Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 65
It was a biting cold midwinter day.
Unable to endure the harsh training, Siwoo, that day too, ran out of the mansion barefoot.
"Young Master Siwoo. You were here."
A long shadow fell over Siwoo, who was crouching near a telephone pole, sniffling.
An elderly man with a kind, wrinkled face in a neat uniform, Na Ilseok.
No matter where Siwoo hid, he was always the first to find him and offer a hand.
He wasn't a Wolf guild member, but a long-time servant of the mansion.
"Grandpa..."
Recognizing Ilseok, Siwoo lifted his head, which had been buried in his knees.
Seeing his tear-streaked face, Ilseok took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Siwoo's dirty face.
"Such a handsome face is a mess. Now, let's hurry back."
"I'm not going."
Siwoo brushed off Ilseok's hand and buried his face in his knees again.
Ilseok looked down at Siwoo with a troubled expression, then bent his knees to meet the young master's eye level.
"Is that so? Then shall we go eat something?"
"I don't want to eat..."
"Even if you don't have an appetite, you still need to eat."
Heave-ho.
Ilseok easily lifted Siwoo and began walking somewhere.
"G-grandpa—!"
Carrying the struggling Siwoo, he headed towards a nearby, humble food stall.
Ilseok ordered mussel soup, green onion pancake, and steamed egg sequentially, while Siwoo, sitting opposite him, stared at Ilseok with a sullen face.
"Young Master, you've never been to a place like this, have you? Oh, the green onion pancake here has chili peppers..."
Ilseok painstakingly removed the chili peppers embedded in the green onion pancake with his chopsticks, then tore it into bite-sized pieces and brought it to Siwoo's mouth.
"Here, please try it."
"..."
"Ah, are you worried it might be hot? Wait a moment—"
"Just give it to me."
Siwoo, feigning reluctance, opened his mouth and accepted it.
The crispy batter, crunchy green onions, and savory seasoning were quite good.
Watching Siwoo silently swallow the green onion pancake, Ilseok smiled faintly, as if relieved.
"I only ate it because of Grandpa's sincerity. I'm really not hungry at all."
"Yes, of course."
"..."
Siwoo stared at Ilseok with a sulky face.
Regardless, Ilseok smiled warmly and turned down the burner flame.
"Oh dear, the mussel soup has a lot of cheongyang peppers too. Hmm, if I had known, I would have ordered something else. Young Master is still young, so something this spicy..."
"There's nothing I can't eat."
"Pardon?"
"I can eat anything."
Siwoo, as if to prove a point, picked up his spoon, took a spoonful of mussel soup, and brought it to his mouth.
And then.
"Cough...!"
"Y-Young Master?! Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine. This much."
"I'll order something else immediately. I apologize. I was thoughtless."
"No, really, I'm fine."
Siwoo tried his best to dissuade Ilseok, but Ilseok ended up reordering almost all the menu items.
Only when Siwoo raised the white flag, saying he couldn't eat anymore, did Ilseok bring Siwoo back to the mansion.
"Where have you been all this time?"
Deputy Guild Leader Hakyun, who seemed to have a sixth sense for Siwoo's return, suddenly appeared at the entrance.
He was wearing the plain black mask he always wore, that day too.
"It seemed he skipped dinner, so I was making sure he ate."
"Dinner?"
"Yes. Deputy Master, Young Master is still in his growing years. Training is good, but isn't eating well and resting well more important?"
"..."
Hakyun stared intently at Ilseok from behind his black mask, then glanced towards Siwoo.
Siwoo was half-hiding behind Ilseok, glaring at Hakyun.
"It's late today, so perhaps it would be best to let him rest now?"
At Ilseok's suggestion, Hakyun shifted his gaze back to him.
After a moment of silence, Hakyun turned around.
"...Training is scheduled for 6:30 tomorrow morning, Young Master."
After Hakyun disappeared, Ilseok brought Siwoo to his room.
He sat Siwoo on the clean, soft bed, fetched the first-aid kit, and applied ointment to his cheek.
"It'll heal in a few hours even without this stuff. I'm Awakened, you know."
Siwoo, though grumbling, sat quietly in place.
The soft, gentle touch tickling his cheek wasn't entirely unpleasant.
"I know that much."
Thwack.
Closing the first-aid kit, Ilseok smiled faintly.
"But just because it heals quickly doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, does it?"
"..."
Before him, Siwoo said nothing.
Ilseok tucked Siwoo into bed and turned off the lights for him.
Perhaps the room becoming dark scared him a little; Siwoo's small hand stealthily clutched Ilseok's clothes.
"Even if you don't, I'm not going anywhere."
"...Really?"
"Of course."
Ilseok gently patted Siwoo's chest over the blanket.
Siwoo rolled his blue eyes and hesitantly began to speak.
"Grandpa."
"Yes."
"Why don't you scold me, Grandpa?"
"Why would I scold Young Master?"
"I skip training and run away every day."
"I actually think that's a relief."
"...What?"
Siwoo, covered by the blanket, looked at Ilseok with round eyes, as if asking what he meant.
Ilseok smiled gently and stroked Siwoo's hair.
"That Young Master can express when he dislikes something, I think that's truly a relief."
"..."
"Now, hurry and sleep. It's best for children to sleep early and wake up early."
Ilseok pulled the blanket up to Siwoo's chin.
Though hidden by the blanket, Siwoo's lips curved faintly.
"Grandpa."
"Yes."
"...Just called you."
Whip!
Siwoo pulled the blanket over his head.
Actually, he wanted to say thank you.
For not scolding me.
For buying me food.
For blowing on the hot food.
For staying by my side until I fell asleep, thank you.
But for some reason, his mouth wouldn't move easily.
I'll definitely say it when I wake up tomorrow.
Yes, when I wake up tomorrow...
"..."
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The sunlight shattering through the curtains was dazzling.
It seemed to be morning already.
The hand that unconsciously tried to smooth his hair froze mid-air.
A large, sturdy hand.
No longer that of a boy.
Slowly sitting up, his reflection in the wall mirror came into view.
The small boy had grown considerably and become a respectable adult.
That much time had passed.
Since Ilseok left Siwoo, that is.
That morning, Ilseok, who had vowed to stay by Siwoo's side, disappeared.
He thought he had just gone off to do other work.
But Ilseok hadn't reappeared before Siwoo, even after more than a decade had passed.
When he asked the mansion servants or guild members, they just said he had gone on a long business trip for a while.
Siwoo, being young at the time, believed them.
'But.'
Even after a year, and then two years passed, Ilseok didn't return.
Harboring doubts, Siwoo relentlessly searched for Ilseok's whereabouts.
And as a result, he finally learned that Ilseok had died in a traffic accident.
It was said to have been such a major accident that even his body wasn't left intact.
It was a story that wasn't even funny.
"...Hah."
Getting out of bed, Siwoo left the hospital room.
He wanted to get some fresh air.
'Why did I suddenly dream of such a thing?'
Striding down the corridor, Siwoo frowned slightly.
Could it be because Eunha declared the contract termination yesterday?
If so, then Eunha's declaration must have been quite shocking, unbeknownst to him.
Judging by the fact that he was having dreams he never usually had.
'I've received a lot of help from you. The officetel, Manager Park too. I don't want to cause any more damage.'
'Don't worry. I'll compensate you for the penalty fee somehow.'
Thud.
Stopping his steps, Siwoo stood there for a long time, like a stone statue.
First, he needed to reconfirm the contract.
After clearly recalling the detailed contract terms, it would be advisable to have a serious talk with Eunha again.
The contract was stored in Siwoo's room.
It would be faster to have Jehwi fetch it.
Siwoo fumbled for his phone.
Park Jehwi
Rrrr...
「The customer you are trying to reach is unavailable, connecting to voicemail──.」
He isn't picking up.
He tried calling a few more times, but there was no answer.
Strange.
No matter how busy he was, Jehwi always picked up his calls instantly.
Especially after the recent Busan incident, Jehwi had been even more attentive to contact.
It couldn't be helped.
He decided to postpone the lecture and send a message first.
But unbelievably, even after an hour, and then two hours passed, the '1' next to the message hadn't disappeared.
"Tsk."
In the end, Siwoo decided to go to the mansion himself.
From the hospital to the mansion, it was surprisingly quick if he floored the accelerator.
"Young Master?"
Arriving at the mansion, a servant cleaning around the entrance widened his eyes.
For some reason, he looked incredibly surprised.
"W-why are you here..."
"Is it strange for me to come to my own house?"
Siwoo asked, taking off his shoes.
The servant began to sweat profusely, constantly glancing around.
"Ah, no. I-I heard you'd be staying at the hospital for a while..."
"Just needed to grab something. I'll be back soon—"
It was then.
Siwoo, who had stopped mid-sentence, scowled deeply.
'Smell of blood.'
A thick scent of blood reached his nostrils.
It wasn't coming from far away.
This was... the basement.
"Who's in the basement?"
"Ah."
The servant closed his mouth, looking flustered.
Such a strong smell of blood in the mansion occurred only in one instance—when Siwoo's training was taking place in the mansion's basement.
But naturally, Siwoo wasn't training right now.
Siwoo walked past the servant and strode towards the basement.
"Y-Young Master!"
The servant hurriedly tried to block Siwoo, but it was no use.
Siwoo needed to find the source of this blood smell.
The moment he descended the long stairs and stood in the passage.
"...-ful!"
Someone's shout was heard.
Stopping his steps, Siwoo slowly lifted his gaze.
"How dare you speak so carelessly about the President when you know nothing about him!"
It was Jehwi's voice.
"We wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't true."
And the two people opposite Jehwi definitely looked familiar.
Wolf's nurtured A-Class hunters, Poison Fang Lee Minguk and Illusionist Jin Cheolyong, without a doubt.
"Isn't that right? As the next guild leader of Wolf, he has no sense of urgency, and he's making excuses like blood phobia, our Young Master."
"Instead of guiding such a Young Master onto the right path, you're just flattering him, so you deserve to be in this state."
The two hunters prodded Jehwi, who was rolling on the floor, with their feet.
Jehwi bit his split lip and glared at them with bloodshot eyes.
The long-haired hunter stared silently at Jehwi for a moment, then bent his knees and looked at him closely.
"I'm sorry about you. But this is also an order."
Jehwi remained silent for a moment.
An order. He had an idea whose order it was.
He could also somewhat guess why such an order was given.
Jehwi was in charge of the Princess of Dark Flare, Siwoo's contract partner, by Siwoo's side.
It was a crucial yet dangerous task.
He had taken on this job for the sake of advancement, despite all the risks, and things had ended up like this.
But.
"...It doesn't matter. If it's an order, then so be it."
Jehwi didn't regret it.
Eunha, who risked her life to save him and his sister.
That's what he thought now.
That he was glad to have met her.
If possible, he wanted to continue helping her.
Furthermore, he was already planning to take responsibility for the Busan incident in some form anyway.
His sister was safe, and Eunha was safe.
He could ask for nothing more.
"However."
Muttering softly, Jehwi lifted his head.
His usually round and gentle eyes sharpened fiercely.
"Take back what you said about the Young Master being incompetent."
"...What?"
The two hunters blinked slowly.
It was truly amazing that such words would come out even in this situation.
From a mere non-Awakened, at that.
"Hah."
The man who let out a humorless laugh strode towards Jehwi.
And in an instant, whip, he snatched Jehwi's hair.
"Hanging around the Young Master made you think you're something special, huh?"
"...Ugh."
Unable to resist the strong force, Jehwi's neck bent as the man wished.
"Unfortunately, even if you defend the Young Master here for a hundred days, you'll die here."
"And tomorrow, an article like this will appear in the news: Mr. Park, a man in his 30s, instant death in a traffic accident on XX street."
"Meaning, no one will know you died in the basement of this mansion."
Bang!
The man, still gripping Jehwi's hair, slammed his face onto the floor.
"Just like that old geezer, decades ago."
Drip—
Red blood trickled down his distorted nose.
Jehwi, his hair held firmly, couldn't even groan and just trembled violently.
Whip!
The moment the man tried to slam Jehwi's head onto the floor once more.
"Aaaargh!"
Stab—!!
Sharp ice pierced the back of his hand, which had been gripping Jehwi's hair.
There was no time to check what had happened.
Stab, stab, stab, stab—!!!
Ice shards flew in from all directions, embedding themselves in his shoulder, the back of his neck, his back.
Riddled like a honeycomb, the man collapsed to the floor with a thud, trembled, and barely lifted his head.
Thump—
Someone's shoes approached before his eyes.
"..."
—A young wolf with pure white hair.
It was Baekrang (White Wolf), Shin Siwoo.
