# 79
“If that disappears, the Abon royal family will try to make me the head of the Ertolic family. Even if I refuse, they’ll cling to me persistently. If I become the head of the Ertolic family, I’ll be able to give royal commands for things that currently require requesting from the tower.”
The Noon Moon Tower didn’t take sides with any particular country. Occasionally they would participate in wars between territories as mercenaries for a price, but it was the tower’s policy to stay out of matters that could escalate into national wars.
The wars Riyekan had participated in were all conflicts between territories or battles to stop monster invasions.
His achievements had been so remarkable that even now, when Riyekan made a move, messengers from each country would fly. So the Abon Kingdom wouldn’t miss the opportunity to have him under their command.
Perhaps the reason they sent Jeidrus to the tower in the first place was hoping Riyekan would kill him. After all, the story of how Riyekan had been expelled from the heir position and came to the tower was quite famous.
Riyekan roughly swept back his hair as if disgusted. Jin-ha cautiously asked.
“Then wouldn’t it be better to just accept him into the tower?”
“I can’t give in so easily.”
Riyekan smiled crookedly while looking at the marble inside the roulette.
“If the marble lands on the red section, I’ll accept him into the tower, and if it lands on the black section, I’ll assign a mage to him so he can’t escape and then kick him out.”
“What? You’re deciding what to do with this marble?”
“Yes. That boy’s fate depends on the color Hunter Lee Jin-ha chooses. Isn’t that fun?”
Riyekan asked in a theatrical tone.
Jin-ha nervously focused on the sight of the marble gradually slowing down. Not only Jeidrus but even Legas couldn’t take their eyes off the marble.
‘But isn’t this strange?’
Would Riyekan, the master of the Noon Moon Tower and called the god of the tower, leave his choice to a mere roulette? The Riyekan that Jin-ha had been observing wasn’t someone who would entrust his course of action to something like a roulette.
If he really didn’t want to deal with him, he would have left him to live or die on his own, and similarly left the Ertolic family to Legas’s care without caring.
So the reason for this charade was clearly because he didn’t completely dislike Jeidrus.
“Yes. It’s a bit fun.”
Jin-ha nodded compliantly.
Whatever had happened between them, it seemed encouraging that Riyekan had begun to overcome his trauma, beyond the issue of the brothers’ relationship improving or deteriorating.
Before they knew it, everyone had gathered around the roulette, waiting for the marble to stop. The marble rolled longer than expected, and it was visible that Riyekan’s patience was gradually wearing thin.
Click.
When the marble finally stopped, Jeidrus clenched his fist.
“It’s red.”
Riyekan frowned with a stiff face.
“…Legas.”
“Yes, Master. I will proceed with Mr. Jeidrus’s tower entry procedure.”
“There’s nothing special to do. It’s not even the formal entry period now… Right, put him in with those kids’ classes.”
“What? No matter what, a beginner-level class is…”
Even if the standard was somewhat lower compared to the Noon Moon Tower, putting Jeidrus, the heir of a magic family, in a beginner class with people from Earth didn’t make sense. It wouldn’t benefit either party.
However, before he could say more, Jeidrus gently interjected.
“The family’s teachings weren’t suitable for me. So I think it would be good to go over the basics again.”
“See?”
With the brothers speaking thus, Legas nodded without further comment.
“Are your preparations for departure ready?”
“I’ll be done once I move a bit more of my belongings.”
“Go down first and finish preparations. We’ll talk a bit more and then come.”
“Yes, Master.”
After Legas and Jeidrus left, leaving the two of them alone, Jin-ha unconsciously watched Riyekan’s reactions.
Riyekan, leaning against the roulette, abruptly asked.
“How’s your physical condition?”
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“Yesterday, why did you become like that?”
Jin-ha explained while trying not to imagine yesterday’s events at the expression “like that.”
“Do you know about abnormal statuses?”
Riyekan shook his head.
“It refers to the phenomenon where an abnormal condition such as electric shock, burns, or fever persists.”
“That was an abnormal status?”
“…Yes. I’m not sure what kind of abnormal status it is. I can’t see it with my eyes either.”
“What’s the treatment method?”
“There’s an abnormal status removal potion. What I drank yesterday was also an abnormal status removal potion, but since a high-grade potion didn’t remove it…”
“Then you should just drink a higher grade.”
Riyekan, the master of the Noon Moon Tower, wealthy and a great mage, said as if he couldn’t understand. At this response, like an unworldly rich young master, Jin-ha felt irritated.
“The top-grade potions are barely enough for dungeon use.”
“But if you need it, you should use it.”
“It’s fine. I can’t use something so valuable when my condition isn’t critical.”
When Jin-ha declined, Riyekan tilted his head and twisted the corner of his lips. Jin-ha couldn’t help but feel tense. That was the expression Riyekan made when he was getting irritated and crooked.
“When I look at it, Hunter Lee Jin-ha unnecessarily worries about others too much. Tsk, fine. Then I’ll add top-grade abnormal status removal potion to the next trade items. No, not next time, I’ll have it procured today.”
He meant that once procured, he would give it to Jin-ha. Jin-ha was confused whether to be angry at Riyekan for ordering him to immediately get a top-grade abnormal status removal potion, or to be grateful to Riyekan for giving him such an expensive trade item.
The only clear thing was that the man in front of him was angry. Jin-ha decided to try to appease Riyekan first.
“Riyekan, my abnormal status will disappear in 11 days anyway. Until then, I can manage by taking high-grade potions daily.”
“It’s not being managed.”
“It is.”
“It wasn’t, was it?”
“At that time…!”
Riyekan lifted his chin as if saying, try to make an excuse.
“Even though you’re not an omega, you couldn’t keep still, like an omega in heat. Hmm?”
Riyekan, who had been deliberately exaggerating to taunt him, suddenly contorted his face. His expression turning fierce in an instant, Riyekan stepped right up to Jin-ha’s face and barked.
“You didn’t do this with just anyone on Earth, did you?”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“Do you think I’d just stand by and watch Hunter Lee Jin-ha in heat cling to anyone? I told you to refuse if you could, but that didn’t mean you could play around with just anyone. As long as you have those feelings for me, Hunter Lee Jin-ha shouldn’t rub dicks with anyone else. Understand?”
With both shoulders gripped, Jin-ha was too bewildered to say anything.
“Why aren’t you answering? Don’t tell me you really did it with some other bastard on Earth…!”
“Wait. Wait, stop…”
“I’m asking if you did it!”
“I didn’t!”
Only after he shouted did Riyekan’s excitement subside. Jin-ha grabbed Riyekan’s arm, who was still looking at him askew as if demanding an explanation, and sat down on the sofa.
Fortunately, despite his displeased expression, Riyekan let himself be dragged along as if he had no choice. Jin-ha held his hand, comforting him, and began to speak.
“Now, please listen to me.”
“I’ll listen all you want, but first understand that my standards and Hunter Lee Jin-ha’s regarding whether you did or didn’t do something might differ.”
“What? How can they differ?”
“Considering that Hunter Lee Jin-ha, who said he doesn’t do anything with someone he’s not dating, came at me in heat yesterday…”
Jin-ha got upset and covered Riyekan’s mouth. Riyekan raised his eyebrows, but even in the face of his threatening gaze, Jin-ha didn’t back down and pressed his hand more firmly over Riyekan’s mouth. So that not a sound could escape.
“Please! Stop saying ‘in heat’.”
Jin-ha rubbed his eyes with his free hand. Having heard words he never thought he would hear in his life, he felt dizzy. In heat for a human!
“I swear, yesterday was the first time that happened. On Earth, even though I had a slight fever, I was fine looking at anyone. But when I saw you…!”
Having rushed and said something he shouldn’t have, Jin-ha closed his mouth and averted his gaze. He couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Riyekan, quick to notice this, removed Jin-ha’s hand and asked subtly.
“When you saw me?”
“……”
Riyekan questioned him again unhurriedly.
“You were fine with other people, but went into heat when you saw me?”
“That’s not it.”
“What? Then you go into heat seeing other people too?”
“I’m saying I wasn’t in heat!”
“If that wasn’t heat, then what was it?”
“Just… a bit of… that urge…”
Riyekan looked at Jin-ha, who had his eyes tightly shut, as if watching a mischievous child, then sighed deeply.
“Fine, I’ll believe you.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Yes, I said I believe you.”
Riyekan’s smile was extremely arrogant.
The misunderstanding was cleared, and he didn’t have to procure a top-grade abnormal status removal potion. He had achieved everything he wanted, but Jin-ha somehow felt like he had lost everything.
Next to the exhausted Jin-ha, Riyekan was wearing a very fresh smile. Jin-ha thought it was a smile he wanted to slap, but he couldn’t bring himself to act and quietly changed the subject.
“More importantly, what really happened?”
“What? Ah, you mean about Jeidrus.”
You called him ‘that boy’ earlier?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
