STM 63

I swallowed my embarrassment and shrugged my shoulders.

“I like watching.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then get out first. I’m not interested in the hunting contest.”

No, you have to attend.

“How can I leave alone and break our loyalty?”

“When did Adeye ever keep loyalty to Kun?”

“From now on.”

I answered boldly and smiled.

“Do you want to come out with me?”

“For now, yes.”

“I want to see with my own eyes that you return home and recover before the hunting contest.” I put my true feeling into that short answer and Tairok’s smile grew bigger.

“Decide after I hear your answer.”

“What answer?”

“Explain why Zav didn’t hear my voice first.”

I paused. I looked at him, looked ahead once, and asked again.

“How would I know that?”

“You still have a guess about the reason even if you don’t know.”

“……”

“Because of that, Zav wouldn’t have been surprised even if he left on his own.”

I don’t like dealing with someone who notices things so fast.

“No. He was surprised. ……I only guessed the reason afterward.”

“What was that?”

“…….”

“Tell me. I put my penis inside you and we connected; I’m still someone precious to you.”

I grimaced in shock, but he stared at me with no expression. The look that used to enjoy my annoyance wasn’t there at all. I turned my gaze ahead again, thought for a moment, then spoke.

“The explanation is long.”

“I have a lot of time.”

When I still hesitated, he said in a low strong voice.

“Even if I learn your secret, I won’t use it.”

“I have no intention of being used.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Well, maybe the future would change and the traitor would hide? The main reason why I came here is to punish the traitor. When I fumbled for an answer, he asked instead.

“Are you afraid I’ll fall in love with you?”

This time I frowned and turned back. What a random thing to say. A playful light crossed Tairok’s eyes for a moment as if he enjoyed teasing me, but for some reason it vanished from his face at my reply.

“I know very well that will never happen.”

“Never?”

I nodded, and a smile appeared on his previously expressionless face.

“Good.”

That must mean he agreed with me. I let the moment pass but I wanted to make it clear.

“Anyway, whatever happens from now on, let’s say we remain exactly this distance from each other.”

Tairok did not reply. I continued looking at the square ahead and did not pay attention to him. While I sorted out what to say next, he waited patiently.

“It seems humans need a key to enter the Forest of Crimson Waves. But they must receive that key from a non-human being. Only the one who holds that key can stay unharmed even inside the Forest of Crimson Waves.”

As I said that, I looked at him again. He leaned his head against the wall and listened to me quietly.

What I would say next mattered most.

“The key I used when I was in the Owick house came from Baron Owick’s spirit.”

He did not move from the same posture.

I believed he understood what I meant. That is why his gaze became so intense.

I confessed that I could communicate with non-human beings.

“But as you know, the foot to the Owick’s estate is broke. So I could not leave that place. At least humans could not.”

“You said the Forest of Crimson Waves created a portal because you needed a key.”

“Yes, that is the problem.”

Because I do not have the key, yet the gate opened. Tairok summarized the situation briefly.

“Are you saying you owe a key?”

“That exactly right. It seems I owe a debt. Non-human beings give keys or gifts only if they want to. I also received mine after I helped a spirit.”

“So you owe the key; therefore you must help whoever owns the portal here?”

That seems likely. I nodded while looking ahead. Then I revealed why I told my secret.

“Actually, that debtor seems to be standing right before my eyes now.”

The being that appeared when Zav could not hear the sound. It was a blue snake with five tails.

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The search continued until the sun rose, but no sign of Lu or Tairok appeared at the ruined Baron Owick’s mansion. Afterward Solongo returned to the mansion and reported to Doctor Kim with a heavy heart, saying that she too had stayed up all night.

Doctor Kim, who they feared might collapse, calmed down after putting on a respirator and responded briefly.

“That is at least good news.”

“Yes. I think so too. Tairok’s subordinates were sure he was alive.”

“There were no signs of escape when the mansion collapsed?”

“No. With Tairok’s skill, he would have at least tried to clear some of the debris of the collapsing mansion. But there were no traces that force had been used.”

“The possibility that they moved somewhere is high.”

Solongo nodded and agreed to that possibility. However, there was no way to know where or how the two of them had disappeared.

Doctor Kim tapped the desk with her fingers and muttered.

“What if Lu found the secret room and opened the portal to the non-human world?”

“With Lord Lu’s ability… it’s not impossible. But as you know, entering the non-human world the wrong way is even more dangerous. That’s why he fell into the temple pond and slept for days. If…”

“Lu is alive.”

Doctor Kim sternly interrupted Solongo’s words.

“Act under the assumption that Lu is alive.”

“Yes.”

“But we can’t just leave the one who caused this.”

“What about Borhumi?”

“Smile.”

Doctor Kim took several documents from a drawer, signed them, and handed them to Solongo.

“Keep smiling until we find Lu. Instead, recover all the money we put into Borhumi under another name.”

“They must know that we’re the true owners of that money.”

“If they don’t realize it, it can’t count as punishment.”

Understood. Solongo bowed, but she froze as she heard Doctor Kim’s next order.

“Call Black Bear.”

Solongo’s eyes widened in shock.

“You know where Black Bear is?”

Without replying, Doctor Kim took out a small box from the desk and held it out.

“This will show you the location. Give her the mission to find and protect Lu. If she refuses, tell her this. It’s time to repay her debt.”

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When that being first appeared before my eyes, I didn’t realize it was a spirit. Unlike the others, which were usually half-transparent, this one looked real and solid.

Besides, it was small. Its thickness was about the size of my thumb, and its length was only half my arm.

I couldn’t look closely because I was afraid Zav would notice, so I didn’t think much of it at first. I only wondered, why is there a snake here?

Then I noticed its unusual color and looked again.

It’s such a vivid blue.

Next, our eyes met. Even its eyes were deep blue. But why is a snake staring at me like that… huh? That face doesn’t look like a snake’s.

It looks more like a lizard.

It resembled the lizard my old friend had kept long ago. Back then, my friend said that lizard was famous for looking like a dragon, and now this snake’s face looked exactly like that.

Right, since this is another world, maybe there are dragon snakes here. I tried to leave it at that, until I saw its tail.

Shhh.

As the snake flicked its long tongue and raised its five tails.

“In front of you, where?”

Tairok’s question pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look at the dragon snake. Its deep blue eyes looked terrifying yet beautiful, like a vast sea. And it was staring straight at me.

So Tairok couldn’t see this dragon snake? That raised a question.

‘Mo, why did you release the filter?’

[The filter is running, but it isn’t applying.]

That didn’t make sense. How was that possible? It already bothered me that the creature looked so real and solid.

Among all the spirits I had met, only one had ever looked this solid.

A red-eyed mountain goat with deer antlers had suddenly appeared before me when I was about to punch the molester, Montaine.

I was shocked back then too, but at that time, Mo was in a dormant state, which explained it. So what’s happening now?

“Lu.”

I flinched. My arm was covered in small goosebumps just from hearing my name. I turned in surprise and saw Tairok breathing roughly, his chest rising and falling. He looked seriously unwell.

“Are you alright?”