association President! If we do that, the connections we’ve worked so hard to build will collapse!”

“If Jeong Gyeoul dies, we’ll collapse too. Do you think the association can survive without Jeong Ha-yul now?”

“…That’s.”

The subordinate, under Jeong Ho-min’s sharp gaze, couldn’t say anything.

With the guilds and media already taking down the association president, it was clear that if they couldn’t bring Jeong Ha-yul back, the association would become a shell of its former self.

“If you understand, get moving.”

“…Yes.”

The first project Jeong Ho-min, now the association president, executed was…

The Jeong Gyeoul rescue operation.

 

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