There Is No World For ■■-Chapter 197: In the city, flowers bloom; at the gate, the moon flows (3)

The group’s plan to grab lunch at a hotel ran into an unexpected obstacle.

“I’m sorry. We don’t accept beastkin at our hotel.”

From world-famous hotel chains to low-end budget inns barely worthy of being called hostels—

Every place recoiled the moment they saw Corvus, refusing to offer a room.

The Saint tried to argue, but it was no use.

Hotels turning away beastkin wasn’t about hatred or prejudice—it was about primal fear.

“Just last week, beastkin terrorists ate hotel staff during a room service call. I’m sorry, but... we have to ask you to leave.”

As a result, they couldn’t even book a room, let alone rest. They ended up sitting on the street and eating there.

Fortunately, the barley bread sold by a dwarf street vendor—smothered with what was supposedly barley jam—was surprisingly good. The barley soda? Not so much.

Anyway, they sat on a roadside bench while cars zipped past, eating their makeshift meal.

Neti sneakily dumped her barley soda into the flower bed, and as the sun began to set, casting long shadows—

Corvus shook the bread crumbs from her wings and said,

“It seems... as long as I’m around, getting a place to stay will be difficult.”

She said it lightly, like it was just a passing thought. But everyone froze, instantly knowing where this was going.

“It’s fine for a day or two. I’ll just—”

Yeomyeong, still chewing on his bread, cut her off.

“You’re leaving? No. Not happening.”

“But the hotel—”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Worst case, we’ll rent out an entire guesthouse.”

As he spoke, Yeomyeong °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° pulled a pouch of gold coins from his inventory.

Corvus stared at the heavy sack for a second, stunned into silence. Only after the Saint let out a chuckle did she finally speak.

“...Didn’t think I’d live to see the day where money moved me.”

Her voice, half joking and half sincere, made Neti giggle. The Saint smiled gently, and Seti quietly dipped her bread into the barley soda.

In that peaceful moment, they finished their meal.

Eventually, they stood up and began walking toward their next lodging.

The dwarf who’d sold them the bread waved as they passed.

Just as they reached the crosswalk and waited for the light to change—

A black limousine screeched to a halt in front of them.

It was a luxury sedan so top-of-the-line, even on Earth you’d rarely see one.

The rear door opened, and a dwarf in a tailored suit stepped out.

He wore a tiny monocle and had burn scars across his face.

Unlike the other dwarves they’d met, this one gave off a distinct military aura.

Several people on the street scattered the moment they saw him—so he was clearly someone well-known in the city.

Without hesitation, he approached the group and spoke directly to Yeomyeong.

“Do you have a moment? There’s someone who’d like to speak to you about your Inventory.”

****

As history proves, criminal organizations all grow from the same kind of soil.

Inept governments and unstable policing.

A public willing to do anything for profit.

Oppressed minorities and laborers...

The moment society starts mocking those who play by the rules, and both rich and poor turn to violence instead of justice—

Crime becomes just another part of life.

That was true of medieval Sicily. Of modern America. And now, of Gemini City.

—

“Just the short version.”

From the soft leather seat of the limousine, Yeomyeong cut him off.

The dwarf who’d been going on this whole time shot him a quick side-eye.

“It is a relevant piece of context.”

“We’re from Dreitereal.”

The name of the worst slum city beyond the gate made the dwarf’s face harden.

“...Ah. Trash-born, are you? I must look like a fool, preaching to a maggot.”

“....”

Yeomyeong didn’t confirm or deny it.

He simply tilted his head, slowly pointing an ice spike between the dwarf’s brows.

The dwarf glanced between Yeomyeong and the frozen weapon. Just as Neti was asking, “Can I open the mini fridge?”—he gave in and spoke again.

“Fine. Let’s skip the lecture.”

“Summarize.”

“Hmph. You know the organization that controls this city is called La Cosa Nostra, yes?”

Yeomyeong nodded. The American mafia, brought through the dimensional gate.

“Truth is, La Cosa Nostra is just a front. Three groups actually run this city in alliance.”

“...Three groups?”

“The beastkin’s Prairie Brotherhood, Earth’s mafia-run La Cosa Nostra, and... our own knight order.”

Yeomyeong frowned. Criminal syndicates cooperating in a single city?

What could possibly drive the mafia to join hands like that? A common enemy? A power balance? Or... a dominant force?

Before he could finish the thought, the dwarf gave him the answer.

“The only reason peace was possible between the three... is our commander. He worked hard for the good of this city.”

“....”

Despite the cringe-worthy titles—“knight order,” “commander”—Yeomyeong didn’t laugh.

After all, even the noble lords of Dreitereal were just gangsters who ruled with power and fear.

And this was a city linked to Earth.

If someone here could hold the gangs in check, they had to be powerful and clever.

Of course, that was all theory. Yeomyeong replied, his tone a bit sharper.

“Doesn’t seem to be working very well.”

Out in the plains, bandits were tossing around the knight order’s name. And in the heart of the city, beastkin thugs were tailing CIA agents...

He didn’t say any of this aloud—but the dwarf shut his mouth as if he’d heard it anyway.

A short silence followed.

The dwarf stared out the window for a while, then sighed deeply.

“Our commander has... fallen ill, recently.”

“....”

“And the moment that news got out, every rat and idiot with no sense of loyalty or honor started crawling out of the woodwork.”

He stopped there, locking eyes with Yeomyeong’s cold, golden stare.

Just as he was about to continue—

Seti cut in.

“Skip it. Just tell us why you approached Yeomyeong.”

Right. Just moments ago, this dwarf had suddenly approached them and requested they come along. Yeomyeong hadn’t said no—

Because he’d said one word: Inventory.

Seti, who understood exactly what that meant, had no choice but to board the limo with him.

Now, tired of the drawn-out small talk, Seti had lost her patience.

“If this is a trap, get it over with. Don’t waste our time.”

Her tone was so sharp that even Neti—mid-sip from a soda pulled from the limo’s mini-fridge—froze mid-motion.

The dwarf wiped his scarred face and replied,

“...That was never my intention. If my approach caused misunderstanding, I apologize.”

“Forget the apology. Just tell us why.”

But the dwarf didn’t answer right away.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally exhaled and said,

“...To be honest, I don’t know the exact reason either.”

“....”

Clack—the sound of Corvus clicking her beak came almost simultaneously with the dwarf’s excuse.

“I was simply following orders from the Vice Commander, sent to escort you.”

“Pretty talkative for someone who claims to know nothing.”

“Better to speak than stay silent. Don’t you agree?”

Where the hell does he get off— Seti, unable to hold back, started to rise from her seat.

But just then, the limousine stopped. After circling the city, they had finally reached their destination.

The entire group glanced out the window at once—and every single one of them frowned.

It was the exact same hotel that had rejected them earlier, the second one they’d visited.

“We’ve arrived. This is the Imperial Grand Hotel.”

Whether or not he realized there was now an invisible ice spike pointed at the back of his neck, the driver announced the destination with professional ease.

****

Unlike their first visit, the hotel staff didn’t reject Corvus this time.

In fact, they now bowed repeatedly to her, full of apologies for not recognizing her association with the dwarf.

And the dwarf, clearly intending to milk the situation for all it was worth, asked smoothly:

“How many rooms shall I reserve?”

As Seti’s eyes turned icy, Yeomyeong stepped forward to answer instead.

“Three large rooms. All top-tier suites with a view of the city skyline.”

“And your meals?”

“Room service for everything.”

The dwarf nodded as if that were no issue at all. Judging by how easily he issued commands to the staff, this hotel was likely owned by the knight order.

“Is this really okay?” Seti asked, brushing off a hotel worker who tried to take her bag. The others shared her unease—staff members stepped back with awkward expressions.

Yeomyeong simply shrugged.

“They knew about my Inventory and still sent a limo. We can at least hear them out.”

“And grab a place to stay while we’re at it?”

He didn’t reply—just smiled faintly. As Seti shook her head in exasperation, a group of large men—clearly not regular hotel staff—approached the group.

“Sir Jepun, we’re here to escort the guests.”

So the dwarf’s name was Jepun. He held out a palm toward Yeomyeong.

The large men gave Yeomyeong a slight bow, then surrounded him in a protective circle.

“We’ll take you to the special room.”

They began to lead him away—but Corvus immediately blocked their path.

“Disciple, are you sure you’ll be alright going alone?”

Yeomyeong glanced around briefly, then gave a nod.

“I’ll be fine. You all go ahead and rest.”

“If anything happens, give a signal. I’ll reduce this whole hotel to rubble.”

It didn’t sound like a joke.

Yeomyeong promised he would, then followed Jepun and the bodyguards, separating from the group.

Contrary to expectations, they didn’t lead him through some hidden passage or secret basement.

They just took a regular elevator to the seventh floor—an oddly intermediate level—and guided him to a room at the very end of the hallway.

The room they reached looked like nothing more than a well-insulated hotel suite.

No fancy locks. No magic circles. Just a very ordinary, soundproof room.

Only Yeomyeong was allowed to enter.

The bodyguards disappeared back down the hall, and only Jepun remained, bowing at the entrance.

“The Vice Commander is inside.”

As the door closed behind him, Yeomyeong stepped into the room.

There, seated at a table, was a middle-aged man.

Slicked-back gray-streaked hair, a neatly trimmed mustache, and a solid, muscular build beneath a tailored suit—

Just from appearance alone, the man radiated authority. The mana emanating from his body was even more remarkable.

A superhuman of a caliber rarely encountered.

He welcomed Yeomyeong with a gleaming sword laid across the table before him.

“Welcome. I am Sancho, Vice Commander of the knight order that governs this city. Thank you for accepting our sudden invitation.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yeomyeong replied, taking the seat across from him.

His eyes naturally drifted to the sword on the table. Even at a glance, it was clear this wasn’t some ordinary weapon.

The blade was carved entirely from dragon bone. The hilt had not one, but three separate magic circles inscribed into it.

If auctioned on Earth, it would easily fetch hundreds of millions.

Why the hell is something like this just sitting out on a table? Yeomyeong wondered. As the thought passed, Sancho spoke.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It looks like an incredible sword.” freeweɓnovel.cøm

Not better than mine, though. Yeomyeong swallowed the thought.

Sancho gently stroked the blade.

“A relic of the now-ruined Imperial Knight Order.”

“....”

“As you can guess, it’s a rare weapon. In terms you’d understand... it holds its value even in the endgame.”

Terms I’d understand? Yeomyeong subtly loosened his hand, ready to summon his own blade from Inventory at a moment’s notice.

“Sorry, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“No need to pretend. I’m just like you.”

“....”

“Someone who fell into this world—a place that isn’t real.”

Yeomyeong said nothing.

Sancho studied his face, then his hand, before standing up quietly.

“I used to be a film director. The kind who made stories set in this very world.”

A player. A writer. And now... a director.

Facing Yeomyeong’s cold, unreadable eyes, Sancho asked:

“You must’ve fallen in from a game, right? Were you the developer? Or just a player?”