Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Mandy looked at Briel with a slightly troubled expression.

The girl in the conical hat who had suddenly decided to follow them was not exactly welcome.

This was not just anything. They were searching for the Scavengers’ lair.

Even Mandy could not guarantee her safety in such a dangerous matter.

She could not understand why Zeon would bring a young girl along on something so dangerous.

Since Mandy did not know Briel’s true identity, it was only natural for her to be worried. But she soon erased that concern from her mind.

Because as long as Zeon was with them, she felt there would be no great danger.

Zeon was walking without hesitation.

Seeing Zeon walk ahead even though she had not given him any clues, Mandy looked puzzled.

“Where are we going right now?”

“To get information.”

“Pardon?”

“If we want to find the Scavengers’ lair, we have to gather information about them first.”

“Where are you going to get information?”

“There is a place for that......”

Zeon answered without the slightest tension.

The place he headed toward was the food street where Old Man Klexi ran his stall.

The butcher shop at the entrance of the food street was Zeon’s destination.

“Welcome, Lord Zeon!”

Will, the butcher shop owner, greeted Zeon respectfully.

At Will’s fierce appearance, Mandy looked slightly intimidated.

Unlike Eloy, who had a rough temperament, Mandy’s personality was rather timid. That was why she shrank back just from seeing Will’s outward appearance.

Briel, on the other hand, was different.

“Hello, Will.”

“It has been a while, Lady Briel!”

“Where is Old Man Klexi?”

“He is currently at the Goblin Market.”

“Because of the explosion incident?”

“Yes!”

“Sigh! What a mess this is.”

“Indeed.”

Even as he answered, Will smiled faintly.

That was because Briel looked adorable.

Briel, who wore a conical hat and always walked unsteadily, had somehow become a mascot-like presence on this street.

Will erased his smile as if it had never been there and asked Zeon,

“What brings you here this time?”

“I came because of the Scavengers.”

“Ah!”

“Do you happen to know anything about the Scavengers’ lair?”

“We haven’t received any information about that yet.”

“Then what about unusual movements?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Will excused himself and went deeper into the butcher shop.

A short while later, Will appeared with several sheets of paper in his hand.

He handed the papers to Zeon and said,

“This is a summary of the main areas where the Scavengers have appeared.”

“Is that so?”

Zeon’s eyes gleamed as he read the report.

After a moment, he closed it.

“The Scavengers’ areas of appearance are varied.”

“Yes! They have appeared not only in Neo Seoul but across the entire slums as well.”

“But there is exactly one place where the Scavengers are not active.”

“That is correct. Dongdaemun. Only there have no Scavenger movements been reported.”

“Is it because of the fanatics?”

“I cannot say that much.”

“But it certainly needs to be investigated.”

“I merely provide information. The judgment is yours, Lord Zeon.”

“Thank you for giving me such useful information.”

“Not at all......”

Will smiled.

Zeon handed the report back to him.

Mandy, who was beside him, whispered,

“Is it really that strange that no Scavengers are seen only in Dongdaemun? That neighborhood is originally a difficult place to act conspicuously because of the fanatics.”

“That is true, but for not even a single case of activity to be detected is certainly strange.”

“Hmm!”

“People unconsciously try not to cause trouble in their own territory. Scavengers are no different. Because they care about people’s eyes, they will try to plunder as far away from their base as possible.”

If only one or two Scavengers were active, Zeon’s assumption would become meaningless. But when dozens or more were active and yet only Dongdaemun remained untouched, it was suspicious enough.

Mandy frowned without meaning to.

Dongdaemun was a place even an Awakened like her was reluctant to approach.

Her honest feeling was that she did not want to enter Dongdaemun unless absolutely necessary. But now that Zeon had pointed out that there was something peculiar about it, she had no choice but to go in.

Then it happened.

“Are you scared, by any chance?”

Briel, who had been quiet until now, suddenly asked.

“Scared?”

“Come on! You look frightened.”

“Why would I be frightened? And why are you speaking so casually to me?”

Mandy glared at Briel.

Far from being frightened, Briel burst into a chuckle.

“You are scared.”

“Hey!”

“Half-elf lady, people who are scared are the ones who raise their voices.”

“You?”

Mandy’s eyes trembled.

The fact that she was a half-elf was a secret.

Unless Eloy’s personality emerged, there was no way to tell.

Aside from Zeon, no one had ever noticed that fact at a glance.

“How did you know?”

“How could I not? You’re giving off such a strong scent.”

Elves had a distinctive scent.

But that was something only other elves could smell. It was not something ordinary humans could detect or distinguish.

“You’re...... an elf too.”

“I am an elf, but I don’t have human blood mixed in.”

In that instant, Mandy’s expression changed completely.

Briel’s words had touched her reverse scale.

“What are you?”

Eloy’s personality immediately emerged.

Eloy was different from Mandy.

She had the same face, but her fierce eyes and the aura she gave off were overwhelming.

Most Awakened would have tucked their tails and backed down just from seeing her gaze. But Briel, who faced her head-on, did not look intimidated at all.

Briel lifted her conical hat slightly and smiled.

“My name is Briel. As you can see, I’m a drug addict who can’t survive a day without medicine.”

Briel placed a pill in her mouth.

She still had not completely escaped the aftereffects of the drugs, so she needed medicine.

This was only because she had neutralized it a great deal. Not long ago, she had eaten pills like candy.

“A drug-addicted pure-blooded elf. Interesting!”

“I didn’t know I’d become a drug addict either.”

“Life rarely goes the way you want.”

“Life, huh? You really are a half-elf. You think like a human. Is that why you’re afraid?”

“Who says I’m afraid, you little brat? I’m not scared at all.”

“Then why are you hesitating?”

“Fuck! Who says I’m hesitating? I’m going.”

“Then that settles it.”

Briel smirked.

Eloy realized that she had completely fallen for Briel’s provocation. But she could not take back her decision now.

“Damn it! But where are you from? The North District?”

“The North District?”

“Were you under the Ice Queen?”

“What are you talking about? Who is the Ice Queen?”

“You don’t know?”

“......”

“You’re not from Neo Seoul.”

“......”

Briel pressed her lips shut. Because of that, Eloy became even more certain.

“An elf from outside, huh? Where did you come from?”

“You have a really loud voice. Ah, my ears hurt.”

Briel dug at her ear with her pinky as she walked away.

Eloy followed behind Briel and asked,

“Hey! I asked where you came from.”

“Is there a mosquito here? Why does it keep buzzing?”

“Did you eat your manners with your rice? You little elf brat......”

“What is she saying? Half-breed.”

“Half? You little brat.”

“Could you step away a little? You’re spraying spit.”

“Hey!”

“What?”

“You’re so tiny, but you answer back to every single thing.”

“Isn’t that why I have a mouth?”

“You little—!”

Zeon shook his head at the increasingly childish quarrel between the two women.

The two elves kept slandering and attacking each other without ever seeming to tire.

Zeon felt a headache coming on.

He was already worried about whether he had to keep traveling with this combination.

‘In any case, this will be my first time visiting Dongdaemun.’

Just because it was called Dongdaemun did not mean there were special walls or gates. If one walked along the road leading east from Sinchon, at some point one would find oneself in Dongdaemun.

The biggest difference between Dongdaemun and Sinchon was the atmosphere of its buildings and people.

At the center of Dongdaemun stood a large church, and the surrounding buildings had also been influenced by the church and showed a similar style.

What stood out most of all was the clothing of the people.

As in Sinchon, most of them were ordinary people. But there were noticeably many people dressed in monastic robes or heavy armor marked with crosses.

All of them were fanatics who followed Johan.

Killing machines ready to fight at any time and defy death at Johan’s command.

The moment they entered Dongdaemun, Eloy frowned without realizing it.

The air, clearly different from that of Sinchon, pressed unpleasantly down on her.

Zeon said,

“Fix your expression.”

“What do you expect me to do when it happens on its own?”

“If you can’t, let Mandy come out instead.”

“Damn it......”

Eloy grumbled.

Soon, her gaze softened considerably, and her expression became gentle.

Just as Zeon had said, Mandy had come out.

Not everyone in Dongdaemun was a fanatic or an Awakened.

Most were ordinary people.

They had to blend in with them naturally.

Conspicuous behavior or atmosphere was troublesome.

A beautiful woman with an aggressive personality like Eloy stood out far too easily. It was better to move as Mandy, who attracted less attention.

Zeon walked calmly among the people.

His bearing was so natural that there was no sense of incongruity.

Briel was the same.

She was not the sort to shrink just because the district had changed.

She calmly followed behind Zeon and looked around.

“Haa!”

Mandy sighed as she followed the two of them.

The three of them wandered through every corner of Dongdaemun as if they were taking a stroll.

Dongdaemun was far cleaner and more orderly than Sinchon.

Thanks to that, finding and memorizing the roads was not difficult.

Mandy said with a tired expression,

“On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything especially strange. I don’t think we can find an answer like this.”

“I don’t think we’ll learn anything by walking around like this either.”

Briel also agreed with her opinion.

It was the first moment the two of them had shared the same opinion.

Zeon nodded.

They could not obtain the information they wanted simply by wandering the streets like this.

To obtain proper information, they would have to make contact with people and ask questions, but if they did that, word would surely reach Johan’s ears at once.

It was not that he feared Johan, but he wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Zeon said to Mandy,

“Let’s go back for today. It would be better to prepare and come back tomorrow.”

“I think that would be best.”

Mandy agreed with Zeon’s opinion.

Just as the three of them were about to leave,

“You there, stop for a moment.”

An unfamiliar voice stopped them.

A man wearing armor engraved with a cross on the chest was staring intently at them.

He was an Awakened of Dongdaemun.

He approached the three of them.

“I haven’t seen your faces before. Did you come from another district?”

“That’s right.”

“Which district?”

“We came from Sinchon.”

“What business do the dregs of Sinchon have in Dongdaemun?”

“We simply ended up here while walking.”

“So you have no special purpose?”

“That’s right.”

The Dongdaemun Awakened frowned, apparently displeased with Zeon’s answer.

Suddenly, his gaze turned to Mandy.

The moment he saw Mandy’s face, his eyes changed.

“You look suspicious. You’re coming with me.”