# Chapter 88. Decisive Battle in Gangnam (1)
"Lord Hector's true objective... you ask?"
Bradamante frowned at my question.
"You really think I'll simply tell you something like that?"
"So you can't say?"
"Hey, Boss."
Lee Gyu, sitting on the floor, spoke with a fierce expression.
"This woman is tougher than she looks."
"You won't get anything out of her just by asking nicely."
"What are you planning to do?"
"Show her something painful."
Lee Gyu drove his axe into the floor.
"Start chopping fingers and toes..."
"And she'll cry and spill everything."
"Ridiculous."
"Go ahead and try."
"Oh?"
"Don't regret it later."
Bradamante and Lee Gyu glared at each other.
"Lee Gyu."
"Wait."
I stopped him for the moment.
Then I looked at Bradamante.
"Bradamante."
"Something doesn't add up."
"What doesn't?"
"You said you were moving for true justice."
"You also said that if I cooperated, you'd explain everything."
"But now you're refusing to tell me anything."
"That's..."
Bradamante looked caught off guard.
"If you're truly moving for justice..."
"There shouldn't be any harm in explaining things to us."
"Unless you're actually acting toward some evil objective."
"O-Of course not!"
"Right."
"I thought the same."
"Hector is a noble figure who values honor."
"O-Of course."
"Lord Hector is a magnificent person."
"And..."
"So are you."
"Me?"
Bradamante's eyes widened.
"The sole female knight among Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins..."
"A hero who overcame countless trials to unite with the person she loved."
"I don't believe a knight with such indomitable will could be evil."
"...!"
I continued smiling at the surprised Bradamante.
"Actually..."
"I've seen a few works of art modeled after you."
"M-Me?"
"There are works of art based on me?"
"You didn't know?"
"I'll show you later."
Bradamante, as depicted in the epic tradition...
Was a noble knight defending Christian Europe.
At the same time...
She fell into a fated love with a Muslim knight and endured countless trials.
That dramatic story inspired many artists.
Painters used her as the model for female knights.
There were also many plays, operas, and novels with Bradamante as the protagonist.
"A-Ahem..."
Bradamante cleared her throat...
Her face slightly red.
"I-Is that so."
"Not only remembered in history..."
"But also depicted in works of art..."
"That's right."
"Hmm..."
"I see..."
Seeing her soften slightly...
I continued.
"I firmly believe that Sir Bradamante would never move to throw the world into chaos."
"O-Of course not."
"I am a knight who fights for justice and honor."
"You did summon the fourth beast from the Book of Daniel..."
"But I doubt it was to harm people."
"That was surely done for some truly important purpose."
"Right..."
"Cheon Sangwoon probably isn't doing this out of simple personal greed either."
"He must share your convictions..."
"And be acting toward the real objective."
"For that..."
"He needs the beast's power."
"And he needs to control the Capital Region."
As far as I knew...
Cheon Sangwoon wasn't the kind of man who would do all this merely out of personal ambition.
"There must be something so serious..."
"That only Cheon Sangwoon becoming ruler of the Capital Region and obtaining overwhelming power would allow him to confront it."
"..."
"Something that big..."
"In comparatively stable Korea."
"What could it be?"
"I cannot say it myself."
Bradamante spoke with a complicated expression.
"But I want you to believe this."
"We would never do anything that stains our pride."
"That's enough."
Bradamante hadn't given me the details.
Still...
I was satisfied.
That gave me enough to understand the true objective of Hector and Cheon Sangwoon.
She hadn't stated it outright...
But she had effectively answered everything I wanted.
It had been worth flattering her a little and putting her in a better mood.
Of course...
I could have provoked her and extracted similar information through leading questions.
But that wouldn't have been ideal.
"Bradamante."
"Even though we're enemies right now..."
"I want to express my respect for you."
"Nameless Constellation..."
"I understand why you can't explain everything."
"So I won't press you any further for now."
"I won't torture you either."
"You don't need to worry about that."
"I wasn't worried from the beginning..."
Watching Bradamante turn her head away with a complicated expression...
I could tell her attitude had softened considerably.
That meant...
Depending on how things changed later...
I might be able to draw out even more information.
And more importantly...
She could be very useful when the time came to negotiate with Hector.
"Boss."
Lee Gyu silently threw an arm around my neck and grinned.
"I think you're actually the worst one here."
"Keep that secret."
We whispered quietly enough that Bradamante couldn't hear.
***
Through the security forces Lee Hyeonje had stationed throughout the region...
They quickly obtained a van for the trip to Gangnam.
Kang Yujin...
Seok Taejun...
Lee Jukheon...
Joo Minha...
Lee Hyeonje...
And Daji disguised as Seo Youngmi...
Were now driving along Gangbyeonbuk-ro.
"The atmosphere around the Han River is disturbing."
Joo Minha spoke from the driver's seat.
As she said...
All kinds of monsters were rampaging through the Han River.
Even the bridges were swarming with them.
Lee Hyeonje's river security forces were struggling to respond.
"We reduced their numbers during the last operation..."
"Yet this many are appearing again."
"They must be responding to whatever is happening in Gangnam."
Lee Hyeonje looked through the window.
Across the river...
An enormous force of energy could be seen rising high into the sky from Gangnam.
"We need to stop Cheon Sangwoon before that fully becomes a 'beast.'"
"I'll cross south of the river as quickly as possible."
Joo Minha pressed harder on the accelerator.
"My subordinates can't advance into Gangnam."
"They're too busy dealing with the chaos around the Han River."
"We'll have to go down there ourselves and settle things with Cheon Sangwoon."
"And..."
Lee Hyeonje looked at Kang Yujin sitting beside him.
