Brave Citizen Award ceremony.
“Ta-da!”
“Oooooh!”
A badge was pinned on Ara’s chest.
This place is the Awakening Headquarters.
It was because of the incident that happened the day before that we came here.
“We will also have the Brave Citizen Award ceremony.”
“Oooooh!!”
Ara expressed her excitement with a thrilled voice.
The way she clenched her fists and trembled with excitement was adorable.
“…In recognition of your significant contribution to maintaining public order, we hereby present this award.”
“Hehehe.”
It wasn’t a real Brave Citizen Award, but more of a special event for Ara.
Meanwhile, we were having a separate conversation on the side, but of course, Ara’s cute reaction caused our conversation to pause.
The staff also loved Ara, so the work was momentarily at a standstill.
“Ahem, to continue with our earlier conversation, the individual near Mr. Kyu-seong’s residence the previous day was identified as a French national.”
“French?”
“Yes. While not all information has been disclosed yet, we suspect that this individual is associated with the European Awakening Union.”
European Awakening Union.
It was a name we had been hearing more often lately.
‘I can guess why.’
We already knew they intended to target the Dungeon of Wrath.
So, if they specifically sought me out, it must mean they want my crops.
However, their approach wasn’t ideal.
Coming at me like this only makes me more guarded.
“We will do our best to gather more information. Once the individual’s identity and affiliation are confirmed, the government will likely respond, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Yes, understood.”
The mention of government involvement makes me more anxious.
Even if I wanted to let it pass smoothly, that would be difficult.
After all, there’s also the matter of the nation’s image.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! Look at this!”
“Huh? Oh, it’s a certificate! As expected of our Ara. You’re amazing.”
“Hehehe!”
Ara came running with the badge still pinned and handed over the certificate.
The staff watching this scene made indescribable sounds.
“Aww, so cute.”
“I want to pinch those cheeks.”
“Look at those twitchy ears!”
She was popular here as well.
Moreover, thanks to the recent YouTube video, it was known that she would soon appear in a drama, making her a household name in the Awakening industry.
With all the attention, Ara was in a good mood, prancing around and showing off her charm.
“We’ll keep you informed as more details emerge. Or would you prefer we share the information through the guild? That way, you wouldn’t need to come to the headquarters.”
“Oh, then please do it that way.”
With the conversation wrapped up, I gathered Ara and headed outside.
The staff offered to escort us, but I politely declined.
“Ara, let’s go check out the car!”
“Ooooh! Are we finally getting one?!”
We had always been inconvenienced by not having a car, and now we were finally going to buy one.
I had put it off for a while despite having the money, but with the construction around the dungeon creating parking spaces, I decided it was time to get one.
“Kyu-seong!”
“Huh?”
But as soon as we stepped outside the building, we had to stop due to someone who appeared as if they had been waiting.
It was Bloodborne’s Kim Tae-yang.
The CEO of Iron Blood Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Ironblood Group, and a director of Ironblood.
He was also a level 8 Awakener, the highest rank in the country.
He called out to me with his perpetually youthful face.
“Tae-yang!”
“Why is Awakener Kim Tae-yang here…?”
“I heard you were visiting the Awakening Headquarters, so I decided to wait. Do you have a moment to discuss some business?”
“Oll!”
As we approached the vehicle, Ara jumped up and slipped through the open window.
“Hello, is it?”
“Haha, Ara! You’re full of energy as always!”
“Yeah! Look at this!”
Ara, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately showed off her certificate.
With a helpless expression, I followed her into the passenger seat and placed Ara on my lap.
“Let’s see. This is… oh! A Brave Citizen Award! Did Ara receive it?”
“Yep! I protected Kyu-seong!”
“That’s right! If it weren’t for our Ara, Kyu-seong might have been in big trouble. Thanks to you, everything turned out fine. Good job, Ara.”
It wasn’t wrong. If it hadn’t been for Ara, I wouldn’t have even noticed the transparent opponent, and even if I had noticed, I would have been paralyzed by the poison. However, our Ara is immune to both transparency and poison. She’s almost like an omnipotent Awakener. Of course, using the majesty of the Grand Lord, I could have displayed the wit to copy Ara’s abilities, but the abilities are chosen randomly, so…
“Is the Director okay? Any aftereffects from the poison yesterday…?”
“Ahem.”
Kim Tae-yang suddenly cleared his throat loudly. It seemed he was a bit embarrassed about the fact that he had been poisoned and had to rely on my help. It made sense, as he was a level 8 Awakener, not to mention the terrifying nickname ‘Bloodborne.’ But just by touching Ara’s cheek a little, he had become completely stiff. And since Ara was able to move without a problem even after being hit by such a powerful poison, it was understandable that his pride was hurt.
“Please, just let me know anytime.”
“What? About what?”
“The cost of the antidote.”
“No, no! It was because of us, so I can’t accept any payment.”
“That…”
“That… sigh. Never mind.”
As if he felt more embarrassed the more he spoke, Kim Tae-yang started driving. It seemed he drove his own car without an escort.
“I’ll take you home after the meeting. Did you have any other plans?”
“I didn’t have any specific plans, but I was thinking about buying a car.”
“A car? You mean a vehicle?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Kim Tae-yang quickly made a phone call. He soon spoke to the person on the other end.
“Would it be okay to bring a guest to the store when it closes?”
-Of course, Director.
“Yes, I’ll see you later then.”
The call ended simply. And I asked, just in case.
“Was that call just now…?”
“Ah, I informed our Iron Blood car dealership. Let’s go together later.”
“Thank you.”
I received help unexpectedly. I wasn’t particularly considering the Iron Blood brand, but since it came to this, I might as well take a look around.
I never thought of Iron Blood, as most of their vehicles are luxury cars.
It’s not like I don’t have the money. But why would I buy an expensive brand’s car? I was thinking of purchasing a reasonably priced vehicle with good value for money. If Kim Tae-yang is introducing me, there might be a discount, right?
“Vroom vroom, it’s a car.”
“Ara, you should check it out too. The Director will come with us.”
“Oh! Is Kim Tae-yang coming with us?!”
Kim Tae-yang glanced at the excited Ara and chuckled. Soon, we arrived at the Iron Blood Enter building, not far from the Awakening Headquarters. As expected of an entertainment agency’s building, it had a very modern exterior. I’ve had meetings here a few times, but this is the first time I’ve been to the main building. We took the elevator from the underground parking lot, and it stopped on the first floor, where some people got on.
“Oh! Director!”
“Director, hello.”
A person who looked like an employee and a woman with a bright smile got on. Somehow, she looked familiar…
Oh, perfect timing. This is Ara, who will be shooting the ad with you, and her guardian.
“……”
Oh! Ara?!
Ah, this person…
Since I’ve lived so disconnected from the media, I didn’t recognize her immediately, but this must be the actress Seo Ye-eun. I thought there was an aura about her, and sure enough, she’s an actress. It’s amazing that Ara will be shooting with someone like her.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, this is the actress Seo Ye-eun.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Kyu-seong, Ara’s guardian.”
“Oh! I’m really glad to meet you! I’m Seo Ye-eun. And thank you for the garlic.”
Garlic?
When I tilted my head in confusion, Kim Tae-yang smiled and spoke.”
“Remember when I asked you to pack some garlic for me last time, Mr. Kyu-seong? That was to give to Ms. Ye-eun.”
“Oh…”
So she had asked me for garlic to give to Seo Ye-eun. But out of all the crops, why garlic specifically?
Garlic’s effect… was it to prevent dryness?
A sort of moisturizing effect.
I thought it could help with skin hydration. Actually, when it comes to skin, cucumbers are more well-known, but cucumbers still haven’t revealed their true power.
“It’s nothing much, but I thought we could meet in advance to have a chat and talk a bit about the ad we’ll be shooting.”
From her reaction, it seemed she had brought me along spontaneously after hearing I was nearby. I wasn’t particularly busy, and since Kim Tae-yang would accompany me to the car dealership afterward, it was fine with me.
“Hello?”
“Hello, indeed.”
“Your way of speaking is really unique. So it’s not just for YouTube?”
“My way of speaking is dignified.”
Ara suddenly struck a serious pose with a solemn expression. This made not only Seo Ye-eun but also the staff member who seemed to be a manager burst into laughter.
She seemed to be trying her best to appear cool and dignified, but instead, it just made her look adorable.
‘Our Ara is so adorably silly…’
It was the perfect description for our Ara—silly and cute.
“By the way, Mr. Kyu-seong, can I talk to you privately for a moment later?”
“Uh? Yes, of course. But what is it about…?”
“It’s about yesterday.”
I barely managed to keep my expression from stiffening at Kim Tae-yang’s words.
“CEO Baek Tae-seop is coming here to talk. Let’s discuss it together.”
***
The European Awakening Union had branches established in the capital cities of its member countries. Among them, France, Germany, and the UK held special status. Outwardly, they claimed equality, but the power they wielded was different.
And this was the UK branch of the European Awakening Union. Someone was harshly taking a call in the office.
“So you’re saying the problem is that they got caught! What does a 100% success rate up to now even mean!”
“Didn’t we plan this operation solely from the French branch? This was a plan agreed upon by everyone!”
“So you’re saying that France, which first proposed this, bears no responsibility?”
“Are you implying it’s our fault? Lord Edward, you need to calm down a bit.”
“Are you trying to lecture me?”
After several rounds of raised voices, the heated conversation ended with nothing resolved.
Breathing heavily, Edward finished the call and clutched his throbbing forehead, then threw something across the room.
Crash!
“Useless fools!”
The European Union was currently divided by various factions. As a multinational coalition, it was hard to unify opinions, and ultimately, it was an organization formed based on self-interest, lacking strong cohesion.
France, Germany, and the UK had led it so far, but even that leadership was now faltering.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“L-Lord Edward. We’ve received a message from the Chinese side.”
“China?”
He remembered sending people to several Chinese guilds. The one he was most concerned about was the Skyscraper Guild, known for frequent clashes with Insignia.
Because of that, he had been very careful with the personnel he sent. But where had the message come from?
“Sigh. Come in.”
Soon, the door opened, and a Union staff member entered.
His face was pale, and he seemed restless, but Edward mistakenly thought it was because of him.
“I won’t take out my anger on you, so stop trembling and just tell me.”
“Uh, um, it’s…!”
“I said I won’t get mad, right?”
“It’s not that…”
The employee then closed his eyes tightly and spoke.
T”he personnel we sent to the Skyscraper Guild have sent an SOS.”
“Huh?”
Edward tilted his head, wondering if he had heard wrong. The anger that had surged to the top of his head subsided.
“They’re currently being held by the Skyscraper Guild… What are you talking about?”
…The Skyscraper Guild also sent a warning message.
The explanation made less and less sense.
Edward felt like he was in a dream. What was the employee in front of him saying?
“They said they would definitely take revenge on anyone who messes with their comrade…?”
“What kind of nonsense is that!! Why did the Skyscraper Guild suddenly do this?”
Edward felt like he was going to lose his mind.
Cliche Novel 