Gaiden ― Later story (3)
“A wedding invitation?”
When asked in surprise, Yuzuki Horie nodded while blushing.
I quickly checked the wedding invitation.
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Of course, the opponent was Lee Myung-jun.
“Congratulations, Horie-san. Seriously.”
“Thank you, Jihyuk-kun. So, uh… I hope Jihyuk will be able to attend and brighten up the event… .”
“Of course, I will be there no matter what. By the way… .”
The wedding invitation I was handed to them only stated that they wanted to invite me to their wedding, but there was nothing written about the date or place.
Yuzuki Horie said in a whisper as if he had noticed my doubts.
“I’m the boss… no. I said to Myeong-jun. Just call your friends and keep it simple. However, just in case, Myeong-jun and I met the guests and handed them over.”
With those words, she offered me something.
It was a small brooch.
“The date and place are engraved here.”
Horie Yuzuki exclaimed, coughing, and explained to me.
“Anyway, two of the ten members have left now, so the public’s attention is focused on us. Myung-Jun is also a representative among the ten, so it is even more so. If we even talk about the marriage between me and Myeong-jun, I’m sure there will be a lot of reporters, and then it will be a nuisance to those who attended… .”
From what I heard, it made sense.
No matter how hard you try to filter it out at the entrance, there will surely be people who will come in in ways you never thought possible, as it is a world with magic and supernatural powers.
“Actually, I said, ‘How about delaying the wedding a little bit until the commotion subsides? Myung-jun said that he couldn’t postpone it any longer… .”
As she said that, her face still looked bewildered, but she clearly had a happy expression on her face.
Looking around, Nam Hyeon-hwa was looking at her with a relaxed gaze as if looking at a granddaughter or nephew, Lee Ye-eun was envious, and Lydia was looking at her with an unknown meaning.
However, it still could not be explained why Nam Hyeon-hwa or Lydia were here together.
Just when I was about to ask why.
“sorry. Suddenly, an urgent phone call came in… Ah, Jihyuk!”
The door opened with a loud bang and Lee Yu-na appeared.
She succeeded Yeeun Lee as the president of the student council and had grown unbelievably in the past two years.
When she found me, she looked surprised for a moment, and then smiled with a wavy smile that was the same as before.
“I’m here, you must be busy, but I’m sorry for calling you.”
“What are you busy with? No matter how busy you are, Yuna… No, only the president can do it?”
“Ahaha… It’s awkward because I’m still called that by you.”
She smiled awkwardly and headed to her seat.
“May I know what you said?”
“We just finished talking about my wedding, Yuna-san.”
As she sat down, Yuzuki Yuzuki Horie answered her question.
Yuuna nodded her head and looked around.
“Then who will speak up next?”
“Can this old man open his mouth now?”
At the words of Hyun-hwa Nam, who looked younger, Lee Yu-na nodded her head once more.
Nam Hyun-hwa shook his head slightly and looked at me.
“Actually, the reason I came here was to meet you.”
“Are you talking about me?”
Nam Hyun-hwa nodded his head slightly and said.
“Even though I am not able to keep my body at this age, I have come to play the role of a janitor.”
“George… Are you a trickster?”
[Sometimes they call a bargainer or matchmaker that way.]
Sbangali explained to me in an indifferent voice.
He made a squeak, as always, and added in a low voice.
[I have a bad feeling about something.]
“Yeah, the mere man.”
Saying that, Nam Hyeon-hwa let out a small sigh and glanced at Horie Yuzuki.
Seeing her nodded, Nam Hyeon-hwa turned to face me again.
“Are you keeping in touch with Hyunwoo?”
“Yes? Oh yes. We keep in touch once a week.”
Hyunwoo Choi graduated early along with Sooyoung Han and Ivan Hunt.
No, the term “early graduation” might be a bit of a misnomer.
To be honest, if Ahn Do-hoon, Jin Ye-seul, and Yu-eun had all made up their minds, they would have finished graduating sooner.
“okay. And lately, haven’t you lost contact with us a little bit?”
“… Yes, it is.”
“It will. Not only you… I also lost touch with Sooyoung and me.”
At that moment, she began to feel a little queasy and anxious.
I was thinking that maybe something else had happened again.
“I heard that there was a talk about how to put Hyeonu in the new ten.”
Words that were not expected came out of nowhere.
“… Yes?”
“Oh, Evans. It is said that the Sipgang, who used to deal with demon swords, actively recommended Hyeonu… .”
If it was Osei Evans, he was definitely a member of the Ten River with a record of defeating Hyeonu two years ago.
I wondered if things were going well at that time, but looking at Nam Hyun-hwa’s attitude and Horie Yuzuki’s appearance, it seems that they quietly moved on even though they noticed to some extent.
“Is it okay if I take over the explanation from here?”
“Well, please.”
Horie Yuzuki nodded.
“First of all, Jihyuk-kun will know, but being a sipgang doesn’t mean that you have great power. The six guild masters, including Myeong-jun, gathered together to move more easily and to connect more closely, gradually taking shape and increasing the number of people, and it has been solidified under the name of Sipgang.”
I nodded my head at her explanation and began to listen quietly.
“But at some point, Sipgang became a name and a symbol. It is understandable in a way that the opposing party accuses us of being an illegal armed group… The strength and size of the group called Sipgang has grown tremendously.”
“… … .”
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Originally, Sipgang started to shake after Lee Myung-jun died, and half of them died in the battle with Minerva, and it was completely disintegrated by the final blow.
However, in this world, no one died, and on the contrary, they even spread their name even more widely through the battle of the Seven Evils.
“At the same time, Evangeline Lohengrin and Reiko Fujiwara. These two said they were going to leave. Of course, the members of the Sipgang respect their will and their choice. The problem is that other people don’t see it that way.”
“Actually, as soon as those two left the group, the frequency of villains and the crime rate increased in each country.”
Lydia quietly added an explanation.
“This is the first time for a member of the Sipgang to leave. However… If you think about it, the resignation of the Sipgang is quite natural. It was more surprising that a group of people with different religions, beliefs, and nationalities, each with strong powers, had continued without major quarrels until now. I must say that Lee Myung-joon was very good at coordinating people and maintaining relationships. .”
Lydia lifted the glass in front of her and shook her head slightly.
“Anyway, there are some who see the separation of the two as the beginning of the split and collapse of the Ten Rivers. Some of the mindless things are already running rampant as if they belonged to their own world.”
To her explanation, Horie Yuzuki nodded in agreement.
“Yes, that’s why the story came out among the Ten Rivers. Let’s take in two new people as we’re missing out. Someone you can trust and have a lot of power.”
“And one of them is Hyeonu?”
“yes.”
She quietly nodded her head and smiled awkwardly.
“… That, Ose Evans, who was famous for being a single fire general, is very keen to recruit Choi Hyun-woo. I actually persuaded people who were against it or were skeptical. Why? Do you know Jihyuk-kun?”
I smiled awkwardly and nodded my head.
Horie Yuzuki sighed and coughed again.
“So we kept making suggestions to Hyeonu-kun how it would be to enter the Sip River. but… .”
“Did you decline?”
I asked her as if it was obvious.
It was because he knew very well that he would never do such a thing because of Choi Hyun-woo’s personality.
But that belief was immediately shattered.
“yes… Exactly, I refused.”
Horie Yuzuki smiled bitterly and muttered, and Nam Hyeon-hwa opened her mouth in a quiet voice.
“I persuaded Hyeonu.”
“Are you old?”
“okay.”
She let out a small sigh.
“Exactly… Originally, the recommendation came to me first. But I also turned it down because of my age… Meanwhile, Hyeonu found out about the situation. And the two of us started talking quietly.”
Nam Hyeon-hwa said that he made Hyeon-woo break his will, but I knew very well that she was not the type of person to take on such a position or pass it on to her disciple.
He was also well aware of the fact that he still regretted and blamed himself for having pointed the sword at his master.
According to Sooyoung, Nam Hyeonhwa had already understood and forgave everything, but Hyeonu, the guy, was unable to forgive himself.
Perhaps it was not that he accepted the seat of the ten lecturers in the name of atonement for him.
“Ah, of course, Hyeonu doesn’t become a Tenkang right away. We all know Hyeonu-kun’s abilities, but among those who don’t know his style, many stories will come out… First of all, we plan to take time to make Hyeonu-kun’s name known, build up his achievements, and then sit him down. There is no need to make a fuss for nothing.”
I nodded at Yuzuki Horie’s words.
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Obviously, at the wedding of Myung-Jun Lee and Yuzuki Horie, his face will be shown, so it was a matter for him to hear the details at that time.
Whatever the circumstances, it was definitely something to celebrate.
Now, the remaining question was, why did you come to me?
… And although the reason was somewhat predictable, I pretended not to know and looked at her.
“So why did you call me?”
“I want Jihyeok to take over the remaining position.”
It was a straightforward suggestion.
“I don’t want to compare, but in the case of Jihyeok-kun, all of the ten members agreed. Especially Myeong-jun, Evangeline Lohengrin, Laura Hartmann, and Ahn Joo-hyuk. The four of us actively supported it.”
“At first, Hyeonu even talked about recruiting you first, not himself.”
Nam Hyeon-hwa sighed quietly.
“And I think so too. Where else can there be a strong, upright young man like you?”
“You’re overjoyed, old man.”
“It’s not a word of mouth.”
She sighed once more.
“… I’m embarrassed to say these words again in the position of saying that I came here to act as a janitor, but… Your opinion is the most important law.”
When I turned my head to look, Ye-eun Lee was staring at me.
“This is the story I only heard this morning. And the details of the situation have been told by Jihyeok just like you. I said that the most important thing is to listen and decide for the person in charge.”
She said so and smiled at me.
It was an unspoken sign to do what I wanted.
I was silent for a moment, then turned to Lydia.
“Lydia, did you come here for this too?”
“no. I am different, benefactor.”
She bowed her head slightly.
“But since my job is a much lesser story than the story that has come out now… It’s also a story that doesn’t matter when you say it. In fact, it is also the bigger reason why I came to greet the benefactor today.”
I said it back and forth, but in the end, it was said that if I made a conclusion from the story that came out now, I would tell it later.
Meanwhile, Minerva’s resolute voice was heard in his ear.
[No.]
She spoke to me again in a stronger tone.
[Reject it, dear.]
[Yeah, this body thinks so too.]
Sbangali also countered Minerva’s words and held me back.
[You know better why we’re against it? Please refuse.]
Hearing them both, I took a deep breath.
And he quietly opened his mouth and said to the five people who were looking at me.
“… Could you give me some time to think?”
* * *
There is a saying that what comes easily goes away easily.
I thought maybe there are no words that fit me more than those words.
I searched for a quiet place to think quietly and eventually found an empty classroom.
I sat casually on one of the chairs there, and I opened my mouth and muttered involuntarily.
status window.
But nothing appeared before my eyes.
“… … .”
It wasn’t just the status window that disappeared.
A skill, talent, or craft.
Many, if not all, of them disappeared.
Now that the status window has disappeared, I couldn’t find out in detail what my stats were.
Fortunately, the powers created by accepting the power of the Seven Evil Orders remained intact.
However, they could not even properly experiment because they did not know what would happen if they used it blindly.
It was because he was well aware of the fact that in this world, all the characters related to the power of the Seven Evil Orders had a bad ending.
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Originally, hidden characteristics such as poison and karma of the Seven Evils were offset, but now that the status window has disappeared, it is impossible to know what will happen.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
[…] … .]
[…] … .]
Sbangali and Minerva were watching me without saying a word.
Suddenly, I got nervous about these two, and I burst out laughing without realizing it.
To put it bluntly, Minerva could get away from me at any moment, and so was Sbangali.
No, to exaggerate a little more, if they aim for the moment when I am weak, they may be able to take over my body or mind at any time.
But the two didn’t even show the slightest hint of such a thing.
Rather, when they first recognized each other’s existence in this world that came back after two years, they were surprised that my body and mind were weaker than I thought and they were dedicated to healing me.
The reason why they were able to be okay even with as many as two of the seven evil bells in their bodies must have been because they were taking some kind of action.
The relationship that used to be parasitic has now become a symbiosis.
In that sense, it was completely understandable that the two of them refused to sit in the tenth class.
I could tell without asking that he said that because he was worried about me.
so that… .
“yes?”
Then, when I heard a loud noise coming from outside, I gently raised my head and looked out the window.
Gina and Yesul were sitting on the bench.
The two of us were talking about something, but at Gina’s words, Yesul seemed to burst out laughing.
As I gazed at him with delighted eyes, Svengali suddenly made a loud and clattering sound.
[that… say you You better be a little careful.]
“what?”
[That shadow woman.]
“Shadow Woman” refers to Yesul.
It’s not wrong to say that she promised Gina that she would return the Shadow Walker’s legacy, that is, Gina’s things, but Gina reluctantly refused it.
He said that he couldn’t be handed over because it was an item that had left his hand, and he had it rightfully, as a descendant of Shadow Walker.
In the end, the legacy of Shadow Walker, including Henir’s Shadow, belonged to Yesul.
Svengali whispered again cautiously, as she recalled what Gina had told her that it made most of her skills unusable.
[The eyes that see you and your brother grow more and more day by day… It’s hard to describe.]
Sbangali pondered for a moment.
[…] So, when you see you and your sister together, do you know that deep in her eyes, there is an indescribable yearning?]
“… What?”
[Well, to be more explicit, you and your sister. It sounds like you have deep feelings for both of them.]
“… … .”
For a moment, goosebumps rose up my spine.
Sbangali added one last time.
[Um, I was a little ignorant to say it in a situation like this, but my feelings get deeper every day, and my feelings towards you are much deeper… I think it would be good to know… .]
“Uh, yes… .”
I nodded quietly.
I don’t know how to react or what to say.
I was thinking about how to tell Gina to go back to the dormitory for now.
smart.
A knock on the door was heard.
“Hey, Jihyuk… May I come in?”
It was Yuna’s voice.