Chapter 55
Time flowed on helplessly.
Cheonma spent the entire day practicing internal energy circulation in the storage room, while Moomyeong stayed by Jang Chaewon’s side.
Early the next morning.
At an hour when all living things were deeply asleep, Jang Chaewon sat on the main hall’s wooden porch, staring up at the night sky.
“……”
Once the sun rose, the disciplinary committee would convene. And no matter what argument she made, Moomyeong would accept the order for data deletion.
That was the only way to avoid losing their territory and for Cheonma to keep his status as an employee.
“Nanobot.”
A robot forged by Hephaestus, the god of metalworking.
A machine-lifeform capable of independent thought, capable of feeling and expressing a broader range of emotions than humans.
You could give it a special name, but Jang Chaewon simply named it “Nanobot,” the same as any store-bought product.
Didyoucallme?Did you call me?
Hearing her soft voice, a round, ball-shaped robot rolled out from the room.
Youcan’tsleep?You can’t sleep?
Smiling brightly as if understanding her heart, Moomyeong spoke.
I’mnotgoinganywhere.Imaynolongerholdemployeestatus,butIcanstayhereandcontinueservingyouandCheonma,buildingnewmemories.I’m not going anywhere. I may no longer hold employee status, but I can stay here and continue serving you and Cheonma, building new memories.
“Don’t you feel fear?”
Mymaindutyisguidingindungeons,respondingtomonsters,andanalyzingcombat.Icouldn’tperformthisworkifIfeltfear.My main duty is guiding in dungeons, responding to monsters, and analyzing combat. I couldn’t perform this work if I felt fear.
Jang Chaewon bit her lip.
“Do you not remember? When you first saw the Behemoth in the Dragon-Head Dungeon, you screamed your head off. I still remember it vividly.”
Ah,thatwasanaturalreaction.Ididn’tknowyourabilitiesbackthen.Ah, that was a natural reaction. I didn’t know your abilities back then.
“Wasn’t Cheonma in the same situation?”
ThatwasbecauseyousetCheonma’sawakeningleveltothelowest—level9.That was because you set Cheonma’s awakening level to the lowest—level 9.
Despite the calm answer, Moomyeong’s voice quickened as if embarrassed.
ButI,Moomyeong,donotmakethesamemistaketwice.IimmediatelyrecognizedCheonma’scombatcapabilityandcorrectedhisawakeninglevel.But I, Moomyeong, do not make the same mistake twice. I immediately recognized Cheonma’s combat capability and corrected his awakening level.
“Moomyeong… that name, Cheonma gave it to you right?”
Yes.Hethoughtdeeplyandbestowedituponme.Yes. He thought deeply and bestowed it upon me.
The emotion in Moomyeong’s voice was pride—and firm trust.
Trust.
A feeling Jang Chaewon herself completely lacked, yet this tiny machine possessed it. The machine trusted Cheonma—someone she didn’t trust at all.
It trusts Cheonma…
At that moment, Jang Chaewon remembered something she had forgotten:
That she also trusted Moomyeong. That Moomyeong would never do something that betrayed her expectations.
“Nanobot.”
She stroked Moomyeong’s round head.
“Do you know why I named you Nanobot?”
Clink.
After a mechanical processing sound, Moomyeong hesitantly spoke.
Becauseyousaid…youwouldn′ttreatmeassomethingspecial.Because you said… you wouldn’t treat me as something special.
“Right. I treated you like an ordinary nanobot sold everywhere. No, I tried to.”
Holding Moomyeong in both hands, she stretched her arms toward the night sky.
“It was a lie. You’re special to me too.”
JangChaewon.Jang Chaewon.
“The name Moomyeong suits you. I’ll call you that from now on. So…”
A breeze swept past her.
Whoooosh—
The wind grew stronger, lifting her hair, and countless blue particles of light began rising from the ground beneath her feet.
“Forgive me this time.”
In an instant, her form shifted—from a girl-like figure to a sensual, mature beauty. Her eyes widened.
Boom!
The large hanok building shook as if struck by an earthquake, and the blue light bursting from her eyes poured into Moomyeong’s body.
JangChaewon.JangChaewon.JangChaewon.Jang Chaewon. Jang Chaewon. Jang Chaewon.
As an unknown power dug into him, Moomyeong’s voice cracked, and dazzling white light erupted from him.
A machine-lifeform created by Hephaestus with all his ability—its body had a powerful defensive system capable of resisting even divine power from high-ranking gods.
KwooOOO—
But the blue light Jang Chaewon emitted overwhelmed even that formidable system.
And the memory Moomyeong had buried deep—the memory of that day—began to flow into Jang Chaewon’s mind.
“What’s happening!”
A streak of red cloud soared up and landed beside her.
The entire residence had shaken, and Cheonma had raced over using divine footwork.
“Hah.”
Instantly, all the blue light vanished, and Jang Chaewon returned to normal.
“Owner.”
“Moomyeong, Cheonma… you two…”
Still shaking with her eyes closed, Jang Chaewon suddenly yelled.
“Stop trying to act cool!”
JangChaewon.Jang Chaewon.
“You could have consulted me! Why do you handle everything on your own?!”
“Owner.”
“You too, Cheonma. If you saw me as your owner, you should’ve relied on me a little! You should’ve talked to me!”
After shouting loudly enough to shake the heavens, she exhaled sharply.
“Don’t leave all the cool moments to yourselves. Let me take the stage sometimes too.”
Cheonma could not understand what was happening.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s fine. I know everything now.”
Having seen everything in Moomyeong’s database, Jang Chaewon shook her head.
“There’s no way I can accept what happened.”
Whatdoyoumean?What do you mean?
Glancing at Cheonma, she forced herself to keep silent.
What do you mean? Cheonma, of course. I can’t understand him at all. He’s cold and ruthless toward the world—so why did he do this?
She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Then she recalled Moomyeong’s report.
What kind of criteria do you even use for those crimson eyes of yours?
JangChaewon?Jang Chaewon?
“Mm-hm.”
Clearing her throat while Moomyeong’s eye sensors widened, she spoke:
“Anyway, leave this matter to me.”
(Scene Break)
Inside a central government building’s conference hall.
A long, dark wooden table and matching chairs—space for over twenty people.
Were it not for the microphones on the table, one might mistake it for a Joseon-era royal council chamber.
The seats were filled with humanoid shadows made of light—the divine committee responsible for deciding the disciplinary action against the territory, Bokbok Interior.
“No matter how intelligent the robot is, it seems impossible to hold it independently accountable for this incident.”
The chairman, reading the report submitted by the inspector, spoke.
—“The listed issues alone warrant severe punishment, but the inspector’s refusal to cooperate and concealment of facts present a far greater problem.”
His face was obscured by light, but his voice was solemn and authoritative.
—“In this situation, the committee could issue a territory revocation. Do you have anything to say?”
His gaze rested on Cheonma, Jang Chaewon, and Moomyeong.
“I do.”
Jang Chaewon stood and signaled to Dongwon by the door.
The conference screen flickered, and the footage recorded inside Moomyeong’s memory began to play:
A girl suffering from a heart that could stop at any moment, dried up by fear and pain.
Cheonma, covered in blood, fighting for his life under a Minotaur’s attack.
And Moomyeong risking expulsion from the territory without hesitation.
“They feared not their own punishment, but that the special benefits given to that girl might be revoked. That fear silenced them.”
A faint trace of contempt crossed Dongwon’s eyes.
“Cases like this are usually restored to original condition.”
The shadows of light murmured among themselves.
But as they spoke, Dongwon’s face started to twist—he could hear the gods clearly.
—“Well, touching story or not, it’s still an overreach of authority.”
—“Frankly, they interfered in matters beyond their jurisdiction.”
—“It violates the principle of fairness. If someone tied to a territory deliberately gives humans benefits, there’s no end to it.”
Even after seeing the entire video, most committee members were unmoved.
They don’t care about human lives. Only the laws and order they created.
Observing the coldness of the committee, Dongwon felt disgust.
—“Hmph. Opinions seem split. In that case…”
Just as the chairman was about to continue—
“I’d like to say something.”
Jang Chaewon spoke into the microphone.
“I decline the position of territory administrator.”
“S-Sister…”
“They only acted to help a suffering child. And you call that unfair? You call that overstepping?”
Cold words spilled from the committee.
—“Watch your tone.”
—“We are officials of the divine realm. Guardians of the world’s laws.”
—“If benefits are granted, they must be granted to all equally. Though, realistically, only a few ever receive dungeon rewards.”
Listening, Jang Chaewon’s voice turned icy.
“Aren’t your precious laws the reason the world ended up like this?”
“S-Sister…”
“They stayed silent because they feared you would revert the girl’s recovery! Because of your laws and rules!”
The chairman’s shadow spoke with displeasure.
—“It seems you’ve prepared yourself for consequences.”
Then he looked around the room.
—“Since opinions are gathered, the disciplinary measure will be—”
“Wait.”
Dongwon stepped forward.
“Cheonma is not a human of this world. He accidentally slipped through a rift in space-time and happened to work in this territory. You cannot bind him by this world’s laws.”
The chairman shook his head.
—“Even so, he is human. If he came to our world, he must follow our rules.”
“This isn’t a rule. It’s—”
—“Deputy Dong, this is not your place to speak.”
Clenching his jaw, Dongwon finally snapped.
“I cannot accept stripping their territory over something like this. I will report this to higher authorities.”
—“…What?”
“It’s fine.”
Jang Chaewon rose, blue light flashing in her eyes.
Immediately, an overwhelming aura burst from her body. The shadows of light wavered like ripples.
—“T-this power…”
The committee panicked as her glowing eyes examined each of their faces—faces hidden behind the light.
“I know all of you.”
Her hair now glowing blue, she spoke coldly.
“Right. I’m the fool for staying tied to a territory while gathering divine grace. I was the fool.”
“S-Sister…”
—“Hahaha!”
The man in the corner—the only one unaffected by her power—laughed and applauded.
—“You’ve all lost. If Miss Chaewon walks away from the territory, who among you can take responsibility?”
He stood up.
—“Cheonma, a human from another world. That nanobot, a creation of divine craftsmanship. And despite everything, they love this world and its people.”
The committee members exchanged nervous glances.
They couldn’t let them go without punishment, yet they couldn’t punish them meaningfully either.
—“Well then, I cast my vote for no punishment.”
The shadow stared directly at glowing Chaewon and spoke:
—“See you again, Miss Chaewon.”
With a swoosh, he vanished.
Silence filled the hall. After murmuring among themselves for several minutes, the chairman spoke:
—“We have reached a decision.”
(Scene Break)
A few days later.
Dongwon—wearing rubber boots and loose work pants instead of a suit—looked miserable.
“Why do I have to do this?”
“I told you to just press the play button and leave.”
Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Jang Chaewon clicked her tongue as she picked up trash from the river.
“Nobody told you to jump in.”
“How can you say that? Sister, that’s hurtful.”
The disciplinary ruling had been:
—“Given the circumstances, Bokbok Interior will receive no disciplinary penalty. However, as administrators, you failed to maintain the dignity expected of your position. Therefore, ten units of Silver Grace are revoked, and you are ordered to perform twelve hours of community service.”
Dongwon’s face brightened—until the next line:
—“Deputy Dong, you included.”
“What?”
—“You committed worse offenses. A divine civil servant swayed by emotion, threatening to appeal to higher authority without due cause—shameful.”
Recalling that moment, Dongwon scowled.
“I was trying to clear your name, and I’m the only one who got punished.”
“Okay, okay.”
Jang Chaewon patted him on the shoulder with a laugh.
“I’ll buy you black-bean noodles afterward, alright?”
“Do you think I’m Cheonma?”
Dongwon glanced at Cheonma quietly picking up trash by the riverbank, and Jang Chaewon sighed.
“Fine. Sweet-and-sour pork too.”
“Sister!”
Watching them banter, Cheonma looked at Moomyeong hanging on his shoulder and commented calmly:
“You two are close.”
