05. The Human Causing a Stir
05. The Human Causing a Stir
05. The Human Who's the Talk of the Town
The faint clinking of dishes.
It was a rare meal where everyone gathered together, but silence filled the air here.
After Ryu Si-hwan and Yu Ina's shocking marriage contract, the people who had witnessed it decided to have breakfast together.
Sort of a commemoration, you could say.
Instead of Yu Ina's half-collapsed mansion, the Chief Instructor had offered up her own house.
"Oh. This is delicious."
"Indeed. I'll save the recipe."
"Meals at inns or the stuff we ate at Yu Ina's place were decent enough, but this place is seriously good. Maybe I should drop by often."
While everyone else ate in silence, the only ones casually opening their mouths were Ryu Si-hwan and Bari.
Bari did have biological tissues, but she was still a machine through and through, so these analog meals were unnecessary for her—though she did have 'taste buds'.
She had to be able to taste in order to serve Sihwan perfect cooking, after all.
And yeah, it was definitely good even for her palate.
The food the Chief Instructor had prepared deserved all that praise.
"......As the homeowner, I appreciate the compliments, but I'd really prefer it if you held off on the visits."
"Oh? That's a shame."
This cheeky, clueless human dropping by to visit?
Ha Yeon-seo shot down the idea immediately at the horrifying thought, but Sihwan didn't seem fazed at all.
It was just the kind of empty small talk Koreans make about food—he had no real intention of trekking all the way to the Chief Instructor's house just for a meal.
"But it's seriously weird. His behavior and the way he talks are so bizarre and clueless, but his table manners aren't half bad... Is he from human nobility?"
Maybe because Ryu Si-hwan, Bari, and even the Chief Instructor had started talking, loosening up the vibe—the short-haired woman who'd been quietly observing everyone while eating finally spoke up.
She was one of Yoo Tae-hee's daughters, the once-in-a-generation genius Yoo Hari, who had recently risen to the rank of Roza Kraba.
For the long-lived 『Noblesse』, it was a realm they'd eventually reach anyway, but she'd gotten there before even hitting 1,000 years old, so praise was pouring in from all sides.
Even in the Yu Family, she was seen as the genius who'd succeed family head Yoo Tae-hee.
The reason she'd come all the way here? Her little sister Yoo Hana's daughter was none other than Yu Ina.
"Yoo Hari-ssi, it's rude to say that right to his face, even if it's true."
The family head gave a light warning.
But even she didn't deny that Sihwan was bizarre and clueless.
Anyone who'd dealt with Sihwan would nod along to that.
"Ah, yes. Sorry."
A super casual apology that didn't sound sorry at all.
Tae-hee shot her a slight glare, but she ignored it.
"Nobility? Don't try slapping me with something that lame."
"Ha! Holy shit. Unbelievable. That's kinda cute."
Yoo Hari had until recently been part of the Management Committee that 'manages the human population'.
She'd pop out to the human zones beyond the Tower all the time, gathering intel and strong-arming the nobles or royalty there—for over a century, no less.
And from all that, she'd learned one thing.
Humans had zero sense of their place.
The entire race was basically slaves and pets to the 『Advanced Races』, but the nobles strutted around like they were God's gift to the world, and some total idiots would even puff up their chests in front of her—a Management Committee member.
Of course, once she flexed a little power, they'd bow and scrape.
"Still, if he managed to marry our niece in the end, he's gotta have some kind of talent, right? I can't buy that a puny human has enough chops to impress our mom... but whatever, it's done now."
She raised her wine glass and glanced around at everyone.
"Let's do a toast. We gained a new family member, process be damned—least we can do, yeah?"
"......Right. I was thoughtless."
Tae-hee nodded and lifted her wine glass as well.
Then Yoo Hana—Yu Ina's mom and now Sihwan's mother-in-law—raised hers with a sigh, and Yu Ina followed suit.
"No, I... ugh... whatever, doesn't matter."
Ha Yeon-seo wanted to say, 'I'm not even from the Yu Family, though...', but she didn't want to kill the mood, so she just shook her head and raised her glass.
Now it was just Ryu Si-hwan and Bari left.
All eyes focused on them again.
"A toast... not a bad idea."
Before anyone could object, Sihwan was already on his feet.
"??"
Hari—the one who'd suggested it—was a little thrown, and all the women with their glasses raised stared at him with question marks practically floating over their heads.
Like, 'Why the hell are you standing up?'
"World peace is too kiddie and doesn't fit the vibe. Let's keep it simple: for prosperity and peace."
He shamelessly shrugged off the stares, gave his glass a little jingle, and hoisted it high above his head.
"For eternal prosperity and peace!"
"For it!"
Bari chimed in right away, and the two of them started gulping down their wine like champs.
Everyone else? Dead silence.
They couldn't process it.
Normally, the toast would come from the highest-ranking person at the table. Or if there's a main guest, it might get passed to them—but only after getting the okay from the bigwig, or with them explicitly handing it off.
But here was Ryu Si-hwan, standing up out of nowhere like it was no big deal, dropping a toast, and chugging away.
What the actual fuck was this absurdity?
In hundreds of years of living, how many times had something made her head ring like this?
"Ahahaha! Is he nuts for real?? Dude's lost it!"
Hari cracked up at the sheer novelty of it, then went, "Yeah, yeah, cheers," and tilted her glass back.
Even Yoo Tae-hee—the queen of stone-faced—let out an involuntary laugh before jolting in surprise, clearing her throat, and sipping.
At this point, everyone else just went with the flow and toasted.
They'd all ended up playing along with Ryu Si-hwan's ridiculous impromptu toast, but hey, no sour faces.
+++
Clang!
"Th-that... what the hell does that mean...."
"...Exactly what you heard."
Area 5 (Tower 5th Floor).
Among the big landowners here, the Jin Family had a son who'd just turned thirty.
His name was Jin Seong-hyeon—a male prodigy born with real talent for Nobling.
Up until last year, he'd been training at the Martial Arts Hall run by the Yu Family, and that's where he met his destiny.
Love at first sight.
He'd always thought it was bullshit, but the moment he saw her? Had to admit it was real.
After that, he busted his ass nonstop to be with Yu Ina.
Trained like a maniac for a guy, pushed himself to the point of coughing blood just to keep up.
But....
Yu Ina was a top-tier prodigy among women born with Nobling talent, while he could barely handle the level of an average chick.
Was he exceptional in other ways? Nah. And his family wasn't some juggernaut like the Yu Family either.
Every time she leveled up, the gap between them grew. Then at the end of last year, she shipped off to be an instructor at the 1st-floor Academy, and they were done.
The agony of parting.
Deep down, he wanted to stay by her side. Build memories together, then propose like a boss someday.
But with his piss-poor Nobling output compared to hers, there was no way he could snag an Academy instructor gig. So they ended up worlds apart.
It was hopeless, but he clung to a thread of hope.
Sure, they were in different leagues, but they had some familiarity, and he wasn't a total stranger to her face. They were split for now, but his future was still bright. Plus, the 1st floor wasn't just the Academy—there were other jobs. He could ease his way in slow, and eventually make her his.
That's what he'd thought.
Until now.
"Yu Ina's getting married?! No fucking way!! She's just thirty!!!!"
"..."
His roar made the attending servant bow his head low.
From experience, when the young master threw one of these fits, best to just duck and stay quiet.
"People don't even marry till around a thousand years old!"
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Sure, a powerhouse like the Yu Family might do political marriages around 500, but even that was way too soon.
Thirty and tying the knot?
"I can't accept this... I won't!"
"......If I may be so bold... it's already set in stone—"
"Shut the fuck up!!"
The servant who'd finally piped up lost his head for it.
He killed without a second thought, but didn't feel even a twinge of guilt.
"Mother! Mother!!"
He bolted straight to his mother's quarters and flung the door wide open.
"Sigh... You heard, huh."
Like this was routine, she let out a sigh but didn't chew him out.
"What the hell is going on!!"
"What more explanation do you need? Yu Family granddaughter Yu Ina got married. That's it. I knew you had a thing for her, but it was never gonna happen. This just seals it."
"What do you mean! There was tons of time left, and with enough effort, it totally could've worked!"
"That's just you. Anyway, it's over. Time to start thinking like someone your age. Marriage at thirty? What's that about. If you're that desperate for romance, I'll hook you up with some nice kids."
"No thanks!!"
He turned on his heel all pissy-like and slammed the door on his way out.
A sigh echoed from the other side, but he didn't have time to care.
He was even thinking of heading straight down to Area 1 right then—but a thought hit him.
'Who is it? Her husband.'
Yeah.
Who the hell was this guy snatching her up at thirty? Who could've pushed her into marriage this damn early?
"Mother!"
"..."
He threw the door open again.
She was still sighing.
"Who is it! The bastard who took her!!"
"......On that note... I've got questions too... but according to the records, it's a guy named 'Ryu Si-hwan'."
"Ryu... Si-hwan? Never heard of him. Not from one of the Five Great Families—who the fuck is this?"
"How the hell should I know? It's not even been a full day. Just wait it out patiently. No damn patience at all. Tsk tsk tsk."
"Urgh..."
It hurt.
Losing her like this.
"I can't just sit here... At the very least... I gotta see his face!"
"You lunatic, cut it out. You think going there's gonna accomplish shit?"
"I have to see him!!"
He stormed out of the room again.
"That dumbass!"
If he actually showed up and caused a scene, it'd be a total disaster.
The Jin Family was peanuts compared to the Yu Family in power and wealth—piss them off, and poof, gone.
"Steward!"
"You called."
"Tail that idiot and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"...Wouldn't it be better to just stop him from leaving?"
"You think he'd stay put? He'd sneak out if blocked. Better let him at least see the guy's face, then drag him back if shit hits the fan."
"Understood."
Once the steward was gone, she let out a deep sigh.
Her cute kid acting so immature—it was breaking her heart.
'But maybe it's for the best. Good chance for him to learn the world's full of shit you can't have.'