Talks (1)
Talks (1)
The servants went still and silent for a moment.
Then one of them raised a thumb.
"Young master. You are truly, truly beautiful."
Was that a compliment I was supposed to enjoy?
A vaguely complicated expression crossed my face, but the sensation of my Innate Talent growing inside me quickly soured it.
"Wow, you're pretty even when you make a face like that..."
[Enough gushing...]
"Ah! You mustn't shake your head so hard!"
The servants gently held me as I tried to move my head side to side. I tilted my head a little, confused.
[I didn't really do anything to it, and it'll get messed up during the sparring anyway.]
"Until then you'll be seated, so wouldn't it be nice to keep a pretty look?"
Well, fair enough... I swallowed a sigh and stood.
—Swoosh...
The fluttering garment reflected in the mirror.
* * *
The summit venue.
Seated at the large round table, Baek Wol-seon nodded.
To his left sat a crimson-haired man, to his right a brown-haired woman.
Hong Jin-seon, head of the Calamity Flame. Lee Ji-ah, head of Taesan.
Beside them sat their successors and Chonggwaljus, and behind them stood the Jeonghwaju and the Pure Life Pillar on guard.
The same applied to Baek Wol-seon.
Beside him sat his successor Baek A-rin and his wife and Chonggwalju Kim Yu-yeon, with the Changpaju Baek Yu-rim behind him.
Glancing left and right, Baek Wol-seon let out a soft chuckle.
"It has been a while since we all gathered like this."
"We met just a few months ago."
"You fool, I obviously meant three of us together, not two."
Baek Wol-seon shot a glare at Hong Jin-seon, who had replied shortly. Lee Ji-ah, who had been standing with her arms crossed, parted her lips.
"We haven't had cause to gather."
"Things have been peaceful since then, sure... but even so. Why the complete silence? Anyone would think you've become a hermit like a Tower Master."
Baek Wol-seon shifted his gaze to Lee Ji-ah. Keeping her stoic expression, Lee Ji-ah shrugged almost imperceptibly.
"No news is good news, isn't it? Better than a major uproar."
"Still, wouldn't a message now and then be better than total silence?"
"We're both busy people. No need to force it."
"Heartless woman."
Baek Wol-seon clicked his tongue and leaned back in his chair.
The occasion was weighty, but the atmosphere was relaxed—it hadn't officially started yet.
After all, the three of them were hardly distant to begin with.
They were the heads of the Three Great Families, blood-bound allies.
The current generation of heads, in particular, had been born around the same time, entered Siyoram in the same cohort, and risen to family head at roughly the same period.
They'd been close since childhood.
'Still, not even a single message?'
There hadn't been a major catastrophe since the Twin-headed Poison Dragon decades ago.
The smaller incidents had been resolved without much fuss, so the quiet really had meant peace.
"...Though it hasn't been entirely peaceful lately."
At the word 'peace,' Baek Wol-seon shrugged.
The unprecedented dungeon rampage that began in Sipnaha.
The Undead Twin-headed Poison Dragon that appeared in the China region.
The disaster called the Reverse Side that struck western Russia.
'Every single one of these touches Lee Ha-yul.'
As he mentally reviewed the recent events that had stirred the world, Baek Wol-seon's expression turned enigmatic.
The very reason for this summit was Lee Ha-yul.
The 3rd-Rank Alpha Monster that rose from the sea near the snowfields had also been finished by Lee Ha-yul's hand.
'Did the Headmaster intend this?'
The timing was uncanny.
A Special Admission Cadet brought in by the Headmaster of Siyoram. Since then, incidents had broken out one after another, and every last one involved Lee Ha-yul.
"Peace cannot last forever."
Lee Ji-ah broke the silence. Hong Jin-seon answered.
"Even so, keeping our territories as peaceful as we can is our duty."
"Then we simply discuss that path here at the summit."
"In that case, we'll be at this for a long while..."
Baek Wol-seon shook his head.
From the look of things, he'd likely be planted in this chair for quite some time.
The chairs were high-quality and comfortable, but staying rooted in place was tedious in itself.
It was then.
The two servants flanking the entrance to the summit hall came to attention.
"The esteemed Lee Ha-yul is entering."
Eyes shifted naturally toward the door. As the servants stepped aside, the doors slowly opened.
A figure entered through the gap.
"...Hm."
The expression of Baek Wol-seon, who faced him head-on, grew deeply complicated.
A silk garment as pure white as snow spread wide.
From the upper garment, a few blue lines symbolizing a river swept down in soft trajectories until they met the lower garment, dyed a deep sea-blue.
It was the Sea Snow Cloth, the traditional attire of the Changhae family.
Though the family's master artisans had woven it stitch by stitch, right now it served as nothing more than a backdrop.
The skin at the neck was whiter and purer than the upper garment of the Sea Snow Cloth.
The Sky Wing Feather, softer and more luminous than the lower garment, coiled gently around the slender neck and then draped long, as though wrapping the back.
And, crowning it all, those grey eyes floating in the face.
Eyes of an incomparable, dreamlike, profound hue surveyed the room. Soon his head lowered slightly, without a word.
At the sight—appearance and action utterly flawless—a moment of silence descended.
[?]
A question mark popped up over Lee Ha-yul's head as he held his etiquette and waited for a reply.
Only then did Baek Wol-seon, who had been quiet, nod.
"...I thank the honored guest for gracing us with your presence."
[I merely thank you for arranging this esteemed occasion.]
The Confession Necklace recited the script prepared in advance.
But the visual impact was so strong that it carried an air of the utmost elegance and courtesy.
Lee Ha-yul, having given a small bow of his head, walked briskly to his seat.
He too took a place around the round table.
Directly in front were the members of the Azure Sea. To his left and right sat the members of the Calamity Flame and Taesan respectively.
A doll-like being took its place behind Lee Ha-yul.
Its body was a light, bright brown—a High-ranking Spirit in humanoid form.
It was widely known that Lee Ha-yul had learned spirit arts to a high level, so bringing a spirit along raised no issues, but Baek Wol-seon was inwardly impressed by the presence the spirit exuded.
'That's no ordinary spirit.'
Its presence was visibly powerful. Though a different type from Taesan's, it carried a resolute, massive Earth energy.
And a single spirit, at that.
Word had it that Lee Ha-yul held contracts with well over a hundred spirits.
If even just ten of them reached High-ranking, he could likely crush the armed forces of most minor factions head-on.
'The Tower Master of Growth didn't take him as a special admission for nothing.'
The Tower Master of Growth must have clearly seen that potential and brought him in.
Baek Wol-seon nodded to himself.
Meanwhile.
Lee Ha-yul, keeping his eyes open out of courtesy, met the gaze of the crimson eyes staring hard at him.
Hong Yeon-hwa.
Though Lee Ha-yul's eyes brightened, his shoulders flinched a little at the somewhat disgruntled look in her eyes.
'It suits him really well.'
White and blue. They matched Lee Ha-yul's colors perfectly.
The problem was, that outfit was the traditional attire of the Azure Sea.
He had also looked good in the Fire Rat Cloth, the Calamity Flame's traditional attire, but she hadn't been able to put him in it ever since Lee Ha-yul had become even more beautiful.
Narrowing her eyes, Hong Yeon-hwa glanced toward Baek A-rin.
But Baek A-rin's complexion wasn't entirely good either.
She looked pleased and somehow dissatisfied at once. Baek A-rin's gaze landed on Lee Ha-yul's nape.
An artifact, wrapped like a scarf, was covering the skin.
'He covered it.'
The promise from last night.
Of course it had been a joke. At an important occasion like this, showing a mark like that on his neck would be beyond embarrassing—outright problematic.
But the fact that he'd ultimately covered it... did that mean he hadn't erased it? Or was it just for decoration?
'My junior is seriously pretty.'
Lee Ji-yeon had no such thoughts.
To be precise, she was busy simply admiring Lee Ha-yul, who had come quite dressed up, mouth slightly ajar.
A few other thoughts did cross her mind.
At the Calamity Flame family he'd worn the Calamity Flame's traditional attire; at the Changhae family he wore the Azure Sea's traditional attire.
By that flow, when he visited the Taesan family, he'd naturally end up wearing the Taesan traditional attire.
Imagining how that would look, Lee Ji-yeon quietly swallowed.
It was just her imagination, but considering his figure, he'd obviously look good.
"Ahem, ahem. Now that all members are present, I shall begin the summit."
As the summit was being held in Changhae territory, Baek Wol-seon, head of the Azure Sea, signaled its start.
Loosening his collar slightly, Baek Wol-seon opened his eyes solemnly. He straightened his back, put force into his neck, and spoke.
"This summit is opened by me, Baek Wol-seon, the 13th Head of the Azure Sea, and is attended by my successor Baek A-rin and Chonggwalju Kim Yu-yeon."
Baek Wol-seon's gaze shifted to the side. Catching it, Hong Jin-seon nodded.
"The Calamity Flame is represented by myself, the 15th Head Hong Jin-seon. My successor Hong Yeon-hwa and Chonggwalju Choi Ji-yeon attend this summit."
Hong Jin-seon's gaze moved to the opposite side. Lee Ji-ah also nodded and spoke.
"Taesan is represented by myself, the 11th Head Lee Ji-ah. The Acting Head Lee Ji-yeon, to whom a portion of authority has been delegated, and Chonggwalju Lee Seon-hyeong attend this summit."
Eyes returned to Baek Wol-seon. He nodded again.
"This summit is a gathering of fellowship and harmony among the Three Great, bound by a blood oath since the time of the progenitors—it is not a field of conflict or strife. Here, we shall not cling to a past long gone, but stand together in the present and dream of a peaceful future."
He didn't shout, but a voice filled with power spread through the summit hall.
After a brief pause, Baek Wol-seon continued. For the coming pledge, the successors seated beside him also spoke together.
"The Azure Sea, inheriting the blood of Progenitor Baek Seol-ah, swears the above oath."
"The Calamity Flame, inheriting the blood of Progenitor Hong Yeon, swears the above oath."
"Taesan, inheriting the blood of Progenitor Lee Do-yeon, swears the above oath."
A pledge spoken jointly by the current heads and the future heads. Watching the proceedings, Lee Ha-yul nodded to himself.
'The format matches the original story.'
Well, no matter how much he himself had stirred things up, there was no reason for age-old traditions to change.
'If things keep going like this...'
He'd been briefed on the procedures in advance. As long as it stayed by the book, there shouldn't be any major problems.
'Still, I need to do this well. I can't show an unseemly side.'
These were people connected to the Three Great Families—especially the families of Hong Yeon-hwa, Baek A-rin, and Lee Ji-yeon!
Lee Ha-yul clenched his fist tight beneath the round table and straightened his back.
The summit began.
.
.
.
"Your son-in-law... the superhuman Lee Ha-yul, has already been entered into the Calamity Flame family register."
"?"
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"Mm-hmm."
Hong Jin-seon spoke calmly, unfazed by the gazes converging on him.
Hong Yeon-hwa, seated beside him, nodded with satisfaction.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[Generating Quest 「Three Great Families Summit」.]