She Called Herself the King of Chaos
The woman declared herself the King of Chaos. Seong Hyun-jin couldn't help but be stunned by the revelation.
The spirit he knew wasn't some unrealistically beautiful woman like this—it was closer to a knight clad in black armor.
"What do you... You’re the King of Chaos?"
"I had no choice but to teach you that name."
"So it's not your real name?"
"Correct."
She affirmed that she was indeed the King of Chaos. Yet she denied that it was her true name, withdrawing the hand that had been gently cradling Seong Hyun-jin's chin. With a graceful spin, her black dress fluttered lightly before settling, briefly revealing her snow-white, smooth legs before they vanished from view once more.
Normally, Seong Hyun-jin's gaze would have lingered on such a sight, but right now, he was in no mood for it. Objectively speaking, she was a stunning beauty—perhaps even on par with Serena. But he had no room to appreciate her looks; other sensations dominated his thoughts.
He couldn't easily pinpoint why he felt this way. There was nothing off about her appearance, no feature that should provoke such unease... It just felt that way. Like an instinct.
"...You gave your contractor a false name? And yet you showed up every time I called it."
"I had no choice."
"Then what's your real name?"
As if sensing the unease churning in Seong Hyun-jin, she smirked slyly and let out a soft chuckle.
"I can't tell you yet. Once you and I grow a bit closer, master, then I can."
"Closer? What does that even mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
The King of Chaos—or rather, this enigmatic spirit—flashed a wicked smile as she spoke. Spurred by the sight, Seong Hyun-jin voiced the doubt he'd harbored since his master Karin, and even Eleonora and Ciela.
"You are a chaos-affinity spirit, right?"
"...Pfft."
She burst into light laughter. Then, as if his question was the most obvious thing in the world, she replied.
"Even your name was fake—did you really believe that?"
"Then how do you explain wielding power so similar to a chaos spirit's? You can hide your strength, sure, but mimicking it perfectly? Never heard of that."
She scoffed at his logical point.
"I'm not mimicking anything."
"...What?"
"My power shares some qualities with chaos. But don't lump them together—that would piss me off."
She toyed lightly with a strand of her hair as she spoke.
"Being treated like mere chaos is insulting."
"...Then just tell me properly."
"I already said—at least for now, I couldn't even if I wanted to."
She chuckled again, telling him to take it easy.
"You're in a rush, master. You'll learn everything eventually anyway."
"Then start by explaining what you mean by 'getting closer.' Does it have something to do with how you siphon my vitality every time you use your power?"
Seong Hyun-jin pressed, but she merely curled her lips in a knowing smile without a word. Then, out of nowhere, she changed the subject.
"Ah, the ritual's starting to wake up."
"Hey, explain fir—"
"I hope we're a little closer next time. In this state, you won't have to wait long to find out, master."
The mysterious woman left him with nothing but riddles, urging patience.
"So just wait until then. Impatient guys aren't attractive, you know? Or..."
"...Or?"
"Call me when you truly need me, master."
With those words, Seong Hyun-jin's eyes snapped open.
"......?"
Left wondering what the hell had just happened, he blinked in confusion for a long while.
"Seong Hyun-jin."
A familiar voice came from beside him. It was his girlfriend, Serena Eldark, whom he'd spent the previous night with. She'd apparently woken first and was already dressed, perched on the edge of the bed.
"Ah... Serena."
"You must've slept well."
For some reason, Serena's tone felt a touch icy. Puzzled by the chill, Seong Hyun-jin tilted his head.
"What's up?"
"...You were mumbling something weird in your sleep."
"...Sleep-talking?"
He had a faint inkling of what she meant. Until moments ago, he'd been conversing with his spirit—the enigmatic woman who'd contracted with him under the false name King of Chaos. It must've slipped out as sleep-talking.
Serena furrowed her brow slightly.
"It sounded like you were talking to a woman."
"...Must've been some dream."
Seong Hyun-jin decided to keep it under wraps for now. There was no useful info to share about the encounter. All he knew was that his spirit was feminine and what she looked like—hardly worth mentioning and bound to cause misunderstandings. After all, he'd slept with Serena last night, only to "meet" another woman in his dream. He wasn't idiot enough to blurt that out.
"Can't remember the details."
"...Not about my dream, then?"
"Dunno about that either..."
Scratching his head, Seong Hyun-jin glanced at Serena and recalled the previous night.
"Uh, you okay? Your body...?"
At his concerned question, Serena flushed faintly, the memory flooding back. She cleared her throat to dispel the embarrassment and answered cautiously.
"...There are more than one or two sore spots."
"Want a massage...?"
"No need."
A massage would probably ease the aches, but she couldn't allow it.
...Not right now.
The thought of his hands on her body again made her head spin oddly. If they could keep resting, maybe—but she had to head out soon.
"Anyway, time to get up."
"Huh? Where to?"
"Duke Levatein is back. He wants to ask about the illegal immigrants we caught."
"Oh, he's returned?"
Serena nodded and rose first.
"I'll head out ahead—take your time."
"Ah, yeah."
Seong Hyun-jin instantly grasped her intent and nodded. Watching her back as she headed for the door, he instinctively called out, reminiscing on last night.
"Serena."
"Yes?"
Stopping her, he bolted up, approached, and cupped her cheek naturally, leaning in to tilt her head down.
"Eek...!?"
Their lips met—not a deep, lingering kiss, but a simple, innocent one like on the day they'd started dating. Pulling back quickly, he whispered to her wide-eyed surprise.
"Forgot the morning greeting."
"......!"
Serena seemed ready to retort, but her face turned beet red, leaving her lips flapping silently. In the end, she spun on her heel and fled without a word.
Thinking how adorable she was, Seong Hyun-jin let out an involuntary chuckle, mood lifted as he grabbed his outer coat from beside the bed.
"Time to get ready."
As Seong Hyun-jin emerged from the room, a maid awaited him.
"Seong Hyun-jin, allow me to guide you to the audience chamber."
Audience chambers were typically for royal palaces, but the Levatein family—rulers of the north and one of the Magic Kingdom's few dukes—had one in their castle as well. In the Magic Kingdom, a duke's rank was second only to the king, even above royal kin, so "audience" fit perfectly.
Following the maid, he found his companions already gathered before the doors: Serena, who'd gone ahead; Ciela and Clarice; and even Yeonhui.
"Ah, junior. You're here."
"You beat me here, Senior Ciela."
Only Ciela greeted him warmly. Serena didn't need to, having just parted, but Clarice and Yeonhui's reactions were odd. Yeonhui's made sense—she'd meddled yesterday, so her guilt warranted it. But...
Why's Clarice acting like that?
Puzzled, Seong Hyun-jin approached her first.
"Clarice, sleep well?"
"Ah, S-Seong Hyun-jin... Good morning."
She responded but avoided his eyes. As he wondered why, the doors opened, and head butler Adam Baidgen appeared.
He bowed politely to the group.
"Honored guests, the duke wishes to see you. Please enter."
Following Adam inside, Seong Hyun-jin was genuinely impressed. Blue carpet lined the floor, flanked by rows of Levatein knights—a magnificent sight. At the center stood the territory's lord, Elcarus Levatein.
Spotting them, he descended the dais, welcoming Seong Hyun-jin and the others warmly.
"You've all arrived. Rest well last night?"
"Yes, thanks to your hospitality."
"Congratulations on the subjugation, Father."
Clarice bowed lightly. As Seong Hyun-jin moved to do the same, Elcarus stopped him.
"At ease, all of you. You're not my vassals—you're guests of the house."
"Ah."
Seong Hyun-jin nodded.
"I called you here for a few questions."
"About the illegal immigrants?"
"Indeed."
Elcarus produced an epaulet from his pocket—clearly from Godin Hazard, the high knight Seong Hyun-jin had dispatched.
"First, you took down this epaulet's owner, yes, student Seong Hyun-jin?"
"Yes."
"Did he say anything before you did?"
"Er..."
Seong Hyun-jin shook his head.
"Nothing special."
"Nothing at all?"
"Yeah. You'd get answers faster from the ones in the cells than asking me."
"I see."
"Any particular reason you checked with me?"
To Seong Hyun-jin, if Elcarus wanted, he could interrogate the captives for precise details. So why confirm with him? He tilted his head.
Noticing his confusion, Elcarus explained.
"I wanted to check if the drake's movement tied to these imperial infiltrators. Drakes rarely stir, but this one left the canyon unusually. Thought there might be a link."
"Ah... Doesn't seem like it. When I arrived, the infiltrators were fleeing in panic too."
Seong Hyun-jin explained.
"If they'd provoked it on purpose, they wouldn't have run for their lives like that."
"Fair enough. You're the only eyewitness, so I'll trust your judgment."
Elcarus took his word readily—not because he was gullible, but because Seong Hyun-jin had proven himself. Dispatching an imperial high knight, capturing the rest alive, and cleanly subjugating an ice drake? Impressive.
Some in the duchy had eyed the academy students suspiciously—their visit coinciding neatly with the beast outbreak and infiltrations. Coincidence possible, but investigators left no stone unturned, even for the lady's invited guests. Especially with Teraport folk (profit-driven) and a holy nation native in the mix.
But Elcarus respected Seong Hyun-jin's prowess and believed him. Seeing no further doubt from the duke, the knights shelved their suspicions too.
"I hear you're leaving tomorrow morning. Any discomfort during your stay?"
"No, it was great."
"Your hospitality made it comfortable, Your Grace."
"Good."
Elcarus nodded.
"The road back will be tough—rest well upon arrival."
"Understood."
"Senior Yeonhui."
Exiting the chamber, Seong Hyun-jin pulled Yeonhui aside. She flinched, shoulders trembling—guilt from her meddling, plus witnessing him with Serena yesterday.
He approached.
"Let's talk."
No need to ask what about. Yeonhui understood and nodded.
"......Yes."
"Follow me."
As Seong Hyun-jin led Yeonhui off, sparks flew from Ciela's eyes, but Serena showed no reaction. Puzzled, Ciela tilted her head, recalling Yeonhui's tears yesterday.
...Huh?
Sensing something, Ciela eyed Serena.
"Junior Serena?"
"Yes."
"Something happen yesterday?"
Serena glanced at her.
"No, nothing."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
With natural ease, she lied and headed to her room. Left puzzled, Ciela stood frozen for a while.
Clarice, still there and looking awkward, finally spoke.
"Uh, Senior Ciela?"
"...Yeah?"
"I think it's none of our business."
Clarice said.
"Just my opinion, but we don't need to pry into their private lives."
"...You know something, don't you, junior?"
"...I can't say."
Convinced, Ciela grabbed her arm.
"C'mon, spill a little~! From your vibe, Serena won't tell me! What happened yesterday?!"
Recalling the night, Clarice blushed and shook her off.
"If you're so curious, ask them yourself!"
Like yesterday, she fled the scene.
"Cl-Clarice...?"
Alone again, Ciela stared wistfully at her retreating back.