---

Chapter 325: A Good Family

“Such a nice family.”

“Ugh, ugh.”

Dang Sa-ryeon muttered as they peeked from a corner. Dang-myeon, who was peeking one head above them, was crying. The whimpering was obnoxiously loud.

It was an undeniably warm and ideal family scene. Dang Sa-ryeon thought to themselves, “There really are families like that in the world.” At the same time, they couldn’t help but ponder why they could not be like that.

The reason was painfully simple. Power. The one who becomes the head of the family wields absolute power under the Sichuan Tang Family’s framework.

Currently, with a head possessing overwhelming strength, there was stability, but surely chaos would ensue when it was their turn to take over.

‘At least I’m getting most of the support from the family thanks to the demonstration of the Chaos Transformation…’

However, considering that the current head wasn’t Chung-In and that if the next head were a pure human rather than Chung-In, it was easy to predict that backlash would arise.

Just as their grandfather did, the Supreme Head does not meddle much in family affairs. Unless it’s a significant matter, they maintain strict neutrality.

When they become the head, their father would likely uphold that attitude as well. They know it’s the right thing, but imagining such a future while watching that scene felt a bit lonely.

‘…Should I go back?’

“Uuuuhh!!”

With their heart feeling empty, as they turned around, the sound of Dang-myeon’s crying suddenly ignited a surge of anger within them.

Wiping tears away with a white handkerchief they’d randomly pulled out, the exaggerated display made their eyebrows twitch.

“Sigh, even this is called blood relation… Let’s go in then.”

Dang Sa-ryeon hesitated momentarily as if to give a smack to the back of their head, but grumbled and entered the building. At that, Dang-myeon put away the handkerchief and glanced at her.

“You’re more depressed than I thought. Sigh, people are so clueless… Are we the ones being oblivious for peeping?”

Well, if letting out a punch would ease the knot in their heart, that wouldn’t be a bad outcome, but it seems she wouldn’t hit them. Next time, they’ll have to act a bit more bratty.

Thinking this, Dang-myeon followed Dang Sa-ryeon inside.

*

It was truly a party. How did so many dishes get prepared? The mountain of food left both Yeon-woo’s family and the orphans’ eyes wide with surprise.

Among them, it was undoubtedly Tae-oh who was the happiest.

While Shar, with their massive frame, also ate a lot, Tae-oh exceeded that. Upon investigation, they found that it was a characteristic of the spirits of darkness.

‘If I had contracted with Tae-oh when I was poor, it would have been a disaster.’

Strictly speaking, there’s no need to feed spirits, but it’s only natural to feel a pang of guilt when a child nearby gazes at your food with longing eyes.

Claire seemed determined to cook to her heart’s content today; it felt like she had stacks of various dishes and was still preparing more.

Thinking she could feed all the neighborhood kids as well, it seemed like she had started calling them in.

“This scale is ridiculous.”

“It feels almost like an event hosted by a local dignitary. What a great nun…”

“Our nun is indeed remarkable.”

It’s certain that among Aura Masters, one like her, dedicated to such a life, is rare.

Most Masters abandon their daily lives in pursuit of their realms.

“Don’t praise other women in front of me.”

“Ah, yes.”

Realizing that Nea was not the same as before, Yeon-woo acknowledged the warning in her narrowed eyes.

Comparing the old Nea with the current one wasn’t even a thought. She had changed, so he, too, had to change.

“A jealous Nea? I kind of like it.”

“What a scandalous thing to say….”

With a thumbs-up from Yeon-woo, Nea covered her face with one hand. She might seem shocked by Yeon-woo’s impulsive comeback, but her cheeks were slightly flushed between her fingers.

Jealous and shy? Enough already, Kim Nea!! How much more of my heart are you planning to steal!?

Fortunately, since he only shouted this in his heart, Nea couldn’t hear it. However, Shar and Tae-oh, who could sense his internal cries, looked wide-eyed at Yeon-woo.

“Eh? The kids are suddenly looking over here. What’s going on?”

“No, nothing at all. Nothing happened.”

Is that so? Yeon-woo tried to ignore Nea, who tilted her head in curiosity. But, he was truly happy. It felt like he was the only one obsessively fixating on Nea, but realizing they were both in a co-dependent relationship felt wonderful!

Hmm, it seems like the kind of abnormal thoughts that would emerge in a place filled with children. Better stop. No matter how much it’s just a fantasy, one should be mindful of the timing and place.

Now was the time to witness the joyful faces of all these children. Though he hoped it wouldn’t happen, if he messed things up, he might not ever see such a scene again.

The world before his return was far from an environment where children could thrive. In a world where people died daily, it was never the case that parents with children were safe from death.

There were far too many orphans. Countless children without homes. Just as there were those who wanted to help kids, there were just as many who saw them only as commodities.

Claire took in such children compassionately, and Yeon-woo supported her actions.

They earned money to expand the orphanage and ensure the children weren’t starving. While he wanted to save the kids in the streets, there was only so much he could do back then.

‘I have to work to ensure that such things never happen again.’

Yeon-woo vowed. Though he hadn’t completely shed the hypnotic feelings in his heart, if a trigger were to emerge, and the results that follow were good, that would be sufficient. It could help ground his emotions.

“Darn! You shouldn’t make such a scary face in front of the kids!”

Nea gave Yeon-woo a light whack on the head. Was he making such a scary face? As he rubbed where she hit, he looked up, only to be embraced by Nea, who intertwined her fingers around his neck.

“Now’s the time to enjoy without a single thought, Yeon-woo. You must also learn to appreciate these peaceful days.”

“…You’re right.”

With a grin, Yeon-woo spun around. Naturally, Nea’s body turned along with him, causing there to be moments when the two were out of sight of the children. Seizing that opportunity, Yeon-woo pulled Nea close.

A light peck landed on Nea’s lips. With an incredibly soft sensation, Nea’s eyes widened in shock.

“Y-You….”

“You provoked me first, didn’t you?”

“When did I ever do that…!!”

Whispering to not let the kids overhear, they giggled. Yeon-woo fervently wished that this moment would remain a warm memory for the children. He hoped the world she encountered wouldn’t seem so bad.

That’s what Yeon-woo thought with a smile as Min-ji, who was watching nearby while eating ice cream, rolled her eyes and silently gave a thumbs-up.

Th-Thanks…?

*

“I don’t want to work.”

“After eating and having fun, you have to work today.”

Riley replied coldly to Yeon-woo’s whine. Sigh. Yeon-woo let out a regretful sigh. Why can’t a person just play their whole life away?

“Whoop!”

Yesterday, the grad students were bustling around, carrying equipment like their heads weren’t aching from the party. Did those folks not have hangovers? But for Awakened ones, hangovers weren’t a big deal anyway.

“Ugh, fine, fine. I can do it, I can.”

“You should have said that sooner. And since you’re on it, you’ll have to tidy up that mountain with Nea.”

“That’s only natural.”

“And you must do this too, boss. You know how it goes when the master doesn’t lead by example.”

In other words, it’s part of image-making.

At the moment, Yeon-woo was selling various products, including mana enhancement items. Nothing helps sales more than having the head of a company with a good reputation.

In this context, by showing diligence in even the small tasks, just like Kim Hyun-soo, it was pretty clear that he could gain more than just short-term benefits.

The fame built up gradually could lead to substantial profits in the future. Of course, that might not happen, but if it doesn’t, so what?

“But this dagger seems quite useful, right?”

As he skillfully used levitation magic to hurl the equipment around, Yeon-woo picked up a purple dagger that was rather far away.

He had planned to clean up neatly, but since everyone was too exhausted, they agreed to leave the equipment covered with cloth for now.

‘If people knew how much equipment and artifacts were scattered around here, they would be shocked…’

Fortunately, that part had been secured with barriers, so theft was not a concern.

“It’s not just useful; it can change the game completely.”

As Riley said, it required related tools or emotions to fully demonstrate its performance. But the convenience of forcibly opening a Gate was quite remarkable.

Of course, it had its downsides, as it couldn’t output enough power on its own; they needed to support it with equipment or infuse mana directly. But then again, every artifact had its flaws.

“Once we locate the Demon King’s Gate, we can charge right in. There’s the problem of having to fight in the Demon King’s territory, but…”

“There was a time when we couldn’t even launch such a disadvantageous assault. We should celebrate the means we gained.”

Unlike the Demon King of Shuyo, who could only reveal themselves to fight, suddenly being able to charge in was indeed a tremendous advantage.

Until now, the Demon King could come and go freely, as there was no chance of counterattack. But now, it wouldn’t be impossible to raid their base while they were away.

Of course, they couldn’t actively employ it, given they didn’t know when or how the Demon King would leave their throne… or so he thought.

“I’m different.”

What if there’s a Regressor on our team? If they knew when and where the Demon King would strike?

Kehehehe. Yeon-woo began to let out an evil laugh. No, this wasn’t an evil laugh. It was the laughter of joy that brought tears for being able to enact revenge for everything that had been done to him.

“Or not. Hehe… Haha!!”

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

---