Chapter 289: White Knight (4)

< White Knight (4) >

'Jackpot.'

Unprecedented.

The young man holding the camera, filming Heinrich in the hospital lobby, gulped. The situation perfectly fit the word.

'A scoop of this magnitude! I can't believe this luck!'

He was holding a camera and conducting an interview, but he wasn't a reporter. He was an internet streamer, a profession no longer considered particularly special.

If there was one special thing about him… it was that he was a returnee, and he had successfully made a name for himself by using that background.

However, his level wasn't very high, and his Unique Skill wasn't anything noteworthy, so his channel was far from being considered a major one.

'Not only did I get the first exclusive interview with the White Knight, but the content is this big of a deal?'

He'd had a particularly good dream last night, and it seemed it was a premonition of this good fortune.

The young man clenched his fist, recalling the precognitive Unique Skill that had led him to this hospital.

Due to the skill's low level, he had only been able to roughly predict the good or bad fortune of the following day…

-???

-Someone from another world? Not a returnee?

-Wow lol what is this lol

-?????

-Is this real? Or just some attention seeker??

Looking at the chat window, which was overflowing with messages at an incredible speed, he knew he'd hit the jackpot.

Glancing at the number of viewers, which was several times higher than usual and still climbing steeply, he calmed himself down and turned his attention back to the paladin in front of him.

An exotic, handsome man with a gentle smile on his face, his helmet removed.

He had readily agreed to the interview request and continued to emit divine power, healing the sick.

In every way, he was the very image of a savior.

'…Honestly, the truth of the interview doesn't really matter.'

To be honest, he was skeptical of Heinrich's claims.

Someone from another world who suddenly appeared from a different dimension?

Even though the White Knight had demonstrated immense divine power multiple times, it didn't prove he was from another world.

Wouldn't it be more logical to deny it until concrete evidence appeared, rather than accepting an unprecedented exception based on a single claim?

"If you mean the evil that has befallen all dimensions…"

"They infiltrate numerous dimensions and drive worlds to ruin through various methods. In the case of our Auterica, the Immortal King is part of that."

However, despite his personal skepticism, the young man continued the interview with Heinrich, the White Knight, with a serious attitude.

Whether it was a prank by a top-tier returnee or the ramblings of a lunatic lost in fanaticism…

It wasn't his place to judge the truth.

-This is ridiculous;; Is he crazy...?;

-I believe! Long live White Knight-nim! Long live Heinrich-nim! Long live Auterica-nim!

-FYI) It's been over 20 years since interdimensional travel began. There have been countless self-proclaimed people from other worlds globally, but not a single case has been officially recognized.

-lol This is hilarious, what a troll lol This guy is good lol

-Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. Isn't 20 years too short to prove a theory?

-No, sir. Please bring evidence! Evidence!

Whether to believe it or not was entirely up to the viewers.

His role was simply to convey the current situation.

The surge in popularity and donations were the sweet honey that came with the process.

And naturally…

Amidst the mixed opinions, the prevailing view was disbelief, dismissing it as a preposterous claim.

'Well, I expected that.'

Heinrich, glancing at the chat window flowing with such opinions with his superhuman dynamic vision, inwardly agreed.

It had been well over 20 years since interdimensional travel began on Earth.

For that considerable period, the fact that only Earthling Awakened could defy the laws of dimensions had long been established as a rule.

And now, someone from another world suddenly appeared on Earth?

Naturally, such an outlandish claim couldn't be easily believed.

"…They are the ones who have led numerous dimensions to ruin. Whatever their purpose, it's unlikely to be beneficial to the world. Of course, that includes this Earth, where they are hiding."

However, Heinrich maintained a serious expression, honed through practice, and continued speaking earnestly.

Confidence and conviction were crucial elements in persuasion, alongside logic.

"As long as they remain in this world, peace will not come to any world."

His 'faith,' speaking only the truth regarding the Heavenly Wealth Society, began to mix with the presence leaking from his immense power, as well as the aura of 「Grand Blessing: Knight of Light」…

"That is why I am here now."

…and naturally spread as an invisible charisma, subtly influencing the thoughts of others.

Like some kind of cult leader.

'…Huh? Is it real?'

The streamer, closest to him and thus directly exposed to the aura, blinked repeatedly with a confused expression.

He thought he was being quite objective, but his intuition, naturally developed thanks to his Unique Skill, told him that what he was hearing was true.

And although the effect was somewhat weak compared to its influence in reality, the same reaction was happening in the online world beyond the lens.

-??? I really don't know;; I'm neutral for now.

-If it's true, it'll be revealed soon anyway, so there's no need to waste energy.

-I don't believe it without evidenceㅋ;

-Wow, he's really handsome. I could live happily just looking at his face.

-Saint-nim, I believe you! Please come to Incheonㅠㅠ My grandmother is sick and they say she doesn't have much time left…

Of course, public opinion wouldn't completely shift with just a few words.

But he had undoubtedly succeeded in planting the thought of 'what if' in many people's minds.

'That's enough for now. It's just a matter of proving it later.'

He already had a plan for that.

Ultimately, they simply couldn't accept this unprecedented situation.

That was why they were clinging to what they could understand, stubbornly demanding to be convinced within their existing framework.

'Then, I'll present other cases that transcend the realm of common sense. If that happens…'

Weight would naturally be added to Heinrich's words, and the Heavenly Wealth Society wouldn't be able to remain hidden as they had been.

Whether to counter public opinion or to project actual force, they would have to reveal themselves to some extent.

'…That's when it truly begins.'

The real war to erase the evil organization known as the Heavenly Wealth Society from this world.

Heinrich's eyes curved into a subtle smile.

He sensed multiple presences approaching his range, faster than before.

The plan was proceeding smoothly.

New Delhi, the capital of India.

"…What is that…?"

A woman's perplexed voice leaked from a room where intricate mandala-patterned textiles were arranged like a maze.

Numerous candles illuminated the dark interior, their light reflecting off metallic objects… and the contrasting bluish-white light from the screen of an electronic device.

The brown-skinned woman, reclining on a floor sofa, frowned slightly and stared at the tablet screen.

-I can't stay in this world for long. I came to warn you by the will of God, but the problems in our world aren't resolved yet.

-Ah, I heard. You said the fight with that Demon King, the Immortal King, isn't over yet.

-That's right. It's a seed of evil that sprouted in our world through artificial means. I'm afraid I won't be able to visit often until that's all sorted out. Actually, even this is a bit of a stretch…

-Oh my! So you really can travel between the two worlds at will…

A teardrop-shaped red gem on the forehead of the woman, staring intently at the screen, emitted a sinister glow.

Ignoring the hookah pipe in her hand, she continued to watch for a while. Oracle, closing her eyes and massaging her forehead as the video ended and the screen went still, sighed.

'…What is this? Did my insight fail again? On a matter that could be such a huge turning point for the dimension?'

And once again, the source was Korea.

The region where the unpredictable element known as Hahoe Mask had first appeared and disrupted their plans.

The region where the vampire named Heinz had turned against them and begun controlling the underworld.

'And now, again…'

This guy, a saint from another world who was sure to be a huge variable, had popped up.

No, forget being a variable, he was a massive bomb that could shake their entire plan if they didn't respond immediately.

'At this point, it's certain.'

She didn't know exactly what it was, but 'something' that had existed in Korea was starting to move.

And it was probably that something that had been blocking her insights into Korea.

"Hmm…"

At this point, Oracle couldn't help but question her initial plan.

She had judged that it was best to focus on China and Japan, and then use them to indirectly control Korea, rather than investing more in Korea, which had potential unpredictable risk factors, since resources were limited.

'If I had given up on Japan and concentrated all resources on Korea… could I have prevented this abnormal situation?'

It was a meaningless hypothetical now.

In the first place, with unpredictable elements, the return on investment would have been extremely low.

In fact, hadn't one of the talents who should have returned from the Kang Clan as a Transcendent Realm expert disappeared at a bad time?

Since supporting a single candidate for Transcendent level growth required considerable resources, abandoning Korea was the best option for efficiency at the time.

"Sigh— There's nothing I can do about what's past."

Composing her thoughts, Oracle took a deep drag from the hookah pipe in her hand.

Anyway, she had grasped the situation, so it was time to devise a countermeasure.

'It hasn't been long since I cleaned up the mess that naked fool Hahoe Mask made and regained control over China.'

So much effort and resources had been expended to rectify the situation quickly, and now this was happening again!

This time, it was the saint White Knight, the complete opposite type of the Black Wizard Hahoe Mask, causing trouble as if they were tag-teaming. It was frustrating.

"Where's Doctor?"

Taking the pipe from her mouth, she spoke casually.

A figure cloaked in black, who had been there since who knows when, prostrated themselves on the floor and answered her question.

"He's busy handling matters in Europe, so he said to take care of things here. Doctor is planning to capture a vampire named Heinz in Romania…"

"Ha! Does that madman not understand what's important right now? This isn't the time to be bothered with a single test subject…!"

Oracle knew what Doctor was obsessed with.

She also knew that if the plan succeeded, it would be a great help in the future.

But everything had priorities!

'Considering the time it takes for that vampire to travel around other parts of Europe, there's plenty of time.'

That man was frustrating in every way.

If he wasn't the Society Master, she wouldn't have worked with him in the first place.

Suppressing her frustration, Oracle puffed on her hookah for a while and then exhaled a cloud of smoke with a sigh.

What could she do? It couldn't be helped with the Society Master away.

"There's still some time left before it becomes public, so if we prepare in advance…"

Thus, Oracle had to rack her brains once more to clean up the group project after a member had bailed.

Of course, no one knew if that would be the end of it.

Heinz II, who had sneaked onto a plane and flown to France, almost on the opposite side of the globe.

'Educating' Victor Balzac, the tyrant of Thermidor, the largest organization in the French underworld, required a bit more time.

'This should be enough. Shall we move on to the next one?'

When the 'education' was complete, he stealthily boarded a plane, just as he had secretly entered the country.

Thermidor, now under his control, had prepared a fake identity for him, but vampire checks at European airports were stricter than in Korea, so this was the best way to avoid trouble.

'The flight won't be that long anyway.'

The plane he was on finally took off without any problems.

Towards his next target.

Italy.