Chapter 26 – Follow through on the Promise

“That was how Hong Gildong became king and lived happily ever after.”

The end.

Why is it this long when it’s supposed to be a fairy tale book.

Having read the tale to Ban Hana, my lips were as dry as a desert.

Even if it was a children’s book, it was harder than I thought to read each and every word one by one.

“…It’s over?”

She asked me with a wistful tone.

She didn’t seem to lose focus not even once while I read the story to her, and she looked like she was enjoying it.

It is wistful. Since it’s a fairytale book.

Because the story of Hong Gildong was written as a fairy tale, much of its contents had been condensed.

Born from a concubine, Hong Gildong could not call his own father, Father. He lived as a righteous outlaw doing all sorts of things, then invaded another country and became the king of that country.

In a sense, the tale of Hong Gildong flowed like the Black Dawn’s story.

Their plan for success was similar to Hong Gildong’s.

I stroked Hana’s head.

“Hong Gildong’s story is over.”

“Then, what about other people’s stories?”

“Hmm…”

Perhaps she liked the fairy tale book since she showed great interest.

I hope she doesn’t just read the pile of Hitler’s biographies.

I wanted to read more books to her, but my body wouldn’t allow it. My mouth was dry, and after holding the book for a long time, my awfully low stamina was at its limit.

“That’s it for today. I’ll read it next time.”

“Why…? Why not…! Let’s read this…!! Just this one…!!”

It looked like she had a book she always wanted to read since Hana got up from the sofa and scurried to bring it over.

If she wanted to read the book that badly, why can’t she ask the other members?

I asked the question to her who was coming my way with a book in hand.

“Why aren’t you asking the other members to read it for you? They can all read, can they not?”

“T-That’s…”

Hana slowly began to explain.

“Mr. Kim Chunsam is only crazy about money, and he’s ugly so I don’t want to be around him…”

“Angela does read books to me, but she gets cranky and hates reading…”

“I don’t want to read with Mr. Pildu because he reads too slow…”

“Dail Unni starts reading then gets too into it so she doesn’t say anything…”

“Grampa Haeil brings strange books so I don’t like it…”

“And Yoowol Unni… I just don’t want to!”

It appeared that Hana had been in a situation where she couldn’t read.

Since each one of the Black Dawn members had a missing screw, they didn’t fit well with Hana.

That didn’t mean Hana’s screws were on either.

Her screws were just a little loose. It hadn’t fallen off yet.

When she finished answering, Hana shoved the book back to me.

“Just read this one only! Pet! Listen to your owner!”

“I’m not a pet. My name is Han Sijoon.”

“O-Okay! I won’t call you a pet! S-Sijoon! Read it for me!”

Desperation was on her fingertips as she thrusted the book.

I wonder how much she wanted to read that book for her to look like that.

After that book, I’ll have to find out what she’s able to read.

“I’m only going to read this one. That’ll be it for today, okay?”

“Yahoo! Sijoon is the best! Hehe…”

Hana shouted as if she had been successful and rushed into my arms.

The way she rubbed her face was like a pink rabbit.

She kept up that behavior longer than I expected.

…Of course she needed affection. 

Having grown up without actual parents, Hana could’ve felt alienated from the villains who roamed freely.

For starters, I could confirm from her actions that she craved affection.

“Hehe… It’s gotten more fun since you came here…”

Why is she clinging onto me this closely?

This is a bit scary.

There’s no way, right?

“It’s not fate…is it?”

The Fate of a Playboy.

It almost made me wonder if she had a crush on me.

Don’t tell me…

No, I doubt it. 

Hana, who was hungry for affection, was just being honest with her feelings at that moment.

I pulled her off my arm.

It was time to read the book now.

The name of the book she brought was, “Rapunzel”.

It was a story about a prince saving a lady trapped in a high tower, and how the two fell in love.

Hana stared at my face, then settled between my legs with a smile again.

“Now! Hurry and read it! Sijoon!”

“…Alright.”

She was all smiles as she urged me to read the fairy tale story.

With an uneasy heart, I opened the book while hoping my prediction was wrong.

I read the story to Hana who was in my arms.

 ***

All the Black Dawn members gathered during the evening.

Even though there was a top-quality steak in front of me, for someone who couldn’t taste anything, I finished my meal the quickest.

“…Thank you for the meal.”

The visual looked so good it made me almost regret getting rid of my tastebuds.

Did I choose tastebuds for nothing?

Even so, this is better than losing my lifespan.

Let’s live three years more, and eat something even more delicious later.

I offered deep consolations to my self.

“Wait a moment.”

It was Shin Haeil, the Captain of Black Dawn, who spoke to me as I tried to get up and head to my room.

Why did he call me?

The moment I questioned it, he opened his mouth.

“I have something to tell you, go to my room at the very end of the hall and wait there.”

To me?

What was going to say to me?

A day has passed since I came here.

I hadn’t the slightest clue what he would want to say.

“Okay. Well, I’ll head there for now.”

I was a little nervous, but I listened to his words and found myself at the end of the hallway.

I walked towards the door with a stuffed deer’s face.

…This is Han Yoowol’s room…

The door next to Shin Haeil’s room was Han Yoowol’s, the room which I had to visit soon.

There were no decorations on her door as opposed to the other members, but it slightly gave off a bleak ambience.

Ugh, it’s scary to even look at.

I took my eye off her door, and moved to Shin Haeil’s room.

“…It’s much more normal than I thought.”

His room was fairly normal with a comforting warmth that an elderly person usually had.

The wallpaper and floor were a dark basic color. There was a bookshelf with difficult texts, an expensive wooden desk, a rocking chair, a fluffy leather sofa with a small desk in front, and a sturdy stone bed.

It was indeed a room typical of an old Korean man.

I sat on the leather sofa and waited for him to finish his meal.

He seems normal for a villain…

His room was so close to being normal that I was even more scared of that fact.

Psychopaths who pretended to be normal were the scariest, are they not?

Just from looking at a lunatic you can go, “Oh that person is crazy,” and then avoid them.

However, in Shin Haeil’s case, from the outside he looks like a warm grandfather. But if you dig within, there was a heinous criminal dwelling in him. If you didn’t see what was burrowed inside, you would never find out that he was abnormal.

Clack.

As I was having such thoughts about him, Haeil, who must’ve finished his meal, opened the door and entered the room.

I didn’t feel comfortable being around him for a long time, so I cut to the chase.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“First, let’s have a cup of tea as we talk. Since it’s likely going to take a while.”

Unfortunately, Shin Haeil said their talk would take a while.

I had no choice but to take the teacup he poured for me.

“I soaked the grass leaves which came out of Yeosu’s gate. They say it helps with mana recovery.”

”Ah, yes…”

I don’t have magic though.

I sipped the tea which didn’t taste like anything.

Yeosu.

In the past and in the world of V. AGE, there had been an incident where an S-Rank gate opened in Korea.

The deterioration of a gate.

Many Heroes and Hunters who slayed monsters had provided their support, but they were not enough to suppress it. The suppression of the S-Rank gate ultimately resulted in failure.

The boss monster with the gate’s core eventually emerged from the gate. It engulfed the entirety of Yeosu, which had been famous for its night sea, making it into its own domain.

The deterioration of the gate ended with Yeosu, as it could no longer expand the domain any further.

After that incident, the Heroes and Hunters who were consumed by the horrors of that day went on with their lives as if they had forgotten about the area of Yeosu.

The current academy teacher, Shin Sihwa, was also one among the many who had participated in the suppression that day.

And Shin Haeil was one of the culprits responsible for creating the gate.

“…So, what did you want to say?”

“You sure are impatient. You must have been with Hana. How was she? She’s quite the good girl, isn’t she?”

…Did he call me to brag about his granddaughter?

He likely didn’t call me over just to say that.

I added a malicious tone to my words.

“She’s a good girl. She’s like a pure child, untainted, unlike the rest of you.”

“That’s true, she’s a good-natured child who does not match with the Black Dawn.”

Haeil had raised her since she was a baby, so he did seem to grasp her nature.

Her pure-hearted nature certainly did not suit a villain.

“That’s why I wanted to say… A week later, on the promised day. Can you do me a favor?”

“…A favor?”

“I’m not asking to do it for free. I’ll compensate you well.”

Haeil stated that I’d be leaving this place a week later.

Exactly what kind of favor did he want from me?

As I was suspicious of him, the blind man placed his promised “compensation” on the desk.

There was no way my eyes wouldn’t widen after seeing his reward. 

This is…

Why was this item in his possession?

Inside the box was a pistol nicely situated there.

It wasn’t the ordinary guns that I was used to.

Crow’s Wings.

The black gun got its name because it resembled the wings of a crow. It was an item between B to A-Rank, used in the early and mid stages of V. AGE. And when upgraded, the weapon was good enough to use in the later stages.

The Crow’s Wings could also be shot without bullets, but with mana instead.

It was a firearm that could calibrate the bullet’s speed and destructive force.

I‘m positive this was a weapon that dropped after killing one of the mid-level boss villains.

“Is this lacking?”

Shin Haeil spoke to me with a benign smile.

That unnerving smile of his really did not sit well with me.

If I came to own this weapon, my power could shoot up exponentially. With the Golem’s core combined, I had a shot at winning even if C-Rank and B-Rank villains both come at me.

For starters, I decided to hear out what his request was.

“So, what’s the favor?”

“It’s nothing much. It’s just on the promised day, I want you to open this letter and read it when I give the signal. Easy, isn’t it?”

“…”

This is unsettling.

All I have to do is read the letter?

It made no sense for him to give a weapon like that for such an easy 

request.

If it had been Libra I was making a deal with, I would’ve had to hand over the pistol’s magazine.

It was a situation where I couldn’t help but be suspicious.

It’s trickier since it’s a request from Shin Haeil…

His requests gave good rewards, but it meant that the world was approaching that much closer to its doom.

I glanced at the Crow’s Wings before me, and tightly shut my eyes.

“I apologize, but I don’t think I can do you a favor.”

“…Why not? I’m just asking out of curiosity, so be honest.”

He didn’t expect me to reject him.

There was a slight tremor in his voice.

Why did I refuse?

There was obviously a predetermined answer to that.

“I do not trust you whatsoever.”

No matter how honest he is for a villain, did he really think I’ll bite just for a single weapon like that?

Due to my position as an abductee, I was half-forced to accept his proposal before. But this time, it was just a personal matter.

It appeared that Shin Haeil had viewed me as a complete pushover.

The old man, who had stiffened at my answer, opened his clammed mouth.

“…That was an amusing answer. You may leave now.”

“Then, please excuse me.”

Feeling relieved, I exited his room.

I can acquire a weapon later anyway. From what I recall, there were many weapons much better than the Crow’s Wings.

I’ll never let them get what they want.

It was for the sake of world peace but also for Yoo Hayeon, who must be going through a lot right now.

***

Creak.

Bang.

The door with the stuffed deer head.

I closed that door and contemplated for a moment.

What is he up to?

It was very easy to read a letter, but to offer up an expensive weapon like that as a reward sounded like the end of the world was just around the corner.

I couldn’t fathom what made Haeil request something like that.

I’ll find that out a week later on the promised day.

While I was lost in such thoughts, there was a small creature approaching me in front.

“Sijoon! So you were there!”

 Zoooom.

As usual, Hana had a rabbit in her hand as she ran towards me.

It seemed that she had been looking for me.

“Why’re you calling me? I gave you a book earlier, didn’t I? For you to study.”

After I finished reading the fairy tale of Rapunzel, I handed her a Korean pronunciation book for foreigners that had been buried deep in the library.

It had supposedly been used by a foreigner among the Black Dawn.

I promised to read a book to her again tomorrow if she memorized all the letters of the consonants.

Hana hesitated as she replied to me.

”B-But… I don’t get it! Help me! I can’t do it by myself!”

It was a simple task of looking at the picture and seeing what the letters look like according to how they were pronounced.

Yet she was saying she didn’t understand.

She pulled my sleeve as she shouted that we should go to her room.

The moment I was about to be taken away by Hana whose strength was greater than mine…

There was Han Yoowol’s room next to Shin Haeil’s.

The door to her room began to open with an ominous sound.

Creak…

What the? Why are you coming out?”

The cold air leaked from the room as Yoowol walked out.

And in an instant, with her hand on my waist, she dragged me towards the open door.

“Hana dear, I’m sorry, but Sijoon has a prior engagement. I’ll take him.”

“H-Huh… What do you mean…” 

Bang!

Hana’s words got cut off due to the shutting door. 

That was how she was left in the hallway by herself while I was sucked into Yoowol’s cold room.