Chapter 82: Neo Hanyang’s Spring (3)

The intense vibration emitted by the drill piercing through the wall, along with the fragments scattering in all directions, sent our armored vehicle crashing into the side of the Uigeumbu (Royal Inspectorate).

“Grrk! Enemy attaaack—!”

Amid the chaos, an unfortunate lizard was caught in the shockwave and turned into a star in the sky, but it was too late for merciful thoughts now.

The emergency alarms were already blaring—beep beep—incessantly.

“Rumi, move out!”

“Mreow!”

As the vehicle door opened, the Patriot Rumi missile shot out like a bullet.

I followed right after, stepping out.

Honestly, I almost wondered if coming here first was unnecessary—the interior was already a complete mess.

I couldn’t put an exact name to the twisted, otherworldly Joseon-era architecture, but—

“You know what? I never liked you guys from the start!”

“Grrk, traitor! Are you betraying us?!”

In front of what seemed to be the main building, armed human soldiers—likely supporters of the Princess—were facing off against a group of lizards.

Of course, more lizards kept crawling out from inside the building.

“Tina, move out!”

“Losers~♡!”

In small-scale combat, the battle prowess of the foolish Mesugaki was overwhelming!

“Grrk, enemy reinforcements! Hold the fort inside!”

As Tina stepped forward, the disturbance was quickly suppressed.

While watching the scene with dull eyes, I ruffled Neb’s hair with my hand, then slowly surveyed the battlefield.

Crunch!

From what appeared to be an armory, robot soldiers rolled out belatedly, revving up—

But Rumi was already demonstrating the miraculous iron-forging technique of the Tobeopgo style with her bare fists, turning them into scrap metal.

…Watching the heroes’ overwhelming physical strength always made my legs tremble strangely.

Meanwhile, from the main gate of the Uigeumbu, lizards began pouring out in full force—

“Aim, fire.”

BOOOOM!

The tank’s main cannon, operated by Ryua, cleanly sun-dried the lizards, turning them into jerky.

The grandeur of the artillery fire momentarily stiffened the humans’ expressions as they nervously glanced at us—uninvited guests—before noticing Ryua’s indifferent expression.

Then—

Scramble scramble!

“Lady Ryua!”

“Have you come to help?! We received word from Her Highness the Princess!”

“We’ll cooperate in any way we can!”

Watching these civil servants pledging loyalty to the CEO of Megacorp, I swallowed my thoughts about this being a dark dystopian collusion—

“How many lizards are left inside?”

I stepped forward and asked.

Only then did the people notice me, their bodies trembling as if electrocuted.

“Lord Guksuh…!”

“Lord Bumadowi!”

They began addressing me with titles I didn’t understand, their eyes sparkling.

Probably something like a concubine or something.

I’d already gotten used to this kind of treatment while staying in Neo Hanyang.

In reality, the Princess and I had no relationship whatsoever, but—

There was no need to refuse this misunderstanding if it could be useful.

“Most of the emergency deployment orders have already been issued, so there shouldn’t be many left! We also gathered here after hearing that most of the troops had been dispatched to the Eastern Palace!”

“Rumors have been spreading that the situation in the royal palace is about to change… Frankly, none of us wanted to live in a world where those lizard bastards gained power.”

“The lizards’ atrocities have gone too far. The nation must be restored to normalcy…!”

I calmly absorbed their testimonies and organized the information.

The situation wasn’t entirely positive.

《Report. The Minister of Justice has arrived at the Office of the Inspector General. Communications may be difficult from now on, so please quickly liberate the rear storage unit No. 38.》

“Got it.”

One of the excellent prachis.

Storage unit No. 38 had ceased functioning.

There wasn’t much time to waste.

“Rumi?”

“Woof!”

By now, Rumi had finished her scrap-metal-making and returned.

“Let’s move inside. Ellis, Tina, breach in order and use your skills while Rumi suppresses them. Ryua, gather the survivors and hold the line.”

“Understood.”

Just in case, I drew my revolver and stepped into the Uigeumbu.

“Grrk! Enemy— Dinosau, Dinosau, how are you here…?!”

Ellis’s skill inflicted the hallucination status effect, making them relive bittersweet first loves, while Rumi smashed their heads in.

Tina’s skill caused confusion, making them turn on each other, and Rumi smashed their heads in.

Occasionally, an enemy resistant to crowd control appeared—

《Intruder detected—》

When a Byeolgi-gun (elite soldier) revealed itself—

I summoned Tokiwadai’s railgun via Oversoul.

Played BGM in my head, aimed the revolver, and—

BANG!

Thanks to Ryua’s modifications, even the free version packed enough punch to pierce straight through the Byeolgi-gun’s head.

“Phew.”

Blowing on the barrel to cool it down was standard procedure.

This body—

Coolness, confirmed.

“Ark. Stop fooling around and give the next order.”

“……”

Neb’s sharp remark shattered my romantic moment.

Damn brat…

“Juin-nim! So cool, woof!”

“Yeah, yeah!”

In the end, only Rumi and Tina remained…

Sniff… Kids, you know I adore you, right?

“The Chief Inspector will likely be on the third floor. Given his temperament, he’ll probably have countermeasures prepared. Not to mention, his personal combat skills are considerable.”

A Uigeumbu officer traveling with us shared high-level intel.

I bowed deeply in gratitude.

We came here specifically to crush him.

Before the story could progress too far.

Before he could unleash power beyond our ability to handle.

If I had been honest about the plan, everyone would have objected—

So I deliberately controlled the information.

And prepared countermeasures.

“Let’s secure the second floor. Once we reach it, Ellis, keep watch at the third-floor passage. The rest of you, continue clearing out the personnel inside.”

Feeling the cold weight of the holstered revolver, I mentally rehearsed how to deal with that monster.

The other party members are doing fine, right?

***

Meanwhile…

Though armored troops—sometimes armed with rifles—continued flooding into the Eastern Palace, the blade honed under the Princess’s authority dominated the battlefield, pushing them back relentlessly.

But no hand could block the heavens forever.

《Battery level at 28%.》

“Hmm…”

Though she had hidden troops in preparation for such a day, even Dan Minha had to admit the suddenness of the ambush made her doubt whether reinforcements would arrive in time.

As if sensing her hesitation—

“Resistance is futile, Your Highness. Wouldn’t it be better to surrender and avoid further bloodshed?”

From a distance, just outside her tactical weapon’s range, the Prime Minister amplified his voice, delivering his message clearly.

“Cut the crap, Deputy Prime Minister. Hide that smug grin before you spout nonsense.”

“Heh, hehehe… Charge!”

The banter didn’t last.

The fact that they dared not harm her—the one who carries the Emperor’s blood—was the only thing reassuring Dan Minha.

Like a graceful phoenix—

She intercepted the lizard soldiers swarming like moths with drones, fired beams from her mechanical arm guards, and kicked them into submission, rendering them combat-ineffective.

But—

《Battery level at 16%.》

Her time was running out.

“Had I known this would happen, I would’ve tied that man up and locked him away.”

A deep regret.

That sly man—the Seer—could probably have overcome this crisis easily.

But the one who granted him freedom was none other than herself.

No use regretting the past.

For now, she would burn brightly in this dazzling dance.

Just as she resolved herself—

“……!”

Her eyes caught figures leaping over the walls.

The Seer’s women.

The heroes.

Though the Seer himself hadn’t come, his women were formidable warriors in their own right—

They would surely help turn the tide.

Maintaining a stoic expression, she continued fighting as if she hadn’t noticed them. Soon, the heroes quickly assessed the situation and sprang into action.

“Now!”

The wolf-like woman shouted as if signaling, then lunged at the Deputy Prime Minister, who had been taunting her relentlessly.

“Ambush! Ambush!”
“Grrk! Enemies from behind!”

Simultaneously, an arrow shot into the enemy ranks defied the laws of physics, pulling nearby lizards into the air.

“Haaah!”

The woman wielding a massive hammer swung it, unleashing phoenix-like flames that incinerated the gathered lizards in an instant.

《Battery level at 7%.》

Perfect timing.

Relief surged through Dan Minha’s body.

As the enemy’s offensive faltered, she swiftly retreated into the Eastern Palace.

After quickly replacing the battery crystal she had prepared in advance, she rejoined the battle, aiding in the extermination of the already demoralized lizards.

The frustration of being overwhelmed earlier now transformed into a fiercer, more brilliant flame, making the lizards pay for daring to challenge the Princess.

Once the situation was mostly under control—

“Thank you for your assistance.”

Setting aside her status as Princess, Dan Minha bowed politely.

The heroes, however, were the ones flustered.

“…No need. We only did what we had to.”

After an awkward exchange—

“Saha and I will guard Her Highness. The remaining three will regroup with the main force at the Uigeumbu.”

Saha shared the plan.

Dan Minha’s face stiffened.

“The Uigeumbu…?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“…Chief Inspector Cheok Jungyeong is likely guarding it. If he’s still loyal to me, fine—but if not…”

Her voice trembled.

“Ark—the Seer—might be in danger.”

The moment she finished speaking—

The heroes exchanged glances before turning to their leader, Lenatel.

Lenatel’s mind raced.

Ark’s orders were absolute.

But.

Ark’s safety took precedence over everything.

“Your Highness. Can you continue fighting?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I have some breathing room now.”

Having seen her in combat, Lenatel concluded she wouldn’t need constant protection if not in immediate danger.

“…Second party, changing objectives. We’ll escort Her Highness and all head to the Uigeumbu.”

The decision was swift.