128
Apophis proudly announced his ambition. Having managed the finances of the Gorgon Duke’s family even when the Duke’s castle existed, Apophis was more confident than anyone. Even in a new world, there was nothing that money couldn’t solve.
“Money? How?”
“That’s… my business secret, so it’s hard to explain in detail. Instead, I need Ji-ho-nim’s power to open gates.”
…Gates?
Ji-ho thought he might be planning to start a business related to transportation or delivery using his gates. However, Apophis spoke as if he had already seen through Ji-ho’s thoughts.
“I’m going to go to countries other than Korea. Probably, Your Excellency will have to come with me a few times. That’s why we need to use the gates.”
“Oh, so you don’t need the gates for the business itself?”
“Why would I need that? I can create gates too, though it takes some time… Actually, to make money, it’s easier to use various other magic. Didn’t you say there’s no magic in this world?”
Ji-ho had told Apophis, who first drank toilet water when he came to Korea, that this was a world where science, not magic, had developed.
When Apophis heard this, he initially proudly said that ‘magical engineering’ was highly developed in his world too, but after experiencing the benefits of science that Ji-ho showed him, he closed his mouth. No matter how developed magical engineering was, they didn’t have bidets.
However, when Apophis heard Ji-ho’s invitation to return to Korea together, he had already completed all his plans to settle here from that moment. One of them was to make money using his magic.
“First, I plan to set up a merchant guild and invest. After that, I could do a transportation business, or ah, creating magical spectacles would be good too. Well, of course, there are easier methods than that.”
“What about initial capital?”
“Capital, you ask? Haha, I can just create it. But since there’s a risk of getting caught, I plan to do it in moderation.”
Ji-ho half-listened to Apophis’s plan and let it go in one ear and out the other. It seemed like a plan that would do no good to know about. Ji-ho deeply understood why Apophis was called the most cunning tongue of Gorgon.
As Apophis’s grand speech about his ambitious dream ended, Chronos slowly rose from his seat. He looked around the gathering with a warm smile and said:
“Well, it seems I’m the only one returning from here?”
“…”
At those words, everyone fell silent. Although Chronos looked regretful that he had to return alone, he didn’t ask anyone to come with him. He knew better than anyone how much his companions wanted a ‘home they could return to.’
Just as Chronos was about to ask Ji-ho if he could open a gate, there was a sound of someone knocking on the large window from outside.
“It’s Ganesha!”
Isquis, who spotted Ganesha, jumped up and ran to open the window. Then Ganesha, with flushed cheeks, entered the house without taking off his shoes and shook himself vigorously.
Ganesha had been missing since before breakfast. Although he had drunk together last night, when they woke up in the morning, the pension where he had slept was empty except for traces of his presence, so they couldn’t call him. To the puzzled Ji-ho, Set had explained that Ganesha originally only ate fruits and vegetables.
“I want to go home now!”
Ganesha, who suddenly burst in through the window, put his hands on his hips and declared proudly. However, with fallen leaves stuck in his hair and orange pulp of some unknown fruit dotting his mouth, he also looked like a child who had just returned from playing enthusiastically.
Ji-ho stood up with a kind smile. Rather than forcibly holding back those who wanted to return, it would be better to enable them to go back. Now Ji-ho had that ability.
“Please wait here for a moment, I’ll prepare some food for you to take on your journey.”
“Then I want that! That, that, that round orange thing!”
“Round… and orange?”
“Yes! There were tons of them over there!”
Ji-ho’s mouth fell open at Ganesha’s innocent words. It seemed he had visited the persimmon orchard over there. Ji-ho felt momentarily dizzy at the thought of apologizing to the owner of the persimmon orchard who had been robbed of their Daebong persimmons.
As Ji-ho briefly left for the kitchen to prepare some food, Apophis removed the fallen leaves stuck in Ganesha’s hair and asked:
“What about Baal?”
“Baal?”
“Weren’t you together?”
“Don’t know! Hmph, he didn’t even play with me in the morning. Baal’s become boring.”
As Ganesha puffed out his cheeks and turned his head away, Apophis scratched his own cheek with an awkward expression. In Apophis’s opinion, it seemed right for Baal to return together when Chronos and Ganesha left.
Baal, with horns on his head, seemed to have a hard time living in this world. While in Asterra, people might glance at those with different appearances and mutter about omens of misfortune, in this world it was on a different level.
Well, the fact that Baal had no intention of interacting with people also played a part.
“This is for Mr. Chronos, and this is for Ganesha-nim.”
“Oh, thank you. You’ve even prepared this for us, Ji-ho-nim.”
“I just packed some simple food. Ah, and there’s some… chocolate in the inner pocket. Could you please give that to ‘Gilray’ in the little people’s village?”
As Ji-ho carefully made the request, not forgetting even a brief encounter, Chronos nodded with a smile as if it was only natural.
After Chronos was done, Ji-ho then put an elementary school backpack on Ganesha’s back. It was something Ji-ho had used when he was young, and it fit Ganesha perfectly.
“What’s this?”
“I packed various fruits inside. When you get hungry on your way…”
“Hehehe, this is delicious!”
Ganesha reached behind his back and pulled out a tangerine that was sticking out of a side pocket, biting into it without even peeling it. Despite this, he seemed to find it very delicious, and Ji-ho gave up on explaining to Ganesha with an embarrassed smile.
Then, Ji-ho led Chronos and Ganesha to stand in front of the only wardrobe in the house. Those who weren’t leaving were watching from the bedroom doorway.
With Chronos and Ganesha behind him, Ji-ho grabbed the handle and whispered quietly. Then light poured out from the cracks of the tightly closed wardrobe door. Finally, Ji-ho grabbed the handle and opened the wardrobe door wide.
As soon as Ganesha saw the drawn gate, he jumped inside without even saying goodbye. Ji-ho didn’t have time to catch him. Then, just before entering the gate, Chronos turned to Ji-ho and said:
“We’ll be able to meet again, right?”
“Of course, Chronos.”
“That’s a relief. I think I’ll… miss everyone.”
Chronos looked at the faces of those standing outside the bedroom door behind Ji-ho one by one. However, he didn’t give long goodbyes to all of them. If they wanted, they could see each other again someday.
Finally, even Chronos crossed through the gate in the wardrobe. Ji-ho, who had been watching to make sure he entered safely, was about to close the wardrobe door. If it wasn’t for Isquis’s voice.
“B-Baal?!”
Turning his head, Ji-ho saw Baal striding in through the living room’s large window, which had been left open when Ganesha entered. He fixed his gaze on Ji-ho and walked straight into the bedroom. Ji-ho, caught in Baal’s gaze, swallowed and opened his mouth.
“…Are you leaving?”
He knew he couldn’t hold back Baal who was leaving, and he knew this place wasn’t a good environment for Baal to stay. He couldn’t suggest breaking off Baal’s horns to let him live normally either.
Ji-ho quietly stared back at Baal, who wasn’t immediately entering the wardrobe but was watching him. Then Baal suddenly said:
“There won’t be a next time.”
“Pardon?”
“Next time, I’ll take it.”
“What do you…”
“It’s mine, that thing.”
Baal was clearly looking at Ji-ho while speaking, but Ji-ho somehow felt that what he was saying now wasn’t meant for him. At that moment, Ji-ho felt a kick in his belly. Ji-ho unconsciously wrapped his arms around his stomach.
“Um, Baal. Can I ask you one thing?”
“…?”
“The baby’s name, can you give it when we meet next time?”
Baal didn’t immediately answer Ji-ho’s question. As he closed his mouth and stared at Ji-ho, Ji-ho smiled gently and said:
“The baby seems to like you particularly.”
Just by how it kicked vigorously whenever Baal came, he could tell. That the baby really liked Baal.
However, Baal didn’t respond to Ji-ho’s request. Instead, he abruptly passed by him and entered the wardrobe. As the gate in the wardrobe swallowed Baal without leaving a trace, Ji-ho quietly closed the wardrobe door.
At the same time, Set, who had been standing back, approached. As Set carefully wrapped his arms around Ji-ho’s waist, Ji-ho asked in a voice filled with regret:
“The name… I guess we’ll have to give it ourselves?”
At those words, Set raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the wardrobe door Baal had entered and answered in a monotone voice:
“Well. If he had, he would have left it behind.”
“Left what?”
“When I checked yesterday, one chopstick was missing, Ji-ho.”
“…What? A chopstick?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Baal is giving me the ick 😞