Exposure (5)
The soft blanket enveloped me like a warm swamp, the fluffy pillow cradled my head, and gentle sunlight quietly warmed my body. "Huk...!" My consciousness rose to the surface along with my senses, and I reflexively shot upright. I whipped my head around, scanning my surroundings. Gradually, a scene resembling a luxury hotel suite came into focus.
The place I'd been lying on was a spacious bed, surrounded by classical furniture and ornaments arranged throughout the room. But no matter how hard I thought about it, this place didn't exist in my memories. In other words, it was somewhere I'd never been before. Just where the hell was I?
Then, the sudden sensation of a breeze tickling the fine hairs on my face made me reflexively raise a hand to touch it. The soft texture of skin, and beneath my left eye, the rough, jagged feel of a long horizontal scar. The sensation was so vividly real it was almost unpleasant, and cold sweat began pouring down my body.
"The mask... where's my mask...?"
I desperately twisted my head this way and that, searching for my belongings. Before long, I spotted it on the bedside table, but for some reason, the mask was completely shattered around the right eye socket, utterly ruined. Beside it lay a brand-new mask, identical to the one I'd used before.
There was no time to question why. I snatched it up and hastily fastened the clasps. Only after regaining a measure of calm did the memories of what had happened slowly resurface in my mind.
Yeon Minha's invitation disguised as a mentoring field trip. The strange events that kept occurring at the Red Fire family's main house. The deranged head of the Red Fire clan, who not only colluded with demons but even tried to use his own daughter as a material for a magic ritual. The sudden invasion by the Paecheon and Seongsan forces. And Choi I-re of the Seongsan family, who had blocked my path while I was searching for Yeon Minha after recalling the address the squad leader had given me.
After defeating her... what came after that...
"..."
No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't remember anything beyond that point. It was pitch black, as if someone had spilled ink all over the page. Had I pushed the Predictive Eye too far and briefly lost consciousness?
I lowered my gaze and examined my body. Bandages soaked in medicine were wrapped around my arms and legs. Though the throbbing pain was still intense, it didn't seem like there were any major issues. The fever that had been clouding my mind was almost gone too—perhaps I'd been given an antidote.
Then this place must be the address the squad leader mentioned. Where was Yeon Minha? Had my mask broken during the chaos? And how did they know about my situation well enough to prepare a new one?
My thoughts tangled like a knotted ball of thread. Just as one question led to another, the doorknob turned without warning, and with a click, someone entered the room.
I shot them a wary glance, but the person who appeared was a woman dressed in a maid's uniform. Her eyes widened the moment she saw me.
"Oh my..."
"Um..."
"Madam! The young master has opened his eyes...!"
Before I could even speak, she spun on her heel and dashed down the hallway, shouting at the top of her lungs. Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from afar.
A short while later, the maid who had left returned and opened the door again. Following closely behind her modest posture were a man and a woman.
One was a man with sharp features, seemingly in his middle to late years, who bore an uncanny resemblance to someone I knew. The other was a woman with a graceful, dignified appearance who looked roughly the same age as the squad leader, or perhaps slightly younger. Every small gesture radiated natural authority and courtesy.
They shared one common trait: in their eyes as they looked at me, there wasn't the slightest hint of hostility or disdain. Instead, they regarded me with warm, affectionate gazes. My wariness melted away in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
"Um..."
When I reflexively tried to get up, the graceful woman stepped forward and urgently stopped me.
"Dear child. It's alright. Stay right there. Your body must still be weak; there's no need for that..."
"Ah? Yes..."
"That's better..."
It was oddly like being treated as a child, but her tone made it impossible to refuse. As I awkwardly settled back down, she gave a small, satisfied nod.
Her demeanor made it clear she was the mistress of this estate. I cautiously voiced the question that had been bothering me most.
"Um, by any chance, did a female student come here with me? She's about a head shorter than me, with a rather sharp expression..."
Anxiety crept in again at the thought. But the woman shook her head with a reassuring smile.
"Set your mind at ease. The child of the Red Fire is resting in another room in the annex. It may take some time for her to regain consciousness, but her life is in no danger whatsoever."
"Is that really true..."
"It is, truly. So there's no need to worry so much."
Hearing her words finally eased the tension in my chest. At least we'd managed to escape together. I had no idea what would happen next, but surviving that nightmare was already a tremendous achievement.
"We've been waiting for you all this time. Though I certainly didn't expect us to meet under these circumstances..."
The sharp-featured man standing behind her then spoke up. Despite his appearance, his kind tone was not much different from the woman's.
"You've... been waiting for me?"
"Indeed. Goodness, this one here was so impatient waiting for you that she nearly marched straight to the Cradle herself. I had such a hard time stopping her..."
The woman suddenly let out a deep sigh, as if lamenting. The man looked flustered, an expression that didn't suit his stern face.
"Ahem, ahem. Wife, in front of the child, your dignity..."
"Hmph. Dignity? What dignity? What in the world is more useless than that..."
"..."
The way they casually conversed in front of me felt strangely natural, as if I could simply melt into the scene. Just who were these people, treating me with such familiarity? Moreover, their naturally dignified bearing and the casual way they referred to Yeon Minha as "the child of the Red Fire" made it clear they were no ordinary individuals.
Even the man's appearance, no matter how I looked at it, was identical to someone I knew. It was as if he were that person aged thirty years. And the woman's eye color was unmistakably the same as his. Though they appeared to be around the squad leader's age, some highly accomplished mages could suppress aging and maintain their youthful looks. After all, Hae Wolhwa, who had been at the Cradle since the squad leader's time there, hardly looked her actual age.
Putting all these facts together, my conclusion quickly converged on one possibility.
Could it be...
"Um, by any chance, are you two...?"
"Ah... ahem, ahem."
The pair, who had been lightly bickering, finally turned their attention to me. The man cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke first.
"It seems I've delayed the introductions. I am Sa Dae-ryong."
The moment I heard the man's name, my speculation solidified into certainty.
"And this is my wife."
At his gesture, the woman offered me a warm smile. It felt as though something itchy and long-forgotten was stirring through that smile.
"Hehe, I am called Ye Ji-eun."
"Then... with the squad leader, you are..."
But the moment they heard my question, a faint sorrow and regret surfaced on their faces. Though they still smiled, a subtle melancholy now lingered in the woman's expression.
"...Our son."
Through them, I learned about the various events that had transpired.
I had arrived at the Black Lotus estate at dawn two days ago. The ones who found me were the Black Lotus family's private soldiers. Due to the incident at the Red Fire clan, a state of highest alert had been declared across the capital under the Supreme Council's name, and they had been patrolling the area while maintaining vigilance.
They said I had come down along the mountain ridge and was standing unsteadily in front of the Black Lotus mansion. Yeon Minha was cradled in my arms, and the moment they spotted me, I collapsed right there on the ground.
"They nearly shot you, thinking you were a monster. It really was fortunate..."
"This child here had been circling you warily the whole time, which made cleaning up a bit troublesome. Fortunately, it seems alright now..."
-Caw!
Perched on the mistress's palm was a crow with a familiar appearance. Its blunt beak made it look exactly like a sparrow—Yeon Minha's crow. Perhaps that bird had saved our lives. After all, a messenger crow would know the capital's geography far better than I did. Giving it the address in advance had been an excellent decision.
It chirped at me a couple of times before flapping through the open window and flying away. It was probably going to check on its owner.
The squad leader's father then asked me what had happened at the mansion. Though the mistress tried to dissuade him a little, there was no reason not to tell them. Setting aside the fact that they were the squad leader's parents, these were the only people who could help us now.
I honestly told them everything I had seen and heard. Except for the story of Yeon Minha's birth. That was something I could never reveal to anyone.
"Hah, so that resolution wasn't a frame-up by Paecheon, but the truth..."
The man muttered with a hardened expression after hearing the story.