The Constellation Returned From Hell

At first, the goddess of balance thought she was mistaken when she got the vision. She witnessed a future where Illeya transformed into the Observer Who Returned From a Cold Place.

A household member couldn’t transform like that, not even if the constellation descended into their body and gave them tremendous power.

Given how the transformation looked in the vision, it could only be explained by Illeya being the observer constellation herself.

The problem was that the goddess of balance wasn’t sure if she had seen the right future.

[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ sullenly says that... jealousy might’ve blinded her judgment.]

[She says she will reflect on herself.]

-No. There’s no need for that!

-Oh, just open your eyes already! Does that make sense? It’s not like the constellation descended momentarily. That vision only makes sense if the observer constellation disguised herself as a human being all this time! Where in the world have you ever seen a constellation do tha...

The goddess of sloth suddenly paused. Come to think of it, there was one such constellation right in front of her...

-...But Successor, you are an unusual case.

-Still, what happened once can happen twice. Also, I trust the goddess of balance.

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ shakes its head with a sad expression.]

[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ is disappointed that you are blinded by lust.]

The other constellations scolded Choi Yeonseung, but he didn’t waver. He still believed it made no sense for a foreign hunter to join the clan just because she liked Korean culture.

‘There’s just no way...’

However, it made sense if Illeya was a constellation. After all, it wouldn’t be weird for a constellation to choose such a strange setting.

Indeed, the goddess of balance was clumsy at times, but she wouldn’t fail to foresee the future when it was of vital importance. Besides, Choi Yeonseung believed in her.

-I believe in you, Goddess.

[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ has started to cry.]

[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ suggests that you take this opportunity to use the ‘Joy and Happiness Aplenty’ power that you obtained last time.]

-So? What are you going to do?

The goddess of sloth folded her arms indignantly. She respected Choi Yeonseung, and given that she just lay down in her own space, she would never give him orders.

However, if Choi Yeonseung made a choice that seemed reckless at best, the goddess of sloth would want to hear his reasons...

At the moment, the Observer Who Returned From a Cold Place was obviously an ally.

No matter how the goddess of sloth thought about it, Choi Yeonseung would shoot himself in the foot if he damaged or broke the alliance with the observer constellation because of the uncertain vision of the goddess of balance.

-Nothing.

-Huh?

-I don’t do anything. After all, we’re allies now.

-...But don’t you think that she’s the observer constellation? That’s what you’re suspecting, right?

In the eyes of the constellations, any constellation that disguised themselves as a human had to be plotting something big.

It was the same as a human pretending to be a beast and rolling around in a cage. A human would have to be truly desperate to resort to something like that, and the same was true for constellations.

It was impossible to tell how terrible and complex the conspiracy would be if the constellation had disguised themselves as a mortal.

No constellation could disregard something so serious. However, Choi Yeonseung wasn’t that alarmed. -I’m sure she was forced by the circumstances. Would a constellation disguise themselves as a human if it wasn’t necessary?

-...

The goddess of sloth found this situation to be pitiful. Choi Yeonseung himself was pretending to be a mere human, and yet he saw this whole matter in a completely different way.

Of course, the goddess of sloth thought it would be unwise to start a fight in the current situation, but it was still unsettling if the goddess of balance was right.

The chances were near zero, but if Illeya was really the observer constellation herself... Shouldn’t they be a bit more vigilant?

-You don’t have to worry, goddess of sloth. Now that I know this, she won’t be able to take me by surprise no matter what she does. Besides, this is just an explanation for Illeya’s decision to stay in the clan even after she becomes A-grade. I just can’t believe that a foreign hunter would stay in this clan forever just because she’s a koreaboo. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Choi Yeonseung nodded in satisfaction.

This infuriated the goddess of sloth so much that she actually wanted to smack him on the back of his head.

***

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, welcome to the Namahage clan.”

“It’s good to see you, but those hunters...”

Choi Yeonseung frowned when he saw that some of the clan members who had gathered to welcome him were wearing t-shirts with Hangul written on them.

It was too much...

“I appreciate the warm welcome, but do they really need to wear those t-shirts...?”

“Huh? Ah, those? No, they’re just wearing them because they’re fans of Korean idols. We didn’t force them to do it.”

The Namahage hunters were taken aback by Choi Yeonseung’s question and tried to explain themselves.

“We’re huge fans...”

“I-I see.”

The whole situation was so embarrassing that Choi Yeonseung found himself stuttering.

-...

“Speaking of which, we know it’s shameful to ask you for a favor, since you’ve already come here to help, but...”

“What’s going on?”

“Some people, including these hunters, want to go to the Korean clans.”

“Are you talking about an exchange?”

“No. They want to work there... They say they want to learn various skills and learn about raids, but I think it’s just because they like South Korea. Even though we’re embarrassed by their behavior, they’re still members of our clan. We can’t just send them to any clan out there, can we? Hunter Choi Yeonseung, I believe your clan is trustworthy, so...”

-...Successor?

Choi Yeonseung could feel the cold gaze of the goddess of sloth on his back. Hadn’t he just said that it made no sense for a foreign hunter to join a Korean clan just because of the culture?

“Uh, it doesn’t sound bad... But that’s not the priority right now. Why don’t we talk about the raid first?”

“Ah, of course! I’m sorry.”

Choi Yeonseung hurriedly changed the subject.

***

Like other countries currently suffering from the invasion, Japan was in turmoil in many areas, not just one.

Hunters had given up on defending several cities, and they had received orders to evacuate and close them up. Defense lines had been set outside those cities.

However, Choi Yeonseung and the household members were aiming for something else—the army of the Black Magician Who Shares Everything.

Realistically, they couldn’t help with everything, so they had to aim for the most threatening enemy that had to be eliminated urgently.

“Uranta. I-I want to move quickly. I came to kill the undead.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, Uranta. We’ll move right away,” Choi Yeonseung said confidently. He received help from the household members of each good god constellation allied with him. In addition, the Namahage clan, one of Japan’s largest clans, was also offering him support.

Indeed, it had been difficult to come over to Japan, but now that he was here, there wouldn’t be any issues... Or at least that was what Choi Yeonseung thought.

“That’s as far as you go!

“...”

“...”

Choi Yeonseung and the household members looked at the Japanese official who was blocking their path like it was absurd.

Illaphael asked Choi Yeonseung, “I don’t know him, but is that human a powerhouse?”

“No, he’s an ordinary civilian.”

Illaphael had assumed this Japanese official had some hidden powers, given how confidently he was blocking their way.

However, the Japanese official wasn’t any stronger than a regular civilian, yet he was puffing his chest confidently.

“You can’t let you go any further.”

“Uh, and may I ask why?” Choi Yeonseung asked in a friendly manner.

He wasn’t necessarily trying to be kind to this official, but the Abyss household members behind him were exuding killing intent. He felt that if he didn’t intervene, his allies might kill this official before getting to fight the evil god constellation.

“You need to get permission. If you fill out and submit the documents at the hunter office, you will receive permission to pass in roughly two weeks...”

“Uh, the Namahage clan has invited us to Japan, so we legally have the authority to move.”

“Those rights can be flexibly restricted during emergencies. You need to get permission.”

“...Die, you inferior race!”

“!”

One of the household members jumped out from behind Choi Yeonseung. It was Barbagi, the gray elf sent by the Arrogant Light Elf.

The other household members were also on the verge of exploding, but Barbagi was the first to pounce.

Bam!

Choi Yeonseung stood in front of the Japanese official and blocked Barbagi’s attack.

Barbagi’s eyes widened and told Choi Yeonseung, “Step aside, human! If we kill him, the bastards of this kingdom will know their place!”

“W-w-w-what is this?! What do you think you’re doing?!”

The official panicked as he belatedly realized that he was about to die. How dare they try to use violence against him, a member of the government, on Japanese soil?

“Shut up, you inferior race! We came here to help you. You think your allies can stop me if I cut off your head and tie it to a pole? I’m not bound by the laws of the kingdom of humans. I only follow my master’s orders!”

Barbagi fiercely fired back at the official. He exuded so much magic power and killing intent that the official’s legs gave way and he collapsed, wetting himself.

-Won’t you stop him?

-Ah, you’re right! It felt so refreshing that I just wanted to enjoy it for a moment.

Choi Yeonseung came back to his senses. It felt refreshing to have the gray elf put this government imbecile in his place.

“Now, calm down. We need him to cooperate with us, so we can’t kill him. Hey, you have the authority to allow us to move freely, right?”

“B-but if I do as you say...”

The official hesitated. In fact, this kind of decision wasn’t made by one single official. There had been an uproar from above when Choi Yeonseung and his subordinates had arrived.

-Stop them! Control the media coverage!

-That damn clan! They don’t know what’s important! I can’t believe they’re inviting hunters from other countries during a crisis! Why on earth do they even have the authority to do that in the first place?!

-Revoke their permission and restrict their movements! Don’t let them out of the clan grounds!

Barbagi drew a scimitar and aimed it at the official’s neck. The official felt a chill down his spine.

“Do it!” Barbagi insisted.

“Fine, I’ll do it!”

That day, the official realized something important.

Life was more important than status or promotions!

***

-Great Master, we are increasing the numbers now.

It’s not enough. More, give me more! I am told that there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in this kingdom. You think I can afford to have less soldiers as a constellation?

-Of course not, Master!

The Shizuoka Prefecture had become a land of decay and death following the appearance of the black magician constellation.

Undead creatures were marching down mountains and fields in rows, and the black magicians from the Abyss were gathered in areas rich in magic power and were drawing magic circles and performing summoning rituals.

All the hunters and clans from the area had been wiped away by the sudden ambush of the black magician constellation, and the survivors had immediately evacuated from the prefecture.

Even though it had been a near-perfect attack, the black magician constellation wasn’t satisfied.

The power of humans was stronger than I expected! We need enough power to be able to deal with all the awakened beings in this realm if they decided to gather and attack. Do you understand?

-Yes!

The black magician had a very high opinion of the Japanese hunters. Japan had a population of over one hundred million humans, so all the Japanese hunters combined could make for an incredibly powerful army, one that the black magician constellation couldn’t disregard.

If he didn’t strengthen himself as soon as possible, he might be defeated!

...Of course, the hunters were currently being controlled by the government, and they were kept on a very tight leash, only able to voice their dissatisfaction. However, the black magician constellation wasn’t aware of how unreasonable Japan’s bureaucracy was.

‘Other constellations can never keep up with me. They are just sitting in the Abyss and observing at ease!’

The black magician constellation had staked a lot on this invasion, and he had even descended into the human realm to personally take charge of his household members.

His power of existence would take a huge blow if this invasion failed, but the black magician constellation didn’t care about the risks.

-Master, the hunters of this kingdom are coming!

-Prepare for battle! Death knights, draw your weapons!

The black magician constellation barked orders while exuding an aura of death.

‘The humans...! They’re finally coming!’

However, this wasn’t an attack.

-Master. The humans of the kingdom have asked for negotiations. They say they want the facilities in the area.

...What are you saying? It must be a trick.

Naturally, the black magician constellation was baffled when the opponent came at him and asked for strange things. However, the Japanese government was serious about this.

‘The core refineries and power plants are currently closed, so we’re running out of power! At the very least, we need to secure a facility in Shizuoka!’

‘We don’t have the power to attack! If we fail, Tokyo will be in danger!’

‘We can negotiate. Constellations aren’t like monsters. If we give him what he wants, he might make some concessions.’

‘W-with an evil god constellation...? Are you crazy?! If this reaches the public eye...’

‘We can ignore the idiots who don’t know anything! If we, the leaders of the nation, don’t step up, then who will?’

Instead of fighting, the officials chose to secure important facilities through negotiations. Of course, it was a very confusing request for the black magician constellation, who didn’t know that humans turned cores into power plants that supplied most of the power needed for civilization.

Wha... What is this? What are they doing?

-Master! It’s an attack! The mausoleum in the west has been attacked!

As expected, it was a trap! Such despicable bastards!

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