Part 1 Chapter 12 Section 6

Lee Seung-hyung was truly in hell.

“So you awakened…. I see. You awakened as an S-rank to close the dimensional gate that opened in Gwanak, and you defeated the Fire Dragon in a single blow. Indeed, you are truly worthy of being called a divine being of Korea.”

Rasputin praised Lee Seung-hyung with a subtle gaze, as if deeply moved.

“And Fire Fist-nim, you proved the Fire Dragon’s curse, didn’t you?”

“Yes. …I coughed up blood when I went near the area where the Fire Dragon died, but I’ve overcome it now.”

It was clearly a welcoming voice regarding his specialty, but Lee Seung-hyung, who had already put on his colored glasses, found every single one of Rasputin’s actions chilling.

“That’s a relief. Korea is truly a blessed country. An S-rank awakening, and even an SS-rank. Hehe, I’ve become very interested in many ways.”

“I see.”

The way he subtly leaned his upper body towards him made it seem as if he was about to stand up, grab his face, and forcibly kiss him. And though hidden by his robe, his legs spread wide apart seemed to flaunt and boast his enormous elephant.

“Furthermore, hasn’t an EX-rank ability user also appeared? Was it Ms. Phoenix? Speaking of which, I heard Fire Fist-nim had a scandal with the Beast Tamer. May I ask you personally? What is the relationship between Fire Fist-nim and the Beast Tamer?”

“It’s a relationship the public forcibly links us to. Neither that person nor I have any interest in each other.”

Lee Seung-hyung said it flatly. His firmness was quite similar to how Phoenix spoke to him.

“Oh dear. That’s a pity. If an S-rank ability user and an EX-rank ability user were to combine, they would surely become an unparalleled ability user…. *Ahem*. Just a moment.”

Rasputin brought his legs together, made the sign of the cross, and prayed in a reverent posture. Lee Seung-hyung felt nauseous at even that action, finding it detestable, but the more they talked, the more he saw a different side of him.

‘This… Am I just mistaken?’

Mistaking someone for gay from the moment he first saw them was a great discourtesy as a man. Lee Seung-hyung was, of course, heterosexual, but he wasn’t personally staunchly opposed to homosexuality.

‘It’s just that I hope he doesn’t do it to me.’

He would never fall in love with a man in his entire life. Even less so if it involved a physical relationship. Especially if that man was the one rumored to have the largest size in the entire world, right before his eyes.

‘No way. Could he really be gay? He was a religious person, wasn’t he? Of course, it’s not like he hasn’t had sex since becoming an ability user, but…’

“Um…”

Lee Seung-hyung spoke first. Rasputin, who had been praying to God and repenting his sins, raised his head.

“Do you have any questions?”

“Rasputin-nim, since you awakened as an ability user, you’ve been with many women, that…”

“Ah.”

Rasputin scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.

“……There was a time when I was intoxicated by pleasure. Since awakening my ability, I haven’t been with ordinary women. If they’re not an ability user, they can’t handle my size, *ahem*.”

“Weren’t you a monk?”

“……To be honest, this is a fashion statement. It’s not like I can wear pants, you see. *Ahem*.”

“Ah.”

Putting aside his colored glasses for a moment, a man appeared before him who was proud of his size yet suffered considerable inconvenience due to the difficulties it caused.

“Oh, right. Speaking of which, Fire Fist-nim. I have a question I’d like to ask you.”

Rasputin deliberately stood up and leaned his upper body towards Lee Seung-hyung.

“Are you interested in the Round Table, Fire Fist-nim?”

“The Round Table?”

What was this man talking about now? Lee Seung-hyung thought that, aside from the meaning of his words, he wished Rasputin would move his face away, as it was close enough for his breath to touch him.

“Yes. If a seat on the Round Table becomes vacant, do you intend to aim for that position?”

“Ah.”

Lee Seung-hyung understood Rasputin’s words.

“Is it possible that Undine-nim might be relinquishing her seat on the Round Table…?”

“Yes. For whatever reason, Undine-nim plans to step down from the Round Table. Marshal-nim is currently discussing that with the special envoy.”

“Huh?”

Lee Seung-hyung couldn’t help but foolishly ask back. How on earth could Undine retire from the Round Table?

“Well, actually.”

Rasputin sat down and scratched his head.

“Marshal-nim has approved the marriage with that young man.”

“What did you say?”

Lee Seung-hyung’s jaw dropped automatically.

* * *

“That’s right. I intend to marry my daughter to that young man.”

Suvorov turned off the monitor and sank into his chair. The five special envoys, led by Ryu Cheon-seong, were speechless at the shocking video.

“Hmph…”

“Such a bold move…”

“……I don’t want to admit it, but this is my daughter’s reality now. No matter how much I deny it to the outside world, people will still gossip about my daughter.”

They couldn’t forget the words faintly recorded in the video.

Darling.

Rusalka.

“……No matter how much I searched the entire world, the only woman named Rusalka was my daughter.”

Suvorov’s face, as he ran his pot-lid-sized hands over it, looked more than a decade older than before he played the video.

“What do you think is the reason I went through the embarrassment of showing you this video?”

“……Will Marshal-nim truly approve the marriage with that young man?”

“That’s right. However, as a father, as a former Marshal, and as a citizen of this country, a ‘process’ is needed to accept it.”

Suvorov took out a pipe from his pocket.

“May I light one? No, you gentlemen may light up too if you wish. If you want, I’ll even give you mine. From now on, let’s speak informally. *Hoo*…”

Suvorov instructed his butler to bring cigarettes, and the five men who entered the room began to light up with Suvorov.

“She’s a daughter who died once and came back to life. Since she came back, she’s never caused me any trouble. I decided to respect her choice, even if she were to meet a good man and marry him someday. But, *haa*…”

*Crunch*.

Suvorov crushed the pipe with the strength of his grip. The butler, as if he had expected it, handed him another pipe.

“My apologies. That’s why I didn’t particularly stop her even when she said she was going to Korea. I knew she quite liked Korea, you see. But, but…”

*Bang!*

Suvorov slammed his fist down on the table. Fortunately, he still had the presence of mind to control his strength, and the table didn’t break.

“That bastard put a dog collar on my daughter and made her walk naked for a whole kilometer, humiliating her! And do you know what else? I couldn’t even count how many times they did it while going around that one lap! Yes! I saw it all! I saw it!”

“Um, that…. Is the reason Undine-nim went into seclusion…”

Kim Ji-hwa asked with an awkward expression. Suvorov let out a hollow laugh and flicked off his cigarette ash.

“After she knew I saw all of that, she was so embarrassed that she shut her door. I regret it too. But I kept my eyes wide open and watched until the end, to clearly remember that rotten bastard’s face with these two eyes.”

Suvorov huffed and put the pipe back in his mouth.

“Alright. Fine. Even so, if my daughter loves him, I’ll let them marry. But that bastard shouldn’t get married so easily. Right now, my daughter is blinded by love and giving him everything, but if they marry like this, she’ll end up living a life no different from his plaything.”

“…….”

The Azure Syndicate executives who knew the truth couldn’t hide their complicated feelings.

“So, he needs to know that marrying my daughter won’t be easy. Am I wrong for acting this way? Even if I am, I’ll do it. Even if I get cursed at, I have no choice. Even if my daughter holds the leash, I can never again see my daughter wearing a dog collar for the rest of her life.”

“……Understood. We fully sympathize with Marshal-nim’s feelings.”

Ryu Cheon-seong bowed his head. The fault naturally lay with the two lovers who indiscriminately flaunted their affection, so who could say anything?

“Then, the current engagement too?”

“Yes. People need a justifiable reason. If my daughter keeps saying she’ll die without that person, and breaks off engagements repeatedly, then people will finally understand. They’ll realize my daughter can’t live without that young man.”

Suvorov exhaled a large puff of cigarette smoke blankly towards the ceiling.

“They say raising a daughter is useless in the end, but I never dreamed I’d send her off like this. Even I wasn’t mentally prepared, so how much more difficult must it be for the citizens who have to send off one of the country’s only two S-rank ability users, and a member of the Round Table at that? Think about it the other way.”

Suvorov leaned forward and asked a rhetorical question.

“If your country’s Seolhwa Princess were to declare that she’d marry some blonde Yankee from America and settle down on American soil, how would you feel?”

“I understand perfectly. I support Marshal-nim’s decision.”

Architect nodded vigorously, showing strong empathy for Suvorov.

Suvorov was flustered that a typical blonde, blue-eyed man, of all people, sympathized with him, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the others were not much different.

“*Hoo*… Yes. You gentlemen have been through a lot too. I apologize if my threats have made our relationship awkward.”

“We understand. ……But Marshal-nim. We didn’t just come here for nothing.”

Ryu Cheon-seong took a breath and got to the point.

“That young man wishes to meet Marshal-nim.”

*Snap*.

The pipe Suvorov was holding was crushed by the strength of his grip.

* * *

“Hmph. Is that young man truly Korean?”

“Yes. ……From what I’ve heard, he’s known to be a considerably strong ability user.”

Lee Seung-hyung recalled that young man being present among the Azure Syndicate executives on the day he heard the truth about the world.

His level was beyond even Lee Seung-hyung’s comprehension, and Lee Seung-hyung could clearly tell that he and Undine, who was seated at the Round Table, were exchanging intense gazes throughout.

“I see. I was hoping he might be Russian… Very well. It will be fine even if he’s Korean. He can just enter the Vladimir family as a son-in-law.”

“…….”

Lee Seung-hyung didn’t stir up trouble regarding the delicate matter. He didn’t want to get into a fight with this burly giant by mentioning that Undine should come and live in Korea. He was already thoroughly fed up with the power struggle between Pungbaek and Haneulseong.

However.

“I believe that if the two of them marry, Undine-nim should come to Korea.”

“……Hmm.”

Lee Seung-hyung didn’t hide his thoughts and revealed them directly. Although he was a little mentally tired, he possessed infinite power that could instantly dispel that much fatigue.

“We wish to obtain Marshal-nim’s permission and return to Korea with the princess.”

“Those are truly blatant words.”

“I think it’s better to speak truthfully than to hide it awkwardly. Furthermore.”

Lee Seung-hyung released mana from his body, raising his aura.

“Especially for the sake of the alliance that will be strengthened through their marriage in the future.”

“……Hehe, excellent. I like that spirit even more.”

Rasputin gently stroked his index finger with his thumb and pursed his lips. That action clearly showed an excited eagerness for something.

“…….”

Lee Seung-hyung genuinely started to get confused whether Rasputin liked his spirit, or if he needed to put his colored glasses back on.

“…Yes. That young man wishes to speak directly to Marshal-nim, which is why we flew to Russia first.”

“Oh…. Indeed. To make a lifelong vow with a princess of a nation, one must have that much resolve. I’m starting to become more and more interested in Korean men. Hahahaha. Perhaps it would be good if I were the special envoy from our side this time.”

Lee Seung-hyung wished he wouldn’t come, but he wanted to hide his true feelings and politely decline.

“It would be a joyous occasion for Rasputin-nim to come to Korea. Haha.”

“If I go, I’d like to have a frank conversation with Fire Fist-nim, but…”

Rasputin still smacked his lips, regretting something. His pitch-black eyes scanned Lee Seung-hyung’s entire body, clearly showing a lingering look of regret.

“Oh, right. Didn’t I ask you earlier if you were interested in the Round Table?”

“Ah, yes. That’s what you meant. If Undine-nim retires from the Round Table due to marriage, then a seat will certainly…”

“No. That’s not what I wanted to say…”

Rasputin stood up and approached Lee Seung-hyung. Lee Seung-hyung’s body froze like a mouse before a snake, and Rasputin whispered very softly into Lee Seung-hyung’s ear.

“Perhaps the Round Table-“

*WEEEEEEEEEE—*

Suddenly, an emergency alarm signaling an intruder rang out.