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Chapter 153: Chapter 153

The lamb skewers were absolutely delicious.

"There’s no gamey smell at all."

It was like a miracle.

"The lamb chops I had last time were also very delicious, but...."

"That was steak."

"Yes, the lamb skewers are nice because they have a bit more texture."

Ju-hyeon had no particular interest in gourmet food.

No matter how much of a 2nd-class citizen of the city he was, how could he enjoy fine dining in a life where he was busy just getting by day to day?

He didn’t even have money to donate, so how could he afford to enjoy luxury.

But it was a rapturous taste and texture that made even such a Ju-hyeon greedy for food.

He had tried lamb skewers made from monsters a few times, but this was the first time he had had such a proper meal.

"The way the fatty parts and the lean parts are appropriately mixed is especially...."

"The fatty parts have too much fat, and the lean parts are too clean, so I tried mixing them."

"Thanks to that, I don’t think I’ll get tired of it even if I keep eating. It’s amazing."

"If you praise me like that, I have no choice but to keep feeding you."

"...I’ll try to eat well by pacing myself."

Surprisingly, the mermaids also seemed to be enjoying the meal quite a bit.

"Teacher, did you change the charcoal this time?"

"I found a new type of wood and tried changing it."

"It has a spicy aroma, so it’s more stimulating than the last one."

"Oh dear, was it perhaps too stimulating?"

"I meant it in a good way."

The sight of them chatting amiably was truly no different from a family.

"..."

Ju-hyeon suddenly felt a strange emotion.

’...It’s much more ordinary and gentle than I had imagined.’

Ju-hyeon was suddenly reminded of the orphanage that could be called his hometown.

Because it had an atmosphere of being particularly ostracized among the Association-affiliated orphanages, there were many hardships, but it was also a good environment for uniting hearts.

Even after becoming independent from the orphanage, Ju-hyeon would often visit to help with meal preparations.

The menus weren’t very grand, but the children who worked hard to help prepare, washing ingredients or setting the table. And the director....

’It’s a vaguely good atmosphere.’

The gentle breeze held a moderate warmth.

It carried the scent of flowers embedded in the warm sunlight, and it rustled with a cool sound in the forest surrounding the cabin.

A bird peeks in, and the clouds drift by.

Rather than an idealistic atmosphere as if drawn in a picture, it was a situation one could wish for when conceiving the abstract concept of ’ordinary happiness.’

He felt that the current scenery was just like a fairy tale.

"...Hmm...."

But the reality is a humanoid monster and an evil god.

’There is a strangeness where good and evil are not distinguished.’

It seemed he had come to think a lot of things after coming here.

"By the way."

"...Ah, yes."

"You’re the teacher’s friend, right?"

At Aria’s question, her brother Iseur’s gaze also soon landed on Ju-hyeon.

He didn’t seem to have anything to say, but when their eyes met, he curved his eyes into a round shape. It took the form of goodwill.

Soon, Aria continued.

"How did that happen?"

"Did you not already know the basics?"

"I do receive some of the stories from this place."

"Then why...."

"That doesn’t mean I know all of the teacher’s stories."

"..."

"But, I see. I can guess to some extent."

Aria looked back at Jio.

"Because the teacher likes good and polite people."

Jio neither denied it nor did he not, smiling readily.

"Don’t you really want to become friends with people like that?"

"I can’t tell if your social skills are good or bad."

Aria looked at Ju-hyeon again.

"So you’re what they call a clever pushover."

"...You... you know that word too."

"I’ve studied a bit about Korean culture."

"I don’t know why you would go out of your way to learn the word ’pushover,’ though...."

Ju-hyeon’s face became awkward with embarrassment.

Whenever his overly idealistic way of thinking was pointed out, shame always followed.

"Am I a pushover?"

"That is not the case."

Jio denied it.

"Isn’t that a word for people who can’t even take care of their own share and have their things taken away in a way they don’t want? I believe that’s different from Mr. Ju-hyeon’s case."

"That’s an over-compliment."

"To be honest, I certainly prefer people of the same type as Mr. Ju-hyeon. People who are deep-rooted yet strong and scure enough to share what is theirs."

"Uh... that...."

Ju-hyeon’s smile became ambiguous.

"...Thank you?"

"I am merely stating what I felt."

Having said that, Jio soon wore a gentle smile and looked back at Iseur.

"The same goes for Cha Isold, who was Iseur’s partner last time."

At that, Iseur nodded with a calm face.

"He was a good child."

"He resembles you, Iseur."

"..."

Iseur soon showed his characteristic smile.

"That is truly an over-compliment."

Seeing Ju-hyeon blinking at their conversation, Jio explained.

"The student named Cha Isold is currently a student of the Solar Cult’s Seoul branch."

"Ah... is he perhaps the child who was said to have been kidnapped to the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’?"

"You know that well too."

"I tend to check all the information I can see at the Association, if possible."

Ju-hyeon nodded.

"It wasn’t common for a kidnapped child to return alive and well, after all."

At his gaze, Aria gave a vivid smile.

"I had no intention of tormenting him. I know the value of a hostage."

"I heard reports that the treatment was of a completely different nature from a typical kidnapping."

"No matter how much I dislike humans, I would never directly torment a human child."

"Is that because Mr. Giovanni likes children?"

"Because they are young, they are inevitably innocent beings."

Aria gave a neat smile.

"Though they would have been caught up in our antics anyway?"

"...That would be so...."

Ju-hyeon showed a reluctant reaction.

"So you also didn’t torment that child named Cha Isold... Well, the act of kidnapping him would already be a problem, but... anyway, in that context, you didn’t lay a hand on him directly?"

Iseur answered that part.

"I did wish for him to be appropriately scared, however."

"Ah, was that not the case?"

"His belief that we would not harm him was too firm."

"He must have been a smart child."

"He wasn’t afraid of mermaids either."

"Should I say that’s amazing...."

"Well."

Iseur gave a smile that resembled Giovanni’s somewhere.

"I think that Mr. Ju-hyeon is a similar case."

"...Me?"

"You are eating with monsters without a care in the world, are you not?"

"Ah."

No, it’s not that I don’t know.

"Ah, uh... um...."

Ju-hyeon was flustered.

"It could be because it doesn’t feel real."

"That doesn’t seem to be the case."

"Isn’t it a bit strange to suddenly get scared after coming all this way?"

"I was saying that your incomprehensible brazenness is what’s similar."

"Please say ’confident’ if you would."

"If you wish, I will do so."

Iseur, who had nodded calmly, looked at Jio.

"Are you planning to keep him here?"

"I have never kept him."

At those words, Ju-hyeon expressed his doubt.

"Wasn’t it Mr. Argio who picked me up?"

"He literally invited you; I don’t think he particularly picked you up."

"Uh... I see."

It seemed that suddenly appearing, taking him into the house, feeding him, putting him to sleep, and talking to him was not particularly ’keeping him.’

As he often did, Ju-hyeon became curious about how the encyclopedia in Jio’s head was organized.

’I thought it was roughly the sentiment of picking up a poor stray dog, but I guess not.’

Regardless of what Ju-hyeon thought, Jio continued.

"I am fine with Mr. Ju-hyeon continuing to live here."

"Oh, no?"

Ju-hyeon, wearing his characteristic social life smile, quickly expressed his refusal.

"I couldn’t possibly be such a nuisance. Just feeding me and letting me sleep here so far is already too much for me. I was planning to find a new house and move out soon."

"Do you have to find a new house?"

"Originally, I lived in a dormitory near the research institute. I thought life at the research institute wasn’t for me, so I’m going to submit my resignation letter, and I guess I’ll have to find a separate house then."

At that, Jio gazed intently at Ju-hyeon. A somewhat childish pressure could be felt.

"You’re my secretary...."

"..."

"Are you going to live far away?"

"...Usually, everyone does...."

No matter how close the relationship between a Hunter and a manager is, it is extremely rare for them to live together.

"I also need time to be trained for my duties as a manager."

"The door to our house is always open."

"It seems to be excessively open, so you could close it a little...."

"What did you say?"

"That the weather today is really nice."

The series of ’Black Cape’ works known to the public were all no different from dungeon entrances.

With the owner so easily accepting external elements, it was obvious that many people would end up dead.

But no matter how steadfast Ju-hyeon was, like a pine tree, he couldn’t ask the dungeon owner to close the entrance.

In the first place, the gazes of the mermaids were too piercing. He didn’t want to die like this.

"So, once I get out...."

Thus, Ju-hyeon turned the conversation back to his future plans.

"Once I find a decent house, I plan to make a grave."

"A grave, it must be for the families involved in the recent incident."

"Yes, I was so out of my mind that I didn’t even think to hold a funeral."

Since he was thinking of dying together with them, how could a funeral have even crossed his mind.

But the current Ju-hyeon was painting a future, and was devising a way to overcome and move forward.

As the first cornerstone for that, he needed to apologize to the family and friends who were caught up in his affairs.

"I plan to start with that."

At that, Jio asked.

"Do you not need my help?"

"It is my responsibility that I must bear."

"No, you will need my help...."

"Please refrain from your overflowing goodwill."

"I can do it well."

"It would have been burdensome even if you did it less well."

"Is that so?"

Iseur, who had been watching the two of them, wiggled his fingers, then clenched them into a fist.

"..."

"Iseur."

"...Yes, older sister."

"Don’t have any vain thoughts and bring some tea."

"I will do so."

At the sight of Iseur naturally running his sister’s errand, Ju-hyeon’s eyes widened and blinked.

"...Vain thoughts? Did I perhaps earn your dislike? Was I on the verge of death?"

"Seeing this, it seems you’re not entirely fearless."

Aria cupped her cheek and continued.

"It is a common jealousy, so you need not be so afraid."

Having said that, Aria soon looked back at Jio.

"The teacher’s friend is making a grave, are you going to help?"

"If there is a part I can help with, I should help."

At that, before Ju-hyeon could say anything in refusal, Jio looked at him.

"How are funerals conducted on Earth these days?"

"Usually, they are cremated, but if there is no body... they burn their belongings and keep them."

"It seems Mr. Ju-hyeon’s family and friends also have no bodies."

"Given the situation, I was quite late."

"In that case, I...."

Just as Jio was about to make a suggestion, Iseur brought the tea.

"I brought it because there was a Basuram Flower."

"It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"

"Yes, it really has been a while."

"I recently bloomed this flower myself."

"Basuram is grown underwater, where did you grow it?"

"In the nests of the water birds over there."

At that, Iseur, who was distributing the tea, answered a beat later.

"...Ah, so it can be used in that way too."

"I received help thanks to the children who like flowers."

"The Basuram Flower has a very nice fragrance, so they must have been satisfied."

"The lake I saw on the way here was golden for some reason."

At Iseur’s words, Ju-hyeon asked.

"Is there a separate reason for it being golden?"

"The teacher’s water birds make their nests glow golden when they are happy."

"Aha...."

Ju-hyeon’s gaze landed on the water bird sitting on Jio’s shoulder, Honey.

"Then what about that friend?"

"Honey’s color changed after drinking the juice of a Rurupu."

"Kkungkku-reu."

Jio added an explanation.

"It’s a flower that grows in the forest’s spring."

"Just hearing about it sounds extraordinary."

"The fragrance is seriously good."

"...I see!"

Though that wasn’t exactly what he meant by ’extraordinary.’

"I’m curious what kind of fragrance it has."

"If you need perfume, I can make it for you."

"Please refrain from your goodwill."

Ju-hyeon continued.

"Anyway, I will prepare soon and try to find a house."

"I think submitting your resignation letter through Mr. Yu Seong-un would be a good method."

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your advice in many ways."

Since the guild master of The Collectors himself had offered to step in, the resignation letter would be processed cleanly.

’But certainly, to manage the identity of Hunter Seo Jio... should my lodging be closed?’

Ju-hyeon was contemplating that he should ask Hunter Yu Seong-un directly about that part.

***

And a few days later.

"...My lodging has already been found?"

"...I’m sorry. I really tried hard to stop him...."

"Ah, no. There’s nothing to be sorry about."

Ju-hyeon waved his hand at the haggard Yu Seong-un’s smile.

"I’m also grateful that you looked into it for me. I was actually wondering what kind of lodging I should look for to manage Hunter Seo Jio."

"It’s very kind of you to see it that way."

"Besides, you said The Collectors would pay for the lodging, didn’t you? In that case, I’ve rather received an undeserved benefit. I was just flustered by the sudden decision."

"..."

"...Excuse me...."

Sensing a crisis in Yu Seong-un’s silence, Ju-hyeon asked cautiously.

"So where is the lodging?"

"It is the house next to mine."

"Pardon?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Seriously, why?

"..."

"..."

Yu Seong-un avoided his gaze.

It was the sin of having the notoriously infamous Collector as his guild master.

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