# 78
When he opened the door, Seo Ji-seop, who was about to knock, grinned widely. Finding that cheerful face annoying, Jin-ha asked grumpily:
“Where are the kids?”
“They went to study.”
“Where’s the Guild Master?”
“I’m right here.”
When Jin-ha glared at him irritably, Seo Ji-seop pointed to the dining table and said:
“The kids prepared a meal for you before they left.”
On the table sat a large pot and several side dishes that must have been brought from Earth. Seeing the plates with braised meat and various vegetable dishes, Jin-ha walked toward them as if in a trance.
Come to think of it, he was hungry. It was only natural, as he had just woken up after being exhausted by that man and passing out after arriving in this world yesterday.
Seo Ji-seop ladled plenty of chicken porridge from the pot for Jin-ha who was seated at the table, and said:
“The kids were really worried when you arrived unconscious yesterday. The older ones woke up early and made this for you before they left.”
“…They made it themselves?”
“Yes. They said you seem to be having a hard time lately because of the Master.”
Seo Ji-seop, after scooping some porridge for himself too, subtly shifted his gaze.
“Though I think the hardship they’re imagining is quite different from the actual hardship.”
“……”
Could he possibly know about what happened yesterday? Jin-ha froze with suspicion but quickly realized that couldn’t be the case. While Seo Ji-seop might appear frivolous and obsessed with other people’s romances, he wasn’t the type to casually stir up sensitive matters.
This was a joke he could make only because he didn’t know. It was clearly teasing about the kiss they had shared before departing for Earth.
Relieved, Jin-ha silently ate his porridge topped with the braised meat.
When he finished eating, Seo Ji-seop, who had been holding back the entire time, served him hot barley tea and asked:
“So, did you two decide to date?”
“…No, not that.”
“Not yet? Or not ever?”
“…I don’t know.”
Hearing Jin-ha’s answer, Seo Ji-seop’s eyes widened. It was understandable. Until recently, Jin-ha had firmly declared that he would absolutely never date a man like that whenever Seo Ji-seop tried to pair them up.
Though it was a somewhat passive answer, compared to before, his position had completely reversed.
“People need love in their lives. Look at me and my wife. We love each other, so we’re happy even at this age, supporting each other’s work, taking care of each other…”
Jin-ha stood up while organizing the dishes. During the natural pause as the self-proclaimed number one husband helped clear the table, Jin-ha spoke up:
“Please take better care of the kids instead of me. So we don’t have incidents like last time.”
“Come on, how could I have known you two would come to the dining hall together…”
“I’m saying you should assume Riyekan is always nearby whenever I’m in the tower.”
At this declaration that they should consider them always together, Seo Ji-seop’s face showed he had a lot to say again, but this time he maturely held back.
“Alright. I’ll run away when I see you.”
“Also, please make sure the earrings I gave you last time don’t lose their magic. And remind the kids about how to use them occasionally.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve registered everyone’s fingerprints and established escape signals. I read the manual and found out they can be activated with magic patterns too, so we’re also training with that.”
Only then did Jin-ha nod, seemingly reassured.
“Maybe… just maybe there could be unexpected situations, so I’m counting on you.”
“I know. There’s an old saying that marital fights are like cutting water with a knife, but that’s not always true. If something happens, I’ll take the kids and escape safely.”
“Please refrain from mentioning unnecessary old sayings.”
Despite Jin-ha’s cold rebuke and irritated glare, Seo Ji-seop wasn’t intimidated at all and asked with a meaningful expression:
“But what kind of unexpected situations are you talking about?”
“Stop prying and go to your class. Don’t try to skip class sneakily. And about the report you submitted last time, why did you—”
“Oh my, I’m really late for class. I have to hurry. Studying at this age—my brain is too old to keep up with the kids.”
Seo Ji-seop cut off Jin-ha’s nagging and complained before leaving the mansion. It was a natural, swift movement. Using Hunter abilities for such things—he really was an incorrigible man.
Jin-ha shook his head. The mansion was quiet with all the residents gone. That quietness rolled a ball of worries down a hill that he had temporarily forgotten. Like rolling through a snowy field, the worry ball gradually grew larger and approached rapidly, threatening to crush him.
Bang!
A sound like a firecracker exploding and sparkling colorful powder pulled him from his thoughts. Jin-ha jumped up from his seat, startled by the small explosion, purple smoke, and sparkling powder that appeared before him, but what actually materialized was just a palm-sized purple butterfly.
The butterfly hovered in the air, flapping its wings. After rolling his eyes briefly, Jin-ha opened his Information Eye while still on guard.
[ Riyekan’s Message ]
Come right now
The moment he read the information, the butterfly turned into sparkling powder and disappeared.
Jin-ha’s mouth fell open unconsciously.
He could send messages like this? To make a butterfly created with magic have its name and information read like this, he would need to perfectly understand the structure and state of the information Jin-ha could read. Otherwise, he couldn’t gauge how Jin-ha would read whatever he created.
Ironically, Riyekan’s genius, which Jin-ha hadn’t felt when he had easily displayed numerous spells until now, struck him at this moment. He could understand how Legas felt when he recited the great magician’s achievements with an expression bordering on madness.
Could this man possibly recreate Jin-ha’s Information Eye with magic? It was both chilling and amazing to consider. If the Information Eye could be created as an item, Jin-ha’s value might plummet. But in exchange, more people would have a higher chance of survival.
As he was lost in thought, another small explosion occurred before his eyes. The second butterfly that appeared amidst the beautiful light also contained information.
[ Riyekan’s Message ]
Red? Or black?
What did this mean?
Though he knew it was a ploy to make him curious, it was hard to resist. Jin-ha forgot he had been dreaming of taking a day off and began preparing to leave.
He was curious about the nature of this trick, and he also wanted to ask about the butterfly and how it worked. He hurriedly cleared the table, grabbed his coat, and headed toward the tower.
* * *
When Jin-ha arrived at Riyekan’s room, he encountered an unbelievable sight.
“…What’s going on here?”
Jeidrus Ertolic.
Jeidrus, Riyekan’s blood relative and the subject of his terrible trauma, was sitting on one side of the sofa, looking nervous while organizing papers. Jin-ha hesitated, bewildered by Jeidrus who brightened upon seeing him.
Riyekan didn’t answer but glanced at Jeidrus. When Jeidrus tensed up and began examining the papers again, Riyekan turned to Jin-ha and abruptly asked:
“Red? Or black?”
“What does that—”
“Choose. Red? Black?”
“You have to tell me what this is about—”
“Choose.”
“…Red.”
Riyekan then strode toward the sofa and stood in front of an unfamiliar piece of furniture. No, looking closely, it wasn’t furniture but a gambling roulette. Though it looked somewhat different from those on Earth, it was definitely a roulette wheel.
Before Jin-ha could ask what was going on, Riyekan threw the marble he was holding into the roulette. The marble rotated along the curved inner wall, slowly descending. Compartments divided into black and red awaited the marble.
“Here, this boy helped find your gift.”
Riyekan referred to his brother in a really strange way. Jin-ha hesitated before replying, “I see.”
“At first, he asked me to become the head of the Ertolic family. How shameless. As if I would return to that pathetic position now? It would only be troublesome.”
“Of course not, Master.”
Legas quickly interjected. His eyes, glaring at Jeidrus, burned with hostility. It seemed Legas was afraid of losing Riyekan to Jeidrus.
“When I refused, he asked to be allowed into the tower. His intentions are obvious, aren’t they?”
“That’s right, Master.”
Jin-ha ignored Legas, who was playing along like a sycophant, and turned to Jeidrus. He lowered his gaze, fidgeted, and then explained in a small voice:
“The head of the Ertolic family entering the tower would show that the Ertolic family is bowing their heads, which wouldn’t be bad for you either, brother. It could also silence those who gossip about past events.”
“Your real intention?”
“If I enter the tower, it would appear that you’re backing us, so the royal family wouldn’t treat us carelessly, that kind of thing…”
“And?”
“If you don’t help me, I’ll run away.”
Despite shrinking his shoulders and trembling under Riyekan’s interrogation, Jeidrus insisted to the end.
Run away?
Jin-ha stared at Jeidrus, dumbfounded. Riyekan snorted as if incredulous.
“See? Look at him trying to threaten me.”
“Um… is that a threat?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
