Thirty Thousand Li in Search of a Younger Sister

Baek Mok-gong and the exhilarating quest to find the Mystics.

Before putting it into action, Baek Mok-gong explained why he’d brought Hanon.

“Seemed like the boy might be useful.”

Baek Mok-gong offered a knowing grin as he said it.

Always quick on the uptake, that one.

As Baek Mok-gong said, I did need Hanon.

More precisely, I needed someone to fill my shoes at the Academy while I was away.

‘Not holding back just because he’s a kid, actively utilizing any helpful personnel… typical Baek Mok-gong.’

The hunt for the Mystics had to be conducted in secret.

The Mystics had ears in places I couldn’t even imagine.

To the point where I couldn’t grasp the extent of those ears.

‘The game didn’t delve that deep.’

I just knew they had a lot of ears.

There was no way to know the reach of their involvement.

I was a person with ties to Baek Mok-gong.

The Mystics were surely aware of this fact.

No doubt they’d be watching my movements closely.

‘If I want to avoid getting caught…’

I needed a stand-in while I was moving about outside.

‘Originally, this was an event meant to happen during the winter break.’

Yet again, things were being pushed forward, faster than the original timeline.

‘Besides, Vulkan falling wasn’t supposed to happen until Act 5 of the scenario.’

I was completing the scenario itself.

However, the pace was far too accelerated.

It was certain to have an impact on the flow of the narrative.

But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity that was presented to me.

In fact, now was the perfect time to strike at the Mystics.

Right now, Vulkan’s forces likely weren’t fully formed.

He could be brought down more easily.

“Hanon.”

It is fine for me to be absent.

But there is one thing you must heed.

“As you likely sensed before, they probably already see right through you.”

For those who already know my true self, it is of no consequence.

However, there is one person whose suspicion Hanon must absolutely avoid.

“You must never, under any circumstance, let Lady Iris discover your true identity.”

Iris knows me as Hanon.

The reason I have been able to stay by her side, to continue as I have, is because of Hanon.

‘If she were to discover I am not Hanon…’

The likelihood that I would be forbidden from setting foot in the Empire again is high.

It would be natural, as it would amount to an unrelated man having persistently infiltrated the Princess’s chambers.

‘Even if I worry about how to resolve it later, I must not reveal my true identity now, under any circumstance.’

Therefore, I gripped Hanon’s shoulders tightly.

It was tantamount to entrusting him with a mission.

“I will forewarn those around me, but you must avoid Lady Iris at all costs. The moment you are caught, you may be implicated as well.”

If only I were to be punished, it would be one thing, but there is a possibility Hanon could be implicated and punished too.

As I cautioned him, Hanon blinked his eyes.

Then, he let out the languid smile he often wore.

“Don’t worry. I don’t particularly care for that person anyway.”

Hanon, being a true member of my family, is not fond of Iris.

That fact was bitter, but I said nothing further.

With Hanon’s skill at evasion, he would surely be able to avoid Iris.

“Then, Lord Baekmok, I shall go meet Aquillin.”

“Do so.”

After obtaining her permission, I left the guest room immediately.

The place I would head to was, of course, already decided.

The Special Department.

And so, I was moving my feet toward the Special Department.

“Oh? Husband?”

There, just then, was Vinesha, trudging along with her arms laden with documents.

He noted the pendant snug around her neck and raised a hand in greeting.

“Vinesha, perfect timing, I was just looking for you.”

Still calling him “Esteemed Sir,” though.

She’d stated she harbored no particular feelings, so it must simply be a habit of the tongue.

“I need a quick word with Mushika.”

“With Mushika?”

Vinesha’s eyes widened, round as saucers.

But she seemed to grasp the situation quickly.

“Something to do with Mysticism, is it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Could you do me this favor?”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

She led me to a vacant classroom nearby.

She set down the documents and took a moment to catch her breath.

“Then, I shall call her forth.”

Vinesha closed her eyes and channeled power into her pendant.

Immediately, the color of Vinesha’s eyes shifted to a vibrant azure.

The atmosphere around us changed, too.

A brief, chilling shiver brushed across my skin.

“Hello, hello?”

Vinesha’s energy had undergone a complete transformation in an instant.

Proof that Mushika had successfully taken possession of Vinesha’s body.

She grinned widely and leaned back against an empty chair.

“Mushika, Narea has been abducted by Vulcan.”

“Hmm, so it has come to pass after all.”

Mushika smiled wryly, as if she had been expecting it.

“Do you know what Vulcan’s objective is?”

“To melt down heroes and absorb their powers, naturally.”

“Correct! Your information network is truly astonishing!”

Vulcan Zebra, the leader of Mysticism.

He covets the power of heroes.

The talent etched into their souls, the blessing of the Goddess.

Vulcan seeks to extract and claim these for himself.

Thus, Vulcan’s relentless pursuit of Acrede—it stemmed from this very reason.

Acrede, who bore the Goddess’s blessing most profoundly among the heroes.

Thank the heavens, her soul fractured thanks to that blessing; only Narea was lost.

Half of her soul, and her body, remained with Acrede.

“Vulcan must have been the one who sold my information to Gweijon.”

The Keeper of Souls.

Aquiline.

Her abilities, though desirable, were a grave impediment to Vulcan.

Even my own attempt to use Mushika to track Narea’s soul proves this.

Therefore, he bartered Mushika away to Gweijon.

‘In the original history, Mushika would have perished.’

I saved Mushika’s soul and gained the ability to wield her power.

For Vulcan, there could be no worse turn of events.

“Vulcan likely knows I escaped from Gweijon as well.”

Hearing this, I understood why the sequence of events had accelerated.

Now that Mushika had escaped Gweijon, finding the headquarters of Mysticism became easier.

For Vulcan, the ground was now burning beneath his feet.

‘Vulcan must be hurrying as well.’

The scenario is being brought forward.

Unintentionally, I continued to drive Vulcan into a corner.

“Can you find Narea’s soul?”

“Unless the body is deceased, the connection between soul and flesh cannot be severed completely.”

Mushika’s eyes shone with a chilling light.

Vulcan had destroyed her once-happy existence as well.

Naturally, she wouldn’t leave him unpunished.

“Understanding past lives is one thing, but this is going too far, isn’t it? He needs to be taught a lesson.”

Mushika clenched her small fists tightly.

It was an adorably small fist.

“Let’s go to the reincarnation of Narea! Examining her directly will yield answers.”

“Alright, I will…”

I stopped, mid-sentence.

A thought had flickered through my mind at that very instant.

The moment Mushika turned to me, puzzled, my gaze slowly returned to her.

“…Mushika, Vulkan will hasten his plans, now that he knows you’ve returned, yes?”

“Hmm, most likely?”

“And he’s chasing even Baekmokgong. He’ll feel the situation is even more urgent, wouldn’t he?”

“That’s also true?”

Mushika agreed to it all.

“…Then, how likely do you think it is that Vulkan, unable to immediately capture Acrede-nim, will abandon him and strike elsewhere first?”

Mushika blinked.

After a brief silence, she gave the same answer I had arrived at.

“One hundred percent.”

Vulkan was one to act according to the situation, rather than with excessive caution.

As the situation becomes more urgent, he’ll expedite his plans.

And I know the most likely target Vulkan will aim for next.

Moreover, that next person Vulkan is after is closely related to me.

‘Or rather, not me, exactly.’

It’ll be Vikamun.

The Transcendent Sage, Jerion’s reincarnation.

She is Vikamun’s younger sister.

Zenia Niflheim.

* * *

A bright and sunny morning.

Students bustled about, heading to school.

Passing them by was a student whose honey blonde hair caught the eye.

Isabelle Luna.

Lately, she’d been displaying more varying expressions than usual.

She walked to school that morning, lost in thought, her face shifting from a frown to a smile and back again.

It was, to anyone watching, a rather peculiar sight.

So much so that Sharin, forgetting her usual morning nap, simply stared at her.

“Belle, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, no, sorry, just lost in my own world.”

Isabel started, startled, when Sharin called her name.

She then covered her face, unable to meet Sharin’s gaze.

“…I’m crazy. I must be crazy.”

Isabel didn’t seem inclined to lower her hands from her face.

Instead, she peeked at Sharin between her fingers with a complicated, subtle expression.

Sharin, too, looked away, scratching the back of her neck.

Because Sharin had a rough idea of what was bothering Isabel.

She even felt a pang of sympathy.

It’s always difficult until you acknowledge it yourself.

Sharin, suddenly feeling mischievous, puffed out her cheeks.

“Hanon, idiot.”

At Sharin’s insult towards Hanon, Isabel sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, he *is* an idiot.”

Isabel’s eyes were heavy with melancholy.

In the meantime, Sharin had arrived at the building for Magical Arts.

After seeing Sharin off, Isabel started towards the building for Combat Studies once more.

The closer she got to the Combat Studies building, the more her heart pounded in her chest.

Tension gripped her, and her palms grew damp.

What would she even *say* if she saw him?

How had she acted before?

She couldn’t quite recall.

Just as she was lost in this inner turmoil, she saw it.

A familiar figure ahead of her.

A small boy with black hair.

That wasn’t his true form, but this was the appearance Isabel was most used to seeing.

Isabel’s body went instinctively rigid.

Yet a strained smile had already bloomed on her lips.

Awkward. Terribly awkward.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to greet him.

On the contrary, a greeting felt absolutely necessary.

“Y-you!”

So she approached, trying to sound as amiable as possible, and tapped his shoulder.

He turned to face her a moment later.

And as he did, the strained smile vanished from Isabel’s face, replaced by an expression of utter blankness.

“You.”

“Wow, already figured it out?”

Hanon met Isabel’s icy gaze with a disarming grin.

A frivolous smile, unlike his usual demeanor.

But Isabel couldn’t care less about that.

The problem was why Hanon was here, and Vikamon was not.

“That person…”

“Had some business and entrusted me. Ah, come to think of it, he was looking for you. Asked you to meet him at the west park.”

“Me?”

Then Isabel suddenly remembered the visit from Baekmokong.

Baekmokong seemed awfully fond of Vikamon.

‘Baekmokong came looking…’

Could it be to engage Vikamon in some kind of scheme?

This felt… ominous.

If it was Vikamon, he would undoubtedly have walked straight into something dangerous.

Isabel gripped Hanon’s arm tightly.

“What did he say he was going to do?”

“Said he was going to see his younger sibling.”

Hanon answered with a carefree air.

Isabel’s expression became strangely nuanced at his answer.

What kind of far-fetched nonsense was that?

“Isabel.”

Just then, someone approached, calling her name.

It was Professor Veganon, always with that look of weariness and a potent aura of alcohol about her.

“Professor Veganon, good morning.”

The woman before her, face still marked by the remnants of a hangover, was indeed Professor Veganon.

“Your name…a request has been made for you to participate in a tour personally overseen by Master Baekmok.”

“Pardon?”

Isabel’s eyes widened to a degree she hadn’t thought possible.

A tour – so completely unexpected.