Chapter 35

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 35

Chapter Title: Hayang, Hide Away Tight!

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A single photo uploaded by the reporters.

The storm it unleashed was truly enormous.

Especially in the community packed with the most hunters.

The Hunter Gallery was burning up even more over this than the news of the 3rd layer clear.

All sorts of speculation and gossip were flying around.

But amid it all, there was one thing everyone agreed on unanimously.

That was how insanely cute the girl in the photo with Han Yuseol was.

She looked so much like an angel fallen straight from heaven.

Snow-white hair, snow-white skin.

No blurry photo quality could hide that cuteness.

They say all sleeping kids look like angels.

But the prevailing opinion was that this was no metaphor—she was a real angel descended to earth.

Occasionally, someone would post an opinion against the tide.

But every time, they'd draw the scorn of the Hunter Gallery users, who dismissed it as utter nonsense.

Just as the mystery of the girl who appeared like a comet was plunging deeper into a maze...

- The little girl in the photo is the Sword Empress's little sister, apparently?

One post that popped up out of nowhere set the board ablaze again.

The Layered Gate raid, which even the Yeohae Guild had failed at, was successfully cleared.

As the news spread far and wide, the public's anxiety evaporated in an instant.

Just yesterday afternoon, people had been clamoring for some kind of countermeasure.

Now they went dead silent like mice. The association headquarters could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sword Empress! Over here, please!"

"Unnie, you're so cool!"

"If it's not too much trouble, could I get just one autograph...!"

However, for Han Yuseol, the center of all this buzz...

Her mind wasn't exactly at ease.

She'd only stepped out briefly to shop for ingredients to cook for Hayang.

Yet here were crowds of people swarming her.

'Maybe I should wear a mask and hat from now on.'

She'd been recognized on the street before, sure.

But the reactions had never been this intense.

Now, people's eyes were practically heart-shaped.

Everyone was shooting her looks of pure admiration.

She couldn't brush them off coldly, nor could she just ignore them outright.

"Sorry. Make way, please."

But responding to each one would make breakfast late.

So, with no choice, she parted the crowd and hurried on her way.

"Whoa! It's the Sword Empress!"

"What? She lives around here?"

"You didn't know? That's why land prices are so high in this area."

Even for the mere 10-minute walk back to her home.

The whispers trailing behind her were endless.

Ignoring them all was no small ordeal.

Beep-beep-

Finally arriving at her residence, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

There, pacing back and forth from the entryway to the living room, she ran into someone.

"Ah, Yuseol!"

"Master, you're awake."

"Of course, it's already ten. Grandma said early to bed, early to rise makes you grow tall."

Hanyang puffed out her chest proudly. Han Yuseol felt a smile spread across her face.

Though for someone who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠supposedly went to bed early, she'd been up pretty late last night.

Probably scrolling on her phone.

And ten o'clock wasn't exactly early to rise.

She knew from her own childhood that too much screen time was bad.

She wanted to limit it as much as possible.

But hearing that Hayang had only gotten her first phone recently filled her with pity, so she couldn't bring herself to do it.

'I'll teach her bit by bit later.'

She was such a good girl, after all.

She'd listen to her right away.

Believing that without a doubt, Han Yuseol slipped off her shoes and stepped inside.

"Oh, right. I just checked—Uncle Geonwoo handled it well. Look at this."

Hayang came toddling over, holding out her phone screen.

[Girl in Photo with Sword Empress Revealed as Her Little Sister...]

A headline screaming sensationalism filled the screen.

And rightly so—next to nothing was known about the Sword Empress until now.

No family details, of course.

Even her guild was a solo outfit, leaving no human connections to dig into.

People had whispered all sorts of rumors, like her being an AI robot built just for gate clears.

That's why Choi Geonwoo and Han Yuseol had targeted that very point.

It was the perfect way to protect Hayang while creating a cover story.

'If we'd left it alone, investigations would have kept coming.'

Of course, this didn't guarantee full resolution.

But at least it could quiet the rampant surface-level speculation.

Hayang's existence would eventually come to light someday.

But right now was too soon—that was the consensus between Choi Geonwoo and Han Yuseol.

Above all, Hayang herself didn't seem to want it.

That's why they'd pushed forward, and it seemed to work better than expected.

"But did we have to go with 'little sister'? We could have said 'acquaintance' or something..."

Hayang's question was valid.

But to Han Yuseol—or rather, to her and Choi Geonwoo—it felt a bit too shallow.

Why is it that when celebrities get into scandals,

If the other party is some regular person whose info isn't fully out,

They claim cousin or sibling relations?

Blood ties have an absolute defense called "bonding" that's hard for others to breach.

Especially since she planned to live with Hayang.

And since Hayang was joining her guild.

Once this got out, people would question their closeness even more.

No matter how close "sisters" they claimed to be,

The Sword Empress, who always soloed, caught with someone?

And joining a guild not as a solo but with that girl?

Lots of awkward points all around.

But if that girl was none other than her little sister?

All those prior actions would naturally be seen as deep sisterly love.

The two-shot article with Hayang before?

Forcing some fake evidence might have just bred suspicion.

But Han Yuseol countered with the bold narrative: "My newly awakened little sister followed me secretly out of worry."

The result was spotless.

Hayang was dismissed as a sweet, worried little sister.

Han Yuseol became the heroic big sister who protected her sibling while soloing the 3rd layer, praised to the skies.

'Titan's help was huge.'

The one lingering concern was the 2nd layer clear photos where a few caught Hayang.

Choi Geonwoo had stepped in and sorted those somehow.

"It was the most effective way. Especially since you and the master are now in the same guild—it was essential."

"Ah...?"

Hayang clearly didn't get it.

But asking "Why?" seemed embarrassing, so she was pretending to understand.

Han Yuseol knew but didn't point it out.

Hayang's cheeks would flush red in seconds.

And who knew if they'd puff up and pop.

Smiling to herself, Han Yuseol glanced at her shopping basket and spoke.

"Then I'll go make breakfast. Master, play in your room for a bit."

"Can I help?"

"No, it's fine..."

Hayang, eyes sparkling as she pointed to herself, was adorable.

But Han Yuseol didn't want a child handling knives, so she tried to refuse.

"Hng."

"...Then, could I ask for a little help?"

"Hehe."

But Hayang's little pout melted her resolve.

In the end, she permitted entry into the kitchen.

Beep-

Before that, she grabbed the remote to turn on white noise.

It was a habit since losing her family.

The house felt too quiet otherwise, unsettling her.

Thanks to that, the TV ran 24/7, even if she never sat on the sofa to watch.

Today, as usual, she passed through the living room without a glance toward the kitchen.

Then—

One sudden news item made her turn her head.

'Me?'

Why expect so much from her?

Someone else had done the heavy lifting to make it possible.

Absurdity made her glance down at Hayang unconsciously.

"...Ack."

Hayang had already rummaged through the basket and scarfed a chocolate.

Han Yuseol could only shrug with a wry smile.

'I'll make it work somehow.'

For this child, who'd given her such a gift.

She'd repay it with a peaceful life in return.