42 – A Big Incident
3k 23 99
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

The days continued to blur past.

In my training, I barely noticed, focused only on absorbing and assimilating what I could from what Maldong taught me.

After about a week, Kazuki headed back to Haramark, his usually calm expression sharp with anger. It seemed like something had come up, but he didn't explain it and just left.

Shortly after, Claire left as well, mentioning something about her duties with Cinzia but not without wrangling a promise out of me to meet her for lunch some time.

And then it was just me, Hugo, and Maldong... Or rather, me and Maldong.

I barely saw Hugo other than when he came back to the campsite from his private training regime, completely worn out.

Instead, I spent the time with Maldong, building up rapport and carefully analyzing the principles behind everything he taught me.

And finally, it was time to leave. The fifth and final week.

It was late at night and the three of us were gathered around a campfire.

As always, Hugo fell asleep first, leaving just me and Maldong.

Usually, we talked about what we trained or some other random bits. But today, it seemed like Maldong had something on his mind.

After tending to the fire a bit, he turned to me and said, "Jihu. Do you know much about what it means to be a High Ranker?"

I frowned. "In all honesty... Not really?"

I could remember that there were some people with special abilities, and that Level 5 was the minimum... but I didn't know the actual qualifications.

"Mm." Maldong nodded and said, "Then I suppose I should tell you now so you know how to prepare. With your stats, it would be possible to reach the level requirement easily, but I would caution you to wait. If you did so, you would only be a halfie."

"A halfie?"

"Yes. An Earthling who has the raw ability, but nothing else. In name and in stats, you would be considered a High Ranker, but... Mm, I suppose for some it would be enough. But someone like you can aim higher." He stared at me, a strangely somber and serious look in his eyes.

I nodded. "That's obvious, isn't it?"

Being a High Ranker wasn't enough... And I could have leapt to that level from the beginning if I chose to just stick to magic or the sword.

"Heh." Maldong smirked and said, "You can say that because you're a crazy bastard that comes once in a thousand life times. Do you even have any idea how small the number of High Rankers are?"

"I don't, but I know my own value."

"...Coming from anyone else, I'd smack their head for being so arrogant. But since it's you..." He shook his head. "In any case, your goal should be to pioneer your own path. We've already started down that line, but to be honest I have no idea where you'll end up. Still, I can at least tell you a bit about the other paths I've seen others take." He paused for a bit, gathering his thoughts.

I waited.

"One person sought the path of Formlessness. Another sought the path of the Thousand Sword." Maldong rubbed his forearm, as if reminded of a bad memory and said, "Both of them were crazy bastards. But still." He looked up at me and said, "Neither of them were as ridiculous as you. A monster that can learn everything I teach him and instantly use it well enough to fake being in any class..." He paused. "...It might be harder because of that monstrous talent though."

I frowned, considering his words.

Maldong sighed and said, "Most of the true High Rankers became enlightened to a unique realm of their own. Taking their natural talents and experiences to the extreme, they caught a glimpse at a place no one else saw and cut forth their own path. But you..." He stared at me and frowned. "That talent and physique might be a curse. Most people advance by reaching a wall and overcoming it, but you only ever encounter stumbling blocks. Attaining enlightenment when your stats are already so high and you can learn and apply essentially any skill you come across without the need to use ability points... It will be hard."

I slowly nodded, seeing his point.

...It was true. I had a feeling that I could combine a lot of what I learned in ways that would be unique, but it also wasn't 'mine'. Similar to how Synthesis Blade... No, the Unbound Karmic Sword tied everything together, it was powerful stacking all of those things at once, but it also was just thinking creatively. Putting together preexisting pieces in cool new ways instead of pioneering unknown grounds.

Sure, it was at a level more in depth than most people could apply, but it wasn't doing the impossible like what Maldong was talking about. Formlessness and Thousand Sword... They were the sorts of abilities that defied common sense.

But that sort of power was also something that I would need later.

I remembered it.

While the details escaped me, the Parasite Queen's Authority went beyond ordinary logic and was a realm of its own.

Ordinary techniques and abilities wouldn't cut it.

Seol only managed to pull through in the end by combining his future and current self as one... And only then, just barely.

Fortunately, I had a hint.

That guy managed to reach his own 'realm' by unifying mind, body, and technique. A 'Golden Trinity'.

But that was impossible for me.

To begin with, my 'mind' would always be ahead of my body and technique due to my innate ability. The effort required to unify that together would be astronomical, and also not worth it in the end.

After all, I was different from that guy.

Seol's strength came from his determination and perseverance. No matter how hard the obstacle, he pulled through with grit and guts.

My strength... Well, I was a 'cheat' to begin with. Knowing what was to come, seeing through to the core of the problem, finding ways around it.

I wouldn't call myself a genius... but I was in a position where my problems had and would be overcome by wits rather than grit.

In short, work smarter, not harder.

Even so...

Maldong laughed. "You don't need to concern yourself with it too much. Even if you never become Enlightened, your class ability would be enough to rival them." He shook his head and said, "To be able to imbue everything into a 'sword' is ridiculous enough. Getting something else on top of that... Well, there's no point in being too greedy."

"...Right."

For now, that had to be enough. I had other ideas, like using my Energy Domination and finally sorting through that unique energy that I planned a while back, as well as synthesizing things, but like Maldong said, there wasn't a point in being too greedy right now.

"Still." Maldong looked at me and said, "You have to be careful. As monstrous as you are, it'll be dangerous to show too much. I can't fault you if the situation calls for it in the Banquet, but for the most part it'll be best to stick to fighting as a Warrior like you decided. At least, for as much as you can."

"Being a crouching tiger, huh?"

Maldong's mouth twitched and he said, "More like a hidden dragon. A stubborn and vicious bastard like yourself would never be a lazy tiger."

"Stubborn? Vicious?" I placed my hand on my chest and said, "I'm hurt, Sifu."

"Pft. Drop it already, kid. Being called Sifu by a crazy guy like you just gives me the shivers."

I laughed and said, "Alright Coach."

Maldong shook his head.

After that, the conversation turned to idle talk. Mostly about our lives back on Earth. Likes, dislikes... the works.

Time passed, and eventually Maldong turned into bed first. I stayed awake to keep watch... and also to meditate.

Sitting underneath the starry sky, I muttered, "Enlightenment, huh?" I shook my head and then closed my eyes, quietly sorting through my mana cores and stored energy.

It might be a while until I figured out my own 'path'... but up until then, I might as well make a few more trump cards.

After all, if I couldn't beat them head on, might as well cheat, right?

xxx

Maldong quietly watched Jihu. Despite going to his tent to sleep, the old man couldn't help but stay up and observe.

"That crazy bastard..."

Once again, those words left Maldong's lips. But he couldn't help it.

A young man who was a sharp as a drawn sword and unyielding as steel when pressed, but also one who wasn't afraid to push forward. No, who would always push forward against everything that came his way.

It was a ridiculous situation.

Never in all of Maldong's life did he think that such a ridiculous person like that existed. The way and the speed that Jihu advanced was just like one of those poorly written wuxia novel protagonists.

Reading such a story, Maldong would have scoffed at how unrealistic it was and how easy the story would become as a result. But seeing it firsthand...

He was curious.

Just how far could he go? Just what heights could he reach?

And most importantly... would he be able to do as the protagonists in those stories and defy the heavens?

Maldong found himself subconsciously reaching for the familiar golden needles in his pocket. The same ones that Kazuki requested to use before... Or rather, the same ones that Kazuki's boss did.

Those golden needles had turned ordinary Earthlings into legends. Stones into diamonds.

Maldong's heart burned at the thought of it.

Most people were diamonds in the rough. A little bit of polishing and pressure could turn them into priceless gems.

But Jihu...

An illogical and formless base that could take in any ingredient. A philosopher's stone in the works... No. Something that could surpass even that.

Maldong wasn't sure if he could handle that. And he was confident that no one would be able to finish the process but Jihu himself.

But he was curious.

If Maldong taught Jihu everything. If Maldong managed to draw out even a tiny fragment of that boundless potential, enough for Jihu to see the rest of the way.

Where would he end up? What heaven-defying existence would that young man become?

Maldong let out a wry chuckle. "Is this what the inventors of the atom bomb felt like?"

The old man was sure of it. Once Jihu discovered his own realm and became a High Ranker, he would be unstoppable. At least, no Earthling would be able to handle him.

A wild card that could completely overturn Paradise for better or for worse.

And with how unyielding and vicious that young man was... With how prideful he had been in denying Maldong's belittlement, it would be easy for him to fall into absolute tyranny.

Realizing that, Maldong sighed. "So that's what Ian meant."

The beginning was important. Knowledge could become a blessing or a curse, and the same was true for a weapon. A sword could cut down the enemies while protecting its wielder's allies.

So Maldong just had to make sure that the 'sword' he was seeing forged before his eyes knew where to strike.

The old man sighed and went to sleep.

There was still a long path ahead of him...

xxx

Chohong sighed as she got off the carriage and looked at the mountain. "I'm finally back here, huh?" She muttered, resisting the urge to shiver at the terrible memories that came flooding back.

Pain, blood, over a dozen times where she almost died...

While Chohong didn't regret the results, the method...

"Wait. And Oppa is going through that?"

She paused, suddenly considering that.

Chohong felt that she had been lucky to avoid training since someone needed to act as the temporary leader of Carpe Diem, but when she thought about the guy who seriously considered killing her when she tested him the first time... When she thought about how that unyielding and decisive guy was training under the stubborn old bastard who didn't bat an eye even when she begged him to take a break...

"...Crap. Should I have brought Ian after all?"

Chohong suddenly found herself hesitating.

The old pervert... No, considering he managed to miraculously become young again, it was just 'pervert' now. Anyway, that pervert had been worried and wanted to come along too, but there was that incident to handle so he couldn't.

"...The mountain is still in one piece, so maybe it isn't the worst case scenario?"

If Jihu seriously got pissed off, she doubted the surroundings would be intact. And didn't Flone mention something about the guy being able to teleport? The fact that he hadn't come back to visit meant that he was at least tolerating things so far...

"Right." Chohong mumbled and adjusted her diamond bracelet. "He should be fine."

That guy wasn't the sort to break under that harsh training.

Chohong nodded to herself and then started making her way up the mountain, placing her right hand on the handle of the mace that Jihu gave her.

And as she advanced, she saw a black dot racing down from the peak, moving in zigzags.

"Hm?"

She waited for a bit, wondering if it was Jihu. But as the figure came into sight, Chohong let out a disappointed sigh. "Just Hugo, huh?"

"Hey! I heard that!" Hugo panted as came to a stop in front of Chohong. "Sorry... that I'm not your crush, 'Chocho.'"

Chohong narrowed her eyes and adjusted her stance. "Acting tough now that you went through the training again, huh, bastard?"

Hugo smirked and said, "Better than one of us who sat around on their lazy ass."

"Tch. Since you've got the energy to talk, I guess it wasn't that bad."

Hugo wiped the sweat off his brow and said, "Says you. That old bastard focused on Jihu, but he wasn't satisfied unless I collapsed when I got back from training."

"Yeah, yeah." Chohong looked around and said, "Where's O- Jihu and the old man then?"

Hugo grinned and said, "Your precious 'Oppa' is still training with the old man up there." He pointed back to a forested area in the middle of the mountain and said, "Something about training his class skill now that they've got the fundamentals down... or something. I dunno." He frowned and said, "Those guys talk too high level for me to understand."

Chohong's eye twitched at the jab of her calling Jihu Oppa. But she let it slide and smiled instead. "Of course. A non High Ranker like you wouldn't be able to understand anything."

Hugo froze and then said, "S-So what? You're only a fake High Ranker anyway!"

Chohong smirked and said, "Says the lowly level four who couldn't even become a fake High Ranker."

"You...!" Hugo spat on the ground and said, "Fuck it. It's too early to deal with your shit."

"Uh-huh. Then why don't you just head off to the carriage and rest your little tired head?"

Hugo shook his head and then ran off.

Chohong watched him leave, keeping her smug smile on while he was in sight. But when Hugo couldn't see her anymore, she frowned. "...That's weird."

Even if that guy was tired, Chohong thought Hugo would at least fight back a bit more.

"...Did something happen?" She frowned and quickly made her way towards where Hugo pointed.

The mountain path slowly turned green before melding into a forest. After a bit of walking, she found a big boulder. And there, an old man was sitting, staring off into the distance.

Chohong gave him a quick glance, worried for a bit that Jihu did something to Maldong. But the old man looked the same as always. His clothes were a bit ruffled and dusty, as expected from being out in nature for over a month, but it didn't seem like he was injured.

Which meant that she couldn't slack off.

Chohong immediately bowed down to her waist.

As if he was expecting that, Maldong said, "You're here."

"I am."

"You look nice."

Chohong's eye twitched and she said, "How can you tell when you haven't even looked at me?"

"I only need to hear your voice to know."

Chohong raised her body, ready to retort. But then she was at at a loss for words.

Up ahead in the forest, a young man stood in complete silence, a glittering emerald sword in his right hand.

That in itself was ordinary. But then there were his surroundings.

A death trap. That was the only way to describe it. Hundreds of bows firing arrows at him. Rocks being launched as fast as bullets from magic-empowered pipes. Logs rolling down from the distance.

And Jihu stood in the middle of all of that, blindfolded, ears covered with thick muffs, and weights around his entire body.

Somehow, he was managing to survive. Dodging by a hair's width each time, he managed to avoid getting struck by any of the mechanisms. But only barely.

"O-Oi!" Chohong turned to Maldong and said, "Have you gone senile old man?! Are you trying to kill him?! Did he piss you off that-?!"

"Shh." Maldong shook his head. "Watch."

Chohong grit her teeth and did.

Jihu's eyes were blindfolded, but his face was set in concentration.

And then he moved.

Arrows flew towards his back. Weighted down, Jihu couldn't move in time. And even if he could, he shouldn't be able to see or hear them.

But he swept his sword out anyway, as if to block.

Chohong's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to call out.

But then she froze.

Jihu's sword swept through open space, not hitting anything. But as it did, the arrows suddenly shattered, as if cut apart.

"What?" Chohong blinked, not believing what she was seeing.

Maldong's mouth twitched, but he kept quiet.

A log flew towards Jihu, swinging on a rope.

A blind spot. Jihu shouldn't be able to see or react to it even if he wasn't blindfolded and earplugged.

But an ice shard formed in mid-air and launched at the log, sending it just a bit to the side, missing Jihu entirely. At the same time, the log blocked a barrage of rocks launched at Jihu's side.

That time, Chohong didn't know what to think.

"Crazy, right?" Maldong chuckled and said, "That bastard's a hell of a monster."

Chohong forcibly drew her gaze away from the dangerous dance Jihu was doing and looked to Maldong. "Did you come up with this idea for training?"

Maldong shook his head. "I planned to have him do the usual log dodging initially. But that crazy guy said that he could make things from mana and somehow we ended up like this. Though it seems like it still isn't enough to pressure him..." The old man placed a hand on his chin and rubbed it. "I might need to talk with Ian on a way to completely seal a person's senses."

"Hah?"

Maldong looked towards Chohong and said, "If only you had a drop of that guy's talent... A birdbrain like you barely managed to get through my normal training."

Chohong flinched and reflexively said, "I'm not training!"

Maldong scoffed and said, "Don't worry. I don't have the time or energy to waste on someone who doesn't want to train anyway."

Realizing that she was out of danger, Chohong sighed and then looked towards Jihu. "So... I take it the training went well with him?"

Maldong nodded. "That crazy bastard is a monster. Training him like an ordinary person is a waste of time and energy, so we focused on his skills instead. This old man wracked his head to pull out all the techniques I could remember, and even anecdotes of things that I had heard... and that bastard managed to not only learn them, but integrate them into his combat style."

"...So Jihu's incredible?"

Maldong let out a wry laugh. "Incredible is an understatement. 'Impossible' would be more like it. A person like that... Just where the hell did his Inviter find him? His talent and ability isn't the level that a newbie should have, let alone a level two. And then there's his stats..." He rubbed his chin and said, "Did the gods have something to do with it? No, if they could pull out a guy like this, Paradise wouldn't have reached this point. Then... just where the hell did that guy come from? No, who the hell invited him?"

Chohong frowned, mulling over Maldong's words. "If I remember right... I think that fox Kim Hannah is his Inviter?"

"Hm?" Maldong turned towards Chohong and said, "Kim Hannah?" He frowned and said, "Then is Jihu with Sinyoung? I suppose that guy is similar to Sung Shihyun, but after what happened to that guy, they would have never let him leave..."

She shook her head. "No. Jihu said that Kim Hannah was his partner... I think she's in charge of his businesses back on Earth too?"

Maldong blinked. "Businesses?"

Chohong nodded. "Yeah. I think the two run a corporation together or something... Or they're starting one? Jihu only mentioned it in passing though."

Maldong's gaze turned thoughtful. "So that guy's impressive enough to even draw that corporate fox away from Sinyoung...? And on Earth as well?" His eyes widened in realization and then he said, "So *that's* why he wasn't tempted by money. But then... Argh." He ran his hand through his white hair and said, "That bastard's mystery keeps getting deeper and deeper..."

Chohong smiled.

The old man called Jihu 'that bastard', but it was clear that he didn't hate him. Instead, it was more like an old grandpa dealing with his young grandson stirring up the pot.

"What are you smiling about?"

Chohong quickly wiped away her smile and said, "Nothing!"

"Tch." Maldong shook his head and said, "So what brings you here then? Ian should have told you that we were planning to warp back with Jihu's magic."

Chohong nodded. "He did... But there's been a big incident back at Haramark. Because of that, the pervert said that we should do things properly."

"Do things properly, huh? Mm, I suppose we did make a ruckus heading out. It'll be suspicious if we suddenly return without a trace." He sighed. "Though that means that our training time will be shorter than anticipated... A pity."

"...You shouldn't overwork him, Old Man."

"Hm?" Maldong blinked and then looked at Chohong.

She instinctively felt a shiver run down her spine at that gaze, but she stood her ground and said, "Jihu is important to our team. I won't forgive you if you run him into the ground."

Maldong blinked again and then tilted his head, as if staring at a riddle. "...First Agnes, and then you, huh? No wonder he had that Alias."

"What?"

Maldong laughed and said, "Nothing to worry your little head about." He grabbed his cane from nearby and then turned towards Jihu.

The moment Maldong did that, Jihu swung his sword at a blinding speed, sending out a ripple of light.

All of the mechanisms shattered, ripped apart by force. At the same time, the blindfold on his face vanished, along with his earplugs. "Something happen, Coach?"

Chohong blinked and mouthed, 'Coach?'

Maldong waved his cane and said, "Some trouble came up, so we'll have to head back the old fashioned way."

"Ah." Jihu nodded and turned towards Chohong. "That explains why you're here then. And nice to see you." He smiled and said, "You look great, by the way. Glad to see that the mace and bracelet suits you."

Chohong blushed. "T-Thanks."

Maldong laughed. "Well, I guess even monsters have their weaknesses, huh?"

Chohong narrowed her eyes and glared at Maldong.

Seeing that, the old man laughed harder. After a bit though, he shook his head and started walking. "Come on, you two. That lazy bum's probably already settled into the carriage. We can't let him rest too long or else he'll get into his old habits again."

xxx

We were finally headed back to Haramark. Although a bit earlier than I thought and earlier than what I would have liked, I couldn't really turn down Chohong who came all this way to grab me.

Not to mention that there was apparently a reason for why we were returning like this.

The four of us had squeezed into the carriage, Hugo and Maldong on one side with me and Chohong on the other.

Hugo was clearly uncomfortable about his position, but it couldn't be helped when Chohong refused to sit next to him because his clothes were stained with sweat.

Though considering that mine were in the same condition...

Well, it was probably better to ignore the reason unless I wanted to cause trouble earlier than I had to. Especially considering those red threads seemed even more vivid than before.

After the carriage picked up speed, Maldong turned towards Chohong and said, "So what's this incident you were talking about?"

I nodded and turned towards Chohong. "Right. Did something bad happen, Chohong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing like that. In fact, I think it's good news for you, Oppa."

My eye twitched at the shameless name she used, but I ignored it and said, "Good news?"

"Yeah. First, those villagers from Ramman Village moved into the city."

I blinked and then said, "That fast?"

Maldong shook his head. "Did you forget how long it's been, Jihu?"

I paused and then did a mental count. "...Oh yeah. I guess it has been a month-" I froze. "Wait. A month?"

"...Yes." Maldong looked at me and said, "Did you have something important to tend to?"

I groaned and said, "Yeah. I need to head back to Earth as soon as we get back. My parents are probably worried about me. My little sister too..."

Mom and Dad were probably understanding, but Jinhee... Seora should be covering for me, but it was still better to check in.

And I should check in with Seora too... Then there was Seonhwa...

I sighed.

Hugo's eyes lit up and he said, "You've got a little sister, Jihu?"

"I do. And before you ask, yes, she's beautiful. And no. I am not introducing you to her. At least, not until you find yourself a girlfriend and learn to think with your head instead of your lower head."

Hugo flinched and said, "I-I wasn't going to ask that!"

I shook my head. "No need to hide it, Bro. And it's nothing personal. I just have very high standards for my sister's potential suitors. And while you're a good guy, you don't meet the cut."

Jinhee deserved someone who could give her the world... or at least walk along the path beside her.

A musclehead like Hugo... Yeah, no.

"Bro?" Hugo blinked and then he turned towards Chohong with a smug smile. "Did you hear that, Chohong? Jihu called me his bro!" He laughed and said, "Looks like you should have come with us, considering how you wanted to-"

"Say another word and you won't ever be able to think with your head again." Chohong narrowed her eyes and added, "Both of them."

Hugo flinched and squeezed his legs together.

Maldong sighed. "Cut it out." He looked at me and said, "Don't worry. I'll handle things on this side, so head back to Earth as soon as we get back. It's not worth worrying your family over this side, no matter what happens."

A reliable gaze. Seeing the expression that showed the kindness of a grandfather, I smiled and said, "Thanks, Coach."

Maldong smiled back and then looked at Chohong. "You were saying the villagers moved in... I suspect there were some unhappy voices?"

"Hm?" She blinked and then said, "Oh." She laughed and said, "There were. But they couldn't do anything when the princess showed up and bought out the leases with her own money."

Maldong's eyes widened. "That tomboy did that? No, she had enough money to do that? I didn't think the royal family had that much funding left."

Chohong snorted. "The royal family doesn't. But Ian told me that a certain 'hero' here overpaid the princess to buy out his employment contract."

I coughed. "Hey. It wasn't my fault no one told me how much a platinum coin was worth."

"A platinum-!" Maldong paused and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "...No. I shouldn't be surprised. A crazy bastard like you definitely has a way to pull money out of thin air."

"More like out of other minerals... but basically, yeah."

Maldong gave me a blank stare and then turned towards Chohong. "So what next? Even then, those bastards playing real estate wouldn't have sat around."

Chohong nodded. "That's right. But there wasn't much they could do when the Temple of Luxuria publicly announced their support for the Haramark Royal Family's decision."

"They did?" Maldong frowned. "Odd..."

"It is," Chohong said. "And not only that, they said they would support the move directly. In fact, just a few days after the announcement, the Daughter of Luxuria appeared in Haramark."

"What?!" Maldong's eyes widened. "The Executor is personally overseeing this matter? No, was she the one who made the announcement?"

Hugo suddenly leaned forward and looked towards Chohong. "Hey! Did you see her? Did she look like the rumors said she did?"

While those guys were shocked, I mulled over Chohong's words.

The Daughter of Luxuria... Right. That was Yuhui, wasn't it? And considering the circumstances...

I sighed and said, "Yuhui's helping me out again, huh?"

Maldong snapped his gaze towards me and said, "Yuhui?"

"Mmhm." I nodded and said, "Seo Yuhui. The daughter of Luxuria, right?"

Chohong paused. "Hold on a minute, Seol. Why are you talking about her so casually?"

"Forget about that!" Hugo leaned towards me and said, "You've seen her then, right Bro? What does she look like? Does she really have giant... you know?" He cupped his hands over his chest for emphasis.

I frowned. "That's rude. I'll make sure she knows what you think of her."

"Kuh!" Hugo flinched.

Maldong coughed and then looked towards me again. "I take it you personally know her?"

"It's... complicated? She's actually my stalker from back on Earth."

Dead silence.

"P-Pardon." Maldong broke it. "You... You're telling me that the esteemed daughter of Luxuria, the infamous Ice Wall... stalked you? On Earth?"

I remembered how we met and laughed. "Yeah. I used to frequent a PC Bang while I was doing free lance work and ran into her once. After that, every time I showed up she would be staring at me while trying to hide in a corner... It didn't really work considering she kept such a heavy gaze on me. I guess it was kind of cute though?"

"Well..." Chohong muttered. "I guess that explains why she moved in front of us."

"Hm?" Maldong blinked. "Wait. The Daughter of Luxuria moved in the building in front of us?!" Maldong's eyes widened and he turned to look at me.

I let out a wry smile.

99