Chapter ss40: Side Story 40 - Dream in a Dream (40)

"Bam!" Aileen shouted as she slammed her seal on the letter of approval. "Here! You can now increase your guild members to twenty people! Congratulations, you've progressed a step further!"

"Thank you," Rachel replied with a bow before receiving the letter.

She had earned this reward from the contribution points she gained while fighting against Lancaster, which allowed her to bring more guild members to the general assembly.

"Alright then. Go and have a great time," Aileen said as she waved them away.

Jin Seyeon smiled from next to her and spoke, "Have a pleasant trip back home. Oh right, Mr. Kim Hajin?"

"Yes?"

Jin Seyeon suddenly extended her smartwatch towards him. Rachel nervously watched in anticipation as to what would happen.

"Shall we exchange contact information? It's been a long time since I met someone like you. It must be fate that brought us together," Jin Seyeon smiled at him.

"Ah... Sure... it's an honor..." Kim Hajin replied with an awkward smile.

The memory of them shooting arrows while standing back to back left quite an impression on him too. She would be a dependable ally one day if he ever needed one.

"..."

Rachel looked at the two of them smiling and exchanging contact information. She turned around and left the general assembly first. The rest of her guild members followed and Kim Hajin came out last.

Both of Rachel's cheeks puffed out as she grumbled, "This must be fate my butt. Sounds more like a coincidence to me..."

Fermin flashed a mischievous smile when she heard Rachel's faint grumbling from behind.

***

It took five days for the guild members to reach Mumbai from the general assembly. They took the portal there to return to England.

However, the press was already waiting for them at the airport's portal for some reason.

— Please tell us what kind of tests were waiting for you at the general assembly!

— Why do you think the English Royal Court guild was eliminated first... Hey! Don't push!

— Which guild is leading the general assembly right now? Is it Essence of the Strait or Creator's Sacred Grace?!

The press unleashed a torrent of questions assuming that the English Royal Court had been eliminated from the general assembly. This made Rachel scoff under her breath.

"The English Royal Court has not been eliminated from the general assembly. In fact, our campaign has been quite successful," Rachel confidently replied and began to list every one of their achievements.

She proudly showed off their loot and talked about the endless possibilities in the general assembly. Not only that, she even revealed Lancaster's evil deeds and proclaimed Xtra's innocence.

The press went silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. They thought Rachel's bold claims were nothing more than baseless lies.

Skeptical questions poured in like, Aren't those just consolation prizes instead of loot? She almost wanted to exert some violence on them.

Rachel barely managed to suppress her anger and deeply reflected on trying to boast for her own people.

The press conference concluded and she returned to the English Royal Court's headquarters.

"What are all of these? And why are you in my office, Prime Minister?"

A mountain of documents on her table greeted her. Surprisingly, England's prime minister also paid her a visit.

The prime minister said in a serious tone, "The English Royal Court received a substantial amount of investments while you were away, Vice Leader. These are the documents listing the investors."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Rachel muttered in disbelief before rushing over to check the documents.

[Investment Company - EXTRION Hathshire]

Only then did Rachel finally notice the newly constructed building outside her office window. That building definitely hadn't been there when she left for the general assembly.

She grabbed her hair while immersing herself in the documents that detailed their new investors. Her eyes grew bigger when she saw the total amount invested into their guild.

"..."

Rachel looked at the prime minister without saying anything, but the confusion in her eyes seemed to be asking him for an explanation.

The prime minister sighed and explained, "The English Royal Court's situation plunged to the worst it's ever been in history after you left for the general assembly. All of our financial credit lines were blocked and the banks began to foreclose our assets. They came attacking from all sides as if they had been waiting for an opportunity to strike all along. Then this investment company suddenly popped out of nowhere and offered us their proposal."

The prime minister initially thought it was some sort of relief money aimed at taking over the English Royal Court. However, EXTRION Hathshire offered an absurdly good proposal. No, it was near perfect and exactly what they needed at the moment.

They simply had to agree to the terms and the blueprint provided by the investment company. The guild would immediately receive twenty-five trillion Korean won[1].

"Not only that, their blueprint is almost flawless. It looks like they used Essence of the Strait as a benchmark for it. The English Royal Court is faithfully following every step laid out in their proposal. I will try to arrange a dinner meeting so we can meet them and discuss further," the prime minister added.

Rachel read the document while listening to the prime minister's explanation. She looked up after he finished speaking. His last words suddenly bothered her. What did he mean by a dinner meeting?

The prime minister immediately looked away and avoided her gaze with a fake cough.

"The investor says that he has always respected Vice Leader Rachel. I believe that it would be possible to gain more from them if you have a meal together and casually talk with them..."

Rachel looked down at the document again, specifically at the words EXTRION Hathshire and the twenty-five trillion won written on it.

Twenty-five trillion won was simply too big of a figure no matter how successful their general assembly campaign had been.

"Then, I'll be taking my leave now. Oh, and please let me know of a convenient time, date, and place for the dinner meeting," the prime minister seemed to be hinting that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He bowed and left her office.

"Haa..." Rachel sighed after being left alone. She tapped her finger on the document while seemingly in a dilemma.

She didn't mind having a meal with someone. No, she had to accept this dinner meeting for the sake of her guild and country. However, she felt uneasy about it for some reason.

"..."

Rachel stared into space for a while before tapping her smartwatch and sending a message to the person who caused her uneasiness.

[What are you doing right now (⊙ܫ⊙)?]

Her smartwatch screen suddenly changed as a call came in.

[Master Shin Yeohwa]

It came from her elementalist teacher and master, Shin Yeohwa.

Rachel flinched and her shoulders trembled when she read the name. She almost instinctively blurted out, I'm sorry, out of pure habit.

However, she suddenly recalled what Kim Hajin told her last time. Could she really consider someone who suppressed her talents as a teacher and master? The answer was obvious now that she thought about it. She had been acting ignorant and stupid for far too long.

She would make her decision now and no longer needed to hang her head in shame.

Rachel was the vice leader of the glorious English Royal Court guild as well as England's princess. Not only that, she was the one and only spirit swordsman in the world. She could definitely be proud of that.

"Hmph!"

Rachel steeled her resolve to hate Shin Yeohwa from now on and growled at the portrait that popped up on her smartwatch.

Of course, she didn't answer the call.

***

[Hajin-chan! I'm attaching the investment report for the English Royal Court! Give it a read! I wrote it so you could easily understand nyang!]

I read the report on our new investment in the English Royal Court guild. Kim Hoseop invested in them and also gave them a blueprint to become like the most advanced guild in the world, Essence of the Strait. It would aid the English Royal Court in their future developments.

It would've been difficult for them to accept a third party's opinion, but the English Royal Court lowered their pride and accepted because of the huge twenty-five trillion won.

I set down the report and called Kim Hoseop.

— Hajin-chan!

"Hey, I just looked at the investment report. Great job, Hoseop."

— Okay! Is everything finished?

"Yeah, it's almost done."

I probably owed Kim Hoseop the most out of everyone now that I thought about it. I had no idea how I would've made it without him.

— Was the general assembly fun, nyang?

"I'm not sure..."

Could I call it fun?

I went through all sorts of hardships, but failed to find a way to return to my original world. Well, seeing my parents again even though it was just a dream gave me some comfort at least.

"I guess it was a bit fun?"

— Okay. Anyways, I'm hanging up now. It's time for me to watch my anime!

"Alright."

I ended the call and turned on the TV.

— The famous EXTRION Hathshire is about to add another successful record to their legacy. They have invested an astronomical twenty-five trillion won into the English Royal Court guild, which has been going through severe financial difficulties in recent months. The risky gamble placed by EXTRION Hathshire seems to be paying off as... and the public's sentiment towards the English Royal Court guild seems to be improving day by day...

Evandel slept nearby and squirmed when the TV blasted on. I patted her head and eased her back to sleep.

I worried about her quite a bit since I left for such a long time. However, only a few tears welled up in her eyes when I returned.

Her lack of reactions slightly saddened me. I didn't expect her to say something like, Don't you dare disappear for so long ever again! Still, I felt disappointed that she didn't seem too bothered by my absence.

Bzzt... Bzzt... Bzzt...

My smartwatch vibrated with a message from Rachel.

[What are you doing right now (⊙ܫ⊙)?]

I looked over at Evandel and decided to take the initiative this time.

[I was thinking of you, Rachel.]

I wanted to introduce her to Evandel, but had no idea if Rachel would feel afraid, disgusted, or even like Evandel once they met.

Evandel had resulted from my foolish mistake when I treated this world as just a novel. I had a responsibility to clean up my own mess.

A sharp pain struck my head when I thought about how to make them meet.

"Euk!"

However, the pain only lasted for a split second and disappeared. The sudden pain left me stupified.

The strange sensation felt as if this world was nothing but a fleeting dream. As if this world was too rich and vivid...

I absent-mindedly sat on the sofa.

Rachel would probably reply back any minute now, but I decided to switch off my smartwatch.

***

On the other hand, Rachel's hands trembled after reading the message on her smartwatch. Her face grew so red that it would probably explode because of one sentence.

[I was thinking of you, Rachel.]

That message sounded too aggressive.

[Really? That's a bit surprising...]

Rachel almost hit send, but deleted it. She couldn't sit still and began pacing around the room.

Should I cancel the dinner meeting with EXTRION Hathsire? What if he finds out about the dinner meeting? Will he be disappointed? I mean... that's not my intention for agreeing to it but...

Rachel racked her brains for a while before finally sending a reply.

[Thank you.]

She sounded too impulsive!

Rachel tried to delete the message before he read it, but it had already been marked as read. However, a reply didn't come back no matter how long she waited.

"Ah..."

Rachel squirmed and struggled while looking at her smartwatch. She sent another message after exactly eleven minutes passed.

[I didn't mean anything by that. I was just thinking the same thing too... ∗❛⌄❛∗]

Five minutes passed... Ten minutes...

The clock ticked away, but no reply came. He didn't even read her last message.

Rachel felt depressed by the sudden turn of events and jumped into bed. She began venting her frustration on her innocent blanket.

***

Public sentiment towards the English Royal Court slowly improved after Rachel returned from the general assembly.

They relaunched an investigation into the issue regarding Xtra. Kim Hoseop supplied them with detailed and crucial information regarding Lancaster's minions. The government successfully captured all the criminals thanks to him.

Not only that, Rachel finally received a long-awaited reply from Kim Hajin! Was it because everything seemed to be going too smoothly? Rachel felt her mood brightening up.

She sat in front of the clay oven and watched a piece of meat being slowly grilled.

"It's meat! Meat! Delicious meat!" Rachel exclaimed.

A party took place at the English Royal Court's garden, but the prime minister had to watch Vice Leader Rachel sitting in front of an oven and singing praises to a piece of meat.

The English Royal Court had solved their financial crisis thanks to EXTRION Hathshire, but they still had a lot to gain from the new partnership.

The prime minister had heard that EXTRION Hathshire's CEO was a young man. They would probably receive much more investments if Rachel wooed him with her charms.

"Vice Leader, when do you plan to have the dinner meeting?" the prime minister asked.

Rachel briefly pondered as she placed the grilled meat on her plate.

"We have the ribbon-cutting ceremony for our newly constructed training ground, right? I heard it's been completed."

It was only right to display one's gratitude towards their benefactor. Having a meal together surely wouldn't cause any misunderstandings.

"Yes, it's a state-of-the-art training ground we constructed thanks to EXTRION's investment," the prime minister heavily emphasized where the investment came from.

"Then we shall dine together after the ribbon-cutting ceremony," Rachel coolly replied since she was in a good mood these days.

That seemed like the perfect time to have the dinner meeting.

The prime minister nodded in satisfaction with a smile. "I understand. I'll make the necessary arrangements."

***

— Hajin-chan! The English Royal Court invited us to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new training ground.

[The English Royal Court would be tremendously honored if EXTRION Hathshire's chairman graces us with his presence during the ribbon-cutting ceremony...]

I felt slightly embarrassed hearing them refer to me as EXTRION Hathshire's chairman since the company was too small for me to be called a chairman.

The company simply ran by itself thanks to the cash and stocks that Kim Hoseop and I put in. Nothing great particularly stood out about the company.

Of course, we reluctantly hired some talented individuals after news of our successful investments spread like wildfire in the market. Numerous talents came flocking in at our main office in Seoul, South Korea. It was also undoubtedly the most prime real estate in the world.

We only had thirty employees, so I didn't consider us to be a major company.

"Sounds good. Tell them we'll be going."

I planned to introduce Evandel to Rachel on that day.

— Alright, nyang!

My identity would be exposed if I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but I also wanted to live a normal life as a salaryman from now on without having to lurk in the shadows.

I wanted Evandel to be proud of me.

"Hey... Evandel..."

"Yes?"

I called her as she played a game with her eyes fully fixated on the screen. She seemed to be playing some kind of racing game.

"Do you want to go somewhere with me next Friday?"

"No, I promised to go watch a show with my friends."

I didn't expect her to shoot me down like that. I froze for a while before speaking again in a stern manner.

"No, you have to come."

"I don't want to."

"No, you have to come with me."

Evandel squinted and glared at me before growling like an angry kitten. She tried to express that she didn't want to go with her entire body.

"I told you. I have to watch a show with my friends."

"You can go watch it next time. Come with me just this once. I guarantee that you won't regret it."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you once we get there, so come with me."

"..."

Evandel puffed her cheeks and stomped towards her room.

"Haa... Geez..."

Is that punk going through puberty these days or is she putting up a front because I was away for too long?

I suddenly received a message on my laptop.

[Pleasure to meet you.]

It came from Rachel, but her manner of speech seemed quite tense for some reason.

"What the heck?"

I wondered what was wrong with her this time, but noticed that she had messaged me through official channels. She hadn't messaged Kim Hajin, but EXTRION Hathshire's CEO.

A fun idea popped up in my head after reading her message.

[Hello, pleased to meet you too. My name is Im Jinha.]

I feigned ignorance and replied. This would probably surprise her even more, right?

[I am the vice leader of the English Royal Court guild, Rachel.]

Tap... Tap... Tap...

I immediately typed a response.

[Hoho! Have you eaten dinner?]

[Yes.]

I looked at the time on my laptop that read 4:17 P.M.

[It's only four o'clock, but you already had your dinner?]

[Yes, I tend to have my meals much earlier than others.]

Oh, is that so? I flashed a mischievous smile and typed away again.

[We will probably communicate quite often from now on. What do you say we have a meal together sometime?]

It took her five minutes to reply back.

[I have prepared a meal for us after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.]

[I mean, before that.]

It took another fifteen minutes for her to reply this time.

[I have prepared a meal for us after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.]

[Huh?]

[I have prepared a meal for us after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.]

Why did she suddenly turn into a computer? I sent her a simple [Okay]. Then I messaged her with my personal smartwatch.

[Have you had dinner yet?]

[Not yet ✪‿✪!]

She replied so fast that I found it scary. She sent another message before I even had the chance to think of a reply.

[But why are you asking? Are you in London by any chance ￫ܫ￩?]

"..."

I looked back and forth between the two chats and felt the drastic difference in her reactions. I couldn't help but wonder if this meant she was giving me the green light.

I began typing a reply as my heart fluttered.

[No, I was just curious. I'll be there next week. Do you want to meet? Let's have a meal or something if you're free. There's something I want to tell you.]

[Of course! I'm free 100% >﹏<!]

[Alright, I'll contact you then.]

Let's meet at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I thought to myself with a mischievous smile as I turned off my smartwatch.

1. Roughly 25 billion USD. ☜