Henry Miller was a figure of absolute legend.

While this was true for the entire first generation during the Millennium Shock, his actions in Western Europe under the title of the first born S-Rank were nothing short of deserving humanity’s highest admiration.

He had originally been a laborer in England.

He awakened on December 31, 1999, the very day the Millennium Shock struck, at the age of forty-two.

By single-handedly stemming the massive Gate Shock that struck London and holding back the magical beasts, he announced to the world that the era of heroes had begun.

Afterward, he helped England normalize its systems and restore internal order faster than any other nation in the world.

The British royal family acknowledged his contributions and sought to bestow upon him the title of Duke, but he declined the honor, accepting only a medal and a knighthood.

The public called him a man of noble character.

They also spoke of him as the paragon of hunters.

And rightfully so, for he was the very first to demonstrate the righteous path this new era should follow.

To briefly illustrate the phenomenon his influence sparked:

Stripping away all the peripheral details, it comes down to a single point.

The European continent rewrote its social systems because of his very existence.

An aristocracy began to take root, placing titled hunters at the center of national power.

Hunters became the lords of their respective regions, aided by representatives elected by the citizens.

It was a clever measure to ensure that superhumans, who might otherwise slip beyond control, developed social prestige and a sense of responsibility. With Henry Miller, the very pinnacle of this system, voicing his approval, he quelled any lingering dissent.

He made it so that hunters would form knightly orders rather than guilds, fighting for honor rather than profit.

This swift embrace of the new era, faster than any other nation in the world, had now become a source of pride for the European continent.

Orchestrating such a smooth transition of power in this new age could truly be called his greatest achievement.

And now, Jung-woo was sitting face-to-face with that very man.

In a cafe equipped with a private room, Jung-woo sat across from Henry and listened to him speak.

“I am relieved that you speak English. A language barrier would have caused quite a hitch in our conversation.”

“The Council is hardly a topic one discusses with an interpreter present.”

“Indeed, it is not.”

“Still, your visit caught me by surprise. Had you given me a heads-up, I would have prepared accordingly.”

“This is not an official event, so please do not feel burdened. Moreover…”

Henry playfully pulled up the corner of his mouth.

His mustache twitched.

“A magician’s virtue lies in surprising his audience, does it not?”

Jung-woo let out a soft chuckle.

It was a truly mischievous remark.

Henry was a man with an unpretentious side.

He understood courtesy toward others and knew exactly how his words would be received.

It was no wonder such a man was called a gentleman.

Thanks to this, Jung-woo was able to bring up the main topic with a considerably relaxed mind.

“May I slowly ask what brings you here?”

“As I mentioned, it concerns the Council. To be precise, I wished to hear your thoughts regarding the Zero Gate.”

Jung-woo interlaced his fingers and readjusted his posture.

“If you are asking whether I am for or against it, I am one hundred percent in favor. I believe it is an absolute necessity.”

“I wish to ask the reason for that.”

Henry took a sip of his coffee.

In that instant, his demeanor shifted.

Jung-woo sensed a sharp edge hidden beneath his subtle tone.

“The greater good, or a personal desire. What is your reason?”

He realized this was not a question to be answered lightly or carelessly.

Their gazes met.

He pondered what answer would be the best.

It was a brief moment, but Jung-woo’s cognitive abilities were on a level incomparable to an ordinary person’s.

The time it took to synthesize the information settling in the space around him and reach a conclusion was not long.

‘He’s the type of person I should be honest with.’

Making the decision actually put his mind at ease.

“It is an entirely personal purpose.”

“May I hear it?”

“It is nothing grand. I simply hope the era my daughter lives in will be better than the present. And the Zero Gate is a definitive threat that will inevitably destroy such an era.”

He may have withheld some information, but he did not stray from the truth.

He gauged Henry’s reaction.

Starting with the conclusion, it was the right answer.

Henry smiled.

“Excellent.”

“Was that the correct answer?”

“Where would correct and incorrect answers be in such a thing?”

“It seemed like you had one, sir.”

“It was a matter of whether you would become my friend or my assistant. A vote of approval from the Council is precious, so I suppose you would not have made an enemy.”

It was a meaningful statement.

“Is a friend different from an assistant?”

“At the very least, a distance would form in my heart. That would become a wall hindering complete trust between us.”

“I am glad that did not happen.”

“Of course.”

It was close to being tested, but there was no reason to feel newly offended.

When meeting a stranger and plotting something together, assessing the other party was an absolute necessity.

On the contrary, someone who did not do so would have been suspicious.

Jung-woo did not want to be the suspicious one, either.

“Is it my turn to ask a question?”

“If we were to take turns, I suppose it is.”

“Your reason is also personal. That is how I interpreted it, and I find myself wanting to hear it.”

Henry’s eyes widened before he let out a hearty laugh and replied.

“A wonderful and sharp question. My reason… yes.”

He smacked his lips for a moment before speaking.

“Because I made a promise.”

“A promise?”

“No different from yours. An entirely personal reason.”

“It sounds like you have no intention of telling me the details.”

“It is merely the embarrassing personal history of an old man.”

Saying so, Henry leaned his upper body forward and added in a whisper.

The following words were incredibly playful.

At the same time,

“It is a promise with my first love.”

There was an unwavering sincerity in them.

He was a remarkably unique individual.

In the end, they could not have a lengthy conversation that day.

Setting other reasons aside, it was because Se-gi’s daycare pickup time was approaching.

Jung-woo asked for Henry’s understanding, and Henry showed no concern, mentioning that he planned to stay in Korea until the Council convened.

Where would he accommodate him?

With his face and name so widely known, a hotel in the city center was out of the question.

He had cast cognitive interference around himself, ensuring no one would recognize him on the street, but paperwork issues were an entirely different matter.

Therefore, after considering various factors, there was another optimal location.

[Ah, we have a foreign guest…]

He brought him to the temporary wooden cabin Soon-ae had built on her hometown land in South Pyongan Province.

Staying out of the public eye was the primary reason.

The second was the presence of Jun-ho, who was helping with the development of Soon-ae’s hometown from this location.

He was the best person to discuss matters concerning the Zero Gate.

If they were walking the same path and moving the Council with the same purpose, wouldn’t it be better to inform him of the information gathered thus far in advance?

With him even holding the title of Chairman, it was an essential step.

Starting with the conclusion, it was the right choice.

Over the course of three days, he shared the severity of the Zero Gate, clues to its resolution, various information about the otherworld, and near-certain speculations with him.

He instantly recognized the importance of all this information and let out a gasp of admiration.

“…Is that so. They are certainly logical arguments. The quality is better than the information the Council has gathered.”

“Hunter Chun Jun-ho’s contributions were significant.”

“A host who returned to being human. That certainly makes sense.”

Henry was particularly interested in Jun-ho.

Perhaps because the enemy to fight was the parasite, he showed immense interest in the process of how a host became infected and lost their mind during his investigation.

In truth, even up until then, Jung-woo had not stopped analyzing Henry.

Because of that, he sensed something.

“Sir.”

“Speak.”

“What are your thoughts on the parasites?”

“That is an ambiguous question.”

“I am not sure if it is just my misunderstanding, but…”

It probably was not a misunderstanding.

“It seems your interest lies more with the parasites than the Zero Gate itself.”

At that, Henry flinched.

It meant he had hit the nail on the head.

Information was the kind of thing that had to be handled rationally, stripping away emotion upon reception.

Jung-woo knew that even if he was someone walking the same path, if their purposes differed, he had to be prepared to part ways eventually.

His schedule was not relaxed enough to drag out a tedious war of nerves.

He placed the most reliable powerhouses by his side to keep watch over his daily life, and within a region and scope where he could respond like this, he brought up the question to clearly understand his intentions.

In the end, it was Jung-woo’s paranoia.

Henry stared at the mountain ridge in silence for a long while.

“It seems I failed to earn your trust.”

“It is my problem. I have trouble trusting people without solid evidence.”

“I understand. The Council is a suspicious group, after all.”

“Yes, ultimately an interest group. That much is certain.”

There were things one could only know by crossing the line.

If it caused offense, he could always apologize through actions rather than words.

To Jung-woo’s way of thinking, proceeding without knowing his companion’s intentions carried a far greater risk than committing an immediate faux pas.

“Trust requires a basis. Because I am that kind of person, I apologize for asking such a rude question.”

Henry smiled gently.

Surprisingly, he did not take offense.

“I am thankful you spoke honestly. I believe you are clashing with me so sincerely at least because you wish to be my friend.”

“…”

“The parasites are your goal, not the Zero Gate. That is not a wrong statement. If anything, it is likely the closest to the truth.”

Henry nodded slowly.

After doing so, he spoke.

“I said it was a personal purpose. And I also said I must enter that place to keep a promise with my first love.”

“…Yes.”

“It will not be a difficult story to understand.”

Henry’s gaze turned toward Jung-woo.

He wore a bitter, awkward smile.

“The hosts of the parasites were also once human.”

Just as he said, it was not a difficult story to understand.

If anything, it was rare for an answer to evoke guilt in Jung-woo’s heart, the very one who had posed the question.

“It means that even those who became enemies of the world one day, regardless of their own will, likely had people who loved them.”

Jung-woo’s gaze wavered.

He was momentarily speechless.

It was a statement with a remarkably clear meaning.

The hosts of the parasites—saying that they, too, must have had family or friends.

First love, promise.

The conclusion drawn from combining those things was an emotion Jung-woo knew better than anything else.

Did he know about his regression?

Was he saying this to realize his purpose and evoke empathy?

Jung-woo was not so far gone as to entertain such paranoid thoughts.

To begin with, Jung-woo was not the type to leak information that would create such a risk.

Therefore, it was the complete truth.

His head spun.

Henry spoke.

“We are heroes. We must be heroes. I have never told anyone, but if this is what is needed for us to become friends, I will tell you.”

Jung-woo succeeded in deducing the answer, using his words as a guide through the veiled information.

“…The Paris Zero gate?”

Henry smiled.

“Yes, that is the place where that alien species discovered my wife.”

His expression distorted.

Regret and sorrow—there was a desperation one could only know by realistically experiencing that pain.

Only then could Jung-woo understand the old gentleman named Henry Miller.

He recalled their first conversation.

A personal desire, or the greater good.

He was infinitely closer to the former.

The reason the Council was formed, the steps he walked—all of it was the same.

“I must go to Paris. My other half, to whom I pledged my life, is there.”

He was a man who had lived through these long years solely for that.