Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Having two consciousnesses did not mean her field of vision was limited.

Eloy had merely stepped to the front. Mandy was still sharing the same sight. That was why she had clearly watched just how miserably Eloy was beaten by Zeon.

Eloy’s pain was Mandy’s pain as well.

Naturally, she felt all the agony Eloy suffered.

Because of that, she could only look at Zeon with a frightened expression.

Zeon spoke to her.

“You are Mandy, correct?”

“Yes......”

“I think I understand what roles you and Eloy each have. You handle matters related to Neo Seoul, while Eloy handles fighting and everything else, right?”

“Yes!”

“I will not say anything about Eloy coming out. But when you negotiate with me or provide information, Mandy must come out no matter what. Is that possible?”

“It is...... possible.”

“Okay! Let’s settle it that way from now on.”

“Is that the end?”

“What is?”

When Zeon looked at her with a puzzled expression, Mandy answered carefully.

“Eloy...... was rude to you.”

“Ah, that? It is fine. It was not particularly dangerous.”

Zeon smiled faintly, as if wondering what the problem was.

Eloy was certainly strong.

If measured by Awakened grade, she was probably at least Grade B.

In particular, the Skill she had unleashed at the end had been quite dangerous.

If it had been any Awakened other than Zeon, they would have suffered serious wounds or found themselves in a difficult position.

Eloy was that skilled in combat against people.

The problem was that Zeon was even more skilled in combat than she was.

In the seven years since he had parted from Deioden, Zeon had fought countless battles.

Most had been against monsters, but not a few had been against humans.

There had been many who targeted Zeon, from the natives of various regions to Scavengers.

Zeon had won every battle against them and survived until now.

He had accumulated experience that could not be compared to Eloy’s.

Thanks to that, he had been able to subdue Eloy without even using sand.

Mandy murmured with an expression of disbelief.

“Eloy is strong......”

“She was strong. With a little more experience, she might become dangerous...... Ah! First, drink this.”

Zeon suddenly took a small bottle from inside his robe and handed it to her.

“What is this?”

“You can think of it as a kind of medicine. If you drink it, most wounds will heal quickly. Ah, before you drink it, set any broken bones in advance. Otherwise, they might heal while misaligned.”

Mandy’s nose was broken.

It had been struck by Zeon’s knee.

Only then did Mandy recognize her own condition and set her nose back in place.

CRACK!

Once the broken nasal bone returned to its place, breathing became much easier.

Mandy drank the unidentified medicine Zeon had given her.

The moment she drank it, a strange refreshing sensation spread through her.

Heat rose from her broken nasal bone and the cracked bones in both her arms. It was a sign that the bones were knitting together.

Mandy stared at the empty bottle in shock.

“What is this? I’ve never heard of medicine like this.”

“I made it by mixing the blood of several monsters with medicinal herbs. It is quite useful, is it not?”

“This is far more than just useful.”

Even inside Neo Seoul, she had never seen medicine with this level of effect. If she took the medicine Zeon had given her back to Neo Seoul, there was no doubt it would cause an uproar.

‘Just who is this man......?’

He was an existence Mandy’s common sense could not comprehend.

He saw through everything in the desert, and he was frighteningly strong.

If someone like this had been in Neo Seoul, she would surely have known about him. The fact that she did not know meant Zeon was not someone who had grown inside Neo Seoul.

‘To think a powerhouse like this existed outside Neo Seoul.’

Without realizing it, she rubbed her forearm.

Goosebumps had risen over her skin.

Inside her, Eloy was making a fuss, asking why she was overreacting to something like this. She was saying she could win if she fought again.

But Mandy knew.

Even if Eloy came out again and fought, she would not be Zeon’s match.

Mandy asked,

“What are you curious about?”

“Have you ever heard of Elharun?”

“What is that?”

Mandy tilted her head at the word she had never heard before in her life.

“You don’t know? I heard it was a city created by the nonhuman races that crossed over from Kurayan.”

“What? Those bastards built a city?”

Eloy’s personality suddenly sprang out.

Whether Zeon frowned or not, Eloy was furious and poured out words.

“They really built a city? Like Neo Seoul? Hurry up and tell me.”

“I believe I clearly said I wanted to speak with Mandy, not Eloy. It seems you are the type to forget a lesson very quickly.”

“Ah, that is...... Fuck! Sorry. That is, I mean. I got pissed off and without realizing it......”

“Why are you angry? Your people should be in Elharun too.”

“Do you think I’m the result of love? I’m the trash born because an elf bastard raped my mother. How could it sound good to me? Tell me where it is. I’ll charge in right now and kill them all.”

Eloy emitted killing intent and raged.

She looked ready to charge in at once if she knew where it was.

Zeon looked at her and said,

“You are no help at all. Bring Mandy out.”

“Hey!”

“If you truly don’t want to die......”

“You son of a bitch!”

Eloy left with a curse. Then Mandy appeared.

She shook her head with a confused expression and said,

“I am sorry. When she gets truly angry, I cannot control her......”

“Enough. So you truly don’t know about Elharun?”

“I have only now learned such a place exists.”

“Are there still some nonhuman races left inside Neo Seoul?”

“Some? There are quite a lot.”

“Did many not die during the massacre that happened decades ago?”

“How do you know about that? Yes! I heard a tremendous number died then. But they multiplied again in no time, like cockroaches.”

Mandy’s voice was full of hatred toward the nonhuman races.

Like Eloy, she hated the nonhuman races.

And among them, she especially hated elves.

“Would there be anyone among them who might know about Elharun?”

“Well......”

Mandy trailed off.

That was when Kim Sang-sik, who had been watching nervously, carefully opened his mouth.

“The Ice Queen might know.”

“The Ice Queen?”

“It is the alias of the ruler of the northern zone.”

“And?”

“She is a pure-blooded elf.”

Zeon looked at Kim Sang-sik with interest.

“So the Ice Queen is a pure-blooded elf?”

“Yes! It is believed that she is a pure-blooded elf.”

“That fucking bitch.”

Mandy spat the words in a voice full of fury.

Neo Seoul was currently divided largely into five zones.

The mayor, Jin Geum-ho, held the center.

Naturally, he possessed the greatest power and oversaw Neo Seoul’s general policies.

He was the one who had reborn Seoul, which had become ruins from the side effects of Terraforming, into a city where Magic and civilization existed in harmony.

A living monster who had served as mayor for more than a hundred years with the overwhelming support of Neo Seoul’s citizens.

His power was as firm as the high walls surrounding Neo Seoul. But there were also those who challenged his authority.

They were the rulers of the four zones: east, west, south, and north.

Though they did not reach Jin Geum-ho’s power, each of them ruled over one zone as its ruler.

Sedon, ruler of the eastern zone.

Kim Hyun-su, ruler of the western zone.

Xiao Lun, ruler of the southern zone.

And finally, the Ice Queen, ruler of the northern zone.

The Ice Queen was an elf.

Because she almost never made public appearances, ordinary people barely even knew she existed.

But she definitely existed.

Behind thick curtains, she led the northern zone.

That was also why there were especially many nonhuman races in the northern zone.

Almost all the nonhuman races surviving in Neo Seoul had settled in the northern zone.

The Ice Queen protected them thoroughly.

“That bitch will never talk. She is a selfish bitch who cares only about her own race.”

There had been a time when Mandy had tried to entrust herself to the Ice Queen. But because she was a half-elf, she had not even been allowed to see her face.

It had not been the Ice Queen who had done it.

One of her subordinates had.

He possessed immense pride in being a pure-blooded elf. When he learned that the young Mandy, who had come in a pitiful state, was a half-blood, he hurled tremendous insults at her.

After that incident, Mandy shuddered at the thought of the northern zone.

Even though the insult had come from a subordinate, not the Ice Queen herself.

After that, Mandy never went to the northern zone again, and even hearing the Ice Queen mentioned made her shudder.

Zeon’s reaction was different from hers.

“Thank you. I learned useful information. If it is her, there is certainly a high chance she knows about Elharun.”

“I am glad it helped.”

“But you understand this must be kept secret, right?”

“Of course.”

“Understood.”

Zeon nodded.

It was still a secret that had to be kept.

It was not known now, but someday, people too would learn that a city called Elharun existed.

Perhaps Neo Seoul’s upper ranks already knew that fact.

They simply might not know exactly where Elharun was.

Zeon was the same.

After Deioden died together with Haieltun, Zeon had wandered the world.

One of the places he had gone was Kamchatka Colony.

It had been to find Elharun, which he guessed existed near Kamchatka Colony.

Zeon had been confident that with his ability, finding Elharun would not be difficult. But reality had been different.

No matter how much he searched the vicinity, Elharun did not appear.

Only then did Zeon realize that Elharun was hiding itself through some special method.

‘It is probably perfectly concealing itself with a barrier or Magic.’

The moment he realized that fact, Zeon cleanly gave up on finding Elharun.

There were many places he wanted to visit.

He did not want to waste time obsessing over Elharun alone. So afterward, he left Kamchatka Colony and wandered the world.

‘The Ice Queen, then. Once I enter Neo Seoul, I will have to meet her.’

He had not obtained a certain answer, but he had at least gained a clue. He felt he could now return to Neo Seoul with an easier heart.

Zeon began walking and said,

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you.”

Mandy and Kim Sang-sik followed Zeon.

Kim Sang-sik thought it was fortunate that Zeon had not abandoned him.

At that moment, Mandy approached him and whispered,

“If anything that happened here leaks out, Eloy will kill you.”

“Eloy? I have no idea what you mean. I never saw anyone like that.”

“Keep that resolve.”

“Please don’t worry. I know my life is precious too.”

“I will be watching.”

Mandy’s words sent a chill down Kim Sang-sik’s spine.

Mandy had thoroughly hidden the fact that she had two personalities until now.

And the fact that she was a half-elf as well.

If even one of those two secrets leaked out, she would be placed in considerable trouble. She was threatening him with that in mind.

Now Kim Sang-sik had to keep not only Zeon’s secret, but Mandy’s as well.

Fortunately, Kim Sang-sik was a man who kept his mouth fairly well shut.

He vowed to keep the secrets no matter what and looked around.

Anika’s and Felix’s corpses were nowhere to be seen. They were probably already being digested in the Sandworms’ bellies.

Thinking that he might have ended up the same way if things had gone wrong made a chill run down his spine.

That was when it happened.

Sssshhh!

Suddenly, the sand surged upward, and Sandworms revealed themselves.

The Sandworms circled for a moment around Zeon, Mandy, and Kim Sang-sik.

At that instant, Zeon lightly stomped his foot.

THUD!

A short but powerful vibration stretched far through the sand.

The Sandworms chased the vibration Zeon had created and vanished far away.

At the unbelievable sight, Kim Sang-sik covered his mouth in shock.

‘Just what in the world is this man......?’