The Changhae Family (1)
The Changhae Family (1)
"Goodness, have you been starving for days or what?"
Baek A-rin, who had been getting ready, abruptly shot me a sidelong glance.
Where those blue eyes were fixed was the corner of my mouth. Avoiding her pointed stare, I quickly wiped around my lips with my hand.
"Did you really want to eat that badly? Hm?"
[Ahem...]
At her repeated prodding, as though something still didn't sit right with her, I turned my head even further away.
Beyond the cloudy window, fat, fluffy snowflakes poured down in a rush.
'We're arriving, then.'
The locomotive had run for two more days and was now approaching its destination.
That was why I had woken up early that morning and put on proper attire. Beside me, Baek A-rin was adjusting my clothes.
"So, you like chests that much..."
Baek A-rin tilted her head and looked down at her own chest. The voluptuous flesh that had been pressing against my face swayed softly.
"What's the use of them being big if they can't perform their basic function?"
"...Yeon-hwa, just what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said."
Yeon-hwa, who had scoffed, rose from the sofa and pattered over, glanced at my waist, then tenderly stroked my cheek.
"Ha-yul, you put the Beacon Fire Sword away in subspace?"
"Yes."
"Then, want to take it out?"
Though I tilted my head in question, I obediently opened up my subspace.
The hilt of the Beacon Fire Sword poked out from the jagged tear. Yeon-hwa pulled the Beacon Fire Sword free and hung it at my waist.
"It fits perfectly. It's not cumbersome or anything, is it?"
"Yes, it's fine."
"Well, that's a relief."
Since accumulated skill doesn't simply disappear, having a single sword at my waist wasn't uncomfortable.
As Yeon-hwa smiled brightly, Baek A-rin shook her head from side to side.
"Goodness, isn't that a little too blatant?"
"What can you do? Since I received it, I need to keep it by my side."
"Hoo. I am not going to forget what happened today."
Having made that rather menacing remark, Baek A-rin brushed off her shoulders.
At that, the black cloak draped behind her swayed.
It was the cloak that Baek A-rin had hanging across her shoulders.
The black, fluffy fur was striking; at a glance, it looked warm and wonderfully soft.
"Would you like to touch it?"
[May I?]
"After you've already touched my body, why would you be unable to touch a cloak?"
That was certainly true.
Listening to Baek A-rin's quiet laugh, I reached a hand out toward the cloak.
'Oh.'
Soft and slightly ticklish fur brushed against my palm. The wonderful texture matched what Observation had registered.
'Nicely made.'
Naturally, this was no ordinary cloak.
The material itself was a byproduct from a creature that would likely qualify as a 3rd Rank monster, and it was a top-grade Magic Tool, every inch densely and meticulously woven with intricate magic formulas.
There was no way the Heir of the Azure Sea would wear something commonplace.
"Yap."
[?]
Just as I was roughly observing the magic formulas inside it, Baek A-rin let out a playful sound. The cloak suddenly spread wide and enveloped me.
In an instant, the light was blocked out. The presences and sounds from both inside and outside were also silenced. Within the darkness, a pair of distinct eyes curved into crescents.
"Wow, you fit right in. Aren't you a bit too small?"
[Why are you suddenly insulting me?]
[Indignant]
"It's not an insult; it's a compliment, saying you're cute."
When my eyes sharpened at the sudden provocation, Baek A-rin giggled and pressed her lips to my cheek.
- Smooch
At that moment of affection brushing my cheek, the corners of my eyes, which I had forced upward, slackened again.
[...Ahem.]
[I'll let it slide just this once—]
Whoosh! The darkness lifted and light flooded back in. Yeon-hwa had lifted the cloak and stood there with her eyes narrowed sharply.
"Hey, what're you doing?"
"Just tested the cloak's performance for a moment. No problems."
"What kind of bullshit is—"
"Let's not use such rough language in front of the child, now."
Baek A-rin smoothly shrugged her shoulders, looked down at me, and stroked the collar of the cloak as she asked.
"If you like it, shall I give you one? Of course, Ha-yul, you'd make a far better one yourself, but..."
"Shut it! Our side will give him one!"
.
.
.
After we had finished all preparations and waited a short while, the locomotive gradually began to slow down.
Before long, it came to a stop at the station.
Following the guidance of the attendants, our party disembarked from the locomotive that had sheltered us for two days.
At the head of our group was Baek A-rin. Since this was indisputably Changhae territory, that was only to be expected.
Next was me.
The reason I was second was simply that I had been behind Baek A-rin, but if one had to assign any meaning, it was because I was the reason for this meeting.
"Now, please step down."
Baek A-rin, having set foot on the ground first, stretched a hand out to me.
A mischievous smile played on her lips. But with her striking looks and how perfectly her attire suited her, the whole gesture seemed quite natural.
[Teasing me again...]
To all appearances, this body would be fine even if it fell from a cliff.
Though I thought that, I quietly held her hand and disembarked, since being looked after wasn't bad.
Naturally, I then took the hand of Seo-yul, who was disembarking behind me.
"I'm perfectly fine, too, you know..."
[You still need to be careful.]
Seo-yul's expression turned odd, but I didn't withdraw my concern.
After adjusting Seo-yul's clothes a bit more, I turned my head toward the people who had come to meet us.
'Hmm.'
Superhumans stood arrayed, all dressed in formal black-and-blue uniforms. The mana within each of their bodies had properties that contained either Cold Energy or Water Energy... or possibly both.
From among them, one woman slowly approached.
Long, sky-blue hair and eyes. Gentle, mild-mannered features. A black, fluffy cloak draped over her shoulders...
It was identical to the cloak Baek A-rin wore.
"You have come a long way, and endured much hardship in the journey."
The woman who had stepped over, her heels clicking, raised one hand to her heart and offered a gentle smile. In response, the superhumans behind her also bowed in greeting.
"I am the Chief Administrator of the Changhae Family, Kim Yu-yeon."
The Changhae Family's Chief Administrator, Kim Yu-yeon.
She exchanged a brief moment of eye contact with each member of the party, and at last, when her gaze reached my face, she lowered her head gently.
"By rights, we should welcome you far more grandly, but as preparations for the meeting are at their height, I must apologize for the insufficiency of your reception."
[I can only express gratitude for the splendid welcome.]
Since her gaze had fallen upon me last, I found myself shaking my head on behalf of the party, a bit bewildered.
Calling the greeting insufficient was an odd thing to say. With the Chief Administrator of one of the Three Great Families having come personally to receive us, there was no way it could be insufficient.
'Either way, this isn't the main family estate.'
The talks were not being held at the main family estate of the Azure Sea, but here, in Seolgyeong, the northern city closer to the Special-Grade Dungeon.
"I am grateful for the Association President's Proxy's deep understanding."
Seeing how my title as Association President's Proxy was invoked everywhere I went after the Reverse Side Incident, the position seemed to have firmly established itself as a formal identity by now.
Just as I was swallowing down an odd expression,
Kim Yu-yeon's eyes came to rest on Baek A-rin, who was standing beside me. At that gaze, Baek A-rin smiled brightly.
"It's been a while, Mother."
"Yes, you were so busy during the last vacation that I hardly saw your face... Come here. The long journey must have been hard, Oryeom."
"With such excellent facilities aboard, it felt closer to a vacation than a hardship."
At Baek A-rin's light chatter, Kim Yu-yeon smiled softly and stepped back a few paces.
"I apologize for keeping our esteemed guests standing in such cold air. May I guide you to the place where you will be staying for a short while?"
[Yes, thank you for the consideration.]
Kim Yu-yeon, who had smiled gently, gave orders to the superhumans standing behind her, then glanced toward me.
To be precise, at me, then at the Beacon Fire Sword hanging from my waist, at Hong Yeon-hwa, and then at Baek A-rin, in that order.
[......]
The Chief Administrator of the Changhae Family.
The weight of the title itself was considerable, but what truly made me nervous was the simple fact that she was Baek A-rin's family.
"What are you so nervous about?"
In that moment, Baek A-rin took my hand in hers. A hand as cool as the cold air outside, not much different from it.
But since that was a hundred times better than the frigid air, I obediently let her fingers lace through mine.
[Ah.]
"......."
Kim Yu-yeon's expression, as she observed Baek A-rin and me, grew unreadable.
.
.
.
Seolgyeong, where the meeting was to be held, was a city of considerable scale even within the Changhae territory.
This was because it was a waypoint city at the gateway to the interior, where the environment grew extreme and monsters and dungeons began to appear.
Rooms were assigned individually, and I was briefly separated from the rest of the party.
Seo-yul had also received a room for herself, but... at my own suggestion, she went into Ellia's room with her.
In the meantime, I slowly surveyed the city with Observation.
It was not much different from the cities we had passed through.
Snow that poured and piled up as if a hole had opened in the sky.
'Everything's white.'
Houses white with accumulated snow. Houses built of white materials, like marble, to begin with. Among them, smoke curling lazily from chimneys.
The only places that were not white were the roads and some facilities where magic was installed to melt the snow.
The vehicles filling the roads had thick bodies and thick wheels. That must be because the surrounding terrain consisted only of rugged places.
- Knock, knock
While I was surveying the city, someone knocked on my door. The woman's voice I had heard a short while ago came from beyond the door.
- I beg your pardon for intruding on your recovery from the journey's fatigue. If you have a spare moment, might I borrow some of the esteemed guest's time?
It was the voice of Kim Yu-yeon, the Chief Administrator of the Azure Sea. I rose from the bed and tapped the necklace.
[Yes, please wait just a moment.]
All my luggage was already stored inside the subspace anyway, and my attire was as it had been.
When I opened the door at once, Kim Yu-yeon, who had been standing on the other side, inclined her head toward me.
"For intruding upon you once more, I must beg your forgive—"
[Ah, ah, um... from earlier, I've been meaning to say this, but please, speak freely.]
As I hastily poured out the words, Kim Yu-yeon, who had been lowering her head, opened her eyes as if troubled.
"How could I possibly speak and act carelessly before the Association President's Proxy?"
[That isn't the capacity in which I'm here just now, after all.]
[Above all, it's uncomfortable to have a family member of Miss Baek A-rin speaking to me with such formality. I would like to hear you speak in a relaxed manner.]
At my words, Kim Yu-yeon blinked, and then cautiously spoke.
"...I-is it, is it really all right?"
[Yes, I feel more at ease hearing you speak that way.]
"I see... Mm, I understa—... Ahem. For now, I understand."
Kim Yu-yeon cleared her throat quietly, as if still a bit awkward, and gestured toward the hallway. When I nodded, she turned around and began to walk ahead.
I followed after her, observing her through Observation.
Kim Yu-yeon was also a superhuman.
Her sky-blue hair and eyes were colored by the influence of the Water Energy inside her body.
'But she doesn't have the Azure Sea ability.'
That was only natural, since she wasn't of the Changhae bloodline to begin with.
...Even though a person from outside that family—me—had manifested Inherited-type Unique Abilities from three different bloodlines, leading to these talks being held.
Anyway.
- It's been a while, Mother.
Mother.
Just as Baek A-rin had addressed her, Kim Yu-yeon was the wife of Baek Wol-seon, the father of Baek A-rin and the current head of the Changhae Family.
'To be precise, is she her stepmother? Or should I say her adoptive mother?'
Baek Wol-seon had taken two wives; Baek A-rin was the child born of the first wife.
Baek A-rin's two younger siblings were the children borne by the second wife, Kim Yu-yeon.
'......'
However, because the first wife had passed into eternal rest when Baek A-rin was young, Baek Wol-seon currently had only one wife.
In other words, Kim Yu-yeon was not Baek A-rin's birth mother.
'Even so, family is family.'
Because she was Baek A-rin's family, I naturally had to make a good impression.
"If I may ask one question... may I?"
[Yes, of course.]
As we were walking slowly, Kim Yu-yeon spoke. When I answered after quietly swallowing, Kim Yu-yeon's hands, which had been clasped in front of her, gave a tiny fidget.
If I were watching from behind with my eyes, I wouldn't have seen it. But since it was Observation, that subtle hesitation came through clearly.
"Might I ask... what sort of relationship you have with our A-rin...?"
This was a question I had anticipated.
After all, it was the kind of question a mother would naturally ask out of concern for her child.
I had also prepared an answer to match it.
That she was truly precious...
[She's mine.]
"...Pardon?"
[?]
Kim Yu-yeon's footsteps ahead of me faltered slightly. I, who had been about to give a proper answer, froze as well.
* * *
[The Artifact ｢Confession Necklace｣ is reacting.]
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