"Wow."
The moment I saw the person's face, I couldn't help but let out an exclamation of surprise, which was rude, but it was clear that the fairy blood flowing through Han Jae-young was much stronger than I had initially thought.
As soon as Han Jae-young saw me after my one-week vacation, he immediately extended his hand.
"Come on, try grabbing it."
"That's an unpleasant thing to say. Why should I?"
"Hey, we're at the point where we can hold hands, right?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Is this something you should say to the head of the institution who gave you a whole week off without any questions?"
"......"
"And who was it that provided an alibi, telling Jeong Da-jeong that it would take a week to clear the dungeon?"
"Grab it, grab it."
I clicked my tongue and grabbed Han Jae-young's hand.
Of course, Han Jae-young wasn't particularly eager to have physical contact with me, but rather, he just needed an excuse to assess my stats.
'There's no need to hide it anymore.'
At least, I hoped he'd take this chance to properly assess my abilities and stop being so reckless.
With that intention in mind, Han Jae-young grabbed my outstretched hand and his eyes widened in surprise.
Well, I suppose it's a good thing. Perhaps because he was part fairy, the magical power I felt through his skin was bearable.
"Huh... Huhhh..."
Han Jae-young kept exclaiming.
"Did you forget how to speak human?"
"I wasn't really planning to ask, but what exactly were you in your past life?"
"A great magician."
"I get that you were a great magician, but... shouldn't you start training again since you're born anew? Was this even possible just six months after awakening?"
Han Jae-young looked quite shocked.
Though he knew I was a reincarnated soul, I guess he never expected me to be this strong.
"After being reincarnated... well, Jeong Da-on's talent was pretty good too."
"So, you're saying you were born with talent twice... Did you accumulate some incredible virtue in your past life?"
"......"
I didn't really expect the system to interpret me as a saint this way. Just as the system was ridiculous, I was equally baffled.
'...Could it have been so easy to mistake me for such a person on the outside?'
Han Jae-young did encounter some ambiguous situations that could be misinterpreted.
But still, asking how much virtue I accumulated in my past life... what a ridiculous question.
If Yu Han-ul heard that, he'd pass out.
Han Jae-young only knows that I have a past life, but like Yu Han-ul, he doesn't know the details of who I really am, so he could say things like that.
Han Jae-young continued, unaware of my true nature.
"With this kind of power, you'd probably be one of the most powerful magicians in the world, except for Estella, the head of the association."
Estella, the head of the association...
She was definitely one of the strongest humans I had ever met.
Though, more than her strength, the brightness of her soul, which shone brighter than even Yu Han-ul’s, had left a bigger impression on me.
'That person, now there's someone I'd like to know what kind of virtue they've accumulated.'
At least, she must have accumulated as much as Yu Han-ul.
"...By the way, can we stop this now?"
"Ah."
After brushing off Han Jae-young's persistent hand-waving, I wiped my hands on my clothes and asked.
"Speaking of reincarnation, I have a question."
"Oh, what's that?"
"Your birthplace is the fairy realm, right?"
"Hmm?"
Han Jae-young tilted his head.
"Why the sudden question?"
"I was curious about the fairy realm. Is there any way to contact fairies?"
"Ah, I can't tell you that."
"......Did you stop talking about friendship already?"
"I'm not being mischievous, it's just that we have rules. There are things we can't share with other races... You also have some secrets you shouldn't reveal, right?"
I stared at Han Jae-young.
It sounded reasonable, but...
'The way he's drawing the line by bringing me up, it seems more like he's uncomfortable with something.'
It looked /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ like he was just drawing lines to keep things hidden, and based on that, I could guess his circumstances.
Being a half-fairy and a human, it was a combination that was hard to imagine for most.
'It seems tough on this side.'
I had hoped to gain easy access to the fairy realm through Han Jae-young, but it was looking unlikely.
'Then again, it doesn't matter when Orbis came to Earth, does it?'
There was another more urgent matter at hand.
"Ah, one more question."
"Did you plan this out today?"
"Isn't it about time to separate from Lee Pyeong-hwa?"
I had been clearing low-level dungeons with Lee Pyeong-hwa for several months now.
It was about time I stopped relying on him as a guardian and acted on my own.
As Lee Un-gyeol had suggested, I didn't really have a reason to continue clearing low-level dungeons. But Han Jae-young insisted on sending me to them because of the public eye.
Though he had a valid excuse with the cost, there was still gossip in the air that if an S-rank hunter was stuck in a guild from the beginning, it would look suspicious later on.
It was probably because of these rumors that Han Jae-young had mentioned the press.
"Well, after half a year, I think I've done enough to save face. My reputation has improved enough that no one will question it."
"Well, honestly, public opinion can flip just as easily as turning over the palm of your hand... But it seems like you want to do something separately, don't you?"
"There’s something more urgent."
"Ah, like the dungeon with the 'Foolish Statue' that Lee Un-gyeol was looking for?"
"Yeah."
I nodded.
I still had no intention of joining that quest.
But now, there was no need to deceive Lee Un-gyeol anymore, and spending over half a day clearing low-level dungeons just to save face was a waste of time.
I wanted to find and kill Orbis as soon as possible.
"Anyway, you're going to clear high-level dungeons like Lee Un-gyeol soon. I'll join you in that. Isn’t that more in line with why you brought me to the HP Guild?"
"Hmm, well... I can't deny that the face-saving aspect was part of it, and I'd be fine with high-level dungeon raids..."
Han Jae-young hesitated before speaking.
"Changing this suddenly might upset Lee Pyeong-hwa, though. Are you okay with that?"
"What does it matter?"
I didn't stop Lee Pyeong-hwa from approaching me because I was fond of him.
Given Lee Pyeong-hwa's personality, if he thought of me as a friend, he'd be protective of me, so I had considered him one of my defensive measures in case Lee Un-gyeol figured out my true identity and attacked.
But now, there was no need to stay unnecessarily close.
"Ah, I see."
Han Jae-young smiled subtly at my response.
"Well, it's none of my business. Let’s settle that then... but, since it's your first day back from sick leave, go meet Lee Pyeong-hwa and tell him directly."
"Can't you have Shin Ji-eum Hunter tell him?"
"Shin Ji-eum Hunter is busy, too. It's been over six months now. It’s time to separate from the guardian. Starting today, you and Lee Pyeong-hwa will work separately."
"......"
"Don't even think about trying to call or text him. It's not right to let Lee Pyeong-hwa clear dungeons on his own."
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
"You should have said that earlier."
"Eh?"
We were at a dungeon located on the outskirts of Seoul.
When I told Lee Pyeong-hwa that today would be the last day we'd clear dungeons together, just as I had expected, his expression immediately darkened.
"...I see."
In an instant, his face turned grim, but Lee Pyeong-hwa forced a bright smile, clearly trying to cover it up.
"I knew this would happen. Honestly... the difference in our levels is just too much. It’s better for you to train separately."
"......"
I sighed.
This was exactly why I didn't want to come and talk directly.
He was already training hard, trying to follow me despite the difference, and I knew if I said something like this, he'd probably feel discouraged.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Though, whether he was discouraged or not didn't really matter to me.
"Don’t worry... I won’t. I’ll catch up soon."
'Shut up...'
Friendship... that wasn’t even possible.
I’ll admit that it was interesting to watch Lee Pyeong-hwa grow, but that enjoyment was more like watching my underlings grow, not friendship.
"Yeah, hang in there."
And I had no intention of changing my mind just because it felt a bit awkward.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.
‘Soon, Nam Seong-hee will move.’
During the week I was using sick leave to search for the ‘Golden Ointment,’ James Chen had been keeping an eye on Nam Seong-hee’s movements.
According to his report, Lee Un-gyeol was living as usual, while Nam Seong-hee wasn’t going to the law firm and was in seclusion.
‘She must have been in contact with Theo Yobanovich during this time, and made some decisions.’
If my prediction was correct, Nam Seong-hee wouldn't accept my proposal.
She’d probably use my offer as an excuse to bypass Theo and try to make a deal with Orbis instead.
Given Nam Seong-hee’s personality, she wouldn’t attach herself to some arrogant kid like me, no matter what.
‘If we could track her contact with Orbis, that’d be golden.’
The issue was that I had no clue how Orbis would respond.
And I had already notified Nam Seong-hee about meeting tonight.
‘If Orbis gives direct orders, this could get big.’
That was why I had to distance myself from Lee Pyeong-hwa as quickly as possible.
In the military, I had also unintentionally dragged Lee Pyeong-hwa into a dimensional crash, and it had been a pain dealing with that rookie. I didn’t want to go through something like that again.
"Yeah, I’ll hang in there."
Lee Pyeong-hwa wasn’t the type to wallow in self-pity for long.
"I'll work hard, and there’ll come a day when we’ll work together again... ah, crazy."
Lee Pyeong-hwa suddenly frowned mid-sentence.
His gaze wasn’t on me, but over my shoulder.
"That person... how did they know you were at work today?"
"......What?"
I was only half-listening to Lee Pyeong-hwa’s words when I turned around to look behind me.
There was only one person he could have been referring to.
Sure enough...
"Why are you here?"
A gloomy-looking Lee Un-gyeol was walking toward us.
But that wasn’t all.
"Hello?"
"..."
Standing next to Lee Un-gyeol was a woman who casually greeted me, and I fell silent.
Damn.
"Ah, hello."
Unlike me, Lee Pyeong-hwa, who couldn’t ignore an elder’s polite greeting, quickly returned the greeting.
Nam Seong-hee smiled gracefully as she looked at Lee Pyeong-hwa.
"Your friend has good manners."
I quietly stared at Nam Seong-hee.
She met my gaze confidently with a smile. It was completely different from Lee Un-gyeol, who was desperately avoiding my eyes.
"That's Lee Un-gyeol, right?"
"I heard he’s been following Jeong Da-on around, seems like it's true."
"Then who’s the woman?"
There were quite a few people hanging around since it was a popular spot for lower-level dungeon hunters.
Nam Seong-hee laughed.
"You must be surprised. You didn’t expect me to show up here."
I had to admit that.
‘She’s really good at making people angry.’
Is this what being a lawyer teaches you?
Though I had anticipated Nam Seong-hee would provoke me in some way...
Yeah, honestly, I didn’t think she’d approach me in front of all these people.
Let alone with Lee Un-gyeol by her side.
I subtly gathered my magical power and said,
"I remember our appointment being for tonight."
"That’s right, but I thought daytime would be better."
Nam Seong-hee said, clearly aware of the gazes from the crowd.
"How does it feel to be on the other side of a threat?"
"......"
Sensing the odd atmosphere, Lee Pyeong-hwa moved to step in front of me, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me.
Nam Seong-hee’s eyes lit up with a gleam of delight at the move.
"Hahaha, you two seem to get along well. Looks like threats work."
"Well, maybe you’re considering your son, but you might want to think more carefully."
"Considering my son? I didn’t even think this carefully when I was pregnant with Un-gyeol. Maybe motherhood is a talent you're born with. If so, I guess I don’t have that kind of talent."
Words can sometimes cut deeper than swords.
Nam Seong-hee, full of open disdain and hatred, glanced at her son standing next to her.
"Honestly... the more I see, the more I think you’re a failure. If only you were my daughter, maybe I would have developed some maternal love for you."
Hearing his mother criticize him so suddenly, Lee Un-gyeol’s face went stiff.
"Ugh."
Lee Pyeong-hwa took a small breath.
And it wasn’t just Lee Pyeong-hwa who was taken aback.
Nam Seong-hee’s voice had been loud enough that people who had been glancing over at us started murmuring.
"What, what’s going on? Is that Un-gyeol's mother?"
"Hey, she looks like the lawyer from TV."
"Why is she saying such things?"
"Is she really his mom?"
Realizing that his mother didn’t love him, Lee Un-gyeol’s face turned completely pale.
The fact that he had wanted revenge on his mother showed how much her neglect had hurt him.
He never imagined that this wound would be exposed so publicly.
"Lee Un-gyeol."
I warned him.
"Listen to me."
"What? What is it?"
"Get away from your mother right now. Or else..."
"Hahaha!"
Nam Seong-hee laughed loudly, interrupting my words.
"You really must be a powerful magician. You figured it out already, even before I showed you what I’ve prepared?"
...How could I not know?
The closer those two got, the more I couldn’t have missed it.
"Well, the person who taught me this method warned me. He said you’d figure it out immediately if I gave you room, so he told me to wait for an opening."
The air began to ripple.
Nam Seong-hee had intentionally stirred up emotions.
Her words were calculated.
The magical energy in the air was shifting.
"I thought I made a fairly generous offer, but are you really turning it down this way?"
"I won’t deny your offer was attractive. But you still don’t know me."
Nam Seong-hee pulled out the brooch-like item from her pocket.
The item shifted into a short dagger in her hand.
"You haven’t proven anything yet. I don’t believe in things without proof."
She spun the dagger once and held it tightly.
"So, I decided to trust something more certain."
Seeing Nam Seong-hee suddenly wield the dagger, Lee Pyeong-hwa was startled and tried to pull me away.
"What is that person doing? Jeong Da-on, pi...!"
But in fact, Lee Pyeong-hwa didn’t need to worry about that.
The dagger wasn’t aimed at me.
It had never been meant for me in the first place.
Crack!
With no hesitation, Nam Seong-hee’s dagger pierced the neck of her own son, who had been standing beside her.
"Ugh!"
Lee Un-gyeol collapsed in disbelief.
At the same time, the magical power in him, already agitated by his mother’s words, went completely out of control.
I gritted my teeth.
This was something even I, a great magician, couldn’t stop.
This was violence—violence that a mother was inflicting on her own child.
And it was the moment a soul was destroyed.
Crash!
"...Huh."
I grinned, feeling the storm of magical energy engulfing the area, the sensation of being ripped apart between dimensions.
So this is how it would unfold.