Chapter 56

There was nothing to do for the rest of the morning. The execution would be in three days, and while every minute counted, Kim was in no position to act on her own terms right now.
Then, around 2pm. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Kim left the hotel to see what was going on.
A crowd was gathering in the square.
Neatly organized tiles on a white background. A fountain in the center. The perfect place for kids to run around and couples to spend time.
Despite the spectacular view, the complexion of the people coming and going was very dark. Despite the hustle and bustle of hundreds of people passing by, it didn’t feel noisy. People were quiet and reserved.
A podium was set up in the square. The dais had thirteen wooden poles. One by one, people were tied to the poles.
“Ismail.
Ismail’s position was exactly in the middle of the room. Naked, for all to see, with scars of flogging etched across his body, his head bowed low.
“…… I’ve never seen anything like that.
In the game, Ismail’s personality was cynical.
The idea is that he was naturally gentle, but the destruction of Atlanta had a great impact on him. In the illustrations, he is represented as a handsome man with sharp lines.
But now it was as sketchy as an invoice. A few citizens averted their eyes when they saw Kim near him, indicating that he was a beloved figure.
Then a man at the podium shouted.
“These people are war criminals who have jeopardized national security!”
He’s not a legionnaire; instead of a military uniform, he wears traditional Atlanta robes. His skin color was off-putting. Unlike Ismail, he wore clean clothes, and his face was greasy.
“Three days from now, at noon on September 23, the execution of the guilty will take place. I, Chief Justice Ruhollah Al Hakim, do hereby announce that Atlanta will be better…….”
I was in the middle of a screechy voice.
Kukuk.
Kim felt the feel of iron pressing against my back, the distance so close. The shape of the gun leading from the muzzle was clear in his mind. A short-barreled automatic pistol.
“……That pig was on Legion as soon as it happened, telling them where the president was hiding.”
The voice was familiar. A woman named Rabiya, whom I had shared a few words with in the hideout. We didn’t talk about it again.
In the game, Darun is the type of person who would rather move his subordinates than jaw-jerk them around, but he doesn’t do it himself. It was easy to guess why.
“It must be the mantra.
It’s more intrusive than direct surveillance.
Of course, even Mantra can’t track a dozen people in real time. No feature in Polaris is too convenient. There’s always a flaw somewhere.
Kim himself had a lot of limitations. The number of mantras you can mark is also quite limited.
But one of those few will surely include Daran.
‘I don’t know if Darun knows the spell of the mantra… but I do know that he’s being watched by some means.
Daran wasn’t the only one. Kim himself was likely being tracked.
‘I’m sure Mithril is watching.
I’d rather have a proven spy from another country than an untrained civilian…. I can understand it, but it’s hard to sympathize. It’s like he’s building a spy army.
“Is it that urgent?
Independence from the Hagiya Legion is easier said than done.
They are an organization that is more intolerant of traitors than the Mafia, and if you’re an officer, you’re in on all sorts of secrets, and if you’re caught, the punishment is swift and severe.
For Mithril, it’s a race against time. She’s trying to get as much funding and manpower as she can before the Legion gets involved.
Anything goes. What matters now is something else.
“Is that true for you?”
The pressure on my back intensified, as if I were about to shoot. It was a bluff, of course, with Legion soldiers all around, but… it didn’t feel good to be on the receiving end.
“Let’s move the seats first.”
“If I follow them, I’ll get caught by them.”
“Oh, hell no.”
There’s no reason to kill someone in such a public place. You don’t want to take that risk when your execution date is so close.
Al-Qamar is hoping for help eventually.
“……OK.”
Sure enough, Rabiya lowered his gun. Kim sighed inwardly and walked away from the square. Pretending to be tired of the crowds, he walked into a nearby park and sat down on a bench.
Two benches with their backs to each other. After a short wait, the seats on the other side were filled.
“Let’s be clear: We don’t trust you.”
“Of course.”
The timing was quite fortuitous, with Legion appearing out of nowhere during the encounter. I even spoke to Mithril separately. It’s safe to say that she’s already been recruited by the Legion.
‘In hindsight, I don’t know if I would have targeted this one.
Mithril is neglecting Al Quamar.
I was told at the time that there might be a digit tax issue, so that it could be utilized in a variety of ways. In fact, there was some distrust between Kim and Al Quamar.
He’s cunning for his size.
“First off, we’re going to help you. We have our own reasons for being here… and it’s better for us to stick with you.”
“Words can’t do anything.”
Rabiya snorted.
“What can you guys do in the first place, I heard you had your belongings confiscated once at the custody center, but what about your weapons?”
“That’s true, but…….”
Kim flicked his ears back.
“So what? If you really didn’t expect anything from us, you wouldn’t be here, so stop scratching your head and get to the point.”
There was silence. As she waited for the next words, Kim looked around the park, her eyes locking with a girl who looked to be about fifteen years old.
She sucks her finger and stares at you. When you wave, he smiles sheepishly, then walks away, led by his mother.
Kim’s expression turned emotionless as she was afraid to turn her back.
“Now that kid looks suspicious.
Normally, I would have thought the foreigner was a curiosity, but now I could only recognize him as a Legion or Al Qamar’s Khunapulo.
My head is filled with doubts. I knew I had to get out of Atlanta as soon as possible, if only for my own sanity.
“……I’m not going to share my plans, I’ll leave the rescue to you.”
“We’re not supposed to do anything?”
“No.”
Rabiya said quietly, barely above a whisper.
“One minute, no, 10 seconds is fine. Get their attention.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes. That’s enough. I’ll leave the timing and method up to you… pretend to fall down, go on a rampage… whatever gets your attention.”
Kim thought about it for a moment, and then he was convinced. With Darun’s spell, it’s not impossible. Saving one person through the commotion.
The key is to take action first.
“So, you’re asking me to be bait?”
For Al Quamar, it was the only role he could assign to others with limited information exchange and no mutual trust.
“Can’t you do it?”
It was a cheap provocation. Kim made a small noise.
“No, I’ll do it.”
Aggro has a knack for it.
* * *
September 23, 11:21 AM.
About 40 minutes before execution.
A large crowd had already gathered in the square. Most of them were Atlanta citizens of the same skin color, and in their eyes, Ismail had grown more tired over the past few days.
Dry, torn lips. His body was dripping with pus and blood. His bushy beard was a far cry from his usual self-care regimen.
And on top of a seven-story building. There was a figure looking down on the people.
– Turkam, are you being followed?
Kim’s voice came from the tiny communicators, each of which was placed in their mouths so they wouldn’t be detected when they entered the country. It was also the only piece of equipment they had brought with them that could be utilized.
“I don’t think so. It’s a lapse in surveillance.”
He didn’t feel anyone following him until he reached the rooftop. The Legion’s manpower was currently concentrated in the execution chamber.
– Yes. You remember the target location, right?
“Yes. But… can I do that?”
– You said you had to do something.
“He did, but I didn’t realize it was such an important job.”
I’ve heard the plan over ten times. I’ve simulated it in my head many times, and I’ve done all the preparation.
But when the time came, I started to get nervous like crazy. I started breaking out in a cold sweat.
The feel of the firearm in my hand was unnerving. Semi-automatic rifle [Garand]. It was the weapon Kim handed to Turkam.
Of course, I couldn’t bring it back as is. I disassembled it and carried it in my backpack. After three days of practicing in the hotel, it didn’t take long to put it back together.
The problem came next.
“After all, you should have done it yourself….”
– That’s it. Did you hear anything?
“…… was.”
Of the three, Turkam was the least restricted in his behavior. Kim speculated that the Legion might have a spellcaster with a tracking system.
“But it’s still just a guess, isn’t it, and there’s a limit to how many people can be located at the same time, and I’m not on their radar.”
-So what. Don’t do it because you’re not sure?
“That’s not right….”
After a face-to-face encounter with Mithril, Kim and Westcreek make their way to the execution site. Turkham’s sniping would be key to the operation. The stakes were high.
“How can you trust me, what if I make a mistake? I don’t want to say it out loud, but I’m not even as good a shot as Chelsea.”
– Of course. Rub it in.
There was a series of snorting sounds.
– Anyway, you can do it, and if you can’t, slit your wrists.
“For example…?”
– You’ll know it when you see it.
Turkam looked down at [Garland] and frowned. He couldn’t understand. A gun is a gun, how different can it be?
– Look for something more subtle.
“I see.”
I pointed my gun over the railing. I leaned on the scope to scan the neighborhood. There were few skyscrapers in Atlanta, so being this high gave me a bird’s-eye view of my surroundings.
Kim predicted that Legion’s “trackers” would be near the square.
You can’t detect infinite distances. From your vantage point overlooking the square, you’re watching the movement of those you’ve marked with the spell…….
He had already recognized a few buildings. Turkam scanned the points he’d been told, one by one, until his eyes landed on the fourth.
For a moment, Turkam swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine.
“…… car, found.”
Just off the square. A person was spotted at a window on the fourth floor of a shopping center. The person’s demeanor was enough to identify him as a target.
“We have three men. Two regular soldiers. One, uh, has his face covered by a coat… and is small in build, appears to be a woman or teenager.”
– Good job. I’ll give you the signal. Take cover and wait.
“Yes.”
The voice that answered trembled slightly. So much so that Turkam was appalled.
“How did we predict this?
Nothing was certain. To be honest, Turkam even thought it was a bit of a leap.
In the first place, Kim was prepared for the possibility that I was wrong. The order was to shoot any enemy soldier who was not spotted. It was a prediction with such a low probability of hitting that even I doubted it.
But in the end, Kim was right.
“He’s crazy.
Suddenly, I understood Pablo’s reaction. He was a tough, proud guy, and when Kim Yi Hyun’s gossip came out, he looked around. At the time, I thought it was a very unfortunate thing….
I vowed to be more careful in the future, and I meant it.
* * *
Meanwhile, Kim and Westcreek arrived at the execution site. The plan was to blend into the crowd, but a Legion soldier guarding the area quickly approached them.
“Oh, you two are here too.”
He was the man who had escorted Kim shortly after she arrived. He was friendly, but he kept his distance more than necessary, as if he were pressuring her.
“I’m afraid it’s too crowded for you, please follow me and I’ll show you to a better seat.”
It was as if he had reserved a prime spot for flower viewing. Kim exchanged a glance with Westcreek and then shook her head.
“…Yes. Please.”
It was probably just a coincidence that he happened to run into someone with a spherical face. But it’s fair to assume that his information has spread among the soldiers. The mantra must be transmitting his location in real time.
I was led to a location just below the dais. Mithril was nowhere in sight, but the Legion’s soldiers were gathered. Sharp eyes shot toward Kim and Westcreek.
“I’m sorry, but I need to check your belongings.”
He doesn’t answer and starts groping you. A quick check to make sure he’s not concealing a firearm. There were no corners to crawl into, so I just had to be confident.
“Excuse me.”
“No, what.”
If it’s a communicator, it’s already abandoned. Even if they don’t talk, they can still send signals. Kim calculated Al Quamar’s behavior and devised a plan.
‘I have a rough idea of how Darun is going to move.
Kim has information. He was the only one who knew the spell of the “characters” currently gathered in Atlanta.
The problem was that Al Quamar might not move if they made a fuss. Westcreek pointed this out, but it wasn’t much of a concern.
“You just have to create a situation that forces them to move.
This is as far as you can go.
It’s noon, and it’s rainy.
Before the execution began, the obese chief justice took the podium. A few of the soldiers snickered and laughed as he delivered his one-liner.
A soldier unloaded the criminals from the wooden stake. Without waiting until the last minute, Ismail was the first to go. The soldier forced Ismail, who could barely hold himself up, to his feet.
The method of execution was hanging. Ismail stood before the noose.
“Execute the sentence!”
After reciting each offense, the chief justice exclaimed.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Sweat dripped from his damp hair. Ismail’s breathing was ragged. He lifted his head and saw the crowd through his blood and sweat-soaked vision.
The faces were familiar. Many of the Legion’s soldiers were familiar as well, armed with guns, glaring and threatening their fellow citizens.
“Father.
Not long ago, my father was executed. It would have been no different then. The people would have snickered and mocked, unable to show their grief.
Things were happening that shouldn’t have been happening.
Ismail’s loosely clenched fists shook uncontrollably. His anger had no power. The despair in his eyes made me realize that death was coming.
And, and…….
A single person. There was a stranger among the people.
‘……who?
Yellow skin. Black hair and black eyes. He was a strangely recognizable figure. Ismail paused and locked eyes with him for a moment. Somehow, it was hard to look away.
That’s why I could see it. The way the stranger smirked.
-Cheap Profit!
Smoke began to billow out.