Chapter 14 The Empress's Day 2
Chapter 14: {The Empress's Day} 2
{The Empress's Day}
"Alright. If anyone has any other important matters to report, do so now."
At Yu Ha-rin's words, the executives began exchanging cautious glances.
As she sat waiting in her formal business suit, one of the executives—a woman—carefully spoke up.
"Empress, we've received a request from the United Kingdom. They're asking for our assistance in dealing with a Rift that has appeared in Edinburgh, Scotland."
The reporting executive was a woman, but her appearance was unusual—she had wings reminiscent of a dragon, a long tail, and scales scattered across her body.
She was a member of the Draconian race.
"Renia, what's the scale?"
The Draconian executive, Renia, answered Ha-rin's question.
"It started as an A-rank and has rapidly grown—currently estimated to be at SSS-rank."
Ha-rin nodded lightly.
"Handle it yourselves."
"Understood."
An SSS-rank Rift was something only a handful of Awakened could currently handle, but for the Underground Guild, dispatching just three executives would make it an easy task.
It wasn't that they couldn't handle it alone—it was just time-consuming and bothersome.
Though they paled in comparison to Empress Yu Ha-rin, every executive here had been personally selected by her. They were the world's most elite fighters, recognized globally for their strength.
"Any other reports?"
A brief silence followed.
"None? Then remember my words clearly and relay them properly to those below."
"Yes, Empress."
"Understood."
With that, Ha-rin rose from her seat. In an instant, she teleported out of the conference room.
Despite the numerous anti-teleportation barriers placed throughout the meeting hall, she moved as if they didn't exist at all.
"Haah..."
Having teleported back to her private quarters, Ha-rin let out an involuntary sigh now that the meeting was over.
'All I wanted was for him to come back safely...'
She had only wished for her younger brother, Yu Ji-hu, to return unharmed after being sent to the Other World.
Had he not come back alive, she couldn't have guaranteed how far she would have gone in her madness.
At best, she might have simply taken her own life.
At worst, she would have stopped at nothing—crossing every line imaginable—to find a way to bring him back.
Thankfully, he had returned. But seeing him so deeply wounded, so burdened, made her chest tighten with pain.
Her power, the Underground Guild, her reputation as the Empress—all of it had been prepared for the sake of her one and only brother.
"Ji-hu."
Just speaking his name aloud made her crave the sight of his face with an almost desperate intensity.
So she stood immediately and headed to where he would be—the training grounds.
"......"
There he was, sword in hand, eyes closed, focusing entirely on his senses.
Knowing he was deep in training, Ha-rin deliberately suppressed her presence and quietly observed him.
She watched as he repeated basic movements with slow, deliberate precision, committing every detail to memory.
'He's working hard.'
A faint smile touched her lips.
For six years, she hadn't been able to smile—not truly.
During the four years he had been lost in the Other World, she had raged like a madwoman, consumed by the need to return to Earth where he was.
And after her return, knowing he had been sent to that same world and gone missing, not a single day passed without her worrying about where he might be suffering.
But now, even if he was wounded and struggling, she was endlessly grateful that he had come back to her alive.
"Ji-hu."
At her voice, Yu Ji-hu opened his eyes.
"Yeah, Noona. I knew you'd come. You didn't announce yourself."
"I didn't want to interrupt your training."
She smiled slightly as she spoke.
"I can feel your sword's aura has improved quite a bit. Want to spar with me?"
Ji-hu gave a slightly awkward smile in response.
"Spar with you? I've never won even once. I doubt that'll change now..."
Objectively speaking, Ji-hu was an exceptional fighter—few could rival his skill. But Ha-rin was on an entirely different level.
"I'll go easy on you."
At her words, Ji-hu nodded.
"Alright, then. Go easy on me."
"Got it."
The moment they agreed to spar, Ha-rin's formal business attire began to shift.
A dark energy lightly enveloped her body, and her suit vanished without a trace, replaced by a black tank top that revealed her sculpted shoulders and ample cleavage, along with form-fitting dolphin shorts.
A longsword materialized in her hand.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
And so, their spar began.
The moment they crossed blades, the two siblings launched into an intense exchange.
KWAANG!
Neither let out a battle cry. In this moment, their focus was solely on their swords—steel clashing against steel.
BANG— BANG—
Qi enveloped their blades, turning each collision into a shockwave that rippled through the air rather than the metallic clang of ordinary swords.
Ha-rin effortlessly deflected every one of Ji-hu's strikes, proud of how much he had improved—yet pained by the realization of how much suffering must have fueled that growth.
'You didn't have to grow stronger. Even if you'd lived an ordinary life, I would have taken care of everything for you.'
But she knew her younger brother well.
Beneath his gentle and reserved demeanor, he was stubborn.
She had no intention of forcing him into a mold of her own making. She wanted to respect his choices, to let him live as he wished.
What made her both happy and sorrowful was Ji-hu's extraordinary talent—and his desire to use the strength he had gained to prevent others from losing their families, just as they had.
"You put too much force into that last move."
Ha-rin lightly corrected him, then replicated his previous motion—this time demonstrating where to ease the tension to maximize speed and efficiency.
"Ugh!"
Ji-hu staggered back slightly.
'Noona really is on another level.'
Ji-hu knew she was holding back—far from going all out.
Yet even like this, she was still overwhelming.
'She's even more beautiful now.'
He watched as her long, jet-black hair swayed with each elegant swing of her sword.
Dressed in a simple tank top and dolphin shorts, her movements were mesmerizing—so captivating that it was hard to look away.
Even as her brother, he couldn't help but admire her. To others, she must have seemed like a painting come to life.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Ji-hu found himself falling backward.
Ha-rin had swept his legs out from under him, pinning him down beneath her.
"You let your guard down, Ji-hu."
As she smiled down at him, he grinned back from his pinned position.
"Yeah, but even if I hadn't, I doubt I could've countered that."
She chuckled lightly.
With her on top of him, Ji-hu couldn't help but notice the closeness of her ample cleavage, the warmth of her body, the softness of her breath against his face.
Her long hair cascaded over him, tickling his skin.
"It's been a while since we've done something like this."
Ji-hu nodded.
"Yeah, it has."
He knew that the cold, distant Empress was gentle only with him.
And that the woman who always seemed wrapped in an aura of lethality only ever relaxed in his presence.
This wasn't the first time they'd played around like this.
Ji-hu imagined countless people would envy him if they saw this scene—
The world's most beautiful woman, dressed in a black tank top and dolphin shorts, pinning him down in this compromising position.
'Noona would never betray me.'
He could feel it—no matter what happened, Yu Ha-rin would never betray him.
The thought brought him an odd sense of peace.
Looking down at her younger brother, laughing beneath her as they relived an old game, Ha-rin realized something.
For the sake of his smile, she would do anything.
'I'll give you whatever you want. Everything I have is for you.'
This moment—reminiscent of their childhood—made her certain that today was the most precious day she'd had in the past six years.
And so, she smiled—a smile filled with genuine warmth.