31
At Your House Inn
Yeon Ji-ho woke up in the luxurious carriage in the late afternoon when the sun had completely set. The carriage was empty, and Hadad was nowhere to be seen.
The first thing Yeon Ji-ho did to regain his senses was to peek outside through the carriage window. It seemed they had stopped here for a night.
At the same time, he decided it was the perfect moment to escape. With Hadad absent and the current chaos, it was the right time. Yeon Ji-ho cautiously pushed the carriage door open.
Clunk.
Clunk, clunk!
“What’s going on?”
The door he had tried to push open quietly didn’t budge at all. Wondering if he lacked strength, he pushed harder, but it remained unyielding.
“Am I locked in?”
It seemed something had been secured on the latch from the outside. The moment he realized this, Yeon Ji-ho’s heart sank. Hadad had pretended to be friendly, yet he had locked him in here.
Is it acceptable for the protagonist to be this gloomy? It felt like he had unintentionally caught a glimpse of Hadad’s dual personality. In the books, Hadad always appeared bright and righteous.
“…Is Isquis doing well?”
Suddenly, he thought of Isquis, who was being dragged away, bound by vines. Giving up on exiting, Yeon Ji-ho leaned out of the carriage window. That was when someone appeared.
“Ji-ho?”
Someone suddenly leaned in front of the window. Startled by the closeness of another person’s face, Yeon Ji-ho stepped back, and in the darkness, he could see Hadad’s shimmering blonde hair shaking slightly.
“You’re awake?”
“……”
“You should have called for me when you woke up. It must have been frustrating being locked in. How foolish.”
As he tried to respond silently, Hadad continued to speak with a bright smile, which only irritated Yeon Ji-ho. Finally, unable to hold back, Yeon Ji-ho spoke up.
“Isn’t it your fault for locking me in?”
“Oh, my. I finally heard your voice. Ji-ho, your voice is even more pleasant than I expected.”
“Hah…”
Seeing Hadad look at him with wide innocent eyes made Yeon Ji-ho let out a deep sigh. Can this person even hear what I’m saying?
The image of Hadad, which had once been filled with curiosity and intrigue when he crossed into this world, was shattering in real-time. Yeon Ji-ho now just wanted to return to Set, regardless of ‘The Star of Hadad’ or anything else.
“What about Isquis? He’s doing well, right?”
“You have a good heart, Ji-ho. You’re worried about your friend right after waking up? That bird is safe. Don’t worry.”
Having obtained the information he wanted, Yeon Ji-ho intended to keep quiet again, but fortunately, Hadad answered willingly. After all, he was the protagonist, so he wouldn’t lie. With the last bit of trust he had left, Yeon Ji-ho decided to believe him.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“……”
“What kind of food do you like, Ji-ho? People from the capital usually enjoy Galus roast or Roden stir-fry. Oh, where are you from, Ji-ho? You’re from the Asterra Empire, right?”
If there were a question assassin, it would be Hadad. Yeon Ji-ho was dizzy from the barrage of questions coming his way.
Having lived as a recluse for a long time, Yeon Ji-ho never enjoyed meeting new people. Moreover, he preferred to get closer to someone gradually rather than being bombarded with questions like this…
It was overwhelming.
“Everyone has already finished dinner. Soon, a servant will bring your meal, so don’t worry.”
“I’m not hungry. I don’t need to eat.”
“Oh dear. Even if you don’t have an appetite, you should eat a little. It will take quite a while to return to the imperial palace.”
– Knock, knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the carriage door. It seemed to be the servant bringing the dinner Hadad mentioned.
As he looked toward the door, thinking it would open, it did. But it wasn’t the servant who appeared; it was Hadad.
He didn’t even know when Hadad had moved from the window. In his hand was a plate of steaming hot roasted bird. He wasn’t sure if it was exactly a bird, but that’s how it appeared to Yeon Ji-ho.
“It’s Galus roast, prepared without skimping on the seasoning. Ji-ho, hurry and try it.”
The Galus roast Hadad offered looked like… well, to Yeon Ji-ho, it resembled roasted turkey. It was that size.
“The chef who came with us is amazing. I can’t tell where you’re from just by looking at your face or hearing your voice, but it should suit your taste perfectly.”
Yeon Ji-ho could clearly feel Hadad’s effort to learn about his background. However, he kept his mouth shut about that and instead asked what he wanted to know.
“Did Isquis have dinner?”
“Well…”
“…Then I’m fine too.”
“Is that bird’s meal really that important? You might not know, but the beasts of Gorgon all have modified bodies or unique bloodlines, so they don’t tire easily.”
Of course, he knew that very well from reading the books. The beasts of Gorgon each had their own stories, which were somewhat difficult to dismiss as ordinary.
Instead of voicing that, Yeon Ji-ho frowned and replied.
“Even so, that doesn’t mean they don’t feel hunger.”
“…Right. I’ll call the servant and tell them to prepare that bird’s meal too. So, Ji-ho, you should eat a little.”
Seeing that he wouldn’t prepare Isquis’s meal unless he ate, Yeon Ji-ho reluctantly picked up the fork. Then Hadad set the plate down on the chair and began to cut it into small pieces with a knife.
Even that small gesture felt burdensome. Yeon Ji-ho poked the Galus roast with his fork and put it in his mouth. And at the same time…
“Ugh.”
“Ji-ho?”
“Wow, this is so sweet it’s making me dizzy.”
Unintentionally, he spat the Galus roast into his palm. The half-chewed piece of Galus rolled around on his hand.
He understood that they had not skimped on the seasoning. Whatever the intention, the food was drenched in sugar. Was it to mask the smell? No, this was too much.
“Does it taste bad? That can’t be. Ji-ho, try one more bite. This food is very precious…”
“Do you want to see me eat it and then throw up?”
“No…”
Hadad, looking sulky, set down the knife. In the end, the Galus roast he brought remained mostly intact, with only a tiny bite missing.
Regardless, after spitting out the food he had brought for himself, Yeon Ji-ho felt a pang of guilt. Moreover, Hadad had fallen silent, his face sulking. At that point, Yeon Ji-ho felt embarrassed.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Hmm?”
“…Why do you treat me differently from Isquis? Hadad, do you know me?”
Since he was with Set, it would be reasonable for Yeon Ji-ho to think he was just another beast of Gorgon. However, judging by Hadad’s behavior, he seemed to be convinced that Yeon Ji-ho was not just any ordinary beast of Gorgon. The reason was unclear.
“Ji-ho, you knew my name?”
“…No, I…”
“How delightful. For you to call my name. After becoming an emperor, no one has called my name, so I’ve been quite lonely.”
Once again, instead of answering the question, Hadad slipped into another topic. He was skilled at conversation and knew how to evade questions that put him at a disadvantage. This only came off as unpleasant to Yeon Ji-ho.
“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine.”
“Huh? No, it’s just that I’m happy you called my name…”
“……”
What Yeon Ji-ho wanted was substantial information, not to become friends through meaningless chatter. He kept his mouth shut to express that, but Hadad anxiously spoke up.
“Okay, I’ll answer. So let’s talk a little more.”
“…Yes, please go ahead.”
Hadad glanced at Yeon Ji-ho, then scratched the back of his neck and said.
“Ji-ho, you’re not one of the beasts of Gorgon. So it’s natural for me to treat you differently.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“As you know, beasts always have their traits. Isquis’s black wings on his back are one of them. They were initially made as artifacts, but now they’ve become part of his body, right?”
Indeed, the beasts of Gorgon had various characteristics. If Isquis had wings, Apophis had a tongue. Upon closer inspection, his tongue was slightly forked at the end.
In contrast, Yeon Ji-ho appeared to be just an ordinary person. Hadad smiled and said.
“So you’re not a sinner. I’m just treating you accordingly.”
While it wasn’t entirely wrong, it still felt suspicious. Just looking at Hadad’s sparkling smile, his trust had already plummeted.
“Then if I’m not a sinner, how about you let me go from here?”
“That’s difficult. The Lord would strongly oppose it. And… I’m sorry, but Ji-ho, if you’re here, Set will come.”
Yeon Ji-ho found it strange that Hadad was so certain. What did he think he was to him?
As if sensing his thoughts, Hadad spoke up.
“Set values you highly.”
“……”
“I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that before.”
So he will definitely come.
Hadad’s eyes shone brightly. It seemed he knew more about Set than about himself. Perhaps it was because they had been long-time rivals.
Then suddenly, Yeon Ji-ho thought of the ‘precious person’ that also existed for Hadad. Gliese. Where could she be right now?
“Hadad, where is she?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your precious person. I mean, Gliese.”
Yeon Ji-ho quickly gauged Hadad’s reaction. After all, they were the male and female leads who had shared immense love in ‘The Star of Hadad.’ He was curious why she wasn’t by Hadad’s side.
“We broke up.”
“What?”
Hadad tilted his head, as if surprised that Yeon Ji-ho would ask such a question.
“We broke up. It’s been about a month now?”
Ah, I see.
Hearing that the male and female leads, who had been so passionately in love in the novel, had broken up was shocking. It seemed that there was no such thing as living happily ever after in reality.
