episode_0229

All sorts of unrefined thoughts were running through my head.

I picked it up carefully with trembling hands. It fit my fourth finger on my left hand perfectly, as if it were a lie.

I can tell right away that this is my ring.

It was a cheap item that I had chosen from a peddler’s stall after saving up a few months’ allowance, but it was once the most precious thing.

The identity of the burn marks was also clearly known. It was a super-heated torture magic. The screams of the black magician who was being burned by the archduke’s fire were still vivid in my ears.

But this ring couldn’t be here right now. It just didn’t make sense.

I left it on the ashes left behind two years ago, to disguise the traces of death in case of any danger.

And so, along with my past that had lost all meaning, the ring left my hand.

Sometimes I felt a sense of emptiness in my finger. When I had nightmares at night, I regretted leaving the ring behind.

However, I had given up on it forever because it was obviously already buried in the ground or had disappeared somewhere.

How did something like that end up in my pocket? It doesn’t make sense.

Unless someone who has treasured it all along finally gives it back.

At this point, there was only one person who could do such a thing.

And it wasn’t that difficult to figure out the intention.

“No way… ”

I sat up, staggering.

I had a bad feeling about this. It was because the kid’s actions felt like he was taking care of himself.

It is said that this is usually done by people who are about to die.

“The punitive force will move as soon as we hear from them. Then… What are you doing now?”

On the way to the gate, Mok Jin-woo stopped me. He looked bewildered, but he quickly realized my intentions and shook his head firmly.

“No.”

“I should go.”

“I told you not to. You still need to rest. What are you going to do with that? Are you really going to throw me as prey to those women?”

“Please step aside.”

“I won’t tell you twice. Go back to your seat. Hurry up.”

Instead of answering, I stood in a confrontational stance. Then Mok Jin-woo raised his eyes as if he found it funny.

“Heh heh. Look at this guy.”

I could clearly see his will to dissuade me even by using force. But this time, I couldn’t follow his words.

He took a fighting stance and showed off his ferocious aura. There was absolutely no room for him to show that he was indeed the head of the intelligence agency.

It’s like seeing a seasoned hunter. Of course not. He is one of the few powerful magicians who survived the witch hunt operation with the leader. No one can dare compare his accumulated experience to mine.

Moreover, my body is in a state where I can’t even say that it’s absolutely fine right now. In normal circumstances, it would be safe to say that I have no chance.

In normal cases.

“Oh. Come and see. I’ll teach you a lesson today… ”

He was just about to give her a lecture.

I ran straight into his arms. Of course, Mok Jin-woo didn’t miss my movements either.

I feel a sharp gaze following me. He quickly twists his body and simply deflects the attack. Then, he makes a heavy movement, slamming down from above.

It was so fast that I couldn’t even react.

But at that moment, I turned around again, sending waves around my heart in all directions.

“What…!”

He stumbled, momentarily losing his balance. The various circulatory magics that had been thickly strengthening his muscles and senses had all disappeared without a trace.

It’s a very short gap, but it’s enough to determine victory or defeat.

I twisted my body and got behind him, and hit him squarely in the back of the neck where his trapezius muscles were.

“Ugh… !”

“… I’m sorry.”

Soon a large man with his eyes rolled back loses his balance and falls over.

Just before he crashed to the floor, I barely managed to catch him and carefully placed him on the chair.

“Ugh… ”

I frowned at the pain that was pounding at my heart again, but I quickly turned around.

Why did that child have my lost ring? Why did he betray his father who gave him the power and wealth he so desperately wanted? What was the meaning of that apology I asked him to give me?

All those swirling questions were for later. For now, there was something else to do.

Still, acrid smoke and gunfire echoed across the eastern sky.

I took one last look around before leaving. The infirmary was as quiet as when I first woke up, and there wasn’t a single person in sight.

After hesitating like that, I eventually left.

***

“… ”

With the help of compassionate spirits, he was able to completely hide his presence.

Just like when I was waiting for a choice under the hundred-year-old tree.

There seemed to be a brief commotion in the infirmary, and soon Lee Hyeon appeared in the hallway, panting heavily.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon heard the gunfire and hurriedly left the spot and disappeared.

The anticipation that had been building up just in case also cooled down.

She revealed herself and leaned against the wall of the passageway as if collapsing.

It was none of her business whether Baek Seo-yeon died or not. If she thought about the future, it would be better to just disappear now. Yeon Min-ha would also feel relief, like a toothache falling out.

However, the last thing I wanted was for his heart to be broken.

There was nothing she could do. She didn’t want to hide the truth that would be revealed anyway and be hated so much, and she didn’t want to see him live the rest of his life suffering from a sense of loss.

He turned his face, wet with pitying sorrow, and gazed in silence toward the east where he had departed.

Still, I prayed earnestly.

I hope he chooses me this time too.

***

“Ugh… ”

The large man who had been lying on his back groaned.

His pupils came into focus for a moment, and he looked around anxiously.

The empty infirmary was empty of any ants. He realized that Lee Hyun would have already reached the capital city long ago, and sat up with a bitter smile.

“That guy… Ugh.”

Mok Jin-woo rubbed the back of his neck in continued pain.

Then a crow flew in and knocked on the window with its beak.

Mok Jin-woo opened the window and let it in. Then he opened his mouth as he saw the crow jumping up onto his arm.

“Recording. I am the branch manager. An unexpected variable has occurred. Please check if the time of deployment of the punitive force can be brought forward, and if not, if it is possible to extract the intelligence agency staff. That’s it. ”

Soon the crow nodded as if it understood what was being said, then spread its wings again and disappeared.

Only then did Mok Jin-woo let out a shallow sigh. The punitive force, which consisted mainly of private soldiers from each family, was carefully coordinating the perfect timing for their entry.

That’s because the Paechon clan’s forces were that strong. Even if they rebelled alone, their power far exceeded that of several other clans combined.

There is a reason why they staged a coup so confidently, and it is also clear why the punitive force was reluctant to enter.

And all of the plans made up until then were ruined by Lee Hyeon’s impulsive actions.

However, Mok Jin-woo somehow didn’t seem to care much. He just sighed in slight embarrassment.

Even I myself was confused about the reason.

I think it’s because he’s such a cute and pitiful nephew.

Perhaps it was because I had personally tasted a glimpse of the almighty power he possessed.

I had known about the witch’s powers through Sa Jae-hyeok, but this was my first time dealing with them directly.

And this feeling of extreme helplessness was also a first.

I feel like I’ve become nothing more than a beast crawling on the floor, neither a wizard nor anything else.

The fear of being naked and standing before a merciless predator.

“How lucky we are that he’s on our side… ”

Moving his body urgently, Mok Jin-woo recalled a strange conversation called an interrogation that he had with someone a few days ago.

***

“… The eggs in the dormant stage send out waves to the surrounding area, stimulating nearby demons. They make them extremely sensitive to external intrusions. So that they can protect themselves instead. ”

Inside the isolation cell. The poor girl’s voice resonated through the amplifier and beyond the glass window.

“Wait for an intelligent creature to come near and take over your body. Once it catches the pheromone of the womb-bearing being, it breaks open its shell and approaches… ”

“Them?”

Beyond the glass window, a gramophone was constantly playing. Mok Jin-woo, who was interrogating her with a cold expression, asked her a question in a curious manner.

“Is there a reason to use the expression ‘they’? ‘We’ would be a more appropriate expression.”

And the girl beyond the wall bit her lip tightly.

Then he shook his head.

“I am… human.”

“… ”

It was a thin but very firm voice.

The attitude she showed for several days made Mok Jin-woo’s head very complicated.

Witch Speaker.

Disguised as a schoolgirl from the cradle, she was actually an alien parasite possessing the body of a poor girl.

She was surprisingly cooperative throughout, instead of plotting to burn down the land.

Thanks to this, I was able to find out many valuable facts.

That they have already hatched and are infiltrating all walks of life.

One of them is said to have gone to the northern lands, pretended to be a priest, and gathered the demons to prepare for an invasion.

And that they are creating a ‘nest’ in the northeastern land that must be destroyed.

But a witch is a witch.

After all the interrogations were over, she was expected to be sentenced to death.

Considering the girl’s true identity and the evil deeds she had committed, it actually made sense.

There can be no sympathy. We have already witnessed all sorts of tragedies caused by them more than a dozen years ago.

But the more we talked, the more I couldn’t help but feel it.

The fact that what was in front of me was closer to an ordinary schoolgirl than a monster.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

Mok Jin-woo, who had just woken up from his reverie, turned off the gramophone and spoke. He was about to turn around when the girl on the other side of the wall cautiously asked about someone’s well-being.

“Umm… How about Hyun-i…?”

“Consciousness has not yet been regained.”

“Ah… ”

The girl clutched her chest at Mok Jin-woo’s answer. And her face was distorted as if she was about to burst into tears. It was as if she was feeling a pang of conscience.

“… Well, I heard his vital signs are getting better. They said he’ll probably come to his senses in a few days. ”

“Jeong, is that really true?”

Then, as if nothing had happened, she changed her attitude and let out a joyful exclamation.

“Thank goodness, I’m really thankful… ”

“… ”

Wiping away the tears from her eyes as if she felt embarrassed.

“Oh, and I have one more question.”

Mok Jin-woo, who was staring at the appearance of the delicate-hearted female student with a gaze full of complex emotions, opened his mouth as if remembering something.

“The power that resided in Hyun-i’s body. You said you saw it yourself.”

“… That’s right. Even when Regulus took over my body, I was still conscious… ”

“Then do you know what it is?”

“Yes.”

Then the girl nodded faintly.

“Polaris. Originally, it was the power of the witch who became the Alpha of the 2nd generation. It is the power of the king who makes everything in this land kneel before him. ”

“The power of the king, the power of the king… ”

Mok Jin-woo, who was thinking about the strange feeling, asked again.

“How did it end up in that kid’s hands?”

“Me too, up to that point… ”

This time she shook her head.

“They thought Polaris was dead. The signal completely disappeared just a few years before hatching. Since eggs often break, they thought that might be the case. But… how on earth did Hyun have that power… ”

“Is that so… ”

“Yes. But one thing is certain. The power that has entered Hyun-i’s body right now… is considerably weakened. ”

“That’s weakened…?”

Mok Jin-woo muttered blankly. The power he knew of was an unprecedentedly strong and terrible power. It made it impossible for anyone to respond to it.

Even if it was a weakened power, I couldn’t even imagine what it was originally like.

“Yes. It’s still a powerful force, but… maybe because it’s been tailored to fit a human body… the range has also become considerably narrower… ”

“… What was the original range?”

The girl nodded, paused for a moment, and then answered.

“A radius of 50km… could easily be covered.”