The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 26
Midland Chiang Mai
Chapter 1
Shinseong Group 1st Company was a direct subordinate unit of the Pioneer Corps.
This was a fact everyone in Midland Seoul knew.
And Lee Seong-u, the man ultimately responsible for that Pioneer Corps and Lee Byeol-ha’s half-brother, had inherited his father Chairman Lee Gang-hyeon’s boundless ambition.
But it wasn’t only Lee Seong-u. His older brother Lee Myeong-u, the Strategic Director, harbored an even more formidable and terrifying ambition than Lee Seong-u.
According to Lee Byeol-ha’s estimation, Lee Myeong-u’s network of operatives likely riddled the Pioneer Corps.
So the moment news of Han-eol’s—or rather, Lee Hyeon’s—return reached Lee Seong-u’s ears, Lee Myeong-u would learn of it too.
A war between the two brothers was inevitable as the rising sun.
Why had Lee Hyeon left the Shinseong Group so long ago?
Because when internal strife erupted over the chairmanship, she’d witnessed blood relatives tear each other apart with savage cruelty, and the sight had stripped away all her illusions.
‘But giving the key that holds Grandmother’s clues into Lee Seong-u’s hands? No. That’s not happening. Not ever.’
Lee Byeol-ha believed that for the first time in ages, Lee Hyeon had drawn close to them once more.
But if the Shinseong owner family was now to repeat that tragedy of brother warring against brother?
Lee Hyeon would cast off the Shinseong Group in a heartbeat.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Lee Byeol-ha made an extreme decision.
She issued strict orders to her subordinates to secretly smuggle Han-eol back to Midland Seoul. Then she reported to the 1st Company Commander that “all personnel in the metal mine security detail have been killed in action.”
Naturally, Han-eol’s name was included on that list.
The Strategic Director’s office on the 102nd floor of Shinseong Group Headquarters in Mapo-gu.
Lee Myeong-u, dressed in a navy-striped suit, sat in an elegant leather chair, holding two sheets of paper in his outstretched hands, his eyes scanning left and right.
Before Lee Myeong-u stood Lee Jae-in, the head of personnel, waiting at attention.
Lee Jae-in’s head hung low, his expression bleak.
There was only one reason his face had gone ashen.
He’d just received notification that Han-eol, Lee Myeong-u’s hidden son, had died in Highland.
The moment Lee Jae-in heard the news, he’d rushed up to the Strategic Director’s office and reported it immediately.
Yet Lee Myeong-u’s reaction was strangely subdued. Instead, he studied the two sheets of paper in silence for a long moment, then broke into a faint smile.
The left paper in Lee Myeong-u’s hands bore the following contents:
[Highland First Base Camp Metal Mine Death Roll]
1. ……
2. ……
3. ……
4. ……
5. Han-eol
This roster had been reported to Shinseong Group’s personnel department by Highland 1st Company roughly thirty minutes earlier, and Lee Jae-in had printed it and rushed straight to Lee Myeong-u.
“Hmm.”
Lee Myeong-u studied the name Han-eol on the final line of the roster carefully.
Then he shifted his gaze to the right paper.
[Artemis Knights Weekly Activity Report]
…… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… ……, the noteworthy point being that a discrepancy has emerged between the number of Artemis Knights who entered Highland and those who returned to Midland …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… as of early this morning the Vice-Commander of Artemis has launched into an emergency covert operation …… …… …… …… the Vice-Commander and one female knight launched an Orbital Vessel for departure …… …… …… …… destination unclear …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …….
The right paper in Lee Myeong-u’s hand was the “Weekly Activity Report of the Artemis Knights,” which had come up from the Surveillance Division.
Lee Myeong-u, regarded as the heavyweight closest to the chair of next chairman of the Shinseong Group, had planted eyes and ears throughout the entire organization.
Especially the forces held by the Group’s direct lines—Lee Seong-u’s Pioneer Corps and Lee Byeol-ha’s Artemis Knights—none escaped Lee Myeong-u’s surveillance network.
To be honest, it was scarcely an exaggeration to say that the only corner of Shinseong Group that lay beyond Lee Myeong-u’s sight was the Presidential Secretariat.
Well, by now Lee Myeong-u’s eyes and ears had already infiltrated even inside the President’s office.
‘Heh heh heh, how amusing. Han-eol died precisely in an area controlled by the Artemis Knights?’
Lee Myeong-u studied the Surveillance Division’s report carefully and smiled again, this time broader.
‘And the number of Artemis Knights who returned to Midland Seoul has suspiciously increased by one? And on top of that, the Vice-Commander suddenly launches an Orbital Vessel and leaves Seoul? With just one mysterious female knight in tow? Heh heh heh heh.’
Lee Myeong-u had never believed Han-eol was dead.
He was certain that his hidden son Han-eol had awakened a legendary Supernatural Ability of the same caliber as his grandmother Lee Hyeon, and he believed the odds of such a Han-eol being killed in an attack by demonic beasts across the eight continents were virtually nonexistent.
But then, precisely at that moment, the Surveillance Division had detected these peculiar movements by the Artemis Knights.
‘Three hundred knights entered Highland but three hundred and one came back? Aha ha ha. And the Vice-Commander immediately took that mysterious knight and left Seoul? Ha ha ha ha ha.’
Lee Myeong-u laid both sheets of paper face-down on his desk and pressed them firmly with both elbows. In that posture, he interlaced his fingers and rested his chin upon them.
Lee Myeong-u’s keen gaze turned toward Lee Jae-in.
‘Gulp.’
Lee Jae-in unconsciously felt the weight of the director’s presence and swallowed hard.
Lee Myeong-u issued an unexpected command.
“For now, file Han-eol as missing.”
“Missing, sir? Not deceased?”
Lee Jae-in’s eyes went wide.
Quick-minded as he was, Lee Jae-in grasped the commander’s meaning instantly. When Lee Myeong-u told him to file Han-eol as missing, it meant Han-eol was alive, not dead.
‘Then… could the Artemis Knights have taken him?’
Lee Jae-in spread his fingers wide and pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up his nose.
Into his ears came his superior’s resolute voice.
“That’s right. Mark him as missing, and don’t go digging into that matter for a while.”
This meant they would leave Han-eol with the Artemis Knights for the time being.
Lee Jae-in accepted the order at once.
“Understood, sir.”
“Now get out of here.”
Lee Myeong-u lifted his chin from where it rested on his hand and gestured toward the door.
“Yes, sir.”
Lee Jae-in bowed respectfully and left the commander’s office.
Alone in his study, Lee Myeong-u fell silent, his eyes unfathomable as he pondered something, then murmured softly to himself.
“For now, I’ll leave Han-eol in Byeol-ha’s care. She’s more reliable than Seong-u anyway. I can’t look after the boy myself for a while, but strange as it is, this might actually work out better.”
With that, Lee Myeong-u set aside the matter of Han-eol in his mind.
The two sheets of paper beneath his elbows suddenly burst into flame, crumbling to ash in a moment.
Chapter 2
After the Great Cataclysm that occurred on January 1st, 2030, numerous major cities across the globe rose into Geostationary Orbit at an altitude of thirty-six thousand kilometers.
These cities, which came to be called Midland, orbited Earth at that vast height, serving as way stations for humanity’s pioneering efforts into the Highland.
Yet because Highland exploration required vast numbers of people, each Midland city connected Tubes to Earth—Old Earth, as it was now called—to continually replenish its workforce from the old world.
Moreover, the Midland cities constructed Orbital Vessels that traveled along the Geostationary Orbit, enabling personnel exchange between cities and establishing various allied relationships.
An Orbital Vessel that had departed from Hangang Harbor at dawn today and was now flying to Midland Chiang Mai was, in terms of personnel exchange, hardly an unusual event.
Chiang Mai had originally been Thailand’s secondary city, located in the north.
Even counting the entire metropolitan area, Chiang Mai’s population barely exceeded 1.2 million—merely one-seventh of Bangkok, Thailand’s primary city.
Yet on the day of the Great Cataclysm, Chiang Mai alone was lifted into space from all of Thailand and incorporated into Midland.
After that, the residents of Midland Chiang Mai began using the national name “Lanna” more frequently than “Thailand.”
This was because the northern region of Thailand had once been the Lanna Kingdom rather than Thailand itself, and Chiang Mai was its capital.
8:30 AM.
The Orbital Vessel of the Artemis Knights that had departed from Hangang Harbor descended onto the lake of Wat Umong in Midland Chiang Mai.
Whooosh!
A violent gust swept across the placid lake. Fish that had been gliding lazily through the water fled far from the waves churned up by the descending vessel.
But the moment the vessel’s doors opened and a bridge connected to the shore, the fish quickly swarmed back.
Even turtles joined in the rush.
They hoped that someone disembarking from the vessel might toss them food.
Indeed, this had happened before, more than once.
But the Vice-Commander of the Artemis Knights had no leisure to feed fish today. She turned to look at Han-eol.
“This is Wat Umong, a temple carved out of a cave. What did I tell you ‘wat’ means?”
“It means ‘temple.'”
The Vice-Commander nodded at Han-eol’s answer.
“That’s right. Wat Umong, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh—these are all famous temples in Chiang Mai. But now they’ve all been unified under Wat Phra That on Doi Suthep.”
“Yes.”
Han-eol nodded, and in the same breath recalled the basic facts about Chiang Mai that the Vice-Commander had taught him during the short flight.
Doi = mountain.
Wat = temple.
In other words, Doi Suthep meant “the mountain named Suthep.”
And “Wat Phra That” was a renowned temple built on Mount Suthep; according to legend from the ancient Lanna Kingdom, a white elephant that had carried the Buddha’s relics circled the pagoda here three times before dying.
According to the Vice-Commander’s explanation, the golden pagoda of Wat Phra That actually enshrined the Buddha’s relics within it. Apparently because of this, most of Chiang Mai’s Supernatural Ability users were monks who had awakened abilities connected to Buddhism.
‘So Wat Phra That in Chiang Mai holds the same position as the Shinseong Group does in Seoul?’
Han-eol etched the name Wat Phra That firmly into memory.
At that moment, three monks from Wat Umong came to greet them at the water’s edge.
“Welcome back, Venerable One. It’s been too long.”
Having crossed the bridge, the Vice-Commander placed her palms together and bowed to the monks.
“Welcome.”
The monks returned the greeting with their own palms joined in respect.
Remarkably, the monks spoke Korean.
Han-eol hastily mimicked the Vice-Commander’s gesture, pressing her hands together respectfully. As she did, she quickly assessed the three monks.
All three wore faded saffron robes.
Two of them appeared to be men in their mid-thirties, while the central monk was an elderly female nun with a gentle demeanor.
Long ago in Thailand, only men were permitted to become monks, or so she had heard.
But after the Great Cataclysm, as the temples in this region began selecting monks primarily from those who had awakened Supernatural Abilities, female monks naturally came into being.
In fact, the abbot of Wat Umong, one of the four major temples in this region, is herself a female monk. The nun who had come to greet Han-eol was none other than the abbess of Wat Umong.
Her name before awakening her Supernatural Ability was Shusha.
The Dharma Name she received after awakening was Natiko.
Han-eol perceived a white flame burning quietly within Natiko’s spirit.
‘So her Aspect is flame. But the fire doesn’t appear particularly fierce. It doesn’t seem to be an Aspect with aggressive qualities.’
As Han-eol observed Natiko, she turned her gaze toward him as well.
“So you’re the one Lee Byeol-ha mentioned?”
Natiko’s gentle yet resolute gaze swept across Han-eol’s entire frame.
The moment her words fell, the Vice-Commander gave Han-eol a subtle push from behind.
“Yes. We find ourselves in unavoidable circumstances, so we’d like to entrust this one to Wat Umong for the time being.”
As she said this, the Vice-Commander pursed her lips toward Han-eol.
‘What are you doing? Greet her properly.’
Han-eol quickly bowed his head.
“Good day. I am Han-eol of Shinseong Group.”
“Welcome, Han-eol. We’re honored to receive a visitor at Wat Umong.”
Natiko greeted him with her characteristic gentle smile.
‘Phew, that’s a relief.’
Han-eol’s tension eased once he confirmed that his companion’s spirit bore a soft pastel tone.
Not long ago, the Artemis Knights had spirited Han-eol away and suggested to him that it would be best if he left Midland Seoul for another city for the time being.
Han-eol had readily accepted their suggestion because he had witnessed the spirits of both the commander and vice-commander of Artemis tinged with pastel tones each time they dealt with him.
‘A pastel tone only manifests when the other person holds goodwill toward me.’
And now, Natiko’s spirit was also displaying that soft pastel tone.
The Puppet Master Who Harvests Spirits
Author |
Juno
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Chief Editor |
Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260703071
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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