Suddenly, I was grabbed by the collar by Kessler and struggled in surprise. The Golden Hour Hand, which had been loosely draped over my bag, fell onto the blanket. Kessler, who had been staring at the fallen hand, picked it up.
It was a chance to explain.
“Of course.”
“…”
“My master is only Kessler.”
The words that came out reflexively to soothe him were half true. The person I care about the most right now is you. That’s why I came running without even calculating my vacation period, regardless of quests or anything else.
He looked at me as if measuring the truth.
“Da-hoon is just a colleague who cooperates with me. I came because I wanted to see Kessler. It took a lot of courage to come here.”
“You gave the tail I gave you away?”
The focus was elsewhere. Kessler, being an NPC, couldn’t understand everything.
Also, I couldn’t make him understand everything. He is a game character, and I am a person who has to return to reality. In the process of solving the quest, I had to use him as much as possible, so it was natural for us to be out of sync and have a lack of communication.
In fact, I could have just glossed over it with nice-sounding words. It was true that I had been subtly avoiding it under the pretext of being busy. The more I saw him, the more affection I felt, and I had to firmly tie up the growing emotions. …But since I’ve come this far.
I started speaking honestly.
“I’ll tell you the reason I gave the tail honestly. My occupation is a thief.”
“Aren’t you a perfumer?”
“I have two occupations.”
“…”
“And Da-hoon’s job isn’t very upright either. When a user becomes a noble, they gain the right to see other users’ jobs. We had to prevent someone else from becoming a noble because we had to hide our jobs. Do you understand so far?”
Kessler, who silently nodded, listened intently to my story.
“Nobles can have various rights and can be hated by people. Just like the masked men tried to harm me, I could be in danger at any time if I become a noble. So I set up Da-hoon as a scapegoat. Look now. How do you think I came here?”
“Because you wanted to see me?”
“Yes… I came because I asked Da-hoon for a vacation ticket. To see you.”
“So, you didn’t love that guy, but he was your lackey, right?”
Even though I nodded, Kessler looked at me again as if measuring my sincerity. He stared without blinking, so I held his face and made him blink once.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance that I sold the tail. It’s a stupid excuse, but I didn’t think there would be a misunderstanding because of this. I said I was going to see my master! I got a vacation ticket from my lackey to come here.”
I snatched the hand that Kessler was holding and stuck it behind his ear.
“I came to give you all my time.”
“Really?”
The tense atmosphere that had been lingering in the space loosened. His heart melted, and the sensitivity of the shadow softened.
Kessler’s ears, staring at me, turned red.
“Did I really misunderstand? Not trusting you again…”
[System]: The master of the Shadow Castle’s heart melts away.
‘…They even give notifications for this?’
It was fortunate, but I laughed hollowly.
* * *
The Bone Density Enhancement Center recorded the highest operating profit this year.
[System]: Due to the rise in prices, the cost of raw materials has increased, so the treatment price will be raised.
The business secret was to suck the bone marrow of ordinary skeletons by increasing the treatment fee by 5%.
Kessler, one of the major shareholders, was scheduled to appear splendidly at the celebration party disguised as a shareholders’ meeting. He neatly fixed his bangs and put a gold bridge on the nine-tailed fox tail attached to his hip.
“Not bad.”
Kessler, who checked his appearance in the mirror, smiled satisfactorily.
As far as Kessler knew, Yeo Woo-rim was also scheduled to attend the party today. He had become a major shareholder of the Bone Density Enhancement Center by selling his tail.
The more familiar the person, the more splendid they look when they meet in a special place, so he paid more attention to his appearance than usual.
“…”
But no matter how long he waited, Yeo Woo-rim did not come. He couldn’t even find his name on the list of participants.
“Hey, Money King Skeleton.”
-Yes, Kessler.
“Who did you buy the tail from?”
-Fox, fox.
“Yeo Woo-rim?”
– Click!
“But why isn’t he on the list?”
At that moment, he saw Da-hoon hesitantly entering the party venue. He didn’t know his name, but he knew he was acquainted with Yeo Woo-rim. Kessler approached him.
“Hey.”
“Huh? Me? Hello, Kessler.”
“What’s your name?”
“I… I’m Jung Da-hoon.”
Kessler stared at him for a moment and then suddenly checked the invitation list again.
Jung Da-hoon – 18.59% stake
He stared at it. 18.59%. That was exactly the same stake Yeo Woo-rim had obtained by selling his tail.
Jung Da-hoon came instead of Yeo Woo-rim. Yeo Woo-rim’s money went to Jung Da-hoon. Yeo Woo-rim, who sold the tail I gave him, gave that money to Jung Da-hoon…
It was unconditional love. There was no other explanation possible. Just as I generously gave to the baby fox, the baby fox also gave to Jung Da-hoon.
The moment he realized the direction of the baby fox’s heart, all the strength in his body drained away. The nine tails he had carefully adorned with gold bridges drooped and dragged on the floor.
Kessler turned around and left the party venue weakly.
Kessler, who came out to the deserted alley behind Skeleton Village, sat on the stone wall and thought for a long time. It was more like trying to hold onto his shaking mentality rather than thinking.
Yeo Woo-rim loves Jung Da-hoon. Moreover, he is wholeheartedly supporting him with all his fortune. Only then did all the puzzle pieces fit together.
“And Mr. Jung Da-hoon… is my lackey.”
The desperate efforts to protect Jung Da-hoon and the moments when he turned off his location settings to hide his whereabouts… So that was it.
Those facts hurt his bones like common skeleton words.
“Bring me a glass of butter beer.”
He moved to a nearby pub, but even a sweet beer couldn’t easily heal his wounded heart. Just as he was about to take his second glass.
[Relationship Panel]: A new feed has been posted in the gallery.
“What…”
[Relationship Panel]: A new feed has been posted in the gallery.
[Relationship Panel]: A new feed has been posted in the gallery.
Kessler rubbed his half-closed eyes and entered the Relationship Panel. The gallery had several out-of-focus photos that seemed to have been taken in a hurry.
A photo of lemonade being dynamically shaken by a masked man, a photo of the masked man drawing a sword from his bosom, a photo that seemed to be grabbing the collar of the photographer…
“Ask Jung Da-hoon for help.”
You only look for me at times like this.
“Naughty baby fox.”
Kessler put down the beer he was about to drink and stood up.
…He was already quite drunk, and everything was done in a fit of anger.
The lemonade splashed on Kessler’s face with a dying scream. The taste of it, which clung to his cheek and flowed down with blood, was as strong as the concentrate.
A warning sound rang in his ears. With the warning sound, the world he saw flickered redder than ever before. The black world turned red, then black again, flickering dizzily.
It was a warning against excessive intervention. But even without the warning, Kessler’s world was already blood-red.
He indifferently threw away the dagger dripping with blood. The blade scraped the floor, making a sharp sound. He wiped the blood on his hands on the clothes of the dead.
“That’s enough. It was a crime of passion.”
Only then did the system stop making noise.
Next, Kessler grabbed Yeo Woo-rim by the collar and pulled him up.
“…”
Today, it was a face he especially wanted to see, and at the same time, a face he didn’t want to see. That face turned red and faded into darkness. Then, for a moment, Kessler’s body staggered.
At that moment, a cleaning skeleton who came to dispose of the corpse found the two.
“Take care of the patient before the corpse.”
-Click!
“Take him and treat him.”
-Click!
Kessler, who had entrusted Yeo Woo-rim to the cleaning skeleton, staggered and collapsed on the spot.
It felt like his once intact world had been thoroughly shattered.
The master of the Shadow Castle built the castle while waiting for his protector who would never return. This castle was completed with betrayal as its driving force. Thus, for the people of the castle, ‘betrayal’ was the first illegal act.
Kessler also hated betrayal. This was close to an imprint engraved in his instincts. So he should have ignored it. He shouldn’t have cared whether Yeo Woo-rim was killed by the masked men or not.
…But he couldn’t. The world still flickered red and black repeatedly. It was a punishment for condoning betrayal.
“The arrest warrant has arrived. There are no mitigating factors.”
A 40-day sentence for killing three players.
Compared to the 7-day sentence he received for suffocating hundreds of thousands of bats with shadows before, it was a heavy consequence for just killing three players.
“It seems to be an aggravated punishment for previous minor incidents.”
“Those guys must have been plotting against me all along.”
“It’s definitely excessive. And it was done under the influence of alcohol. Would you like to proceed with a request for a reduced sentence?”
“It’s fine. I’ll just go.”
Until now, he had tried to avoid going, counting the days. But now there was no need for that.
Before leaving for the Shadow Tower Prison, Kessler checked the Relationship Panel one last time.
He considered deleting the photos in the gallery but decided against it. All he had to do was go into the settings and disconnect the link.
Couple Account Deposit: 1 won
Message left: What’s going on?
Couple Account Deposit: 1 won
Message left: I want to see your face and talk
Couple Account Deposit: 1 won
Message left: I wish I could see you
Couple Account Deposit: 1 won
Message left: Is something bothering you?
Couple Account Deposit: 1,000 won
Message left: I miss you
“…Even if you apologize for your mistakes, I can’t accept it. You went too far. You played with my heart.”
Today, Yeo Woo-rim seemed to be signaling for him to come, revealing his location. After a moment of hesitation, Kessler followed the blinking light.
There, Yeo Woo-rim was sitting alone, eating snacks. As if all the happenings in the world had nothing to do with him, he looked peaceful.
“Huh? Kessler?”
“Illegal dumping of garbage within the castle.”
“…”
“Haven’t you come to your senses even after paying such a fine?”
“But it’s something Kessler does all the time? I just learned from watching…”
“Don’t be mistaken. Just because I talked to you a few times, do you think a little baby fox like you can do the same things as me?”
Silence flowed between the two.
In truth, he wanted to ask. About the reason for giving all his fortune to Jung Da-hoon. But at the same time, he didn’t want to hear it. Their relationship was something he didn’t need to know about. And above all, he didn’t have the courage to confirm Yeo Woo-rim’s feelings for someone other than himself.
“…Didn’t you come because you missed me? Are you angry about something? Talk to me.”
“I just saw you littering in the castle on my way.”
And so, Kessler turned away.
