‘What the hell is that guy... up to?’

“...”

‘Is he actually sane?’

I had heard over and over again that he was in a pretty bad state, but I couldn’t help but wonder all over again if he had finally lost it.

‘What even... is this? What’s... going on...’

Just looking at the invitation in my hand made me question his condition even more. Yeah, I still couldn’t believe it, but I was holding an invitation—one that Commander Jin had sent this morning.

‘This is too much. Seriously, way too much.’

It was just as a casual suggestion to hang out, but somehow, he’d taken it in a completely different direction. Since when did grabbing a meal together require a full-on invitation? What did eating together even mean to that guy? Had he really never shared a meal with anyone his entire life that it was such a big deal to him? On top of that...

‘I have to go... to his place?’

It wasn’t just any invitation, either. It was an invitation to his personal place. His private residence in the Republic. I had just wanted something simple to eat at a relaxing place, but now, I was being dragged all the way to the Republic.

Everything about him was always excessive, but this time, it felt especially over the top.

If it were just a quick trip to the Republic for a meal, I wouldn’t mind that, but the fact that it meant going to his house really felt off. What if he was planning to kill me? What if it was a trap? Even if it wasn’t that, what if he was still mad about being left behind in the first life and was trying to pull something on me?

It wasn't just some random place; it was an invitation to the estate of the Republic’s Hero of Shadows. No matter how I looked at it, it just didn’t make any sense.

"He definitely does have some other motive... right? Even you think this is a little weird, don’t you, noona? We just talked about grabbing a meal sometime, and then this morning, he sent an actual invitation for that. Does that make any sense?"

— Don’t overthink it. He’s probably just clueless since he’s never really spent time with anyone before. If anything, why not look forward to it? I heard he’s meticulous when it comes to hosting guests. And since he has invited you personally, he’ll make sure not to embarrass himself. Honestly, I’m kind of excited.

"But still, noona..."

— Let’s just treat this as an official visit to the Republic while we’re at it. You’ve been there a few times, but you've never been there officially. The people there will see it as something meaningful, too. The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival from the Democratic Country meets with the Republic’s pride, the Hero of Shadows, at his estate. No matter how you look at it, that’s headline material.

"It would be, yeah, but this isn’t an official visit. I’m just going to eat and come back."

— What?

"What?"

— Then why is there already an article out?

"What do you mean... an article?"

— Didn’t your team release it? It’s blowing up right now.

"..."

— Just check it. Now.

While texting back and forth with Ji-Hye noona, my hand drifted up to the article that popped up at the top. As expected, the same headline was plastered across the front page of every outlet.

[The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival Makes an Unannounced Visit to the Republic, Investigating the Reason Behind the Invitation to Hero of Shadows Jin Cheong’s Estate. – Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong of the Democratic Country’s Daily Report.]

[Honorary Cardinal Lee Ki-Young’s Major Decision, Examining the Exact Schedule and Purpose of the Republic Visit. – Reporter Kang Yumi of the Lindel Culture Desk.]

[An Unofficial Meeting Between the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival and the Hero of Shadows. What Political Intentions Lie Behind It? Is the Goal a Large-Scale Investment in the Union of Kingdoms and the Federal Restoration Project? – Republic Sources.]

[Why an Unofficial, Private Meeting. The People of the Continent Have the Right to Know... – Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong of the Democratic Country’s Daily Report.]

‘What the hell is this?’

Even the Republic Nationalist TV had completely lost its mind. I knew those nationalist channels were always shameless, but this time, it felt especially bad. They were just going berserk.

[Why did the Blue Sub Guild Master Lee Ki-Young suddenly rush to schedule a visit to the Republic? Our Commander Jin Cheong has done it again.]

‘What the hell did Commander Jin do?’

[The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival visiting Commander Jin Cheong’s estate sends the Democratic Country into a frenzy! The Republic's Higher-Ups Have Supposedly Dropped to their Knees and Apologized! The Beginning of a Humiliating Diplomacy!]

‘What the hell? Not a single person in the Democratic Country is losing their mind over this. Damn it. And who the hell is kneeling?’

[The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival's shocking defection to the Republic?! The Democratic Country Has Abandoned Me. Why Did the Hero of Shadows Take Him In?!]

‘What do you mean, 'defection'? The hell do you mean by taking me in?'

I didn’t bother reading it, as I didn’t want to give them views, but apparently, I was defecting to the Republic because of Jin Cheong. Most of it was just unreliable tabloid trash, but even the articles from the Democratic Country’s journalists had some pretty serious analysis mixed in.

They were going on about political motives, investment angles, what each side stood to gain or lose, what could be discussed at the estate meeting with the Hero of Shadows, and they even speculated in detail about how the conversation would unfold.

It had gotten to the point where full-on expert columns were coming out. They were even hosting a two-and-a-half-hour debate over it.

‘Come on, is this really something to blow up this much over?’

Now that I thought about it, I did make sense. It was an unofficial meeting between the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival and the Hero of Shadows, after all. It made sense for it to draw this much attention.

If anything, there probably wasn’t anything more interesting to people across the continent right now. Ordinary people had no way of knowing what was going on behind the scenes, and they had no idea what kind of relationship I actually had with Commander Jin.

As far as the public knew, aside from official settings, there weren’t even any photos of the two of us together. Unless one were a member of the Blue Guild, one wouldn’t know that he and I chatted casually, played games sometimes, or even had each other’s contact information.

At least publicly, we kept a clear distance, like total strangers. All of a sudden, those two people who barely even crossed paths in an official setting were suddenly meeting at Jin Cheong’s estate...

[Is the rivalry between the Democratic Country and the Republic finally coming to an end? Where will the path taken by these two symbols in step with a new era of peace ultimately lead? – Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong of the Special Column.]

News like this was everywhere, so it wasn’t surprising that the entire continent had its eyes on it. A meeting between the symbol of the Democratic Country and the symbol of the Republic. Not just anywhere, but at the symbol of the Republic's private estate.

There hadn’t really been any kind of cold war to begin with, but to outsiders, it had to have looked like a move to completely wipe away the lingering rivalry between the two nations that had been competing endlessly until now. It could even be like the opening signal of a major political upheaval.

[How the Alchemist and the Genius Swordsman Loves, which previously concluded to great acclaim, returns with a surprise side story. Side Story: Invitation to the Shadow Estate.]

‘What now? Why is this on the front page?’

As if they’d been waiting for it, messages flooded in through the Goddess’s Hand Mirror.

It wasn't just people with political influence like Assemblywoman Caitlyn and Assemblywoman Marlin, but even Oscar and Pope Basel were filling my inbox.

Influential figures from all over the continent whose names anyone would recognize, the usual tea party and banquet crowd, and people desperate not to fall behind in the changing times were all trying to figure out what was going on and what could happen next.

They were acting like this meeting was going to decide the future of the entire continent.

'Damn it, I just wanted to grab a meal, and now it’s turned into something completely out of hand.'

There were even a ton of messages asking if they could attend, and on top of that, there was that bit about me visiting the Republic with Jung Ha-Yan.

‘Come on.’

I immediately tapped away and pulled up Jung Ha-Yan’s personal social media account, and sure enough, she was already packing a travel bag. Han Sora was in the picture, watching her with a slightly awkward expression.

[Love Rabbit 119: Getting ready for a fun trip to the Republic with oppa!!! ／(≧ x ≦)＼]

└ journalist KIM: You must be really happy! I’m jealous~ Where in the Republic are you visiting?!]

└ Love Rabbit 119: I don’t know the details either! I think... we’re staying at someone’s place in the Republic! ₍⑅ᐢ›ﻌ‹ᐢ₎]

└ Report ahn2024: Someone in the Republic?]

└ Love Rabbit 119: Jin Cheong!₍ᐢ﹘ܫ﹘ᐢ₎]

‘Wait...’

It seemed like this thread was the reason behind everything. It wasn't surprising that Jung Ha-Yan learned about it. She had connections up top, and on top of that, she had many different surveillance skills like Anemone’s Eye. The moment she got wind that I was heading to the Republic, she probably decided to lock things in so there’d be no backing out.

Since she thought I was going without her, she had to have decided to just go ahead and make it a done deal.

The biggest proof was Han Sora in the photo, staring at her with that clearly awkward face. I let out a dry laugh, but it wasn’t really something I could blame her for.

Once I thought about it more calmly, it didn’t seem all that bad. It just got a little more troublesome, that was all. If anything, it felt like it added a bit of tension to my mind that had gotten too relaxed.

‘Yeah, she endured it for a long time...’

The time in the first life was not that long relative to the second life, but for Jung Ha-Yan, it definitely wasn’t a short time. One could practically say that she hadn't been able to spend time with me.

She had been waiting endlessly for her turn and had probably been easing that loneliness with Han Sora, but when her turn still didn’t come, she decided to just force her turn.

The fact that I was going on what was basically a trip to the Republic probably pushed her over the edge, too. This was completely different from just hanging around Lindel with no time to spare, as this was practically a real date. She was probably filling her head with thoughts that something big could happen.

“...”

“...”

Moreover, she was politely replying to comments from people who were obviously reporters.

‘Well, I’d have to take the attendants along anyway.’

I had planned to go in and out quickly, but with this much attention from across the continent, there was no choice but to put on a bit of a show. If I canceled or changed the schedule midway, negative articles would obviously come out.

The real problem wasn’t on my side, but how Commander Jin would react to all these.

There was no way he wasn’t just as caught off guard by all of this as me.

“...”

“...”

‘Ah, whatever. It’ll work out somehow. I was planning to stop by the Republic at least once anyway.’

Just as I wrapped things up and told Ji-Hye noona that I would contact her later, there was a sudden knock at the door. When I told them to come in, someone carefully pushed it open and stepped inside.

I had been wondering why he hadn’t shown up yet. It was Kim Hyun-Sung.

“Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung said to me.

“...”

“...”

“Hello, Mr. Hyun-Sung. You're early today,” I greeted.

“Is it true you’re heading to the Republic?” he asked.

“...” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“...”

“Yes, looks like it,” I replied.