With a thud, Hwang Rim slapped onto the floor. Feigning injury as he lay sprawled, Gyeol fluttered over and brought his forepaw down hard on Hwang Rim’s cheek. Though Hwang Rim did not even twitch at the ticklish blow.
“Cute, really cute. I want one of these dragons for myself.” Gyeol reared up on his hind legs and repeatedly smacked Hwang Rim’s cheek with his two front paws. He must have taken great offense at that head-patting.
“I’ll return this to you.” Song Taewon said, removing the bracelet. His fingertips trembled slightly as he slid the equipment off.
“...Director Song?” At my voice, Song Taewon paused and exhaled in a short sigh. He seemed about to speak, then fell silent again. His expression was heavy—and faintly, even fearful.
“I—I’m fine.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Uh, let’s go inside first. There’s somewhere you can rest, and you can’t stand out here forever. You should dry your clothes, too.”
Was there a fireplace in the parlor? I urged him onward and nudged the still-limp Hwang Rim with my foot. His legs were fine—get up and walk.
‘He must have been shaken in so many ways.’ Both Hwang Rim’s revelation and that mysterious vial of soil had upended everything: coming to protect me only to be subdued, his position completely reversed. For someone like Director Song, that must have been unbearable. As I vowed to offer him something to drink, we stepped inside the mansion.
“Master, guests?” came #71, in Yuhyun’s form. Oh—how could I forget? The instant #71 said “Master,” Gyeol, Hwang Rim, and even Director Song turned to look at me. Hwang Rim’s face registered utter surprise.
“Wow, I have nothing left to say.”
“What—what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Our Jina is truly... remarkable.”
Hwang Rim nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up with his handcuffed hand. What on earth was he thinking!?
“This isn’t something I control! It’s a basic feature here—reading my mind without permission—!”
“That’s even more impressive. It means it was heartfelt. You wanted your brother in a suit to call you Master.”
Hwang Rim spouted madness.
“It’s not true!”
“It’s okay. In this world, there are as many desires as there are people. Brothers who want to boss around their sisters are common. But being called Master... wow. Still, amazing. Likes being tied up, kidnapping is a hobby, then sister...”
I wanted to grab his collar, but with his clothes torn to shreds, I seized his neck instead. Thick as it was, I shook him, then let go and stepped back. Damn him.
“I love my sister most of all! The ‘Master’ thing is just the default voice—like a helper system! I even thought of switching it to Seong Hyunjae, but I lacked the ability!”
“So you wanted Seong Hyunjae to call you Master, too?”
“No, that’s—...Honestly, plenty of people would want to hear it.”
And I had already heard it. At my words, Hwang Rim nodded.
“Guild Leader Sesung aside, the civil servant calling you Master would feel even more thrilling. Someone who’d never say it...”
“Um...”
I glanced at Director Song, meeting his eyes.
“...”
“I was thinking of changing it to Seong Hyunjae, Seong Hyunjae.”
“...Must it be a person’s form?”
“...Oh.”
Right—he could transform into another form. Why hadn’t I thought of that? A puppy or kitten, or maybe a smart device. Anything but a human.
“Still, you’re sincere to your sister.”
“Hey!”
“You do like your sister, right?”
“Of course I do!”
“Just shy to admit it. I’ll let Guild Leader Haeyeon know how desperately you want—”
“Shut up.”
“What you truly desire. As a brother, he’d blink and die for you and call you Master.”
“Fine, keep yapping. Yuhyun won’t let you, you’ll lose your head first!”
“Wouldn’t you at least hear me out before you—?”
...Yuhyun might do exactly that. My brother is more innocent than he looks. He’d know it was teasing, but if that nonsense got out, I’d never show my face. Yuhyun’s sincerity, Seong Hyunjae’s genuine teasing, Hyunah’s enthusiastic mockery, Yerim joining in to tease Yuhyun...
“...Should I bury this here?”
“Please spare me.”
“With that level of mana, it’d help hold this space together. If you want, I can show you where to bury him.”
#71 said calmly. Hwang Rim looked between #71 and me.
“Kind of like my sister in personality—merciless.”
“Am I a guest or a creature for charging magic?”
“No, you’re a guest.”
I waved my hand to refuse.
“But you don’t need pampering.”
I can’t stand seeing Hwang Rim serve me tea in my sister’s form. Depending on the situation, I might simply bury him. Also, living creatures can be used for mana charging? Then I wouldn’t need myself? No need for possession? If push came to shove, I could catch and bury monsters. It’s unsettling, but...
I told them to be quiet and headed to the parlor. Hwang Rim barked approval from behind—at least Director Song’s mood lightened a bit. ...I hope he understood it as a misunderstanding.
“Please sit! May I take off your wet clothes?”
“Jina, my pants are wet too.”
“Stand by the fireplace. Or would you like me to light it?”
“I’ll stand; the sofa’s damp.”
“This room cleans itself automatically!”
Probably so. After seating Director Song and asking #71 to return the used items, I boiled water. I didn’t know what tea it was, but it looked safe.
“Merchant, kneel on the floor.”
He’d claimed the sofa; I had told him to come down, but he ignored me. Ridiculous fellow.
“Where is Park Ha-yul? There’s no way her counterfeit skill can copy multiple skills at once. She probably copied Yuhyun’s Willow Leaf skill, then touched Park Ha-yul.”
If she could steal everyone’s skills, she’d rival an L-Rank—virtually invincible. But Hwang Rim hadn’t used flying or Willow Leaf and still plunged into the water. So only one skill at a time. That seemed her limit.
“But Park Ha-yul’s skill alone would be weak.”
“Stealing a combat skill used against me is limited to one at a time.”
Hwang Rim explained smoothly.
“Replication works without consent, but purchased skills are capped at three.”
“...Is her skill called Fake Merchant?”
A shady dealer who makes knockoffs. Exactly my kind of skill. In any case, she can’t steal skills unless I use them.
“There are also grade limits.”
“You know well.”
“Up to A-Rank, I guess? Who did Park Ha-yul disguise as?”
“She’s already gone.”
“...What?”
“You wouldn’t kill me, but the S-Ranks around here scared her, so she made a deal to be released.”
What confidence, that I’d never kill her.
“You can cancel a skill that’s not your own?”
“That was the trade. Stolen skills last one hour, traded ones 24—now there’s little time left.”
“Then release it now! Use the skill meant to free you, you swindler.”
Hwang Rim smiled and seemed to bring up a skill window.
“All right.”
I /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ immediately reactivated my fear-resistance skill. Then I looked at Hwang Rim. ...He is well built... It was still hard to tell at a glance. But Park Ha-yul, that brat, clearly has lost the skill—his annoyance at that proved it.
“Can you apply it to the same person again?”
“One month after cancellation. So I recommend dealing with it before then. Jina, you seem quite vulnerable to that skill.”
Fear-resistance was the biggest issue. A normal mental skill would be blocked, but something like Park Ha-yul’s made you even more susceptible.
“I’ll certainly do that.”
Once we’re out, I’ll secure government and Association cooperation to issue a warrant. When I looked at Director Song, he nodded slightly.
“As the prime suspect in Han Yujin’s kidnapping, I can cooperate. He is a criminal we must arrest first.”
I’ll make sure he never shows his face again. That will reduce any chance of being afflicted again.
I poured the boiling water into our cups. Testing it, I took a sip—it was a slightly sweet, clean tea. I offered one to Director Song and sipped again.
“What about me? There seems a lot left.”
“Ah, this is for interrogation. Soon we’ll pour it over your head—please wait.”
To an S-Rank body, it’ll be only a mild reddening. I sat watching Hwang Rim sipping tea quietly. The restraints only work here; I’d have to scrub him down before we leave. The SS-Rank restraint forbade attack and movement skills below SS-Rank and halved his strength and agility. Even so, an S-Rank is stronger than a mid-rank, but it was something.
...Should I grab one for myself? They are good. Even pre-regression there was nothing this good. Such special items are rare. But if it’s stolen from me later, it’ll be trouble.
“Now, Hwang Rim. You attended my gathering for two reasons: 1. You contacted Park Ha-yul to trade skills and free me. 2. You kidnapped Director Song. Is that it?”
“Number 1 was just about selling cigarettes.”
“Nothing else?”
“I’m still a sincere merchant.”
I approached, raising the kettle toward him. Then Director Song rose instead of Hwang Rim.
“Han Yujin could get hurt.”
“Civil servant, worry about me too.”
“Boiling water can’t do more than slight reddening to an S-Rank’s skin.”
I have the Enchantment too—still, slight burns were possible. I set down the kettle and pulled out a contract.
“If you answer honestly, I’ll spare you. Sign here. If you lie, your right pinky will turn blue.”
“Spare me without the contract?”
“If you don’t like it, tough.”
Hwang Rim shrugged and signed. Immediately, I asked again.
“From whom did you get that soil? Exactly how does it work?”
“Call it soil bred to grow the seed that brings about the Lunar Eclipse. I don’t know the details.”
“Seed?”
“Well, we’re humans of this world.”
Hwang Rim raised his handcuffed hands and pointed at Director Song, who flinched slightly at the gesture.
“This world is one Transcendents cannot directly meddle in. So I planted a seed with a faint but certain growth trajectory. The Source’s instincts alone couldn’t lead to the moon’s swallowing, so it needed help.”
So—
“Which Transcendent helped White Bird and the Source? To—”
I hesitated to speak bluntly before him. Summarizing:
The Waning Moon created the Small Moon, Seong Hyunjae, to destroy the Source. White Bird, to protect the Source, enlisted another Transcendent’s aid so that the Source could spawn antibodies—Song Taewon. Pre-regression, the Small Moon nearly matured but was stopped by Song Taewon. Then I regressed to this point.
“So that Transcendent...”
Was he trying to retrieve Director Song? I glanced at the calm yet silent Director Song. It was hard to speak. I lowered my voice and asked Hwang Rim:
“The one who ordered your kidnapping—is it that Transcendent?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“...Why now?”
“Who knows. Maybe made a deal with the Waning Moon?”
“Who is that Transcendent? Even if not a real name, there must be a title?”
It could be a Transcendent I know. If I didn’t know the title, I could ask a newcomer. Hwang Rim tilted his head and answered:
“The Puppeteer.”
...A name I did not know, and not one that brought comfort.
“When, where, and how did you contact them?”
“It’s hard to say all that. But from my impression, they didn’t bear ill will toward you, Jina. If anything, quite the opposite.”
“What?”
“They seemed very interested in you.”
Hwang Rim grinned. A friendly Transcendent would be welcome—but why me?