---

Chapter 214

In a bedroom welcoming the early morning, a woman lay frozen in a serene space, deeply asleep.

Suddenly, a sound erupted through the quiet room.

“Yawn, what is that noise… Oh my?”

Startled by the unfamiliar music, the silver-haired woman sluggishly rose, only to realize that it was emanating from her phone. She hurriedly picked it up.

The music was unfamiliar not because she was a loser with no friends to call, but because it was rare for the person she had set as the ringtone to actually contact her.

“Cough! Hello? In-hwa?”

– …Aunt.

Baek In-hwa. The woman on the phone, Baek Yi-rin, was the name of the Ice Palace’s young lord, as well as the niece of her deceased sister, creating a relationship that was quite poignant for Baek Yi-rin.

“What’s going on? You never call.”

– Um… I wanted to consult about something.

“Consult? About what?”

At the cautious tone of Baek In-hwa’s voice, Baek Yi-rin’s expression twisted in confusion. Consult? This kid? With me? About what?

The fact that this girl, who never even called her before, was now carefully asking for advice filled Baek Yi-rin with fear before any sense of curiosity.

Is she being bullied at the Academy? Is she trying to reach out to me because she can’t tell the young lord?

Caught off guard by the dark thoughts that suddenly clouded her mind, Baek Yi-rin hastily reassured Baek In-hwa.

“Okay, okay, hold on, In-hwa. First, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. No matter how overwhelmed your feelings get, you should be able to hold it in, okay?”

– …? Okay.

Although her voice sounded puzzled by the sudden advice, the good-hearted Baek In-hwa decided there must be a reason for her aunt’s words and inhaled deeply and slowly.

“Alright, if you’re calm now, tell me. What’s going on, In-hwa? Remember, no matter what happens, I’m on your side.”

– Yes, Aunt. Thank you. So, the reason I called is…

With Baek In-hwa usually being quick to express herself, Baek Yi-rin held her breath at the unusually hesitant tone.

– …Aunt, how did you make Uncle fall for you…?

“…? Huh?”

Wait a second, what did I just hear?

Stunned by the unexpected, overwhelmingly shy voice of Baek In-hwa, Baek Yi-rin shook her head vigorously.

“Uncle…? Hold on, are you—”

– Don’t say anything, just answer me. Please.

“…Does Uncle know?”

– …No, so tell me.

At the desperate tone, Baek Yi-rin burst into laughter. Even in the frigid wasteland, spring could come.

*

“I guess the old man really hates me.”

After locking eyes with Yeon-woo, the owner of the tool shop, who was whistling while flipping the sign on the door, Yeon-woo muttered.

Two months had passed since the second semester began. It had already been two months since the noble’s private sanctions began shortly after classes started. Initially, merchants had refused to charge him for his patronage, saying they had no reason to go out of their way to offend the recently hottest Hunter. But as it wore on for two months, that perception started to fade.

‘Not every shop is in my frequented list.’

Some stores joined in with the noble’s sanctions for that very reason, thinking it wouldn’t matter if they took a bit of money since he wouldn’t come to their store anyway.

Yeon-woo himself didn’t particularly mind this aspect. He merely felt surprised it had been going on for two whole months.

How could they loathe him yet not do anything exceptional besides the sanctions was indeed puzzling, but perhaps it was just Aaron keeping things under control internally.

Speaking of which, he hadn’t received contact from Aaron, who seemed quite busy lately. He thought perhaps he should reach out at some point.

‘If only I could barge in and slice through…!!’

… But even if Edward was an old man, he was a powerful one. He hadn’t surpassed the Master level yet, but that didn’t mean he was weak.

The difference in realms seemed absolute, yet it wasn’t entirely unenterable as shown in his fight with Christopher.

“…What are you doing?”

“Ah, you’re here.”

Baek Yi-rin called out to Yeon-woo, who was shadow boxing in the air with a perplexed expression. Yeon-woo had no choice but to respond awkwardly. How embarrassing.

Baek Yi-rin had successfully completed her tutoring of Namgung Seong about night stalking. Namgung Seong’s dazed muttering of “Focus on the center and switch… focus on the center and switch…” made one wonder whether it had even been considered a tutoring session at all.

Almost a month had passed since then, and although she thought Nea would understand if she went out with him once…

“Ugh…!! I can’t believe this is happening…!”

“Those aren’t real conditions!”

Instead of understanding, Nea had insisted on having her own date at that time, resulting in a bizarre double date scenario where one man was on a date with two women.

Standing confidently between the two women felt as if he was a seasoned warrior on the battlefield.

– Feeling confident, are we?

As Yeon-woo looked up at the soothingly familiar voice, he saw Lunaria frolicking as if it were amusing and Dawn, recently empowered, mimicking Lunaria’s behavior. Yeon-woo chuckled lightly.

‘What the heck is this situation?’

– Hahaha!

Dawn burst into a delightful laugh. As she rolled on the ground laughing, Yeon-woo sighed inwardly.

He might likely be misunderstood, but Yeon-woo had extremely limited romantic experience. In fact, aside from that brief time with Nea before his regression, he hadn’t had any at all. Thus, it was only natural he felt unaccustomed to being confessed to or going on dates.

In short, he wasn’t standing confidently; he just had given up on figuring things out because he didn’t have any knowledge to strategize with!

‘I thought just being good at combat was enough…’

Is this also the fate of a hero…? Though Noel didn’t attract any guys. Is that why she operates solo?

– It would be best to think of it as a practice run, sir. Lunaria is also keeping an eye on you.

‘I never said I’d do it.’

– Hehe, gods are capricious, you know.

As he diverted his gaze from the grinning Lunaria, Yeon-woo saw Nea clinging to his arm like a cat, on high alert, and Baek Yi-rin standing awkwardly like a large dog beside them.

Since the spilled water can’t be retrieved, he had to face the trials before him. After all, that’s what being a hero was about.

*

Baek Yi-rin was indeed a marvelous hunter. Yeon-woo quickly deduced that Baek Yi-rin was skillfully and stealthily leading Nea into a trap.

As Yeon-woo was also a hunter, he could easily grasp the strategy Baek Yi-rin was employing in this battle.

“Ooh, this is delicious!”

“Did you like it, Sis?”

The two women were walking closely, savoring their tapioca tea. Nea’s eyes sparkled with delight as Baek Yi-rin observed her reaction.

Seeing that, Yeon-woo aimlessly sipped from an empty drink cup. The distinct sound of the empty straw echoed hollowly.

It wasn’t that Yeon-woo was a hunter; rather, it seemed that Baek Yi-rin was solely dedicated to Nea, sidelining him entirely.

What is this? Wasn’t I on a date with her? He felt an unexpected pang of jealousy and wondered if this was also part of Baek Yi-rin’s cunning plan.

Regardless, Yeon-woo had no intention of developing a relationship beyond friendship with anyone else. Nea was the only exception he had set for himself.

If there was anyone who could shatter that relationship rule, it would solely be Nea.

Let’s face it, in modern hunter society, polygamy wasn’t particularly frowned upon. Outstanding awakened beings often acquired numerous partners due to the genetic advantages in strength.

Still, Yeon-woo’s insistence on just Nea was for a simple reason. Loving just one person was already taxing enough.

He could hardly envision managing to love multiple persons equally.

Thus, Baek Yi-rin was targeting Nea before trying to win him over. She was gaining favor beforehand and laying the groundwork.

Reassessing whether it would be beneficial for Yeon-woo to have someone else in his life was part of her strategy.

The only reason Yeon-woo didn’t actively sabotage Baek Yi-rin’s efforts was simple: it all seemed genuine.

Confessing love to someone wouldn’t be something to take lightly. Before regression, when Yeon-woo confessed to Nea, there was a certain madness surrounding the situation that made it easier to express.

At that moment, he felt a strong belief that he wouldn’t be rejected. He had confidence that he could love her like no one else.

Yet with Baek Yi-rin… Though she seemed to have confessed straightforwardly, recalling how her ears flushed red with emotion indicated that it hadn’t been all that easy for her either.

Therefore, how absurd and arrogantly bolstered this might appear,

He wanted to respond sincerely to the genuine feelings conveyed to him, even if he ended up having to reject her due to an inability to love her back.

“Why are you just standing there lost in thought? Are you not coming?”

As Yeon-woo pondered, Baek Yi-rin called out to him. He had been dazed for a moment longer than intended.

“Ah, I’m coming. Where to next?”

“To the aquarium. Is that okay?”

“Sure! That works well; I haven’t gone since Nea came along, even though I used to go with the kids.”

“Hmm, I have been curious too. The kids never showed me anything when they went.”

Looking at Nea grumbling like that, Baek Yi-rin smiled softly. It seemed they didn’t really dislike each other after all.

Given how comfortable Nea was acting, it was evident that Baek Yi-rin was naturally revealing her emotions as well.

“… Ugh, I want to kill the Demon King.”

I want to eliminate every last one of them to protect this peaceful world…

With the truly heroic murmuring alongside him, Yeon-woo chased after them, watching their joy from a distance wasn’t so bad after all.

(To be continued in the next chapter.)

 

---