STM 25

“Torida, her partner, won’t let go easily. From what I’ve heard, it seems like he’s acquired all of the Owick family’s fortune.”

“Huh,” Doctor Kim snorted again.

“I can deal with anyone who fusses over this kind of pittance with just one toe.”

Impressed by her nouveau riche moment, I scooped up a bowl of dongchimi soup and took a sip. The richness of the butter washed away immediately.

“Yes, make Baron Owick grow the crops you want and recover quickly. That way, you won’t collapse every time Archduke Kun scolds you.”

When the topic of Grand Duke Kun came up, she seemed to have lost her appetite and put down her spoon.

“That’s because he’s saying crap.”

“But you have to get used to it.”

She closed her eyes tightly for a moment.

“No matter how much I think about it, this plan seems a bit far-fetched. So, let’s go with Plan B…”

“Absolutely not. Don’t even think about getting me involved with that guy.”

Doctor Kim closed her lips and looked at me with a prim face.

“Plan B doesn’t mean you get involved. It just means you get closer to him. No matter how kind I act, that rude brat won’t change his mind.”

“You’ve been tormenting him for so long, but now you’re finally being nice this once.”

“They say if you see one thing, you can guess ten.”

“They also say no tree stays standing after ten strikes.”

I answered her proverb with another proverb, and Doctor Kim closed her eyes again. She seemed to hate it a lot, so I felt a little bad.

“Let’s go with Plan C.”

“Are you going to get laid?”

Are you kidding? I immediately opened my eyes wide.

“How many times do I have to say that’s Plan X? Besides that, I’m talking the Sword of Silence. Wouldn’t he like it if you found it before Grand Duke Kun and gave it to him as a gift?”

I brought up the information I’d heard in the secret passageway of the Penuang family. Doctor Kim, already familiar with the information, shook her head at my suggestion.

“The Forest of Crimson Waves is the territory of non-human beings. Only those who have their permission can enter, and no one even knows where the entrance is.”

“No one ever went inside?”

“It’s in the records. They say a certain spirit master entered. That’s all.”

A spirit master, huh.

“Sillian doesn’t know anything, but judging by the way she trembled every time I mentioned it, something seems to be up. But it’ll take a month to hear it properly.”

Well, with that personality, even if she has a family secret, she wouldn’t tell it.

“Can you still find it?”

“Well, if I throw some money around… why are you asking that?”

Doctor Kim, who was about to start eating again, lifted her eyes.

“Because I can see non-human beings. If I can talk to them, maybe they’ll let me into the Forest of Crimson Waves.”

“Don’t say nonsense.”

Doctor Kim’s voice grew stronger. I felt surprised, so I explained my ability.

“I can see and hear all sorts of things all around me. I even see a squid-like thing lurking outside that window.”

I gestured outside and Doctor Kim quickly turned her head.

“You can see that clearly?”

It wasn’t just a visual thing. They were also quite talkative. Of course, there were beings that barely spoke. I pictured the one that looked like a mountain goat.

“Do you know what the divine beasts look like?”

“No.”

She shook her head and elegantly took another spoon of soup.

“However, among the temple’s people who pray and train tirelessly, there are some who, very rarely, can sense divine beings. According to the records, they describe a giant ball of light shaped like an animal, but the exact nature of the animal is kept a closely guarded secret.”

“They really keep everything secret.”

“That’s how the temple works.”

Doctor Kim shook her head side to side like she was tired of it.

“So the only known thing about the divine beasts is that each one’s light has a different color.”

“What color is Montaine’s?”

Red.

The red eyes of a mountain goat came to mind, but I quickly dismissed the speculation. Humans can’t see divine beasts.

“Anyway, I do see things. It should work I find the Forest of Crimson Waves entrance and enter it, and if I negotiate properly with the non-human beings there.”

“No. Seeing and hearing are not everything. You mustn’t think of non-human beings as if they were humans.”

Doctor Kim looked at me, and she told me.

“Whether fairy or spirit, non-human beings will blindly favor only certain people who suit them or who they like, no matter how well humans treat them, even divine beasts. The criteria they use to choose someone are subjective, and humans can’t even understand them. That’s why in Tubain there’s a saying: when you help a non-human being, you mustn’t demand payment first.”

“Can’t you ask for payment?”

I had planned to ask for Forest of Crimson Waves information as payment because I helped the Spirit of Poison, but Doctor Kim shook her head.

“No, you can’t. They will give payment on their own. That is their rule. If a human says what they want on their own, they might get angry and heap curses on you.”

“Isn’t that basically a demon?”

“Humans are to blame too. Tubain used to have many houses under the protection of spirits or fairies, but humans grew greedy, and those houses all left or disappeared.”

True, everyone would expect ten after one favor.

“Humans cause trouble everywhere.”

“You cause trouble too.”

She attacked me while I stayed quiet.

“Don’t you ever think of volunteering to go into the Forest of Crimson Waves.”

She stared at me, waiting for a definite answer, and then she warned me again.

“I will never send you into a dangerous place. I will protect you, so don’t die here and hold on. Your role is to make our world safe. Do you hear me?”

Even though the atmosphere was harsh. I knew she was speaking for my benefit. I looked at her for a moment, and I thanked her

“My life is fine. Just protect my chastity. I don’t want to be the one under.”

When I brought up my grudge about Plan X, she frowned.

“Even though Grand Duke Kun is handsome?”

“You already said he’s worse than dogshit.”

“……you’re asking a lot.”

She clicked her tongue and placed her hand on her forehead. No matter what she said, there was nothing to do about the fact that I hated it.

But I couldn’t just sit still, seeing that she was having a hard time with the Grand Duke Kun’s situation.

“I’ll deal with the traitor, so there’s no rush. Then, I’ll slowly persuade Duke Kun.”

“You don’t even know who the traitor is? It won’t be easy to deal with.”

“It’s easy. I will attend the party and examine each person individually. If I can’t figure it out then, I will quietly wait for the next opportunity and get rid of the traitor.”

“Quietly? You already caused an incident on this reconnaissance.”

An incident? I opened my eyes wide in outrage.

“Why is saving a dangerous person an incident?”

“Not that. You ran while escaping, got caught, and you had a big fight with that person.”

This time I scowled.

“If I had had a proper fight, I wouldn’t feel wronged. That bastard was a familiar face.”

“Who?”

“The crazy trash who tried to kill me at the resort. Damn it, why did he show up in front of me again. I didn’t even land a proper blow. I only bit him a little, damn.”

“You should have at least touched his crotch once.”

This time, my face contorted. Before I could swear, Doctor Kim glanced away.

“No, who the hell is he? You don’t even know his name?”

“I heard it this time. The name sounded trashy. Tairok or Tairo or something.”

“……what?”

“Tairo.”

“That first one?”

“Tairok.”

“…….”

“He looks like dogshit, and his name sounds like dogshit too.”

“……hey.”

“Yes?”

“That guy.”

“What about him?”

“Grand Duke Kun.”

“Who?”

“Tairok.”

“Yes?”

“He is Grand Duke Kun.”

I froze like someone who heard something I shouldn’t have heard. Who said what?

“Are you joking now?”

“What color were his eyes?”

“A jaundiced gold.”

Doctor Kim sighed and touched her her forehead again.

“Haa, across the continent the only one whose eyes flash that nasty jaundiced gold is that bastard. Kun Tairok.”

“The one who I charged at, cursed at, and bit?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“……”

After a suffocating silence, we both cursed at the same time.

“Haahhh… fuck.”

“Ugh… fuck.”

I clutched my head with both hands. Doctor Kim, in the same pose, continued swearing.

Damn it, that bastard is Grand Duke Kun? How could that be? How we have such a bad relationship? And that guy tried to kill the moment we met…

Ah, because I’m an Adeye.

Now i understand his actions. And it makes me even angrier.

Even so, how dare he kick a person like a soccer ball for the monsters?

We have to get that guy on our side? A dark cloud of despair hung over the future.

Then I heard Doctor Kim groan-like litter.

“We can’t do it. Let’s go with Plan E.”

“What is that?”

“I don’t know either.”

Ha, damn…