Chapter 111: A New Beginning (2)

Inside the bus speeding down the highway, in the two back seats, sat a young man and a girl.

They were Kang Geom-Ma and Abel.

The gazes of the other passengers frequently turned toward them. While Kang Geom-Ma’s black hair was already somewhat unusual, Abel’s presence was simply too eye-catching.

“…Wow, she’s even more beautiful in person,” murmured a man as he stole a glance at Abel.

Immediately, the woman sitting beside him pinched his side.

“Ow! What are you doing?”

“Is that what you have to say while you’re with your girlfriend? And what’s so beautiful about her? If anything—”

However, the moment her eyes landed on Abel, her tone of disdain vanished.

“…Wow.”

Any trace of hostility dissipated in an instant.

‘She’s unreal.’

Even for another woman, Abel’s beauty was overwhelming. It was reasonable for men to be completely captivated.

But what was strange was the icy atmosphere lingering between Kang Geom-Ma and Abel.

Sitting next to someone like Abel should have been a reason for joy, yet Kang Geom-Ma’s expression remained apathetic.

Abel glanced slightly to her right. Kang Geom-Ma, resting his arm on the edge of the window, silently observed the passing scenery. His dark eyes betrayed no thoughts.

Abel hesitated, considering whether to start a conversation, but ultimately held back.

‘…It’s a little awkward talking to him.’

From their unfortunate first encounter to the incident on Avalon Island, every time they crossed paths, Kang Geom-Ma seemed to speak less and less.

That growing sense of distance annoyed her somewhat.

‘It’s as if he’s deliberately trying to stay away from me…’

She wanted to ask why. The repressed questions were on the verge of escaping her lips, but she swallowed them.

If he wanted to keep his distance, why should she be the one to start a conversation? Just thinking about it hurt her pride.

“……”

“……”

Abel played with her lips, which moved involuntarily, and fidgeted with her fingers in frustration.

That endless silence was overwhelmingly uncomfortable.

But he gets along well with other girls, doesn’t he?

Suddenly, a few names surfaced in her mind—Chloe, Rachel, Saki Ryozo.

They were three girls who liked him.

‘…….’

She recalled the words of the students before getting on the bus, the rumors she had heard.

At the time, she had refuted them.

But now that she thought about it… Could it be true that Kang Geom-Ma had been involved in many scandals with other girls…?

Three months had passed since they entered the academy. Maybe he didn’t change partners every week, but it did seem like he attracted a new one each month.

For a brief moment, Abel regretted defending him.

‘…Ugh, now my head hurts.’

Instinctively, she pressed her forehead with her hand. A slight dizziness began to creep up on her.

‘Is it because of the movement of the bus?’

It had been years since she last rode one. The last time was when she traveled to England with her parents as a child.

She remembered how her mother, worried about her motion sickness, gently rubbed her back, and how her father, with a kind smile, placed a small medicine patch behind her ear, assuring her that they were almost there.

What was that medicine patch called again? I think it was a Korean product…

She tried to recall the name of the medicine, but the dizziness only worsened. Abel leaned back further into her seat and softly closed her eyes.

‘That was about ten years ago.’

Her parents’ faces surfaced in her memory, blurrier than before.

Before reaching adulthood, Abel used to look through her photo album regularly so she wouldn’t forget anything. But the more she did, the more sadness and longing built up inside her.

So at some point, she stopped opening the album.

She knew that no matter how much she missed them, they wouldn’t come back. And she didn’t want to worry her grandfather, who took such great care of her.

The loss of her family wasn’t just her pain. While she had lost her parents, her grandfather had lost his son and daughter-in-law.

“……”

A hint of melancholy clouded Abel’s expression.

This trip home, which should have been exciting, instead felt painful due to an old memory.

“Abel.”

Abel’s eyes opened at the sound of a voice from her right. She was so surprised that her shoulders trembled slightly.

“Huh? What?”

“If you’re feeling motion sick, try this.”

Kang Geom-Ma extended a small piece of paper. Abel’s eyes shifted between his gaze and the hand holding the object.

“What’s this?”

“A motion sickness medicine.”

At those words, Abel felt a strong sense of familiarity. Her golden eyes widened slightly.

“I don’t usually get motion sick, but since this is my first flight, I bought it just in case. I picked it up at the pharmacy yesterday as an emergency medicine. If you feel too dizzy, use it. It works well.”

Almost automatically, Abel accepted the small paper he handed her. Kang Geom-Ma tilted his head and asked.

“Do you not know how to use it? Well, I suppose that makes sense. It was developed in Korea.”

“No…! Ah, I know, I know.”

Abel quickly waved her hands, stumbling over her words—something unusual for her. At her response, Kang Geom-Ma simply turned his head back toward the window.

Abel let out a small sigh of relief as she looked down at the paper in her hands.

⌜ Guimite ⌟

The name of the medicine, forgotten for ten years, turned out to be incredibly straightforward.

Abel let out a small smile, which soon faded into a colder expression.

‘It was the same on Avalon Island…’

Kang Geom-Ma always acted like this. Casually, he would do small acts of kindness without expecting anything in return.

He never exaggerated, nor did he show any hidden intentions. They were simple gestures that, precisely because of their simplicity, felt genuine.

Perhaps, Abel thought, that was the reason why even someone as distant as Saki Ryozo had come down to his level of class.

Holding the small adhesive patch between her fingers for a moment, Abel finally tucked it carefully into her chest.

As the bus continued its journey along the vast highway under the clear sky, Abel felt the unpleasant feelings deep inside her, as well as her dizziness, begin to fade.

With that sense of relief, she closed her eyes and leaned back into her seat once more.

***

[Dear passengers, this bus has arrived at Incheon Airport. To avoid accidents, please remain seated until the vehicle has come to a complete stop…]

The announcement echoed throughout the bus.

After a long three-hour journey, we had finally arrived at the airport.

Passengers began standing up from their seats, stretching and moving about.

However, many eyes immediately turned in our direction, and some started whispering among themselves.

“Hey, look at that! Abel is sleeping on that guy’s shoulder.”

“Damn it, what a lucky bastard. What did he do in his past life to accumulate so much virtue…?”

I owned a seafood restaurant, in case you were wondering.

“Enough, enough. That guy is the Saint of Sashimi. In the end, the strong always get the beauties. If it bothers you, get stronger than him.”

“Tch.”

One of the men pursed his lips in frustration as he stepped off the bus, receiving consoling pats on the shoulder from his friends.

Their figures disappeared, leaving behind a palpable trace of envy.

“…”

I think this is the first time I’ve seen an envious look in this world. However, this situation is somewhat ironic.

While I wouldn’t mind lending my shoulder to a beauty, the fact that it was Abel attracted far too much attention.

‘I’d better wake her up.’

I lightly shifted my left shoulder, causing her shining blue hair to sway gently.

“Ugh.”

Abel blinked drowsily, her eyes heavy with sleep.

“We’ve arrived. Time to get up.”

“…!”

Abel’s face turned a deep shade of red. She immediately sat up straight, hastily gathering her belongings in silence without saying a word.

‘I’ll keep it a secret that she was drooling.’

After getting off the bus, I retrieved my suitcase from the luggage compartment, and we headed inside the airport.

***

“Wow.”

I had heard that Incheon Airport was one of the best in the world. I had never visited another airport in this world, but this was definitely impressive.

In fact, it looked even more majestic than Incheon Airport on Earth. Now that I thought about it, Korea in this world was the only nation that rivaled the United States.

‘I have to give credit to Miracle Blessing M for paying attention to these details.’

Unlike me, Abel seemed familiar with the airport’s layout and walked ahead without any trouble.

Since we got off the bus, we hadn’t exchanged a single word.

Even so, Abel subtly checked to make sure I was following her. She even slowed her pace whenever she noticed me getting distracted by the airport’s gleaming details.

‘The more I observe her, the more I realize her personality has surprises.’

She had a considerate nature, though her striking appearance often overshadowed that.

After walking for a few minutes, a group of reporters came into view. A figure surrounded by microphones and cameras stood right at the center of the crowd.

“!We’re from NBC! Swordmaster, could you share your plans after retirement?”

“I’m Yoon Pil-Seong from WTN! Rumor has it that there is already a designated successor for the Seven Stars. Can you confirm this?”

“It is said that the death of Elder Cladi is related to you! Do you have any comments on this?”

“Is it true that your achievements will be turned into a *Metflix* documentary?”

The questions rained down like a torrential storm, accompanied by the constant flashes of cameras.

The Swordmaster faced the reporters alone, without any guards or assistants by his side.

With a furrowed brow, he kept his lips sealed, making his discomfort clear. However, the journalists didn’t seem concerned in the slightest, shoving their smartphones toward him as if their lives weren’t in danger.

It was impressive how they dared to provoke someone who could end them with a single flick of his hand. Their audacity reminded me of war correspondents.

“Tch, here they go again.”

Clicking her tongue, Abel pulled a set of accessories from her bag—a hat, a face mask, and sunglasses, the classic disguise of any celebrity.

At that moment.

““““““!””””””

The reporters’ attention turned toward us, and their eyes lit up. It was as if they had just found fresh prey, their gazes as ravenous as starving wolves.

A look of discomfort crossed Abel’s face.

She, the future head of the Nibelung family, possessing dazzling beauty and a figure surrounded by rumors, was a prime target for journalists.

She tried to step away, but the suitcase she carried made it difficult to escape.

Step, step, step, step.

Step, step, step, step.

Step, step, step, step.

The sound of approaching footsteps filled the air as reporters wielding high-quality cameras surrounded us, forming a tight circle.

Abel quickly put on her hat, mask, and sunglasses.

Finally, one of the reporters broke the silence.

“Kang Geom-Ma! I’m from NBC. You’re currently known as the ‘Saint of Sashimi’ and are making waves. How do you feel about that?”

“I’m Yoon Byeong-Seon from FBS. You recently defeated Mao Lang from China. What are your future plans?”

“I’m Michael Joffen from the British media outlet CCB!”

“Earlon Musk from DEF in the United States!”

Strangely enough, the cameras weren’t pointed at Abel but at me.

Abel stood still for a moment, completely bewildered. Her sunglasses slid slightly down her nose, revealing eyes filled with sheer disbelief.

The reporters seemed to be ignoring her entirely, as if she didn’t exist. Their full attention was on me.

I was just as surprised as she was. Smartphones were raised in front of me like weapons, each one with its recording app activated.

‘…What the hell is going on?’

The journalists’ eyes reflected an insatiable greed, determined not to leave without a story.

‘Ah, damn it.’

I hated situations like this. I wanted to shove them aside, but I knew that would only complicate things further.

“What is the purpose of your visit to the airport today?”

A female reporter stepped forward and asked the question. The other journalists, wearing curious expressions, also seemed to be waiting for an answer.

“…Ah.”

This was an awkward situation.

While my existence was public knowledge, my whereabouts during the vacation needed to remain ambiguous.

If it was discovered that I was traveling with the Swordmaster, everything would become complicated.

Ignoring them and walking away would only fuel speculative articles linking the Swordmaster to me.

In that case, it was better to divert their attention with a completely irrelevant answer. Since my actual destination was Europe, why not mention something in the opposite direction?

“I’m going to the United States.”

A blatant lie. And, of course, I didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty.

If it could distract them, I would have even said I was heading to Antarctica.

“To the United States…?”

The reporter who had asked repeated my words, mulling them over.

A spark of realization flashed in her eyes, as if she had just connected the dots of a puzzle.

“No way! After defeating Relentless Iron, now he’s planning to challenge All Mute in the United States! Jesus Christ!”

“…”

Her dramatic exclamation spread like wildfire among the other journalists.

“Of course! That makes sense! Otherwise, why would he suddenly go to the United States?”

“She’s not comparable to Relentless Iron, no matter how talented she is…”

“So what if it’s true or not? This is the perfect bait! Just plant the doubt and let the public decide. He’s stronger than we thought, and now he also knows how to handle the media. This kid is different.”

“Looking at it this way… We came for the Swordmaster, but we ended up catching an even bigger fish!”

The atmosphere grew chaotic. I took the opportunity to grab Abel’s wrist.

“This is our chance. Let’s go.”

“Huh?!”

We pushed our way through the group of reporters, who were too distracted to stop us. Some tried to block our path, but with a slight push of my shoulder, they quickly stepped aside.

“Ah! This man pushed me! He pushed me!”

Ignoring the complaints, the other reporters hurriedly pulled out their laptops and began typing furiously.

It wasn’t until I was on the plane that I read the articles they had written—and deeply regretted ever saying a word.

•
•
•

『The Saint of Sashimi marches on the path of domination: “All Mute, get ready!”』

『China is “bored to death.” America responds with its supernova, All Mute, as the only worthy rival.』

『Arrogance of youth or a bold strategy? A move worth watching.』

『Controversy: The Saint of Sashimi, Kang Geom-Ma, accused of assaulting reporters.』