episode_0089

It feels like a bowl with a hole or leaking water. His demeanor was mild enough to be embarrassing for a moment, but his original temperament was coming out more and more, unable to be hidden.

I don’t know anything else, but it seems like Yeon Myeong-ha is definitely his daughter.

Fortunately, though, there is no major emotional turmoil. Should I say that I feel like I have been vaccinated in advance? The former Yeon Myeong-ha was the first, and her mother, whom I met yesterday, was the second…

In addition, it was clearly evident that the head of the Jeokhwa family was extremely hostile to the family called Paecheon. Without going too far, just look at the rhetoric he adds to each word, “pacheon.”

Also, is it my mistake to say that this feels like it is caused by a sense of inferiority rather than a look of condescending arrogance?

Unlike ordinary wizards who usually emphasize magical achievements, it feels like Jeokhwa only puts long history and tradition at the forefront. The same goes for the manager who gave a series of explanations yesterday, and the head of the family of Jeokhwa in front of me right now.

I recalled things I had seen and heard about enemy fire.

Jeokhwa was a master of spirit magic and took a place in one of the five families.

However, I have heard that spirit magic does not allow the use of particle arrays and consumes a lot of brain resources, so it is nearly impossible to develop or use unique magic like other families.

As long as the wavelength is right, no one can match the magical versatility thanks to the ability to work with spirits of various attributes, but there is an inherent limit to reaching its extreme.

Jeokhwa said that because of this, he has not achieved much success in terms of magic. In addition, from an academic perspective, there is a way that other families seem to be inferior to them, whether they know it or not.

He even received the absurd side effect of mental contamination in exchange for the spirit magic, and has now long been outwardly cornered by Patcheon.

If he harbors some kind of hostility and inferiority in his heart… I guess it might be due to the circumstances surrounding me.

It may be even more heartbreaking to hear that Paecheon has been pushed back by Heukryeon and Jeokhwa all this time, but has now risen to the top.

“… Hmm. father. Rather… ”

Yeon Myeong-ha, who had been watching me for no reason, finally managed to change the topic to another direction.

Yeon Jeong-moon, who continued the conversation in a dry voice for a while, glanced at her watch, stood up and said.

“Oops. It’s already late. I guess I should wake up first. Then, stay comfortably on your last night.”

As he left, Yeon Myeong-ha’s mother also finished eating and then left for the main house.

As soon as the two of them were alone again, Yeon Myeong-ha sighed as if something big had happened.

“… Phew.”

Then he looked at me again and looked anxious and worried.

“I… What my father said earlier… ”

“I don’t think anything of it, so don’t worry about it.”

“Still… ”

“It’s true. It seems like it was my first time meeting my family in a long time. Did I somehow interrupt?”

Yeon Myeong-ha shook his head.

“Ugh, no. If it wasn’t for you in the first place, I wouldn’t have come, well.”

“Is that so… ”

“Okay. If we finish eating, will we get up soon?”

Yang Yeon-ha got up from her seat, took a quick look around, put her lips to my ear and whispered softly.

“I’ll come later at the promised time. See you in the annex.”

Then, guided by his employer, he disappeared into the main house where his room was located.

***

The time had already reached two in the morning. I looked at myself in the mirror and made my final preparations before leaving for the annex.

It was obviously a night out with no one watching, but I put a lot of effort into painting my lips, applying light makeup, and neatly trimming my hair.

While she was busy, a knock on her door was heard from the hallway.

“Lady.”

“… What’s going on?”

Although he was very upset by the sudden interruption, he noticed that there was a hint of urgency in the voice calling him.

When Yeon Myeong-ha opened the door, there was indeed a worker standing there, fidgeting and stomping his feet.

“… My wife was drinking a lot and was throwing a lot of shots… Today, for some reason, it’s even worse… We are bringing you… ”

“My mother said she was a doctor… ?”

He couldn’t hide his expression of sympathetic surprise.

I felt like I was hearing some noise coming from the main house earlier, but I didn’t think it was my mother who was causing it.

Although she was a strict and difficult person from a young age, she was also someone who never lost her outstanding appearance and solemn manners.

So, when I heard earlier during the day that she was enjoying drinking more and more, I was skeptical…

“… Since when did you become like that?”

“Approximately 2 years… ”

Yeon Myeong-ha gently furrowed her eyebrows. Another two years.

It was two years ago that a large number of employees were changed. It was two years ago that my mother started acting like that. It was two years ago that nuns or something started coming in and out. It was two years ago that my father showed an incredible recovery.

What on earth happened two years ago?

“… And actually, whenever you are with the matriarch, you always look like that… ”

The employee looked around and whispered in a voice so low that only Yeongyeonha could hear.

Did you two have a big fight?

It was already well known that their marriage was arranged politically. Also, it wasn’t anything particularly special.

Her mother’s family owned Geukkwang Bio, a large pharmaceutical company, but at the time, it was suffering from severe financial difficulties due to a series of management failures.

And Jeokhwa promoted the marriage of his father, who was still the heir, and his mother, who was his daughter, in exchange for a blood transfusion of a portion of the wealth obtained from monopoly mining of Stellite.

This was an attempt to conduct more in-depth research into the treatment of mental contamination through my mother’s connections, but as I was unable to find a clear answer, it ended up being a completely failed attempt.

Even as a child, I couldn’t deny that they were a show window couple. However, both of them faithfully kept their own duty to ensure the prosperity of their descendants. The time when Yeon Yeon-ha was born was the same year that the two got married.

After that, there were no younger siblings or anything like that. However, considering Yeon Yeon-ha’s natural talent, it was also a reasonable decision.

Because the seeds of wizards themselves are precious, it is praised as a virtue to spread the seeds as much as possible, but there are many cases where people become too obsessed with them, like Patcheon, and cause strife within the family.

Although he left his home for treatment of mental contamination and returned after three years, he could not think of anything that could cause conflict between the two.

“… okay. I’ll go right away.”

Thinking that it wouldn’t take long, I sent the sympathetic worker away and immediately wrote a note. After writing down that he would go down to the annex about 10 minutes later than the original time, he whistled.

-Caw!

Before long, the sound of wings fluttering was heard from outside, and a small shadow landed on the edge of the window.

When Yeon Myeong-ha passed the note to a cute crow that was at most the size of her little finger and had a stubby beak, the crow immediately flew to the person to whom it was supposed to deliver the note.

I followed the compassionate person to my mother’s room. Then, increasingly loud crying and the sound of something breaking began to fill the hallway.

With a pitiful and embarrassed expression, he bit down on the employees standing in the hallway and stood in front of the door.

“Mother. This is Minha. I’ll go in.”

Despite repeated knocks, all I could hear was crying. I let out a pitiful sigh and eventually opened the door.

The smell of alcohol was everywhere. Several liquor bottles were rolling around on the floor, and some were broken, leaving sharp shards scattered around.

“Black… Ugh… What did I do wrong… I don’t like it anymore… I’m tired… ”

Her mother had her head down on the table and was sobbing bitterly.

“Mother.”

Only then did the woman flinch when she heard a voice calling her from nearby. The mother’s eyes, looking at Yan Yanha, were already very relaxed.

“Sniff… this… Hiccup… ! who is this… Isn’t this our lady… !”

The woman, who finally recognized her, smiled from ear to ear. Rather than being benevolent, I got a little goosebumps at the cute appearance.

I tried to shake off my pity and approached her.

“… mother. You’re too drunk. Today, I’m going to sleep… ”

He approached her with compassion and attempted to help her and carry her to the bed.

However, the moment her finger touched his shoulder, the woman harshly shook him off and screamed loudly.

“Don’t touch it!! Where… !”

“Mother. And then to my health… ”

“Who is your mother!! Stop, please stop… !”

Despite repeated persuasion, the woman’s attitude remained stubborn. As she covered her ears, the last words she uttered filled her heart with sadness.

Ever since she was a child, she had never once shown affection for Yeon Myeong-ha. I’ve never heard even a warm word.

My father said that he was mentally ill due to mental contamination, but I could not understand my mother’s attitude. As he felt that he lacked the compassion he had when he was young, he devoted himself even more to studies and training. Even when I experienced severe symptoms of mental contamination proportional to my talent, I tried not to cause anyone any trouble as much as possible.

However, even after a long time, she never once expressed concern or encouragement.

And even in the midst of all this, she stubbornly refused to let her go. It was even more heartbreaking that no matter how much I thought about it, I could never figure out the reason.

“Mother… You really do it too much. Aren’t you the biological daughter that your mother gave birth to? But how can you be so cruel every time? !”

However, despite her pitiful pleas, she laughed even more madly. The contents of the injection were even more incomprehensible.

“My own daughter… Hehehehehe… Someone said you were my real daughter… Hehehe… !”

“Mother… !”

“Giggle… Hey… That’s not it… ? The person you call mother… It’s a new product that hasn’t been used yet… ”

“Yes… ?”

In tears, Yeon-sik argued, but the words that came out of her mother’s mouth the next moment were enough to stop Yeon-sang’s thoughts for a moment.

She tried to chalk it up to drunkenness, but for some reason her heart kept pounding, preventing her from regaining her composure.

Yan Yanha barely opened her mouth and spoke.

“Mother… Such bad jokes… ”

“Puh… Hey. Do you think I’m joking… ? Poor thing… I don’t even know who Aemi is… ”

“Mother… Stop it… If your mother is not my mother, then who… ”

She didn’t stop despite her pleading, which almost sounded like crying.

“Khehehe… ! Don’t worry… ! Because you know me well… Hi!”

And when she loses her temper due to the alcohol, she ends up revealing the secret she had been hiding.

“Hipp… ! Your father and everyone agree… The person who said I looked exactly like him… ”

As the woman continues to speak, my heart begins to pound harder.

I felt like I was touching a forbidden fruit that I should never know, and my hands were shaking and cold sweat was pouring down my body.

As the woman keeps spouting nonsense, for some reason, a photo of a man and woman being affectionately pops into Yeongyangha’s mind.

“Mother… Please stop now… ”

“Giggle… Looks like you finally figured it out… ”

Her mouth does not stop despite pleading with compassion.

Those eyes, which seemed to be full of sadness, regret, and injustice, finally cruelly pronounced the heartbreaking truth.

“The siblings stuck together like dogs and the dirty results that came out… It’s you.”

***

“It’s a little late… ”

It was just as I was getting ready to leave that a crow with compassion burrowed its head into my shoulder.

I wondered if something had suddenly happened… If something serious had happened, he wouldn’t have just handed me a note in such a relaxed tone.

And I was about to give the answer that I knew.

The moist night air seeped through the open window, and the smell of yesterday’s blood began to waft from the bottom of the hill again, riding the wind.

I immediately went outside and headed towards the garden. It’s not a mistake. Clearly, the work from yesterday is still being repeated.

What do we do. In a situation like this, you can’t just wait for sympathy.

The anxiety that has been lingering in my head ever since I came here has become more intense.

I felt like I might miss something important.

In the end, I scrawled a note saying that I would go first and look for trends, put it in the crow’s mouth, and immediately moved on.

Just like yesterday, I crawled from the edge of the bushes and shrubs to look ahead, and today as well, I began to see the figures of workers carrying several sacks in the distance, relying on the dark headlights.

A loud muttering sound, as if filled with dissatisfaction, could be heard all the way to where I was. They were fighting loudly, as if there was an internal dispute, and the sound could be clearly heard.

“I’m hungry… They don’t even give me food… ! They don’t even allow hunting… !”

“You can’t shut up! How can someone who is engaged in a sacred cause suffer from hunger? Overcome on your own!”

“Great job… I do not know! hungry! Just make them carry rice!”

“Ha, you’re stupid… I should have brought 2 more ranks instead of these beasts… ”

My blood gradually boils at the sound of his voice lamenting and swearing alone.

what is this sound. Divine Cause? You’re making such big noises while your job is to just move blood-stained sacks to the warehouse? A single user? There’s a beast? Second class?

As I think back on the conversation, my head begins to spin violently on its own.

However, what made me hesitate was that this was the private property of a prestigious family located in the center of the capital, far from such raw things.

While the two users were having an inexplicable argument, one of the piled sacks began to wiggle and its opening suddenly opened, allowing the contents inside to come out.

I couldn’t believe my eyes for a moment.

No matter how many times I blinked, it was clear that the person sitting there trembling in fear was a person. She was a small girl wearing shabby clothes, just like living in a slum.

‘Newcomers are a bit strange… ‘

‘For no reason are my eyes scary… You don’t say anything… ‘

‘They say vagrants disappear from the slums every night… ‘

‘Some people say they heard something like the howling of an animal… ‘

‘Claw marks and blood stains remain… ‘

The testimonies heard from the users yesterday surfaced all at once. I tried to calm them down and keep my cool.

But things continue to flow in directions I cannot predict.

For a moment, the conversation between those who were arguing about popularity suddenly stops. They just stare at the child who sticks out, rolling his goosebumps.

Soon, the face of the worker who had been complaining began to look bizarre. The eyes, nose, and ears protrude, and black hair gradually grows. The snout is elongated and protrudes, and jagged fangs appear interlocked. A long, curved horn protrudes from the front of the forehead.

“Rice… I can’t stand it anymore… Eat!!!”

It opened its mouth wide and lunged at the victim in front of it.

If there was even a moment’s delay, the top of the girl’s neck would be torn off by that snout.

My body moved before I even thought about it.

“Kaheng!”

I jumped out and punched the guy in the chin with my fist. The monster screamed and fell backwards several meters.

And he shouted at the girl who was still sitting down and shaking.

“Run away! Quick!!”