NTN 172

Chapter 172

Jang Mokhwa couldn’t possibly take on dozens of guards by herself. The only thing she could do was glare at them and make sure that someone positioned where Seong Geon-u couldn’t see wouldn’t blow his head off.

In any case, if anyone showed suspicious behavior, Jang Mokhwa was ready to aim her pistol at them.

But this wasn’t a fundamental solution. Feeling as if she were tightrope-walking over an abyss, Jang Mokhwa’s mind raced.

A few seconds later, she suddenly burst out laughing and shouted,

“Hahaha! My colleague has a bit of a problem with his head. He’s been seeing a psychiatrist for quite a while. To put it simply, that guy has a mental illness—no, he’s just plain crazy!

The reason we came to With City this time was to earn money through a mission and use it to get him treated by a better doctor.

Everyone, this isn’t a joke. That guy might really press the button. Don’t do something foolish like betting your precious lives on a madman. What couldn’t a madman do? He’s the kind of guy who could easily commit suicide!”

The nobles believed that a man who looked perfectly normal, handsome even, and who traveled with a young, beautiful companion wouldn’t throw away his own life and drag everyone into hell with him. They had been debating whether to pressure Seong Geon-u further, fluster him, and make him reveal an opening.

Then Jang Mokhwa dropped those words.

The nobles flinched, all thoughts grinding to a halt. They didn’t fully trust her, but they couldn’t ignore the possibility.

What if that man really is crazy? What if, unlike others, he’s truly prepared to die…?

Meanwhile, Udik, recalling what he had seen of Seong Geon-u so far, reluctantly joined in the warning.

“He really does have something wrong with his head. This is my first time working with those two, but I’ve kept thinking he’s not normal.”

Udik revealed this because he feared that rash actions by the nobles could escalate the conflict and end with everyone being pulverized along with Little Mushroom.

Even so, Seong Geon-u didn’t look humiliated. Instead, he smiled and nodded.

“Right. I even have a doctor’s certificate. I can show it to you later if you want.”

Then, alternating his gaze between Jeongnyeom and Udik, he added with a smile,

“I know those two over there are Awakeners. There might even be more Awakeners here. Let me say this in advance: my backers are very skilled at making biomechanical prosthetic arms, and those arms come equipped with auxiliary chips.

Even if an Awakener within range finds a chance to control me, my fingers might press this button on their own. So—everything I’ve said so far could be a lie, or it could be the truth. Which do you think it is? Care to guess?”

Seong Geon-u smiled brightly as he looked around. At that manic grin, every noble and guard shuddered. The brighter his smile grew, the darker the shadow they felt looming over them.

On the other hand, Jeongnyeom, Udik, and a few others thought it quite possible that Seong Geon-u was lying—but they couldn’t be sure.

Jeongnyeom, in particular, felt a powerful sense of danger. He couldn’t shake the thought that the madman might really press the button and detonate the explosives. He hadn’t even dared to use the Beast Path of the Six Paths of Reincarnation he had prepared.

Of course, Jeongnyeom himself wouldn’t die from an explosion of this scale. His mechanical body might be destroyed, but as long as the core components protected in multiple layers remained intact, he could recover within ten to fifteen days.

Meanwhile, Jang Mokhwa, guarding Seong Geon-u’s back, suppressed the urge to sigh and muttered inwardly,

To think he’d even pull tricks like this…

There was nothing wrong with what Seong Geon-u had just said. So even if Jeongnyeom used mind-reading, he wouldn’t find any contradictions.

From Seong Geon-u’s words alone, all they could learn was that he supposedly had a biomechanical prosthetic arm with an auxiliary chip that could trigger the explosion even if he were controlled. In reality, however, the one who actually had such an arm was Jang Mokhwa.

In a sense, Seong Geon-u was exercising a broad, purely deductive kind of “madman” ability—without any Awakener powers.

As everyone stood stunned, Jeongnyeom asked in a synthesized electronic voice,

“Namo Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. Benefactor, why are you doing this?”

“Why don’t you guess?”

Seong Geon-u replied with a relaxed smile.

He really is insane…

At that moment, the nobles completely believed Jang Mokhwa’s words. This madness and nervous intensity couldn’t possibly be an act.

Clearing her throat, Jang Mokhwa signaled Seong Geon-u not to provoke Master Jeongnyeom any further. Every machine monk had a reverse scale—touch it, and they would go berserk.

If Jeongnyeom were to lose his temper over a slip of the tongue, he would surely kill all the nobles here first, eliminating the hostages.

Before Seong Geon-u could speak again, Jang Mokhwa addressed the guards outside the door.

“First demand: close the doors.”

Once the doors were shut, the guards outside would no longer be able to pinpoint Seong Geon-u’s exact position and wouldn’t dare to fire. That would drastically reduce the pressure on her as well.

As soon as her words fell, Seong Geon-u snorted softly at the nobles.

“Hm?”

Heo Yang-won immediately swallowed and shouted,

“Close them! Close the doors!”

At the lord’s command, several guards stepped forward and slowly shut the grand doors of the Assembly Hall.

Only then did Seong Geon-u, explosives and pistol in hand, walk toward the table.

“Sit. Everyone sit. We’ve got things to discuss.”

Watching Udik, Jeongnyeom, and even Dongjeong outside the doors, Jang Mokhwa’s eyebrows twitched. Their teammates were enthusiastically rounding up nobles who had been hiding in different places.

He’s crossing the line… Is Geon-u really losing it?

Jo Gijeong forced a smile and replied,

“I-it’s fine. Say what you want. We’re listening.”

Seizing the chance, Heo Yang-won added,

“We can talk as much as you like! Weapons, ammunition, food, gold, oil, coal, marijuana—just name it!”

Heo Yang-won was still young and had been lord for only a few years. He had no desire to meet his ancestors just yet.

Then Seong Geon-u slowly approached a chair at the far end of the table, sat down, and spoke with a troubled expression.

“If I press this button, how many pieces do you think the people here will be blown into? Sit down. Come over here and sit. How can I be the only one sitting while everyone else stands? That’s bad manners, isn’t it?”

At his suggestion, Morichi, who had been crouching under the table, finally couldn’t hold out any longer and slowly climbed up onto a chair. Once he moved, the other noble councilors, including Jojunggi, slowly took their seats as well.

Meanwhile, the guards protecting them couldn’t take their eyes off Seong Geon-u’s finger.

Heo Yang-won lowered his posture as much as possible and asked,

“Y-you can state your demands now, right?”

Seong Geon-u smiled and swept his gaze around.

“Drive out the wasteland drifters, and everyone hand over your remaining food and medical supplies. Use them to deal with the survivors, provide relief to the residents, and stabilize With City as quickly as possible—bring it back to life.”

That’s the demand? Is that man the lord of With City? Not me?

Heo Yang-won nearly doubted his own ears.

Only then did the nobles conclude that Seong Geon-u truly was insane.

Udik, however, who had been watching Seong Geon-u and Jang Mokhwa with a meaningful gaze, briefly assumed a stance as if ready to use his forced-sleep ability—then stopped.

After a few seconds of silence, Heo Yang-won asked again,

“Are the wasteland drifters included among those to be aided?”

“They are.”

Seong Geon-u answered without a moment’s hesitation.

As all the nobles stared blankly, Jang Mokhwa added,

“Gather them and interrogate them separately. Those who committed murder should be swapped with slaves working on your estates. Many people died in the chaos, so the city defense force and the lord’s guard will need reinforcements.”

Heo Yang-won’s eyes wavered slightly as he continued,

“Any other demands?”

“There are.”

Seong Geon-u nodded with a smile.

Strangely, the nobles felt relieved. To them, it was incomprehensible that someone would risk his life for refugees and die together with the nobles without having any personal demands.

“Well then, let’s finish this matter first and talk about the rest later.”

With a smile, Seong Geon-u set the stage, then looked at Jo Gijeong.

“We’ll start with you. Call your trusted aide. If I tell them, ‘If this man does anything funny, I’ll blow his head off. Even if you try to help him, I’ll press the switch immediately,’ how do you think they’ll react?”

He didn’t even give Jo Gijeong time to respond, just kept smiling and firing off questions.

Facing that smile, Jo Gijeong swallowed hard.

“No matter what I say, you’ll hear everything anyway. I can’t pull any tricks.”

He had no intention of using hints or hidden meanings. If that were discovered, the conflict would instantly escalate.

Jo Gijeong quickly took out his phone, called his aide, and relayed Seong Geon-u’s words verbatim. The entire process was flawless.

But the aide outside the Assembly Hall knew Jo Gijeong was being threatened and couldn’t take any action. All he could do was wait and watch.

As the nobles took turns making their calls, Seong Geon-u slowly stood up.

“The second demand is different for each person. I’ll handle them one by one.”

Carefully stepping back from the table to a corner, he called out loudly,

“Master—let’s start with you.”

Confident in his own safeguards, Jeongnyeom didn’t hesitate and walked straight toward Seong Geon-u.

At that moment, Seong Geon-u handed a black remote control to Jang Mokhwa and said with a smile to everyone present,

“My colleague also has a biomechanical prosthetic arm.”

As if to prove it, Jang Mokhwa let arcs of electricity flow between the fingers of her left hand.

With Seong Geon-u’s claim now confirmed as fact, the nobles felt relieved that they hadn’t acted rashly earlier.

Having completely taken control of the Assembly Hall, Seong Geon-u stared at Jeongnyeom, who stood nearly two meters tall. Red light flickered in the machine monk’s eyes.

“Master, do you know Dharma Master Jeongbeop?”

He deliberately lowered his voice, so the nobles seated around the table couldn’t hear.

“He is my teacher.”

Jeongnyeom answered honestly.

Seong Geon-u continued,

“You see, I know Dharma Master Jeongbeop, and I’ve heard his sermons. I also helped prevent the lord from self-destructing, enabling you to complete your mission. So…”

The red glow in Jeongnyeom’s eyes flickered faster, then returned to normal. Chanting softly, he replied in his synthesized voice,

“To a benefactor allied with the Order, this humble monk will lend his strength.”

“Thank you, Master. You may return now.”

Seong Geon-u extended his hand and shook Jeongnyeom’s.

As Jeongnyeom returned to Heo Yang-won’s side, Seong Geon-u called out next,

“Udik? You’re up next.”