# 47
“Alright. Let’s see if Hunter Lee Jin-ha brought something that suits me.”
“As you wish.”
“…Hmm, what is this?”
Riyekan asked, gently shaking the contents between his thumb and index finger. Who holds a gift like that?
“Is it a bracelet?”
“It’s a watch.”
“A watch? This?”
From what Jin-ha had observed over the past few days, this other world had a lower level of mechanical development due to its advanced magic. As a result, despite having the same time system as Earth, they only had artifact watches made with magic, which were naturally extremely expensive.
Bringing a wristwatch as a gift had been an impulsive decision. Perhaps it was something that would interest Riyekan while Jin-ha avoided giving him exactly what he wanted, providing an excuse to avoid criticism.
He would surely complain that it wasn’t what he had requested. Jin-ha quietly observed Riyekan, intending to capture his reaction.
“A watch that’s not a magical device, how interesting.”
Muttering this, Riyekan suspended the watch between his hands. The back of the watch gently floated and turned, and when Riyekan spread his hands, the internal spring mechanisms disassembled and separated from each other.
It was a complete disassembly, including the watch face designed to mimic a beautiful night sky.
After examining the form and direction of the spring mechanism, Riyekan brought his hands together again. The spring mechanism aligned back to its original shape and was sucked back into the watch, instantly returning to its original form.
“I like it.”
Riyekan smiled brightly. Jin-ha flinched, inadvertently taking in the sight of Riyekan’s refreshing smile.
“I was sure you’d bring some boring ring.”
“I’m glad you like it…”
Jin-ha felt guilty that his spiteful gift had been well-received. And he felt frustrated. He had planned to distance himself emotionally by watching Riyekan complain and get irritated, but why did he have to smile like that?
“Next time you go, bring more spring-operated items.”
“Am I allowed to go?”
“Did you think you wouldn’t be?”
“Well… after what happened…”
After such a difficult-to-mention incident, he thought that outings would be prohibited for a while to prevent the same thing from happening again.
As Jin-ha looked at him quizzically, Riyekan pocketed the watch and rested his chin on the table.
“If it happens again, we can resolve it the same way. I’m fine with it.”
“…That sounds like you’re telling me not to go.”
“It’s Hunter Lee Jin-ha’s choice. The longer you stay over there, the more compensation will be required.”
“Compensation? Why would I have to provide such compensation…!”
He couldn’t do that again. As Jin-ha panicked, Riyekan picked up a cookie, took a small bite, and smiled with his eyes.
“Can’t be helped. It seems I go into heat from loneliness when Hunter Lee Jin-ha isn’t around.”
“P-please…! Please speak more decently!”
“When Hunter Lee Jin-ha isn’t around, I get so lonely my dick gets hard.”
“Riyekan!”
Jin-ha stood up abruptly, his face contorted. It was an expression of his will to leave if this continued, but Riyekan just giggled happily at Jin-ha’s agitation.
What a truly wicked man.
“It’s true. I develop pheromone problems when Hunter Lee Jin-ha isn’t around. When pheromones accumulate too much in an Alpha, rut occurs.”
“…You go into rut?”
“Yes. I go into heat. The day before yesterday, I was fortunate that Hunter Lee Jin-ha came before that happened. If you had been a little late, I would have lost my reason.”
Rut referred to an Alpha’s mating season, while heat cycle was an Omega’s. All Alphas and Omegas regularly experience these periods, and it was difficult to escape without resolving the pheromones through sex.
But didn’t Riyekan dislike Omega pheromones? Recalling how he had recoiled when mistaking body wash scent for Omega pheromones, Jin-ha felt confused.
“Riyekan, when you go into rut, do you also then with an Omega…”
Before Jin-ha could finish asking if he slept with Omegas, Riyekan cut him off.
“I use medication.”
“Ah, so it can be resolved with medication. That’s good.”
Then wouldn’t it be strange to spend a night of pleasure? This question was answered by Legas, who happened to be bringing food. After placing a roasted chicken dish on the table, Legas pointed out disapprovingly:
“It’s extremely bad for your health, Master.”
“Bad for his health?”
“It probably shortens your lifespan by half a year each time you take it.”
Shocked by this statement, Jin-ha turned around, and Riyekan shrugged as he tore a leg from the chicken.
“Still better than embracing an Omega.”
His determination not to get close to Omegas was remarkable, even at the cost of half a year of his life. With such aversion, he must have had a terrible trauma.
How many ruts had this man experienced so far? Thinking that Riyekan had lost that much of his lifespan, Jin-ha felt dizzy.
If that was the case, if Jin-ha had been a little late and Riyekan had gone into rut, another half year of his life would have…
“If you have pheromone problems, come to me immediately. Understand?”
Shocked by the chilling realization, the words burst out before Jin-ha could think. But even after becoming aware of what he had just said, Jin-ha had no intention of taking it back.
It wasn’t that he had changed his mind and wanted to ‘play’ with this man. However, regardless of what might happen due to this decision, he couldn’t let Riyekan consume such medication. It wasn’t about having sex; it was just a request to stroke his head while he masturbated to release pheromones, wasn’t it? It was life-saving. If he thought of it as a kind of medical procedure, there was nothing uncomfortable about it.
Medical procedure. With that in mind, his heart became surprisingly stable.
At that, Riyekan stopped chewing his chicken leg and opened his eyes wide.
“You’ll do it again?”
“If necessary, there’s no choice.”
“Wow, that’s a big decision. Alright, next time you go to Earth, stay for three or four days.”
Jin-ha frowned.
“Not a chance. From now on, I won’t be absent for more than a day.”
If such a situation arose, he would do it, but it was better not to create such a situation in the first place.
After making this threat, Jin-ha saw Riyekan smiling and belatedly realized he had fallen into a trap. Not staying away for long was clearly Riyekan’s aim, and getting Jin-ha’s cooperation when problems arose due to long absences was also Riyekan’s plan. Riyekan’s face was filled with satisfaction, having gotten everything he wanted.
Incredulous, Jin-ha looked at Legas, who was trying to suppress a laugh before quickly averting his gaze.
“Don’t go back on your word, Hunter Lee Jin-ha.”
“…I won’t.”
Compassion was the problem after all. No matter how hard he tried not to, Jin-ha repeatedly found himself caring for that man out of pity.
But how could he ignore the fact that if problems arose, Riyekan would lose half a year of his life? Jin-ha sighed to release his frustration.
‘Wait. I think there was some number in Riyekan’s information when I saw it before.’
It was after being rescued from the place called Master Senistry’s Treasury and regaining consciousness. Due to magic oversaturation, Jin-ha hadn’t been able to use his skill for a while, but that day he had activated his Information Eye after a long time. He had been so focused on the missing name that he hadn’t paid attention to the unfamiliar information.
Jin-ha activated his Information Eye, wondering if it might help with managing Riyekan’s pheromones.
[ Riyekan Ertolic ]
Master of the Noon Moon Tower.
Soul (73/100)
The moment he saw that phrase “Soul” again, Jin-ha recalled the stone he had seen just yesterday in Legas’s eerie hut. He began to understand what the information “Lost Soul Fragment” written on the stone meant.
“Jin-ha, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
But he wasn’t certain. Jin-ha quickly concealed his agitation and sipped the soup Legas had brought.
“By the way, what shall we do after finishing the meal?”
As he subtly changed the subject, Riyekan, who was in a good mood, readily obliged.
“Today, Hunter Lee Jin-ha needs to complete a survey for me.”
“A survey… you say?”
“Yes. I’ve prepared a list. Legas!”
Legas, who had been busily squeezing juice, brought several sheets of paper and handed them to Jin-ha. Looking at the contents, it really was a survey.
But the content was a bit unusual.
“What is all this?”
“We’re going to tour the tower tomorrow. Not long ago, some idiot got lost and caused a big problem in the tower. I want to guide you around the tower so that such an incident doesn’t happen again.”
It was impossible not to know that the “idiot” referred to him. Jin-ha read through the document with furrowed brows.
“Why are you asking if I like fairies?”
“Shouldn’t we understand the customer’s preferences to provide a more enjoyable guide? And there are things to prepare in advance if you’re going to visit.”
“Are there fairies in this tower? Then the fairy I saw in the Corridor of History…”
“We couldn’t find it. The tower is connected to fairy land, but… no, I’ll explain tomorrow. Hunter Lee Jin-ha should hurry and complete the rest of the survey.”
Jin-ha didn’t know what Riyekan was planning, but seeing how pleased he looked made it extremely suspicious. Nevertheless, Jin-ha didn’t probe further and quietly continued checking boxes on the survey.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
