“A person came from the association.”
It was Gamaltera, a member of the Sip River, who was said to have made a contract with the Earth Spirit King, who woke the three exhausted and depressed.
The skinny and nervous-looking man, as if looking at a twisted wire and barbed wire, scratched his eyebrow with his finger.
“Looking at your face, it looks like you have failed.”
“… What about the other kids?”
Instead of answering Gamaltera’s words, Ahn Joo-hyuk avoided answering by stealing his wet forehead.
As if that alone was enough of an answer, Gamaltera spoke in a very clerical and subtly annoyed voice.
“Lee Myung-jun went out on an urgent matter, and Li Wu-wei, as you know, is not in a position to go anywhere. And Anastasia Lukyyanenko, who was nursing Ritchyard and just fell asleep.”
Li Wuwei was so seriously wounded that he felt buried, but Lichyard, who fought on the front line with him, also suffered a heart-piercing wound.
And everyone knew well that Anastasia had trusted and followed Richyard like her father since childhood, and stayed by her side without a sigh until he came to his senses.
“So we are the only ones left.”
“right. Because Reiko Fujiwara and Evans Ose left yesterday early in the morning to fight the giant sandworm that appeared in the Middle East.”
He sighed a little.
“And as you well know, I’m the youngest at negotiating and talking like that.”
“What did you come here for?”
“It’s obvious. That’s why they came to us.”
Ahn Joo-hyuk nodded as if he knew Gamaltera’s answer.
When he got up from his seat with a grunt, Evangeline and Laura, who were also lying on the floor or half lying on the floor, got up.
Gamaltera, who was squinting at the two of them, muttered in disbelief.
“But the three of you really stuck together, but to no avail… ?”
“okay.”
Since there was nothing to hide, Ahn Joo-hyuk quietly nodded.
“At best, I just cleared the flow inside my body and restored my body a little bit. There is nothing we can do more than this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can only pray that he recovers himself.”
Ahn Joo-hyuk seemed to be quite shocked even as he said that.
And it was the same with Evangeline and Laura.
Gamaltera, who stared at him for a moment, as if displeased, turned her head with a small click on her tongue.
“… I hated him.”
Gamaltera opened her mouth quietly.
When he opened his mouth in such a way, who had been extremely shy about others by nature, the three men following him looked at him in surprise.
“The spirits told me. He is said to have been blessed by the spirits. As you well know, many spirits are bound to be entangled in humans who are under the protection of spirits.”
He opened his mouth quietly as he walked ahead.
“But there was an ominous smell and energy emanating from him to the extent that his protection was insignificant. Also, I don’t know why, but it was also exuding the energy of a high-ranking spirit.”
“It’s a high-level spirit… .”
“The reason the spirits leave such a strong aura and smell… Yes, to put it simply, from our point of view, it can be said that it is the same as making ‘steamed’ as our own.”
“greatness.”
When the word steam came out of his mouth, who couldn’t even tell a joke, Laura let out a cough without realizing it.
Gamaltera, who had stopped speaking, continued to speak in a slightly annoyed voice as she reassured herself that it was a good thing she didn’t laugh.
“To explain it a little more, it can be seen as a declaration of war that if other spirits touch him, he will even make a life-and-death decision. One high spirit that gives off energy and smells like that, and another high spirit that leaves her energy as if to protect him… .”
“You two? A high spirit attached to him?”
“Rather than sticking to it, you left the energy behind. And besides the aura of the two, I can feel the unknown aura very little.”
Gamaltera exhaled quietly.
At first, I wondered if it was because I was just a member of the World Tree clan.
But from the spirits he didn’t want to approach, and above all, the ominous figure he saw then, he could realize that it wasn’t just that.
“The spirits hate him. And so am I. As you know, he has a lot of hidden things and a lot of questionable things. You can even see the contradictions.”
Gamaltera nodded slightly.
“But that’s all. Whatever the case, it does not change the fact that we have been greatly favored by him, and that we owe him a great debt.”
In any case, Gamaltera was also a hero who was honored as one of the Ten Rivers.
It was said that he was not a foolish or narrow-minded person to the extent that his eyes and ears were covered by his personal feelings.
“The public opinion of the association guys has increased significantly these days.”
As Evangeline mumbled that, Laura nodded.
“Merely raising suspicions, creating rumors, has power. There’s no reason to wait, knowing it’s annoying.”
“Why did they come to meet you?”
“It’s obvious.”
Ahn Joo-hyuk snorted a little.
“The transfer of Yoo Ji-hyuk’s personal life and our request for cooperation.”
“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t understand.”
Evangeline shook her head slightly.
“Then why the hell did you fire the Aegis? And with what kind of guts are you arguing with that kid to expose himself like a villain? Did the power of the association become very strong without my knowledge?”
The question she uttered was actually a question everyone had.
Heroes and Hunters.
Although the fields in which each of them are mainly active or the enemies they face are different, in fact, the boundaries between the two are rather vague.
In the first place, it was because it was just a name that was called separately for convenience.
And there were some sort of unwritten rules that encompassed those who were such heroes and hunters.
To present an ally as a shield or bait.
And abandoning a companion and running away was regarded as a kind of taboo that should never be done, even among such unwritten rules.
However, the association used Yoo Ji-hyeok as a bait without any hesitation and attacked the Chilak Bell as well.
It was a pity that Yoo Ji-hyuk was different from a normal person, but most people would have died without leaving a trace.
Under such circumstances, there was no way for Sipgang to follow the association’s order to hand over Yoo Ji-hyeok.
Not to mention pretending to be unaware of the crisis of the comrades who fought together, because the act of firing the Aegis was clearly against the taboo.
“… I doubt that too.”
Ahn Joo-hyuk nodded his head.
Although his name as Sipgang was very famous, in fact, he also had the title of External Advisor to Lee Won Group.
Led by Ahn Joo-won, his older brother and Ahn Do-hoon’s father, this is the country’s largest conglomerate.
It was the world tree clan that even such a dual group could not treat.
And Yoo Ji-hyeok was one of the only two remaining members of the world tree clan, and was a person who received absolute support and protection from the current head of the family, Lee Ye-eun.
It was said that Yoo Ji-hyeok was the person who could immediately act as the deputy head of the family if there was a problem with Lee Ye-eun.
Ahn Joo-hyuk was also the same as Ahn Joo-hyuk, who could not understand their shameless behavior after committing acts of terror against such opponents.
“I should see you soon.”
So they had to be careful.
There was no way they could have been running like a moth like this without any thought, so it must have been that they had a plan or something they believed in.
“Who has come?”
“I don’t know. Who is upbringing, what do I know?”
Gamaltera replied with a snort.
Then Laura quietly asked Ahn Joo-hyuk.
“Yoo Ji-hyuk… What is the child doing now?”
“Well, you should be waking up and going for a walk by now.”
“Can I leave you alone?”
“I’m with my friends, so there won’t be any problems.”
Ahn Joo-hyuk said so in a calm voice.
“They will be stronger than us in 10 years or so? Even right now, some heroes and hunters wouldn’t even be able to give out their business cards.”
At those words, the other three expressed their tacit affirmation.
Meanwhile, Evangeline and Gamaltera tilted their heads slightly.
“I’m going to have to split it in half here.”
“I know.”
Joo-hyuk Ahn and Laura did not ask why.
It was because they all had some means of knowing the condition around Yoo Ji-hyeok, just in case, and noticed that someone was approaching him now.
“… In addition to Choi Junhyung, there are two more upbringers.”
“I’m going to have to split it in half here. I can’t leave him alone.”
“Don’t go to where Yoo Ji-hyuk is.”
“Then I’m with you.”
Laura raised her hand and volunteered, followed by Ahn Joo-hyuk and decided to join her.
Evangeline nodded at the sight.
“Then let me and Gamaltera go talk.”
she added quietly.
“Don’t be too harsh.”
* * *
“hello?”
Suddenly, a man standing in the way greeted us with a smile.
Beside him stood an Asian woman and a Western man.
“… I know there should be no one else in this hospital but us.”
With a small smile, Ivan stepped forward, and Hyun-woo Choi moved to his side and made a wall.
After that, Han Soo-young narrowed her eyes and approached right next to me, and Lee Yu-na exhaled a little.
“Well, I guess I am ignoring such private procedures because I am carrying out official duties. I apologize for this.”
Saying that, the man who bowed his head slightly, Choi Junhyung, smiled brightly.
“The person sitting there is definitely Yoo Ji-hyuk, right?”
At those words, I could hear Yuuna muttering something softly.
The magic began to move.
And Choi Jun-hyung, who was evaluated as second-class by Lee Myung-jun, slightly waved his hand and opened his mouth.
“I just came to tell you a story. Just talk.”
“Jihyuk is a patient. If you have something to say, do you come after getting permission from Ahn Joo-hyuk?”
It was no other reason than to answer that way.
With a thorny, nervous voice that seemed to be on the lookout for anyone to hear, she shot at me like that.
“Um, excuse me, but would you mind leaving a third party?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m Jihyeok as secretary and escort.”
At Lee Yu-na’s words, Choi Jun-hyung raised his eyebrows slightly as if he was surprised.
Then Sbangali, who had not spoken for a while, quietly opened her mouth.
[That guy… It’s faint, but it smells like Milited.]
Then he murmured as if contemplating for a moment.
[You probably didn’t meet Milited in person. uh… Did you have contact with his minions?]
Then, a man behind Choi Jun-hyung muttered sarcasticly.
“Your taste is very special.”
“quiet.”
Choi Junhyung raised his hand and said to the man behind him.
Then he looked at me and said while still smiling.
“Just a moment. Would you like to talk?”
“I do not know… .”
I gave a sullen voice and responded with a sullen reaction.
There was no need to talk to him, and it was because I was able to get some sense of Sbangali’s words that I could feel Milited’s energy.
Milted.
His minions are after me.
I was thinking like that.
“… yes?”
Suddenly, I felt Henir’s shadow tremble as if it was about to pop out.
I immediately ordered him to remain still, but he continued to bubbling because he didn’t hear me.
‘This is the first time… ?’
Perhaps as my body weakened, my influence weakened.
I wanted to calm myself down before anything bad happened, so I pretended to touch her ankle and whispered as I gently stroked Henir’s shadow.
“Not good… ? Stay still. That’s why he’s a good kid.”
[…] … .]
Then, suddenly, I felt Henir’s shadow trembling and shaking.
Maybe I did something wrong?
As I was thinking about it, I could see that Henir’s shadow immediately calmed down.
[…] It’s crazy, who the hell believes this?]
I don’t know why, but leaving Svengali to be terrified, I slowly lifted my head and looked at Junhyung Choi.
“Why do I have to talk to him?”
“Well… Is that why I came as an agent for the association?”
“Hmm… .”
I pretended to stroke my chin and looked at him.
“Actually, if you ask me politely, I was going to give you some time… .”
I looked at the man who used to be sarcastic to Lee Yu-na and made a disgusting expression as much as possible.
“I don’t want to waste time because he insults my friend in the first place, what do I do with this?”
At those words, the expression of the man behind Choi Jun-hyung hardened slightly, and Choi Jun-hyung immediately lowered his head.
“I apologize for that. However, the story I want to share is quite heavy to reject with such a joke… … There, we came to Yoo Ji-hyuk as an agent of the association… .”
“It’s Yuna.”
“yes.”
I interrupted him in the middle and said to Yuuna.
“Let’s go back. Slowly getting sleepy.”
“yes.”
Lee Yu-na immediately turned to the wheelchair at my words.
Ivan and Choi Hyun-woo also followed me as if they were guarding me, and Han Soo-young glared at them and immediately followed.
“Hey, look at these bastards… ?”
Then, the man who was sarcastic to Lee Yu-na spit on the floor.
Then, staggering footsteps began to approach, and Choi Hyun-woo and Ivan began to talk calmly.
“Shall I?”
“You don’t have a sword. I’ll do it.”
Choi Hyun-woo nodded reluctantly as if he knew, and Ivan gently raised his hand.
“You want to talk for a moment, you cheeky… !?”
Soon after, he heard the sound of him sprinting to the ground from behind.
Then there was the sound of something bursting out of a leather sack and slamming it.
Almost at the same time, a dull rumbling sound was heard.
“Noisy.”
It was Han Soo-young who opened her mouth as if annoyed.
She, who had been silently silent until a moment ago, clenched her fists and said.
“Jihyuk is sleepy.”
Beneath her feet was a man stretched out in the same posture he had been running into.