Jin didnât seem like he was in a good mood all throughout their trip to the capital. Was it because Lee Shin Woo had made him draw their wagon, so that his cover (as a normal horse) wouldnât be blown? No, it wasnât that simple. Jin was definitely dissatisfied with his partner.
Lee Shin Woo was absolutely sure that he hadnât figured out about his complete human transformation, but he was also reluctant to ask Jin what was wrong, so he just shut his mouth for the time being.
âThe weatherâs great!â
[It really is. Itâs so clear, as if itâs wishing us happiness in the future. I guess there are some things worth seeing on the surface.]
Whereas Sinea and Ye Jin Jin couldnât be happier, sitting opposite to Lee Shin Woo in the wagon. What was he hiding? He was with Sinea on the first day, and Ye Jin Jin on the second⌠They were so boisterous, so much so that it seemed like theyâd go to heaven, due to the âentertainmentâ heâd provided with the date. Lee Shin Woo had asked them to restrain themselves; apparently this was them ârestrainedâ.
âDonât be so loud.â
âOk!â
[Ok. Hoo. Hoo.]
Those girls knew, of course, how Jin was feeling; more than Lee Shin Woo anyway. Thatâs why they tried their very best to not show how happy they were, but there was no way for them to hide the happiness and joy they felt.
Their reactions reminded him of his friend when he had first started dating his girlfriend. No, now that he thought about it, they were reacting similarly to his friend.
âMr. Shin Woo, that cloud looks like your eye socket!â
[Hoo, no matter how I look at it, it looks more like his sacrum than his eye socket.]
âDo you guys always look at my bones so closely on a regular basisâŚ?â
ââŚKeuk.â
And whenever they engaged in more intimate skinship, he could hear Jinâs hit points going down.
âBe honest. What did you do to them? Did you by any chanceâŚâ
âI told you. Theyâve been working hard, so I complimented them a little bit⌠After that, I guess we had a date. It was a commercial service. A service.â
âA date is a serviceâŚâ
Lee Shin Woo could hear Jinâs voice through the Assimilation skill and responded naturally. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his attitude. Of course, Jin didnât trust him right away, as heâd travelled with this Joker for so long, but⌠he didnât have any evidence to pursue it with. SoâŚ
âIâm your partner⌠You shouldnât lie to me.â
âI told you, Iâm not lying to you.â
âReallyâŚ?â
So Jin stopped his attempts at breaking Lee Shin Wooâs unbreakable mask, and tried to hit at his conscience instead.
âOf course. Youâre my partner. My only partner.â
ââŚYour only partner.â
However, Lee Shin Woo didnât have a conscience, so it was completely ineffective. Unfortunately, Jin didnât know that, so he decided to accept his explanation.
âWell, I guess it makes sense, since those girlsâ mental state hasnât been normal since the beginning.â
âYouâre the worst. You looked like you were being friendly to Ye Jin Jin!â
âThis and that are two different things. Yeah, I was being friendly, but sheâs still crazy.â
Of course, just because Jin had accepted his explanation didnât mean he was completely over it. Since Ye Jin Jin and Sinea were still clinging onto Lee Shin Woo, and he was still drawing the wagon!
âIt feels kind of lonely since we left. I wanted to stay in Kuroaâs Glory for about ten more days.â
âOur shop doesnât have any holidays. If you want to take a break, then apply for a vacation. Of course, itâd be unpaid leave.â
In the past, Lee Shin Woo had worked in a vicious enterprise that exploited him, and he was carrying on that tradition for the Lawrence shop. After all, this is how you got rid of bad habits.
âI donât care if Iâm not paid, but itâs meaningless if Iâm the only one resting. I wanted to go sightseeing with you, Mr. Shin WooâŚâ
[Hoo. Once we get to the capital, Paul Zero will be working hard again. Iâd rather time just stopped right now.]
Lee Shin Woo had invested a day into Sinea and a day into Ye Jin Jin, so he couldnât rest anymore. Of course, he didnât forget to play board games with Jin in his free time. Honestly speaking, he was more comfortable with Jin than with them (the business targets).
âAh, I can kind of see the capitalâs walls. Shin Woo, what are you going to do about the paladins that are following us?â
âTheyâll be working on behalf of the Sun God religion, while Iâll be staying at the Lawrence shop, so thereâs no reason to go in together. Moreover, if I stay too close to the Sun God religion, then itâll be hard for people to approach Lawrence to negotiate with Kay.â
âAs expected of you, Mr. Shin Woo. To think that far aheadâŚâ
Lee Shin Woo wasnât planning on ruining his alliance with the Sun God religion, but he also wasnât going to avoid the influential individuals in the capital. If he could gain information, assistance, or form personal connections by meeting with them, then he had no reason not to.
âThe Sun God religion had more power than I had initially assumed. Since my name was spread to about half of the Empire by just clearing five dungeons⌠It goes without saying that my name was spread to Kuroaâs Glory and the adjacent capital. The nobles in the capital might be tense.â
Normally, an individual recognized as a saint by a religious order isnât someone often seen. A saint had to possess power that displayed the godâs distinct characteristic, such that everyone in the religious order would acknowledge them. At the same time, they had to have a meek personality that obeyed their orders.
Plus, Lee Shin Woo had enough power to clear a level 6 dungeon by himself, which had made a strong impression on not only the other religious orders, but the nobles in the capital as well. Furthermore, he was Lawrenceâs sponsor, the same Lawrence that had had such a successful auction!
According to a report heâd gotten through the golem network, people were selling books in the capital detailing the peddler Lawrence and the hero Kayâs friendship and successes. With this, he wouldnât have to worry about people recognizing either Lawrence or Kay. But for some reason, he was a bit concerned about the contents of the book. He would get Ye Jin Jin to buy it for him later and check it for himself.
âAnyway, my position in the capital will be set once I clear the unconquered level 7 dungeon. Iâll have as much power as a high rank noble, and in a way, an image that surpasses that of a [Hero].â
If he wasnât going to engage in an all-out war with the surface, then he had to take this opportunity to create a foothold in the capital. He had, of course, given Bisher Moon that mission, but there were things one could do in the light that couldnât be done in the darkness.
âB-But you canât succumb to temptation, even if they offer their daughter to you or something.â
âEven though the Sun God religion has acknowledged me as a saint, Iâm still originally a mercenary. The nobles wonât give up their daughters so easily. But they might send me a prostitute disguised as a young lady of the house or their daughter.â
âYou canât! Iâll take care of all of that!â
âYeah, yeah.â
Ye Jin Jin acted so innocent, but said something so bold. Lee Shin Woo stroked her head and grinned. Of course, her concern was unnecessary. If need be, he could dispel his human transformation. With that, all his worldly desires would disappear, and he would become a Sage!
Being able to control his sexual desires when speaking with other humans or negotiating with them was a huge advance. Oneâs base desires would cause oneâs judgment to go askew, and it was especially difficult to control oneself when faced with an intelligent and attractive individual.
However, Lee Shin Woo was now capable of switching to his âSage Modeâ at will, so during a negotiation, he could dominate the other side!
âIn that sense, Bisher Moon was the right choice to move in the shadows⌠Though he didnât know just how much heâd accomplished here.â
He got his answer 30 minutes later. Once the front gate guards noticed his wagon, their eyes shined and they immediately welcomed him.
âAh, you must be the party of the Sun Godâs hero and the Lawrence shop. Weâve been waiting for you. Please, come inside.â
âYour store branch in the capital has been completed. If youâre going that way, then I can take you there myself.â
ââŚIâd appreciate it.â
He thought that perhaps Bisher Moon had done something to the guards to take advantage of the nobles, but once the lid was open, he found that it was the complete opposite.
Just in case, he checked the guardsâ stats, but there was nothing suspicious about them; they were 100% human. While he was puzzled, one of the guards guiding them approached him and whispered.
âLord Bisher said heâd meet with you in the evening.â
ââŚCan you tell him I got his message?â
âOf course.â
As he thought, this human was under Bisher Moonâs control! He didnât know if he commissioned them, or if one of his subordinates had infiltrated the guards, but he was amazing either way!
As a regular business employee, Lee Shin Woo didnât know what Bisher had done to acquire such power in the capital.
âWell, Iâll know after I hear it straight from him.â
âPerhaps he did stuff like this in the past, before he became a hero,â Lee Shin Woo thought vaguely. At the end of the road, he could see an indistinct castle.
It seemed completely hidden, but he could feel it. The existence of the Emperor within those walls, as well as magic greater than that of the Archmage. At that moment, he was sure of it. He was a lower level than him, but for some reason, he was able to roughly measure him.
âLevel 9.â
Heâd expected this, but it felt different in person.
Did the Emperor sense his presence as well? Even if he did, he would probably regard him as the Sun Godâs hero. There was also a chance he hadnât sensed him at all. Lee Shin Woo was confident that his mana control wouldnât lose to anyone.
âAs I thought, itâd be difficult to face a level 9. Is the Undead Emperor also level 9? He probably is⌠Ultimately, if I want to achieve my goals, then I need to take those two down.â
His magic had increased significantly and heâd collected bones from the level 6 dungeons, which had increased his stats by a little. So, his current stat total was 12,392. He needed a little over 400 stats to reach level 8.
But even if he reached level 8, he didnât think he could defeat the Emperor. Even if he used all his strength, using the Bone Armory, the Thorn Shadow, or even the fully charged level 8 Titan Bone Golem, he didnât think he would be able to win.
Thatâs just how overwhelming a level 9 was. Just by sensing the Emperorâs existence from afar caused him to instinctively feel tense!
âSo thatâs why heâs so confidently emitting his magic. âŚHe doesnât know that Iâll use that against him.â
Could he find his weakness and make use of it with just that exposure of mana?
Yes, indeed. As long as Lee Shin Woo was the one fighting him at least.
âNow then, letâs go see the place that Bisher Moon has prepared for us.â
âAh, Shin Wooâs making that face again. Whenever he makes that face, someone diesâŚâ
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ââŚMr. Shin Woo, youâre so cool.â
[Itâs perfect.]
âWhy do all the girls involved with you have such perverted fetishes? Or does the world have some sort of proclivity towards the name âLee Shin WooââŚ?â
[I-I can feel the Emperorâs mana⌠Can we go undiscovered? We probably wonât be, butâŚ]
And thus, his party (they were all in the same situation but had different thoughts) successfully entered the capital. Theyâd gotten in quietly without a hitch, but in the end their presence would be unavoidable⌠Everyone will know.