STM 48

I got angry, cursing with the mouth that “I should use on him,” then suddenly remembered what I’d written before. And I realized a bit late that maybe the part about my mouth could’ve been taken the wrong way.

Damn it, even if I wrote it in a way that could be misunderstood, has he lost his mind or something?

Blaming everything on Tairok, I carefully wrote my reply. I planned to send it by regular courier this time, but when Solongo saw what I’d written, she butted in again and ended up calling in the mages. She said Tairok had to see it as soon as possible.

‘Should I use my mouth again on Your Grace’s thigh?’

Fortunately, he didn’t reply. Solongo looked a little disappointed for some reason, but I felt relieved that this short argument was finally over.

Not that it would ever happen, but I’d rather not have weird vibes going on between us. That’s why I couldn’t help getting nervous when I heard the word “letter” after several days.

But from the envelope alone, it wasn’t from Tairok. It was flashy. Ridiculously so. Who in the world would send something like this…

‘Ma Hoiga.’

Right. I instantly understood when I saw the name written on the envelope. Knowing who sent it made me feel slightly disappointed instead. Shouldn’t he have glued some beads to the envelope at least?

‘To my dearest Lu.

Lu, I have news that’ll make you so happy!!

But since you nearly died again, I’m not sure if I should tell you because you might faint from the shock, but it’s such joyful news that I feel like I have to, even though if your condition isn’t good you might get too excited and end up dying.’

One sentence, and I was already suffocating. Was he trying to kill me from frustration? Solongo said Hoiga wasn’t an easy person, and he was right.

More than half the long letter was filled with this kind of nonsense. I skimmed most of it and only checked the conclusion.

‘The Club of the 13th Month invited you for this year’s opening day! Can you believe it? They really invited you!

Maybe everyone was impressed because you proved the Pond Legend was real. Of course, you just accidentally fell in and got lucky, but the result was good, so who cares!

Anyway, Lu, you’re fine, right? You didn’t jump around and break your legs from excitement?

Hahaha, you have to go to the Club of the 13th Month, so don’t break anything yet. Of course, even if your neck snaps, you’d still roll your way there. After all, it’s the invitation you’ve wanted so much, so even if your thing breaks, you still have to come…’

He continued with that kind of nonsense.

In short, it said that some membership-only club would open to non-members for one day, and I’d been invited.

Just then, the door opened, and someone ran in to explain.

“Did a letter from Grand Duke Kun arrive?!”

Solongo came up to me with an excited face. I didn’t understand her reaction, so I looked at her suspiciously.

“Why are you waiting for Tairok’s letter so much?”

“Because I have to confirm… ahem, I mean, to check whether Grand Duke Kun is still friendly toward Adeye.”

“I doubt that man would ever feel friendly. This is a letter from Ma Hoiga.”

I said that and briefly told the disappointed Solongo what the letter said. She lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

“They invited you to the Club of the 13th Month? If it were the old Lu, that’d be news to make him jump for joy… but it’s unexpected. Considering what you did, I’m surprised they invited you for something related to the temple.”

Before I could ask what she meant, Mo had already dug into Lu’s memories and pulled up the info.

[The Club of the 13th Month is a gathering of dominant Alphas, and Adeye Lu always wanted to go there the most. Every year, Lu spent enormous sums of money trying to get an invitation for the opening day but got scammed nine times.

After the matriarch of the Adeye family gave a final warning about cutting off allowance money, Lu couldn’t spend anymore, so he tried to personally convince club members by stalking them.

He managed to approach a few, but because he recklessly grabbed their crotches in public places, it backfired, and he got permanently banned from the club.]

I placed my hand on my forehead. It was humiliating. I hadn’t even done it, but the shame made me want to crawl into a hole.

Damn it, that crazy crotch-grabber.

His stamina was terrible, yet he sure lived passionately. Looking at the kind of trouble Adeye Lu caused, he’d been one of the most hardworking people alive.

I sighed but still tried to defend him a little.

“I mean, it’s too much permanently banning him just for grabbing someone’s crotch?”

“The man’s penis ruptured.”

I looked down at my own hand in horror. Yeah, guess muscles only get strong where you use them. No wonder he developed such a strong grip from all that grabbing.

“Lu went around doing insane stuff like that, and Lantuya didn’t stop him?”

“The matriarch disciplined him, that’s why it only went that far.”

Well, yeah. Doctor Kim isn’t exactly easygoing either. I was shaking my head when Solongo’s next words made me pause.

“But if they even lifted a permanent ban and invited you, it seems the pond incident became quite a hot topic. Since it’s tomorrow, let’s start by choosing what you’ll wear.”

“I’m not going.”

This time, Solongo stopped moving.

“Lord Lu. You can refuse anything else, but if you turn down the invitation from the Club of the 13th Month, everyone will suspect it. They’ll say you’re not Adeye Lu. Why do you look so displeased?”

Of course I’m displeased. At the last gathering, those crotch-grabbers had swarmed around me like iron powder drawn to a magnet.

“I’m worried those perverts will cling to me again if I go somewhere crowded.”

“Well, you only ever hung out with perverts.”

Damn it.

“Just to be clear, please don’t even think about punishing any perverts this time.”

I flinched.

“But I almost died…”

“You almost died, but you didn’t come back as a pervert extermination squad. Even if you don’t want to, you should attend this time if you don’t want to draw the traitor’s attention.”

Right, the traitor.

I reminded myself of my goal and shook my fear of the crotch-grabbers. I stared blankly into the air for a while, then suddenly remembered one person. Someone who’d been bothering me for some reason.

“The High Priest Cheki’s disciple. Do you know anything about him?”

“I looked into it, but aside from being the High Priest Priest’s disciple, there’s nothing remarkable. His family background is poor. He attended school thanks to a scholarship from the High Priest. Don’t you remember? He went to the same school as you.”

Really?

Surprised, I quickly asked Mo.

‘Mo, look for Lu’s memories of Ariona…’

[There are none at all.]

“I don’t remember him at all.”

At my answer, Solongo nodded like she expected it.

“Lord Lu only remembered the men he slept with.”

Yeah, Ariona didn’t seem like Lu’s type anyway. He’s more like my type.

I sighed, and Solongo asked curiously.

“Is there something bothering you?”

Not really. I thought of him and asked back.

“Doesn’t it bother you, Solongo? It’s like he knew the Demon King’s Tear would appear at auction from the start, so he prepared a fake to switch it with. As if he knew the future.”

“But there’s nothing about him that matches the traitor’s traits. And honestly, it’s more likely the information leaked from inside the temple than him knowing the future. The temple is rotten to the core.”

Solongo harshly criticized the temple in a calm tone. Did the temple scam her out of money?

“Check into him just in case. Especially…”

I paused for a moment, staring into the air, then added,

“…whether he’s ever survived a life-or-death situation.” 

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“The High Priest Cheki’s disciple?”

Doctor Kim’s eyes sparkled at Solongo’s report.

“You said he doesn’t have any special background? Does he have any traits matching the traitor we’re looking for?”

“Only that he’s at a marriageable age. Nothing known about his family or ability fits.”

“Then find what’s not known.”

If one her comrade felt something, then there must be something suspicious.

“There must be something for the High Priest to care about him so much. Whether it’s ability, family, or looks.”

“Yes.” Solongo nodded and added one more report.

“Oh, and the gifts we sent to Kun came back.”

“What about the letter? Did a letter for Lu come with it?”

Doctor Kim quickly asked, but Solongo shook her head in disappointment.

“No. There wasn’t a letter from Grand Duke Kun.”

“What? After sending all those love letters?”

“Exactly. It seems he’s playing hard to get.”