The door opens.
You turn around.
I knew it was that bastard at first glance.
So then...
'Aged Kimchi, why are you... here?'
Thump!
My heart sank.
And at the same time, realization struck.
That's Aged Kimchi.
The monster I raised.
The strongest being in this world, one no existence could ever rival. Yet from the start, destined to be my enemy—my absolute worst match.
That guy was here.
Comfortably seated in the drawing room.
Like it was his own room.
He turned to look this way.
And the moment he spotted me, his eyes changed sharply.
"......"
Did he recognize me?
He must've recognized me.
He did. He definitely did.
I wanted to deny it, but I had no choice but to accept it. That bastard recognized me. He caught on at a glance. No point in denying it.
"......"
I should've taken one more dose of the Elixir of Transformation.
Even if I ended up like Asurat, a pelican freak, it would've been way better than getting caught red-handed like this by that bastard. I wouldn't have had to worry about my skull and butt getting disassembled and clapping each other in a death high-five.
But regrets always come too late.
Kim Jangcheol realized.
I have to carry myself well.
"....."
The first move Kim Jangcheol chose was silence. And the iron-face tactic.
He acted like nothing was up.
And he smiled softly and naturally toward Aged Kimchi, who was staring holes through him. Gave a slight nod too. Like it was their first meeting—formal, polite.
Then he turned his gaze away.
Pretended to admire the drawing room while looking for an empty seat. Sat down. Still acting natural. And made sure it was a spot where Aged Kimchi's gaze wouldn't stab into him directly.
…He thought he'd settled in.
'Tch. Why is that bastard still staring at me?!'
Why, you ask?
Because he recognized him.
The emergency siren in his mind seemed to be mocking him, bouncing left and right through his skull. His heart thumped wildly.
But he couldn't sneak glances.
That would make it worse.
Should he make a run for it?
No.
He'd probably die before even making it three steps.
'It'd be better if that so-called commander guy showed up quickly.'
On edge.
Nervous.
Life in shambles.
It felt like life's final punctuation mark was drawing closer, breath by breath.
Why the hell was that bastard Aged Kimchi here? Why was he still in this fortress? If possible, he wanted to grab him by the collar and ask.
Of course, Aged Kimchi's thoughts weren't much different.
'....'
Why have you returned here again? Why have you shown yourself before me once more?
Aged Kimchi had many questions, pondered deeply, and swallowed them all.
He was curious.
Why did he always feel like killing that being when he saw him? And yet, at the same time, why did he want to shake his hand?
But also, he wanted to curse him.
And also, to genuinely welcome him with a smile.
He wanted to shout that he could never forgive him. Yet he also wanted to whisper praises for the dedication that had once led him.
Seeing him made his heart ache—and made him happy.
'Why is it that I...'
Why is it that I find you so detestable, yet so welcome?
With a complex mix of emotions, Aged Kimchi stared hard at Kim Jangcheol. Then he noticed something strange.
"His horns…?"
They were gone.
Last time he saw him in front of the fortress, he clearly had horns protruding from both sides of his head. Those striking horns were now nowhere to be seen. And even the skin color looked off. It was like—
"Looks just like a Concord grape…"
Aged Kimchi muttered without thinking.
But did the other guy hear that mutter?
His nemesis and benefactor.
His prison and fate.
That complex being twitched, shoulders flinching. Then, with a visibly forced smile twitching on his lips, asked:
"...Excuse me? What did you just say...?"
"....."
"Ah, I must have misheard, haha..."
"......"
"..."
"No, you didn't mishear."
"...!"
"You removed your horns, didn't you."
"Uh, um, I, excuse me, but what are you… talking about exactly…?"
"......"
"Have we met before, perhaps?"
"......"
Huh, or maybe not?
Aged Kimchi was momentarily confused.
And he thought.
'No matter how I look at it, it's him.'
Anyone could tell.
You could tell even standing on your head, or looking with your soles,.
No matter the angle, the hornless man with purple skin in front of him was undoubtedly the one he'd met before—the one he'd felt was destiny.
And it wasn't even that long ago! Just a few days!
"...I remember clearly you desperately promising never to appear before me again."
"Pardon? What do you mean…?"
"...."
"It just caught me off guard. Really, have we met before?"
"Yes. In front of this fortress. A few days ago. You interfered with my battle."
"Oh dear. I think you must be mistaken. A few days ago I was on a mission in the Abandoned Land. And besides, I hate fighting. Quarreling with anyone—oh, I really don't get why people do that."
"For someone like that, you sure fought well."
"Me? Who?"
"The demon that resembled a turtle. The one who eventually died by my hand."
"Oh my. Sounds like you went through a terrible ordeal."
"To me, you seem like the worst ordeal."
"My skin's actually really soft, you know."
"Are you trying to play word games?"
"Goodness, no. I'd never joke like that with someone I just met, hahaha…"
Kim Jangcheol had to try his absolute best not to let his face twitch from the fake laughter.
He wanted to ignore him.
Didn't want to speak with him.
Needed to keep pretending not to know him.
But it wasn't easy.
No matter how you looked at it, that bastard seemed convinced of his identity!
'...I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screwed!'
The creeping fear of death slithered ever closer, second by second!
And then—
Bang.
The drawing room door opened.
A man with a stately air and dashing brown mustache entered the room.
"Ah, you're all here. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not at all."
"No, I must especially apologize to Sir Aged Kimchi. An urgent matter has come up. I need to speak with this one first. Would that be alright?"
"It's fine."
"Then, for a moment."
The mustached man apologized to Aged Kimchi.
Then turned his gaze toward this way.
"I am Wolkos, commander of this fortress. I heard from the gate captain. That there's a suspicious person claiming to have received a secret order from His Majesty."
"...."
This guy really starts by slapping suspicion on me, huh.
This commander, Wolkos—just a glance told you he wasn't an ordinary person. Which made sense, since he was entrusted with the defense of such a crucial fortress.
So, an even stronger sense of crisis began to stir inside Kim Jangcheol.
"....."
Now, a brute-force breakthrough was off the table.
Why?
Because Aged Kimchi was right next to him.
But if he tried to flip the table and force his way out with power? In less than three seconds, his head, torso, and limbs would each be flung fifty meters apart with someone gleefully shouting, "Puzzle time, let's go!"
Seriously.
That's how one of the Four Star Masters met their end.
He saw it with his own eyes, front row.
'.....'
There was no turning back now.
Regardless of whether this commander was uptight or not, persuasion was the only path forward. He had to do everything in his power to make sure his identity wasn't exposed.
Kim Jangcheol took a short, deep breath.
And choosing every word with care, he answered.
"Yes. I'm that suspicious person."
In times like this, you had to be bold.
And shameless.
Maybe it worked. Or maybe it only deepened the suspicion. The commander's gaze grew even harder.
".....Falsely claiming His Majesty's order is considered treason. Are you aware of that?"
"Of course."
"And yet you still brazenly stick to that claim?"
"Of course. Because it's the truth."
"......"
The commander fell silent.
Kim Jangcheol quickly spoke up in that moment.
"I understand exactly what's raising suspicion for you right now. An unidentified group with no entry records, claiming to have received a secret royal command, dragging a cart full of rare crops from the Abandoned Land. Too sketchy to let through, but too strange to just turn away. Am I right?"
"......"
Right.
The commander gave a small nod inwardly. That man had nailed the issue almost perfectly.
In that case…
'I shouldn't let them through.'
All things should be handled by the book. Especially from the perspective of someone responsible for guarding the royal family's safety.
Just as the commander firmed his resolve—
Kim Jangcheol spoke quickly.
"Then allow me to make a proposal. Detain our group here in the fortress. Then send a dispatch to His Majesty to verify the truth. Isn't that enough?"
"....Ah, even so... are you really fine with that?"
"It's fine."
Kim Jangcheol nodded immediately.
"It'll delay our schedule, sure, but it'll resolve everything safely and by the rules. Everyone's satisfied, right?"
"That... does sound reasonable."
"Then let's do it that way."
As he wrapped up the suggestion, Kim Jangcheol glanced toward Aged Kimchi.
And he thought,
This was all that bastard's fault.
'.....'
The original plan was to pass through the fortress and make a quick trip to the human world. He'd wanted to stroll through the marketplace and carefully select some good seeds for cultivation.
But now, that was off the table.
Because he'd run into that monster here.
'No choice. I'll pretend to be detained, stay here a bit... then sneak into the fortress warehouse, grab some potatoes or corn seeds, and run away.'
That's the best plan.
If he wanted to avoid getting tangled up with that monster, this was the only way.
It was a shame not to be able to pick the seeds himself, but there was really no other option.
Life was precious.
To be honest, if Aged Kimchi snapped and threw even a single punch right now, he'd be reduced to dust in the cosmos.
"......"
No thanks.
That was the thinking behind this daring, self-imposed detention plan.
From the commander's perspective, there was really no reason to reject it either. It was a logical, reasonable suggestion.
And sure enough, the commander seemed to find the proposal quite appealing.
"Very well. I have no reason to refuse such an offer. However, don't expect any luxurious treatment while you're detained here. We don't exactly have the accommodations for that…"
"As long as I'm not thrown in a cell, I'll be more than satisfied."
"...That too, is fine. Since you're cooperating so readily, it's only right that we show you some courtesy in return."
At last, the commander's stiff expression relaxed.
The commander thought: This man claiming to have His Majesty's command, he's more reasonable than expected. That's a relief.
Thanks to that, Kim Jangcheol smiled as well. He thought: This fortress commander isn't as rigid as I feared. That's a relief.
'...Good.'
Now all he had to do was play along, pretend to cooperate, and sneak into the food storage or wherever, grab some plantable seeds, and run.
That's it.
Then everyone ends up happy. He wouldn't have to deal with the human world—or Aged Kimchi—ever again.
"You don't need to go that far, Commander."
Just as Kim Jangcheol was about to bloom into a smile of relief and confidence—
Suddenly, out of nowhere, after staying silent the whole time—Aged Kimchi spoke up.
"I believe everything this man has said about His Majesty's secret order is true."
"What?"
"Huh?"
The commander froze.
Kim Jangcheol flinched.
Aged Kimchi continued.
"In truth, the one I'm escorting—Young Master Asrahan—was the very person who received such a command and headed to the Abandoned Land. Surely, Commander, you're well aware of the Asrahan family's renown?"
"Uh, yes, of course."
"...!"
Of course your ass!
And Aged Kimchi—what the hell are you saying?
Kim Jangcheol was utterly flustered.
But that was only the beginning.
Aged Kimchi's outrageous proposal followed.
"So then, if we arrange a meeting between Young Master Asrahan and this man, we can immediately confirm the truth. And if everything he claims turns out to be true… then wouldn't it be best for both our groups to travel together to the capital? That would tidy things up nicely."
"......"
Excuse me?
Hello?
"We were all acting under the same secret order, after all. Don't you agree?"
Aged Kimchi ended his words with a radiant smile in this direction.
Thanks to that...
The hunch awakens.
You smile.
At first sight, I knew exactly what was going on.
Thump!
Kim Jangcheol's heart dropped.
Realization struck at the same time.
I finally saw through the bastard's intentions.
What? Hold on.
With you?
Together?
All the way to the capital?
Traveling companions?
Traveleeeeerrrrs??
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]