#55 Illusory Realm Companion
#55 Illusory Realm Companion
"He could've at least said something..."
He'd told her he was leaving, but she hadn't realized it was goodbye. Eun-ha hadn't expected Alpha to stay forever, but she hadn't thought he'd vanish without a word, either.
"Oh, for god's sake. He's gone, so quit moaning about it."
A slap flew at her right on cue, and Lee Eun-ha flinched away. Hong Yuri's eyes twitched in response.
"Oh-ho. Did you just dodge me?"
"N-no, that's not—!"
Lee Eun-ha scrambled to get up, but Hong Yuri raised a hand with three fingers extended.
"Three."
"......!"
"Two."
As the fingers folded down one by one, Lee Eun-ha bit her lip and sat back down. Pushing back only meant getting hit harder, and she knew it. She braced for the sting and hunched her shoulders, but the pain didn't come—? She cracked an eye open, then clutched her forehead when the blow finally landed.
"Don't flinch. It won't make you taller."
How was she supposed to not flinch when it hurt this much—! She wanted to scream, but she held it in at the sight of Baek So-yul returning with a kettle. A moment later the three of them were seated around the table, each with their own kettle and cup.
"So-yul, are you really okay?"
"Huh?"
Baek So-yul looked at her quizzically, and Lee Eun-ha narrowed her eyes. Two days had passed since Alpha left. At first it hadn't quite felt real, so she'd told herself maybe that was it. But then the fact that he'd left without a word began to sting. Was a single goodbye too much to ask? Or had those words outside the dungeon actually been his farewell? If she felt this way, she could only imagine how Baek So-yul felt—having heard nothing at all. But Baek So-yul simply tilted her head.
"I'm not sure...?"
She genuinely seemed fine. Perplexed by that, Baek So-yul considered the question herself, then tilted her head again.
"It just doesn't feel like he's gone. Maybe that's why?"
What did that even mean? Lee Eun-ha poured herself more ginseng decoction and let out a long sigh. Was she really the only one making a fuss over nothing? Plenty of people in the clan had complained about the wolf vanishing, but still...
"Ugh, bitter."
"You idiot. Really leaning into the heartbroken act, huh? Why not film a melodrama while you're at it?"
Lee Eun-ha pouted and hid behind her cup. By the time her kettle was half empty, Hong Yuri took a phone call and frowned.
"...Yes? Understood."
She looked irritated—but more than that, she seemed deeply uncomfortable. Lee Eun-ha and Baek So-yul exchanged glances. When the call ended, Hong Yuri fixed Lee Eun-ha with a sharp stare.
"Wh-what is it?"
With the mood this prickly, Lee Eun-ha racked her brain for whatever she might've done wrong, but nothing came to mind.
"I got called up. I'll be back fast—keep my kettle warm."
"Oh. Yes, ma'am."
As Hong Yuri stepped out, Lee Eun-ha moved her kettle back onto the gas burner.
***
"Isn't that a little soon to be back?"
Kang Tae-jun let out a dry laugh. I extended a long tentacle and scratched behind my ear. I'd meant to return quickly from the start, but I'd held off on giving a timeline in case meeting the System took longer than expected. Clearing a dungeon had seemed like it wouldn't eat up much time, but in reality nearly two days had passed. Time probably flowed differently there.
"So, why are you back?"
"I want to take someone with me."
"...Someone?"
Kang Tae-jun echoed the word, puzzled, and I nodded.
"I'd like to take Baek So-yul."
"...Baek So-yul?"
He frowned for a beat, then seemed to place her.
"Right. The Academy student under our custody?"
The Academy was still being rebuilt, but Baek So-yul was set to graduate in February anyway, so that hardly mattered. It wouldn't conflict with her schedule, but—
"She isn't a Hunter. You understand that, yes?"
Meaning: she's not even a Hunter yet, let alone a member of Dawn. Taking a student currently under protective observation somewhere without clear justification was out of the question. I nodded.
"...I understand."
And yet I still needed her. Kang Tae-jun dialed a number without another word, and soon Ha-yeon announced that someone had arrived.
"You called for m—"
The person who stepped into the room—Hong Yuri—went rigid. I gave an easy wave with a tentacle, but she forced her gaze away and swallowed hard. Only Kang Tae-jun's presence kept her in check.
"Hong Yuri. I understand Baek So-yul is currently in your care."
"Yes. That's right."
"He needs her."
"That may be, but..."
Though the statement skipped every "why" and "where," Yuri caught on immediately. Why Alpha had returned after supposedly leaving. Why Kang Tae-jun had called her here. The point was to make sure Baek So-yul's absence went unnoticed. She asked the obvious question.
"Where exactly do you need So-yul?"
Kang Tae-jun jerked his chin toward me, and Hong Yuri swung around with a full-body shudder. She let out a deep breath and met my bright red eyes.
"It's hard to explain. But it won't put her in danger."
I was still reluctant to reveal the Hwan-gye carelessly. The Queen had told me it didn't matter, but spreading the knowledge might still change something. I wanted to keep the number of people who knew as small as possible.
"Ha. You call that an explanation?"
Hong Yuri scoffed, her gaze sliding away from me.
"If it were you, would you just happily send her off—?!"
A thought struck her, and I shifted into her field of view. Her whole body trembled. She yelped and backpedaled so hard she tripped and landed on her rear.
"You—!"
Her face flared red with anger, then went pale just as quickly. Kang Tae-jun exhaled.
"You've still got a long way to go."
Before Hong Yuri could speak, Kang Tae-jun continued.
"Alpha. I understand what you're asking. I don't know what you're planning, and I'm not going to call it nonsense."
"......."
"But she's not a member of Dawn. We're responsible for her safety, but we can't force her into anything."
I listened in silence, and Kang Tae-jun nodded once.
"Of course, Baek So-yul owes you a debt. She might agree. But if she does, we're the ones who end up in a difficult position. 'We don't know where the person we're protecting went or what they're doing'—it's not even laughable."
He was saying I needed a solid justification. I nodded.
"So take Hong Yuri with you."
"Clan Leader?!"
Kang Tae-jun's face stayed blank as he addressed a stunned Hong Yuri. Actually, he didn't even look at her.
"This phobia of yours—how long are you planning to suffer from it? You're already in charge of Baek So-yul, conveniently enough. Go together, come back safely, and the fear ought to settle down."
"Clan Leader! I—!"
"Hong Yuri. Have you already forgotten that your reckless behavior kept you out of the Neverland operation?"
At that, Hong Yuri went mute as though struck dumb.
"The only reason no one's brought it up until now is because we were being considerate."
Hong Yuri chewed her lip. Kang Tae-jun had told her back in the conference room to overcome it as quickly as possible and had even offered her leave if it was too much. She was the one who'd declined. She didn't have grounds to complain. She had tried, but she couldn't use that as an excuse either...
"Under... stood."
"...You heard that, I assume. If you're taking Baek So-yul, you'll need to take Hong Yuri as well. Will that work?"
I considered it briefly, then nodded.
'This is actually better.'
I was bringing Baek So-yul because of her constitution, but having Hong Yuri along could only help. A top-tier mage like her might not just absorb the Hwan-gye's mana—she might prove useful in the dungeon itself. And more immediately, Kang Tae-jun was right: her phobia needed fixing. Especially with Square looming down the line.
'Also...'
With Hong Yuri along, we might actually be able to take down the Volcanic Horned Dragon. If avoiding exposing the Hwan-gye to her was no longer possible, then the solution was simple—work her hard enough to make the trade-off worth it. Hong Yuri, who'd been resolutely looking away from me, swallowed hard under a gaze she could somehow feel boring into her anyway.
***
"...So that's why I need your help."
I explained the situation to Baek So-yul with Hong Yuri watching. The world Perry had briefly taken her to before—the Hwan-gye. The dense mana of that place. And the even stronger dungeon mana within it that I planned to funnel into her. I'd half expected a refusal, but Baek So-yul nodded without hesitation.
"Okay."
"......."
Hong Yuri frowned but said nothing.
"...I wanted to go anyway."
The conversation I'd had with Baek So-yul on the clan rooftop a while back came to mind. She'd mentioned dreaming of the Hwan-gye, hadn't she? Maybe she was the one who'd been hoping to go there all along.
"When do we leave?"
"I'm ready now."
"...Wait. I need to prepare."
Hong Yuri sighed, sounding resigned, and Baek So-yul dropped her gaze, apparently feeling guilty about it.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. But I..."
"I know."
"...Thank you."
***
"...R-really?"
Lee Eun-ha's eyes went wide. Baek So-yul pressed a finger to her lips.
"It's a secret."
Lee Eun-ha nodded and scrambled up the stairs so frantically she nearly tripped. Baek So-yul gave a wry smile.
"That scatterbrained idiot. When's she ever going to get her act together?"
"Ma'am..."
"What? Am I wrong? Do you need anything else?"
"I'm fine. This is plenty."
Hong Yuri nodded. Her preparations were thorough. The world she'd heard described—a mirror-like Hwan-gye—was fascinating in its own right. The only thing she dreaded was having Alpha beside her the whole time.
***
The clatter told me exactly who it was before the door even opened. Lee Eun-ha burst in, and Perry jolted awake with a start.
"Ah. Sorry."
"Kyuuuuu~!"
"Sorry... You really came back."
She looked like she'd tripped on the way up. Still getting scolded by Perry, she slid her eyes toward me.
"You could've at least said something before you left..."
Hadn't I told them? I stared at her blankly, and she shook her head.
"Saying you were leaving the elixir—how was I supposed to... Well, you came back fast enough."
"Did you need something?"
"No, it's not that, but..."
She fidgeted with her fingers, restless. Had she been upset that I hadn't properly said goodbye?
"I'll be leaving again soon. If you have something to say..."
"...Where to?"
"A dungeon."
My answer was short. She wore an "ah, I see" expression, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"You'll come back again, right?"
"Probably."
She left, and not long after, the other two returned, fully prepared. Together, we moved into the Hwan-gye.