Chapter 21: Encounter (9)
Chapter 21: Encounter (9)
Following Kang Yujin into her room, Grace immediately began scanning every corner—an occupational hazard of being a knight, one might say.
It was basic protocol for a knight to always maintain a combat-ready posture and familiarize themselves with the surrounding terrain. Furthermore, having traveled to all sorts of places to deal with the havoc wreaked by monsters in her ruined world, she had frequently experienced monsters hiding in civilian dwellings, waiting to ambush from within a room.
Thus, even though she knew no such monsters existed on Earth at the moment, she scanned the room out of habit.
Her first impression of Kang Yujin’s room was that it was clean—perfectly organized, perhaps even excessively so. It wasn't just that things weren't cluttered; not a single item was even slightly askew.
Thud! Click!
As soon as Grace stepped inside, the door closed on its own and the lock engaged.
The door had shut and locked itself before Grace, the last one in, could even reach for the handle. Kang Yujin had used her psychokinesis. It was a clear display of power; there had been no practical need to use her ability just to close a door.
"I'll get straight to the point. Don't you dare try to seduce Shin. He’s mine."
Kang Yujin turned toward Grace with her arms crossed. Her breasts, slightly larger than Grace’s, stretched her white crew-neck tee taut, asserting their presence.
She wore a cold expression Han Shin had never seen, directed with open hostility toward Grace. Despite this dual nature, Grace didn't so much as bat an eye, maintaining her composure.
"Han Shin thinks of you as his older sister."
"……."
Grace’s remark was like a dagger to the heart, pointing out the very obstacle Kang Yujin was most conscious of in her relationship with Han Shin.
In truth, Grace also acted as a loyal knight in front of Han Shin and hadn't shown this side of herself until now. Even when they first met without knowing anything about each other, Yujin had recognized Grace was no ordinary opponent. In reality, Yujin was a follower chosen by a god from another world—one of the few unique powerhouses among Earth's Awakeners, a fact she was well aware of.
Yet, even for someone like Kang Yujin, Grace gave off an aura that made her hesitate to attack.
Her instinct was to pin Grace down with psychokinesis and throw her out of the house immediately, but reality dictated otherwise. For Han Shin’s sake, Yujin knew she had to live with Grace for the time being and that Grace’s help was indispensable.
Even so, it didn't change the fact that she disliked her.
‘I haven’t liked her since the moment I saw her.’
Even now, despite being told not to seduce Han Shin or approach him, Grace’s refusal to agree made it clear that she, too, had feelings for him.
Kang Yujin decided to take a firmer stance.
"But I’m not Shin’s biological sister, am I? From now on, I’m going to develop our relationship. It’s fine if you want to help him, but I’d appreciate it if you didn't try anything funny."
Grace immediately countered Yujin’s blatant declaration of war.
"That is for Han Shin to decide."
Yujin, feeling like she was losing ground despite not backing down an inch, grew irritated. She had intended to settle things during this private talk, but it wasn't going as planned.
For a moment, silence hung between them.
The distance between the two didn't close at all. Instead, they became even more conscious of each other as rivals for Han Shin’s affection.
Grace, though she didn't say it outright, had no intention of giving up on Han Shin either. In a way, Kang Yujin had actually helped Grace solidify her own feelings.
As a follower of Tiamat, Grace had prioritized her role in serving Tiamat’s Proxy, Han Shin, and had tried to deny her own emotions. Though she knew her feelings for him were growing, she had forced herself to look away. But as a human being, being provoked by Kang Yujin like this stirred her emotions.
In particular, hearing that Yujin would no longer settle for being a "sister" and intended to advance the relationship was hard for Grace to stomach.
Grace considered what advantages she held over Kang Yujin.
"Just so you know, you can't go into dungeons with Han Shin and me, so don't even think about interfering."
"What?! Who do you think you are?"
This was a statement that caused Yujin to raise her voice. Now that she had revealed her status as an Awakener to Han Shin, she naturally intended to use her powerful psychokinesis to accompany him.
"You heard the explanation earlier. Han Shin is still weak and needs to grow stronger. He can recover his body and strengthen his abilities through Lady Tiamat’s power, but you don't have her grace. You cannot enter the portals with us."
This was a point that even the soundly sleeping Han Shin hadn't considered. Han Shin could use Tiamat’s app to teleport directly into portals as they appeared nearby, without the help or registration of the Association or the government.
Kang Yujin gritted her teeth as Grace used this logic to justify her position.
"Then can't I just travel to the vicinity with you and go in?"
It was a desperate argument, even to Yujin’s own ears.
"No. Han Shin levels up and grows stronger by absorbing the mana within a Dungeon Core. He can only absorb monsters defeated by those possessing Lady Tiamat’s divinity. No matter how strong you are, you cannot help him grow."
Yujin wanted to argue that she could just beat them to the brink of death and let him take the "last hit," but she knew that was also a stretch.
Since Han Shin had been healed by contracting with Tiamat, he had to fulfill his end of the bargain. Under this premise, Han Shin had to personally enter the dungeons within the portals and fight.
No matter how strong she was, there was no telling what might happen. The monsters inside the portals were beings from another world, not Earth, so absolute safety could never be guaranteed. Ultimately, it was an undeniable fact that Han Shin had to become strong enough to protect himself.
‘I don't like it... but she does seem like a highly skilled knight...’
Yujin remembered what Han Shin had told her during dinner. He had warned her not to be surprised if he was gone for a bit in the morning, as he would be training with Grace in a space created by Tiamat.
She hated to admit it, but it was true that Han Shin trusted Grace deeply and held some level of affection for her.
‘Sigh... I guess it can't be helped... Wait... then this woman gets to train with Shin in the morning and go to dungeons with him? And I’m left out...’
Only then did Kang Yujin realize how disadvantaged her position was compared to Grace’s.
While they would be trusting and relying on each other in the heat of battle... while Grace would be teaching him through sweat and toil, and would continue to do so...
In Yujin’s mind, it was only a matter of time before this arrogant, platinum-haired female knight devoured Han Shin.
‘This is dangerous...’
She had thought she held the advantage because she had known Han Shin longer and was closer to him, but that was a miscalculation. From Yujin’s current perspective, her relationship with Han Shin was a case of "so close yet so far."
They were clearly close as family, but as lovers, they hadn't even reached the starting line. Meanwhile, she had no idea how much closer Grace and Han Shin might become while spending time alone during training and dungeon raids.
The anxiety she had felt earlier began to rear its head again.
‘No!!’
The fantasies she’d had earlier—of Han Shin and Grace engaging in romantic displays of affection—flashed through her mind once more.
"……."
Realizing the situation was not in her favor, she found herself speechless.
Kang Yujin didn't say anything more to Grace, who had essentially won this round by decision. Grace didn't say anything either, and a tacit truce settled between them.
Yujin knew she had lost this argument. However, she couldn't bring herself to surrender or give up.
"…You wash first."
"Understood."
Yujin’s voice was slightly drained of energy, while Grace’s voice had softened, carrying a hint of gentleness.
Following Yujin’s words, Grace went into the bathroom to wash. Standing under the stream of hot water, she closed her eyes and ran both hands through her hair.
Grace felt a profound sense of satisfaction. It felt great to know that Kang Yujin, who had been so wary and hostile, was no longer being as aggressive and that she had won their verbal sparring match.
After Grace finished washing, both women began preparing for bed in earnest. The bed, which had been unused for a long time, was finally being put to use.
Kang Yujin and Grace reached another silent agreement not to provoke each other further. They lay down side-by-side on the bed to seek sleep.
Grace felt that everything was going exceptionally well from her perspective. Knowing that Kang Yujin would likely be quiet for the time being, she felt a sense of relief, though she didn't show it outwardly.