"Wow!" Flone's eyes were practically saucers as she stared at the food spread out in front of her. "There's so much! And so much variety too!"

I chuckled. "Well, eat up then. No point in just letting it sit."

The fancy Chinese restaurant that Seora brought me to last time.

It turned out that it was a first class place that didn't accept people without reservations a month in advance... But it also turned out that All as One worked on Earth too. At least, well enough to make a reservation.

I smiled at Flone as she scooped up some dumplings and served herself some rice.

She poked at the rice with a spoon and then smiled. "It's so fluffy!"

I laughed. "Who said they weren't like a child now?"

Flone blinked and then huffed. "That's not fair. It's not my fault I've never seen food like this!"

"Yeah, but you should be used to lavish banquets, right, Miss Saintess?" I poured myself a cup of tea and then raised it to take a sip.

Flone frowned. "Yes... But it's my first time eating with someone I like."

"Pft!" I wiped my mouth and then glared at Flone.

She chuckled, hiding her mouth with her hand.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

She tilted her head. "I'm not joking though?"

"...Anyway, it's good that you're enjoying the food. And I have to admit, this is a bit nostalgic too."

Flone daintily picked up a dumpling and took a bite. While chewing, she looked at me and said, "How so?"

"Last time, I was here with a good friend too and had a comfortable night together."

"...Was this good friend a girl?"

"Yeah? Why?"

Flone sighed. This time, she didn't bother trying to be elegant and just stuffed a dumpling in her mouth. "Stupid Jihu. Why'd I have to fall for a bad guy like you? Is this what Mom warned me about...?"

I pretended to not hear her and kept eating.

Was it because I was in good company? The food tasted pretty good this time.

I could still make better, but it wasn't that bad.

"Anyway..." Flone frowned and said, "Is it okay to be here though, Jihu? Won't the others be in trouble if we're gone too long?"

"It's fine. We've got at least a day."

"A day... With just me and Jihu..." A bright smile lit up Flone's face.

Seeing that made my heart throb, but I carefully ignored that and said, "Anyway, how are you liking my homeland, Flone?"

"It's different." She carved herself a bit of Peking duck and then said, "Everything here is so loud. And everyone is so *weak* too." She frowned and looked up at me. "How are you so strong, Jihu?"

I shrugged. "I'm just built different... Is what I'd like to say. But in short... a lot of luck, a lot of hard work, and a lot of thinking."

"Mm... So Jihu's a genius then."

"I wouldn't say *that*... But I am better than most people."

Flone laughed and then leaned on her hand, staring at me. "You're such a bad man, Jihu."

"Well, I'm definitely not anointed by the church like you, so that's obvious, isn't it?"

"Mm... That's true. I don't think being such a stuck up guy suits you anyway. Though if you were a Saint, I might have paid better attention in religious studies." She finished with a flirty wink.

I chuckled and said, "And if people actually made statues of you, I wouldn't be surprised if you started a new religion with how beautiful you are."

Flone blushed and then turned her gaze away. "Meanie."

"Only because it's true."

Flone huffed. "No wonder Chocho keeps getting mad at you. With a silver tongue like that, you're going to have girls all over you no matter where you go."

I let out a wry smile and sipped on my tea.

"...Well, it's fine." She laced her hands together and rested her head on her fingers. "As long as I can be with you, it's fine if I'm not number one."

"...I'm not sure I follow."

Flone laughed. "You might be able to fool others, but you can't fool me, Jihu. But it's fine." She gave me a soft and content smile and said, "This life of mine is yours. My love, my body, my everything... You gave it all back to me after I lost all I knew. So even if I can't ever be your number one, I'll be happy with a tiny piece of your heart."

"Fl-"

"Shh." She stuck up her finger and reached over to cover my mouth. Smiling, she said, "It's fine, Jihu. You don't need to say anything. After all..." She winked and said, "I've already placed you under my spell. Haven't I?"

"...Well, I can see how you lasted so long as a vengeful spirit now."

"Hmph." Flone huffed and leaned back, sticking a dumpling in her mouth. After eating it, she said, "Meanie."

I laughed and went back to eating too.

Still...

I couldn't help but stare at the crimson thread wrapped around my arm now. The one where the other end led to Flone... and the one that had turned into a knotted rope that I couldn't hope to untangle without severing it.

...Dammit...

xxx

Back in Paradise. After dinner, Flone wanted to head back, so I sent some messages to Jinhee, Seora, and Hannah and then warped Flone and I back.

Once more, the void, those powerful figures... But they didn't seem that great now.

Was it because my powers were increasing as well?

Either way, I managed to conceal us properly and arrived back in my room.

"Thanks for spending time with me, Jihu and showing me your world. I loved it." Flone smiled and gave me a hug.

I hugged her back, mixed feelings in my chest.

Before I could say anything though, Flone left with a tiny wave.

I sighed and then made my way downstairs. When I walked into the lobby, a voice called out to me. Maldong's.

"You're back already?" The old man looked up at me from his fedora and said, "That's a surprise."

I shrugged. "Flone wanted to head back, and I have a decent enough handle on the basics. Still need to test more, but I think I'll wait until we have a large chunk of time."

"Mm... That's good then. I just got back from talking with the leader of White Rose Guild."

I blinked. "White Rose? Already? Did Ian warp you there?"

Maldong shook his head. "Of course not. I used a communication crystal. It wouldn't be good for us to reveal all of our cards just yet."

I nodded. "That makes sense. It'd probably be best to wait for a big battle or something- Ah crap." I winced and said, "I just had to jinx it, huh...?"

Maldong laughed and slapped my shoulder. "Don't worry, Kid. I'm sure you'll be right in the thick of it to sort out whatever mess happens."

"...Hopefully. But what did they say then?"

Maldong leaned back and then stared into my eyes. "They want a meeting. We didn't set a time yet, but the leader insisted on wanting to meet you before talking about anything else."

"Is that so?" I placed my hand on my chin and said, "I guess he's probably wanting to probe me after my reputation from the Banquet."

Maldong nodded. "Obviously. It's not uncommon for events to get blown out of proportion as they pass through the various information organizations and reach the people. Though..." He gave me a sideways glance and said, "I suppose this is one of the rare cases where it understates the person in question."

"Which is even better for us."

"As long as you play your cards close to your chest." Maldong frowned. "I won't tell you how to act since you're the leader... but I'll still caution you to not be too rigid or overbearing."

"Mm. I understand. I'll play it by ear."

Maldong sighed. "...I guess that's as good as I can get." He shook his head and said, "Anyway... Since you're here, should I confirm the meeting details?"

I nodded. "The sooner the better. We shouldn't rest on our laurels after our big wave."

"Heh." Maldong nodded. "Guess I didn't need to ask then... I'll be back and then we'll head out."

"Got it."

xxx

A carriage ride on the way to Scheherazade.

Like Maldong said, it was probably best to hide the fact that I can show up anywhere and everywhere, so we were heading to meet the White Rose Guild the normal way.

For the most part, we stuck to ourselves. Maldong was engrossed with reading and making notes in a leather-bound journal. Probably reviewing candidate information.

While he did that, I focused on my own notes. Namely figuring out potential applications for my new powers and pondering on the new directions unlocked in Nine Eyes... Or rather, my 'Karmic Eyes of Destiny.'

I had quite a few ideas to test later. Things that should help all of us out down the road in the worst case scenario.

But when we hit the halfway point in the carriage ride, Maldong closed his book and looked up at me. "By the way. They made a request."

I drew myself out of my thoughts and nodded. "Alright... What was it?"

Maldong adjusted himself on his seat to be more comfortable and said, "They said they wanted today's meeting to be secret."

I frowned. "That's not a big deal... But why? Is there something to hide?" I paused.

Maldong shook his head. "I don't know. But they also requested for you to not mention anything about it to the siblings."

I narrowed my eyes. "That's really suspicious."

Maldong nodded. "It is... But it's pretty reasonable. Even sports teams don't always tell their athletes about contract negotiations."

"True... but it's fishy. My intuition's telling me that something's up."

While Maldong wasn't wrong, when it came to star players, a team would never let the player go without notice. I couldn't even imagine someone like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant being traded without knowing about it.

And while the Seol-Ah and Sungjin weren't quite star players, they were up and coming rookies with a lot of potential.

To not let them know...

"Hm." I placed my hand on my chin and said, "Coach... Do you know a lot about the White Rose Guild?"

"Hm? I do... But why are you asking?"

I looked up at him and said, "I'm sensing some internal conflict here. Is there a split leadership or something?"

If I was in charge of a team of up and coming rookies, I'd never trade them away. The future had too much potential to squander.

But White Rose was doing just that. And the only reason I could think of was someone going behind another person's back.

Maldong's eyes widened and then he chuckled. "You bastard. Figuring out that much just from one small piece of information... Looks like your status didn't lie."

"Well, I'm not too sure. But I have my guesses... And to me this just reads of trying to squeeze as much value out before cutting losses."

Kind of like what Defy Media did in the past to all those Content Creators.

Maldong froze and then frowned. "Cutting losses, you say? If you put it like that..." Maldong's eyes sharpened. "I see. It might be possible... That girl's too upright for it, but..." He shook his head. "We'll just have to see."

"Play by ear then... Alright. I can do that."

Maldong smirked. "Either way... That snakelike bastard's going to have a hard time of it if he's trying to use you."

"Hm?"

"...Nothing." Maldong chuckled. "But I'll leave it to you then. Let's see how far you can go, Emperor."

I froze and then groaned. "Goddammit. Who told you? Kazuki? Chohong? Hugo?"

"Who knows? I just heard it on the wind somewhere."

I sighed.

xxx

We arrived at Scheherazade on the second day, just as the sun reached the highest point in the sky. In other words, noon.

Maldong led the way since he knew where the White Rose's headquarter was. Well, I say 'led', but it was more us walking side by side.

Through the main street to the city center, past the commercial districts, and slightly to the west... and then we arrived.

"So this is it, huh?"

I stared at the building with a critical eye.

Unlike office buildings on Earth, White Rose's building wasn't a tower, but built like an actual rose. White petals with elegant lines and windows here and there... it definitely suited the organization using that building as their home.

It was also a lot bigger than our headquarters... but considering that I could probably create non-euclidean architecture with infinite rooms now that I had a better understanding of my power, that didn't mean much.

Since an escort was going to come get us, we waited by the front of the building. While there, Maldong glanced at me and murmured, "Try not too come off too domineering. We have a strong hand, but we're also in the midst of enemy territory."

"I know."

Hard to not realize that when I could see yellow light from all around... as well as an ominous crimson light from the palace in the distance.

As well as glowing azure and golden light.

Seeing that, I grit my teeth and forcibly let out a sigh to relax.

Roe Scheherazade... I didn't even want to think about what she was going through right now. If I did, I would have a hard time not marching straight there and ripping Sinyoung out from the roots.

But I had to be patient.

Seora was working on things back on Earth, and I had plans for Seohui. In the worst case, I could kill Seora's older sister... but after evolving Nine Eyes, I had a hypothesis I wanted to test first.

"Master Maldong? Mister Seol?" A man in a suit walked out of the entrance to receive us.

Maldong nodded and then looked at me. "Ready, Kid?"

I didn't reply, only nodding my head.

xxx

We were led around the back of the building and let in through a discreet backdoor.

It seemed like the leader was really being cautious in wanting to keep this a secret...

Eventually, up some stairs and past some hallways, we arrived at an office. And there, we were greeted by a crudely dressed man with glasses.

"Sir." He stood up and nodded at Maldong. "Thank you for coming all this way."

He didn't look malicious. With slight wrinkles around his mouth and a slender figure, he seemed more like a frazzled uncle than the snakelike person Maldong described him as.

Emphasis on 'seemed.'

Because while he looked harmless, the fact that he was flashing yellow showed that he definitely wasn't.

...I didn't feel like he was capable of harming me. But I had a feeling that life would get a lot more complicated if I wasn't careful around him.

Maldong nodded. "Mm. It wasn't that far of a journey."

"But I should have visited instead." The man smiled and then turned towards me. "Ah, and this friend is...?"

Maldong turned towards me, purposefully waiting.

Seeing that, the man's expression shifted a bit, calculations flashing in his eyes.

I smiled and held out my hand. "You can call me Seol."

The man shook my hand and nodded. "Mister Seol then! I'm the leader of White Rose, Bok Jungsik. Nice to meet you." He gestured towards a long table in the office room and said, "Please, let's sit first. There's someone else coming as well."

I ended the handshake and then walked over to the table to sit down.

Maldong sat beside me, but as he did, he turned to Bok Jungsik and said, "Who else is coming?"

Bok Jungsik sat down and smiled. "Who else could it be? It's someone that you know veeery well."

Maldong frowned. "That kid? Why's she coming?"

Bok Jungsik shrugged. "That's what I wanted to know. But since she refused to listen no matter what I said... I ask for your understanding."

A one-sided conversation. Despite making a show of being impressed with me, that guy was only talking with Maldong.

It irritated me a bit- No, I could honestly say it pissed me off.

But I remembered Maldong's words and reined myself in.

Let that guy think Maldong was running everything. In the end, I'd just pull the rug out from under him.

Suddenly, the sound of heels clicking against the floor rang out from outside.

Maldong winced and muttered, "Speak of the devil."

Bok Jungsik let out a bitter smile. "What do you mean a devil... You must have meant a thorny flower."

And as he said that-

"And who is this thorny flower you're talking about?"

-The door flung open, letting in a clear female voice.

I glanced over, curious on just who made Maldong react like that.

And then I had a weird sense of deja vu.

She was beautiful. Of that there was no doubt. But she also seemed familiar.

Long, flowing crimson hair. A lithe and well trained body, used to combat, but also one that didn't skimp on feminine charm. Unusual crimson hair... along with a face that looked like a mix between Western and Eastern features.

A beauty that could make a success as a model wherever she went.

And yet she was wearing leather armor and had a sword sheathed at her left side.

She let out a cold smile at Bok Jungsik and said, "Our leader must be all grown up now, learning to gossip behind my back like that."

Bok Jungsik coughed and held up his hand. "S-Sora. It's not like that..."

"Whatever." The beautiful woman... Apparently called Sora, brushed her hair aside and then turned to look at me and Maldong. She seemed to get a weird sense of deja vu as well looking at me as she paused a bit on my face, but when she saw Maldong, a bright smile bloomed.

"Grandpa!" She walked forward, an elegant stride that showed off her long slender legs, and stopped in front of Maldong. "It's been a while! Have you been well?"

"Yes."

I blinked.

...Did Maldong really not like her or something? I don't think he was even that curt to me when we were at each other's throats in the beginning...

Sora frowned. "What's with the cold response? It's been years since we last saw each other, you know?"

"It has. But can't you tell when you're being burdensome?" Maldong glanced at me, apparently pointing out a reason for her to stop. But while his head was turned, I also saw a faint bit of desperation in his gaze.

Since that was the case...

I waved my hand and said, "It's fine. She's involved in our talk too, isn't she?"

Maldong furrowed his brow. "True, but-"

"You heard the guy, Grandpa." Sora smiled and then turned towards me. "Though I'm surprised... From what I heard, I thought you'd be much more uptight."

I shrugged. "We're all friends here, aren't we? No point in being too formal, especially to Coach's friends."

"'Coach', huh?" Sora smiled, looking at Maldong with an amused look. "You let him get away with that, Grandpa?"

"He's earned it."

That made Sora curious and she stared at me with bright eyes. "That so?"

Bok Jungsik sighed and said, "Could you at least sit down, Sora? We can't talk like this."

"Fine, fine." Sora held up her hands and said, "Might as well go through the motions a bit." After that, she pulled out the chair to my left and sat down.

Bok Jungsik froze and then pointed at her. "Y-You!"

Sora blinked and let out an innocent smile. "Who, me?" She pointed to herself and said, "What'd I do?"

Maldong sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

As for me though... I smiled.

I didn't know the relationships between everyone or why they seemed so upset with her, but Sora seemed like a blast to hang around with.

Teasing, confident, and pretty straightforward. It was basically how I acted around Hannah, so I found it a bit nostalgic.

"Anyway." Sora turned to me and held out her hand. With a bright smile, she said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Phi Sora."

I nodded and took her hand. "Seol Jihu... Though you can call me Jihu. Nice to meet you, Sora."

"First name basis already? My, you're pretty confident aren't you?"

"Eh. It'll take more than a beautiful woman to throw me off my game."

Sora laughed and then threw her arm around my shoulder, leaning against me with her chest. After that, she looked at Maldong and said, "I like this guy, Grandpa! Where'd you find him?"

I chuckled and said, "It's more like I found Coach. Probably used up a bit of my life's fortune grabbing his attention."

Maldong let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm surprised you can say that with a straight face, Kid."

"Hm?" I tilted my head and said, "It's true, isn't it?"

"That's not what I meant... But I guess it doesn't matter." Maldong muttered.

Bok Jungsik adjusted his glasses and frowned. "Are you really going to be like this?"

"What now?"

"What- Don't play dumb!" The man narrowed his eyes and said, "Sit properly! Don't disturb our guests!"

Sora scoffed. "Oh please. I'm close with my Grandpa, and Jihu here doesn't mind." She leaned close to me, pressing her head against my shoulder and said, "Do you, Jihu?"

"I don't... but I think some other girls might. Would you mind stopping here?"

Sora blinked. "Other girls, huh? Fine, fine. Wouldn't want to step on any toes..." After that she leaned back and gave me a wink.

I smiled and blew her a kiss.

Sora laughed and then leaned back in her chair, smiling.

Bok Jungsik looked like his brain was going to explode from the interaction, completely thrown for a loop.

As for Maldong... My coach had completely given up on understanding and was just quietly sitting there.

Bok Jungsik rubbed his temple and then turned towards Maldong. "I apologize for today's mess."

Maldong shook his head. "It's fine. The kid doesn't mind, so it's alright. Though..." He glanced at me and Sora and said, "Considering your personalities, you two get along surprisingly well... Or maybe that's to be expected."

"Hm?" I blinked.

Sora frowned. "What are you trying to say, Grandpa?"

"Nothing." Maldong turned back to Bok Jungsik. "Go on."

"Yes. Then... Let's get straight to the point." lacing his hands on the table, he looked at Maldong and then glanced at me. "First, may I take this meeting as a sign of you being interested in the recruitment?"

And there it was. Straight to business.

Maldong rubbed his chin. "Mm..." He glanced at me.

I nodded and then looked at Bok Jungsik. "How are the kids doing?"

"P-Pardon?" Bok Jungsik blinked.

"It's been a while, so I'm curious if they're doing well. They were having a pretty hard time back in the Neutral Zone, so I'd like to know if they've been getting along well here."

"Ah." Bok Jungsik hesitated for a brief moment and said, "Yes. They're doing fine." After that he let out an awkward laugh.

"Great." I smiled and said, "Then do you mind if I have a chat with them over dinner later? I've got a lot to catch up on with my old friends."

A probing request. A somewhat dismissive tone followed by a casual response. A mood whiplash.

If they were really fine, then it'd be a natural transition in Bok Jungsik's reaction. But...

"Huh? That's... Well, go ahead. But after our discussion."

Another hesitation. As if he wanted to refuse, but quickly changed his mind.

There could be other reasons for that hesitation, of course. But my gut was telling me that something was up. Maybe not with the siblings themselves, but with the circumstances surrounding them.

"Anyway..." Bok Jungsik continued. This time, he looked at me and said, "Sir. I'm sure you're aware, but money is the most trustworthy thing in the transfer market. But you've mentioned that you currently don't have much in terms of funding." He glanced at Maldong for confirmation.

He nodded. "That's right."

It wasn't a lie. We really didn't have much in terms of funding 'right now.'

Of course, that could be fixed in a matter of minutes, but he didn't know that.

"In that case..." He looked at me and said, "I was wondering if you could show us any items of value that you might have. For example, the Wish you received at the Banquet?"

I narrowed my eyes.

Even so, Bok Jungsik continued. "The Harmonious Wish isn't something that can be traded, so that'd be difficult. Of course, the Dissonant Wish is also fine. The Banquet rewards are known to be of high quality and can't be bought even if one had money." He laughed, as if it wasn't a big deal.

I laughed as well. "My, my. You're asking for quite a lot for my dear friends."

Despite that lighthearted response, my eyes were cold.

But Bok Jungsik was shameless and simply smiled back. "Of course. No price is high enough to help your dear friends, is it?"

A subtle threat.

I smiled back. "Of course. But when I help my friends, the price isn't usually being paid by me. You know?"

Bok Jungsik laughed.

I laughed as well.

Maldong tensed, giving me subtle looks, as if trying to get me to stand down.

I didn't want to... but since they were apparently his friends, I decided to step back. Just this once.

"...I'm kidding." I let out a relaxed smile and said, "But that'll be hard. I don't have anything left from the Banquet."

"Huh?" Bok Jungsik blinked. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "I only got consumables from my wish and I used them all."

It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

I *did* use the elixir I got from the Dissonant Wish. But I used it by handing it over to Ian along with Prihi's Tears to see if it would help in his research. Of course, I could get it back whenever I wanted since I memorized the makeup, but he didn't need to know that.

"Oh." Bok Jungsik frowned. "What to do... I heard you found a lot of success at the Banquet, so I assumed you'd have some leftover harvest. It seems like it was my miscalculation."

Dishonest words that he didn't mean.

Even so, I played along and nodded. "I don't blame you. I think I was the only one who got a consumable item too, so it's not something you could have known."

"Mm..." Bok Jungsik hummed and said, "To be honest, Yi Seol-Ah and Yi Sungjin missed you very much."

"I can imagine. I did a lot for them back in the Neutral Zone."

Words that drew a bit of a line. Cold and a bit distant.

Bok Jungsik blinked, showing a hint of surprise at my reaction.

I rapped my fingers on the table, slowly growing impatient.

I understood what Maldong said now about Bok Jungsik being a snakelike guy.

Two-faced and insincere. Attempting to appeal to emotions. All the while, doing so to further his own interests.

...It reminded me a lot of those politicians I saw on TV.

And I HATED them.

Did he sense my shift in mood? Bok Jungsik coughed and turned to look at Maldong, probably deciding I wasn't going to budge.

But that pissed me off more.

...Should I arrange an 'accident'? Sora didn't seem too bad, but this guy...

Just then, Sora snorted and said, "How long are you going to keep this up?"

I glanced at her.

She looked bored, but I could see that she was just as irritated as I was.

Sora stared at Bok Jungsik and said, "Stop going around in circles and get it over with. They already know."

"S-Sora..." Bok Jungsik started to sweat more.

Sora sighed and then shook her hand. "Never mind. I'll do it instead. You've already spouted enough nonsense in front of my grandpa anyway." With that, she straightened and gave me an intent gaze.

...Ah. So that's how it was.

I met her gaze, but went over the information in my head.

It was like that. One was the 'leader' with charisma, talent, and power while the other was the 'administrator' who had all the data, information, and authority.

Here, the real leader was Sora while Bok Jungsik just kept the administrative work afloat. And I could see why.

Sora... was strong. While I had better stats, I had a feeling that she wouldn't lose out on me in skill. And from the calloused handshake I had earlier, she was someone used to combat as well.

In a straight fight, limited to just basic swordsmanship... I was sure of it. She was better than me.

As for Bok Jungsik... Well, he wasn't even worth mentioning.

Sora smiled and leaned against the table, holding her head up. "Jihu, Dear. I heard you were a problem-solver... No, a free lancer with a perfect track record."

I nodded. "I guess I've been called that... Why are you asking?"

She licked her lip and then smiled. "Dear... How about you work with me once?"

A simple request. One that didn't have much weight to it. And since it came from someone as strong as her, I was tempted to accept just to probe her strength.

But.

The moment she made that request...

Her body became covered in pitch black smoke. An inevitable and Fated Demise.

I resisted the urge to widen my eyes. Instead, I tilted my head and said, "Mm... I *am* a bit curious to play around with someone as fun as you... but I need a bit more to work with, you know?"

Sora laughed and said, "I knew I liked you. But no problem, Dear." She idly waved her free hand and said, "We've been crafting up a veeery intricate plan, you see? But it ended up becoming larger than we thought, so we need a few helping hands. And who else would be better than a man that got Grandpa's attention?"

"I see..." I nodded and stared at her, thinking about accepting. But even as I did, her Fated Demise didn't diminish at all.

Which meant that my presence wouldn't make a difference. And if someone as strong as her was in trouble...

Sora smiled and said, "As long as you say okay, you get to take your beloved Yi siblings with you." She lifted her chin up towards Bok Jungsik and said, "That man will take the responsibility of transferring them without a hitch."

From her words, it seemed like the meeting was her idea. And glancing over at Bok Jungsik's wry smile, it seemed that hypothesis was confirmed.

Except.

I could see it. A mask behind the mask. Bok Jungsik was lowering his head for now, but it was the same way that a snake lied in wait, or a tiger crouched to pounce.

And Sora wasn't aware of it.

...Ah. So that explained it.

I thought about helping Sora out again and observed Bok Jungsik. The moment I did, the man got covered in a bloody light. And not because his life was in danger. No, because it would be mine.

A trap. This entire thing was a trap.

I glanced at Maldong.

He frowned, pursing his lips.

It seemed that he sensed it was off too.

"Hmm..." Bok Jungsik shrugged. "Well, now that things are like this, I'll just tell you everything." He straightened and said, "A while back, I bought a piece of information concerning a ruin from an information guild. It was quite an exchange considering that we paid ten gold coins for that information."

Maldong's eyes widened. "That much?"

...Was that a lot?

I did a few mental calculations and then... Huh. That'd be around 50 billion Won... so around 40 million USD?

Wait.

In that case, if I did the math on how much money I handed over to Resa back then...

...

Oh. I guess it really was a bit overkill handing Teresa that much platinum. If one platinum was a hundred gold coins...

...Let's not think about it too much.

Bok Jung continued. "You might say we're crazy, but the broker prepared unquestionable proof. We also commissioned authoritative Magicians to verify the information, cross-referenced it with historical documents in the royal library, and deployed survey teams to the site under the consent of the broker. In short..." He adjusted his glasses. "The ruin definitely exists. And if the expedition succeeds, our initial investment of ten gold coins will be a drop in the bucket. And don't be surprised. Supposedly-"

Sora slammed her hand on the table and said, "How much more are you planning on telling them!?"

Bok Jungsik held up his hands. "Okay, okay." He turned towards me and said, "Anyway, that's the situation. I know it's an unprecedented and unique transfer condition, but as the guild's fate is at stake, I ask for your understanding. In addition..."

I tuned him out.

It wasn't too important. After that spiel, he just threw in some more bait. Things like transferring the siblings even if the expedition failed. A considerable commission fee befitting Carpe Diem's standard, veto ability given to me and Maldong...

After that, he made an emotional appeal to Maldong. Something about how Bok Jungsik wanted to repay his debt to Maldong and so giving all those benefits.

Silence. Everyone waiting on my response.

Sora got fed up and rapped her fingers on the table. Staring at me, she said, "Are you in or out?"

I stared at her, contemplating. Particularly, I stared at the ominous dark veil surrounding her when she talked about the expedition.

And when I thought about joining...

For the first time in a while, an ominous red color emerged around me.

My eyes widened and I shook my head. "I refuse."

"Huh...? What?" Sora narrowed her eyes. "You won't participate?"

Bok Jungsik quickly leaned forward and said, "Please reconsider! Is there a condition you aren't satisfied with?"

"If I say it's because I don't like you, would that suffice?"

Bok Jungsik froze.

Maldong gave me a warning look.

Sora quickly glared at Bok Jungsik.

Before things got out of hand, I laughed. "I'm just kidding. More seriously..." I frowned and said, "That place isn't one we should enter."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Nonsense... Yeah. I guess it'd seem that way." I placed my hand on my chin. "It's only my intuition... but my intuition hasn't failed me once since coming here. If you go... No, even if I go, the only person walking out of there would be me. And it'd be a close call."

Maldong's eyes widened and then he put on a grim face. "Is that true, Jihu?"

Seeing that he called me by name, it seemed like Maldong realized the situation.

I glanced at him and nodded. "It is. And that's considering everything 'else' too."

Maldong's face grew darker and he clenched his hands against the table.

Sora noticed and then clicked her tongue. "Tch. I thought we were similar, Dear. But it looks like I misread you." She shook her head and said, "It was stupid of me to expect anything from one who hangs around with the two idiots in the first place."

She stared at me and said, "I thought you'd be different based on those rumors, but it seems I wasted my time. Don't bother. We won't ever ask you again, so don't you dare come back spitting bullshit about how you've suddenly changed your mind or something!" Letting out those words like a machine gun, Sora jumped to her feet and stomped away. As she reached the door, she glanced back at Bok Jungsik and said, "Choose who to reach out to carefully before arranging a meeting next time! What is this bullshit, really?!"

Sora grumbled and then kicked the door open, cursing all the way out.

Bok Jungsik sighed.