The Banquet (1)
Chae Gain saw an alarm suddenly go off in the Hwanryeong Team 2 group chat and hurriedly grabbed her smartphone.
Yusoha: This weekend, due to a government-hosted banquet, there will be no training for the next two days. That said, just because there's no training doesn't mean you should forget to train yourselves. I'll announce the details tomorrow.
Lively replies like [Yes!] and others immediately began filling the chat, brimming with energy. Chae Gain was no different. Unable to hide her bright smile, she quickly replied to Yusoha’s notice.
“……Anyway, that’s how it is, so there will be no training this weekend. Instead, as I announced yesterday, it’s good to rest, but you shouldn’t get too lax. We’ve only just begun these training sessions, so I trust none of you will slack off.”
“Of course!”
Seeing their joyful faces, Yusoha narrowed her eyes and continued.
“If even a single person shows any sign of laziness, I will announce that training will be even more intense than before and proceed accordingly.”
“……Yes.”
As if cold water had been dumped over them, the warm atmosphere froze in an instant. Yusoha began the training in that chilly mood, and that day the Awakened had no choice but to drag their exhausted bodies home after what felt like an especially brutal session.
Time passed rather quickly, and finally the weekend of the banquet arrived. Yusoha was currently preparing to attend.
Eclipse watched Yusoha as she sat at the vanity table getting ready for the event. The makeup artist standing beside her glanced at Eclipse with open curiosity, but when Yusoha shot her a sharp look, the woman quickly snapped back to attention and busily began applying delicate makeup to Yusoha’s face.
“Are you preparing for the banquet?”
“Yeah. Makeup, changing clothes, doing my hair… It’s going to take quite a while.”
“……It will take a very long time, then.”
“It will. By the way, was it like this at banquets in your world too? You were a knight, right? So you must have met plenty of princesses and nobles.”
“Indeed. They were exactly the same. Arranging their hair, wearing bright or extravagant clothes… And they took an extremely long time to get ready. Several hours at the very least. Still, it’s fascinating. To think this world has the same custom.”
“Right? Well, people are people wherever you go, I suppose.”
“Then it seems you will need a considerable amount of time to finish preparing as well.”
“Mm, probably.”
“Understood. I’ll wait outside for now.”
“Okay.”
Jeong Se-ah, the makeup artist who had been quietly watching Eclipse leave the room, turned to Yusoha with a question.
“Um, miss.”
“What?”
“About… Sir Eclipse. Isn’t he going to dress up?”
“……He says he prefers his armor. He has too many scars on his face and doesn’t want to show it.”
“Even so……”
“I can’t very well force someone who doesn’t want to be dressed up. If he were merely a subordinate, I might have pushed him into it, but Eclipse isn’t my subordinate. For the record, I still haven’t seen his bare face either.”
“……Really?”
“Didn’t your older sister Se-yeon tell you? She said he absolutely never reveals his face.”
“She doesn’t. My sister never tells me anything that happens while she’s working.”
“True. That’s exactly why I chose her.”
“Hehe.”
Apparently pleased that her sister had been praised, Jeong Se-ah let out a silly laugh.
“Anyway, that’s enough small talk. We need to finish getting ready quickly.”
“Yes, miss.”
It took a considerable amount of time before Yusoha finally finished preparing. When Eclipse saw her, he couldn’t hide his surprise.
Her hair was styled in the usual updo, only more elegantly refined. Her face wore bright, luminous makeup unlike her normal look. Thanks to her vivid, pale golden hair, the overall effect was dazzling. Eclipse could only stare in admiration.
He had felt it before, but Yusoha possessed a beauty that far surpassed even the princesses and noblewomen renowned for their appearance in his former world.
“How do I look?”
“Beautiful.”
“……Oh.”
“Hm?”
“I didn’t know you could say things like that.”
Yusoha seemed genuinely surprised that Eclipse had spoken such words.
“It is simply the truth.”
“Hmm.”
Yusoha made a small nasal sound, gazing up at him with an odd expression before speaking again.
“Well, fine. Let’s go.”
“But Soha. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“You dressed up so brightly, yet you’re wearing a suit?”
“Ah.”
Indeed, instead of the evening dress women usually wore to such events, Yusoha had chosen the same suit she wore to the guild.
“I told you. I have something to take care of. For that, I need clothing that’s easy to move in.”
“……I see. You mentioned a bad relationship with someone.”
Eclipse recalled what she had told him last time.
“Yes. I plan to thoroughly crush them, so I need to be fully prepared.”
“Understood.”
“Then let’s go. My sister is waiting.”
“Yu Danha?”
“Yeah. She’s coming with me this time. It’s a gathering that invited all the high-ranking members of Hwanryeong, so of course she’s included.”
“I see. Then I suppose I should release my materialization again.”
“Yes.”
In the car heading to the banquet hall, Yu Danha stared quietly at her younger sister. Even from her profile as she looked out the window, an unmistakable air of excitement radiated from her. Unable to stay silent, she asked.
“Soha.”
“What?”
“Nothing, you just seem excited. It’s the first time I’ve seen you like this before a banquet.”
“……I have every reason to be excited.”
“Why?”
“This time all five major guilds of South Korea will be gathered in one place. That means Seo Eun-ah will be there too.”
“Ah.”
Yu Danha instantly understood why her sister was so worked up.
“No wonder you’re wearing a suit. I thought it was strange. By the way… are you planning to call Eclipse?”
“No. Beating that girl who always struts around with her Guardian Star every time she sees me would be satisfying, but crushing her with my own two hands feels much better, don’t you think?”
“……Still, don’t let your guard down too much. No matter how low she ranks among the successors of the five major guilds, she’s still a proper A-class Awakened.”
“I know. I’m not going to be careless. If I’m in any real danger of losing, Eclipse will step in, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Good. By the way, how are the preparations for the North Korea expedition going?”
“Quite smoothly.”
“What about radiation countermeasures?”
“Already finished. The Soul Armament will be completed soon, and I’ve prepared radiation-resistant protective suits as well.”
“……Using your own money?”
“Using my own money. Father said he won’t provide any separate support for this. So for the time being, I’m basically broke.”
“If you need money, just tell me.”
Yu Danha gazed at her younger sister for a moment, then spoke as if it were nothing important.
“What’s this about all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean, all of a sudden? My little sister is taking on a difficult challenge. Of course I want to help.”
“Hmm. I’ll gratefully accept the offer.”
With those final words, Yusoha fell silent and turned back toward the window. But she probably didn’t realize that the corners of her mouth, reflected in the glass, were slowly curving upward. Or that Yu Danha had noticed.
Yu Danha quietly covered her mouth with one hand and smiled.
The attendees entering the banquet hall were all dazzling beyond words. Hwanryeong, Red Moon, Yeon, Myeolma, and Taehwa—the five most influential guilds in South Korea had gathered in one place. It was only natural that the atmosphere would be this brilliant.
“Haha. Welcome, everyone.”
As they entered the hall, a middle-aged man with a neat appearance greeted the representatives from each guild.
“It’s been a while, Chairman Jang.”
“It has indeed, Sir Yu Hyeok. How many years has it been?”
“About three years, I’d say.”
“That sounds right. I watched the last Hwanryeong tournament with great interest.”
“There were quite a few surprising moments.”
“Indeed. Even I never expected Shin Seongmin to be defeated.”
“My granddaughter is that impressive.”
“Haha. Still, it looks like you can finally breathe easy now.”
“By the way, what’s the occasion for calling us together today?”
“Well, does there need to be a specific purpose? It’s to strengthen our friendships. And also to take care of a few other matters while we’re at it.”
The man Yu Hyeok had called Chairman Jang was none other than Jang Dae-hyeon, President of the Korean Awakeners Association. He subtly shifted his gaze toward the representatives of the other guilds.
The sharp-featured leader of Yeon, An Se-hoon, and his successor An Si-yeon standing beside him. On the opposite side, Myeolma’s leader Nam Hyeon-hoo, locked in a silent battle of nerves with An Se-hoon, along with his son Nam Si-woo. And Taehwa’s leader Seo Hwa-hyeon, who observed them calmly, with Seo Eun-ah standing next to her, her face somewhat stiff as she scanned her surroundings.
“Ah.”
Yu Hyeok took in the scene and nodded as if he understood the situation.
“Well, Yeon and Myeolma have been on rather bad terms lately… so this is partly to mediate between them.”
Jang Dae-hyeon lowered his voice.
“If that’s the case, then Hwanryeong and Red Moon aren’t exactly on friendly terms either, are they?”
“At least Hwanryeong and Red Moon aren’t at the point where they would start an all-out guild war anytime soon.”
“……True. Now that you mention it, I did hear that some of Yeon’s Awakened recently crossed into Myeolma’s territory without permission.”
Yu Hyeok had already heard about the minor clash between Yeon and Myeolma that occurred right after the Hwanryeong tournament.
“The main reason I invited all five major guilds this time is because of that. The higher-ups have ordered us to prevent any guild conflicts by any means necessary… and if things go wrong, they say they’ll even mobilize the military.”
“Well, I get the general idea. So we just sit back, enjoy the show, and eat the food?”
“……Pretty much. It’s fortunate that the relationship between Red Moon and Hwanryeong isn’t as hostile as the others.”
“We have no reason to fight each other. At least not right now.”
“For the moment, that’s enough.”
“Oh, right, Chairman Jang. There’s one more thing I’d like to mention.”
“Yes?”
“It seems my granddaughter has quite a lot of built-up resentment toward Taehwa’s successor.”
“Ah.”
Jang Dae-hyeon couldn’t help but slap his forehead. The bad blood between Yusoha and Seo Eun-ah was already common knowledge, so there was no way Jang Dae-hyeon—who was well-versed in the personnel relationships of every guild—wouldn’t know about it.
“Anyway, I’m sorry for the trouble. Still, since it’s a matter between the children, my wife and I won’t get involved.”
“……Sigh. Understood for now.”
Jang Dae-hyeon realized he would have his hands full at this banquet in more ways than one.