The Foreigner on the Periphery (English Translation)

26. Princess Run (1)

In early spring, there were three events that caused a stir in the country.

The first, without a doubt, was Princess Vermi's visit to Korea.

Contrary to the official announcement, the rumor that the purpose of her visit was to prepare for the immigration of the Shutan people (who were despised in the Gelanco dimension) to Earth spread with startling speed.

Alchemy companies and human supremacist organizations naturally opposed the visit, while general manufacturing companies and liberals issued statements in support of it.

The divided national opinion did not seem likely to be easily patched up.

The second event was the bankruptcy of several small and medium-sized alchemy companies in the country.

The International Alchemists Association, already increasing the production of synthetic gold, was also dealing with the rumor that the Shutan people were immigrating to Earth, which set their efforts on fire.

As expected, the international price of gold plummeted by about 20% compared to the previous year. Most companies, except for the big players, lacked the stamina to survive, and with operating costs skyrocketing, many went out of business.

The outlook for the industry seemed grim.

The third event was the wildfire on Mount Bukhan.

The fire, which started late at night, raged for six hours. Everyone was certain it was not spontaneous combustion. The fire had burned in a specific area without spreading for hours, constantly changing colors, and could not be called a natural phenomenon.

Thanks to this, that night, the citizens of Seoul were treated to a spectacular view of the sky, which was alternately colored in brilliant green, yellow, and blue, like neon lights, all night long.

The stranger part was that the fire department was stopped from entering by the owner's agents, who had hired them. The agents insisted they would extinguish the fire on their own and turned the fire trucks and helicopters away.

Meanwhile, the owner of the property was a fairly famous company.

Jenkins & Father & Sons Co., Ltd.

And Minjun didn't pay much attention to these three pieces of news.

The Shutan immigration wasn't a concern until it was confirmed, and no matter how much gold prices fell, it didn't really affect Minjun's financial situation. It wasn't new that Jenkins' irresponsible sons would shoot fireballs at each other when things went wrong, and the punishment for the fire on the mountainside would be something Jenkins himself would handle upon his return from his business trip.

So, Minjun had half-forgotten about those stories.

That is, until he heard something from Jeongpal, who came to visit the office in the evening.

"What? Roadblocks?"

Minjun made a bewildered expression.

"Come on, it's not the 1980s! Who came up with that idea?"

Jeongpal, sitting across from him, shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"It's probably the leaders of the country. I'm sure my superiors, who are far above me, are also included in that group."

But Minjun couldn't accept the explanation.

"How important is Princess Vermi that she's going to tie up the legs of the citizens of Seoul?"

The news Jeongpal brought was unbelievable. In order to ensure the safety of the alien envoy princess, all vehicles and pedestrians in the areas included in her route would be restricted. The area involved was almost 20% of Seoul.

"No matter how much gold Princess Vermi has sold, it's impossible to move through such a large area for several days!"

Minjun pointed out that unless mages teleported back and forth dozens of times a day, it was an impossible route.

As if anticipating that question, Jeongpal calmly replied.

"They deliberately made the route wide to make it difficult to pinpoint the details."

"Hmm."

Minjun frowned, clearly dissatisfied.

"If cars can't get through, does that mean buses and subways will stop too?"

"Anyway, it has nothing to do with you. When was the last time you took the subway?"

Jeongpal paused for a moment to think, then answered.

"Wasn't it when Line 2 opened? I took it once because it passed near my house."

"Figures," Jeongpal nodded. He scratched his fangs habitually, then suddenly asked.

"Oh, by the way, can you still ride the subway for free? I'm sure you've never tried it."

"Nope. I'm registered at the local government office as a quarter-elf, so all the privileges that full-blooded humans my age get, I don't. I don't even get a pension."

The modern obsession and enthusiasm for pensions were remarkable. Once people reached a certain age, a monthly payment would be deposited starting at 200% of the median income.

Of course, there was a catch. If a person had committed a crime or shown anti-state or anti-social behavior, their pension would be reduced or taken away.

On the flip side, if they hadn't done so, they could expect to receive a sum at least twice the average income, which made people cling to the hope that surviving to old age would ensure financial security.

Minjun often felt that this was similar to a religious worldview. Just like how following religious laws would lead to heaven, obeying the state's rules would provide economic security in old age.

Of course, the media rarely covered the topic that after turning 75, the death rate among all species skyrockets.

"Do you care about that stuff? You're quite well off."

"Just. It feels unfair if I don't get what everyone else does."

"Then you'll live longer. How long do quarter-elves live?"

"...I don't know."

"Anyway, that's why my third brother's in a bad mood these days. Apparently, his shop's about to be forcibly shut down because his business isn't doing well."

"Is that where Jeongsam's shop is?"

Minjun had no trouble remembering the names of Jeongpal's brothers.

"Yeah. That shop happens to be in a restricted zone."

Orcs give birth to 6-8 babies at a time, much like a large family of humans. Like the other Orcs of that era, Jeongpal's parents hadn't given much thought to names, so the eight siblings were simply numbered from Jeongil to Jeongpal.

So when Minjun imagined the school life of Jeongpal's fourth brother and sixth sister, he couldn't help but feel a deep sympathy. It was already a tough time to be an Orc.

"Anyway,"

Jeongpal changed the subject, as if he had let Minjun off easy.

"When are you going to make your next move? How long are you going to keep stalling?"

In front of them was a Go board, and it was Minjun's turn. After stalling by changing the subject several times, Minjun finally gave in.

"Just take one step back."

"I don't know that stuff."

"Aren't you supposed to catch the criminal, not play Go all day? Why are you so good!"

"Considering the time I've lived, you've probably played more than me."

"Damn it."

Minjun grumbled as he took out a 50,000-won bill from his wallet. Jeongpal quickly snatched it up with a chuckle.

"How about using a card next time? Or even playing Hwa-tu would be fine."

"Are you going to play cards with a mage? Unless I'm shot in the head, it's not happening."

Jeongpal knew well that Minjun, being a mage, could easily handle games like those.

"Do I really seem like that kind of petty person?"

"I don't know if you're petty, but you're definitely the most competitive mage I know. You finished your beer, right? I'll go get more from the fridge."

Jeongpal stood up. Without looking away from the Go board, Minjun spoke without taking his eyes off it.

"Yeah, go check if Cash has caused any trouble."

"What's she been doing that she's locked herself up this long?"

By the time Jeongpal arrived, Cash had already gone to Minjun's house, which was on the opposite side of the second-floor hallway. Minjun answered, his expression darkening even further.

"She says she has a new recipe to show us."

Minjun raised his eyes slightly and witnessed a rare sight: an Orc looking utterly terrified.

"Why? Now? Why suddenly?"

"...We need to get rid of that YouTube thing quickly."

Minjun muttered, sighing.

"Otherwise, she's going to poison us all one day."

When Jeongpal opened the door to Minjun's house, he immediately detected a terrible burnt smell.

"Hey, Seorin! Did you start a fire?"

Here is the translation of the provided Korean text:

A blunt answer came back.

"Don't make such a fuss. I just burnt it a bit."

If it felt this intense to an orc with a dull sense of smell, a human would be tempted to call 911, fighting the urge.

As he passed by Cash, who was busy with some unknown movement that could be either roasting or torturing something, Jeongpal spotted something in the trash can. Looking down at the charcoal that had once been an ingredient, the middle-aged orc spoke.

"Even with makeup, I can't burn it this thoroughly."

He clicked his tongue, then paused.

"Wait!"

As if struck by a brilliant idea, he said to her.

"Why don't you just ask Hyung to lend you that frying pan?"

Jeongpal hadn't forgotten about the frying pan's self-promotional AI, which would start talking about its 2 million built-in recipes the moment it was touched.

If what he said was true, perhaps Cash could be saved.

"I heard it's called the secret weapon of housewives and the kitchen wizard. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?"

Cash responded in displeasure.

"I already asked, of course. But they said absolutely not."

"Why?"

"That frying pan's totally a pervert, and it's crazy… They said if you're exposed to that kind of telepathy for too long, your mind will be corrupted. Am I crazy?"

Jeongpal cleared his throat.

"Try asking more earnestly. Maybe you didn't express enough sincerity? Show them how desperately you want it."

Whether Cash understood his intention or ignored it, she didn't respond. The orc shrugged, holding a can of beer in both hands as he walked toward the door. It seemed this attempt had failed.

At that moment, Cash asked quietly, looking at his back.

"Hey... Did you know?"

He turned his head, asking back.

"Know what?"

She paused, chewing her lips for a moment before turning her head away.

"Never mind."

"How dull."

Back in the office, Jeongpal offered a beer can to Minjun. The (self-proclaimed) quarter-elf's competitive spirit was rising, and he had already pulled out the chessboard, saying he couldn't end it like this. As he arranged the pieces, Minjun's phone rang.

"Who is it, at this crucial moment?"

Looking at the external display of his flip phone, Minjun's face stiffened slightly.

"What's going on at this hour?"

"Who is it?"

"A troublesome elf."

Opening the flip phone with the display reading 'Blair Campbell (Queen Jenkinson's Secretary),' he spoke curtly.

"Hello?"

A few words came through the receiver, and then...

"!"

Minjun's expression quickly hardened.

A few hours before Minjun received the call, the elf secretary, Blair Campbell, was in her office.

She wasn't alone. The room was filled with the sweet scent of magic from a fairy, but the atmosphere was anything but sweet. The two of them were in shock, unable to speak after receiving some shocking news.

Breaking the heavy silence, Blair asked again.

"Really… Everything is gone?"

It was the fifth time she had asked. The two looked at each other, their faces showing clear signs of losing composure. Blair, who always maintained a professional demeanor, had her voice trembling and her face slightly crumbling.

The fairy answered her question, the fifth time with no change in wording.

"Yeah, everything in Zone B-39… it's all gone. The other zone barriers were untouched. Only what was in there was taken."

The warehouse inside Bukhansan Mountain was divided into many cells, and only the seal on Zone B-39, where unknown cargo had recently arrived, was broken, and everything was stolen.

The fire reported by the media the previous night in Bukhansan Mountain had been a ritual to activate a massive spell. The fire had broken through even the barriers set by dragons, burning both the material and spiritual worlds, erasing all traces of the intruders.

Such a scale and audacity were beyond anything ordinary people could do, and it was terrifying to even guess at the identity of those responsible.

Larissa, the head of security, asked with a sense of dread.

"Hey, sis, I'm scared out of my mind. Can you please just tell me what was in there?"

Normally, a vault keeper wouldn't care about what was inside the vault, and Larissa had adhered to that principle. But the situation was different now.

After a brief hesitation, the secretary finally provided the long-awaited answer.

"…The reason the chairman went on a business trip to another world is because it was stored there."

"What?!"

The fairy's mind was flooded with nightmare-like scenarios.

If the chairman had to personally cross dimensions, it must have been a highly important business matter. The kind of deal where no one shows their cards too easily, negotiating every penny and adjusting conditions carefully.

But suddenly, the deal, which the chairman had been absorbed in for days and had been ignoring communications, was thrown into chaos. "Oh, customers, what should I do? The item I was about to sell got stolen in the meantime. Thanks to my excellent staff. Ha ha! Ha ha ha!"

"…This is insane. This is insane!"

Perhaps the shock was too much, as Larissa threw the incense she had been smoking into the air. She then pulled out a transparent zip-lock bag from her pocket. Inside it was fine white powder. It was sweet frosting powder, the kind used on muffins or other baked goods.

With a heavy breath, she sprinkled it lightly on her hand. Her body trembled from the unease, but the veins on her hand and the wrinkles like dried chicken skin kept it from spilling. She sniffed it deeply.

"Haah."

Feeling the sweetness soak into her nasal membranes, the fairy managed to suppress the panic for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, she asked again, her voice still full of anxiety.

"Sis."

"Yeah?"

She asked, still trembling with unease.

"When was the last time an elf or fairy was on the chairman's diet?"