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By the time Go Yeon-ju arrived, everything had already ended. She had sensed it even before she got close—no more of the chaotic noises that usually echoed from the battlefield.
Still, despite running breathlessly, Yeon-ju’s heart sank as she took in the tear-soaked scene before her.
Ahn Hyun was silently sobbing, clutching his arm so tightly it looked like it might break.
An Sol stood dazed, muttering to himself over and over.
Lee Yoo-jung was wailing uncontrollably, face down on the ground.
Jung Ha-yeon sat slumped, stunned, staring blankly at the floor.
“No way…”
She realized Kim Soo-hyun was nowhere to be seen. Many clan members were missing, but the absence of Soo-hyun hit her hardest. Bracing herself, Yeon-ju slowly approached the others.
“We couldn’t stop it… we couldn’t stop it…”
An Sol repeated the same phrase like a broken record, as if he’d lost his mind. Surprised that An Sol was even conscious, Yeon-ju was about to ask what had happened when a desperate cry came from the right.
“Let go! Let go! Soo-hyun, Soo-hyun!”
Turning her head, Yeon-ju saw two scenes unfold simultaneously.
Several users were desperately restraining someone, pleading with them.
And there was Kim Yoo-hyun, struggling fiercely, arms flailing as he tried to break free. The cold, composed demeanor he once had was gone, replaced by a wild, desperate rage.
An Sol kept muttering to himself, oblivious to everything else. Feeling she couldn’t just stand there, Yeon-ju glanced away and spotted Je-gal Hae-sol standing alone off to the side. Her eyes narrowed instinctively.
‘Why is that kid here?’
Je-gal Hae-sol had reverted from the form of Pyo Hye-mi back to her original self. Helena’s sacrifice—offering herself as a sacrifice and disappearing from this world—had nullified the polymorph effect. The battle had just ended, and the shock was so great that no one had noticed yet.
Yeon-ju didn’t know the full story of why Je-gal Hae-sol was here, but it was clear that if anyone found out, it wouldn’t be good. She hurried over and wrapped her shadow around the girl.
“Ah?”
Je-gal Hae-sol let out a faint whimper as the shadow enveloped her.
“What happened here?”
“This… this?”
Je-gal Hae-sol looked lost for words. Yeon-ju pressed her to explain the battle, and only then did the real Je-gal Hae-sol cautiously begin to speak.
“So….”
She told her about Kim Soo-hyun’s near-death state—the fleeting moment of clarity before fading away—and how Helena’s sacrifice had pulled Soo-hyun and Kim Han-byul into some kind of space.
“Ah…”
Hearing this, Yeon-ju felt the first real sting of despair. Even though she had prepared herself, it still felt like a knife twisting in her chest. She couldn’t believe it.
From the very first meeting, Kim Soo-hyun had shown incredible power. Sometimes he crushed enemies with overwhelming force; other times, he neutralized threats in ways no one expected. He had turned around crises that seemed impossible to overcome.
Sure, the clan had helped, but Soo-hyun was always the center of it all.
Yes. That was the case…
Then, suddenly—
“Everyone… clear the battlefield…”
A calm voice rang out. Yeon-ju turned to see Han So-young giving the order to clean up. Her usually expressionless face looked even colder today, like a biting winter wind. The command was merciless, but no one dared to argue.
Because it was only natural. It was more important to rescue the wounded and save the living than to chase after those missing or dead.
Still, the mercenary clan members didn’t move—or maybe they couldn’t. They just couldn’t accept the truth: Kim Soo-hyun was gone.
In that moment, Yeon-ju forced herself to face reality.
The problem wasn’t just now. The mercenary clan had always been a centralized group, with Soo-hyun as their anchor. Without him, it was obvious the clan’s future would be in jeopardy. They had to start worrying about what would come next.
“This can’t go on.”
With that thought, Yeon-ju told Je-gal Hae-sol to stay put, then gritted her teeth and shouted,
“Lee Yoo-jung! Stop crying and get up!”
Yoo-jung looked up, startled, tears still streaming like a child’s.
“How long are you all going to just stand there? Get up, now!”
For once, Yeon-ju raised her voice. Slowly, the stunned clan members began to snap out of their shock.
She let out a short sigh and bit her lower lip. From a distance, the users who had quietly backed away were now cautiously approaching.
Clatter, clatter…! Clatter, clatter…!
—Attention passengers, attention passengers—
When I opened my eyes to the faint announcement, my vision was blurry. I instinctively blinked a few times, and the hazy world slowly came into focus. I remembered reporting for discharge and happily boarding the train, but I must have dozed off.
“Yaaawn~ Did I drink too much at the discharge party last night…?”
When I left the base, I was too excited about finally being discharged to notice, but after a good sleep, the hangover hit me hard. Normally, I hate feeling like my head’s about to split, but today, this hangover didn’t feel so bad. In fact, I felt like I could laugh off anything that happened today. Because today was the day I got out!
—Next stop, Seoul Station, Seoul Station. We will be arriving shortly—
Just as I was about to get excited, the announcement continued in my ear. After a deep sleep, I was almost at Seoul Station. I’d splurged on a KTX first-class seat to celebrate, and it was so comfortable I lost track of time.
‘This is why money’s nice.’
I thought that silly thought, glanced out the window, and then confidently stood up. Since the train entrance would get crowded when we disembarked, I planned to get out early and wait.
Just as I was about to step into the aisle—
“Huh?”
I stopped. There was a woman sitting right next to me. I didn’t remember anyone sitting there when I boarded or when the train left. Wait, wasn’t this a non-stop train? Or was it? I was suddenly confused.
I was about to edge forward, but my gaze was drawn to the woman beside me. She was stunning—someone you wouldn’t see just anywhere.
Her hair was a soft light brown, silky and flowing; long, delicate eyelashes framed her eyes; her cheeks had a gentle peachy glow; her lips were full and inviting… and her expression was so kind it made me want to wrap her in a warm embrace. Like a fragile, pure flower. And above all, her chest was so prominently shaped it was impossible to ignore.
“Eughh…”
At that moment, a strained sound came from the seat across the aisle. Looking up, I saw an elderly woman standing on tiptoe, struggling to pull down her luggage. I carefully stepped around the woman beside me and quickly helped the grandmother with her bag.
“Ma’am, is this your luggage?”
She nodded with a gentle smile.
“Yes, yes. Thank you so much…”
“No problem. It wasn’t hard at all.”
“Oh my, such a strong young man with a kind heart. My granddaughter’s just over there, sleeping soundly…”
“Huh?”
I scratched my head, smiling, when the grandmother clicked her tongue and gathered her things. Curious, I asked, and she said, “That girl, that girl,” gesturing toward the seat across from us—where I had been sitting earlier.
…Wait. Does that mean?
“Hyun-ah, we’re almost there! Get up, you lazybones! …Yoo-hyun!”
The grandmother called out repeatedly, and the woman named Yoo-hyun suddenly jolted awake. She blinked sleepily, glanced around, and then locked eyes with me. Okay. So, this is a staring contest… or not.
‘What’s going on?’
Her eyes, so innocent and pure, looked at me with a strange, lingering gaze. Suddenly, the excitement from my discharge faded. An odd, uneasy feeling crept over me. I wondered if it was guilt from the impure thoughts I’d had earlier about her chest, but no—that wasn’t it. This indescribable sensation kept washing over me, gripping my whole body.
In the end, I couldn’t bear the feeling any longer and quickly looked away. Without hesitation, I dashed down the corridor and slipped out the entrance. For a moment, I heard my grandmother calling after me, but I shut the door swiftly and moved on to the next car. I didn’t know why, but I just felt like I had to do this.
“Phew…”
Only after passing one car and reaching the next entrance was I finally able to catch my breath. Luckily, the train was pulling into a station, so I didn’t have to wait long before I could get off.
‘She was really a strange woman.’
No, maybe she wasn’t strange at all. She had just been sitting quietly, and it was only me who had overreacted. Either way, since things had come to this, I figured it was best to forget it quickly. Taking a deep breath to clear my head, I tilted my face up.
But just as I looked up at the sky, a few raindrops hit my lips. I realized the sky was now filled with dark clouds. When I left the base, the weather had been clear, but now it had turned gloomy. Great—cold winter wind and rain. Just perfect.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!
Soon, the rain started pouring down hard from the overcast sky. The station quickly became bustling. Like some others, I thought about going into the convenience store to buy an umbrella, but seeing the huge crowd, I gave up. I’m not exactly fond of getting wet, but… why do these raindrops keep falling only on my lips?
Grumbling, I wiped my mouth repeatedly, but then decided to think of it as the sky’s way of congratulating me on my discharge—a kiss from the rain. Yeah, that’s it. If I’m already having silly thoughts like this, it means I’m definitely over that weird feeling from earlier.
I chuckled quietly to myself and closed my eyes. Then, a scene from a movie flashed through my mind, and wanting to imitate it, I spread my arms wide and closed my eyes again. People might call me ridiculous, but I didn’t care today. I felt like I could handle any embarrassing situation.
Lick… lick…
The rain kept falling steadily. Since it was still landing only on my lips, maybe my thought wasn’t so crazy after all. Even now, the raindrops were gently licking my mouth…
‘Huh? The raindrops are licking me?’
Lick, lick… lick, lick…
It was definitely true. The rain was licking me. But that made no sense. How could raindrops lick me? Or were they flowing? As I focused, the drops running down my lips didn’t feel cold—they felt warm. Warm raindrops?
Suddenly, I felt a jolt of clarity. It was the same sensation I’d had waking up from that strange sleep on the train. Forgotten memories stirred awake, slowly rising to the surface.
‘Right. Now I remember. That woman earlier…’
Meanwhile, the rain continued to taste my lips, and at the same time, I felt a soothing warmth spread across the back of my neck. It was a sweet, comforting sensation. If I stayed like this with my eyes closed, I might fall asleep. But the strange feeling on my lips made me uneasy. Finally, I opened my eyes just a crack.
“…”
What met my eyes wasn’t the sky I’d seen at the station. Instead, it was a thick cascade of hair, flowing like molten lava. Then, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me hard.
“Ugh!”
I twisted my body reflexively, and the strange sensation on my lips vanished for a moment. But I had no time to dwell on it. A fierce pain exploded in my head, and I writhed in agony.
After some time passed and the dizziness slowly faded…
“Are you awake now?”
A familiar voice quietly echoed in my ears. When I opened my eyes, still squinting from the pain, I couldn’t help but feel dazed. The thick hair I’d seen earlier was gone, replaced by something red and tongue-like, growing larger as it approached my field of vision.
And then, just moments later…
“Heh heh.”
Between beautiful lips, a tongue peeked out.
Lick!
It gently licked my mouth.
“…?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
The Duke of Hell was licking Kim Soo-hyun vividly.
Long time no see, readers! I just dropped a cliffhanger right away! Haha.
Anyway, enough talk—Season 3 side story starts now.
To the battlefield!