The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 41: Doppelganger (3)

After checking the message and leaving the guild building, Park Sang-cheol was waiting for me.

“Seo-jun, have you come?”

His infinitely intense attitude could rival even Hyude. I didn’t come to you, you came to welcome me, remember?

“Yeah. Why did you come all the way here?”

“Oh, right. Do you happen to remember ‘Anna Paisley’, the Libra in the 12 Zodiac?”

“I remember. She was in the information you provided.”

“She has entered Korea.”

A precious talent from the United States has come here in this critical situation? She wouldn’t  have entered Korea without any justification.

Her ability is undoubtedly…

“Are you spouting nonsense about using [Mind’s Eye] to find the Doppelganger?”

“…You anticipated it. That’s correct.”

“But that’s all I know. Explain it in more detail.”

“Yes.”

As I headed to the association headquarters, I listened to Park Sang-cheol’s story. The gist of it was roughly as follows.

She is traveling around the world under the pretext of capturing the Doppelganger. Except for me, key figures in Korea have already completed verification.

“But the real reason is probably to use [Mind’s Eye] to extract information about other secret. And in Korea, the goal is likely to investigate the floating island.”

I looked up at the sky. Now, there were no obstacles in the clear sky.

Quel was diligently towing the floating island.

“It’s too obvious.”

But other countries would have to accept this. Without her, there would be no other way to find the Doppelganger.

They couldn’t avoid suspecting each other as Doppelgangers.

“Indeed, an excellent insight.”

“So, now, all that’s left is me?”

“Yes, we were uncertain about delving into memories, but we had to accept it to avoid mutual suspicion.”

Yes, this is the typical response…

As I was momentarily lost in thought, Park Sang-cheol cautiously spoke up.

“…So, if I may express my thoughts, it would be better for you not to refuse.”

“Why is that?”

“In addition to avoiding suspicion from others, if you refuse alone, Seo-jun’s reputation may suffer. As far as I know, you seem to care about others’ opinions….”

Park Sang-cheol’s judgment was sharp. In reality, I was gradually building the trust of others to smoothly establish a nation in the future.

“So, not only during the incident with the floating island but also during the reward meeting, I intended to step forward. In those aspects, it would be better for me to take the lead rather than you, Seo-jun.”

Was that so? Come to think of it, whenever there was a situation where someone had to instill fear, it was always Park Sang-cheol who stepped up.

“Yeah, as you said, I am more concerned about the reputation of others than most people.”

“Indeed…”

“But there is one thing wrong with that.”

“…Something wrong?”

“Yeah.”

Arriving at the association headquarters without realizing it, I stood in front of the door and turned to look at Park Sang-cheol.

With a puzzled expression, he revealed his white teeth.

“I don’t care about the reputation of useless guys. And—”

I entered through the automatically opened door.

“I won’t let arrogant guys off either.”

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Association Headquarters, Chairman’s Office

Anna Paisley sat on the guest sofa, waiting for Seo-jun.

“Both of them will be up soon.”

“Yeah.”

When the secretary of the chairman spoke, Anna closed her eyes tightly, sipping her tea.

She had been sitting quietly here for about an hour because the chairman said Seo-jun was currently busy with something else.

Originally, she was always the one being waited for, not the one waiting.

Being The Zodiac was a powerful and important figure, and in the current grave situation, her time was even more precious.

‘Finally, he’s coming.’

But since she had been ordered to find out information about Seo-jun from her country, she had no choice but to consider this waiting position.

Of course, there was also personal interest.

Seeing that Eden, who had betrayed humanity, died, and Seo-jun survived, he must possess at least the power of Capricorn or more.

Anyway, she would soon find out all the details about him.

– Creak –

As the door slowly opened, a man entered the room.

‘…Huh.’

Seeing his appearance, admiration involuntarily escaped.

Black suit, black cloak, monocle hanging over one eye.

Nothing about him was ordinary, everything was extravagant, yet due to the deep facial features and elongated stature, he exuded an undeniable elegance.

“Are you Anna Paisley?” Seo-jun asked abruptly.

Anna replied without standing up, her last trace of dignity clung to the sofa.

“Yes. But for a first meeting, you’re quite rude. In Korea, there should be clear politeness, shouldn’t there?”

“Oh, you’re good at Korean.” Seo-jun dismissed it as if he found the compliment amusing.

Although he easily ignored the criticism, as if it was laughable. Anna carefully placed the teacup down.

“Well, my main job is more about facing people than capturing monsters. And not only me, but if you’re part of the ’12 Zodiac’, multilingualism is a basic skill. There are political reasons for it as well.”

Anna deliberately emphasized ’12 Zodiac’.

Whether he acknowledged it or not, Seo-jun remained indifferent.

“Yeah, it’s really convenient when languages can be understood. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, I think so too. Shall we sit now? Since we can communicate, let’s have a conversation between people who understand each other.”

Anna smiled and pointed to the opposite seat, but Seo-jun stood silently, observing Anna intently.

“Will you sit down?”

When Anna opened her eyes slightly, Seo-jun’s pupils were sharp. He met her gaze without avoiding it.

“I will.”

Seo-jun smoothly moved and traversed the room. His refined footsteps echoed in the room.

Later, as Anna’s eyebrows twitched at the unfolding scene, Seo-jun opened his mouth.

“Like this.”

Seo-jun moved gracefully, covering the room. His elegant steps resonated in Anna’s ears.

Afterwards, as Anna’s eyelashes fluttered, she asked, “What are you doing now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you sitting there?”

Anna’s sharp gaze focused on Seo-jun, who was sitting on a stone seat while crossing his legs. Seo-jun, seeming indifferent to what was strange, rolled his eyes once and looked at Anna.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re a guest, and I’m here to meet you.”

“…”

Anna gnawed on her lip, suppressing her anger. It was a statement that she couldn’t refute.

No matter how eloquent she was, there had never been anyone so boldly defiant in front of her. Perhaps that was a testament to his self-confidence in his own power.

“Well, it’s convenient that we can understand each other. Let’s move on to the main point without worrying about such trivial matters.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Still, Anna decided to listen to Seo-jun’s words without objection. After all, the gains after this situation would be on her side.

“You know about my ability, [Mind’s Eye], right?”

“Yeah.”

Naturally, hunters typically concealed their abilities. It couldn’t be helped if it became known during the Hunter Exam. But in the current situation, revealing one’s ability was advantageous in various ways.

Using it, she could obtain information about others under the pretext of finding the Doppelganger.

“Since [Mind’s Eye] directly delves into the memories of the target, if it’s a Doppelganger, you’ll see memories of a demon, not a human. I will use that to distinguish the Doppelganger.”

“That’s right.”

“But don’t worry that I might extract other information. I will simply confirm whether the memory is human or demon.”

This was a lie. As always, she would scrutinize his memories thoroughly. However, there was no way it would be exposed. The time the caster was aware during the activation of the ability flowed differently from real-time. In other words, even if she peered into his memories for a long time, not a second would pass in reality.

“But don’t you find something strange?”

At that moment, Seo-jun, tapping his toe lightly, said with a sly smile.

Anna, displaying her discomfort, asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You understood why you want to find the Doppelganger using that ability, and I understand why you’re so arrogant. But…”

Seo-jun uncrossed his legs and lifted his upper body from the backrest.

Next moment, a clean fragrance wafted in, and his face approached as if his nose was about to touch.

Eyes that seemed to penetrate everything.

“Where is the guarantee that you are not the Doppelganger?”

Anna, realizing that her pupils were trembling, observed Seo-jun’s face reflected in one of her monocles.

“If you were a Doppelganger, couldn’t you be hiding other Doppelgangers?”

“I am not a Doppelganger.”

“Words are something everyone is good at.”

Seo-jun chuckled, lifting his face. Anna, then, discreetly swallowed the rising tension.

Suppressing the momentarily surging emotions, Anna turned to Seo-jun.

“…So, Mr. Seo-jun, are you saying that you refuse me to use my ability?”

“No, it’s not that. I just mean we should be cautious with each other. Anyway, I confirmed that you are not the Doppelganger.”

“What are you talking about? Does that mean there is a similar ability to mine?”

“What if there is more than that?”

Seo-jun raised the slightly lowered monocle.

Seeing that, Anna let out a dry laugh.

“Words are something everyone is good at.”

“… Your eloquence is quite smooth.”

“I hear that often.”

“Hmm…”

Anna looked at Seo-jun, who groaned with pursed lips. What do you think? I haven’t survived all this time for nothing. I’ve met quite a few people, and I never bow down with my eloquence.

“Sure, arrogance is fine to some extent.”

Suddenly, Seo-jun advised in a low voice.

“But be careful not to let it become a sin.”

As his penetrating gaze accompanied his words, Anna flinched involuntarily.

Then, Seo-jun opened his lips, as if struggling, with a wry smile.

“… Keep that in mind.”

“Sure, let’s end the small talk here. Now, confirm who I am.”

Anna suspiciously stared at Seo-jun, who uttered these words calmly.

… Who is this person to be so confident? Usually, isn’t it uneasy for someone to accept that their memories are being examined? Or does he really believe the statement about verifying his identity?

‘No, that’s not it.’

But that confident demeanor pushed away those doubts.

Those neatly groomed, solid eyes. It was undoubtedly a gaze that said, “If you dare to peep, look anywhere.”

Seeing that, a strange enthusiasm ignited within her.

With all her might, as if wanting to reveal that existence,

“…Then let’s start.”

“Sure.”

Unconsciously, Anna’s hand, with a firm grip, reached out to Seo-jun.

Anna’s long eyelashes covered her eyes, and silently, she chanted in her mind.

[Mind’s Eye]

A magic power, tinged with a vibrant yellow light, was concentrated at her fingertips. At the same time, consciousness began to drift away.

“It’s good to heed my advice.”

A clear voice echoed at the end of the scattering consciousness.

“Anna Paisley.”

With that, the surroundings fell completely silent.

No sound could be heard. In the tranquility as if escaping from the worldly realm, Anna slowly opened her eyes.

In a calm space filled with darkness, floating freely in the middle of an universe without a single shining star. [Mind’s Eye] had been activated.

Anna looked around.

– Drip, drip, drip. –

Then, the flow of memories, like a spring in the mountains, began to ripple within, revealing films of memories. Seeing this spring was evidence that he was human. If he were a monster, it would have looked like a stream of flames, not water.

Something changed at that moment.

– Gush, gush, gush, gush, gush! –

The once gentle stream of memories turned into a waterfall, quickly transforming into a vast sea.

Normally, the size of the memory flow varies for each individual. But what was this? It was an amount of memories that no human could possess within their lifetime.

“…”

Anna swallowed nervously at the grandeur of it. According to the promise she made to herself, she should have returned. However, she became curious about how someone could have so many memories. In addition, there was the mission she received from her country.

‘Let’s do this. This is my space, after all.’

Despite feeling a slight fear at the unfamiliar sight, Anna made up her mind.

Anna’s fingertips cautiously touched the unknown space, reaching the sea of memories. In that moment, she was swept away by the torrent of memories.

Her vision scattered in all directions, and when consciousness returned a moment later…

– Tap, tap. –

Along with the sound of something burning, an intense heat enveloped her entire body.

As Anna opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but be stunned by the unfolding scene.

‘… Where on earth is this?’

A desolate, pitch-black land. Scattered peaks of red flames flowed into hot lava. At first glance, this place wasn’t Earth. Of course, it wasn’t a fantasy either. [Mind’s Eye] allowed her to peek into his memories.

So, where on earth was this?

A space so vast that it couldn’t be called a gate.

– Flutter, flutter. –

Pressure surged from the sky.

When she raised her head, a creature came into view.

Apricot-colored scales surrounding its abdomen and bright red blood oozing from wounds. A young dragon, not yet mature, approached aggressively.

With its mouth wide open, the dragon landed on the ground,

– Keyeah! –

Roaring fiercely towards Anna.

…Though [Mind’s Eye] allowed her to vividly feel the sensations of that moment, it didn’t mean that the caster existed within those memories.

Nevertheless, Anna was overwhelmed by the fierce aura.

Looking up at the sky at that moment wasn’t a coincidence but rather instinct.

“Ah…”

The moment she witnessed that scene, a sigh escaped her, and no other thoughts came to mind. A vivid red sky. Beyond it, a colossal being that covered the sky was approaching.

That overwhelming presence quietly uttered,

– Leave. –

In the next moment, as if someone were pulling out her soul, consciousness was expelled from the memories.

“…Huk!”

Returning to the real world with that, Anna leaned on the table, exhaling heavily. The cold sweat on her skin, invigorated by the immense fear she felt just before, clung to her thin clothes, and her pupils were shaking intensely.

“In the end, you committed a sin.”

A chilling voice constricting her breath penetrated her ears. With a stiffened neck, she turned to face it.

Elegantly crossed legs. Neatly arranged attire. All of it encapsulated by a graceful jawline. Like the entity that was above the red sky just before, Lee Seo-jun looked down at her with a determined gaze.

“This audacious child.”

As if he were the presence above the vivid red sky.

(To be continued in the next part)