My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 13

Azantu (1)

“This way! “Move quickly!”

Guardian Lee Chang-soo, a member of the Korea Returnees Association, was leading his team to track down where the criminals had escaped.

“Senior, if we chase after them like this, will we be able to catch them?”

Although we arrived at the scene less than 5 minutes after the incident occurred, it was more than enough time for returnees with all kinds of abilities to run away.

“Then what should we do? Don’t you think we need to catch their traces? “This is already the third time!”

This was not the first crime committed by the werewolf and the black masked duo.

And I had chased them before, but at some point they disappeared without a trace, so I was in vain.

‘Damn, their radius of activity is so wide that I can’t respond to them all. It seems like there is an accomplice helping him escape. ‘It’s going to be a huge disaster this time too.’

As always, the defending side needed far more numbers than the attacking side.

And the Guardian’s manpower was always lacking.

Still, this time I was chasing after them, hoping to find even the slightest trace.

thud-!

An impact sound erupted from inside the construction site, which was the destination.

“Seo…Senior, this energy….”

“Quit, follow me! “Entering!”

Sound was only a minor issue.

I felt a terrifying sense of malice coming from the creepy energy emanating from inside.

Lee Chang-soo immediately entered the construction site.

“What is this situation?”

In the corner, people who appeared to be construction workers were lying unconscious, and in the center, a masked man and an ordinary-looking woman were unconscious.

And there is a werewolf who is stuck against a wall and is slowly returning to his human form.

After looking around the scene, Lee Chang-soo immediately shouted to his team members.

“Look around! “The fight just ended, so it’s probably still nearby!”

The situation was clear.

Someone fought the villains and disappeared.

Seeing that he had subdued the villains, he didn’t seem to have any bad intentions, but that didn’t mean he could ignore them.

The remnants of energy left at the scene alone were enough to give me goosebumps, so shouldn’t I try to identify them if possible?

But there was no trace of where that person had disappeared to.

“Team leader, we have completely subdued the villains.”

One of the team members approached by telekinetically levitating three people wearing special handcuffs for highly skilled criminals.

The woman was someone he had never seen before, but given the circumstances, she must have been an accomplice in charge of the escape.

‘If you research, everything will come out.’

Even lying does not work in interrogation through supernatural abilities.

Just in case, we requested support and moved the workers at the site to the hospital in the jurisdiction where the guardians are stationed.

Even if an accomplice pretends to be the victim, he will not be able to escape.

‘The criminals were caught and the problem I was worried about was resolved….’

A new concern arose.

The evil energy that still lingers in the space.

‘I guess I’ll have to hope I can get some information through those guys.’

Since they are people who have met in person, they should be able to know something.

***

I summoned Hans again, whom I had unsummoned.

I guess I’m slowly getting used to it, but I was able to tolerate it even after facing it in person.

‘There is nothing that Han Seong-hyun can do, but Hans is different. There is no need for me to be exposed myself.’

It was far from home and there was no risk. He also has the power to fuck up villains.

There was no reason not to step forward.

‘By the way, you were stronger than I thought.’

The woman who was caught off guard by opening the gate, which seemed to be a means of escape, and the masked man who appeared to be a non-combatant were easily subdued, but the werewolf’s resistance was more stubborn than expected.

Fortunately, I was able to defeat the guardians before they arrived and disappear by canceling the summons, but it was quite a close call.

‘You’re fighting back like that even though you’re under the effect of fear. Well, I guess it’s natural since he is a returnee who came back after overcoming his own hardships.’

Of course, not all returnees will be like that.

Compared to those who were initially sent to another world with nothing, the recent returnees were prepared with a certain amount of information, and there were many who came back with a stable supply of karma.

Because of this, compared to the early days when it took about 10 years to return, some returnees have returned in as early as 5 years.

Of course, there were some who used karma to become stronger and stayed longer.

‘Still, it’s scary that the average return rate is 20%. Even this figure has risen significantly compared to the beginning.’

Anyway, it didn’t concern me anymore.

The Guardian will also retrieve and punish the precious metals they stole.

I thought about getting rid of witnesses by killing them, but…

‘They don’t seem to have committed murder either. If you go around killing people carelessly, Hans will be treated as a villain. All you have to do is not get caught for not being human.’

I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to occasionally do something like this to beat up villains.

I think it will help me overcome trauma and relieve stress.

***

For several days, Heinz gathered information from the city with Diana’s help.

Diana was a 12-year-old girl I met when I first entered the city. She was born and raised in this city her whole life.

‘He’s the best person to be a guide. Maybe it’s because I lived a hard life, but I know a lot.’

In exchange for two silver coins, he will guide you around the city every day while you stay here.

That was the content of the contract made with Diana.

As I knew the situation was urgent, I paid two silver coins as an advance.

It was a show of kindness at the risk of being ripped off, but fortunately, Diana had been faithfully working on the contract until now.

On the first day, I was so surprised to see people crouching and waiting in front of the accommodation I was staying in from the wee hours of the morning.

After that, it was our daily routine to make an appointment during lunch time, eat together, and tour the city.

‘It was like that until now….’

Yes, until yesterday.

I sat at the table on the first floor of the dorm and stood up while waiting for Diana.

‘I don’t think he was the type of kid to break a promise. I have kept it well so far. ‘What happened?’

Well, the help I’ve gotten so far has been enough to make hiring me worthwhile.

Just in case, I left a message with the hostel and headed to a shopping center in the city alone.

The name of this city was ‘Azantu’ and it was a small city located in the Kingdom of Thalia on the western side of the continent.

It is said to be an ordinary city where people do farming and hunt and gather in the forest outside.

‘I don’t think security is very good.’

There weren’t many people walking around and they seemed very intimidated by something.

Diana didn’t say anything in detail, but she advised her to only go on the main roads and not to go into back alleys.

And he urged me to leave the city as soon as possible.

‘I think it would be best to leave this city soon. I heard there’s another city further east, so that’s it…’

That was when I roughly organized my thoughts and was replenishing supplies needed for the trip.

“Brother, let’s talk for a moment.”

Inside the alley, several large men with tattoos on the backs of their necks were looking in this direction and waving their hands.

I looked back to see if there was anyone else there.

‘Why do I always have bad premonitions…’

For now, I followed their words and approached obediently.

Since I was planning to leave soon anyway, I hoped I could resolve it quietly, and if not, I thought I would look for another way.

“…So. “We’re guarding this shopping center, but there are a lot of mouths to feed…”

After hearing it, it wasn’t a big deal.

Because they just told you to pay a bribe.

“Ahaha, you said that. Although it’s a bit small here, I hope it helps in maintaining public order. “It is my sincerity, so please accept it without hesitation.”

“Hmm hmm… This guy was a very conversant friend. “I will use this very usefully.”

So, I just appeased him, gave him a little squeeze, and finished it.

In fact, I had prepared a separate money bag to use in times like this.

‘Anyway, it seems clear that public security is not good.’

“Brother, then why did that little boy…”

“Why? They’re telling you to prepare there. “We just did as we were told…”

I could hear the large figures walking away, but my attention was already elsewhere.

‘A week’s walk east to the next town. It’ll be shorter for ordinary people, but… Should I get a horse or carriage?’

If you come to this world, shouldn’t you at least ride a carriage?

While thinking about the trip, it was time to go to the grocery store to buy preserved food.

I saw the back of my head, which was very familiar.

“…Anyway, thank you. If you see it, please tell me!”

“I’ll draw it and remember it.”

After speaking with the store owner, Diana nodded and hurriedly walked in this direction.

What was so urgent that I couldn’t recognize this place and was about to pass by, so I grabbed the back of the car.

“Kya-! What is it! “Please let me go!”

Anyone who sees this will think this is a bad guy.

I quickly let go and frowned.

“It’s me Heinz! You didn’t show up long after your appointed time. What are you doing here? “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”

“Oh uncle?”

Diana’s eyes widened as she finally noticed this.

My pupils were shaking back and forth as something happened.

“oh…! I’m sorry for breaking that promise! “I should have gone to see you first and told you… but I was out of my mind…!”

“Yeah, it looks like that. That’s it, what happened?”

“ah…! “My younger brother, Aaron… I mean…”

Diana, who was talking awkwardly, suddenly started crying.

“I prepared food for you in the morning… so I told you to take a quick shower… because there was no water. So I went outside…”

And then, with tears streaming down his face, he started rambling in a choked voice.

‘Oh, isn’t this a pretty dangerous scene?’

A strong young man threatens a young girl, and she cries pitifully.

But I was that young man.

I hurriedly widened the distance and fell.

Diana was still shaking and tears were falling.

“Now wait a minute! okay! Okay, so why don’t you calm down for now? Okay, take a deep breath. “I will listen to your story.”

And actually, I was weak towards the child.

***

I was finally able to talk to the real Diana again.

“I have a younger brother named Aaron. The child was sick not long ago…”

It still felt like he was rambling, but I was able to roughly understand it.

Diana had an 8-year-old younger brother.

It is said that the siblings lost their parents and made a living by running errands and doing chores for the residents, but Aaron suddenly fell ill and was bedridden.

“I was in a hurry, so I took Aaron to the drugstore with the money I needed to pay as a down payment. So, I was at a loss for what to do, but then I met you.”

Thanks to meeting me, he was able to pay his arrears on time.

“And recently he got healthy again because he was full of the food you bought him…” ‘

For some reason, whenever I bought him food, he didn’t eat it all and wrapped it up in a cloth.’

When I saw them wrapping bread and meat neatly in clean cloth and putting them away, I thought they were going to eat them later.

If I had told you earlier, I would have prepared the food separately.

But that wasn’t important now.

Aaron suddenly disappeared today.

“Isn’t there a possibility that he went out to play with those friends?”

“That can’t be possible! Even when Aaron was sick, he always said he was sorry to his sister and went out of his way to help her with housework! “I’m not the kind of kid who would go out without a word like this and make you worry!”

Diana, who was passionately refuting, soon spoke in a weak voice.

“…and I don’t have any friends my age to play with….”

Those words gave me a rough idea of the situation.

The world’s gaze on poor orphan siblings is probably the same in every world.

“Then let’s go back home. “The paths may have diverged, so I’ll go check and if it’s not there, I’ll find it for you as well.”

“You too…?”

I’ve told him several times that he’s not, but I guess that’s not important to him right now.

“Yes, if you didn’t know from the beginning, you can’t pretend not to know even if you know.”

As an adult, how can you turn a blind eye when a child you don’t even know and has been with for a few days is crying because his younger sibling is gone?

Diana’s eyes were wide and her mouth was speechless at my words, but then she lowered her head and shed tears.

“Now, I don’t have time to stay like this! “Let’s go to your house first.”

“…yes!”

We couldn’t delay any longer, so we quickly headed to the siblings’ house.

As expected, the environment in which the siblings lived was extremely poor.

It was one of the shabby shacks scattered throughout a back alley.

“Isn’t it dangerous to live in a place like this?”

I know they had no choice, but the reason I asked was because on the way here, I encountered a lot of dangerous-looking figures.

How were the powerless siblings able to remain safe until now?

“It’s still okay. “Because I paid the down payment.”

Diana said that and pointed to the mark drawn on the wall of the alley.

There was something like a shark’s mouth with sharp fangs drawn on it.

It must be a symbol of the organization that rules this place.

‘uh? I saw this picture somewhere….’

“Aaron! Is Aaron there?!”

After thinking about it for a while, Diana went inside the house and looked for Aaron, but there was no answer.

“What should I do? Aaron still hasn’t come in. If something really happened…”

When Diana, who had calmed down for a moment, began to shed tears again, I was able to relive the scene I had seen in passing.

‘The tattoo on the nape of the neck of the big guys we met earlier!’

And immediately a memory related to it came to mind.

‘Someone told them to prepare the little boy and they said they would do as they were told.’

They were the culprits who took Aaron away.

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