Level 0 Master

"What?!" The girls evaluated the child.

"As expected, she came here to be taken in."

At Eustasia's statement, Ereka rubbed her cheeks.

"For a child to fall in love with Sungjin from afar and search for him herself; that's amazing."

"I agree that it's amazing, but to think he would accept the request. I can't believe it."

"If Sungjin's heart goes out to the girl, we won't be able to stop it. I admit I'm jealous."

Beside them, Jenna raised her fishtail.

Miss Eustasia's words were correct, My Queen! You should not be commenting on Oppa's decisions!

On top of that, if the young girl was accepted, her status as the sole Loli would disappear, and she would have a very serious rival.

"Don't let me be misunderstood." Sungjin silenced his teammates, who were getting out of control, and regarded Rachel once more.

"What do you mean by taking you in?"

"Scary bad people are chasing me. Please hide me."

Sungjin's eyes reflected a lost puppy wet from the rain; he felt pity.

"Scary bad people?" Although the words were vague, the gears of Sungjin's mind started turning.

"You're being chased by the Holy Nation Rupellion."

"How'd you know?" Kuga's mouth fell open.

"Were you a human sacrifice for the Holy Nation?"

"Yes. The rumors of you having the ability to read people's minds seem to be true."

At Kuga's honest exclamation, Sungjin smiled briefly. It was nothing like that. He had merely paid attention to the details:

Firstly, Rachel's accent was not from the four kingdoms but from the areas around Rupellion. Secondly, the tattoo engraved on her back was the "cursed tattoo," full of symbols the Holy Nation used frequently. When he added those two pieces together, it was the only logical explanation.

"Since you seem to understand our situation, I have a simple request: Can you please provide a place for us to hide within this country? Do not let the child become a sacrifice for those crazy religious bastards."

"Stop. We cannot do that."

Before Sungjin could even reply, Eustasia stepped in.

"Why?"

At Sungjin's question, she spoke:

"We're not ready to wage war against the Holy Nation. Although the four kingdoms are united, we have not finished unification within and securing the battlefields has only just begun. We are barely maintaining the peaceful balance between the two great nations, Eldorado and Rupellion, as it is. If we provoke the Holy Nation, they could easily rip us apart."

Her words were cold but correct.

"But if we refuse to take them in, they will become sacrifices. They ran so far for help; my heart pities them."

Despite Ereka's advisement, Eustasia did not change her stance.

"This is a matter between nations. It's not a situation that can be resolved freely by one's own will. Feeling pity towards one person can lead to greater calamity. Don't you understand?"

"But…"

Beside them, Jenna smiled brightly with an innocent face.

Good. What's the point of having more rivals?

"Stop. There's no need to argue. I've already decided."

At Sungjin's words, everyone fell silent. Rachel's eyes shook violently.

Will Master Sungjin accept me? He will, right?

Her palms had gotten sweaty.

What if he does not accept me?

She had come this far because Kuga had reassured her Sungjin would accept her, because she trusted him; but what if he was wrong? If Sungjin did not accept her, there was nowhere else she could turn. He was her last hope. But even if he refused…

"My answer…"

Suddenly, Rittier ran towards them.

"Master Sungjin, there is an emissary from the Holy Nation of Rupellion requesting an emergency meeting."

"Rupellion?" Sungjin's eyes shone.

"Yes, he is the black priest, Pangnilin, of the four great priests. His request is quite urgent."

For the past several years, according to records, there had been no contact between the four kingdoms and the Holy Nation Rupellion. So what was behind a sudden request for a meeting after several years of silence? A congratulatory message for uniting the four kingdoms should have been sent a long time ago.

The atmosphere intensified.

"Fine. I'll meet him." Sungjin smiled at the fun ahead of him. It seemed that Rachel was not any ordinary sacrifice. He knew right away she was not ordinary as she had a speaking, spiritual lion with her. He had been planning to find out more about her after things had settled down.

But for Rupellion to move this quickly.

Rupellion was the land ruled by those who believed in a crazy god, the land that was hell on earth, where new heretics were accused and tortured and eventually executed; the country where humans existed only to serve an insane god; the country that started the deadly epidemic, another obstacle he had to overcome in his path to becoming an Arc Master.

They had broken the silence first, the country who declared they wanted nothing to do with other heretic countries.

Let me hear what you have to say.

Everyone else was nervous and felt that the crux of the storm was upon them. Their country was rising amid silent power struggles. Watching him, Rachel shivered.

"Did those men… me… Did they find me? Is that it?"

At her shivering, Kuga sighed.

We were too late.

It would have been different if Sungjin had already accepted their request for asylum. The young king could have ignored the desperate request for a meeting, one surely devised to raise his pride. But that was no longer the case. The Holy Nation would probably begin to work delicate diplomacy of playing both sides against Sungjin…

Sungjin had no special reason to protect Rachel. As the leader of a country, he would most certainly send Rachel back after receiving compensation.

At that moment, Sungjing grabbed Rachel's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I will protect you."

"Re… Really?"

"Are you serious?"

Rachel and Kuga were surprised. Everyone around him was surprised. What he had accepted was their request to hide them. But as the Holy Nation requested a meeting with him, the risk of doing so had increased.

But to protect them despite all of this?

"Yes."

"But… the bad guys have found me."

"Don't worry. There is some greed on my part in accepting your request; it will help me become an Arc Master." Sungjin smirked. "My plan is also to prevent any more children like you being taken as sacrifices."

"Really… you're going to protect me?"

"Yes, and I need you to remain calm. After the meeting with Rupellion, I want to hear your story."

"Thank you, king of the other world…"

"That title is a bit awkward. Just call me Oppa."

"O… ppa?" Rachel called out hesitantly. Her round eyes held tears.

"Yes, good job."

"Oppa…thank you!" she cried out in relief and dangled on Sungjin's arms.

My, my. I made her cry.

He felt as if he had just saved his sister. Warm emotions gushed from the depths of his mind knowing such a weak and pure being was relying on him.

"Now, wait a moment." Sungjin tapped her back lightly and turned.

Accompanying him to the meeting room, Eustasia complained loudly:

"You could've made a decision after you heard what Rupellion had to say."

"If I had, the girl would have been shivering in fright until then." With his back straightened, his chest seemed large enough to hold a child.

He had already lost too many people to Rupellion. Before, he had watched powerlessly. But no more. He would not be defeated by them any longer. He at least had the power to protect the child who had come running into his arms. He would not cast her out for Rupellion to stomp her apart, this sister-like girl he had just met.

He could no longer let Rupellion step on anyone.

"You're right. How scared would she be if she knew she had run all this way only to be dragged back to that hell." Ereka smiled peacefully.

And that's the reason why I like you, Sungjin.

He was a man full of coldness and a competitive spirit, but he was also the man who would save this child from her would-be captors.

She believed if he became the Arc Master, the world would become a better place.

"Ha! Both of you are right; it would be highly unusual if Rupellion broke their silence because of a single child."

"Obviously."

"But?"

"So what."

"But Rupellion, especially their High Priest, don't you know how strong they are? The limits of his skill and artifacts are unknown."

"It doesn't matter. No matter how strong the opponent is, in the end, they are all enemies I would have to defeat on my path to becoming an Arc Master."

"Then we would have a strong person as our enemy."

"But we will be able to save a child and Eustasia."

"What?"

"You think Rupellion would come to us only because of one sacrificial child?"

At Sungjin's question, she paused.

"You mean…"

"It is said between the eight holy temples Rupellion's been building, the last one is finally at the end of the construction phase."

"You're right." Eustasia grew quiet.

The enemy considered the child important; she was an important representative of the sacrifice, a sacrifice to be used for purposes only the enemy knew of. It could be wise to keep the child.

But I am curious.

Was Sungjin keeping the child because she was pitiful or because she was a potentially important sacrifice? Was his decision made as a gentle brother…or a cold king?

Or perhaps both?

Eustasia smiled as she followed the king.

Chapter 4

The girls gathered in the meeting room with the other ministers. Rupellion instigating a meeting was considered a national emergency that would probably go down in the history books.

Rachel and Kuga hid in the next room to prevent any run-ins with the emissary. But they pressed their ears to the wall with nervous hearts.

"A portal is being made with your territory as the destination. The person wishing to pass through is the black priest of Rupellion, Pangnilin. Do you accept?"

At the Valkyrie's uninterested question, Sungjin, exercising one of his capacities as king, activated the territories as in and accepted the request.

"I allow."

A moment later, the portal opened and an extremely thin man with black cloth wrapped around him stepped through. Unlike the other ministers who wore fancy clothes according to their stations, he was wearing all black.

But the black, which looked plain at first glance, was not a normal black. It was a complete black that did not reveal any color shining through. It was a color that did not exist on earth and wasn't created by any scientist; it was a complete black of pure material, sold at the highest price.

The clothes had been created from the wings torn from the Death Angel. The clothes were an artifact. Only the High Priest Pedrian had more strength to rule over a man with such a possession.

"Greetings, Master Sungjin, the new ruler of the southern lands. I am Pangnilin, the black priest of Rupellion."

His monotone speech sounded like the words of a reaper. Despite the cold words that would have made any normal person shiver, Sungjin replied lazily:

"For now, I will greet you as a guest in my authority as owner. I will ensure your protection as you are here as an emissary." His arrogant reply from where he sat on his throne exuded a bloodthirst that suppressed the macabre powers of the Death Angel.

This…is the new strength of the southern lands.