Chapter 252
Choi Yeonseung ignored Antony, who was protesting from the side, and spoke again.
“So there isn’t anything to be careful about when walking around in the United Kingdom?”
“No, there isn’t.”
The clan employee’s words were surprising, but nonetheless true. The first clans that had entered the United Kingdom proved his assertion. People who didn’t know much about constellations often thought that a country ruled by one would have a hellish landscape with sulfur and lava everywhere. However, just like the videos on Youtube showed, countries ruled by constellations tended to run surprisingly well on the outside.
It was easy for South Korean hunters to imagine something like this. They just had to think of a dictatorship like North Korea. It was just that a constellation had taken the place of a dictator! Of course, the state of a country was different based on the ruling constellation.
In the northern part of China, where the Master of Slowness and Silence was currently ruling, all the noisy factories had been shut down and people had to move around using bicycles.
In the case of North Korea, which was ruled by the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing, the various factories and concentration camp facilities had been cleared out. Only breweries producing alcohol lined up endlessly...
At first, Choi Yeonseung was a bit surprised by this, but now he understood. Why did the constellations rule like that?
‘I guess constellations also care about managing their image.’
-You’re right.
If the constellation ruled the country with an iron fist, many people would flee, and few newcomers would come. Furthermore, given how many souls there were on Earth, not receiving refugees was considered a great loss.
That was why the evil god constellations didn’t drastically change the country they occupied. It was because humans were likely to reject it. It was the kind of dictatorship where the constellations managed everything within reasonable limits. That was generally how the countries that were currently occupied functioned.
“In any case, it’s a bit surprising that they don’t have any precautions. I suppose they don’t care that much?”
“As of now, there are more than fifteen confirmed clans. The hunters and staff who have arrived in the United Kingdom are active, but the constellation still hasn’t responded to that. Of course, they can’t attract too much attention, but...
“Hah... It’s lucky.”
Adaquaniel, who was beside Choi Yeonseung, said softly, “It seems that the household members of the collector constellation are busy.”
“Seems that way.”
‘What are the household members of the collector constellation doing?’
***
The household members of the Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons stayed around the Strait of Dover, which connected England and France. The hunters watched in awe as the number of angels continued to grow.
“As expected of Master! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!”
“Hooray for the Six-Winged Angel!”
-Stop with the flattery. Master hates flattery.
“...”
The hunters, who were relatively new subordinates, were shouting in order to get their master’s attention, but they all fell silent at the angel’s words.
Their shallow intentions had been discovered immediately.
[’Dragon-Slaying Warrior’s Wings’ have been acquired.]
[’Dragon-Slaying Warrior’s Wings’ have been acquired.]
[...]
The angels immediately bestowed a new power on the hunters who had gathered there. It was a powerful flying skill. Considering that the original flying magic required the caster to constantly focus and control it, this ability to move easily with just willpower was a very powerful skill.
The hunters were excited upon receiving such a power.
“Hey, you better calm down.”
The more experienced hunters tried to calm down the newcomers, as it was easy to make mistakes when excited. However, the hunters were too excited because they had just been chosen by the constellation. They couldn’t listen to anything from their seniors.
“What? Are you afraid that I might surpass you this time and move up the ranks?”
“You’re quite the comedian, aren’t you? Whatever, do as you please.”
“I’ll do whatever I want!”
Everybody was talking with each other.
Amelia looked at them and clicked her tongue. “Fools. Being brave is a good thing, but being conceited isn’t.”
Competitions in which famous constellations were involved were intense. Talented hunters from all over the world were competing fiercely in order to gain the attention of their constellations. Therefore, the whole thing was rather brutal.
Hunter Han Sehui nodded at Amelia’s words.
“Um. In this regard, Hunter Han Sehui is faithfully following Master’s will. You can rest assured.”
Nod nod.
“The skill of defeating several enemy vampires was excellent.”
Right now, a battle between the two constellations was taking place in the sky above the sea. The collector constellation had summoned vampires, nobles and creatures of other races, while the angel constellation had summoned angels and hunters to aim for the sky. They were flying around and fighting each other, neither side yielding an inch.
The new hunters were running wild with excitement, but it was uncertain if they would make significant contributions.
“These humans...”
“Illaphael.”
Illaphael, one of the household members of the angel constellation, and a famous battle angel, walked up. Then, the two hunters stood up and greeted him. Illaphael was arrogant and ferocious, but his strength was indubitable. Moreover, among the household members of the angel constellation, he wasn’t one to act excessively. Therefore, the household members were bound to respect Illaphael.
“Is there something wrong?”
“I’ve heard that human hunters have sneaked into England while we’ve been fighting,” Illaphael said while frowning with contempt and annoyance. “They’re not trying to help us in the fight. They merely came here to act on their selfish agendas. Trash!”
“I’m sorry, Illaphael.”
Amelia apologized, but Illaphael just waved his hand.
“Amelia, you’re not the ones who should apologize. You’re not the king who rules over greedy humans... Can’t we somehow get those humans to fight for us?”
“That would be quite difficult, Illaphael,” Amelia replied politely. “They’re acting in their own interests and won’t be persuaded by our cause.”
“Those human bastards...!”
Illaphael walked away as he complained about the humans. He didn’t like the idea that those hunters were wandering around in the United Kingdom for their own gains while they were fighting to drive away the evil god constellations from Earth.
***
“Can we stop in Birmingham? I’ve always dreamt of going to Birmingham.”
“Stop talking nonsense and be quiet.”
The Icarus clan hunters were currently staying in a small town. It was close to the sea, which made it easy to escape in case of an emergency. It was also a good location to hunt monsters that fled from intense battles.
After decades of England being off-limits, the hunters wanted to visit places like London or Birmingham, but they weren’t there to play.
“Wow. I once heard that British cuisine isn’t good, but this is worse than I imagined.”
“...Guests, if you’re not going to eat, get out.”
The villagers welcomed, in their own ways, those who came to England for the first time. Of course, they didn’t tolerate the hunters who openly complained that their food was tasteless. As the hunters were playing, Choi Yeonseung moved to the side with Adaquaniel and tried to figure out what was going on.
“The collector constellation always establishes a hierarchy in his territory.”
“If it’s a hierarchy...”
“It’s easy to understand if you think of it as a pyramid. At the bottom are the commoners, above them are the nobility, above those are the royal family, and the collector constellation is at the top.”
“So it’s like a pyramid scheme?”
“...In a way. You could say it feels like that.”
Adaquaniel responded kindly to Choi Yeonseung’s words. The collector constellation was obsessed with precious bloodlines. Therefore, he played with hierarchy in this country as well. Ordinary workers were at the lowest level, while those with noble blood, those from the royal family, and hunters had a higher rank...
There were a few of them in this town as well.
A suburban mansion district where hunters and nobles gathered.
Adaquaniel spoke cautiously, “I’m not good at interacting with people like that.”
“Don’t worry about it. Since you’ve told me this, I’ll handle it.”
Adaquaniel wasn’t of human origin, whereas Choi Yeonseung was. He had to take the initiative when meeting with other humans and negotiating with them.
“Who wants to come with me and meet the nobles?”
At Choi Yeonseung’s question, several Icarus clan hunters raised their hands.
Seeing this, Choi Yeonseung spoke firmly, “You’ll have to put up with nasty and uncomfortable things.”
They quickly put their hands down.
“Why put up with those sorry bastards?”
“I was going to attack if they tried to fight...”
‘No matter how you look at it, you should at least give a personality test when scouting for talented hunters for the clan,’ thought Choi Yeonseung while inwardly cursing Hwang Gyeongryong’s recruitment policy.
If he only brought people in based on their skills and talents, wouldn’t their clan consist only of hunters with no patience?
“I can take it!”
“Ohh, Illeya.”
Another person said, “I think a hunter like me is more suited for a place like that.”
“...Why you?” Choi Yeonseung asked in disbelief when Whittaker stepped out. Whittaker believed in his privilege as a healer when he trained or went away to play. He was someone who didn’t even bother to step out unless it was for his own benefit.
“I want to make a contribution as a hunter of the clan...” Whittaker replied.
“If you don’t actually mean it, then I won’t take you with me. Keep in mind that it won’t make a difference whether you’re present or not.”
Whittaker inwardly cursed Choi Yeonseung.
Before Choi Yeonseung came to the clan, he had been able to eat and live comfortably by taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere. However, after Choi Yeonseung came, the atmosphere of the clan became too much for him. If Whittaker tried to gain some easy profit, Choi Yeonseung would stop him right away...
“...Sigh, okay. Keep this to yourself. The United Kingdom has been blocked off for decades, right?”
“That’s right.”
“In the meantime, the prices of British treasures and artifacts have skyrocketed. The prices of the goods that are smuggled periodically are also astronomical. So, how many treasures will someone who lives here like a noble have? Something like that...”
“So you want to steal it?”
“It’s not stealing. It’s transferring ownership.”
“You’re out. Just stay here. Hey. Don’t let this bastard leave.”
“W-Wait. Think about it carefully, Choi Yeonseung! Those British bastards have stolen all those treasures from all over the world. Why shouldn’t I steal one or two?”
The hunters around Whittaker were instantly convinced. Of course, Choi Yeonseung didn’t let it go. “If you wanted to do that, you should’ve come here by yourself to do it.”
“I won’t make a move without your permission. Really!”
“Really?”
“I swear on my honor...”
“Your honor is of little value. If you make a move without permission, I will cut off both of your arms.”
“...”
Whittaker felt a chill. He felt that Choi Yeonseung was absolutely serious about that.
‘Crazy bastard...!’
***
The family of Count Steva was an English aristocratic family with a rich history, dating back to the 15th century. They paid a large amount of money, so the collector constellation gave the family quite a bit of power after the United Kingdom fell under his occupation. This allowed them to live richer and happier lives after the collector constellation took over.
“Those guys who came here in secrecy are doing something shameless... Tell them to go away!” complained Edward to his butler.
He had heard that overseas hunters took advantage of the current chaos in order to hang around, but he hadn’t expected them to come all the way here. For Edward, who reigned like a noble in this town, such a visit was extremely pleasant.
Bang!
There was the sound of the door breaking open followed by hunters rushing in with grim expressions. Choi Yeonseung was at the forefront and said in a fierce voice, “Does your rejection of our offer mean that you are on the side of the constellation, rather than that of humans?”
The unexpected, sudden intrusion caused Edward to blink frantically out of fright.
Adaquaniel asked softly, “Can we really do something like this...?”
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