episode_0085

For a moment, my heart was pounding as if it had sunk. If I hadn’t been wearing a mask, my entire embarrassment would have been discovered. Because it would all be revealed on his face.

“Who… You say?”

I finally calmed down and asked back. I was wondering if I had misheard.

“I said Yeon… ?”

However, he pronounced the name with a clearer pronunciation of compassion. I sighed internally.

How on earth did this young lady know that name?

“Well, it’s nothing special… When I came back from the South, you kept muttering that name in your hospital bed… ”

“What… ”

“Keeps saying sorry… He even shed tears… ”

It’s a disaster.

I never thought that damn nightmare would come back then.

Why are you talking in your sleep quietly?

“So, I was wondering if there was something that bothered you… ”

Yeon Myeong-ha kept glancing in my direction, twisting her hair with one finger.

“Sounds like a woman’s name… Did you have any problems with your friend? ? We had a fight… ? Calling your name seemed quite friendly… ”

The tone was meant to make it seem indifferent, as if it was no big deal, but I could feel the strong interest that Yeon Myeong-ha had in the pair of red eyes staring at me.

I think it would be wrong to pass this up in moderation.

What should I do in times like this?

I’ve never heard anything about preparations for a situation like this from my sisters or the leader.

Contrary to his usual pity, he continued talking to himself hesitantly.

When I see his eyes lose focus and flutter around, I think he looks more embarrassed than me.

“Well, I’m a surprisingly open person… ? Should we say that the succession of the five families is not all that tight? Should I say that who I meet in the future is more important than my past experiences? and… ”

I decided. Anyway, I’ll try to patch this up before this conversation takes a weird turn.

The good news is that Yeon Myeong-ha seems to have no idea who the title belongs to. Actually, how many people can connect me with her just by hearing the title ‘Yeoni’?

As I said, that person’s past has long since been cleansed…

“It’s no big deal. I don’t remember much, but I think I just had a nightmare about a fight I had with a friend when I was young.”

“… Is that all?”

He didn’t seem to believe the explanation at all.

I have no choice but to shamelessly push for this to happen.

“Yes. It’s everything.”

“… ”

Even though he answered immediately, the suspicious and sympathetic expression on his face still did not disappear. In fact, he gave me a look that seemed to deepen his suspicion.

“If that were you, that would be the case… I’m feeling a little gloomy… Even though we have become such close friends… I still thought we were closer and more intimate than the general perception… ”

Then, with a bit of disappointment in his voice, he spoke to himself.

Perhaps the method I tried failed.

I was in trouble again.

There seemed to be a legitimate reason for her disappointment.

Certainly, I think there are too many things I am hiding from Yeon Myeong-ha.

She always seemed curious about the identity of my power, and every time I took off my mask, her eyes carefully examined the scar under my left eye.

She doesn’t even know my real name, but through Dong-ha, I know everything about Jeok-hwa’s secret circumstances that outsiders should not know.

She always told me everything about herself without hiding anything.

If this imbalance continues, it is unlikely to have a very good effect on long-term relationships.

Even so, it is impossible to tell the truth about the owner of the title Yeon.

I had no idea how she would react after hearing that her archenemy and I used to have a close relationship.

When I imagine that reaction, I feel a little fear and fear.

but… There was definitely a need to answer a few of her questions.

“… Then, how about a secret that none of your other friends know?”

“What is it?”

“My real name… ”

“Uh, huh?”

This time, it seemed to have had an effect, as Yeon Myeong-ha, who had stopped speaking, adjusted her posture and sat down with a pleased expression on her face.

“Wasn’t that your real name?”

“Yes. This is a pseudonym I am using for some reason.”

Now that I think about it, why did the leader bother to give me a new name? Anyway, my name is the same as before, Hyun.

Although their identity was laundered, there is not much difference from before, other than the fact that their place of birth and name were falsified.

It was a question that was easily overlooked at the time, but now that I think about it, there are more than just one or two such questions.

Should I really go to the eastern part of the country and ask questions during vacation?

I think I can understand a little bit the questions and frustrations that Yeon Yeon-ha has right now…

Yang Yeon-ha swallowed her saliva and asked me.

“Well, then what is your real name…? ?”

“This is Lee Hyeon. My last name is Lee, my first name is Hyeon. There is not much difference from a pseudonym.”

“I see… It’s not bad… I’m sure the real name is… ”

“My hometown is not the south, but I originally lived in a pioneer village in the north.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right… If it had been in the south, it wouldn’t have been attacked by demons… ”

“And the scar under the eye came from trying to help that friend I mentioned earlier.”

“Well, that’s right… oh my god… ”

Yeon Myeong-ha nodded as I said, with bright eyes. If this is the case, I guess it worked out well.

I finished the story after briefly saying a few other things.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Woah, I don’t know what you’re talking about… Anyone who sees it will think that I forcibly took out your secrets… ”

Then, Yeon Myeong-ha, who had a stinging expression on her face, giggled and returned to her usual coldness.

“This is really my past that I have never told anyone. Please keep it a secret.”

“… Don’t worry. Because my mouth is not that light.”

Yan Yanha nodded slightly and said. Her face was full of satisfaction as she shared the secret. As I was engrossed in the story, the grandfather clock in my room showed that it was already 3 a.m.

“Senior. You should sleep now.”

“Already… ? I’m not sleepy yet… ”

“If you sleep too late, you will be tired tomorrow. And you have to wake up early and go back to the main house before you are noticed by others.”

“Well, that’s not true… okay… ”

However, the pity was still in a calm position and did not move. He glances back and forth between the bed and me, and when our eyes meet, he suddenly turns his head away.

“What are you doing? Don’t lie down quickly.”

“Which side will you sleep on? ?”

But Yeon-hyeok suddenly started making strange noises.

“Yes?”

Only then, feeling pity, did I get up and head to the bed. Then he took a pillow from the bed and threw it across the wide bed.

“I’ll tell you in advance, if you happen to step over the middle pillow… ”

“Senior. What are you talking about? Of course, you have to use the bed alone.”

“Uh… ?”

After hearing what I said, Yeon Dong-ha let out a faint sound between her lips.

Although it is quite spacious, it does not change the fact that there is only one bed.

Of course, there is only one person who can lie down.

“Then you… ?”

“I can sleep on the floor. Or you can stay up all night.”

“Still, he’s a guest at my house… You can’t make him sleep on the floor… ”

“Then, I will sleep in the bed, and you want to sleep on the floor?”

“… Tsk.”

Yeon Myeong-ha let out a slight groan and glared at me venomously with eyes full of some kind of dissatisfaction.

“Hmph. it’s okay. Sleep on the floor or not, do whatever you want.”

After that, he said a word, lay down on the bed, and covered his head with the blanket.

Half of the bed was still empty.

***

Soon, a soft snoring sound began to be heard in the room. I could tell right away that she was in a deep sleep. Now, I’ve heard it so often that I’ve become accustomed to it.

Since the guest room was in a separate annex, I could have gone to sleep, but I chose a different route instead.

Suddenly, a name that I had never thought of came out of my mouth, and I felt very uneasy.

Moreover, I had forgotten about it for a while while talking with Yeon Myeong-ha, but from the moment I arrived until now, everything in this mansion has been making me feel uncomfortable.

The structure of the mansion was said to have changed suddenly, the employees who seemed like they had something to hide, the hostess who clearly showed signs of anxiety and tension, the head of the Jeokhwa family with no interest in her daughter, her aunt who looked just like Yeon Myeong-ha, and the needlessly extravagant and old-fashioned. Even the rooms that didn’t suit me at all.

Each one was just a small obstacle, but for some reason they were mixed together in my head and continued to tingle with my senses.

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to calm my dizzy mind unless I went for a walk at night.

The leader once said that the most important thing for a wizard is composure… Calmness was still one of the words that was the furthest from me.

Anyway, Yeon Yeon-ha said she could move around as she pleased, so it wouldn’t matter. I was planning to just take a leisurely walk on the trail built around the outbuildings and then head back in.

Moreover, as her body recovers, her resistance also increases, and the amount of time she can sleep without my power is rapidly increasing.

Now there really is no problem for an hour or two.

Perhaps because he was still concerned, he strongly denied that his condition was improving…

I secretly opened the window and quietly walked outside so as not to wake Yeon-hyeong.

The old moon rose and it was very dark outside. Only the street lights installed here and there in the garden gave off a faint glow.

I hovered along the darkness of the trail, keeping the blockade spread only close to my body.

Even if a security device is installed to detect changes in particles, if it is in this state, it will not be caught and no unnecessary commotion will be created.

The well-trodden gravel path made a crunching sound every time you stepped on it, and the old trees around it, curved here and there, had huge trunks that looked like they were hundreds of years old.

Meanwhile, something really shiny appeared and disappeared in the air around me.

As the steward said earlier, it seemed to be a phenomenon that occurs when spirits bounce from the void to the material world while competing for territory due to the dense inhabitation of the spirits.

As I walked through such an unrealistic scene, I thought about the owner of the nickname ‘Yeoni.’

Two years have already passed by. But I am still captivated by the scenery of that time.

When I was in the military, I was able to calm down some of that sadness and anger by going to battle… Unfortunately, the cradle is not a good place to regain that composure.

Rather, it should be seen as the opposite. Every time I run into someone, the trigger of my memory is constantly pulled.

Is it really possible to carry out the leader’s request to the end in this environment?

Moreover, for the sake of him and his sisters, he helped Yeon Myeong-ha keep Pae-cheon in check… ?

“Ah… ”

As I walked along lost in thought, I realized that I had already reached the end of the walkway surrounding the outbuilding. No matter how much you hide your presence, there is no need to go out and create room for problems.

“… let’s go… ”

I sighed deeply. My mind was still dizzy, but there was no other way. I can’t leave Yeon Myeong-ha alone for too long.

At that moment, I turned around and tried to go back to the room, but my sense of smell sensed something even more keenly as I faced the damp night.

What suddenly entered my nostrils along with the dew was the unexpectedly soft and fishy scent of blood.