There Is No World For ■■

From The Imperial Nobles’ Guide to the Earthling Lexicon

Synonym: Red Scum

The House of Nobles recommends flogging any serf who demands more than two rye loaves or four eggs as payment for a ballot paper.

***

Dawn Over the Wretched City

As dawn broke over the garbage-strewn city, sunlight stretched its fingers, peeling back the darkness. Beneath its touch, the slumbering city stirred.

By natural order, sunlight first illuminated the eastern quarter—a chaotic mix of factories left behind by the Soviets and workers’ housing.

In the back alleys of the East, within an attic room of the tavern "Tears of the Camel," a young man opened the window to breathe in the morning air.

In a stroke of serendipity, the sunlight spilled brightly into the room the moment he opened the window.

The sudden light made the man frown slightly. He blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness before letting his gaze fall on the scenery below.

Workers trudging to their shifts, merchants heading north, taverns finally closing their doors after a long night...

The sight reminded him of the backstreets of Incheon. Was every place inhabited by people the same in the end?

He watched the city, its air reeking of rust and thick chemicals instead of the salty tang of the sea, lost in thoughts of home until the sound of a door creaking open behind him broke his reverie.

Creak—

Turning toward the sound, he saw a black-haired girl, still half-asleep, enter the room.

She was dragging the hem of her dress, which she hadn’t bothered to change out of the previous night, and plopped into the room’s only chair, speaking in a groggy voice.

“Good morning, Yeomyeong... or not. Why are you up so early? Don’t tell me you stayed up all night.”

“You slept. Not deeply, but you slept.”

Barely had Yeomyeong answered when the girl stretched, the movement briefly revealing smooth skin under her dress.

Yeomyeong averted his eyes and shut the window.

As the sunlight receded, leaving the room in soft shadow, the girl leaned back against the chair, tipping it precariously as it creaked under her weight.

Creak, creak.

Over the noise, Yeomyeong broke the silence first.

“Seti, why are you up so early?”

“For the same reason as you.”

Sleep eluded her. She hesitated briefly before asking cautiously:

“Yeomyeong, about that proposal last night... What are you going to do?”

An abrupt question without context.

Yeomyeong didn’t ask for clarification; he already knew what she meant. He thought back to the words of Bikov, the East Court Lord, spoken the previous night.

“Liberator of the Dragon, forgive my rudeness, but could I ask for your help?”

After revealing his true identity, the Court Lord had explained:

“For the past half year, someone has been spreading rumors outside the city—foolish tales about the World Tree Crystal and legendary artifacts hidden within the city. As a result, all sorts of scum have flocked here.”

Yeomyeong hadn’t questioned the truth of his claim. Josef, the arms dealer he’d met just yesterday, was living proof of the rumor’s reach.

“I’ve traced the source of the rumors to the Western and Southern Courts. It’s clear that the two Court Lords are deliberately spreading them, using treasures in their possession as bait.”

“I don’t know what their goal is, but it certainly isn’t good for this city. Both of them despise it.”

“I intend to stop their schemes. This city is my home, and I can’t stand by while a few fools ruin it for their greed.”

The Court Lord had ended his explanation with an earnest plea, extending his hand toward Yeomyeong.

“Liberator of the Dragon... no, Cheonyeomyeong. Will you help me stop their plot—for the sake of all the people in this city?”

But Yeomyeong hadn’t taken his hand. Instead, he’d said he’d think about it.

Was it because the Court Lord had allied with the elf who ambushed him?

Partly, but the real issue was that Yeomyeong and Seti were travelers.

They had come to this city for one reason only: to uncover the conspiracy orchestrated by the Shepherds of the South Court Lord and the Korean government.

Whether they would kill the Shepherds or simply expose their scheme, Yeomyeong hadn’t decided yet.

Either way, once the matter was resolved, he planned to board a train and leave the city, returning to the Academy before the Olympia Tournament.

There wasn’t enough time to get involved in the East Court Lord’s plans.

As he mulled this over, Seti spoke again, breaking his train of thought.

“My vote is to decline.”

“Why? I thought you’d agree.”

Seti’s delicate eyebrows arched slightly at his response.

“It’s not just the time issue... I don’t trust the East Court Lord, that old man.”

“You don’t trust him... Yeah, I get that.”

A Russian name, alliances with communist elves, and a penchant for disguising himself to run a tavern—none of it sat right with Yeomyeong.

From the tavern’s location, which overlooked the entire area, to the secret codes exchanged with the elf, the signs were clear.

The East Court Lord was either deeply involved with the city’s underworld or someone who knew it intimately.

“Well, if we’re rejecting his proposal, the only question is whether we can investigate the South Court Lord ourselves.”

“We’ve got money and Josef, don’t we?”

Seti reminded him about recovering the gold coin and erasing its tracking magic last night, along with the plan to regroup at the sewers.

“You managed that while we were fighting the elf?” Yeomyeong poked the back of her hand playfully.

“Good job.”

“Thanks.”

Seti poked his cheek in return, and they both chuckled softly before rising to leave.

Rejecting the East Court Lord’s proposal left no reason to stay in the tavern.

As they prepared to leave, Seti added:

“Oh, by the way... about Neti.”

“My sister?”

“How did she end up in this city? Some kind of sibling ability?”

“No such ability exists. It’d be nice if it did, though.”

“Then how...?”

“Uh... Sorry, I’m not sure yet. Things happened so fast I didn’t catch the details. From what I gathered before sleeping, Soemiri opened a dimensional gate, but...”

“...Soemiri?”

Could the elven princess open dimensional gates? Yeomyeong tilted his head in puzzlement as he opened the door.

And at that moment—

A girl, pressed against the door, tumbled into the room.

With a loud thud, she hit the floor, looking up at them in startled embarrassment.

“...”

After a brief silence, Seti glared at her with dagger-like eyes, prompting the girl to stammer:

“Uh, sis, I-I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear...”

“Neti!”

Before she could explain further, Seti grabbed her ear and began dragging her out of the room despite her protests.

Watching the sisters’ antics, Yeomyeong shook his head and followed them out.

***

Neti peeked her head out of the carriage window, scanning the people walking along the road. After a moment, she pulled her head back inside and looked at Yeomyeong.

"Brother-in-law, where are we going right now?"

"..."

Yeomyeong, who had been nodding off with his back sunk deep into the carriage seat, felt a sudden jolt of alertness. The term "brother-in-law" carried an awkwardness that he found hard to ignore. Blinking, he looked at the girl addressing him as such.

Should he ask her to stop calling him that? Or let her continue?

If I tell her not to call me brother-in-law, she’ll probably start calling me oppa...

For some reason, his instincts screamed that being called oppa was something to avoid at all costs. In the end, he chose simply to answer her question.

"We’re heading to the northern train station in the city."

"Oh, the train station. Isn’t this the one? The largest transcontinental railroad terminal beyond the dimensional gate?"

Yeomyeong nodded. As Neti said, Drayterial’s northern district housed an enormous train station.

Without Stalin to name it, it was simply called the terminus of the North-South Transcontinental Railroad.

"Don’t expect too much. To someone from Earth, it’s just an oversized, outdated train station."

"How big is it? Bigger than Kaesong Station?"

"Of course, it’s bigger than Kaesong Station. I don’t know exactly, but it’s several times larger."

The city owed roughly 70% of its continued existence to the transcontinental railroad and that station. There wasn’t much more to explain.

Neti let out an awed "Oh," turning her gaze back to the window, while Yeomyeong closed his eyes again, hoping to catch up on some sleep. But his sister-in-law (?) had no intention of letting him rest.

"Hey, brother-in-law."

"...What now? What’s your question this time?"

"How far have you gotten with my sister?"

Yeomyeong was thankful there was no water in the carriage. If there had been, he’d have spat it out immediately.

As he stared at her with a stern expression, Neti smirked mischievously.

"Is my sister good?"

"...What?"

"You know what I mean. This."

Neti formed a gesture with her hands, inserting and removing her fingers in an unmistakably suggestive motion. Her blatant action was enough to make Yeomyeong’s face flush with embarrassment.

While he pressed his temples, trying to find a response, Neti continued.

"Don’t tell me... you’re clueless about these things?"

"...What?"

"I was honestly worried. My sister doesn’t seem like it, but she’s super shy. I thought maybe, when it came to the real thing, she’d freeze up and—"

"..."

"And, brother-in-law, you obviously have a lot of competition, right? But my sister... well, she’s not exactly sexy, you know."

Her voice trailed off, and Yeomyeong, maintaining a serious expression, finally spoke.

"Seti is plenty attractive."

"Oh, come on. My sister always wears those plain undergarments she gets issued. You should give her a gift—maybe something with black lace..."

Thud!

Neti didn’t get to finish her sentence. The carriage came to an abrupt halt.

Had Seti returned? No, it couldn’t be her. She had gone to the southern part of the city to retrieve the gold, Josef, and Balagu.

...This feels ominous.

Feeling uneasy, Yeomyeong stepped out of the carriage.

The road outside was filled with carts, wagons, and carriages, all halted in place, their drivers and passengers staring northward.

Yeomyeong stopped a middle-aged man standing idly nearby.

"What’s going on here?"

The man, who appeared to be a laborer carrying a load, wore a dazed expression as if he’d seen something unbelievable.

"Didn’t... didn’t you see it?"

"See what? What are you talking about?"

"A meteor? I think it was a meteor that fell from the sky."

"...A meteor?"

A meteor falling from the sky? That would have left the city far from intact. Yeomyeong was certain the man had either misinterpreted what he saw or witnessed a spell.

Spotting Neti climbing out of the carriage behind him, Yeomyeong jumped atop the vehicle for a better view.

The driver flinched in surprise, but Yeomyeong paid him no mind, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed the scene.

The northern road leading to the train station was completely gridlocked.

"Neti, can you use aerial steps?"

Neti, instead of answering, leapt onto the carriage roof in a single fluid motion.

Her actions spoke louder than words.

Yeomyeong tossed a pouch of coins to the driver, then took to the air, vaulting from the carriage roof.

Swish!

He darted from the carriage to a wagon, then to a building wall, and back onto another roof.

Glancing behind him, he saw Neti keeping pace effortlessly, her movements even more fluid than Seti’s in some respects.

"Brother-in-law! Don’t worry about me—go faster!"

At her shout, Yeomyeong increased his speed.

The two of them raced across the city with aerial steps until the train station came into view, along with thick smoke rising beyond it.

"This... looks like it got bombed," Neti observed, slowing down.

Yeomyeong didn’t disagree.

The train station, much larger than Kaesong Station, had a massive hole blasted through it.

They approached the northern station cautiously. On the way, firefighters, merchants, and guards from the three Court Lords’ respective districts ran around frantically.

Inside the station, the devastation was even worse.

The metal framework had collapsed and melted in places, with countless trains toppled underneath. But the real problem wasn’t the trains—it was the railway itself.

Even Yeomyeong, a non-expert, could tell it would be impossible to repair anytime soon. The tracks were completely melted.

"This wasn’t an accident. It’s terrorism. They targeted the railway deliberately," Neti said, looking at the scene.

Yeomyeong frowned but didn’t respond.

Was he upset that their plan to take a train to the city with the dimensional gate had been derailed? No. That wasn’t it.

He had realized what caused the fiery destruction.

"What kind of weapon could do this? Missiles? A meteor spell?"

"...Neither."

"Then what is it? Do you know, brother-in-law?"

Yeomyeong nodded, his gaze fixed on the railway. More specifically, on the blue flames still burning along the tracks.

"Dragon Breath."

It was the breath of the skeleton dragon he had encountered in Manchuria.