Chapter 435 |
I asked Noah to pass a message to Yuhyun when he came back, then got up from the sofa. Peace trotted after me. I left the living room and stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the garden. In the darkness, the goblin fire Yun Yun had made flickered faintly. I also heard splashing water.
“Have a seat.”
Seong Hyunjae pulled out a rocking chair for me. Come to think of it—what about my leg? It won’t heal on its own, so I’ll need to set a surgery date. When I sat down, Peace curled up at my feet.
The moonlight washed over Seong Hyunjae’s hair as he leaned against the terrace railing, making it look particularly faded.
“You must be feeling pretty stuck yourself, Mr. Seong.”
He was just silently watching me, so I spoke first. If there’s one thing that needed saying, it’s probably this—the things that happened in the nightmare dungeon.
His mind must be tangled up too. After all, he’d learned new truths about himself—and not the good kind.
“Still, if you think about it, things aren’t that bad. Crescent Moon’s ability to interfere directly with our world has been weakened.”
Back then, it must have been easy for Crescent Moon to whisk Seong Hyunjae away. But not anymore.
No matter how great Crescent Moon thought they were, once the two factions struck a deal, it would be harder to run wild. They’d have to be careful. And since plenty of Transcendents—like the King of Harmless—would be interested in Seong Hyunjae, he’d have to keep himself hidden to avoid detection.
One wrong step, and not only would the tower they’d built crumble, but it might be stolen altogether.
“So we’ve bought ourselves some time. We’ve got more information than before the regression, and Transcendents willing to help. If you can endure for a thousand years or so, Chief Song might be able to remove the contract Crescent Moon bound you with.”
If we prevent destruction and block Crescent Moon’s meddling, then someday Song Taewon will save him. Even if that long wait is painful, Chief Song isn’t the type to abandon someone he can help.
As for Chief Song himself… he might receive indirect aid, but no one could save him outright. Still, if the same events as before the regression don’t happen, things will gradually change—one way or another.
“How’s your condition?”
After quietly listening, Seong Hyunjae suddenly asked.
“Me? Oh, I’m fine. The King of Harmless actually said I got better. It wasn’t the newbie who processed my dungeon reward, it was the King of Harmless. Since the dungeon boss was one of his vassals, there were fragments left over.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Right? My mana imprint’s stabilized too. Just need to fix the leg.”
I tapped my injured leg lightly. Peace gave a worried whimper. It’s fine, it’s fine.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
Besides what I just said, was there something else?
Before I got kidnapped, we were talking about him going abroad. I was planning to tell him about the regression before that, but after this mess, he knew already. We’d also gathered a lot of info on the Little Moon and Crescent Moon.
Feels like there’s not much left to settle now.
“Until the newbie brings the results, I think we can just focus on saving the world. I’ll keep raising Monster Mounts, help out with the Awakening Center. You were going overseas, right?”
“To investigate those connected to this kidnapping.”
“Think the background’s complicated?”
“Seems so. Park Hayul apparently wasn’t originally with the Chinese military.”
“Yeah. He mentioned a sister—does that ring any bells?”
He slowly shook his head.
“My reach is broad, but there are only a few countries I’ve investigated deeply. Unfortunately, I only have one body. Three years isn’t much time.”
True—three years isn’t enough to focus on even one country. And yet he’d managed to plant roots worldwide. Impressive, really. Even in China—at this time, it was so closed-off that even foreign governments would struggle to dig up detailed information, yet he could set us up with a place to stay right away, and apparently had several people stationed here.
Sesung in Korea was already large, but if you counted the hidden assets, it must be enormous.
“Other than Evelyn, do you have more S-Class Hunters working with Sesung?”
“Not members—collaborators.”
“So you do. Who? How many?”
“I’ll introduce them to you someday.”
So, top-secret. Makes sense. I wouldn’t tell either. Still, I’m curious. What kind of people are they? Surely not just S-Class—probably plenty of A-Class too.
“Guess I won’t see you for a while then. Oh, was this supposed to be a formal goodbye?”
“I’m not planning to stay out of Korea forever.”
“Still, you’ll probably only come back once every couple of months.”
Sure, Sesung had its own planes, so no matter how far, it’d take less than a day to get to Korea. But he’d also have to enter dungeons in other countries and handle business there. A month would pass quickly.
Looks like I really won’t see him often. Bittersweet.
“Go easy on Chief Song, okay? Poor guy. As long as you’re a Korean Hunter, he’s stuck with you.”
“He said he enjoyed it.”
“…Huh? Wait, you mean Chief Song before the regression…?”
…Was that some kind of Stockholm syndrome?
“If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”
Seong Hyunjae suddenly said, even though he’d been listening this whole time.
“I’ve already said a lot.”
“Is that all you want to say?”
“What do you mean, all? It’s important stuff.”
“I used to think Han Yuhyun treated Han Yujin poorly.”
Why bring up my brother now?
“But the more I see, the more I think that was the best way.”
“What, you mean him keeping his distance?”
“Thinking you might have run around like this even before the regression—without any special abilities—makes me sigh.”
He let out a heavy sigh for real, his face full of worry. What’s with the sudden act?
“I know my limits, okay.”
“You mean the guy with F-rank stats who charges at S-Class Hunters?”
…Did he see me take down the Lautitars? I had E-rank stats then, thanks to the dungeon. I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t possible. And I succeeded, didn’t I?
“If you won’t say it, then I won’t either.”
“…Say what? I already told you I regressed.”
“If you never figure it out, I’ll just treat you accordingly.”
He sounded almost a bit regretful. What is he talking about, keeping it to himself?
“What’s the problem now? You’re so picky!”
“Unfair. The two people beside me are even pickier.”
I’ll give you Chief Song, but why me? I’m relatively simple, thank you.
“You should get some sleep. Want me to warm you some milk?”
“Do I look like a baby? Stop changing the subject.”
“With a bit of honey.”
…That did sound tasty. But grilling him won’t make him talk, so I stood up.
“Where’s the kitchen?”
“I’ll bring it to your room.”
“I’m making it for the kids too. And Chief Song. Want some too, Peace?”
– Kkiang!
Want me to sprinkle in some magic stone powder? Who knows what’ll happen in the morning, so I should make sure everyone gets a proper rest.
“Yerim! Yun Yun! Come back in now!”
I called toward the garden, then turned. Seong Hyunjae offered me a hand as if to help me up, but I declined. Before the regression and now, I can still walk on my own.
Balancing a tray full of milk cups, I headed to the living room. Yuhyun, having just finished his call, hurried over to take it from me.
“No problems?”
“Yeah. Just told them to be careful since Park Yerim’s supposedly still in Japan, and I’m still ‘in a dungeon.’”
“Chief Song must be hospitalized too. Chief, want to share a room with me?”
As I said this, Chief Song entered the living room, frowning.
“Are you in bad enough shape to be hospitalized?”
Oh—right, he didn’t know the exact condition of my leg.
“I was thinking of getting a full check-up.”
“Good idea. But I’ll be discharged immediately after we return to Korea.”
“That’s too bad. You should rest longer. Here, have some milk.”
I handed milk to Chief Song, then to Noah, Yerim, and Yun Yun, adding a “get some rest” for good measure.
I doubted I could sleep, but as soon as I lay down and closed my eyes, my consciousness began to fade. Even the sensation of sinking into darkness grew hazy.
“The seasons might change.”
I heard someone’s voice.
“At this rate, we might need to build a greenhouse. Still, with you here, even if all the trees disappear, it won’t be cold.”
Yuhyun smiled at those words. The two of us were walking slowly down an empty street.
“Rice farming might be too much. How long can you store rice? After a few years, we might not be able to eat it anymore.”
I laughed, and my brother looked worried.
“Should I give it a try?”
“No, thanks. We’ll just eat other things. Vegetables are easier to grow anyway. And chickens. Grocery stores probably sell fertilized eggs—if we keep them warm, they might hatch.”
“You want to raise chickens?”
“Eggs and meat, both. Oh, and let’s check pet shops. They might have ornamental breeds. Just let them brood their eggs. While we’re at it, we should free any trapped animals too.”
Better for them to take their chances outside than die in cages.
“How big do pet rabbits get? Rabbits make decent livestock too. As long as the seasons keep changing, we can let them loose in parks and only worry about them in winter.”
Yuhyun listened intently, even nodding.
“Can you eat pigeons? There are lots of them.”
“There’s nothing you can’t eat. And the environment’s going to get cleaner anyway. Thanks to dungeons, garbage was already less than before. But for now, we just have to eat what’s around! There’s plenty.”
My voice sounded cheerful.
“Is there anything you want to eat? Where should we raid?”
“I’m fine with anything. You?”
“I’m not picky. Maybe barbecue. Oh, you didn’t get seaweed soup, did you? I’ll make some for you.”
He smiled brightly.
“It’s been so long since you cooked for me.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. My diet’s been so simple, I might be worse than before.”
“I can cook well now. I’ll help.”
“Not on your birthday. Start tomorrow. And no complaining about the taste.”
“There’s no way it’ll taste bad.”
Was this just a dream my mind conjured up? Or maybe a glimpse of reality through the thread still connecting us?
Probably just a dream. But it looked good. It was a happy dream. Yuhyun’s face was pure sunlight, without a trace of shadow. If he was like that, I was probably smiling too.
Dawn was close, but I wanted to hold onto that scene, that face, just a bit longer…
[Honey!]
Just a bit more.
[Honey! Honey!]
…Let me sleep! The voice calling me grew louder.
“Honey! Wake up!”
It chirped right in my face. The sun wasn’t even up. Why interrupt my good dream? The two of us were already gone from my vision. Damn it—someone tell me how to resume a dream.
“Honey! The results are in!”
“…What?”
I opened my eyes wide. The newbie, face inches from mine, jumped back, long ears flapping. Made him look like a rabbit—though he was really a dog.
“Results?!”
I sat up quickly. Why did this look like a café? The newbie nodded, shaking my sleeve.
“The negotiation results!”
“How’d it go?”
My mouth went dry from the tension. I hadn’t expected the results this quickly.
“First, the Transcendents decided not to interfere excessively in your world, same as before!”
“Thank goodness…”
I let out a breath of relief. One hurdle cleared.
“So Crescent Moon and Chatterbox can’t just show up in person?”
“Right. With more eyes watching now, it’ll be harder for them to pull anything sudden. And the response will be quicker too.”
“Really? Nice work! Thanks!”
Just keeping those two from causing chaos was a huge win. Still, this wouldn’t end with good news alone. Chatterbox and Crescent Moon wouldn’t give up on us so easily.
“The rule’s always been: the matters of a world are for its own people to handle.”
“That’s absolutely right!”
“But we—the Unfilial Children—have already interfered a lot. And there are many Awakened involved. So Chatterbox’s side, the Filial Duty Addicts, agreed to take the same stance.”
“Huh? Same stance how?”
“They’ll use people from your world to catch you, Honey.”
…And what the hell is that supposed to mean?
–TL Notes–
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