07. It's Mine.
07. It's Mine.
Exactly 3 days since the letter from the Jin Family reached Ha Yeon-seo.
A corpse was discovered in the forest near the Academy.
No matter how good the public safety is in the 1st-floor city, this is the Tower.
Finding a body isn't all that surprising, but this incident turned the entire city upside down.
The protagonist of that corpse was none other than a 『Noblesse』.
The peculiarities were the gruesome cross-sections on both arms as if they'd exploded, and the fact that he bit his own tongue to commit suicide.
Gender: male.
And pretty young, too.
Since his face, aside from the tongue, wasn't particularly damaged, identifying him wasn't hard.
It was Jin Seong-hyeon, who had gone missing just recently!
He was found dead in the forest.
At this point, it's no wonder the city flipped out.
Ha Yeon-seo, the Chief Instructor of the Academy and the city's master, couldn't stay silent about this major incident either.
「In the end, they found him after digging around.」
Just thinking about the post-mortem processing made her head feel like it was going to explode already, her body temperature throbbing.
No way her words were going to come out nicely.
「It's presumed to be suicide.」
「If he was gonna kill himself, why not go die at his own house? Why croak on my turf and piss me off?」
A person died—no, a fellow 『Noblesse』 died—and she didn't have even a speck of condolence.
Instead, she scowled and badmouthed him.
「This is why family education is so important.」
She puffed away on her beloved cigarette, which had become her comfort item before she knew it, letting out deep sighs one after another.
She'd hoped against hope, but it ended up the worst-case scenario.
Things were gonna get super annoying for a while.
For starters, the Jin Family would almost certainly come demanding an investigation, and the Committee would dispatch someone for mediation.
And separately, someone from the investigation bureau would get sent too.
They'd investigate the Academy as well.
Even if the direct cause of death was suffocation from severing his own tongue, it was certain an Academy instructor had mangled and burst both his arms.
「What do we do? Should we give Instructor Yu Ina some vacation time?」
「Why the hell should we hide? He killed himself because he wanted to die.」
「....」
「Keep doing business as usual. When the Jin Family or Committee folks show up, we'll talk then.」
Normally, in cases like this, you'd give vacation to anyone involved so they don't show their faces, but she just bulldozed ahead as usual.
+++
「...In the end, he turned up dead.」
Of course, news of Jin Seong-hyeon's death reached Yu Ina too.
Sure, she'd been fed up with his stalker tendencies, but he was still a fellow trainee from the same Martial Arts Hall back in the day.
Hearing he'd died left her with an unavoidable bitter, complicated feeling.
「Suicide over unrequited love getting snatched? What an idiot. Tsk tsk.」
「...Don't you have any respect for the dead?」
「Why show respect to a dead guy?」
「Haa... fine. What was I even expecting from you.」
Who else but Sihwan—arrogant as ever today.
「If it's whispers of love, I'll listen all you want.」
「Shut up.」
She was immune by now, barely reacting to his usual lines.
A massively disappointing response.
Feeling regretful, Sihwan changed the subject.
「More importantly, the new slaves are coming today, right?」
「Yeah. The Clan Head-nim is providing them especially with you in mind. Be grateful.」
「Three of 'em, you said? Can't wait. Hope they're pretty girls.」
He couldn't care less about Jin Seong-hyeon's death—not even a pea-sized bit.
No, to begin with, his death was something Bari and Sihwan had fabricated.
In the secret room of the Underground Base, Bari created a replica of Jin Seong-hyeon, supplied it with Nobling through pre-cultured organs to awaken it, and used that to blow off both arms of the replica just like Yu Ina had supposedly done.
Then, through Writing, she injected a certain level of memories and commands, took the replica out at night, and dumped it near the Academy entrance.
After that, it followed the implanted commands.
Staggering along somehow to a deserted spot, then biting its tongue and offing itself there.
Knowing the answer made it impossible to care.
Of course, even without that, zero interest since it was a guy.
「Ha. What kinda nonsense is that? Of course they're guys.」
「What?!」
Male slaves in this world?
Who'd even take something like that if it was handed out?
「Why're you so shocked? Assigning male slaves to a guy is totally normal. Especially since you're the same race. Wouldn't it be more comfortable with the same gender?」
「Show my body to some dude? What kinda play are you expecting, you perv?」
「P-perv? Me? Unbelievable. Never dreamed a doll-fucker would call me a perv.」
Flustered by his unexpectedly intense reaction, she couldn't let the 'perv' insult slide and fired back.
In her mind, Sihwan was basically the poster boy for perverts, so hearing that from him? She'd wake up from a coma to smack him.
「Whatever. I don't need a guy.」
「Hmph. Provided purely out of the Clan Head-nim's goodwill, and you dismiss it like this. As expected from a guy with no manners.」
「Sure, I'm thankful and all, but give something I actually need to make it real gratitude.」
「Ha. Getting hung up on this idiot. Ugh... my life...」
Despairing like that, she suddenly realized one fact and lifted her head.
「Ah, right. Might not need one for you, but this means no reason to sell Luna anymore.」
「What're you talking about?」
「Up 'til now, because of me, Luna and the other female slaves were stuck in a bachelor pad. Only girls around. So for breeding, we had to call in a stud. But with you here, assigning a male slave means no need for that. Just have the slaves breed among themselves like before. Yeah, it'd turn into an orgy, but they've got their own couples and lover crap going on anyway, so whatever.」
「Whaaat?」
What the thunderbolt hell was that?!
「That won't do.」
「...Why not?」
「....」
For once, Sihwan was at a loss for words.
Up to now, he'd always held the upper hand regarding Luna, but this one shot flipped their dynamic.
「...I said I'd buy her.」
「You said you'd think about it—no firm answer, right?」
「You've been acting all along like it was a 'promise to sell' on your whim, so why properly acknowledge it now? Huh? You convenience-obsessed jerk.」
「Hilarious. Isn't that describing you? Always arrogant, never considering others, selfish as hell, twisting the world to fit your wants—and you call me convenience-obsessed? Mind-blowing.」
「Anyway, no dice. I'm buying her.」
Truth be told, he hadn't thought much about Luna.
She was a beauty, but not some mind-blowingly stunning one, and he'd figured he could get her anytime, so maybe low interest.
But with this crisis(?) hitting, a fierce possessiveness surged up.
'No way they're breeding slaves together. Absolutely not.'
「...Just don't sell her then?」
「Who said I'm selling to you? She's family property anyway. I'll contact the Clan Head directly.」
「...Unbelievable. Don't tell me you're buying her for the reason I'm thinking.」
「How would I know what you're thinking.」
「Jealous over a slave? And from a married guy... ha... how does a dude like you even exist.」
「Jealous my ass.」
Possessiveness.
「Either way, it's shocking. You're always full of surprises. The bad kind.」
Shaking her head, she headed back to her room to prep for work.
+++
The slaves arrived after work was done.
Right around when they were about to have dinner, four people showed up at Yu Ina's mansion.
「This is... Luna's workplace...」
Jack's chest swelled at the sight of the modest(?) mansion.
Finally, after so long, he could see Luna again.
And maybe... dramatically advance their relationship.
'We've got couple rules. No way anyone's messing with that, right?'
He glanced at the slaves who'd come with him.
Both looked back with faint smiles.
Their eyes seemed to say, 'Don't worry about Luna.'
Good guys, as expected.
Made him wanna tear up for no reason.
「From now on, you'll meet your new master-nim. Absolutely no recklessness or arrogance. Don't think you're on the same level just 'cause you're the same human. Think hard about what it means to marry into the supreme race 『Noblesse』 as a human.」
「Yes.」
At the words of the elderly escort, Jack and the other slaves tensed up and straightened their backs.
'Wonder what kinda person's in charge?'
As they entered the mansion, Jack pondered his new master-nim (dispatched, but still).
A human married to 『Noblesse』—and not just any, but Yu Ina, granddaughter of the Five Great Families' Yu Family.
Couldn't tell the vibe here at the Tower's southernmost tip, but back at the main house on the 25th floor, it'd caused a huge uproar, shaking the entire 『Noblesse』 society like an earthquake.
The man—human—who sparked that historic mega-event... just how insanely capable must he be?
As a fellow human, respect welled up automatically.
'Maybe he's... the great hero who'll save us humans from slavery?'
He even fantasized wildly.
With no clue what fate awaited him....