episode_0244

“Excellent. You truly are my student.” Yang Chan-ho patted my shoulder with a proud expression. Along with that encouragement, I suddenly felt the uncertainty of the future…

‘What could possibly happen?’

It’s just living with the title of Hero, would anything special really come up?

Now, Jörmungandr no longer existed in the world, and the otherworld itself had completely vanished.

Wasn’t the whole world already in political and economic chaos due to the unprecedented situation of the Gates permanently disappearing?

In such circumstances, a Hero who had lost their Demon Lord to fight would surely be nothing more than an honorary position.

“…Hmm.”

I decided to think that way for now. Yang Chan-ho’s bright expression, as if he’d successfully offloaded all his burdens onto me, was truly bothering me, though.

“Ah, but speaking of which,”

I belatedly came to my senses and rummaged through my pocket. After all, I hadn’t come to the Chancellor’s office just to chat like this.

“Here, please take this.”

“What is this?”

I handed Yang Chan-ho something I’d taken from my pocket, and he took it, blinking with a bewildered expression.

I was just about to tell him to open it, feeling secretly pleased.

*Rip!*

“…”

In an instant, a mop that had flown in transformed into a holy sword, tearing apart the wedding invitation’s packaging.

No, I mean, I *did* give it to him to open, but there was no need to open it quite so spectacularly…

“…Uh, well.”

Yang Chan-ho was just as flustered. As if he hadn’t expected it to be a wedding invitation, he glanced at me apologetically and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, well, yes. I wondered why you’d gone to such lengths to visit my office… I didn’t expect such a request. Uh.”

“…Are the contents alright?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, it’s fine. It’s not torn.”

“…”

“Really, truly.”

And Yang Chan-ho secretly manipulating his mana as he said that.

As if I wouldn’t notice that flow.

I watched the fragments of the invitation restore themselves with a slightly displeased look, but then decided it wasn’t a look to give an elder.

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head and spoke again.

“Well, as you can see, it’s an invitation. We’re getting married at the end of this month.”

“…I expected it, but I didn’t think you’d hold the ceremony so early?”

Yang Chan-ho, who had somehow managed to fix the invitation back to its original form, then seemed to think for a moment before his lips curled up.

“So, which one is the first?”

“Excuse me?”

“You have quite a few women, don’t you?”

And that was the kind of question he blurted out. I pressed my throbbing temples and gestured towards the invitation with my eyes.

“Can’t you just look…? It should all be written there. And I don’t know why you’d think I’d marry anyone else before her…”

“It must be her after all, huh? Hmm. Let’s see.”

The former Hero casually checked the invitation after asking such a mischievous question.

My crooked expression lasted only a moment before I quickly felt embarrassed.

It was true that I had come to deliver this, but seeing him flip through the pages to check it directly made my heart tingle.

I somehow felt as if I were being punished, and waited for Yang Chan-ho’s ‘reading’ to finish.

“…It seems serious, then.”

Before long, he looked at me with a hearty smile, completely devoid of his previous playfulness.

I unconsciously stiffened my body. My posture naturally became polite.

“Lee Hyunjin.”

“…Yes, Chancellor-nim.”

“To be honest, I haven’t really given you any teachings. Kim Kyunghun Teacher-nim was more of that role.”

“…”

“…Still, you are my student, and in a way, the finger I watched most carefully.”

These words were rather embarrassing to hear soberly. I blushed slightly, and at the same time, dropped my head.

Yang Chan-ho carefully set down the invitation, as if mindful of his previous ‘sword-cut’.

“Ahem, yes. Anyway, what I want to say is this.”

“…Yes, sir.”

I replied with a wry laugh, and he also chuckled as he placed his hand on my head.

“Be a good husband. You know? Given what you’ve done so far, and what you’ll do in the future… you’re really doing something terrible to your ‘first’ wife, that.”

“…You’re leaving me speechless…”

“Because it’s true, you rascal.”

“Ugh.”

Yang Chan-ho, who seemed to be stroking the top of my head, then immediately smacked it with his palm and burst into cackles.

I rubbed my head with a dumbfounded expression and looked at him.

Nevertheless, Yang Chan-ho continued with only a gentle smile.

“Congratulations on your marriage. To you, and, hmm. I’ll have to tell Soyul as well. And Yeon Seobaek Senior-nim… and Cheon Sehee Senior-nim too.”

“Hearing you say that makes me realize again that Chancellor-nim is around the same age as us.”

“…You little brat?”

This time, I got him back. My lips twitched, and feeling like I might get hit again, I quickly added.

“So, that’s why I’m saying this. Actually, along with the invitation, I had a favor to ask.”

“…What? What sudden favor.”

Yang Chan-ho asked back with a displeased expression, and I replied with a servile eye-smile.

“Would our honorable former Hero-nim perhaps be able to be the emcee…?”

“…”

He didn’t verbally answer.

He merely contorted his face.

It was truly an expression of not wanting to do it at all. The role of an emcee might be like that, but I still really wanted to ask him to do it.

Something about his speaking style… I had a feeling if he took it on, he’d do an incredibly diligent job.

“You, you bastard…”

I stared at him with sparkling eyes, persistently enough to burden him.

And Yang Chan-ho couldn’t last even 10 seconds before sighing.

“Alright, alright. Ugh, I wondered why you were being so polite for once, but I guess coming all this way to deliver it in person was all part of this scheme.”

“…Thank you! Chancellor-nim.”

As soon as he accepted, I brightened up and bowed 90 degrees.

It was a wedding that, having come to be, would probably be unforgettable and shouldn’t be forgotten in my lifetime.

I wanted to make it a good memory somehow, and while I was agonizing over it, one of the choices I could pick was the participation of the former Hero.

We had decided not to have a officiant, so Chancellor-nim would have a bit of a hard time, but…

“I, Lee Hyunjin, will work hard as the successor Hero from now on. Please watch over me.”

“Oh, goodness…”

He, who had just entrusted me with a similar important role, would have nothing to say.

Yang Chan-ho was already shaking the invitation with a complicated expression.

At this moment, I smiled with a bright expression, utterly without falsehood.

“Please grace us with your presence. I’ll see you then.”

“…Well, I’ll be.”

Yang Chan-ho didn’t add anything else after hearing that.

I bowed politely one last time, then exited the Chancellor’s office.

There were still several elders I had to personally deliver invitations to.

Among them were Ryu Jinseong, Baek Muyeom, and Hong Myeongseon.

“Phew…”

I checked my tie with an even more solemn heart than when I faced the giant who had blocked me at the very last moment.

I had no hobby of walking into places where I might get beaten to death.

But at the same time, I couldn’t just not go see those elders.

Because not inviting them would also be a problem in itself.

“…Please go to Busan.”

In a hurry, I hailed a taxi and set my course first for the Hong family mansion in Busan City, and a few hours later, I stood before Hong Myeongseon.

“Choose. My damn grandson-in-law, whom I cherish so dearly.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Will you burn to death, or melt to death?”

“…”

“Did you have fire resistance or not…? Wouldn’t we know if I just incinerated you once?”

*Haha!* Hong Myeongseon burst into loud laughter, then his eyes went wide, and he lunged at me.

*Thwack!*

“Cough!”

Soon after, Yeonhwa appeared behind him with a blink and hit him on the back of the head, causing him to collapse.

Shaking her steaming fist, Hong Yeonhwa pressed her forehead.

“Grandfather…! I told you not to do this. Please be a little gentler with my Oppa, alright?”

“…Can’t you be a little gentler with this old grandpa, Yeonhwa…?”

“Because Grandfather was in the wrong first. Hmph.”

Hong Yeonhwa haughtily turned her head, and Hong Myeongseon, greatly shocked, his eyes trembled.

I subtly watched, then calmly, yet quickly, began to back away.

“…Then I’ll be going first, Grandfather-nim. There are still many people I need to, uh, give invitations to. Yes.”

“You…! Stop right there! I haven’t finished talking yet…! Mph, mmph!?”

“Oh, Grandfather, really. Oh, Oppa! Don’t mind him, just go. We’ll see each other again in Seoul at the end of the month!”

“R-Right.”

I was able to escape Busan with Hong Yeonhwa’s warm farewell.

“…Phew.”

I had at least passed one life-or-death crisis.

“Next is… the Baek family, I suppose.”

There were still several more hurdles scattered ahead.

My head was throbbing as if it would split.

I dry-washed my face and reiterated the destination to the taxi driver who was waiting for me.

“Please take me to Sejong…”

“Student, do you have a lot of money?”

“Y-Yes…”