Chapter 204

* * *

Let’s recall the conversation that was casually passed by today.

Of course, no one attaches great meaning to everyday conversations.

“If you ever need help, let me know. My arm may be like this, but I’m still the young lady of Harmadun. I have plans today and I’m busy, but still, if you ask for help, I can cancel my plans. And don't overdo it again.”

Neither Elisha nor Martin could have imagined that this short conversation they had was a turning point that might have greatly changed the future if they had delved just a little deeper.

“Please come in.”

The Humanity Preservation Agency banquet hall.

The Director, still seated at the head of the table, greeted the young heroes.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Don't mention it.”

A handsome man, so handsome one might fall in love at first sight, greeted politely.

His name was.

“To meet the Crown Prince of the Cosmos Empire, I am also deeply moved.”

Gilbert Offer Cosmos.

Immediately, the sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and a female swordswoman moved to protect Gilbert.

Lina von Tullin Ivlin, who in the future would reach the pinnacle of the sword.

She was the last descendant of the Ivlin Family, who had sworn to protect the Cosmos Empire's Imperial Family.

“Please calm down. Don't we have much to talk about?”

Behind Gilbert, whom the Director pointed to, the protagonist's party could be seen with surprised expressions, as if it was the first time they had ever heard this.

Bord, Elisha, Mary.

Gilbert, having confirmed their faces, wore a startled expression.

“What…?!”

Bord, who felt like he had been caught eavesdropping, made an excuse.

“Ah, well, we were also invited….”

“It’s fine.”

Elisha cut him off, slowly walked over, and stood by Gilbert's side.

“It's not important. What does it matter what your status was? We can talk about that later, can't we?”

“…Yeah.”

At those words, Bord took the forward position of the party, and Mary guarded the rear.

“Honestly, I was a little surprised, but you'll tell us after it's all over, right?”

“Of course, Bord.”

“I-I'm fine too…! Your status isn't what's important….”

“Thank you, Mary.”

Gilbert also drew his sword.

“I was going to tell you anyway. Sorry for being late.”

In an instant, the protagonist party became a complete whole.

The Director, who saw that sight before his eyes, clapped his hands.

“Amazing. Your bond is truly strong.”

“Director, how did you know that fact? And what is your purpose in revealing it here?”

Gilbert delivered an ultimatum with his sword aimed.

“Are you curious? Then…, I suppose I have no choice but to tell you my story. On the condition that you all grant me one request.”

“….”

The Director chuckled as he looked at the silent protagonist party.

“My request is for you to protect this place for today.”

“Protect, you say?”

It was nonsense.

Who would dare attack the Humanity Preservation Agency?

It should be an alternate dimension that one could never enter without the Director's permission.

“Yes. You must fight against the ruffians who will invade to steal the technology of the Humanity Preservation Agency. They are rude people who enter without even knocking.”

“Who are they?”

“A group with different ideas from the Humanity Preservation Agency.”

“….”

Gilbert's mind was filled with anguish.

Should he accept, or should he not.

But, he had to find out where they had learned the fact that he was a member of the Cosmos Empire's royal family.

Gilbert's transcendent intuition kept repeating that he must.

“Until today?”

“For today, there's about 3 hours left, I suppose? We will make a contract through magic. An absolute contract that cannot be broken without mutual consent. If you promise that much, I will tell you my story.”

“….”

“You are very suspicious. Then please watch and judge.”

The Director takes off his mask.

* * *

[■■ ■fe. Alert ■curring. Un■■■rized ■■■■■■ detected.]

The first thing I heard in my reeling consciousness was a loud noise.

In a red, flashing cosmic space, I staggered to my feet.

‘He told me to be careful of motion sickness, but this is beyond that…!’

I was a mess, like trash that had fallen from a thousand-foot cliff.

My mind was a jumble.

‘Ugh, it's okay.’

Know-It-All was correcting my confusion.

My blurry vision cleared, and my dizzy, reeling consciousness quickly focused.

The ringing in my ears also disappeared, and the identity of the loudly ringing alarm was revealed.

[Failure to evict intruders confirmed. Status analysis, motion sickness due to spatio-temporal leap. Commencing interception before intruders regain consciousness. Proposing activation of ‘Hostile Entity Intrusion Response Lv 1’. Director’s approval confirmed. Deploying mechanical infantry.]

‘Hostile Entity Intrusion Response….’

I looked around and saw only me and Lilac.

She was on her hands and knees, unable to move.

“Lilac.”

I approached and called out to her.

“Ma, ster…?”

The focus in her eyes was blurry.

‘Motion sickness.’

I placed my hand on Lilac's forehead and slowly infused Stellar Force into her.

Meanwhile, I activated the communication function of the Peacemaker bracelet.

Only noise came through.

‘As expected, it's not working.’

He did say it would be in a jamming state.

- Wild Instinct (Master) has detected danger.

Time slowed down, and the attack path became visible.

Projectiles fired from afar were heading towards me and Lilac.

Wild Instinct's vision pierced the darkness and detected the enemy that appeared at the end of the passage.

The enemies clearly imprinted in my eyes were….

‘Robots?’

[Hostile entity confirmed. Commence firing.]

Then, the barrage predicted by Wild Instinct poured down.

I swung the Peacemaker cloak to deflect the countless volleys of arrows pouring down.

During that time, mechanical soldiers armed with swords and spears began to charge.

‘Tsk, a fight is unavoidable.’

I touched the signaler behind and below my left ear three times and said.

“Martin von Targon Ulvhadin, commencing engagement.”

In a narrow passage, with many enemies.

In that case, rather than a shotgun.

‘This is it.’

I took out the pure white dual pistols.

- Unique Skill, Saint Gunner’s Dual Pistols (Lv 3) (Temporary) resides in your soul. For Cosmos.

I rushed forward and fired the dual pistols.

Pure white Stellar Force bullets mercilessly riddled the robots.

The volley of arrows being fired at Lilac was also blocked by creating a barrage with an arcing shot.

‘Hmph.’

Two mechanical soldiers that had approached in the meantime swung their swords at me.

I advanced towards the mechanical soldiers and rotated my body.

I caved in the chest of one with a spinning kick, and smashed the head of another by striking it down with a dual pistol.

- Know-It-All (Lv 4) has analyzed the opponent. It is a hybrid of advanced mechanical engineering and magitech engineering.

I didn't know much about mechanical engineering or magitech engineering.

But one thing was certain.

‘As expected.’

I had never heard any information that such things existed.

Clearly, it was over-technology.

The Humanity Preservation Agency, it became clear that they were hiding something.

“Come at me.”

The dual pistols fire.

Unlike the shotgun, it's dynamic.

I weave into the enemy's formation, turning and spinning as if enjoying a dance, firing the guns.

Viewed from above, it would have been as beautiful as a white blooming flower.

Not a single one of the mechanical soldiers guarding the Humanity Preservation Agency survived and were all disposed of.

[Anomaly detected. Confirmed neutralization of Hostile Entity Intrusion Response Lv 1. Data collection complete. Recommending Hostile Entity Intrusion Response Lv 3. Director’s approval confirmed. Deploying mechanical infantry, mechanical cavalry, mechanical magesoldiers.]

“Master…?”

Lilac, who seemed to have recovered from the aftereffects, raised her head.

“Lilac, are you okay? Don't push yourself, it's just motion sickness.”

Lilac staggers to her feet.

As she holds out her hand, the anti-materiel sniper rifle settles on her delicate hands.

“I will provide cover!”

As if it were time for everyone to wake up, the signalers began to ring simultaneously, sending out engagement and support requests.

When I opened the map, I saw people scattered in all directions.

‘This is actually better.’

The plan that Principal Lukfels had informed us of at the academy before was as follows.

“The Humanity Preservation Agency is a sub-space where time and space are distorted, so it cannot be invaded by ordinary means. I am also at my limit, only able to open a path by imitating his artifact. Probably, when you first enter, you will experience severe motion sickness and be scattered all over the place.”

Up to this point, it was within the scope of the plan.

No, even this was part of the plan.

‘Our goal is exploration. The exclusive technologies that the Humanity Preservation Agency must have!’

If we were scattered, it was all the better!

“Master, they're coming from the front!”

Something came running from the end of the narrow passage, making a dull sound.

‘A centaur?’

It was a mechanical soldier in the shape of a half-man, half-horse monster.

Its large body was running in a straight line down the narrow passage.

‘How strange.’

Perhaps because the Humanity Preservation Agency had the shape of the universe, it felt as if the constellation Sagittarius had materialized and was running towards me.

From behind, with a loud bang, the upper part of the mechanical cavalry was cleanly blown away, and its lower body tumbled to the floor.

“Let's go.”

“Yes!”

Belatedly, with a ting, the sound of a large shell casing falling to the floor was heard.

I ran along the path and focused my mind.

‘Look straight at the space, Wild Instinct.’

- Wild Instinct (Master) grasps the internal structure of the Humanity Preservation Agency. The most useful means at present are sound and wind direction.

‘Light the way, Know-It-All.’

- Know-It-All (Lv 4) creates a map based on the collected environmental information.

When I overlaid the location information sent by Lukfels' signaler with the map created by Wild Instinct and Know-It-All, the entire battlefield came into view at a glance.

‘There are a few people near here too.’

Everyone was scattered in groups of two or alone.

I just needed to check the paths and go in a direction that didn't overlap.

I ran forward with Lilac.

[Hostile entity detected. Commence interception.]

[Hostile entity detected. Commence interception.]

[Hostile entity detected. Commence interception.]

When mechanical soldiers appeared, I took care of the ones in the front row, and Lilac took care of the dangerous-looking ones in the rear row.

The mechanical magesoldiers were especially threatening.

They occasionally fired a beam in a straight line, and since they fired without regard for the loss of their own mechanical soldiers, I could get hit if I wasn't careful.

In fact, if it were just this much, we wouldn't have been wandering around here.

“Master, it's a bulkhead!”

“Darn…, let's go back.”

A bulkhead would suddenly be erected in a perfectly fine path, or the structure itself would change, creating a new path, so there was no answer even if I drew a map.

‘Even Wild Instinct can't do anything about this!’

The Humanity Preservation Agency was a maze.

And the Director was controlling this maze from his seat.

We were being toyed with right now.

‘Is this what they call being in the palm of Buddha's hand?’

I stood still and stared at the output device that looked like the mechanical soldier's ‘eye’.

* * *

“Truly. An amazing person.”

The Director examined a thousand holograms from his seat.

Lukfels, who was breaking through with thrilling magic, the Star Child, who was showing off that he was an unprecedented powerhouse, Hectia, the knight of flames, and other prominent talents were wrecking the agency.

“No, Prin-Principal?”

“Star Child!”

The protagonist's party was aghast as they witnessed the ‘enemies’ of the Humanity Preservation Agency on the holograms.

They were the academy teachers who had fought alongside them on the front lines, not the agency that had stood by and only handled the aftermath during the Demon Lords' terror attacks.

Gilbert gritted his teeth and turned to the Director.

“Director…!”