Chapter 25

 

“There are a lot of people.”

 

Seo Woojin opened his eyes slightly, looking surprised.

 

That’s because right now, the area around him was crowded with people moving around in a hurry.

 

“…It’s because it’s the Empire.”

 

More precisely, it was the border of the Empire.

 

Seo Woojin and Irene had finally arrived at the Empire.

 

Honestly, they had expected some kind of event to happen on the way. 

 

Isn’t that what usually happens in novels or movies? 

 

Bandits or monsters, for example.

 

‘Yeah, there was nothing like that.’

 

The two of them completed their journey so comfortably.

 

No, it was so comfortable that it was almost boring.

 

“Come this way.”

 

Amidst the crowded crowd, Irene, who seemed to be familiar with the surroundings, led Seo Woojin in a particular direction.

 

‘It looks somehow familiar.’

 

Has she been to the Empire before?

 

The way she went to her destination without any hesitation seemed a far cry from the country knight stuck in the northern countryside.

 

But Seo Woojin didn’t pay much attention.

 

‘Well, it seems like she comes here often.’

 

At the moment, he didn’t have the mental capacity to pay attention to such trivial things.

 

Following Irene for a while, they arrived at a building.

 

It was a two-story gray building.

 

“Where is this?”

 

Seo Woojin asked.

 

No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like a place for Heroes to regroup.

 

“Just wait for a moment.”

 

And then, she went inside alone.

 

“What is this?”

 

The journey ahead was still long.

 

They had arrived in the Empire, but their destination was the capital of the Empire.

 

It was expected to take at least another week on foot to reach there.

 

‘Well, the time must be tight.’

 

It would have been good to ride a carriage, but with the meager allowance given in Sion, it was out of the question.

 

This was because even providing meals was tight.

 

It was when Seo Woojin was standing by the roadside with a worried expression.

 

“Oh? It’s a D Class guy.”

 

Surprised by the sudden voice, Seo Woojin’s body stiffened slightly.

 

“Right? Right? Wow, it’s been a while!”

 

When he turned his head, a small and petite girl, who seemed to be less than 160 cm tall, appeared.

 

Her face was familiar.

 

‘A Hero.’

 

He couldn’t remember the exact grade or what professional name was.

 

It had been too long to remember everything, and Seo Woojin’s mental state at that time was not normal.

 

But he vividly remembered her face.

 

‘There was a commotion about why even an elementary school student was summoned.’

 

That’s how young the girl in front of him looked.

 

Of course, it caused even more chaos when it was revealed that she was twenty years old.

 

“Nice to meet you.”

 

“Wow, how do we meet here? Are you perhaps going to the Empire now? Good, good! Shall we go together? Oh, do you have any companions? The people I’m going with…”

 

She talked a lot.

 

It was like seeing a nephew you haven’t seen in a long time on a holiday.

 

Seo Woojin was worried that the blood might come out of his ears because of her incessant chatter.

 

“Sir Woojin?”

 

At that moment, a savior appeared from behind.

 

It was Irene.

 

“Who is this person?”

 

She found the girl who suddenly appeared and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

 

“A Hero.”

 

“My name is Lee Ji-ah! Wow, are you a knight, unnie?”

 

She’s a friendly kid.

 

‘No, the age difference doesn’t seem that significant.’

 

Despite appearances, they might seem like an uncle and niece.

 

“Oh, you’re the Hero.”

 

Irene nodded as if understanding.

 

Then she introduced herself.

 

“I’m Irene, a knight of Sion.”

 

“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you! It’s my first time seeing a female knight. It’s fascinating!”

 

Lee Ji-ah continued to speak without a break.

 

“Lee Ji-ah, are you going with us now?”

 

Seo Woo-jin stepped forward, cutting her off as it seemed endless.

 

“Yes. We were on our way back to the capital of the Empire. Can you believe it’s been a year already? Time flies, doesn’t it?”

 

“We?”

 

There was only Lee Ji-ah in front of them now.

 

“Huh? Where did they all go? Just a moment ago, they were here… Oh, here! I’m here!”

 

As Lee Ji-ah spoke, she raised her hand and shouted towards someone.

 

Upon hearing that, those people rushed over.

 

“Where on earth did you go? We’ve been searching for a while.”

 

“Hehe. I met someone I know and moved without realizing it, you know?”

 

The newcomers were knights in red armor.

 

Unlike the cute appearance of Lee Ji-ah, they exuded a macho feeling, rough and tough.

 

‘They’re full of Testerone.’

 

It wasn’t a joke; there were really five knights with bodies that could rival Testerone.

 

“…Who are you?”

 

They questioned with caution, eyeing Seo Woojin and Irene.

 

“I’m Irene of the Blue Shield Knights.”

 

“Sion?”

 

“Ah, the one from the North…”

 

This was before Seo Woojin could introduce himself. Yet, as soon as they heard the word “Sion,” the guarded expressions on their faces disappeared, replaced by smiles.

 

“You were the Guardian of the North. Then the person next to you must be that rumored Hero.”

 

Their laughter contained clear disdain.

 

The rumor that a D-rank Hero had gone to Sion seemed to have spread widely.

 

Seo Woojin frowned.

 

“Wait a moment! I know this person. Could you please not be rude?”

 

Lee Ji-ah stepped forward and shouted.

 

“If you keep this up, I am going to be extremely mad!”

 

The sight of her scolding her with both hands on her hips was cute, but for some reason the knights seemed to shrink.

 

“I’m sorry, Mister.”

 

“Haha-“

 

Seo Woojin, who saw Lee Ji-ah bowing down and apologizing, smiled without realizing it.

 

“It’s okay. Well, it’s nothing much.”

 

Considering what the soldiers at Massive Guardian did to him, this was nothing.

 

“These are knights from the Leninist Kingdom, where I used to be. They’ve been accompanying me because they were supposed to take me to the Empire.”

 

‘You don’t have to do that’, whispered Seo Woojin, but no one in this place heard it.

 

“Humph.”

 

The knights cleared their throats with embarrassed expressions.

 

Then, a knight extended his hand.

 

“I’m Jermino of the Red Wind Knights. These guys are my subordinates. It’s nice to meet you, the Knight Of Sion.”

 

“…Nice to meet you.”

 

Irene shook his hand again and greeted him.

 

“Oh right! Mister D-rank, come with me. It was boring anyway. Is that okay?”

 

It was a sudden proposal.

 

But there was no harm in accepting.

 

Although Lee Ji-ah talks a lot, honestly, it was better to have lively chatter than boring silence.

 

Seo Woojin glanced at Irene.

 

“What should we do?”

 

Traveling together wasn’t bad, but if Irene felt uncomfortable, he didn’t want to insist.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Great! Then let’s go together!”

 

Lee Ji-ah, as if possessed, bounced around.

 

Who would think she’s a young lady in her early twenties when looking at her like that?

 

‘Clearly a kid, no matter how you look at it.’

 

“Let’s take our carriage. It’s quite spacious, so it’s okay for everyone to ride together.”

 

Having said that, Lee Ji-ah didn’t wait for a response and briskly walked ahead.

 

“Let’s go. A carriage is an unexpected bit of luck.”

 

It was good timing, considering the tight deadline.

 

The two quickly followed Lee Ji-ah and the knights who were moving away.

 

“But why did we stop here as soon as we arrived in the Empire? I’m curious if it’s something important.”

 

Seo Woojin asked.

 

“I’ll tell you later.”

 

But Irene didn’t respond.

 

Seeing her expression darken slightly, Seo Woojin didn’t press further.

 

“This way! Come quickly!”

 

In the midst of the bustling crowd, Lee Ji-ah was seen bouncing up and down.

 

“She seems energetic.”

 

“But it won’t be boring on the way.”

 

“True?”

 

Seo Woojin smiled and quickened his pace.

 

“By the way, what’s Lee Ji-ah’s rank?”

 

The carriage was indeed quite spacious, just as Lee Ji-ah had described. 

 

Of course, it wasn’t enough for all the knights to ride, but it was enough for Seo Woojin and Irene to ride.

 

“I’m A-class. My profession is a ‘Fist Master,’ and my level is, ta-da! An impressive 26! Height is 148, and I’m 21 years old!”

 

He only asked about the rank, but she willingly revealed all her personal information.

 

On Earth, she would be the perfect target for voice phishing.

 

‘By the way, a ‘Fist Master’? With that petite stature?’

 

Thinking of Lee Ji-ah swinging her fists around, a laughter involuntarily escaped.

 

“What about you, sir? I’ve heard about your D-class reputation, but what’s your profession?”

 

This time, Lee Ji-ah inquired.

 

“Oh, I’m a ‘Sword Soldier.’ My level? Well, now it’s 10.”

 

He replied while subtly observing Lee Ji-ah’s expression.

 

She seemed a bit uncomfortable, as expected.

 

While Seo Woojin thought it was amusing and wore a wry smile, Lee Ji-ah spoke.

 

“Sir, can you speak more casually? It’s uncomfortable to keep hearing honorifics.”

 

‘Ah, was it that?’

 

It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with Seo Woojin’s level or rank.

 

“Haha, really?”

 

At most, they are four years apart.

 

But looking at her, who seemed so young, Seo Woojin found it easy to let go of formalities.

 

From then on, until they arrived at the capital of the Empire, Lee Ji-ah continued talking without a break.

 

To the point where even the usually composed Irene seemed to wear an expression of annoyance.

 

However, thanks to that, Seo Woojin could learn a lot.

 

How Heroes from different Kingdoms grew, what support they received from their Kingdoms, and so on.

 

These were stories not easily heard in the Massive Guardian.

 

And so, after a few days…

 

“We have finally arrived at the Imperial Capital!”

 

The carriage door creaked open, and Lee Ji-ah bounced out.

 

“Wow, indeed, the Empire is the Empire. Right?”

 

Seo Woojin nodded at those words.

 

Certainly, the grandeur felt different from Sion.

 

“We’ve been waiting.”

 

Outside the carriage, guards dressed in neat uniforms were lined up, ready to welcome them.

 

“Are you Lee Ji-ah, who came from Leninist Kingdom?”

 

“Yes! That’s right. I’m Lee Ji-ah.”

 

She nodded her head quickly.

 

“Then this way…”

 

“I’m Seo Woojin.”

 

Anticipating what words would follow, Seo Woojin spoke first.

 

“Confirmed. Please come inside. I will escort you.”

 

Following his guide, Seo Woojin passed through a large door on one side.

 

Before his eyes, buildings larger than the average Korean university campus came into view.

 

“This is an educational institution created for the summoned Heroes this time.”

 

‘Created for this time?’

 

It had only been a year since they were summoned.

 

During that time, they managed to build such massive structures.

 

‘If it were in Korea, there would have been complaints about shoddy construction or embezzlement, but…’

 

There was magic in this place.

 

So, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

 

‘Even considering that, the speed is unbelievable.’

 

The power of the Empire seemed much larger than expected.

 

If it were Sion, it would have taken at least five years to carry out such a major construction.

 

While Seo Woojin marveled and looked around, Lee Ji-ah continued to chatter.

 

“What is this place? Oh, is that the training ground over there? It’s huge! Wow, such a cool building!”

 

The soldier guiding them answered her questions faithfully, without showing any signs of difficulty.

 

How long had they been walking?

 

The group finally stopped in front of a building.

 

“This is the dormitory where the heroes will stay in the future.”

 

In front of the building introduced as the dormitory was the same banner they had seen when first summoned:

 

『Welcome to the heroes from another world who responded to the summon to prevent the 8th invasion of the Demon King.』

 

And so, it began.