#52 At Dawn (6)
#52 At Dawn (6)
"Did the talk go well?"
I nodded. Lee Eun-ha had left in a rush, but I'd given Kang Tae-jun a heads-up beforehand, so she wouldn't be in trouble. My head was still a little cluttered, but thanks to Lee Eun-ha, I'd sorted out my position. Which meant Kang Tae-jun wouldn't be suspicious of me anymore.
"Glad it worked out. I had something to discuss with you anyway."
"......?"
"This whole trust-building phase... it's about time we put a period on it."
I frowned, puzzled, and Kang Tae-jun nodded at me.
"A dungeon has appeared, and we've been assigned to it. I'd like you to accompany the team."
"...Is it a high-level dungeon?"
Was there a dungeon Dawn couldn't handle? Unless it was something on the level of a Volcanic Horned Dragon...
"I can guess what you're thinking, but it's unlikely you'll need to act under normal circumstances."
"......You want me to play supervisor?"
"Exactly. But only stepping in when things get dangerous is enough. If you, a monster, accompany a dungeon raid and nothing goes wrong, that'll be solid proof that you're safe."
So that's why he called it a period. It wasn't a difficult task, so I nodded.
"However, one of the executives will be accompanying you."
He added that this was just a measure to reassure the clan members and told me not to take offense. I said I understood. A safeguard meant to put people at ease—that rang true. If they actually suspected me, it wouldn't be an executive; Kang Tae-jun himself would have to come.
"Fine by me... When?"
"Two days from now. By then, the matter you asked about should be wrapped up too."
The information about the person I'd asked him to find—I nodded slowly. Faster than I'd expected, but not unwelcome.
"Kyukyukyu!"
—Watching Perry flit through the air, I sorted through the tasks ahead. Because this peaceful downtime only had two days left.
***
"Sorry I'm late...?"
"If you know you're late, hurry up and get in."
Lee Eun-ha had braced herself for an immediate scolding, but surprisingly, there wasn't much of a reaction. She exchanged a silent nod with Baek So-yul, whom she hadn't seen in a while.
"...Figured as much."
Hong Yuri, who had been eyeing Lee Eun-ha for a moment, sniffed the air and then clicked her tongue, jerking her chin toward a seat. Lee Eun-ha sat down immediately at the signal, and Hong Yuri continued.
"You got the Spiritual Medicine too, right? Take it out."
Lee Eun-ha blinked blankly. She had received it, but—how did she know?
"I'm going to help you take it, so take it out."
After a moment of hesitation, Lee Eun-ha produced the Spiritual Medicine. Hong Yuri snatched it and began boiling water in a kettle. She was steeping the medicine, but the issue was that there were two more kettles. Whose they were was blindingly obvious.
"Oh... you have one too?"
"Because I'm an executive."
Lee Eun-ha didn't know the full story behind that curt reply, but she let it go. Press further and she might actually get that scolding after all. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Baek So-yul. After a moment of hesitation, Baek So-yul averted her eyes slightly and said,
"I take mine directly..."
Come to think of it, Alpha saved her... Recalling that fact, Lee Eun-ha nodded with a slightly bitter feeling. She'd assumed Baek So-yul had just gone and gotten it on her own, but apparently not. She clicked her tongue at herself for jumping to conclusions. It wasn't that her gratitude or anything had faded, but... the disappointment was unavoidable, it seemed.
"But isn't this a bit half-assed—!"
"What?"
Lee Eun-ha had assumed there was no way they'd just eat it raw, but she'd been about to ask if boiling it in a kettle was really the right method. The sharp glare she got in return forced her to swallow her words.
"...Never mind."
Soon after, drinking the steeped tea, Lee Eun-ha could feel her magical power rising. It was as if a fire had been lit... She could truly grasp what Spiritual Medicine meant.
As the external mana infiltrated her body, her own internal mana seethed. The two forces clashed violently, and every time they did, pain flared. Just as a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth, she subdued the external mana and a portion of it seeped into her body.
"...Ah."
The sensation of her mana swelling was more remarkable than the pain. When Lee Eun-ha opened her eyes, Hong Yuri was casually sipping her own tea as if nothing had happened.
"...Don't tell me you drank all of it?"
"If you don't want yours, suit yourself. I'll drink it."
Lee Eun-ha shook her head vigorously, and it took about an hour for her to completely empty the kettle. It was unfamiliar at first, but she grew accustomed to absorbing the Spiritual Medicine. And now, her stomach was so full of liquid she couldn't possibly take in anything else...... Hong Yuri's expression was just as uncomfortable, suggesting she was equally full. In contrast...
"What's wrong?"
They couldn't help but be flabbergasted by Baek So-yul, who looked perfectly unbothered. She'd emptied her kettle long ago and was sitting there with a nonchalant expression.
"...Soyul. Are you okay?"
"Hm?"
She tilted her head as if wondering what the problem was, making Lee Eun-ha narrow her eyes. She'd never seen her eat a lot, but maybe she was secretly a big eater. Shaking her head, Lee Eun-ha turned her focus inward again and let out a small gasp of admiration at her enhanced magical power. So this was Spiritual Medicine.
"Ah."
As if amazed, Lee Eun-ha clenched and unclenched her fist. She was itching to use her magic right then and there... Just as she was about to head to the training room, Hong Yuri stopped her.
"Oh, right. There's a dungeon in two days... You're going."
Lee Eun-ha tilted her head at that.
"A dungeon?"
"Yeah. A dungeon."
"......?"
She blinked as if she had no idea what was going on. Before Lee Eun-ha could ask again, Hong Yuri frowned.
"Just shut up and go. I already submitted the roster."
"Even if you tell me to go out of the blue..."
"Why? You planning to just train your whole life? You need to build a track record if you want your rank to go up."
"That's true, but..."
"Ugh. Just do as you're told, okay?"
Annoyed by the continued waffling, Hong Yuri put her foot down, and Lee Eun-ha nodded reluctantly. It wasn't like she'd ever regretted following Hong Yuri's instructions.
"We leave in two days. You know what you need to do, right?"
"Yep."
"Good. Go get ready, now."
They'd prepared together before heading to Neverland, after all. Hong Yuri nodded without much concern. As Lee Eun-ha hurried out of the room, Hong Yuri spoke without turning around.
"Hey. You feel it too, don't you?"
"...Yes."
The same Spiritual Medicine, steeped and drunk the same way. Of course, there would be individual differences, but this wasn't something that could be explained away like that. The amount of mana Lee Eun-ha and Hong Yuri absorbed wasn't small, but it couldn't even be compared to Baek So-yul.
—It was as if she had taken in the Spiritual Medicine itself, wholly intact.
That was something that normally should be impossible. To use external mana, you have to make it your own. The blood Lee Eun-ha had shed earlier was part of that process.
Hong Yuri hadn't bled, but that didn't mean there was no backlash. She'd simply crushed it with overwhelming magical power. Even for a decent Spiritual Medicine, resisting Hong Yuri's mana was a tall order. Either way, the clashing mana was consumed in the process.
The difference was there, but both of them had suffered a loss of stamina and mana while absorbing the medicine. But in Baek So-yul's case—
'It's not that there's zero loss.'
No matter what, that was impossible. But the efficiency was beyond comprehension. So far outside it that even Hong Yuri, who had lived in the Square, the heart of magic, was seeing it for the first time.
"Why only me..."
"I don't know."
Why it was like that, she didn't know. It was hard to explain away as simply a constitution. But if there was one thing she'd come to realize, it was that this was probably the reason the Prodigal Sons were targeting her.
"You got it from Alpha?"
"...Yes."
Thinking back, had Alpha known all along? No, he almost certainly had. After all, it was none other than Alpha who had saved Baek So-yul during the Academy raid, back when no one knew she was the target.
Had it really been a coincidence that he gave her the Spiritual Medicine? From what she'd heard in passing, he had information on the Prodigal Sons... So he knew about Baek So-yul? Hong Yuri bit her thumbnail. No matter how she thought about it, wasn't that strange? Then, could it be that Alpha—
As she mulled it over, the image of the Demon Wolf surfaced, and her breath quickened. Yet, contradictorily, her breath kept catching. Seeing Hong Yuri's face go pale, Baek So-yul rushed over and patted her on the back.
"Teacher..."
When that didn't calm her down, Baek So-yul pulled Hong Yuri into a hug. Hong Yuri tried desperately to empty her mind, but the harder she tried, the more the image rose up. Just, just thinking about it was enough...
"...Are you okay?"
Instead of answering, Hong Yuri shook her head weakly.
—I can't keep going like this forever. The Clan Leader's words weren't wrong. I have to overcome this fear, this terror. Gritting her teeth, Hong Yuri whispered to herself, as if hypnotizing herself.
'Alpha...'
Isn't scary. Won't hurt me. He helped me, actually. I don't have to fight him anymore. She repeated it to herself. And with that, the trembling subsided a little. Hong Yuri wiped the welling tears with her sleeve.
"I'm sick of it..."
She was fed up. Sick to death. She couldn't live her whole life like this. Trembling, chewing her lip, Hong Yuri clenched her fist. How infuriating it was, watching that crazy bastard Kang Tae-ho run his mouth. How miserable it was, collapsing every time. She'd felt like she just wanted to die.
—Not anymore. I don't want this anymore.
Gathering what remained of her pride and shattered stubbornness, Hong Yuri spoke up with a brave, trembling voice choked with tears.
"...Let's go."
Recalling the promise made at dawn, Baek So-yul smiled brightly, as if she'd been waiting, and nodded.
"Yes!"
***
"You eat quite well."
Kang Tae-jun let out a hollow laugh. When I'd suddenly asked to eat human food, he'd agreed without hesitation, but he realized he'd misjudged the situation.
Right now, I was in the form of a small puppy, but my real body was the Demon Wolf. He had overlooked the fact that I was the first and only Demon Wolf bearing the title of Swallower. I was drawing stares as I devoured most of the cafeteria's ingredients. But no matter how much I ate, it probably wouldn't amount to the cost of a single ginseng root, let alone the Executioner's Scythe...
The problem wasn't the money; it was the attention. The sight of a Fairy Dragon and a black puppy dining together wasn't common. Word had spread, and a crowd of clan members was watching through the windows. Of course, since they'd been ordered to keep their mouths shut, no one was rash enough to try taking pictures, but... I understood the sentiment. Kang Tae-jun looked at the stacks of plates and bowls piled next to Alpha and shook his head.
"Is it good?"
Instead of answering, I raised a tentacle and formed a circle. The Fairy Dragon had sauce smeared all over her mouth... The gesture caused a commotion outside. Kang Tae-jun shook his head.
"I'll go on ahead. Take your time."
Silence fell as he stood and walked away, but after he was gone, it actually got more intense. With Kang Tae-jun gone, the crowd surged in like a tide, surrounding Wolf.
"Kyuuuu~!!"
A startled Perry. And the surrounding stares. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to keep eating in this situation, so I clicked my tongue in regret.
'It was really good, too... first time in forever.'
That thought was followed by a wry feeling as I looked at the countless dishes piled next to me. Just as I was polishing off the last bowl, someone shouted.
"Hey. Everyone get lost. I said get lost."
—A confident, irritable voice. But for some reason, it was a voice that sounded like it was on the verge of tears, and it was getting closer. I tilted my head. I could tell who it was just from her tone.
'Wasn't she afraid of me?'
Licking the sauce off my mouth, I nodded. I needed to have a conversation with her eventually, anyway.