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Chapter 276

[Ah… Aah….]

“Phew….”

Mikhail, who had been roasted alive in the flames of purification, crumbled to ashes, leaving behind his final cry.

Honestly, I was not satisfied. I wanted to continue without using the purification potion, to completely annihilate him until he relinquished the power of the Demon King.

The reason I didn’t was that pushing it that far felt excessive, especially with Tae-oh and Shar watching.

Of course, Shar had already had a few experiences of twisting enemies’ necks, and Tae-oh had never really shown a strong aversion to cruelty, but it’s a parent’s nature to want to show only the good side, right?

From the back, I could hear Shar let out a sigh of relief. If I were to nitpick, maybe the sight he found unbearable was more about himself than the corpse.

Am I, a harmful parent to the children…?

As I struggled with this self-loathing, Shar rushed over and hugged my arm. It seemed like he was afraid I would disappear, so he held on tight.

Honestly, it hurt a little, but I hid it well.

“Dad….”

“Yeah, yeah, Shar, you were worried, huh?”

As I comforted the anxious Shar, suddenly, Yeon-woo’s shadow took form, revealing Tae-oh.

Was Tae-oh also anxious? When I looked up, he was munching on something round in his mouth before spitting it out.

“Purification complete.”

With a roll, a smooth black orb rolled across the ground. I sensed an ominous feeling from it, hinting at its mysterious origin.

“What? The curse purification is already done? It hasn’t been long since I asked.”

“Ahem. This body is growing day by day.”

It seems that common sense does not apply to the curse expert, Tae-oh.

Having absorbed even a special curse in just a few minutes, it was nothing compared to the curses laid upon demons.

Perhaps the one who has grown the most among us was not Yeon-woo or Shar but Tae-oh.

With his hands on his hips and chest puffed out, Tae-oh leaned towards Yeon-woo as if asking for praise.

With a giggle, Yeon-woo reached out to pat his head. Her hands were already busy with the two kids, so she had no choice but to pick up the orb with her shadow.

I wondered if it was okay to carry it like this, but what kind of cursed object would shatter just from being dropped? If it did break, what kind of curse was that? A candy with cursed flavoring?

“Wow, it’s fabulous. Thanks to you, things turned out well.”

Just when I was about to put the curse in my pocket, I heard a familiar female voice from behind. It was Lucrecia.

Yeon-woo, sprawled out on the dusty floor, looked up at Lucrecia. What did she mean by fabulous?

“The believers who heard the screams coming from the graveyard were terrified and surrendered. Man, it was a horrifying scream, wasn’t it?”

“Is that so?”

I hadn’t intended for that effect, but if it worked out well, I couldn’t complain.

“Anyway, this branch is done. I just hope the surrendered ones will share information willingly.”

“The Demon King isn’t a fool; he must have something tricky set up. Like a curse that blows them up if they talk.”

“…Maybe I should leave the interrogations to the sub-department head.”

“I guess you also dislike getting your hands dirty.”

“If there’s someone who actually enjoys being born human, that’d be more surprising, you jerk.”

Lucrecia’s fist landed a light thump on Yeon-woo’s head. It’s impressive that a person who can break walls with bare hands left my crown untouched.

“I even have a gift ready. Do you want to receive it here or when we go back?”

“Wow, you prepared a gift?! Can I look forward to what it is?”

“It’s probably not a gift that will make you happy.”

“…What kind of gift would make me unhappy? Did you prepare a box full of frogs or something?”

“So you dislike frogs….”

When Yuon looked flustered by this unexpected preference, a slight blush appeared on Lucrecia’s earlobes.

Who would have thought she would accidentally reveal her weakness? To ease this awkward atmosphere, Yeon-woo spread open her hand with the curse orb.

“This. It’s a sort of elixir made by purifying the Demon King’s curse.”

“…I’m not exactly thrilled, but it is indeed a good gift. Are you saying I should look for the Demon King with this?”

“Exactly. You would like something like this, wouldn’t you, senior?”

“…Ha, it’s not like I’d be excited. I was a fool for being happy about a ‘gift.’”

Still, since she referred to it as a gift, I guess she was expecting me to look pleased.

Seeing this, Yeon-woo felt a pang of guilt, but what could be done? I’ll have to prepare a proper gift later.

Lucrecia must have faced similar hardships as Noel, so I might have overlooked her a bit.

‘If I don’t take care of both of them, who will….’

While Yeon-woo shook her head, deciding to fix her attitude, Lucrecia sighed heavily and extended her hand.

“Haha, you’re thinking something strange, aren’t you? Hurry up and hand it over.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As Yeon-woo tossed the orb, Lucrecia snatched it mid-air and toyed with it in her palm for a moment before quickly tossing it into her mouth.

“Ow, so bold. Should I get you some water?”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Lucrecia flicked her hand. Yeon-woo silently took a water bottle from the storeroom and handed it over.

Gulp, Lucrecia swallowed the curse with the water and grimaced unpleasantly.

“Ugh, what the hell.”

As always, Lucrecia spat out some rough curses, and purple energy began to emanate from her body. Seeing this, Yeon-woo asked with a serious expression.

“Are you about to evolve right now??”

“Die.”

With a loud thwack, Lucrecia’s purple energy-filled hand smacked the back of Yeon-woo’s head.

*

It was a few hours later that Lucrecia, who had been radiating a dazzling purple electricity, fully regained her senses.

Even for someone like Lucrecia, who was becoming familiar with handling curses, it seemed accepting it directly into her body was challenging, as she couldn’t move freely until Tae-oh offered assistance.

When I think about it, Tae-oh’s rate of growth was truly extraordinary. He must have been rampaging even more fiercly before purification, and that he was able to refine it so easily was beyond impressive.

Fortunately, Lucrecia succeeded in completely digesting the curse extracted from Mikhail and managed to read the memories embedded within it.

Wiping out all the branches of the religious organizations existing in the North Sea was just a matter of time, and it was expected that she would be able to find out the whereabouts of the Demon King’s hideout.

Returning to the Ice Palace with such good news, Yeon-woo was met with an invitation from Baek Joo-han. To be honest, it was an unwelcome invitation. Maybe if he offered a bundle of gifts, it’d be different.

Baek Joo-han calmly tilted his glass. His movements were imbued with an extraordinary elegance that Yeon-woo watched with a frown.

I thought I had gotten used to the vibe of vodka being enjoyed by people of all ages at the Ice Palace, but sipping it in such a noble manner felt awkward.

“Your skills are impressive.”

“…Ah, yes. Thank you…?”

A compliment from the strongest in the Ice Palace was something to be happy about, but Yeon-woo couldn’t feel happy at all. What exactly was he trying to say with such a build-up?

“Perhaps In-hwa’s growth is… because of the path she found, yielding fruitful results….”

“Pardon, I didn’t quite catch that?”

Yeon-woo reflexively asked Baek Joo-han, who suddenly clenched his teeth. Wouldn’t it be rude if I asked for clarification?

[It’s thanks to having had you around that she found her own path!]

‘Ah, so that was what it meant.’

In a typical scenario, I would have had no trouble understanding, but having someone like Baek Joo-han say it threw me off a bit. Is this the weight of power? Even the person you’re dealing with feels heavy.

But Baek In-hwa finding her own path? I thought her path had always seemed firm.

Did he come to showcase her growth? Things outside seemed a bit chaotic, after all.

“Anyway, there’s no doubt you helped during the Ice Palace’s events as a foreigner. I will reward you, so tell me what you desire.”

“Re-reward….”

Baek Joo-han’s eyes were shining brightly as he said this. Yeon-woo understood what that look meant all too well.

It may sound exaggerated, but it was as if words were etched in his eyes.

My daughter is off-limits.

Why is he jumping the gun when I hadn’t even asked for it? He clearly had the vibe of a doting father, but why did he give off an impression of being a Prince before being a parent?

But even with a reward, I didn’t know what to ask for. After all, being in cooperation with them made it evident that most of what I was thinking would come to fruition automatically.

‘The only thing that feels uncertain is that even if the Demon King is found, I might not be taken along during the hunt.’

Yeon-woo was still young. It may be unknown when the Demon King would be found, but it would be three years from now before he could be considered an adult.

According to current laws, one is recognized as an adult upon graduating from the Academy, while in old laws, one has to wait five years.

Such conventional martial artists often think there’s no need to pass on the tasks of their predecessors to the next generation.

And the pinnacle of those tasks was none other than the Demon King. The death of the Demon King was a shared burden of all humanity.

However, Yeon-woo wanted to stand at the forefront as a hero in this world, taking down the Demon King. With an Aura Expert background, he had at least fulfilled the minimum requirements.

Nonetheless, the barrier of being a minor stood in his way.

‘If only the Coast Guard had personnel as desperate as their uniforms.’

Regardless of age, if one possessed sufficient power, referring to uniforms as personnel would be more comfortable for Yeon-woo than facing heads of factions who held overwhelming strength.

However, when the time came to find the Demon King, there was a colossal problem regarding the proposal to take him along.

It wasn’t about morals or ethics, nor was it about feeling too precious to use as a reward.

‘It’s the fact that this gentleman here tied the condition of taking Baek In-hwa along to the defeat of the Demon King…!!’

The moment Yeon-woo voiced his proposal, it was clear that Baek Joo-han would think it was not born from vanity but rather that Yeon-woo was proposing this to achieve the minimum condition to marry Baek In-hwa.

You think he wouldn’t? Absolutely. Even I, a doting parent, could tell.

It was a deadly dilemma that I could not escape. Even if I claim I’m not doing this to marry Baek In-hwa, he’d just look at me with that pleased yet disdainful look, thinking I’ve poked my own foot.

Ugh, with a heart trying to expel blood, I forced out my words.

“…I hope that when the Demon King is found, you will take me along.”

At that moment, Baek Joo-han’s eyes sparkled with myriad colors. It was a mix of the gaze of a martial artist who discovered a truly spirited youth and, on the other hand, the look of a father who had found an infuriating little thief.

I knew it would come to this, you rascal…!!

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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