"Hey, guys. Calm down — that's really not what's going on."
At my words, Han Su-yeong, who'd been advancing as if she was about to grab my arm right then and there, spoke up.
"What's not what?"
"What Belluna just said. There's absolutely nothing like that going on. Nothing was demanded of me, and I've already paid in full. She's just messing around, I swear."
As I said it, I locked eyes with Jin Ye-seul, who'd been quietly closing in to seize my arm.
"…You don't trust me?"
That stopped Jin Ye-seul cold, with rare visible surprise.
She'd seen through it — that what I'd just said wasn't a lie but the truth.
I could've sworn I heard a faint snrk of laughter from somewhere.
Han Su-yeong and Ivan both nodded at that.
That Ivan knew was no surprise, but I hadn't realized Han Su-yeong had been studying up on spirits.
"They always collect what they're owed — and on the flip side, if they've made a firm promise, they'll see it through, even if it's terribly inconvenient for them. Which is probably why, every now and then, you get humans who treat a contract with a spirit like a joke. You know — 'sweet-talk one a little and I'll have myself a docile slave,' that sort of thing?"
Belluna smiled brightly.
"More than a few humans have died for treating spirit contracts like that. I've personally taught quite a lot of those scheming little humans a lesson."
A punishment that parted head from body had always been enough to shut them up.
She added that with a small shrug.
"In short, when you make a contract with a spirit, every single detail has to be locked down. Like… oh, I don't know — say a spirit answers your request, and then later on says, Oh, by the way, we agreed I'd get the rest of my payment later, and demands more from you."
Belluna blinked as she said it.
"And besides, Yu Ji-hyeok, the name 'Smith of Yado' isn't one you should be throwing around lightly. There's no way anything he makes comes cheap."
"Wait, what? Who? Mother, did you just say the Smith of Yado?"
Ivan whipped his head around to stare at Belluna in shock.
He wasn't the only one rattled.
The name of the Smith of Yado carried that kind of weight.
Choi Hyun-woo in particular began to tremble from head to toe the instant he realized the sword in his hands had been forged by the Smith of Yado.
He raised it with both hands as if it were a sacred relic and gently set it down on the table.
"Yes, what about it? Is there a problem, son?"
"The Smith of Yado is a spirit…?! And you didn't think to tell me? No — Mother, what did you mean a moment ago? Why on earth were you warning Ji-hyeok about how dangerous a spirit contract is — !"
"Well, you never asked, dear."
Belluna laughed, like she couldn't see what the issue was.
Ivan's face twisted, and he was about to say something when —
"Besides, I've already paid in full, so there was no point bringing it up."
"…What?"
"I mean — I told him I'd settle the debt myself. It wouldn't make sense to push it off onto someone else, would it?"
She rummaged in her clothes and pulled something out.
A hwatu deck.
"With this~ He's been awful at this from way back. Plus I had some tricks I learned from a human friend, so it was a landslide."
Belluna boasted like a child, beaming, and Ivan only let out a long, deep sigh.
"…Mother, haaah."
He spoke with the expression of someone forcing something down.
"Then you should've led with that. Don't even think about saying 'well, you never asked me' again. You knew perfectly well that talking like that would cause a scene, didn't you? Were you trying to mess with me and Ji-hyeok?"
"Hmm, that's not it, exactly…."
Then Belluna nodded, conceding readily.
"You're right, I did want to tease you a little. Son, was your mother too much of a mischief-maker?"
Belluna's smile after that was so radiant that whatever anger had been brewing in Ivan simply ran out of fuel.
He let out a long, weary sigh.
Somewhere, it felt like a taut string had finally snapped.
Relieved exhales sounded from every direction, followed by a clink.
It was Han Su-yeong.
She tapped a finger against the small round shield she had instinctively recognized as hers.
"After all this, refusing them would be just as rude as Ji-hyeok said."
She picked the shield up without hesitation.
"True."
"Yeah, this is what you get for picking good friends."
After her, Jin Ye-seul picked up her piece of armor, and Ivan lifted the vambrace and began to fit it on.
Only Lee Yu-na was still staring down at the handle, swallowing dryly.
'How — how much is this even worth….'
There wasn't a hero or hunter alive who didn't know the name of the Smith of Yado.
Even the works of his disciples had reached a point where money alone couldn't get you one — there simply weren't any left to buy.
A legendary smith who, according to the stories, crafted exactly one thousand pieces before throwing himself into the flames to end his life.
And here was something he had forged — from a black dragon's scales, no less.
She couldn't even begin to guess at the price.
'I still owe him 18.2 billion won as it is….'
Sniffling silently to herself, she picked up the handle in trembling fingers.
And the instant she did, she instinctively understood exactly how to use it — what it was for, in what way.
'A Unique weapon…! Don't tell me this is actually a Unique weapon!?'
To think it was one of those Unique weapons she'd only ever heard whispers of…!
The realization sent a fine tremor through Lee Yu-na's lips.
A Unique weapon was one tailored to a single specific person — measured against everything from their mana to the wavelength of their power — and such weapons boasted several times the power of an ordinary item.
Naturally, the price climbed several dozen times higher, sometimes several hundred times higher.
And this was a Unique weapon forged by the Smith of Yado himself, no less.
Lee Yu-na couldn't even begin to estimate what something like this would cost.
How much would she have to pay back?
No — could she even pay it back?
A weapon that not even a nation could secure was now in her hands. With trembling eyes, Lee Yu-na looked around at the others.
Realizing that she and Choi Hyun-woo were the only ones shaking, she despaired and turned her head away again.
Because even he was trembling for an entirely different reason than she was.
'I could… I could work until I died and still never pay it back….'
With shaky fingers, she tried to slip the handle into her pocket first.
But the handle, sensing its owner's intent, melted of its own accord and sank into the back of Lee Yu-na's hand.
A pattern like a tattoo flickered faintly on her skin before blending into it and slowly fading away.
She just barely managed to bite back a scream.
Then, all at once, something seemed to tickle at her ear.
[…o, in short, here's the gist of it.]
At the sudden voice, Lee Yu-na tilted her head.
It was unmistakably Belluna's voice, but something about it felt off.
More to the point, when she turned to look, Belluna was perched on a chair, idly swinging her feet like she couldn't be bothered with any of it.
Yu Ji-hyeok was smiling, playing with Rauné.
What on earth?
She was still puzzling over it when —
[The first scales shed by the black dragon, given over in excess of what was needed; me playing porter and scrubbing that guy's workshop; and lastly, that little kindred spirit there tearing off one of its own leaves — even with all that, he said the payment still came up short. Of course, like I said earlier, I covered some of it myself….]
As her words trailed off, Yu Ji-hyeok grabbed Rauné and inspected the top of its head.
Its eyes went wide, its body gave a small jolt — and then it slowly nodded.
[Hm? You don't need to thank me. I'm not such a wicked spirit that I'd put you on the spot by airing that out in front of everyone. And besides — did you really think I'd do something like that to a follower who brings me offerings? I'm actually pretty considerate of you, you know. That stings a little.]
A sound like vibrating air.
No — something even more delicate than that….
Almost without thinking, Lee Yu-na pretended to fiddle with the spot on the back of her hand where the handle had melted in, and she strained to listen.
She knew perfectly well this was wrong.
But…
[He said he wanted to receive your dragon's reverse scale, Yu Ji-hyeok.]
[And he said that if he received it, since he'd be getting the better end of the bargain by far, he'd pay you an appropriate sum on his side too. …My personal take? That guy has a clear sense of public and private. And since he's a high-rank fire spirit, his abilities are exceptional. He'd be a huge help against Milited. Of course, you could use him for other matters too.]
Yu Ji-hyeok's expression turned slightly contemplative.
Belluna didn't rush him.
A moment later, he suddenly looked her way, and Lee Yu-na had to whip her head around in alarm.
Thankfully, it seemed he hadn't noticed.
He glanced at Han Su-yeong next, then nodded.
[All right, good… then hand it to me later. I'll deliver it. And, uh….]
The voice that came after a pause sounded deeply subdued.
[…I really am sorry, Yu Ji-hyeok. I didn't mean to dig up an old wound. I lost someone I loved too, so I understand a bit of what you… what humans feel.]
Lee Yu-na drew in a sharp breath without realizing it.
[What happened between you and your parents — I really am sorry. Truly. …Though I'm hardly the one to talk, having abandoned my son and vanished for a while after he died.]
The way the younger Yu Ji-hyeok had behaved that one time.
And now, a sincere apology from a spirit who didn't make idle words.
"…Oh."
At long last, Lee Yu-na was certain.
"……."
Back in his dorm, Yu Ji-hyeok sat resting for a moment with a hair ornament in his hand.
It was the piece for Lee Ye-eun — the one he hadn't been able to give her, since she hadn't been there earlier.
Black Vermillion Bird's Feather (Unique / Autonomous / Quasi-Legendary)
A hair ornament forged at the full strength of the legendary Smith of Yado, from the very first scales shed by the black dragon who inherited the heart and blood of the Seven Calamity Minerva.
In accordance with the owner's will, it will split apart like feathers and grant additional refinement to every action taken.
Several fragments can come together to form swords, shields, protective gear, arrowheads, and many other shapes.
It is so exquisite in appearance that it holds high value as a simple ornament alone.
She'd said she'd be returning to the academy soon, so he could give it to her then.
With that, he slipped the ornament into his shadow.
'Come to think of it, she really hasn't said a word.'
Minerva's claim that she'd be resting for a while hadn't been an empty one — there'd been no response from her at all.
She was the sort who wouldn't even hint at fatigue under most circumstances.
For her to come right out and say she needed rest, it was best to keep the disturbances to a minimum. He gave his pocket a little tap.
"Rauné."
"……?"
At his call, Rauné — which had been fiddling with the scale around its neck — poked its head out.
Yu Ji-hyeok asked quietly,
"The Smith of Yado, or whoever… you tore off one of your leaves and gave it to him, didn't you?"
"…?! ……??"
Rauné jolted in surprise and immediately shook itself back and forth as if it had no idea what he was talking about.
Yu Ji-hyeok sighed quietly.
"Show me. I'm not mad or anything."
"……?"
"I already checked earlier, so quit playing dumb. I just want a closer look — come on."
In the end, Rauné gave up and squirmed out of the pocket.
It twisted and parted the leaves at the crown of its head to show him.
When he found the spot where a leaf had been forcibly torn away, he fell silent for a moment.
"You shouldn't just do something like that on your own without telling me. Honestly — what if he'd told you to hand over your entire body? And if it had come to that, if you'd died or something had gone wrong, what was I supposed to think?"
"……."
As Rauné drooped, instantly contrite and unable to meet his eyes, Yu Ji-hyeok quietly lifted his right hand.
A slender branch of the World Tree extended out from it, and he gently held it out to Rauné.
"Here, eat up."
"……."
"You've been looking kind of wilted and worn out lately… so that's why, huh?"
He carefully stroked Rauné's head.
"Don't do that again, okay?"
"……."
With a small nod, Rauné caught the slender stalk and brought it straight to its mouth.
It began to suck nutrients from him in greedy little slurps.
Despite its appearance, it was an enormous eater, and the drain on his mana was more than he'd expected — but Yu Ji-hyeok paid it no mind.
'I'm meeting Lydia and Esmeralda tomorrow….'
Yoon Seul-hye had been sending him steady, report-style messages every day since.
What Choi Jun-hyeong had said, the mood inside the Association, things like that.
A lot of it was trivial, but plenty was solid material worth taking a closer look at.
He scrolled slowly through the report, thinking he'd done well to extend a hand to her.
"Even so, she really doesn't have to report what she had for breakfast."
She must be terrified that even the smallest slip would get her thrown away.
Better thorough and meticulous than half-hearted, he supposed.
Muttering that, he pulled three pouches out of the shadow this time.
They held scales meant for Han Su-yeong, Lee Yu-na, and the pair of Alice Blesbuck and Kath Ryle.
He left only the smallest pouch out and put the rest back into the shadow.
This was the one with scales for Alice Blesbuck and Kath Ryle to use for research.
Now that he thought of it, she had said to come to the lab as soon as he could….
He was just wondering when would work best, when —
Knock, knock.
"Hm?"
A faint knock.
But the sound had come from the veranda, not the door, and he was on his feet at once.
He walked over and pulled the curtain aside, and through the window someone flinched and stumbled back.
That someone was none other than Alice Blesbuck.
She'd had a faintly tearful look on the other side of the glass, but the moment she saw him, her face broke into a beaming smile and she pressed herself right up to the window.
"Ah, Ji-hyeok…! Thank goodness, you're still awake… I rushed over, but I was just panicking that I'd taken too long!"
"…Professor? What on earth are you doing out there?"
"Ah, well, you see."
She gave an embarrassed laugh.
"I tried to come in by turning into mist, but there was a barrier and I couldn't get through…."
He had set the defenses just in case, but they weren't anywhere near enough to stop someone of her caliber.
Picking up on what Yu Ji-hyeok was thinking, she muttered sheepishly,
"O-of course, I could push my way in if I really tried… but you know, this is your dorm room, Ji-hyeok. And no matter how you look at it, if a vampire forced her way in through your barrier in the middle of the night, I just thought it might leave you feeling a bit weird about it…."
"……."
Wordlessly, he opened the window for her.
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