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Chapter 142

Yeon-woo decided to put aside the matters related to Noel for now. There was a way to treat her, but the materials were needed. Anyway, since Noel’s condition wasn’t severe at the moment, it was Yuri’s judgment that focusing on the upcoming competition was the right choice.

“Speaking of which, how’s the meeting with the Black Guild going?”

“We’ve set some personnel and booked a venue, so it seems to be alright.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if something went wrong at this meeting hosted by Je Gal Seong-ryong. But if I had to choose, what would you prefer?”

“Oh, I definitely want to stir up some trouble. It’s not that I hate Seong-ryong, but if martial artists meet and it turns into a casual chat rather than a fight? That’s something I can’t accept.”

“I must clarify that this is merely Namgung Seong’s personal opinion.”

Namgung Seong and Yeon-woo were strolling leisurely down the street. They were heading to meet Dang Sa-ryeon at the storage of the Black Guild, though they were exchanging frivolous banter along the way. Yeon-woo had come out victorious in their recent friendship battle.

If anyone wondered why Namgung Seong was accompanying Yeon-woo to meet Dang Sa-ryeon, it was due to the earlier mention of a meeting with the Black Guild.

Most members of the Yongbong Association had enrolled in the academy, leaving little time for meetings, resulting in communications mainly through letters. Given the unique characteristic of Oceanic Academy floating on the sea, message delivery wasn’t easy.

“If I had gone alone, they probably wouldn’t have met me, so I’m glad you’re here. You really know them well, huh?”

“By chance.”

It was amusing that there was no explanation other than luck for their meeting. While having that conversation, Yeon-woo glanced briefly to her left. Holding onto Yeon-woo’s left hand was Shar, who, in turn, held Tae-oh’s hand.

As always, the proud duo attracted admiring glances from passersby. Though they would occasionally get distracted, they were being pulled along by Yeon-woo’s grip.

“Our kids are really adorable, aren’t they?”

With a warm smile, Yeon-woo sought agreement from Namgung Seong, who looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

Today, Shar was wearing a cute, bright yellow dress that resembled a chick. It even had light magic cast on it so that the chick-decorated hood could be flipped over to become a raincoat. Adorable. No further description was necessary.

On the other hand, Tae-oh sported a beige jacket and shorts, layered with a white dress shirt, casually sporting formal attire. When asked if he felt hot, he insisted he was fine, so there was nothing more to say. Did spirits not feel heat, or did Tae-oh simply enjoy the warmth?

“I hear some kids have been studying how to compliment better because you keep asking if they’re cute. They are cute, but at this rate, they’ll end up sick of it, you know?”

“If we end up with improved grades due to their cuteness, wouldn’t that be thanks to our kids? If they’re that cute to raise friends’ scores too, they might as well be gods.”

“You’re out of your mind. If you feel like you’re going overboard and becoming a demon, just let me know. I’ll take you down anytime.”

“I think you might be the one getting a bit excessive, Dad. It’s a little overwhelming, you know?”

“Even Shar thinks so. Cool it, you brat.”

Can you believe it? A world where something that cute couldn’t be called cute! A dreadful dystopia had arrived in this world. Yeon-woo was engulfed in a despairing feeling, as if facing the apocalypse.

As they walked, Yeon-woo’s gaze fell on some familiar figures in distinctive clothing. Hunters responsible for security in Harmony City were having a serious conversation before hastily moving on.

Of course, with visitors from other academies, the need for increased security and safety was understandable, but that sight felt unsettling regardless.

Especially since the Dark Guild had already been eradicated from this city, and the direction they were headed was towards the commercial district that the Dark Guild used to inhabit.

Though it was true that security levels in Harmony City had decreased due to the ongoing large festival, making it impossible to check every individual coming from other cities for the competition. It was more efficient to let some through and filter them out internally.

Yet, in cities where competitions were held, the occurrence of significant incidents was remarkably low. The reason for this was simple.

Just in terms of publicly known professors at Harmony Academy, there were the Demon King and Kim Hyun-soo. While not every academy had such professors, those gathering for the competition were top-tier academies in a harmonious rivalry, boasting their own impressive faculty.

Not every professor showed up, but usually, the representative professor of an academy was an incredibly skilled hunter, which posed a significant challenge to anyone daring to cause trouble.

‘Right now, the academies haven’t fully gathered yet, but…’

Nevertheless, from the urgent movement of these individuals, a sense of dread that something had already gone wrong was palpable. It was impossible to fully see what was happening, but Yeon-woo couldn’t recall hearing of incidents at this year’s Harmony Festival.

The possibility that Harmony had concealed an incident before the regression… was low. Even though the academy had many conflicting interests, neither the department head nor the president was the type to hide an event like that.

‘Tae-oh.’

[Is there something going on?]

‘Sorry, but can you attach some shadows to those people over there?’

[No problem. Should I record?]

‘Yeah, if possible, I’d like video too.’

[Understood. I’ll retrieve it in the evening.]

Tae-oh’s shadow rippled like a mirage. A fragment of the detached shadow slipped from shadow to shadow, finally merging into one of the guards who had just dashed past.

‘Sorry, and thank you.’

[Hehe. I’m happy to help Dad!]

Honestly, Yeon-woo didn’t want to assign such an uneasy task, but it was troubling her too much. She thought it would be better to find out definitively rather than remaining anxious.

Whatever was going on would be clear when she returned to the dormitory that evening, so while Yeon-woo chatted about various things with the others, they soon spotted a large hangar constructed within the academy grounds.

It was a space to store the black relics. The area in front of the hangar was bustling with academy students. Perhaps they had come to visit a friend who had gone to the Ocean? Thankfully, there were still fewer people since the academy hadn’t opened to outsiders yet.

Of course, with two children and a 2m tall Namgung Seong beside her, they stood out even amidst the crowd of students.

Engaging in light conversation with students who approached them, the massive hangar doors opened, accompanied by the sound of hissing cylinders, and people began to walk out.

As if matching the name of the academy, it wasn’t hard to spot Dang Sa-ryeon among the wave of people streaming out. Her hair color inherently stood out, and Namgung Seong’s presence was too significant for her to ignore his existence and pretend not to see him.

As a result, when her eyes met with Namgung Seong’s, Dang Sa-ryeon made quite the expressive face. If one had to compare it to anything… it was the kind of face someone would make when a cockroach suddenly appeared at home?

“Long time no see, Dang Sa-ryeon!!”

“Uh, what are you doing here…?”

“It’s been a while.”

“……!? Mysterious martial artist…!?”

“What? Why are you calling me by some nickname from an ancient tale? Did Choi Yeon-woo say that?”

“……!!”

Realizing she had inadvertently exposed her secret dream due to her embarrassment, Dang Sa-ryeon’s ears turned bright red.

“Er, ahem!! So, what brings you here, Namgung Seong? We’re not close enough for you to come greet us, right?”

Dang Sa-ryeon called out loudly with an overbearing posture, flicking a strand of hair behind her ear as if she wasn’t paying much attention to the gazes around her. Given the slightly revealing dress she wore, she probably had that natural personality.

“Yeon-woo said she wanted to see you, so I came along. Of course, there’s a purpose, but… it’s not something to discuss here.”

Namgung Seong remarked as he subtly moved aside, indicating that the main guest was Yeon-woo, so he should allow her to speak first.

“…Y-Yeon-woo? Is that so? What brings you here?”

With her chin lifted, Dang Sa-ryeon asked back while crossing her arms. Why was she fumbling over someone else’s name? It felt odd.

“I would like to request you to comfortably call me that…. My kids are eager to explore the inside of the black relics. I thought of visiting to see if that’s possible. By the way, we could also have dinner together.”

“…’Kids’?”

The expression on Dang Sa-ryon’s face hardened. Her gaze went from Yeon-woo to Shar holding her hand, and then to Tae-oh holding Shar’s hand. At the stiff stare, Tae-oh flinched and hid behind Shar.

“W-What a scandalous martial artist…!!”

“From now on, let’s just say ‘LOL’!”

“Eh? …Oh!”

Somehow, despite everything, Tae-oh realized there was room for misunderstanding. Given his smaller stature compared to peers and his dark hair, one could see how confusion could arise. While he had light brown hair, it still fitted into that range of colors.

“I can’t believe it!! I never thought you’d be this debauched…!! This filthy creature!!”

“LOL.”

Yeon-woo briefly considered whether to mention this or not. She thought that doing so might embarrass Dang Sa-ryeon. However, at that moment, she was more embarrassed herself, so she cautiously opened her mouth.

“I-I’m sorry, but he’s a spirit contracted with me. His name is Tae-oh.”

“…….”

A slight silence hung in the air. After bowing her head momentarily, Dang Sa-ryeon suddenly lifted her gaze.

“Hmm… Shall we all go out for a meal?”

“LOL.”

“Cut it out, you brat.”

Isn’t it true that bystanders also share blame? I’ve never felt this much anger before…!!

*

“By the way, what happened to that Nokpungdae member?”

“You can speak freely. My manner of speaking is just a habit. So… Yeon-woo?”

“Uh, yeah, right. Speak freely… I guess?”

“You didn’t seem that difficult with us. What’s up??”

“With you, from the beginning, I could even profanely curse, so don’t worry.”

Yeon-woo realized for the first time that addressing someone who spoke politely to oneself with casual slang was quite a daring act. Something… something was preventing that casual language from flowing out….

The five of them headed toward the Chinese restaurant they had visited with Samiryun-ju before. The choice was Tae-oh’s. He seemed to really like it. Yeon-woo was a bit surprised when she asked if it was okay with Dang Sa-ryeon and received an affirmative response.

“Of course, while our culture resembles that of the China in this world, if we look closely, differences appear everywhere. Especially in culinary practices.”

“Chinese food is delicious…!!”

“Yes, it is tasty. What kind of food do you like, Tae-oh?”

“The chili shrimp was delicious the last time I ate…!!”

“Yum, that sounds good. You’re young, but you handle spicy food well.”

Having seated Tae-oh beside her, Dang Sa-ryeon gently ruffled his hair. This gentle demeanor contrasted markedly with her usually haughty attitude, making Namgung Seong rub his eyes in disbelief.

“…Why are you staring like that?”

“I have a lot to say but won’t push it.”

“What? What is it! If you want to say something, go ahead!”

It should be said that it was a moment where Dang Sa-ryeon’s image was being significantly muddled again, even more so than last time.

“Anyway, I understand that you need to meet those people from the Black Guild. Please set a date and send a letter.”

“Uh, I’ll pass that along to Seong-ryong.”

After successfully conveying his purpose for the meeting, Namgung Seong immediately began to attract the attention of Tae-oh and Shar, murmuring, “Let’s imitate a fox and a crane,” and then suddenly began flapping like a bird over the plate. The children burst into gleeful laughter, but Yeon-woo couldn’t help but wonder if it was okay to show such behaviors.

“And as for exploring the inside of the black relics… I won’t be able to let you do that.”

“Is there something you need?”

“Actually, I’m contemplating what’s necessary at the moment. Do you have anything you could offer?”

Since cheekily giving something away feels odd, it seemed she was placing some conditions. Yeon-woo pondered briefly over what she could offer while munching on her food.

“Oh, I have one thing.”

While rummaging through her mind, Yeon-woo gasped. If it’s this, maybe it would satisfy Dang Sa-ryeon as a trade condition?

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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