episode_0077

Irene lay pressed close to him. It was a posture as if she was hugging him from above. She confirmed that his consciousness had returned, then rose from where she had been sprawled on the bed. What remained after her sigh of relief was a faint smile.

“That’s a relief. I was getting worried since you weren’t waking up.” The fox whispered in a low voice. Her atmosphere was subtly different. None of her usual prickliness was visible. As he blankly wore a questioning look, the girl, who had turned her back, held something out to him. It was a glass that radiated warmth.

“It’s a tea made by brewing snow-cold grass. They say it’s good for recovering energy, so drink it.” “……” “What’s wrong?” “It’s nothing.”

Though bewildered, he accepted the teacup offered before him. Lukewarm heat seeped into his fingertips. While he quietly swallowed the tea, the fox stood beside him, watching. Her black eyes blinked slowly.

“……” Her gaze was strangely burdensome. He tried hard to shake off the awkwardness, then swallowed the contents of the cup entirely. The fogginess of sleep seemed to recede slightly. With his consciousness growing clearer, he posed a question to Irene. It was a question to ascertain the full story.

“……So, how much time has passed since I lost consciousness?” “A full two days.” “That’s longer than I thought. While I was unable to move, nothing out of the ordinary happened, did it?” “Nothing special happened. We just continued sailing.”

The fox recounted the story of that time in detail. From the moment they pulled him out of the sea, to the unknown entity that left without hesitation despite encountering them midway, and to moving his unconscious self to the cabin. It didn’t stray far from what he had predicted.

‘That’s a relief.’ A belated smile touched his lips. As he tidied his disheveled hair, the girl sitting beside him suddenly asked softly. She seemed not to understand.

“That person you called the unknown entity. Why did they leave us alone?” Considering their sharp confrontation, it felt like it had ended rather vaguely. It was only natural for Irene to be curious.

Instead of answering, he merely offered an ambiguous smile. “Well now, I’m not sure myself.”

“The unknown entity told me to ask you. That there’s a reason they couldn’t carelessly kill you.” “Hmm.”

It seemed the unknown entity had said something unnecessary. He briefly rested his chin in his hand, recalling. Stories from a time when he was overturning the underworld. As they involved dirty dealings, they weren’t stories he particularly wanted to share with others. He evaded the question, as always.

“It’s a secret.” “……I figured as much, didn’t I?”

Irene nodded. Her reaction was strange. Normally, she would have passed over such a point without much interest, but today, she had a particularly wistful look in her eyes. As if she felt disappointed.

“If you say so, then it must be. I suppose there’s a reason you’re keeping it a secret.” Contrary to her words of understanding, her expression was subtly downcast. Could the unknown entity have left such an impression on her? He hadn’t expected her to be this interested. Feeling awkward, he chuckled and subtly changed the subject.

“By the way… Irene-yang?” “Hm?” “About earlier, in the bed. We seemed to have woken up entangled with each other, and I wanted to ask how we ended up like that.”

“Ah… well, that is.” The girl paused for a moment, then explained in a composed voice. Her tail swayed slightly.

“I was watching by the bed. Since there was no knowing when you’d regain consciousness. I endured sleepiness until dawn, and I guess I just fell asleep like that.” “Are you saying you nursed me for two full days?” “Nursing? It wasn’t anything grand like that. I just stayed up beside you the whole night, that’s all.” “That’s enough. It’s plenty touching.”

He unconsciously reached out and stroked the fox’s head. Her disheveled orange hair. A tender warmth colored his palm. As he savored the soft sensation, he then expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you.” “I’m happy… that I seem to have helped.” The fox wore a faint smile. Seeing her drooping ears perk up, it seemed her true emotions were clearly showing.

He couldn’t help but cock his head. ‘What is this?’ Since earlier, she had felt strangely benevolent. Should he say she was docile? It felt unfamiliar somehow. Even her characteristic cold aura had blurred.

Though he pondered it with questions, he quickly brushed it off. ‘I don’t know what kind of change of heart she’s had.’ But seeing her smile like this felt good. He had always worried because of her usually sullen face, but perhaps she was finally starting to let her guard down. Such positive changes were always welcome.

*Stroking sounds.* He quietly stroked the fox. As a moment passed like this, something suddenly came to mind.

“……Ah, speaking of which. What happened to the others?” “The others?” “I mean the people who were captured as illegal slaves. I remember they were all confined to the lowest deck.” “We released them. They’re all staying in the second-floor cabins.” “I see.”

He rose from his spot. He intended to go and check for himself. Though he had given them a quick glance back then, confirming the exact number of people would make later arrangements easier. And there might be new people who were sick or injured.

“I’ll go take a quick look around.” “I’ll go with you.” Irene followed, sticking close to his side. They lightly put on their outer garments, then stepped out of the cabin.

***

They meticulously toured the interior. It was several times the size of a regular passenger ship. Naturally, it took quite a long time to check everything. It felt more like a fortress than a mere vessel. Even if one were to search the entire continent, there would probably be only a handful of individuals capable of such an extravagant display of wealth. He could once again feel the skill of the businessman who owned it.

‘I’ve received a good gift.’ This ship was now his. Meaning he could do with it as he pleased. Given its overwhelmingly superior basic performance, it seemed he could make good use of it even with just a slight modification.

He reset his destination. It was a certain port under Astro’s jurisdiction. ‘I should contact them in advance.’

He needed someone to safely move the ship in their stead. After all, their school trip schedule still remained. Since they had already been absent for two days, he planned to return to their accommodation by tomorrow.

*Flap-flap!* He sent out a crow made of shadows. Its black wings flapped. It was a simplified telegram. If it flew like this, it would arrive at headquarters around tomorrow morning. When Lena, having confirmed the contents, opened a portal and appeared, they would switch roles, and he would return to the travel destination. Even when returning, he could travel instantaneously with Lena’s help.

‘Perfect.’ Even the plan for their return was perfect. Students might find it strange if he disappeared for three days and then reappeared, but he could simply silence them with his position as head teaching assistant anyway. After all, this was the power he had obtained precisely for such situations. And wasn’t the professor in charge of supervising the school trip Selena? His Teacher-nim would take her disciple’s side, so a little bit of noise wouldn’t be a problem at all.

“Huhu.” A satisfied smile played on his lips. He shook off his miscellaneous thoughts and began to move again.

The ship’s interior remained in a pleasant state. ‘Quite impressive.’ It was the work of the unknown entity. The troops remaining on the ship. They had been dealt with without leaving even a single speck of blood. The soldiers’ bodies seemed to have been discarded into the sea. Truly, a clean clean-up befitting the right-hand man of a monarch.

‘Has his skill improved somewhat?’ As he mulled over that monologue, the fox walking beside him spoke. It was also a question about the unknown entity.

“The unknown entity… seemed to fear you.” “Well, I suppose so.” “It was the same even after you lost consciousness. They were sweating cold and couldn’t even think of approaching.” “That’s a shame. I should have seen that stiff expression crumble.” “Why do they fear you so much?” “I wonder.”

It couldn’t be helped. Two years ago. The war that had occurred in the underworld. Anyone who had faced him back then would inevitably harbor a similar fear. It was even more so because that was a time when his personality was particularly terrible.

“……Let’s just say, various things happened.” Again, an answer that was ambiguously vague. Irene, perhaps expecting this reaction, merely nodded quietly. They walked for a moment in silence.

***

It was only after a full half-day that they were able to thoroughly tour the entire ship. As expected, no particular problems were apparent. All functions were operating normally.

“Thank you for saving us…!” The freed slaves also seemed to be doing well. Those exhausted from harsh lives in cages cheered enthusiastically at the appearance of their saviors. Every single one of them was shedding tears and expressing their gratitude.

“Sob, sniff… I thought I’d never go home again.” “If it weren’t for the two of you, what would have become of us…?” “It feels like a dream! I thought we were going to be sold off to another country like this!” “Big brother! Big sister! Thank you so much!”

He couldn’t count how many times they had received thanks. Receiving gratitude for what they had given. It was certainly a good thing, but the overwhelming amount of attention felt burdensome. He subtly slipped away from the spot.

After such a hectic day. “……” They were only able to return to their cabin when night fell. The clock hands already pointed to dawn.

“It’s later than I thought.” “There were many places to look around. And we were held up by people in between.” “We should prepare for bed. Since we’ll have a schedule again starting tomorrow, it would be best to get some sleep early.” “Okay. Got it.”

As it was late, they quickly finished showering and changing clothes. The two of them then lay down to sleep. Since the only bed prepared was a single two-person size, they had no choice but to lie down side by side. Of course, it was a problem that could be solved if one of them went to another cabin, but.

“Don’t go.” “Huh?” “It’s fine… just stay with me.” Irene grabbed his sleeve. Her eyes gazed up at him intently. Perhaps because of what had happened a few days ago, the girl seemed uneasy about being left alone. A slight tremor lingered in her fingertips.

“Understood.” He nodded. It was rare for Irene to ask for something first like this. And it wasn’t a particularly difficult request either.

‘It won’t matter, right?’ Since they were already staying in the same room anyway, he thought this much would be fine. Irene also didn’t seem to be particularly conscious of that aspect.

They pulled the blanket over themselves, maintaining a suitable distance. As they quietly waited for sleep to come, the girl beside him suddenly spoke.

“……Are you awake?” “For now, yes.” “I’m sorry if I woke you. I just wanted to talk.” “It seems you can’t sleep.” “Well… something like that.” “Alright. Do you have any particular topic in mind?” “Yeah. There were things I wanted to ask.”

They exchanged a few words. Though they had shared quite a few conversations until now, they had never spoken like this while lying in the same bed, so it could be considered a rather fresh experience. Voices echoed across the precarious distance between them.

“Back when you were dealing with the hounds. You imitated Teacher-nim’s voice, didn’t you?” “I did.” “You already knew, didn’t you? About my past.” “So I was found out after all.” “It was strange. The fact that you knew something I’d never confided in anyone.”

“It wasn’t my intention to deceive you from the start. It was just that you seemed distressed by what happened back then, so I simply didn’t bring it up.” “Yeah… it was a painful memory.”

The fox murmured faintly. Unresolved questions lay buried in the sentences that scattered into the darkness. Her black eyes glanced sideways at him. Had he truly aroused suspicion? For someone who shouldn’t even know of her Teacher-nim’s existence to have invoked his words and put on a pretense, it was understandable for the girl to be flustered.

He wore a troubled smile. “I’m sorry. It must have been a wound you didn’t want revealed.” “With you, it’s fine.” “Thank you for saying that.”

“The story about Teacher-nim. If I ask how you knew, will you say it’s a secret again…?” “I’d prefer to.” There was no other way to explain. He couldn’t bring up the story of the original work, after all. And it would be strange to gloss over their private conversations by simply saying he found out through investigation. The most appropriate choice was to remain silent.

“……” The fox made a complicated expression. She seemed to be thinking about something. The girl, who had been biting her lip for a moment, soon murmured. The atmosphere was strangely subdued.

“You… seem to have too many secrets.” “You wound me. I consider myself quite a transparent person, but…” “Lie.”

Words of denial came from right beside him. As he turned his head in response, he saw the fox’s face, which had already crossed the appropriate distance by a significant margin. Her lukewarm breath could be felt on his cheek. The gap between them had become so close that their noses almost touched.

“Irene-yang?” He wore a questioning look at the narrowed distance. In the meantime. The girl raised her upper body from a lying position. Her slowly extending movements intertwined with his, and before he knew it, the fox was sitting astride him. She was sitting on his waist.

“What is this, suddenly…?” Her sudden impulsive action startled him. Her distinct body scent wafted strongly. Since both of them were in light sleepwear, the curves of their bodies were clearly felt through the thin fabric. As he froze for a moment, her slender fingertips touched his chest.

“You know.” His heart was tinged with her faint warmth. The fox’s fingers then began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt, one by one. Surely this wasn’t…

“Irene-yang.” He realized something was wrong. He called out the girl’s name belatedly, but by then, his shirt was already completely unfastened. Bare skin was revealed through the widely opened front.

Irene stared down at it blankly. “What exactly are you…?” Her voice was faintly tinged. It wasn’t desire, excitement, or thirst. The emotion dwelling in her trembling eyes was shock, or perhaps pity. The girl clenched her fists and murmured.

“……What exactly are you hiding?” Her pupils were clear. Beyond them, a body covered in scars was reflected. Starting from knife cuts, stab wounds, burn marks, to strange surgical scars. It was so battered that no normal skin was visible.

“……” He found himself closing his mouth. His expression, which had grown chillingly cold, held only an unsmiling indifference. He chewed on a monologue tinged with coldness.

‘Ah.’ As expected. He had been found out.