Ch.207. Security Dispatch Mission (3)

“Guild Master, is something wrong?”

“Ah, no. I just felt like smoking some tobacco.”

While smoking cigarettes outdoors was illegal, tobacco wasn’t. Unlike cigarettes, its smoke simply smelled similar to herbs.

Yuri’s hands trembled. Though she didn’t show it to others, she had suffered from anxiety ever since graduation. That’s why she relied on tobacco to calm her nerves.

Being with Minsu had kept her from thinking about tobacco, but withdrawal symptoms had unconsciously crept up on her.

‘I hope Minsu didn’t notice my hands.’

She didn’t want to show such a vulnerable side of herself.

Flame was a guild created to atone for her responsibility in the tragedy of Eins. But deep inside, it was a guild made for Minsu, for when he would eventually return.

That’s why it was named after Minsu’s flame spell, Phoenix Flame.

‘Phoenix Flame, and I as the Guild Master, must remain unwavering. To help Minsu soar again.’

Yuri knew well that with Minsu’s personality, if he ever returned to the path of a hunter, he would definitely pursue the Red Lake.

‘Without an S-rank guild, one can’t even approach the slightest trace of the Red Lake.’

During these short two years, Yuri had pushed herself extremely hard. She even visited the Grand Duke’s family that she so despised.

And to secure guild funding, she had even knelt before the Grand Duke.

Minsu was meticulous and quick-witted. And as evident from the recent field mission, he was an exceptional talent who could achieve maximum efficiency with proper equipment.

So for him, who would someday need Flame, she invested a budget in equipment that seemed impossible for a new guild.

She even recruited Team Leader Seo Duho, who had been earning an S-rank hunter’s salary at Manseong.

‘No. That’s… nothing… if it’s for Minsu.’

Yuri barely managed to fit the tobacco in her trembling hands.

During her time at Eins, Yuri had never shown such vulnerability. People who knew her might be quite surprised.

‘But that… that doesn’t matter. Instead, in front of Minsu, I must show a perfect image.’

She didn’t want to make Minsu unnecessarily anxious. Yuri took a deep breath. The trembling in her hands was momentary. Minsu probably hadn’t noticed.

“Do you need a light?”

“No. If you mean a lighter, I have this…”

Just as she was about to pull out her necklace, Minsu spoke first.

“I need to get used to mana again by using it frequently anyway. I don’t mind.”

And Minsu lit the end of her tobacco. Minsu was always like that. A kind person who unconsciously had a habit of considering others.

That’s why the guilt of what she had done to such a Minsu momentarily constricted her again, but she calmed down a bit as the tobacco smoke passed her throat.

‘No matter how I apologize, that incident won’t disappear…’

Now Minsu had joined Flame. If there was anything he wanted to achieve at Flame, she wanted to help him with anything.

Even if her limit line went down to the bottom. As her mind calmed a little, she suddenly became aware that she and Minsu were sitting very close together.

Well, actually, they were just sitting side by side on a bench, but considering the distance between them over the past two years, psychologically, it was as if they were pressed against each other.

And perhaps because the calming effect of the tobacco was too strong, this time, oddly enough, the content of that dating guide from earlier came back to her mind.

– If a gift from an ex-boyfriend wasn’t given to many people, but only to you, it can be considered a positive signal. Of course, not that he’s recovered old feelings, but just that he doesn’t dislike you…

The moment that sentence came to mind, the cap she was wearing and the sunglasses hanging on her shirt bothered her greatly.

‘He probably didn’t give these to anyone else. So… can I think even a little positively?’

But on the day she received that gift, she had unconsciously given him a necklace that reminded him of old memories. According to the guide, that was something she absolutely shouldn’t have done.

Recently, Yuri had been physically and mentally exhausted due to overwork. Without realizing it, she kept thinking positively.

– But if you and your ex-lover are somehow involved in a work relationship, you should never attach great meaning to the received gift. It’s not a gift but due to business necessity…

She had clearly read the sentence about the exception that followed.

‘I am the Guild Master… and Minsu is an intern employee… but a gift might not just be for work…’

So Yuri thoroughly erased the words “business necessity” from her mind.

She was already thinking of this gift from Minsu as special.

She kept fidgeting with the edge of her cap.

“Shall we move to the next area then?”

“…What? Yes… let’s do that.”

Startled by Minsu’s words, she jumped to her feet. As Minsu stood up after her, the necklace she had given him was still hanging around his neck.

‘What does this mean… Could it be?’

According to the guide, it was definitely a signal that could be interpreted positively.

Feeling her heart race without realizing it, Yuri followed behind Minsu, who was leading the way.

***

Yuri and I moved to a new patrol area.

There was a directive from Team Leader Seo through the earpiece.

– There’s an event at a nearby outdoor stage. The Association has already deployed hunters for security, but they’ve requested additional personnel.

So the two of us came here, being closer to the location than Uncle Donghyuk and Arin.

Urban park. As Team Leader Seo had said, there was an outdoor stage set up.

A performance was already in progress.

“There are celebrities here. Quite famous idols, I’m told.”

I casually mentioned what Team Leader Seo had told me. Yuri maintained her usual cold expression, but showed momentary interest at the mention of idols.

“Ah. I know these idols too. They have quite a reputation overseas as well. The Association has received several security requests for them, and the compensation isn’t bad…”

She really was a Guild Master. In fact, I had heard a bit about Flame’s internal affairs from Team Leader Seo Duho.

– Actually, it’s a miracle that Flame has maintained S-rank status with its current scale. While their mission success rate is highly regarded, they’ve used a lot of budget in return.

That’s why Yuri hadn’t been able to rest from work recently. And according to him, Yuri’s limit line had already dropped to 60.

‘Yuri at Eins hardly ever had changes in her limit line…’

And I saw her hand holding the tobacco trembling for a moment. Clearly a sign that she was depending on tobacco.

In that moment, Yuri’s silhouette, thinner than others, caught my eye. That tired appearance, those shoulders that seemed so delicate.

The feelings I had always held for Yuri at Eins unconsciously came alive.

Yuri always pretended to be perfect, but her inner self was as fragile as a glass window made of ice.

‘Stop. I’m working now.’

I halted those wavering emotions. When I fell silent, Yuri spoke jokingly as if trying to break the awkwardness.

“Anyway, that female idol over there. Are you not interested, Minsu? All these people must have come to see that idol.”

As Yuri said, the place was packed with people. I’m still twenty-two, so it wouldn’t be strange for an ordinary man to be interested in idols, but of course, I wasn’t.

‘Unless a villain was involved.’

So I answered calmly.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this idol. But seeing the crowd, they must be famous.”

The performance had already started, and I could hear them singing. Naturally, it was a song I’d never heard before.

“…I see. You must not watch much TV, Minsu.”

Yuri had a relieved expression. Then she suddenly turned her head away from me. I said:

“According to Team Leader Seo, we just need to standby around here until the designated time.”

“That’s right. We’re not here as official security personnel, so we should just blend naturally with the crowd.”

As Yuri said, there was no need for us to reveal that we were hunters.

“Then shall we grab a quick bite? It’s already lunchtime.”

“What…? Yes. Let’s do that.”

This was a special event hosted by the city, so there were many food trucks nearby.

“Then I’ll go buy something simple.”

Just as I was about to move, Yuri hurriedly took out a card and gave it to me.

“This is a corporate card. Since it will be processed as expenses anyway, whatever you want to eat…”

“Yes, let’s do that. I’ll buy something for you too, Guild Master.”

“I… I’m fine… No, if you’re buying, since we’re on duty, something simple…”

But seeing Yuri’s thin body, I couldn’t help but worry more. Taking the card, I headed to a nearby food truck.

‘Flame. They said the budget was tight.’

The food trucks offered a variety of options, including some quite expensive dishes, but Team Leader Seo’s words came to mind. Recalling Yuri’s words too, I decided to buy something simple.

‘Actually, Yuri has always had a small appetite.’

Coincidentally, most of the food trucks were red. Foods with Scoville levels soaring to the sky, adjusted to Korean tastes.

Just then, I spotted a suitable menu nearby.

‘Come to think of it, Yuri used to like this quite a bit.’

After selecting the food, I presented the corporate card.

***

In the cold winter wind outdoors, warm soup naturally comes to mind.

Both pre-possession me and post-possession me were Korean, so like a Korean who craves cup noodles even in the Swiss Alps, I bought two cup noodles and returned.

‘This shouldn’t be too burdensome.’

Above all, I knew Yuri’s taste well. When she saw me returning with water, her expression changed surprisingly.

“Cup noodles. This…”

During the Eins days, unlike Soso, Yuri had a small appetite and couldn’t eat Korean food well, but this was different.

“…This reminds me of the taste of home. Thank you.”

What I bought was square-shaped cup noodles. And I had asked the food court staff to add lots of sliced sausages and a generous amount of mayonnaise on top.

Truly Russian style. Of course, Yuri’s homeland wasn’t Russia but the Slavic Kingdom, but for some reason, these square cup noodles were popular in the Slavic Kingdom too.

‘When we were at Eins, Yuri and I often ate cup noodles together on the rooftop.’

Despite managing her image and never buying cup noodles from the store, when she was alone with me, she would eat them enthusiastically when I brought them.

Yuri couldn’t eat very hot food, but now it was winter outdoors. And even in casual clothes, Yuri only wore a windbreaker-level coat, so the temperature was perfect.

She pulled down the disguise cap I had given her and busily used her chopsticks.

‘The design isn’t great, but she’s wearing that cap quite well.’

As I glanced at Yuri eating, I also ate the spicy beef-flavored cup noodles I had brought.

“I was going to buy drinks too, but there were only beers, so I just came back. During a mission, alcohol…”

“Ah! Beer isn’t alcohol, so it would have been fine to bring it. It’s a beverage.”

Come to think of it, in the Slavic Kingdom, beer wasn’t really considered alcohol. Just as that cultural memory came to mind,

I noticed hunters in uniform patrolling the park.

‘Association direct hunters.’

Given the scale of the event, many hunters had been dispatched at the Association level. Places with many ordinary citizens were excellent hunting grounds for villains.

I checked the alert level in the vicinity through my earpiece.

‘Level 2.’

Level 2 meant caution. One level higher than the normal Level 1. The Association’s control system calculates the threat of villains in real-time.

Like a weather forecast, it issues alert levels based on previous terror cases and anticipated villain thought patterns.

‘Desire thinking…’

The biggest difference between ordinary awakened ones and villains. Desire thinking. Villains constantly hear whispers from that desire rooted in their mana heart.

That desire varies for each villain. But generally, when they evoke negative emotions in humans, the fluctuation of those emotions interferes with the villain’s mana heart, leading to extreme pleasure.

‘Like a drug.’

Just as the Doubt Demon did. Just as that S-rank villain manipulated Eins students to create the worst outcome.

By now, Yuri had finished her cup noodles. Though the warm cup noodles had quickly cooled in the cold weather, Yuri’s usually pale face was flushed red, sensitive to heat as she was.

“Th-Thank you for the meal.”

“It’s nothing. I just paid with the corporate card.”

“But… still…”

Just as Yuri was about to say something more,

A new alert popped up in the view displayed by my earpiece.

[Alert Level 3 has been issued for the area.]