Ch.8027. Yuri’s True Heart (3)

Yuri couldn’t hold back anymore.

Following her heart’s desire, she kissed Minsu.

For the past two years. No, since the Eins days, for even longer than that. She had imagined what it would feel like to kiss Minsu.

Despite her distrust of men, there was one exception: Lee Minsu. The very person she had kept in her heart all this time.

Yuri’s mind went blank. She could see that Minsu was a bit taken aback, but she had no intention of letting go.

“Mmm…”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. It wasn’t a deep kiss yet. But from the moment their lips touched, Yuri had no intention of ending it with just a light peck.

‘Since Minsu… didn’t reject me.’

She had finally confessed her feelings, unable to hold them in any longer. Knowing Minsu’s personality well…

She hadn’t expected him to casually accept her feelings at all. Rather, she had been afraid he might get angry or deeply offended.

But Minsu had said he needed Flame. And that meant Minsu needed her.

‘Yes. That’s enough for now.’

Considering she hadn’t even seen his face for two years, this was quite a rapid development. Yuri felt her heart growing warmer.

That heart which had always been frozen cold.

Minsu was surprised, but likewise, he didn’t push her away. Encouraged, Yuri nestled deeper into his embrace.

Though this light kiss was also her first, Yuri instinctively wanted more. She applied slight pressure with the tip of her tongue, parting Minsu’s lips.

Soon, an adult kiss began. At the sensation of his tongue. At the warm, moist feeling of Minsu.

Yuri felt like her heart would burst.

‘I like you. No, I love you.’

Their tongues had merely touched. It was her first kiss ever. Moving her tongue felt so awkward.

And since Minsu remained still, her anxiety grew that he might push her away at any moment.

‘No… absolutely not…’

She wanted to create an eternal barrier right here. To be alone with Minsu forever. Without Yeon Soso, Seong Arin, or Senior Seo Ha-eun.

She wanted to keep him completely away from any woman hovering around him. To become the only woman for Minsu.

At such dangerous thoughts that came unbidden, she felt the air around them cooling. Because she truly wanted to bind Minsu to her.

Her mana responded without her realizing it. But the mana released outward soon dissipated.

“Mmm… mmph?!!”

Minsu wrapped his arms around her waist. And unlike her, who had stupidly just inserted her tongue and froze in panic, unable to do anything.

This time, Minsu himself began to lead the kiss.

‘I’m… really kissing Minsu.’

Following his lead, Yuri also began to move her tongue slightly. Each time their soft tongues intertwined. Each time she felt Minsu’s breath, it felt like her head was burning up.

It was ecstatic and blissful. In that moment, Yuri was glad she was a woman.

Right then. Her heart, which had been beating so hotly. Suddenly turned cold.

The joy of her first kiss. And the thought of being connected with Minsu. Awakened something else within Yuri.

The desire to monopolize Minsu for herself alone, like an avalanche once started. Grew uncontrollably.

‘The only woman suitable for Minsu. Is me alone.’

Just from a kiss, she felt such ecstasy and happiness. If this Minsu would look only at her. She could abandon her status as a Grand Duchess. Even her position as CEO of an S-rank guild.

And anything that interfered with being with Minsu.

Any woman. Any obstacle. Even villains or demons, it didn’t matter. If they interfered with her relationship with Minsu. She wanted to eliminate them all.

‘Then Minsu will be mine.’

She wanted to seduce him more actively. Those eyes that once looked only at her. That heart that was once directed only at her. She wanted to reclaim it all.

So she absolutely couldn’t bear seeing him being so kind to other women.

‘Haa… what am I thinking.’

But Yuri barely managed to come to her senses. She had just gotten this close to Minsu again. Minsu said he needed Flame.

So, unlike other women, at least Soso and Arin. For now, Yuri shouldn’t touch or hurt them.

‘Yes… for now.’

If she did, she might distance herself from Minsu again. Right now, he wants Flame. So her role as guild leader comes first.

‘I need to eliminate the Red Lake from this world. Then Minsu will turn to me completely.’

But now, Yuri was different from before. Knowing that Minsu wasn’t rejecting her, she wanted to be more proactive.

‘Minsu’s embrace… kissing Minsu… feels so good.’

She wanted to get closer to him by any means necessary. Then she needed to constantly prove that she was the woman Minsu needed.

‘I must make Minsu look only at me… just like in Eins.’

Just as Minsu had praised her earlier for creating and leading Flame. She always wanted to hear his kind words.

“Haa… haa…”

As numerous thoughts drifted through her mind. Minsu separated his lips from hers.

It had been an intense kiss. So intense that their saliva connected between their lips. She felt it was too regrettable to end it here.

But Yuri calmed down at Minsu’s words as he pulled her back into his embrace.

“Anyway, you understand what I mean, right? The Red Lake. If that cursed villain group disappears. You and I can go back to how we were in Eins.”

“Mmm… really…?”

“Yes. And until then, it’s best if both of us focus on Flame.”

She understood what he meant. If Minsu’s revenge ends. Then the two of them could become lovers.

“Yes. I will. For Flame. No, for you, Minsu. Definitely!”

***

Several days passed.

Two weeks I spent bedridden at home due to the aftereffects of the cooperation mission. And a bit more time had passed.

Only now were news articles about the recent cooperation mission beginning to be reported to the public.

“The credit for this cooperation mission was all taken by the Association’s Special Department and the White Cross Society. Isn’t that right, senior?”

As Arin said. The major incident where the netherworld’s great demon, Crosel, was summoned was reported in a way very favorable to the Association.

In reality, they hadn’t completely annihilated the demon, but it was reported that they had destroyed the great demon.

“Well, it’s not like the Association controlling the media is anything new.”

Those articles portraying the Association as champions of justice were somewhat disgusting to read. The Association was strengthening its dictatorial power in this way.

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“Elimination of a Great Demon After 5 Years. The Association Chairman’s Leadership Shines Through…”

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I glanced at a recent article on my smartphone. In reality, Jeon Tae-hyun, the Association Chairman, hadn’t stepped forward.

‘His right-hand man, Secretary-General Choi Seung-hoon, handled all the practical matters.’

But all the credit went to the Chairman. Jeon Tae-hyun is now effectively the dictator ruling Korea.

He simultaneously holds the positions of Association Chairman and Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. Of course, there is a separate President, but he’s just his puppet.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me either way.’

As long as it doesn’t interfere with my work. I don’t care if he continues his dictatorship until he dies of old age. And the Association is quite friendly toward Flame.

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“Multiple Guilds Cooperate on Mission. Korea’s Excellent Hunter Talent Pool Shows Great Activity Again…”

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As if distributing rewards for merit, the article also mentioned the activities of guilds friendly to the Association.

At that moment, Arin whispered to me.

“Senior. You also played a big role, but again only the Guild Master and Team Leader Yeon are all over the articles. Isn’t that too unfair?”

“It doesn’t matter. There’s nothing particularly good about being in the articles.”

As Arin said. Articles about Flame mainly mentioned Yuri and Soso. My name was naturally absent.

Of course, I have no interest in fame as a hunter. What matters is the reward Flame will receive from this incident.

I said to Arin:

“Your name appears in this article though?”

I opened another news article. Written by a religious media outlet affiliated with the White Cross Society.

So that article focused more on the activities of Father Stefano, a priest of the White Cross Society, and Arin, rather than Yuri or Soso. And despite being a religious newspaper. Like other newspapers, it prominently featured a large photo of the beautiful Arin.

‘Clicks are money, after all.’

Thinking she might be pleased with that fact, I casually mentioned it to Arin, but her reaction was indifferent.

“Neither article includes you, senior! That’s what makes me angry. And I don’t need this kind of article either.”

“Really? What happened to that attention-seeker Seong Arin from Eins days?”

“Why bring up something from so long ago? It’s embarrassing.”

Arin blushed at my joke.

As I said, Arin was the ultimate insider during the Eins days. So she couldn’t have disliked the attention of many people.

But that was when Arin was a freshman.

For the remaining two years, Arin devoted all her time to me. Naturally, she didn’t properly interact with the other cadets.

“I don’t like that anymore. I only need you, senior. I don’t need anyone else’s attention.”

Saying that, Arin interlaced her fingers with mine. The two of us were currently on an airplane.

Not just us, but Yuri and Soso. And even Father Stefano. All five who participated as the advance team in the cooperation mission were on board.

The group was heading to the Kingdom of Slavia. Specifically, the Far East Diocese of the White Cross Society.

The Far East Diocese had invited the group who participated in the recent mission. It seemed they wanted to present some kind of award in the name of the Archbishop of the Far East Diocese.

‘This is very good for Flame.’

Unlike other missions, those related to demons are quite difficult to participate in. Of course, low-level demons, which are little different from ordinary monsters, can be exterminated with just a hunter license.

However, even mid-level demons are subject to considerable regulation.

Various factors that can cause an awakened person to fall into villainy. One of those factors is contact with demons.

‘The group has had contact with a great demon, so it was actually a bigger deal.’

That’s why everyone in the group underwent separate mental examinations.

In the case of those who have had contact with great demons, the elite of the White Cross Society, Inquisitors, sometimes come directly to interrogate them.

In Flame’s case, with two priests from the White Cross Society present, they passed the mental examination easily.

‘A few priests from the Seoul Diocese checked and that was it.’

Of course, with two daughters of the Five Great Families present, they couldn’t recklessly send Inquisitors either.

And since Archbishop Enrico of the Far East Diocese, who came to Paju, was favorable toward us, I didn’t worry much about that aspect either.

‘Anyway, I never thought we’d end up going to the Far East Diocese like this…’

Original Siwoo’s guild, Justice. That Justice also had an episode where they were invited by the Far East Diocese.

Of course, the current reality has completely diverged from the original, but that invitation episode was important. It was the episode where the original Chae Min-ah obtained a special fire called the ‘Sacred Flame of Parma.’

In terms of gear ranking, it could be compared to the S-rank gear Hong-ok.

‘But there’s absolutely no way the current Chae Min-ah will obtain that fire.’

The real Chae Min-ah is a demon contractor, not a saint. So there’s no way she could obtain the sacred flame that destroys demons.

Considering the plausibility of Flame replacing Justice, perhaps someone from Flame might obtain that fire.

‘I wonder what will happen…’

As I was lost in thought while holding hands with Arin, she whispered in my ear.

“Senior. Did you know that the hotel rooms arranged by the operations team have you and me in the same room?”