The atmosphere around us shifted dramatically. The once fluid flow of magic had suddenly solidified, like a stone embedded in the ground. This was a result of my interference—a technique that twisted the flow of magic to create a space similar to a block field.

“Wow…”

Myeong-ah looked around in awe as the noise gradually subsided. She seemed to grasp the nature of the ability quickly, proving she wasn’t entirely clueless.

Suppressing a chuckle, I spoke softly, “Be careful with your words, no matter when or where. If people find out you’re a Guardian, it could get complicated.”

“Thank you… Wait, you knew?”

Myeong-ah bowed politely, then looked up in surprise.

I nodded. “I had my suspicions. Yi Hyo-eul’s behavior was a bit off.”

“Gasp!”

“What’s with the gasp? I only confirmed it just now.”

“So, it’s my fault… What should I do…”

Seeing her crestfallen expression, I resisted the urge to give her a playful smack on the head and instead gently patted her. I didn’t want her to start crying again.

“It’s fine. I knew the previous Guardian, so it’s not a big deal. I’ll keep your secret.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Promise.”

When I hooked my pinky with hers, Myeong-ah looked relieved. Her face brightened instantly, showing she was someone who trusted easily and whose emotions changed quickly. With that settled, I decided to get back to the main topic.

“Now, about what you said earlier—asking me to give up.”

“Oh, that… But…”

“Think about it. I haven’t heard anything from the angels. If you suddenly ask me to give up, what am I supposed to think? I need to know something to decide whether to help or not.”

“But… I’m a Guardian… I have to keep secrets…”

“Of course, but you don’t have to tell me everything. Just what you can. Or do you want to leave it at that? I don’t mind either way.”

Myeong-ah shook her head vigorously, clearly not wanting that.

After a long pause, she finally bowed her head deeply and exclaimed, “Then, please give up!”

Instead of covering my face with my hands, I looked at her intently. Her half-visible face was filled with anxiety, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

“Give up? What exactly should I give up on?”

“Well, it’s…”

“If it’s difficult, you can skip it. So, by obtaining something unknown from the angels, would it cause some disadvantage to all of you?”

“Yes, not everyone, but a certain brother I know would be greatly disadvantaged. If things continue like this… he’ll be abandoned!”

“Abandoned? Who is this brother?”

“Uh…”

“How many years has he been a user?”

“Two years.”

Myeong-ah answered my questions like an obedient younger sister, though she was vague about things she found hard to say.

Then, suddenly, a strong vibration echoed from somewhere. As I looked around, I saw Myeong-ah hurriedly reach into her pocket.

What she pulled out was a small stone fragment, similar to a summoning stone. Her face turned pale, indicating the urgency of the situation.

“Is that a summons from the temple? Your angel, perhaps?”

Myeong-ah’s eyes darted to me, filled with surprise as if she’d seen a ghost. When the vibration sounded again, she cautiously spoke.

“Can I go? It’s never rung twice before. It must be urgent.”

“Did you think I was holding you hostage?”

“S-sorry. I’ll go now. I think I need to hurry.”

“Enough with the apologies. It was nice meeting you today.”

I had anticipated an interruption, which is why I had rushed the conversation a bit.

I chuckled lightly. With a stomp, the solidified magic flow returned to normal, and the surrounding noise gradually resumed.

Myeong-ah stood up slowly, still looking anxious, then hesitated before turning and running off in the direction of Barbara’s temple.

The day when the Inn of Beginnings would be activated was fast approaching.

About ten days left, perhaps?

The mercenaries had secured two entry tickets—one for training and one for a special instructor. Each instructor could bring an assistant, allowing four people to enter.

The selections were already made. Ha-yeon would be the training instructor, and I would take the special instructor role after the sixth week.

Traveling to and from Magia would take eight weeks, but I was confident we wouldn’t be late. If we could activate the warp gate upon arrival, we’d have about two weeks to spare.

With that in mind, I focused on the man speaking in a calm voice.

“As you requested, we’ve included Helena and Vivian in the team heading to the ancient magic city of Magia. The other members are users Heo Jun-young, Seon Yu-un, Nam Da-eun, Kim Han-byeol, Lee Yoo-jung, and An Sol, making a total of eight. Two residents interested in space-time have also been recruited.”

“You managed to recruit residents? Even with me, that’s eleven people. Is that okay?”

“Yes. The area has been cleared once before, and our clan’s reputation helped. Considering individual capabilities, the lineup isn’t excessive.”

“I see. How are the other matters progressing?”

Jo Seung-woo paused, flipping through his notes, then handed me a page with a friendly smile.

“Istanter Low has officially responded. They’ve accepted our request. Helena has finished the coordinate calculations, so we can depart as planned tomorrow.”

“Good. Thank you for the report.”

“Thank you. Oh, and there’s something odd I heard…”

“Something odd?”

Just as I was about to dismiss him, Jo Seung-woo continued, still smiling but with a hint of suppressed laughter.

“They say when a woman sulks, it lasts longer than you’d think. With the Istanter Low Lord participating as a special instructor, they suggested you seize the opportunity… Not that I fully understand. Haha.”

”…Who was the messenger?”

“Yeon Hye-rim, known as the Execution Princess.”

”…”

“You’re quite fortunate, Clan Lord.”

“Your nonsense has improved.”

I shot him a sharp look, and Jo Seung-woo quickly retreated, laughing and waving his hands before disappearing from the office.

Left alone, I sighed as I looked at the document stamped with Istanter Low’s seal. Yeon Hye-rim’s words lingered in my mind.

In the first round, she rarely sulked, and when she did, I would brush Han So-young’s hair, which always worked. But things were different now.

“This could be troublesome.”

I scratched my head and shook it vigorously, frustrated by the unnecessary distraction.

Finally, I sank into my chair and gazed at the ceiling, glancing at a shadowy corner.

“You’re welcome to come out now.”

As I spoke, a figure emerged from the shadows, gathering clothes as she approached.

“Ta-da.”

With a playful “ta-da,” Go Yeon-ju appeared.

“What’s with the ‘ta-da’? Please put on some clothes. It’s embarrassing.”

“Hoho. Why? Wasn’t it thrilling?”

I shook my head firmly, indicating a definite “no.” As I glanced at her nearly unclothed state, I pointed to the clothes scattered on the floor. Go Yeon-ju pouted but obediently began to put her clothes back on.

“Please, try to consider how awkward this is for me. Anyway, let’s get dressed and hear what you’ve found out.”

“Ugh, I’m just your information shuttle, aren’t I? You know, the Go Yeon-ju Terrier gets really upset without affection. If you want to keep me around, you better remember that!”

”…I refuse to think of you as a puppy.”

“Woof?”

In truth, before Cho Seung-woo walked in, I was already getting a report from Go Yeon-ju. After meeting Maeng Ah-ra three days ago, I had some personal inquiries to make.

I had tasked her with finding out everything about Jin Soo-hyun, but the problem was her reporting style. Ever since she tried it once and found it amusing, she had taken to stripping during her reports, which was more than a little awkward. Then, Cho Seung-woo barged in, and chaos ensued.

Anyway.

Once Go Yeon-ju was fully dressed, I spoke calmly.

“So… where were we?”

“I was just about to say how impressed I was with Soo-hyun’s… Alright, alright, I’ll stop glaring. Ahem. I think I mentioned that I didn’t find much.”

“Sounds about right. Go on.”

“Well, that’s pretty much it. Aside from a few trivial details, I couldn’t find any substantial information on the user named Jin Soo-hyun. Even those details were quite fragmented.”

Go Yeon-ju looked a bit embarrassed, but I nodded. I had suspected it might be difficult to uncover anything, even as I gave the order.

Given her unparalleled skills in stealth and infiltration, Go Yeon-ju could break into any clan and extract crucial information if she wanted. So, failing to track a single user’s movements seemed implausible.

Unless there was one possibility…

“Even trivial details are fine.”

“Um, it seems his recent residence was in Mule. A young man would occasionally visit a shop for supplies and then leave the city again. I got this from a guard at the north gate, who thought he might be heading to the Forest of Shadows.”

“The Forest of Shadows… And what about the Mage Hunter Clan?”

“Same story. The clan office dodged my questions, and when I tried sneaking in at night, I found nothing. It’s strange, isn’t it? They acted like they knew something but had no records.”

It was clear the angels were meddling.

Indeed, no matter how extraordinary Go Yeon-ju’s abilities were, if the angels decided to intervene, information gathering would be restricted. This was the only logical conclusion.

Since the angels had caught on, obtaining more information seemed unlikely.

But that was fine. From the moment Maeng Ah-ra mentioned a revelation, I had suspected the Seraphs were involved in this plan. At least, there would be no harm. Angels couldn’t intentionally harm their assigned users, and the Seraphs had never caused me any trouble, despite our differences.

Of course, from the angels’ perspective, this was quite subjective. Recalling the first cycle, the outcome wasn’t always favorable, so I wasn’t about to let my guard down until their intentions were clear.

In any case, with all the clues gathered, all that remained was to piece them together and make deductions. Even if my guesses were off, I needed time to think.

“That’s really all I have. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

Go Yeon-ju looked genuinely apologetic as she leaned in for a hug… though why she was hugging me while apologizing was beyond me.

Still, I couldn’t just push her away, so I patted her back gently.

“No, it’s fine. You did your best, Go Yeon-ju. Thanks for the information. You did well.”

“As long as that’s okay… But Soo-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you leaving tomorrow?”

I nodded, confirming her question, and Go Yeon-ju smiled brightly.

“Then shouldn’t you visit at least once? No matter how busy you are.”

Visit? Where?

I looked at Go Yeon-ju, puzzled.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Ah, I’ve been running late a lot lately. I’m sorry. (__)

Today, it was for a very personal reason. I was reading a novel on Joara Cast, and it was so captivating that I lost track of time. I ended up savoring each line, not wanting it to end. -_-a

If you have time, I recommend checking it out. It’s by author Bichu, titled “Team name: Goblin.” :)

Oh, and many of you have been speculating about this part. There’s a 50% answer in this chapter. You don’t need to overthink it like the Shadow War arc. Just consider it a preparation phase before the Iron Mountain journey.

PS. Please stop teasing! If this keeps up, Han So-young might end up just watching Kim Soo-hyun with longing eyes. Hahaha. (?)