Side Story 46 – Arrival
The Beastman Kingdom we arrived at after passing through the gate was truly magnificent.
I had felt quite overwhelmed psychologically on my previous visit.
Now, it was so developed that it left me in awe.
It felt embarrassing to even compare it to back then.
Above all, there were really a lot of people.
“Hey, is the Beastman Kingdom officially established now?”
“Yep! Although, it doesn’t mean you can visit without a visa.”
As Carressy said, a significant number of people must have come after the official establishment.
Seeing the enormous crowd filled my heart with emotion.
It had been practically a wasteland before we left.
I never imagined it would transform into such a grand and bustling city.
Moreover, perhaps due to its religious characteristics,
“Oh, religion… Looks like they’ve captured the concept pretty well.”
“Well, after all, you’re promoting the Saintess concept too!”
“Do you really want a lightning bolt to hit you?!”
Various religious facilities were abundantly in view.
The newly transformed cathedral that we had completely destroyed before, of course.
There were also street performances recreating miracles from the Bible through abilities.
And even an experience hall where you could directly experience phenomena only recorded in texts.
It was truly surprising that the reconstruction of the Beastman Kingdom had been successful.
At that moment, Yumi excitedly pointed at something.
“Mom! What’s that Jesus Suffering Experience Hall over there?”
“Just as it sounds, it’s a place where you can indirectly experience the suffering Jesus went through.”
That place had crosses blatantly lined up for public experience.
From what Carressy said, it seemed to be a spot for experiencing Jesus’s suffering.
You could try on a crown of thorns made of sponge, or be hit with a whip made of cloth.
It was designed to help people realize how much Jesus suffered while bearing original sin.
This could instill a sense of caution against committing sins.
“But why is that old man dancing on the cross doing the Zerotwo dance?”
“…What…?”
Of course, there were also dogs like that who committed sins in real-time.
“Mom, did Jesus dance like that too? His moves are quite something.”
“Ah, crazy! What the hell is that dog doing?!”
I had forgotten for a moment.
In any place where people live, hunters inevitably exist like cockroaches.
They appeared even in the officially established Beastman Kingdom.
Right in front of us, the hunter the kids pointed out was tied to a cross, swinging his hips left and right.
The Zerotwo dance, so famous that almost no one hasn’t heard of it.
Now it was a dance everyone could do, but still,
That wasn’t meant for that fcking hunter guy.
Especially not the kind of dance symbolizing the suffering of Jesus on a cross.
[Jesus Crytoot…]
‘I can’t even.’
It felt like the glorious Beastman Kingdom was already doomed.
“Lord, they’re saying not to return one who has gone up!”
– Thwack!
Fortunately, Carressy quickly kicked that hunter away to the stars.
Then Carressy smiled awkwardly at us and suddenly started leading us towards the amusement park.
In a voice that seemed quite stiff, as if she hadn’t composed her emotions yet.
“Everyone, follow me. We’re almost there.”
After following Carressy for just a few minutes,
One building was blocked off with construction site barriers.
As soon as I opened the small door there and entered inside,
An enormous amusement park filled my view.
“Look! This is the amusement park that will officially open later!”
“Whoa…”
A sigh of admiration slipped out as soon as I saw it.
Countless rides waiting to operate, already completed.
Of course, the partial opening wasn’t wholly a lie.
Some areas were still under construction.
But it didn’t seem unusual for this place to officially open as is.
Moreover, besides various rides, convenience facilities were also scattered everywhere.
“This is on another level compared to what we saw earlier!”
“They’re even building gates?”
“They plan to finish it in time for the official opening.”
It was called an amusement park, but it was closer to a theme park.
To think we could freely enjoy this place today.
I really felt like coming to the Beastman Kingdom was worth it this time.
With this much, they could definitely do a trial run.
Meanwhile, Yumi was jumping up and down, asking Hyeji to give her a piggyback ride.
“Mom! Piggyback me! I want to see better!”
“Yumi, don’t grab my chest while climbing on. It hurts.”
Clearly, she was so happy to play freely here.
“Oh, so this is what a chest is. Sorry, Mom.”
“…….”
Of course, I guessed someone wasn’t very happy.
Anyway, all that was left was to enjoy the amusement park to our heart’s content.
Just as I was about to take my first step, wondering what to enjoy first,
“Wait a second.”
Carressy suddenly stopped us in a rather serious tone.
Curious about what was up, I turned to see Carressy was on the phone.
She looked quite bothered yet had a contradictory expression of acceptance.
Why was she like this?
Soon, after finishing the phone call, Carressy made a sorry expression and brought up something she hadn’t expected in this situation.
A notification that poured cold water on the moment—out of the blue.
“Um… the Pope wants to see us about some business related to the Beastman Kingdom.”
“Who?”
“Hyeji, Elcia, and Piece.”
The sudden summoning by the Pope.
Just when we were about to start having fun, he called like this.
Especially when it was a situation where the family had finally gathered together.
My heart felt very uncomfortable.
“And me?”
“Unemployed people aren’t needed.”
“What the f*ck.”
“Watch your language in front of the kids.”
Which just made me uncomfortable for another reason.
Well, in a way, she had a point.
I used to be a hunter, but now I was unemployed.
How much could I contribute in terms of business now?
From a businessman’s cold perspective,
Honestly, I’d be completely useless.
Still, there were two strange points about this.
“Hey, but why is Elcia being called?”
“Is it because of the Jesus NFT?”
[Isn’t that Jesus Coin?]
“You guys really want to die, don’t you?”
The fact that Elcia was summoned to a critical meeting regarding business.
“Wait a minute.”
“Why is that?”
“Why not call the main daughter?”
And conversely, Ayeon wasn’t called either.
Ayeon, who successfully runs her businesses already.
Not just by chance, but with three flourishing businesses.
Of all things, she should definitely excel in business instinct.
So why wasn’t she being called?
“She’s already copied everything she needed, so why would they need Ayeon…”
“Are you insinuating she plagiarized?”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
There were valid reasons for it.
Carressy had indeed referenced ideas from Ayeon’s establishments.
Now that I looked closely, there were indeed establishments similar to Ayeon’s.
I could say it’s referencing, but it was flat-out plagiarism.
Of course, they couldn’t entirely escape blame on moral grounds.
But still, what could Ayeon do about it?
Especially not here in the Beastman Kingdom.
“Are you sure you can win in a legal dispute later?”
“This isn’t South Korea’s law. It doesn’t apply here.”
From the get-go, Ayeon’s businesses also borrowed ideas from here and there.
To say there’s copyright seemed a bit vague.
Could they really win a legal dispute with this?
Especially since Ayeon’s own businesses had legal issues too.
It was likely to be difficult for Ayeon to win, no matter how you looked at it.
“Oh, this is China? No wonder there aren’t many people here.”
“You little sh*t.”
In the immediate argument, Ayeon won.
[But won’t it be a bit off if someone plagiarizes even this novel?]
‘Do you think someone would dare to take this after seeing all this?’
[……Thinking about it, this kind of thing should probably stay here…]
But being disappointed was still disappointing.
They could have called on another day, why did it have to be today?
How often does everyone have a chance to get together?
Did it really have to be today?
“But do we really have to go? Can’t we just say we’ll come back next time?”
“I’m sorry. I tried to suggest it, but the Pope said he only asked this once.”
[Well, if he’s going that far, it must be something urgent.]
Still, we decided to respect the Pope here.
He had given us considerable help while we were raising the kids.
Could we really ignore him when he needed our help?
The news made the kids each start pouting, slightly sweating.
“Mom, does that mean we can’t all play together today?”
“Not at all. It won’t take long.”
“We’ll be back soon, so don’t worry!”
At least the kids managed to accept it, which was a relief.
“Mom, why do I get left behind again?”
“……You shouldn’t say it like that, Yumi…”
As it turned out, we unintentionally split into two groups.
Hyeji, Elcia, and Piece went to meet the Pope with Carressy.
While I and Ayeon stayed behind to enjoy the amusement park with the kids.
Thus, we exchanged brief farewells.
“Have a safe trip, moms.”
“Yeonwoo, listen carefully to Shinwoo and the Great Demon.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Hopefully, everything would flow smoothly without any incidents.
“Don’t forget to buy a souvenir, Mom!”
“Should I get a coin for Madame Yumi?”
“Don’t bring back that kind of trash.”
Hoping all of us could gather in one place again.
[This body will be watching through you, so don’t worry.]
‘You should stay away, evil spirit.’
[You little sh*t.]
Anyway, even with fewer people, it was time to enjoy the amusement park.
