Chapter 5: House Call

The heart of the Demonic Cult, Pandemonium.

The Ten Demons’ Council had convened.

It was an unprecedented event.

According to cult law, the Ten Demons’ Council—where the future and direction of the cult were decided—was held on a fixed day once a month.

But today, the Heavenly Demon, Ja Hwa-yeon, had ignored procedure and issued a summons.

The reason she could do so was simple: the Heavenly Demon stood above the laws of the cult.

Four demons sat in silence around the great round table of Pandemonium. Behind them, the remaining members of the Ten Demons stood in a line.

And above them all, upon a jade throne set several steps higher, sat Ja Hwa-yeon.

Just then, the heavy doors of Pandemonium swung open, and the Left Protector, Hyeok Yeon-bo, revealed himself.

He had arrived later than Ja Hwa-yeon.

He paid it no mind, however, striding past the round table and heading, as he always did, toward the side of the Heavenly Demon’s throne. It was his long-standing habit, a way of flaunting his status as the Heavenly Demon’s right-hand man and the cult’s second-in-command.

But at the very moment he was about to step onto the dais…

“Left Protector.”

A languid voice rang out.

“Yes, Supreme One.”

“Step down and take your seat.”

Hyeok Yeon-bo’s eyes wavered for an instant.

The voice was languid, but the command within it was as cold as ice.

In truth, the Left Protector was also one of the Ten Demons. He should have been seated at the round table to begin with.

Before the watchful eyes of all the other Ten Demons, he had no grounds to defy an order from the cult’s leader.

“…I will obey your command.”

The atmosphere was completely different from usual. Hyeok Yeon-bo instinctively tried to assess the situation.

His gaze shot like a blade toward Geumgang, who stood behind the round table.

But Geumgang could not meet his stare.

Geumgang…!

Just then, Ja Hwa-yeon spoke.

“I have gathered you all here for one reason.”

The gazes of all the Ten Demons turned to her.

The Left Protector, Hyeok Yeon-bo, now seated at the round table, also watched her, his expression carefully masked.

“Recently, discipline within the cult has faltered, and I have been troubled by news of needless discord. This is because the two wings that support me are out of balance.”

Two wings.

At those words, the eyes of several demons shifted toward the Left Protector.

The two wings of the cult referred to the Left Protector and the Right Protector. But the position of Right Protector had been vacant for a long time.

The demons gathered here were not so foolish as to be unaware of who had left the Right Protector’s seat empty for years to consolidate his own power.

“Therefore, in this very place today, I intend to restore the balance of the cult.”

Ja Hwa-yeon’s gaze moved to Geumgang, who stood ramrod straight behind the round table.

“From the time of my predecessor to this day, Geumgang has proven his loyalty to me with unwavering integrity. In recognition of his great service, I hereby appoint Geumgang to the vacant sixth seat of the Ten Demons, effective today.”

“……!”

Geumgang’s eyes flew wide open, and a quiet stir rippled through the other Ten Demons.

It wasn’t that they doubted Geumgang’s skill. It was just… too sudden.

But Ja Hwa-yeon’s declaration did not end there.

“Furthermore, I shall entrust the vacant position of Right Protector to Geumgang as well. From this day forward, Geumgang will stand as my right hand, equal in status to the Left Protector, and help lead the cult.”

In that instant, Left Protector Hyeok Yeon-bo’s face hardened.

This was no simple personnel change. It was a political declaration of war—one that would slice his authority in half and place a watchdog at his side.

There was no way Hyeok Yeon-bo could fail to understand this.

Geumgang hastily dropped to one knee, bowing his head to the floor.

“Supreme One! This is far too great an honor for this humble servant…”

“Whether it is too great an honor is for me to decide,” Ja Hwa-yeon cut him off. Then, she slowly rose from her throne.

Her cold gaze fixed on one man at the round table: the Left Protector, Hyeok Yeon-bo.

The demons were overwhelmed by the sheer force of her presence.

“Does anyone… have any objection to my decision?”

It was a question posed to all, but its target was clear.

The full force of Ja Hwa-yeon’s aura was directed at the Left Protector.

Time seemed to stand still.

Every demon of the Demonic Cult, their eyes wide and sharp, stared only at the Left Protector’s lips.

Hyeok Yeon-bo remained silent for a very long time, his jaw clenched so tight it seemed his lips would burst.

And finally, in a voice laced with a metallic rasp, he spat out a single word.

“…I obey.”

This was the Demonic Cult, where the Heavenly Demon was worshipped as a god. And this was a solemn council, where all the demons of the cult were watching with piercing eyes.

In such a place, one who would dare defy the will of the Heavenly Demon… could not exist.

*

Jin Se-ah and I finished lunch and left the restaurant.

There was still some time before my afternoon appointments, but I was planning on heading back.

“Where are you going?”

As I turned to leave, Jin Se-ah’s hand shot out and snatched my arm.

Golden eyes looked up at me.

I’d tried to just leave, but she’d caught me. This was her routine: a post-meal trip to a cafe.

In the end, we entered a quiet cafe near the restaurant.

Our drinks arrived, and I took a sip of my bitter Americano before she spoke first.

“You have no idea how much I needed someone to have coffee with,” she pouted and grumbled.

But if she had asked anyone else, not a soul would have refused the chance to have coffee with the S-class hunter Jin Se-ah.

“How’s the new team? Is it okay?” I asked, checking in on her.

“Ughhh…”

The moment my question ended, Jin Se-ah let out a strange sigh and collapsed onto the table.

Thud.

She lay there like a corpse, her forehead pressed against the tabletop.

“It’s the worst.”

Her muffled voice drifted up from the table.

The worst?

I found that hard to believe.

The Haetae Guild was her current guild and my former one. Haetae was ranked among the top ten guilds in South Korea. But to be honest, while the Haetae Guild was excellent, it felt a little lacking compared to the absolute top-tier guilds.

And Jin Se-ah single-handedly filled every one of those gaps.

S-class hunter Jin Se-ah.

She had the star power to always rank in the top five of community popularity polls. Her official subjugation success rate was nearly ninety percent.

And I was the one who had dragged down the other ten percent.

That was why the higher-ups at the guild were never happy about me being on the same team as her. So, I’d heard there was a personnel reshuffle the moment I left.

The guild would have surely given her, a top-tier striker, a top-tier team to match, including the best tanker and supporter in the guild.

And yet, it was the worst?

I asked her, still mumbling with her head on the table, “What’s the problem?”

Jin Se-ah lifted her head slightly, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

Her gaze lowered, she pursed her lips like a child and muttered, “…I don’t know.”

“……?”

Huh?

“It’s just the worst.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

This wasn’t like Jin Se-ah. There had to be a real reason hidden behind this pouting.

I opened her status.

[Jin Se-ah]

[Main Stance]

[Ri♧ght befo■■ the Ga■■■ ※■was＠ ! ■■■■.]

The noise was even worse than before, making it impossible to read a complete sentence.

…I really have no idea what this is.

Still, I could make out the words “Gate” and “before.” I tried to extrapolate from that.

It seemed like she was talking about the raid that had been scheduled before our team was disbanded. A large-scale Gate raid. We had been looking forward to it. We were supposed to enter and clear it ourselves. It was a new type of raid, so the team members and I had been very nervous.

But Jin Se-ah, alone, had been incredibly excited, saying it seemed like it would be fun.

However, when the team was disbanded, the raid was naturally canceled.

Could this be her disappointment over that?

It was just a guess; I didn’t know the exact situation. In any case, it seemed she was having a hard time adjusting to her new team.

I smiled and pulled a piece of paper from my wallet, holding it out to her.

“Come by if you’re having a tough time.”

It was my crisp new business card, printed just yesterday for my counseling practice.

Even if I couldn’t offer direct help… I could at least be someone to talk to when things got hard.

At my words, Jin Se-ah slowly lifted her head.

She accepted the card, holding it preciously, and smiled faintly.

“Thanks.”

I smiled back at her.

*

On my way back to the counseling office, I called the relevant department at the Association.

A familiar clerk’s voice came through the receiver.

“This is Counselor Yoo Seon-woo.”

“Ah, Counselor! We’ve been waiting for your call. Have you decided on the first guild for your house calls next week?”

House calls.

The term sounded pleasant, but I’d pictured myself as the supplicant, the one going to the guilds. Guilds that wanted counseling would apply to me. Then I, the counselor, would coordinate the schedule and choose which guild to visit.

At first, I was skeptical about how many applications I would even get. So I planned to handle everything myself, without any help from the Association.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

On the first day applications opened, my office phone and fax machine were on fire. Applications poured in from every major guild, including all of South Korea’s top ten.

Only then did I realize the situation and ask the Association for help.

I had wondered why, but after looking into some past incidents, I understood.

Guilds already managed their hunters and Outsiders with dedicated counselors.

However…

There was the incident where an A-class hunter showing signs of anxiety broke his counselor’s arm during a session.

The incident where a counselor lost consciousness due to the magical energy radiating from an S-class hunter suffering from severe depression.

And countless other cases.

In front of hunters and Outsiders, an ordinary counselor was no different from a lamb thrown into a lion’s den. There was a fundamental disconnect—counselors were civilians who couldn’t understand the hardships of hunters. And due to the inherent instability of the awakened and Outsiders, situations arose where the counselor needed protection even while conducting a session.

Therefore, every guild was desperate for a counselor who was also a hunter.

In the end, I had gone from being the supplicant to, in a sense, the one in charge.

Of course, I would never think of myself that way. I wasn’t in a position of power; I was in a tight spot.

What if they break my arm?

“Counselor? Should I read the list of candidate guilds to you again?”

The voice on the phone snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Ah.”

Then, without hesitation, I spoke calmly.

“Haetae.”

“Ah, Haetae. Understood. Just a moment…”

I could hear the clerk shuffling through papers on the other end of the line.

But then, a voice far more cautious and troubled than before reached my ear.

“Um… excuse me, Counselor?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

What was it?

“The Haetae Guild didn’t apply for a house call this time. They’re not on the list.”

For a moment, I was stunned.

“…What?”

“That’s right. They’re the only one among the top ten guilds. I was surprised too, so I checked several times… but they’re not here.”

After talking to Jin Se-ah, I had been certain Haetae would have applied.

“Did you guys apply?”

“Of course. I made sure of it.”

But they hadn’t?

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t help but be bewildered.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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