The Changed Future

The future had changed.
Faced with that changed future, Ro-un’s thoughts were swept up into a negative whirlpool.

‘Why? How?’
‘Sudden passages are supposed to start happening after the first Calamity.’
‘No. I still can’t be certain that what Proprietress Gu said will actually happen.’
‘But what if Proprietress Gu is right?’
‘What is this? Why has the future changed?’
‘Could it be because of me?’

His thoughts fed into one another and rolled in a negative direction.
Ro-un could barely breathe for fear that all of this might be the result of what he had done.

“Saint!”
“Ah.”

Gu So-ye seized his shoulders and shook him, and only then did focus return to Ro-un’s eyes.
Gu So-ye confirmed that Ro-un was meeting her gaze directly again and loosened her grip.

“Ugh.”

At the tingling sensation of blood flowing back through his body, Ro-un let out a reflexive groan.
Gu So-ye lowered her brows, looking apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Saint. It seems you were badly shocked.”
“No. For a moment, I was thinking about what would happen if what you said were true.”
“I understand. I didn’t want to believe it either. If my suspicion is true, then after the <Otherworld Upheaval> we’ll have to go through another great upheaval all over again.”
“That’s right.”

Ro-un calmed his pounding heart.
Having recovered his composure, Ro-un turned back to Gu So-ye.

“So what do I need to do?”

At the sight of Ro-un recovering his composure in an instant and immediately asking what his role was, the corners of Gu So-ye’s mouth rose.

‘How impressive. Instead of staying frozen in shock, he immediately looks for what he needs to do. Is that why Baek Ho-yeon and Yong Chang-jin both keep such a close eye on him?’

When she first mentioned the sudden passage, he had seemed overly shaken, yet once he came to his senses, he asked at once, with cold reason, how they should respond from here.
It was the astonishing judgment of a professional Awakener.
She was only able to think that way because she did not realize Ro-un was barely holding back his guilt.

“I didn’t have any solid proof, so I couldn’t ask the Association or the authorities for cooperation. But it’s far too serious a matter to let pass.”

Ro-un nodded as if he understood.
Right now the Association only managed passages out of inertia, following the manual as written.
They even jockeyed over passage assignments and took money under the table.

‘The Association handled the first Calamity carelessly too.’

Because of that, the damage had grown worse.

“I couldn’t speak rashly. Humans with too much suspicion in their heads have a way of blaming sudden disasters on someone.”

Ro-un understood Gu So-ye’s meaning at once.
When an incident broke out, arguments over responsibility were inevitable, and if foxes got involved here, it could easily turn into controversies like, “Why didn’t they warn us in advance?” or, “Could the foxes have been behind this?”
All the more so because a sudden passage was a calamity that even the World Awakener Association, friendly as it was toward Divine Beasts, could not easily shield them over.

‘I’ve seen that sort of thing happen plenty of times.’

Ro-un fully understood Gu So-ye’s actions.
If the Association was not cleansed, it was exactly the kind of thing that would be repeated again.
Realizing why she couldn’t rashly ask the Association for cooperation despite the severity of the matter, Ro-un nodded.

“Then are you planning to stop it alone, Proprietress?”
“Yes. Only until the Association arrives. But there may be civilian casualties, so I’ll leave that part to you, Saint.”
“Understood.”

Only then did Ro-un realize why Gu So-ye had called him.
In a disaster on this scale, the presence of a high-ranked healer was like a lighthouse on a dark sea.
Once it seemed he understood his role, Gu So-ye smiled faintly and spoke.

“Good. Shall we go somewhere nice and have a cup of tea now?”
“Didn’t you say that you were treating me to lunch?”
“Yes, that’s right. From here on, we’ll be going to a place people line up for, and we’ll be having a delicious lunch.”

That was the setup for why they were here.
Seeing Ro-un play along so smoothly, Gu So-ye’s eyes lit up.
The more she saw of him, the more she liked him.

“Come on, let’s go!”

Gu So-ye seized Ro-un’s hand, pulled him along, and strode ahead confidently.

---

Sunday. Seocho-dong.
One of those neighborhoods that still had heavy foot traffic even without office workers.
A few days ago there had been a bank robbery by an Awakener here, yet the place looked peaceful, as though nothing of the sort had ever happened.

Then it happened.

“What is that?”
“Huh? Uh!”

A crack opened in midair.

Crrrack! Craaack!

With the sound of something being forcibly torn open, the crack widened its mouth more and more.
Then a shape began to form inside that crack.

“Uuuh, uh.”
“Th-that, th-that!”

It was a passage collapse.
From the crack that had ripped through space, something with a grotesquely warped form oozed out like filth.
Something wrapped in slime pushed itself upright and drew out its claws.
It was an otherworld resident with a distinct form.

“Kirk-rk-rk.”

The monster lunged.
The street, which had seemed frozen in time, instantly regained its motion.

“U-uh, ah!”
“It’s a collapse!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Run!”

The street turned into chaos in an instant.
A characteristic of otherworld residents.
Indiscriminate attacks on Earth lifeforms.
The otherworld resident that had burst from the crack pounced on a fleeing civilian from behind.

“Krrr-kak!”
“Uwaaaah!”

At the shadow falling over him, the fleeing civilian’s legs gave out and he collapsed.
As he curled up, bracing himself for the pain that was about to come, something other than what he expected covered him.

Chwaaak!

Something splashed down onto the ground.
Whatever had dripped down hit the asphalt, and it melted with the sound of scorching.

“H-hiik, hhk!”
“It’s all right. Get to the shelter quickly.”
“U-uh, ah.”

The civilian couldn’t even properly say thank you before stumbling and running in the direction someone pointed.
Ro-un, the someone who had saved him, turned to look at Gu So-ye, who had stepped in front of the otherworld resident.
At that very moment, Gu So-ye, having shaken the slime from her twin swords, winked at Ro-un when she caught his gaze.

“How is it? Have you fallen for me?”
“Yes. I think I just might.”

Not your face, but the way you handle those twin swords so freely.
The way Gu So-ye used her blades was like a butterfly dancing, and his eyes were drawn to it on their own.

Crrrack! Craaaack!

The crack opened its mouth wider and exposed its black interior.
Gu So-ye tightened her grip on her twin swords and placed Ro-un behind her.

“Saint. It begins now.”
“I already filed a report, so the Association’s field response team should be here soon.”
“I know. But, Saint, the reason I brought you here was to prevent civilian casualties.”

At Gu So-ye’s words, spoken as if engraving them in place, Ro-un furrowed his brow.
Because there was something subtle in the way she said them.

“…It seems the sudden passage you mentioned is on a fairly large scale, Proprietress Gu.”
“That’s right. I’m estimating A-rank or above.”
“Then support needs to get here quickly.”

Estimating the rank of the passage from its scale and the form of the otherworld resident that had emerged, Ro-un activated Holy Power and fixed his eyes on it.

Crrrack!

The crack widened further, as if opposing the two who stood in its way.
The collapse had not yet truly begun.

Chwarrrrk!
Kwaaal kwaaal!

Something like wastewater poured out from the torn opening.
At the same time, otherworld residents appeared, stepping through the black, nauseating liquid.

Squelch.
Squelch, squelch.
Squelch, squelch, squelch.

The sound of feet stepping through water went on without end.
From within the A-rank-or-higher crack, which normally required at least an expedition-sized force to clear, deformed otherworld residents began revealing themselves with claws drawn.
Gu So-ye spun her twin swords once in her hands.

“Saint. I’m counting on you!”

Before they could scatter in all directions, Gu So-ye charged the otherworld residents first.

---

From the rooftop of a tall building near where the sudden passage had opened, Baek Ho-yeon looked down below.
In-woo was tucked in his arms.

“Father. Will you only watch?”
“Leaving aside helping the Saint, it is still too early for me to reveal my true intentions to the other humans.”
“So that’s why you’re watching in secret. That’s a relief. It doesn’t seem that you dislike the Saint.”
“Our princess is clever. That’s right, I like humans like the Saint. But if it becomes known that I’m here, humans who would target the Saint will surely appear.”

Having lived as long as he had, Baek Ho-yeon knew human greed well.
If he had not secluded himself and still exerted open influence in human society, he would have simply revealed himself and shielded Ro-un outright.
But after so many years in seclusion, even if Baek Ho-yeon wanted to protect him, there were too many means by which they could ruin Lee Ro-un.
Now, not long after deciding to step out of the cage, Lee Ro-un still had countless snares looped around his body by those bastards.
His past, his family, his friends, his future, the people he had to protect, and more.

‘They shut Lee Ro-un away in some corner of a pathetic academy and wrapped another snare around him called student council president.’

That was exactly why Lee Ro-un was mentioned every time an article came out about trouble caused by Jiri Academy students.
After the entrance ceremony, Lee Ro-un had hardly done anything either as student council president or even as a student, yet reporters mentioned him every time they wrote about a Jiri Academy incident.

“Father. I understand. But, Father, I fear that at this rate we may miss something important. What if, in trying to protect the Saint, we end up putting him in danger instead?”
“That’s why I’m watching from here in secret. And that one over there also came because he was worried.”

On the opposite rooftop that Baek Ho-yeon indicated with a glance, a dragon stood with his presence completely suppressed.

“Ro-uung!”
“Shh. You need to be quiet right now.”
“Doddyy.”
“Do not worry. Nothing dangerous will happen to the Saint.”

Though far away, Baek Ho-yeon heard the dragon father and son as clearly as if they were beside him, thanks to his sharp hearing, and smiled faintly.

‘Gu So-ye warned Ro-un to be careful of sly snakes. There’s no way a fox who’s lived for thousands of years came out here in person just to verify a rumor.’

Baek Ho-yeon’s sharp irises held both Ro-un and Gu So-ye.

“Father. Was the reason you suddenly said we were going down to Jirisan because you wanted to protect the Saint, and keep him away from the eyes of other humans?”
“Our princess is clever. That’s right. They used the academy as the Saint’s cage, so I’m going to turn that academy into a sturdy wall that protects him.”
“Father! This maiden wishes to help too!”
“Hahahahaha. Princess, you are already fulfilling your role splendidly just by being yourself.”

Of course.
The lovely princess was already doing an excellent job laying siege to the walls around the Saint’s heart.

‘Among humans they say kindness itself is a sickness, don’t they? He may act like he’s trying to avoid it, but the fact that he can’t simply pass by In-woo or that dragon hatchling makes it obvious.’

And lately, didn’t he say he couldn’t just leave the child beside him alone and even treated his trait?
It felt as though something had been done to him by humans and he was trying to avoid them, but he couldn’t stop himself from caring about other humans entirely.
Baek Ho-yeon saw straight through the dissonant state Ro-un was in.

“Father! It must be us who protect the Saint. We cannot let him be taken by others.”
“Hahahaha. You mean by dragons and foxes?”
“Yes!”

He gently smoothed back In-woo’s reddish-brown hair as she puffed herself up in determination, declaring that they couldn’t lose.
We really can’t let our guard down with our Saint, since the moment we take our eyes off him, he would charm someone else.
Baek Ho-yeon recalled the night of the Night Market.

‘The humans at the Association had wrapped the Saint up so tightly that he was hard to approach. So we thought we’d just handle it ourselves. And then, oh my? What do you know? The Saint leapt out of the Association’s cage of his own accord.’
‘So why does it have to be the Saint of all people? What are you plotting?’
‘Plotting? That wounds me.’
‘I’m leaving.’
‘Ah, wait! I’ll talk! I said I’ll talk!’

At Baek Ho-yeon’s threat, Gu So-ye surrendered.

‘If my information is correct, then two days from now, a sudden passage will open in the middle of Seoul.’

At least in that moment, Baek Ho-yeon recalled that Gu So-ye had fully shown her presence and truly seemed like a Heavenly Fox.
Knowing the extent of Gu So-ye’s information network, Baek Ho-yeon was startled by her words, but also found himself wondering whether Lee Ro-un knew this much as well.

‘Interesting.’

Baek Ho-yeon smiled, baring his teeth.
Watching Baek Ho-yeon let his presence rise, Gu So-ye smiled too, her eyes curving brightly.

‘Oh my. Won’t you tell me what’s so interesting too?’
‘Nope. I won’t.’

It already felt like a waste just sharing it with that Yong Chang-jin bastard.
There was no way he was adding one more to the circle.
But it seemed Gu So-ye had already become interested in Lee Ro-un.
He truly didn’t want to share the truth, but Baek Ho-yeon knew he couldn’t stop Gu So-ye.
So he only acted more inscrutably and kept his mouth shut.

‘Hmm. Fine. Then I’ll find out myself.’

Gu So-ye bit down on the bait immediately.
For all appearances, she was a fox who could be trusted well enough, and she had her own attachment to the Korean Peninsula too.
He didn’t like the idea of a troublesome fox sticking herself to the Saint’s side, but now that Gu So-ye had taken an interest, it would likely benefit Lee Ro-un more than harm him.

“Saint. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can let you drop out.”

Instead, I’ll build a strong wall for you.
Baek Ho-yeon watched Ro-un with a face that was not sorry at all.

---

Just when are the reinforcements getting here?
Which guild was in charge of this area?
The Association could not manage the entire country on its own, so it worked with guilds to handle public safety across Korea.
Even though it was Sunday, this was a high-traffic area in the middle of the capital, so support should have arrived a hundred times over by now.

“Damn it! When the hell are they coming!”

Ro-un grit his teeth and evacuated civilians.
But the people, thrown into panic by an unexpected disaster, stumbled about in confusion.
They had been steeped in peace for too long.

“Aaaah! Mooom!”
“Move!”
“Everybody calm down and get to the shelter!”
“Uwaaaah!”

This is a disaster.

Chwarrrrk!

For now, Proprietress Gu So-ye’s barrier had blocked the spread of the crack’s effects, but otherworld residents and the liquid pouring from the crack were steadily filling the inside of the barrier.
Watching the proprietress move like she was dancing inside the barrier, it didn’t seem like she would have any trouble holding off an A-rank crack by herself.
The problem was the civilians.

Crrrack!

“Kyaaah!”
“Ugh!”
“Ghk!”

Seeing the crack growing larger, the civilians panicked and began to run wild.

“Damn it. When are the reinforcements coming?”

Only once support arrived would people calm down.
The police arrived late and helped with the evacuation, but there were nowhere near enough hands.
The civilians were in full panic and impossible to control.
At this rate, there might be casualties.

“Ah!”

Just then, a child who had lost his parent’s hand fell to the ground.

“Waaaaaaah!”
“Yu-seong!”

The parent realized too late that they had lost hold of the child and tried to force their way back through the crowd, but couldn’t push through the people consumed by the urge to escape.

“No!”

The merciless foot of a panicked adult moved as if it were about to crush the child curled up on the ground.
At this rate, the child was going to be trampled.
Someone was going to die in this changed future.
He still hadn’t done anything.
The first Calamity hadn’t even come yet!

‘I didn’t come back just to stand here helplessly.’

I.
Wanted to stop the Calamities.

Paaaat!

“Uh.”
“……”
“…It’s so bright.”

A warm, gentle light spread out beneath his feet.
It was a healing light.
At the warm healing light, the people trapped in panic reflexively turned toward the place it was spreading from.

‘…Over the past several years, thanks to student Lee Ro-un’s efforts, people have come to feel reassured simply by seeing your face. What student Lee Ro-un symbolizes is that great.’

Yong Chang-jin’s words from dinner the night before rose in his mind.
As Holy Power poured out of him in overwhelming force, Ro-un’s clothes billowed.

Whooong!

The wind kicked up by that surge of immense power blew Ro-un’s cap away.
Under the sun, Ro-un’s face was revealed.

‘It seems student Lee Ro-un underestimates himself too much.’

The civilians facing the disaster recognized Ro-un’s face.

“The Saint. It’s the Saint.”
“It’s Lee Ro-un.”
“<Caller of Miracles>.”
“It’s the Saint.”

Yong Chang-jin had been right.
He still didn’t know himself well enough.
Feeling the desperate looks of salvation turning toward him, Ro-un slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Standing on ground shining brightly with light, Ro-un declared.

“From this point on, no one dies without my permission.”

A cluster of light shimmered in Ro-un’s black eyes.