Chapter 139: Equal Relationship? (1)
After Walpurgis Night.
The revelation of Fallen, in which two holy relics were stolen by unknown people, was literally caught in a panic. The value of Aaron Hebrew and Corona Perea were valuable, but the symbolism of the two holy relics. It was because the power of the revelation of the Fallen Heaven was completely trampled on.
His reputation, which had been falling since the incident in Korea, was about to plummet to the bottom. But fortunately, the worst they thought was not to come.
– Rumors are circulating that Amon is seriously injured. The crystal ball placed in the room emitted a soft light and let out a man's heavy voice.
– In addition to that, it is said that four of the seven territories suffered injuries and the highest level of demons in each organization were mortally wounded or lost their lives.
It was the information she had already heard, but Beatrice answered while looking at the crystal ball as if she was deliberately surprised. “Have you suffered that much?”
-… …I suppose. They say that thanks to that, there have been fewer unsavory stories about us.
Officially, he was injured or killed for other reasons, but unless he was ignorant, there was no way he didn't know that he was trying to steal the holy relic. Therefore, in the back world, attention was focused on the unknown culprit who stole it rather than the fact that the revelation of Tacheon was stolen.
A criminal who broke the impregnable magic circle in the rear, stole the holy relic and fooled countless demons before running away. The light was pouring down on those unidentified people whose size and strength proved to be unpredictable. “Is there any improvement in the investigation of the culprits?”
– It must be difficult because there are no traces left. All that was known was that they were powerful enough to seize control of the magic circle smoothly, or that they had excellent magic skills.
“Hmm. Then it would be good to work with the producer, Mr. Overmind, to find out. Even so, last time I boasted that it would never break through, so I'll just have to take responsibility for it."
-… Let it be dealt with.
Beatrice very naturally gave an order to Lucifer, the other apostle, the man beyond the crystal ball, and even though he was reluctant, he answered meekly. Because of this incident, the influence of Lucifer, who enforced Walpurgis Night inside the Revelation of the Fallen, fell and Beatrice took over the reins. “If I find out anything, I will contact you. then….”
-For a moment.
Through the crystal ball, Lucifer asked in a slightly serious voice. -Are you back?
Beatrice smiled slightly at Lucifer's question. “No news regarding that yet.”
-…I get it.
With those words, the crystal ball's light went out, and Beatrice muttered as she tilted the glass in his hand. “It seems urgent….”
It must be clear that Aaron thought that it would be difficult to reverse the current situation if the things in the Hebrew come back. Recalling the figure of Lucifer, who must be busy moving his feet, Beatrice pondered. ‘Could it be that man?'
If so, it would be perfect, but he did not feel the power to destroy the magic circle in the rear and destroy the demons as he saw it. ‘Someone has to find out first….’
Before Lucifer discovered it first, he must secure the Aaron Hebrew and retrieve it stored inside. Deep in thought, Beatrice could feel the popularity outside. “Come in.”
The door opened and the attendant came in, and as he did, he lowered his head and opened his mouth. “Miss Beatrice. The store has received a reservation inquiry.”
“Who are you?”
“This is a man named Tommaso from Cosa Nostra.”
“… … .” Beatrice made a slightly surprised expression at the attendant's answer. The man who declared that he would participate before stealing the castle relic, and tried to make contact with the case as soon as the incident was over.
‘No way… … .’ Could another purpose arise by chance? Or did he really get the holy relic? Beatrice thought about the situation for a moment before guessing, then nodded. “Make an appointment.”
* * *
“Three days later….”
On the tangential date delivered from Beatrice's side, Kang Yoo-sik stroked his chin. He was a little disappointed that they weren’t going to meet the next day, but considering the turmoil inside, he wasn't so negligent. Kang Yoo-sik, who was treated well enough, looked at him while putting his cell phone in.
“… … .”
A brown-haired boy sitting on a chair and staring at him. Facing Escar, a future catastrophe, Kang Yoo-sik touched his hand.
‘I want to hit him.’
He only knew that it was Escar, but the desire to hit in the back of the head had sprung up. Kang Yoo-sik pressed down on that feeling, which was almost instinctive, and recalled the memories from before returning. ‘Coming to think of it, it’s definitely not this guy’s fault.’
High-ranking officials were already full of thoughts of dealing with themselves, and Escar’s rampage was just an excuse. Perhaps, even if Escar hadn't had an accident, he would have tried to dispose of himself by citing the reason he sold the magic stone on the black market. ‘There’s no need to hate him so much.’
He had thought a little in this manner, but no, but he was still young and he was not guilty at this point. Kang Yoo-sik, who calmed down sooner than expected, forgave Escar with the same mindset as Ha-hae and decided at this point to speak. "Hey."
“…Yes." Escar reluctantly answers because it was an employment relationship. Seeing that, Kang Yoo-sik asked calmly, even though he had a slightly disapproving expression on his face. “What do you want to do?”
“…Hm?"
“What do you want to do? If you have anything in mind, tell me.” Escar put on a puzzled expression at Kang Yoo-sik's continuous question.
According to what he heard beforehand, he heard that those who had only excellent potential and were weak like themselves were subjected to harsh training. That was why he was determined to endure any training, but was there anything you wanted to do out of the blue?
When Escar rolled his eyes at the unexpected situation, Kang Yoo-sik sighed. “It’s a nuisance….”
There was no idea of her choosing something of her own will. He wondered why Escar's price was so high, but it seemed that this part of spiritual education was also included. It was annoying for him to explain one by one, but Kang Yoo-sik looked at Escar because he had decided to do so. “I have no intention of raising you as a weapon even while giving you inhuman training.”
“… … Really?”
“Of course."
This was because it was less efficient and, above all, it had turned him into an emotionless bastard, making it difficult to accumulate debt. It was said for a very personal reason, but it didn't help to build up debt, so Kang Yoo-sik added a plausible reason. “I recruited you because you have great talent.”
"Talent… … You mean?”
“Yes. I don't know the details, but it's a great talent anyway.”
To put it correctly, it was a talent that could happen to destroy an entire city and knock out dozens of S-rank and A-rank hunters. However, if she explained in detail like that, she could have set her own value high and become arrogant, so Kang Yoo-sik began to speak in a blunt manner. “So I want to keep that talent alive. That's why I recruited you there.”
“… … .”
At Kang Yoo-sik's explanation, Escar put on a puzzled expression. The appearance of Gingamin whether or not he was speaking sincerely. In response, Kang Yoo-sik took out a written oath to organize it quickly. "That… … .”
“It’s an oath. Do you know what kind of thing it is?”
“… … Yes."
“Alright. I’ll write it down, so keep an eye on it.” Kang Yoo-sik immediately took out a ballpoint pen and began to write down the agreement with Escar on the pledge. They spared no support for their growth, guaranteed educational opportunities, and did not force them to do what they do not want. After his full-fledged activities grew to at least a B-class hunter or higher. He, of course, included an item that said that it would be adjusted according to the financial situation, but even taking that into account, the overall content was very unconventional.
“How is it?"
“… … .” Escar looked at the oath held out in front of him with trembling eyes, then lowered his head. Then he asked slowly in a creeping voice. "Really… … Am I really talented enough to receive these benefits?”
“Then am I lying while spending up to 55 billion to trick you?”
“But I… … .”
Even when the opportunity came, he couldn't believe it easily. He committed himself to the underworld with the determination to become a demon, so it was understandable that his life had not been smooth. Maybe that was why there are many things he wanted to say in various ways, and he didn’t believe it.
“I don’t need long words.” However, Kang Yoo-sik did not want to have such a detailed conversation, so she firmly pushed forward the pledge. “I felt the potential in you, and I just want to give you a chance to unfold it. If you want to live a normal life, I will support you for that too.”
Since non-awakening skills would be collected anyway, there was no need to forcibly grow them. That was why Kang Yoo-sik said casually that he was just throwing away 55 billion, and Escar looked at him with trembling eyes. “So you choose. Everything will follow your decision.”
From there, Yoo-sik who stood up from his seat, left the room and went out to the terrace outside the living room of the suite. It was not a bad thing for him to hear a definite answer, but it was because he would become less effective if they were to listen to an answer like that. ‘Hmm. If this is enough, I think it's worth aiming for grade A.'
Even if one were to come out a little less, they would probably be grade B, and if they were to apply gradually after that, they would be able to easily build up debt. Kang Yoo-sik, who was pondering what to do with Escar in the future, naturally rummaged through his sleeve and took out a pack of cigarettes.
Realizing it was Jerimnir, not a regular cigarette, he smiled bitterly. ‘I thought I gave up completely.’
Perhaps it was because he saw the guy he knew before returning. Kang Yoo-sik put the cigarette pack back into his hand, which moved instinctively, and he felt someone coming out to the terrace from behind. “Did you talk?”
At this, Kang Yoo-sik nodded at Lucia's question, who had come to her side. “I had a choice of what to do, but I threw it away and came out. There's nothing good about forcing it."
“If you said you wanted to live a normal life, would you do that?”
“So what? It's hard to force someone who doesn't want to do it… Later, they will ask why they forced me to do it.”
All of their success was thanks to him! There were some people who protest, but usually, it had become a will. It was a sight he had seen several times, so Kang Yoo-sik paid special attention to it, and Lucia smiled slightly at the answer. “The boss is more affectionate than I thought.”
“There is a lot of affection… … just be careful Be careful when dealing with your subordinates.”
At Kang Yoo-sik's advice, Lucia made an interesting expression. “I think people have changed a bit since you spoke comfortably… Is that your original look?”
“Should I say the original form…? Well, I just became less polite. Is it true that you are in a bad mood?”
"No. I like it because it makes me feel a little closer.”
Naturally narrowing the distance, Lucia looked down at the night view outside the terrace.
“What should I do in the future?”
“What. Cosa Nostra?”
“Yes. Now, internal stability is over, and there is talk from inside the organization whether to expand to the outside.” Hearing Lucia's story, Kang Yoo-sik looked down at the night view and was lost in her thoughts. ‘Expansion isn’t bad either.’
Starting with Cosa Nostra, they expanded their influence throughout Europe and intervene in major events that take place here in the future. It may be a bit difficult to be alone, but it was not impossible if one were to build a cooperative relationship with Ahn Seol-ha's Wol-Hwa…
‘Even Ahn Seol-ha won’t refuse… If things go well with Beatrice this time and we get support.’
Kang Yoo-sik, who was considering the possibility of Cosa Nostra’s advance into Europe, looked at Lucia. “What do you want to do?”
“You mean that?”
“Huh. Don’t just say that you will follow my will, think about what you want to do.”
He had already made a debt relationship, but there was nothing good to do. After thinking about Kang Yoo-sik's story for a while, Lucia quietly opened her mouth. “To be honest, I never thought about anything other than stabilizing the organization. In the past, that seemed difficult. But after making it so easy….”
Lucia, who turned her head and looked at him, smiled. “Now all I can think of is repaying the favor to my benefactor.”
“… … .” There then came a reply without a moment's hesitation. Her calmly sunken red eyes shone brightly, as if to prove that her words were never ceremonial. ‘I did one of the lower jobs like art.'
Kang Yoo-sik, who learned of Lucia's true intentions, looked at her. “Isn’t it that easy to repay the favor?”
“Everything in the world is like that. And since he is a person who thinks well of his subordinates, I don’t think it will be that difficult.” Kang Yoo-sik smiled at Lucia's smirking answer. "That's right."
Was she originally this good at talking? When Kang Yoo-sik was curiously looking at Lucia, who looked a little different. She asked again, closing her distance again. “So what are your future goals?”
“It is expanding its influence throughout Europe… Let's go carefully with this. It'll be annoying if you rush ahead and get checked. I'll assign people to cooperate, so let's discuss it step by step."
"All right. First of all, is that all?”
“What… Yes?" Lucia nodded at Kang Yoo-sik’s answer and narrowed the distance between her so that her shoulders could touch her lightly. Kang Yoo-sik looked at the touch with a slightly surprised expression.
“…Why?"
“It’s about repaying the favor, but… … Still, wouldn’t the hard-working subordinates need something?”
The question “What is that?” immediately came to mind, but Kang Yoo-sik didn’t ask about it. For some reason, the moment he asked, it seemed like he was going to be engulfed in troublesome things. ‘This one's eyes are a little tight….’
[It’s self-employed.]
[This guy. How dare he load… !]
[Why?! Am I wrong?!]
He could hear Andvari and Percival’s clattering, and Lucia's hand, which had snuck closer, covered the hand that was placed on the railing. And finally, the moment when he was about to get closer to the distance of his face. “I- Over there….”
The terrace door opened and Escar peeked out. “Uh, uh. what's the matter."
“….”
“That is….”
At the intrusion of an uninvited guest, Lucia naturally backed away and rolled her eyes, and Escar shrank from that gaze. However, for Kang Yoo-sik, the situation was resolved, so he found himself smiling. "No. Let's go inside and talk. And Lucia, you….”
Seeing Lucia full of dissatisfaction, Kang Yoo-sik thought about what to do and quickly grabbed her left hand. Then, after kissing her lightly on the back of her hand, he met Lucia's wide-eyed eyes. "I'm satisfied with this this time!"
Kang Yoo-sik, who left those words, quickly took Escar out, and Lucia, who was left alone in an instant, looked down at her own hand. "This time… … I mean.”
She was a bit weaker than she would like, but that was not too bad since she had gotten an excuse for the future. Lucia smiled at him and he gave her a short kiss on the back of her own hand, where his warmth still remained.
[The debt of his debtor, ‘Lucia di Seta’, increases.]
After receiving her reward, Lucia’s debts increased. ‘…Kissing her on the back of her hand raises the debt this much?’