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Chapter 262

“That was faster than I expected.”

“I was lucky. Honestly, I can’t guarantee when I can bring the next one.”

“At least we salvaged one. I’ll study it for now.”

Riley accepted the dagger and carefully wrapped it in cloth. She didn’t forget to attach a mana sealing talisman, just in case it activated during transport.

The cloth that blocked mana and the talisman were quite high quality. They were probably supplied by the Magic Tower.

It was easy to understand the extraordinary nature of the artifact at a point when it couldn’t be completely suppressed.

It was not an ordinary magical tool; it transcended the laws of nature.

With the dagger carefully tucked into her possession, Riley glanced back at Yeon-Woo. As usual, she wore a blank expression, yet subtle changes danced across her features.

Living among people for about a year seemed to have somewhat activated her facial muscles.

It wasn’t a bad change. If she was to continue mingling with people, a little more natural and cheerful smile would be nice to see.

Upon observing the twitching of Riley’s lips, Yeon-Woo smirked.

“It seems you have more to report?”

“Uh, um, how did you know?”

“How did I know? It’s all written on your face. What do you want to share so eagerly?”

“It’s written on my face? That’s a first for me.”

With a puzzled expression, Riley placed a fist near her mouth and cleared her throat.

Riley exhibited a mature demeanor, but if we go by age, she was only about twenty. Quite young to be called an adult.

“Ahem, anyway. This report is about the fragment of light that you brought related to Moryo.”

“Oh, did you get results from the study?”

“Yes. Quite a bit of manpower was allocated to it. Thanks to Dawn, we had great support.”

“That’s a relief.”

Hearing Yeon-Woo’s light response, Riley straightened her posture and adjusted her clothes. It was a preparatory action just before presenting research results.

Since she had to regularly present at academic meetings or the Magic Tower, it seemed to be a well-practiced movement.

“First, we confirmed whether this is indeed a fragment of light or something else, by checking with Lord Dawn, who resembles the qualities of the sun god. The result was that it was certainly light.”

Yeon-Woo decided to quietly listen to Riley’s announcement. It seemed a level of reaction would suffice.

“However, there are no cases in any world where light crystallizes in this manner. After consulting numerous experts from various fields on how light can crystallize, I could gather some similar responses.”

“Hey, which fields?”

“I consulted with Professor Cha Jinsu from the Magic Tower’s colorless department. He said it’s similar to light spirit crystallization, although the direction is different.”

“Oh… that makes sense.”

When Yeon-Woo had visited Cha Jinsu earlier, he had awakened Tae-Oh using a light crystal. It didn’t occur to him then, probably because the sizes were so different.

“That was the size of a rock; are you saying that was a crystal? What Professor Cha used looked like salt.”

“Yes. The light god that the Demon King swallowed was the spirit king of that world, governing all light… or should I say, it was a spirit deity, so it’s only natural for its crystal to be enormous.”

“I see. So, in short, the Demon King Zahak took all the light from the spirit deity with his power of darkness, and what remains is this crystallized light. Did you find a way to reclaim that light?”

“I have one definite method, but no others have been found.”

“…I can guess what it might be.”

Riley averted her gaze. Yeon-Woo smiled wryly.

There was no way to avoid the deduction. If the Demon King Zahak is the father and king of all dopplegangers who absorbed the light with his unique ability to control darkness, then the way to reclaim it would be to do the same.

In other words, it’s Tae-Oh. If Tae-Oh, the dark spirit parted from the doppleganger, were involved, he could rob Zahak of the light.

“At the same time, Zahak might try to reclaim Tae-Oh as well.”

“It seems so.”

“Let’s put that matter on hold for now. We need to ensure safety for Tae-Oh.”

“I anticipated you’d say that, so I’m currently working on that aspect too. This concludes my report. Do you have any more questions?”

“No, none. It must have been a difficult study; you did well. Fortunately, Zahak’s movements have been quiet, so we don’t need to rush to find out.”

Riley nodded at Yeon-Woo’s words. Of course, she couldn’t say for certain.

Since Yeon-Woo’s return, the flow of the world has changed significantly, and since Zahak, who had been quiet for about three to four years, could start moving at any moment, it was hard to be sure.

Riley was aware of that fact but still showed understanding. She shared Yeon-Woo’s feelings because she also wanted to protect the books in the library.

As Yeon-Woo leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, he let out a deep sigh.

There were some gains, but they weren’t substantial. How much time was really left? Was it okay to be this relaxed?

“Thanks for coming to report on purpose. Now go back and rest. Oh, one last thing. How is Nea doing?”

“Um, she’s doing better than before. She’s working hard as long as she doesn’t overdo it. It seems the blood tonic is showing its effectiveness.”

“I see. Got it.”

Hearing this good news, Yeon-Woo sighed in relief.

*

As I said before, leisurely time flies like an arrow.

Spending time with the children and his wife strolling around Harmony City, and sometimes training with Yuri for an entire day, Yeon-Woo suddenly realized that the midterms had already ended.

“What? Time travel?”

“Isn’t it because you’re not sticking around at the Academy?”

As Baek In-hwa’s voice came from behind, Yeon-Woo’s eyes began to spin. It wasn’t an impossible story. But a urge to rebut surged within him.

“No… This is just like how weekends feel disproportionately short amidst the week. It’s not my fault!”

“That’s actually because weekends are short. 5:2, you know.”

“Don’t sneak in facts for cowardly arguments, Baek In-hwa.”

As Yeon-Woo glared at Baek In-hwa with sharp eyes, she shook her head. It was a gesture as if to say she couldn’t understand him. How rude…

“Winter break starts tomorrow; what’s your plan?”

“As for me, I don’t have many places to go. Are you heading home this time?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I’ll help a bit since you’re busy.”

“Right, hope you have a good trip.”

Knowing what was happening in the Northern Sea, Yeon-Woo answered nonchalantly, but Baek In-hwa seemed hesitant as if she had more to say.

Wondering if there was something left unsaid, Yeon-Woo looked at her, and she slowly opened her mouth.

“…The Princess said she wanted to take you along.”

“…? Who?”

“You idiot? It’s you, of course.”

“Why me!? What did you do, Baek In-hwa!!”

All the attention in the classroom turned toward the ruckus of the two.

What? Are they going back to their hometown together… or are they becoming an item…? Bad rumors floated around. Oh dear, I’ll sue for defamation.

“I didn’t do anything… As much as I am, I feel a bit uncomfortable.”

Yeon-Woo, staring intently at Baek In-hwa with narrowed eyes, soon realized that she was telling the truth.

Normally, her expressions don’t show much, but when she tells a lie, that’s when her expression gives it away, and since there were no signs of that, it meant it was honest.

“Really…? Ugh, then it must be related to work. I’m sorry. When should I go?”

“Figure it out. I’m going either way.”

Baek In-hwa replied, sounding quite upset, and then turned on her heel and left. Oops, I messed up. It seemed my excessive wariness had hurt her feelings.

Baek In-hwa wasn’t one to get angry easily, but once she got sulky, no amount of apologies would reach her. So, Yeon-Woo decided to apologize next time when he visited the Ice Palace.

I should at least send a text saying I’m sorry a day after or something.

This would be better than not doing anything, as there are people who say apologizing via text or phone is worse than not bothering at all, but the future relationship could dramatically differ depending on whether you do or don’t.

Regrettably, he couldn’t be the first to go to the Northern Sea. Priorities were clear.

There was the matter of meeting the dragon at the Changhae, as well as needing to consult with Dang Sa-ryeon about how to deal with the Sichuan Tang Family in the future.

Suddenly, he thought he should check if there was an exchange student program since he’d be heading to Changhae anyway.

But having scraped by until winter break, now looking for it would be a waste of time.

“I really didn’t think of utilizing institutional devices.”

He still had a long way to go. With such thoughts, Yeon-Woo left the classroom.

*

“Are you ready?”

Yeon-Woo knocked on the door while looking around the neatly cleaned dormitory. He heard Nea’s voice from inside, telling him to wait a little longer.

“Still not ready, huh? Are you going to roll around on the bed until mom comes out?”

“Me!!”

“Me too!! I want to roll around too!!”

At Yeon-Woo’s joking suggestion, the two kids dashed to the bed. The bed by the sunny window smelled of sunlight.

Watching the two kids laugh and play, Yeon-Woo turned to Dawn beside him.

“Why aren’t you going?”

“Still, climbing onto the bed with Tae-Oh is a bit too much.”

Upon hearing Dawn’s answer, Yeon-Woo felt a jolt. This kid, being so young, what is he thinking…!? Was he actually harboring such thoughts with that innocent face…!?

“I get it, you like Tae-Oh… right? You know what I’m implying, right?”

“I understand well, Father.”

“Please don’t call me Father…? It gives me the creeps….”

Yeon-Woo shuddered at Dawn’s words and quickly glanced at the door where Nea was. Please come out soon, Nea!!

Thus passed a peaceful moment in time.

(Continued in the next part)

 

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