A Change of Heart #2
The Doctor’s urgent voice crackled through the phone. I kept my tone low so Adele wouldn’t overhear.
“Jihyeok! I’m heading to the lab right now…”
“It’s fine. Take a rest.”
“Ha, but… there are two monsters…!”
“I’ve already sent Sehwa and Miss Yuria ahead. I’ll keep Silvia and Adele on standby as well. If anything goes wrong, we can send reinforcements through the lab portal, so calm down. There’s no need to get this worked up.”
The Doctor’s sigh of relief was audible even over the line.
“That’s reassuring, but…”
“Where are you right now?”
“At a yoga studio… Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Don’t worry and finish what you’re doing.”
“Yes… I’m counting on you…”
I ended the call and glanced at Adele, who was stammering in the corner while trying to give Silvia the lab’s address.
“U-um… the address is… Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul… Which part of Eunpyeong-gu was it again…”
She was spiraling. I stepped closer and held out my hand. Adele practically shoved the phone into it.
“Hello, Miss Silvia?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
I gave her the exact address in a clear, measured voice. After she answered that she was on her way, I ended the call and handed the phone back to Adele.
She had returned to the control panel and was fidgeting, clearly at a loss. I spoke gently.
“Sit beside me. And stay calm.”
“Ah, yes…!”
She scurried over and planted herself in the chair, body rigid as a statue. She wasn’t even blinking. I let out a soft, tired laugh and gave her back a couple of light pats.
“The two monsters that appeared are upper B-class. With Sehwa and Miss Yuria working together, they should have no trouble handling them.”
“R-really…? Where are they right now?”
“They took the Device-linked portal and have already arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel. By the way, Adele, I heard you handled the monster at the Grand Canyon quite calmly. Why are you so tense this time?”
“Ah, that’s right… Haaa…”
She placed a hand over her heart and exhaled slowly. I shook my head, then manipulated the keyboard. Monitor 1 showed the two portals about to open along Tel Aviv’s coastline. Monitor 2 displayed the expected arrival point for Sehwa and Yuria.
As usual, the grotesque maw of the monster portal began to yawn open. At the same moment, a brilliant flash erupted from Camera 2. Sehwa and Yuria had arrived, already transformed into Beast Slayers.
“Waaah…!”
Adele’s eyes sparkled with open admiration as she watched them. I had to admit, the sight was impressive.
Soon the portal’s jaws split wide, and two red-skinned creatures resembling goblins—one wielding an axe, the other a spear—emerged.
Adele had been frowning since the portal first appeared. When the monsters stepped through, she recoiled as if watching a brutal slasher film and made a gagging motion.
“Ugh… They’re so gross!”
Her first real impression of a monster is that it’s gross… You really are something else.
She seemed to have shaken off her tension. Time to earn a few more points.
I switched the communicator to broadcast throughout the entire lab and issued my orders.
“Fortunately we arrived before the monsters could rampage. Eliminate them quickly, but your highest priority is protecting civilians.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
I caught Adele stealing a quick glance at my face. Though my eyes stayed on the monitors, I could sense she was smiling. She must have liked that I put humans first. Just as planned.
After a swift scan of the monsters’ bodies, I gave the next command.
“They’re humanoid, so the weak point is the neck. Begin.”
They acknowledged and watched the creatures twirling their weapons. Then—
With a thunderous kick that split the air, Sehwa shot forward. At the same time, Yuria released her arrow.
The monsters managed to block several of Sehwa’s sword strikes, but Yuria’s arrows slowed them down. After a brief exchange of blows, the fight ended. Both creatures lost their heads to Sehwa’s blade, crumbling into dust and vanishing.
Since the match had been rigged from the start, it wrapped up quickly.
Once Sehwa and Yuria finished their report and withdrew, I left the cleanup to the World Coalition under Jennifer Cash’s name. There were zero civilian casualties and no structural damage, so the Coalition would handle the aftermath without delay.
Argentina would probably protest, demanding to know why they hadn’t received the same swift assistance as Israel. When that news reached the Doctor, her disappointment in humanity would deepen. It would also accelerate her eventual defection. Everything was proceeding smoothly. There were no loose ends.
Still, casually erasing two upper B-class monsters—threats that could be considered high-ranking—would surely ignite fury among the monster ranks. Even so, none of them would dare betray me. As a benevolent Demon King, I decided I should at least offer some reward to those who had been close to the fallen.
With my thoughts settled, I dropped my head onto the control panel and let out a long sigh.
“Haa…”
Adele asked, voice laced with concern, “Why are you like that?”
“I always get extremely tense whenever monsters appear. It’s only now that I can finally relax a little.”
“You didn’t look nervous at all, Jihyeok.”
“I’m the one responsible for leading the two of them alongside the Doctor. I also have to prevent innocent people from getting hurt or killed… So I try my best to remain calm until the situation is fully resolved.”
Adele scooted her chair closer until our shoulders nearly touched. Then she patted my back the way one might praise a pet. The gesture was both endearing and comical; I had to fight to keep a smile from breaking across my face.
Whether she sensed my inner struggle or not, she continued in a serious tone.
“Even someone seeing this kind of situation for the first time—like me—can tell you handled it perfectly, Jihyeok. Silvia unnie and I will soon be fighting on the front lines just like Sehwa and Yuria unnie. I hope you’ll continue to guide us well.”
“I’ll do my best. Thank you.”
“You must be mentally and physically drained. Let me offer a prayer to give you strength.”
Don’t! Please! I’m not tired at all!
“Almighty Lord…”
She was really doing it. I tried to tune her out.
Golden energy shimmered around her as she murmured her prayer. I was busy ignoring it when my phone rang. The caller was Silvia. A perfect rescue.
I raised a hand to stop Adele and answered immediately.
“Yes, Miss Silvia.”
“I’ve arrived at the place you mentioned. What now?”
“Just a moment. I’ll be right out.”
“Come out? The monsters are still in Israel…”
“The situation has ended. The monsters were eliminated by Sehwa and Yuria.”
“Haa… That’s a relief. Were there any civilian casualties?”
As expected of an Aether compatible. That sense of justice is still strong.
“None. I’ll come get you shortly, so please wait.”
“Okay.”
Silvia’s reaction upon seeing the lab was similar to Adele’s—impressed—but she didn’t make a fuss. She simply followed the excited Adele with wide eyes as the latter gave her a tour.
“This is the Doctor’s private lounge! You’re not allowed to enter without permission!”
Watching Adele, the senior by a few days, earnestly warning Silvia about the rules brought a smile to my face.
I stayed quiet until Adele finished the tour, then approached Silvia.
“What do you think? It may not compare to the facilities on your home planet, but they’re still quite decent, aren’t they?”
“It’s beyond what I imagined. I’d heard about it from Adele, but seeing it in person is even more astonishing. Even on our advanced world, we never had machines like these. The medical equipment especially caught my eye—it’s incredible.”
She seemed genuinely moved. For someone as reserved as Silvia to speak this openly, the impression must have been deep. A quiet swell of pride rose in my chest—not merely because she liked the lab, but because the genius who built it now belonged to me.
“The Doctor created everything you see.”
“She must be remarkable… You mentioned you collaborated with her on consumable weapons, right?”
“Yes. But now that Sehwa and Yuria have grown so much stronger, we rarely need them. These days I focus mainly on crafting Devices or monitoring global conditions from the control panel.”
“That’s still impressive… Aren’t you being too modest?”
“Thank you for saying so. First, I’ll register your biometric data with the lab. Please follow me.”
“Okay.”
Silvia calmly completed the scan and access verification. Adele watched her with a slightly deflated expression, clearly comparing her own earlier frightened whining to Silvia’s composed demeanor.
“You’ve worked hard. It’s done.”
As I spoke, adjusting the panel, Silvia stepped close and gave my back a light pat.
“Good work. Thanks.”
“Not at all.”
“You said the situation was resolved. Are we disbanding now?”
“Not yet. This is the first time two monsters have appeared at once, so I plan to monitor things from the lab for the next day or so.”
Silvia’s expression grew serious. “You think they’ll appear again?”
“Honestly, the chances are slim. An upper B-class monster was annihilated in seconds; Tyrat won’t act recklessly. Still, if something does happen, it would be catastrophic. Better to stay vigilant.”
“That makes sense. So what should we do? Wait here?”
“There’s no need. One moment…”
I retrieved two disposable portals from the storage room and handed one to each of them.
“I made these shortly after I first arrived at the lab. Press the center button and throw it on the ground. Light will rise, and it will connect directly to the lab’s warehouse. Contact me and come straight through.”
Silvia examined the device closely and let out an admiring hum. “It’s incredibly precise… You made this yourself?”
“Yes. Because it’s still unrefined, there are side effects.”
“What kind?”
“Dizziness. The warped space inside is truly… horrible. Ordinary people tend to complain, but for Aether users like you and Adele, it should be negligible.”
“I see… Can you give us more?”
“Unfortunately the quantity is limited. Soon I’ll retrieve a portal from Miss Yuria’s residence and install it in Uijeongbu.”
This was essentially my declaration that I was ready to deploy all four of them in earnest. Silvia nodded, brightening.
“Understood. Then can we head back now?”
“Yes. The Doctor and I will take shifts watching the lab, so please go rest.”
“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“It’s our job—mine and the Doctor’s—to shoulder as much responsibility as possible so all of you can continue living your normal lives. I’ve already grown used to it, so don’t worry.”
“All right. Then I’ll be going.”
Silvia gave me a grateful look, then walked over to Adele, who stood a couple of steps away.
“I’m heading out to train. What about you?”
“I… will study the Bible with Jihyeok before I go.”
She didn’t even ask my opinion. I had grown used to it by now.
“Okay. Take a taxi, then.”
“Yes, unnie.”
Silvia gave me a cool little wave and left the lab. Adele kept waving until the door closed, then turned to me.
“Jihyeok.”
“Why aren’t you going to rest…”
“You’d be bored by yourself, and I want to study with you. But before that… I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
Adele carefully tucked the disposable portal into her bookbag. Then she looked up at me, eyes brimming with disappointment.
“Why didn’t you give me one of these when I first came to the lab?”
Her tone and expression were full of hurt. This wasn’t jealousy toward Silvia. She was simply testing whether I distrusted her childish side. Even though I had told her to speak directly, she still approached the subject this roundabout way. Adele can be so timid at times like this. I needed to soothe her before she sulked.
“There was no major incident back then. Today is different. We don’t know when Tyrat might lead an army here, so I decided you should have one for emergencies.”
“So you don’t distrust me?”
“Not in the slightest. You’re misunderstanding.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Why would I ever distrust you, Adele? Shall I be completely honest? It isn’t right to show favoritism, but… I actually trust you more than Miss Silvia.”
Adele’s face lit up like the sun. Her voice turned warm and affectionate.
“Thank you for the kind words, but you should trust Silvia unnie just as much as me. Treat us as completely equal. All right?”
“It might be difficult… but I’ll try my best.”
“I’ll help you from the side! Enough small talk—let’s move to the lounge! The monster interrupted our study, so today I’m not going home until late!”
Without waiting for my reply, she marched toward the lounge. I let out a helpless laugh, took two bottles of water from the mini-fridge, and followed her.
Adele’s favorability toward me was rising steadily—both as a man and as a comrade.