The moonlight bathed her skin, making it glow like porcelain coated in milk. Her eyes, reflecting the blue lunar glow, locked onto mine. I returned her gaze, and after a few blinks, we sat in silence, each assessing the other.
I took a seat across from her, knowing full well who she was—Lee Hyo-eul. Despite her composed exterior, she seemed flustered, a stark contrast to her usual demeanor. As I studied her face, a chill ran down my spine. Her expression wasn’t insincere, but her eyes were as cold as ice.
“Interesting. Seems like she’s been through her share of battles.”
As the Guardian of the Northern Continent, she must have faced numerous challenges.
Name: Lee Hyo-eul (8th Year)
Class: ① Guardian of the Northern Continent: Active ② Normal Mage: Inactive
Nation: Barbara
Clan: Haemil (Rank: B Plus)
True Name & Nationality: Guide of Light · South Korea
Sex: Female (27)
Height & Weight: 168.7cm · 49.3kg
Alignment: True Neutral
[Strength 35(-12)] [Endurance 50(-13)] [Agility 58(-11)] [Stamina 28(-11)] [Magic 92(-7)(+3)] [Luck 99]
(No remaining stat points.)
“She’s recovered a bit.”
I reminded myself of her player status, ensuring I stayed on guard.
“This can’t be… Who are you…?”
Lee Hyo-eul stammered, still visibly shaken. I calmly took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply before exhaling a long plume of smoke.
“So, you wanted to talk. What business does an angel’s lackey have with me?”
The smoke twisted into strange shapes before dissipating, revealing her face once more. The earlier confusion had melted away, replaced by a soft smile. Her eyes curved gently, and her lips formed a delicate arc.
“What do you mean by that…?”
Her voice was higher, more composed now, no longer stuttering. I had a rough idea why she sought me out, and I wanted to avoid any tedious back-and-forth. So, I cut straight to the chase.
“No need to pretend you don’t know, lackey.”
“Ha, you speak so coldly, just like your brother Kim Yoo-hyun. And could you stop calling me a lackey? It’s quite annoying.”
Her witty retort made me chuckle. She ran her fingers through her hair, then rubbed the back of her head with a sigh.
“Why is everything so complicated… Anyway, I should thank you for saving my life. Thanks. Though I didn’t appreciate the informal speech and being called a lackey, I’ll let it slide since you’re my savior.”
“You started with the informal speech, and as for being a lackey, it’s the truth.”
Technically, all players, including Lee Hyo-eul, could be considered lackeys to some extent. But I chose not to voice that thought. I wanted to be cautious about what I said, given her status as the Guardian of the Northern Continent.
”…You have a way of getting under my skin.”
“Let’s skip the small talk and get to the point.”
She rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement.
“Alright, then. Why did you want to see me?”
“It’s simple. I was curious. I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately, and I wanted to see for myself. Ever since I saw the promotional records from Mule, I thought something was off. I wanted to investigate further…”
”…….”
“Don’t look at me like that. You seem to know a bit about me, but from my perspective, how could I not be curious? You’re uncovering ruins every month, your clan is filled with secretive and rare members, you know I’m the Guardian of the Northern Continent, and you display skills uncharacteristic of a first-year player. Even when I asked the angels, they just said something about Tanay and that they couldn’t disclose anything, but they encouraged me to befriend you and offer help. Wouldn’t you be curious in my position?”
It was clear she hadn’t come here on a whim. She must have done her homework on me, though it seemed she hadn’t uncovered much. I flicked the ash from my cigarette and shrugged.
“If the angels didn’t tell you, why would I?”
“I had a few strategies in mind. I planned to use my unique abilities to learn more about you and reveal my status as a Guardian to impress you. I even thought about trying to win you over… But my abilities were thwarted by your mysterious powers, and you already knew I was a Guardian. So, what’s your secret? How did you block a Guardian’s exclusive abilities?”
She was refreshingly candid and curious. Her questions were understandable from a player’s perspective, but they were her concerns, not mine. I responded with a smirk, which made her pout.
“Fine. Just answer this one thing. How did you know I was the Guardian of the Northern Continent? It’s crucial, so I’d appreciate an answer.”
“Who knows.”
“Please. If you tell me, I’ll answer one question of yours in return.”
It was a tempting offer. After a moment’s thought, I nodded.
“I just knew. And didn’t you already check with your angel? If there was an issue, they would have taken action. It seems like everything’s fine, so that’s that.”
”…Gabriel asked me to remind you to keep the secret and that they’re waiting. What does that mean?”
“Now it’s my turn to ask.”
“Ugh, this is driving me crazy.”
For the first time, her face twisted in frustration, and she bit her lip. Ignoring her reaction, I calmly posed my question.
“What is your relationship with my brother?”
Lee Hyo-eul, who had been sulking, suddenly burst into laughter. I knew why she found it amusing, but this was the most pressing issue for me. Depending on her feelings towards my brother, I would decide whether to keep her alive, eliminate her, or consider cooperation.
“Pfft. Like brother, like brother. Anyway, to answer your question… I’ve been a Guardian for seven years now. The most recent player I chose to guide was your brother. Though ‘recent’ was two years ago.”
”……?”
“It’s rare for a Guardian to stay in one place for two years. Usually, it’s a year at most. But Kim Yoo-hyun must be valuable enough that the angels haven’t objected. Though that’s coming to an end. My personal choice played a big part in staying. After all, I’m just a woman at heart.”
“I see.”
Her comment about it ending soon caught my attention, but I responded calmly.
“Honestly, if I could quit now, I would. But I can’t. There’s no successor… Damn old hag.”
She crossed her arms and sighed, shaking her head. Then, she gave me a curious look.
“You know, we might end up as in-laws, so can I ask one more question? You can ask one too.”
“I can’t agree with the in-law part, but go ahead with the question.”
“Great. Just answer yes or no. Are you a new Guardian?”
“No.”
My immediate response left her visibly disappointed. It seemed she had some expectations.
“My turn again. I heard you’re planning a significant gathering soon.”
“Hmm? Yes, but it won’t be that big. Just inviting those who know me.”
“Figures. So, let me ask, how far along are you with your plans? And what’s your goal?”
”?”
She tilted her head, confused. Realizing I needed to narrow the scope, I clarified.
“Recently, the Starlight Clan moved to Monica. They used to operate in Halo but were scouted by Istantel Low.”
“Oh, wow. So-young must have slipped up… No, wait. It doesn’t matter much since we’re about to make a move anyway.”
Lee Hyo-eul finally seemed to catch on, her eyes widening like a startled rabbit before she broke into a mysterious smile and started babbling. Well, it wasn’t exactly nonsense. She mentioned something about a “mistake” and “it won’t matter much if it blows up.” It seemed she had realized I had asked two questions at once and was cleverly dodging them. It was as if she was saying she’d answer both, which made me think she was quite the unpredictable character.
“And as for the purpose… this might take a while to explain. But hey, since you’re a gentleman and all, consider it a special service. You do know your godmother was murdered, right?”
“I do.”
“Geez, such a stiff response. Anyway, personally, I found a lot of things suspicious about her death. So I started investigating, but as you know, I ended up in a near-death situation. Thanks to you, I survived, but when I woke up, everything had already gone haywire. Just when I was pondering what to do, you showed up with those vagrants. The purpose of the summons is those vagrants you brought. Oh, and just to be clear, I’m not trying to take away your authority. It’s a genuine request.”
“Investigating the suspicious circumstances?”
My brother had said it happened while exploring ruins. But Hyo-eul’s story was different. This left two possibilities: either she was lying, or there were reasons she couldn’t disclose.
I tried to keep my thoughts hidden as I spoke quietly.
“So you’re saying the vagrants killed the godmother?”
“Smart, aren’t you? Yeah, something about it just doesn’t sit right. When you connect it to the current situation, it reeks. Honestly, I desperately needed a vagrant, and you brought Baek Se-yeon, who’s practically a top-level insider. She probably knows a lot. If my hunch is right, she might have even been involved in the godmother’s murder.”
After talking for a while, Hyo-eul paused to rub her lips, then clasped her hands together gently and continued.
“Oh, right. I was getting ahead of myself. You’ll join the second summons, won’t you? Kim Yoo-hyun will be there too, of course.”
I wasn’t sure why that mattered, but I looked at Hyo-eul calmly. Her thoughts seemed to align with mine. Or maybe it was more accurate to say they matched my memories. I couldn’t fully trust her yet, but today’s conversation confirmed one thing: I was glad I had healed her.
After a moment of reflection, I made a decision with a satisfied smile.
For now, I’ll let her live.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Sorry for being five minutes late today. Since the semester started, my routine’s been all over the place. Haha. Oh, and I’m planning to replace the photo of Go Yeon-joo in the announcement soon. I’ve asked the artist to make the outfit a bit more modest. :) Also, those of you with sharp eyes might have picked up on something in today’s chapter. If you did, please keep it to yourself for the sake of others. Thank you. (__)
『 Reader Comments 』
AngmaCheorida: Congrats on being first! Is it really that person? Haha. :) If so, it was a pleasure meeting you!
TrueEyes: Yes! Here’s my comment for you. Bowing! (__)
WolyaSuwol: Think of it like the curse of Hwajeong and Bansi. Not all abilities are the same. :)
KkumSokUiHwalro: Hmm. It’s hard to compare since they serve different purposes, but if you consider them complete, think of Hwajeong as greater than the Third Eye.
TaeyangDalGeuRiGoByeol: Right. Lee Hyo-eul has enough influence to cover both the South and East. I’ll reveal more in the upcoming summons.
Podytop: Lee Hyo-eul wasn’t in Kim Soo-hyun’s memories. In the first timeline, she died because she couldn’t break the curse of Bansi, and Kim Soo-hyun joined his brother’s clan much later. If you’re curious about the continent’s guardian, I recommend revisiting the conversation between Simon and the vagrant leader. :)
YuriKenNe: Isn’t Hyo-eul’s name pretty? Haha. I think Soo-hyun’s name suits the meaning of “shining.”
Rephil: I can confidently say the Third Eye is an OP ability. Haha.
J.F: In Soo-hyun’s case, he’s currently the master of the sword. So he’s loved by all the swords. Haha.
Seokyangs: I was enjoying it until the middle, then suddenly the male lead seemed to be lying there bleeding, which shocked me. -_-a And at the end, I caught a glimpse and was startled again, thinking he was holding his neck. ㅜ.ㅠ
Thank you for always reading. Your recommendations and comments are a great support.
I hope you always read with a relaxed mind.
Recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.