Ch.61Clothing Models Are Dangerous (1)

After the situation was resolved, Trione was made to live at Kwak Minji’s house.

It was better to keep slaves together when assigning various tasks, and I thought Trione could protect Kwak Minji, who had the least combat ability, from potential threats.

‘……’

There were several reasons why I deliberately kept Trione alive.

With such powerful manipulation abilities, he would be helpful in many ways, and it was convenient to assign him minor tasks.

But the biggest reason was to draw out the remaining members of Hades.

‘…Having him around will surely catch someone eventually.’

A comrade who went to kill someone but ended up living with their target instead? From Hades’ perspective, they would naturally be concerned.

Trione was an excellent bait just by existing.

Thud.

I buried my throbbing head in the bed while covered with a blanket.

It was the price I paid for summoning both Hans and Jack simultaneously in the recent battle.

“Brother, I’m heading out.”

“Yeah….”

Although I was groaning in pain, it was extremely encouraging that I could now summon two high-level undead at the same time with just a bit of strain.

‘…Still far from enough though.’

There was something troubling me from what Trione had said.

Among the three returnees known as the real powers behind Hades, one was a Necromancer like me.

Moreover, from what I heard, they seemed skilled enough to control high-level undead.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel concerned.

‘I’d probably lose if we fought now…’

Losing to another returnee Necromancer?

That was absolutely unacceptable. My pride wouldn’t allow it.

‘I need to level up more.’

In the end, that was the only way. The simplest and surest method.

As I was burning with the desire to grow stronger, a message arrived.

Ding.

[I found it.]

It was a message from Helena, my second disciple whom I had been eagerly waiting to hear from.

#

It was good that I finally found a replacement for the ring, but things didn’t go smoothly.

[This is troublesome.]

“Why, why?”

[The owner is a bit difficult. I think you’ll need to come in person.]

“Ugh……”

At this sudden statement, I was flustered and tried to imagine the scenario.

Going to the airport without my ring, boarding a plane with other people, and traveling abroad?

It was absolutely impossible.

But I had momentarily forgotten who I was talking to—a globally famous star.

[I’ll arrange a private jet for you.]

And so, I was about to experience something I had never even seen before in my life.

“……”

Since my physical condition was terrible due to the overload anyway, I called Song Hayeon and Trione two weeks later and headed to where Helena was.

“…Why am I being taken along?”

“B-bait, of course.”

If Hades members came looking while I was away, there would be no point in having bait. It was simple logic.

“Wow….”

Song Hayeon looked around with sparkling eyes, fascinated by the private jet she had only heard about.

Gordon, watching from inside my necklace, clicked his tongue lightly.

– No class. No class at all. She’s clearly not suitable to be Master’s disciple.

Having forgotten that he once tried to recruit her himself, Gordon had recently been developing a strange rivalry with Song Hayeon.

I left only one comment for Gordon.

“You’re the junior here.”

– ……

Ignoring the speechless Gordon, we boarded the plane guided by staff Helena had arranged.

Our destination was Heathrow Airport in England.

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

An extremely luxurious car was prepared and waiting for us at the airport.

Feeling somehow intimidated, I sat alone in one corner of the car, opening the window and trying to focus on the scenery outside.

“Master, are you alright?”

“Urgh… D-don’t make me talk…”

After traveling with such difficulty and getting out of the car, a massive and splendid building came into view.

It was one of the branches of the Calliope Guild that Helena belonged to.

“I-I’m a bit nervous.”

Ignoring the nervous Song Hayeon, I awkwardly poked Trione with my finger. I wanted him to go in first and divert attention.

“…I get it, so stop poking me?”

Click.

Guided by the staff, we entered the guild.

Simultaneously, numerous gazes turned toward us.

It wasn’t strange, considering a group with foreign appearances had suddenly arrived.

“These are Helena’s guests.”

Upon hearing those words, the guild members were startled and began murmuring.

Some hurriedly stood up or bowed their heads in greeting. It showed Helena’s status within the guild.

I followed behind the group with my head down, and soon we took the elevator to the 10th floor where Helena was waiting.

“Was your journey comfortable?”

“N-no problems, just tiring.”

Despite Helena providing every convenience, I was honestly already exhausted.

Flop.

After leaving Song Hayeon and Trione in one corner, I collapsed on the sofa, and Helena spoke to me in a low voice.

“It’s an item with better performance than the ring I gave you before. It’s also very valuable.”

“…That’s good.”

“But the owner says they won’t sell it unless you grant their request.”

At those words, I slightly raised my face from the sofa to look at Helena.

“W-what request?”

Helena, uncharacteristically, gave an awkward smile and avoided my gaze.

Then, with a slightly amused expression, she told me.

“…They want to photograph you.”

“What?”

“You, Master.”

It was truly a condition I hadn’t expected at all.

#

“S-so, they want to use me as a model?”

The owner of the artifact Helena found was the daughter of a well-known hunter family in England and the owner of a famous clothing company.

And apparently, the owner had been eyeing me for some time.

I fell silent for a while after hearing this.

Then I asked Helena.

“I-is there no other item?”

“No. There aren’t many artifacts with such effects to begin with.”

“Ugh.”

It was truly a troublesome situation.

I wouldn’t mind doing it once, but it was something that didn’t suit me at all.

Song Hayeon approached me in my confusion and said.

“Why don’t you just do it? They’re offering a lot of money too.”

“……”

Typical social butterfly thinking.

I glared at Song Hayeon with a disgruntled expression.

“It’s not like we have any other options anyway.”

That was certainly true.

With no other means available, I sighed deeply and accepted the proposal.

So we headed to the agreed location again.

“The lady is waiting upstairs.”

As befitting someone famous, this building was also impressively magnificent.

Since there was no need for all of us to go up together, I left Song Hayeon and Trione outside and headed to the top floor where the owner was waiting, accompanied only by Helena.

Ding.

Swoosh.

As the elevator doors opened, we were greeted by a young blonde woman and an elderly man who appeared to be her attendant.

The elderly man was startled upon seeing us and immediately moved to block the woman, but she gently smiled and restrained him.

“There’s no need to be cautious. As I said, they are guests.”

Then, looking at Helena and me, she continued.

“It’s rare for Brooks to react like this, but I suppose that’s to be expected with Hel.”

“It’s our first time meeting in person. How is your father?”

“He’s well, of course.”

While the woman and Helena engaged in their own mysterious conversation, I carefully observed the elderly man named Brooks who had stepped back.

‘I don’t feel any pressure from him.’

Based on my experience, that would mean the other person is a returnee.

As we exchanged indecipherable glances, the blonde woman approached me before I could speak.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Aila.”

“Ah, y-yes…”

She was quite an uncomfortable person to be around.

Not because she had a bad impression, but because she exuded such an upper-class aura that I instinctively felt intimidated.

Seeing my reaction, Aila covered her mouth and laughed softly before continuing.

“Hehe. I had heard about this, but it’s quite something. At this rate, perhaps I should give you the item before we talk?”

With Aila’s signal, the elderly man called Brooks immediately brought an elegant box.

Aila took out a ring emanating a strange power from it and began her explanation.

“From our tests so far, the effect raises the wearer’s physical condition to its upper limit according to their will. Simply put, it allows you to maintain your condition as long as it’s activated.”

“……”

“It doesn’t heal wounds, but it has excellent effects against various status ailments.”

From the explanation, it seemed to have quite remarkable capabilities.

This was something that high-ranking hunters would covet, not just me. When I gave her a questioning look, Aila awkwardly smiled and provided the answer.

“This artifact has a side effect. Because of that, even though you can activate it whenever you want, its efficiency is reduced.”

“W-what kind…?”

To my question, Aila gave a meaningful smile.

“I don’t know. It varied from person to person.”

Then, placing the ring on my finger, she continued.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to test it right now?”

At those words, I nodded without hesitation.

Thirty minutes later, when I regained consciousness, the sight that greeted me was Helena desperately trying to hold back her laughter as I lay with my head on her lap.