Chapter 3 : Search

A megacorp with the greatest influence.
…There must be royalty or nobles ruling this city, yet they surpass even them in power?

“Megacorp… what’s that?”
—…You don’t even know what a megacorp is?
“It sounds like it refers to specific organizations, but a mere organization holds the greatest influence in this city?”
—Hmm…

He let out a low groan, as if at a loss for words, then spoke slowly.

—They’re far too big to be called mere organizations. In a world without nations, they’re the only ones who rule.
“What, a world without nations?”
—Hmmm… I see.
“Hm?”

What does he mean by that?
I was puzzled, but his next words came first.

—Let’s move somewhere else for now. You and the young lady made quite a spectacle falling, so there are witnesses.
“Before that, how long are you going to keep hiding while talking?”
—Ah, I apologize for that. But please understand our position. Making contact with those who escaped ORRYX is risky.
“Hm.”
“…Roland.”
Tap, tap.
“Huh?”

Feeling a small hand tapping my armored thigh, I looked down. The girl raised her hand, pointing in the opposite direction of the voice, looking up at me.

“…There.”
“There?”
—Huh?
“Oh, is that where Kang Rimun  is?”
Nod, nod.

I could faintly sense a presence there, but does that mean he’s projecting his voice from that distance?
A magical device could do that… but I didn’t feel any mana from it.

—How did you figure that out? I didn’t sense anything detectable.

As I realized anew that this is indeed another world, Kang Rimun ’s voice carried both awe and wariness.

—Anyway, Lord Roland, your antique armor makes you stand out too much. Please follow my guidance to where I am.
Whirr—

As he finished, the door of the building beside us opened on its own.
Controlling not just his voice but objects too—does he hold Cheongdo in the palm of his hand?
Dismissing the less urgent question, I nodded.

“…Alright.”

Holding the girl, I stepped into the building. The lights flickered on, and the door closed with a thud.
I thought it might be a trap, but without showing it, I kept walking. Another door opened automatically ahead.

—Turn right there.

Passing through, I turned right as instructed, and more doors opened to guide my path.

Step, step.

Doors opened and closed, lights turned on and off.
As the path neared a crowded area, I heard bustling noises.

—You’re almost there.

But as I kept walking, the noise suddenly stopped, as if I’d entered a space devoid of people.
Only an unidentifiable hum followed me.

Continuing, the presence I assumed was Kang Rimun  grew closer.

Arriving at what seemed to be his building, I saw a door that looked wooden but was made of an unclear material.

Humm…

Blue and white light glowed through the wood grain of the thick door as it slid open.

“This world is full of surprises.”
—Haha, others find this quite surprising too.

Even knowing it existed, experiencing this visual deception firsthand was startling.

—Just come up here now.

The door opened silently, revealing an ornate staircase.
I climbed quietly, and another door appeared. As I reached for it, it slid open before I touched it.

“Welcome, Lord Roland, young lady.”

Kang Rimun .
He had opened the door himself, but his appearance was far from what I’d imagined.

A man with long black hair tied back, his pale face and narrow, sharp eyes were striking.
His black eyes seemed to size me up briefly, but they carried a polite gaze.

“You’re Kang Rimun ?”

I’d heard people from the far east of my world had black hair and eyes, but this was my first time seeing it.
His clothing was as unique as I’d expected, yet it had an elegant, antique charm.

“Actually, it’s Kang Rimun.”

So I’d been mispronouncing his name.

“Kang Rimun, my apologies.”
“Haha, it’s fine. I’ve prepared seats, so please, make yourselves comfortable.”
“Hm…”

To sit comfortably, I’d need to remove my armor.
With storage magic, I could do so easily, but revealing that in front of him wouldn’t be wise.

“Alright.”

I gently set the girl down and sat. Even seated, she was shorter than me and clung to me instead of sitting in her own chair.

“I’ve prepared a chair her size too. It’s safe here, young lady.”
Shake, shake—

Kang Rimun offered, but she shook her head, clinging tighter.

“If that’s the case, I won’t insist.”

He smiled gently and sat down himself.

“Now… let’s get to the point. ORRYX is demanding you and the young lady in Cheongdo. They believe you’re here, and they’re correct. However…”

Kang Rimun looked at the girl, his eyes filled with questions.

“For some reason, no clear footage was captured, so they can’t press too hard. Though they’re still applying significant pressure.”
“ORRYX is one of the most influential megacorps in Lake City, right? And you said they rule in a world without nations.”
“You remember well. Correct. But this is Cheongdo, an autonomous district, so ORRYX can’t easily interfere.”
“Hm.”

For ones described as ruling, they seem surprisingly limited.
Is Cheongdo’s influence that strong, or are there other forces keeping ORRYX in check?
Probably the latter.

“So, we’re safe?”
“No. They’ve not only demanded you but tried to force their way in. Wuryuseong (Five Willow Fortress) has held them off with strong warnings for now, but…”

His gaze shifted to the girl, then back to me.

“They’re applying heavy pressure, and we’re already detecting various movements. Even Wuryuseong can’t hold ORRYX back if they truly push.”
“If ORRYX is that powerful, why resist instead of complying?”
“To protect our autonomy. We’re not resisting because of you or the young lady, but because ORRYX tried to force their way in. That’s why we’ve contacted you to determine our stance.”

I rubbed my chin, deep in thought.
From Kang Rimun’s reaction, it seems Wuryuseong, representing Cheongdo, can’t stop ORRYX. But to avoid setting a precedent that compromises their autonomy, they’re resisting regardless of me or the girl.

Glancing at her, I saw her staring blankly into space.
…Her pupils seemed to glow faintly again. I noticed it outside too—perhaps a side effect of the experiments?

I don’t know. It’s not something I can fix, and I can’t send her back to ORRYX either. So…

“If I leave, will that solve it? But even if you say I wasn’t seen or that I left, ORRYX won’t believe it.”
“…”

Kang Rimun’s demeanor grew heavy.

“…Correct. That’s why—”
Beep-beep.
“—Hm? …Excuse me for a moment.”

He touched his ear, politely excusing himself before stepping out.

“…”

I strained my ears, assuming there was a reason, but all I heard was the sound of wind, revealing nothing.

“…”

What’s he doing? It feels like he’s just standing there, lips moving.
After a moment, Kang Rimun returned.

“Ugh…”

His face was furrowed, and he rubbed his forehead like he had a headache.

“It’s a hassle, but maybe it’s for the best.”
“…What happened?”
“Tesserix suddenly conducted a city-wide scan. The issue is, it seems they didn’t coordinate with ORRYX at all.”

A scan? What’s that?

“…And?”
“ORRYX’s attention has shifted to that megacorp, relieving pressure on Cheongdo, but…”

He sighed.

“This area was scanned too. We’ll need to investigate how much information leaked, but…”
“So, this ‘scan’ took information from this area?”
“Yes, mostly surface-level, but we’ll have to check for deeper leaks too. At least scans leave traces, so that’s something.”
“…”

Have these megacorps reached the realm of gods?
To gather information from an area instantly—no, the entire city in a flash?

…Does that mean ORRYX is weak? The place I escaped was likely their facility, yet I felt no threat there.
But they’re one of the most influential megacorps, so is direct strength not their forte?

I rubbed my chin, lost in thought, then met the girl’s eyes.
Her pupils no longer glowed, but I brushed it off and patted her head.

Rustle—
“…Hee.”

She nestled her head into my hand, her lips curling faintly.

“So, the conclusion is, aside from the information leak, nothing happened?”
“Well… yes. We have no intention of touching you or the young lady.”
“Is that so?”

I smirked.

“For that, there were quite a few people around.”
“…You noticed?”
“Of course. If you hadn’t stepped out earlier, they’d have attacked us to hand us over to ORRYX.”

I stood, lifting the girl.

“Good thing you didn’t. Isn’t it?”

Focusing my aura as I glared at Kang Rimun, his body trembled, his already pale face growing paler.

“Hah, haha. You’re… quite the intimidating one.”