STM 92

“Your appearance must be pretty surprising, Hoiga.”

The older sister’s hand gently rubbed Hoiga’s arm, her voice warm and filled with laughter.

“Everything will be okay,

” it sounded like comfort. It wasn’t just her. Hoiga’s other siblings, even his parents, were surrounding him to protect him.

This family had always been like that. They knew Hoiga had a flighty and careless personality, but they still accepted him and cheered him on.

“Don’t worry, Hoiga. Your family will protect you.”

The Ma family was already very close, but after Hoiga survived a near-death experience, they cared for him even more.

Waking up in a strange world, in an unfamiliar body, he was afraid of everything. But thanks to his family’s support, he was able to adapt to Tubain. He felt so good about it that he almost felt guilty.

Maybe that’s why, the more they showed their sincerity and considered himself to be the real Hoiga, the more guilty he felt.

He has to do something. He want to make them happy too.

This was the first reason why he decided to use his abilities for Tubain.

Of course, the thought of his purpose in coming to this world never left his mind, and it always brought him pain. But now, for the sake of Tubain, he had a second reason to live.

“Is Grand Duke Kun Tairok coming today?”

He came to his senses when he heard someone asking from behind.

Kun Tairock, that name was the first thing that rang clearly in his ears, no matter how noisy the place was. Even in this tense situation, his heart responded immediately to that name.

Thump, thump, thump.

Hoiga glanced back without realizing it. It was his father who had asked the question, and his brother, standing next to him, nodded slightly.

“Yes, Grand Duke Montaine will not be attending, but the heads of Kun and Sarne will be attending in person.”

“Well, it’s the two families that are in a hurry. But the main character is missing.”

“Is the situation there so serious that Grand Duke Montaine has to personally go to deal with the monsters in Borhumi?”

“That may be true, but I suppose she wants to show she’s choosing to save Tubain instead of fighting for power.”

A quiet sigh lingered in his father’s voice. Duke Montaine had long been known for avoiding monster hunts, unlike Duke Borhumi.

But unlike Borhumi, she calculated gains and losses thoroughly, and she would show up for anything that benefited her.

That was why commoners often said Montaine only moved for nobles and the wealthy.

Now that the imperial throne was within her reach, she seemed to be trying to win public favor with a display of righteousness. At that moment, his brother spoke.

“But we’re fortunate that Duke Montaine chose our family.”

Hoiga felt his breath choke. For the Ma family, their trading company mattered as much as family. Especially after Adeye surpassed the Ma Trading Company five years ago, the family had worked endlessly to overtake them again.

Hoiga had seen everything, right at their side. Their struggles, their frustration, and their determination to stand back up. He had even helped as much as he could with hints about the future. For them, their union with Montaine meant everything.

‘If we tie ourselves to the Montaine family through marriage, we can become Tubain’s top trading company again. Hoiga, I never imagined you’d accomplish something this big.’

The household that would soon produce an emperor… there was no better backdrop.

Hoiga couldn’t bring himself to confess that he wanted to refuse because he had feelings for Tairok. But he also didn’t want to marry Montaine Kilu.

He couldn’t hurt his family, and he couldn’t give up his one sided love. He hated himself for being so indecisive.

What am I supposed to do?

No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t choose. He only had one hope. He visited Tairok yesterday, so maybe Tairok would act today.

No, he believed he would. What Tairok wanted most was to break his family’s curse, and Hoiga was the only one who could help.

The ancient texts about the curse belonged to the Sarne family, and under normal circumstances no one outside their divine beast lineage could access them. But Hoiga was a special case, so he had been allowed to see them. Sarne was far too guarded to ever share with another divine beast family.

Tairok’s only source for information about the curse is me.

Hoiga repeated to himself, but worry still outweighed it. What if Tairok didn’t reach out his hand? What if he ignored the need for “Salvation” entirely?

If only he were even a quarter as calculating as Montaine. Then things might be easier.

But because he wasn’t that kind of person, Hoiga liked Tairok even more. Hoiga was a fake “Salvation,” but he wanted to become a real one for him.

“We’re almost there. Hoiga, are you alright?”

His sister rubbed his arm again and asked. Hoiga nodded, then took a breath in front of the large doors. As a bit of his nervousness eased, he finally heard the murmuring around him.

‘Ma Hoiga? That’s him?’

‘He looked like that?’

Only then did he realize that many people standing near the meeting room entrance were staring at him. Just as his sister said, they seemed surprised by how different he looked today.

Their stares didn’t matter compared to what would happen next, so Hoiga didn’t think much of it and looked away. Then he met the gaze of someone staring straight at him from far away.

Why is he, looking at me like he wants to kill me?

Noticing his reaction, his sister followed his gaze.

“Oh, wow. Adeye Lu is here. Why is he here?”

“I heard he’s attending as a witness for the Borhumi incident,” Hoiga murmured as he recalled it.

His sister let out a baffled laugh.

“He must think your new appearance looks pretty great. He looks incredibly jealous.”

Ah… is that it? Hoiga knew exactly what Adeye Lu thought of him. Every time Hoiga dressed ridiculously, he would look him up and down with visible relief.

But glaring at him with that kind of murderous look…

He found it strange, but his sister pulled on his arm.

“You should’ve walked around like this from the start. Then that stupid Adeye Lu wouldn’t have looked down on you.”

She laughed again, looking satisfied, but even as Hoiga started walking, he glanced at Adeye Lu once more. Getting that kind of look from someone who already annoyed him…

But he had no time to go over and talk. It was time to reveal his ability.

He didn’t want the entire world to acknowledge it. He only wanted one person to recognize it and be amazed.

Yes, Tairok will definitely reach for me today.

But before he could enter the meeting room, someone from the Montaine family approached.

“Lord Hoiga.” A voice whispered in his ear, and the tension that had been loosening tightened again into dread.

“Duke Kilu’s message. You don’t need to worry. High Priest Cheki is with us.”

A chill ran down Hoiga’s back.

Did they take High Priest Cheki hostage?

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The shelter I stayed in during the war with the monsters kept order better than most places, because our leader was a very wise person.

She valued order and rules the most when everything was chaotic. She protected the weak, and even in the worst situations, she never gave in to despair and always encouraged people.

Even so, the endless fight against the monsters made even me start thinking pessimistically.

What if we end up losing?

At that time, she told me this:

‘Our end might be death. But my hope isn’t for us. It’s for a distant future. Even if we never reach that hope, as long as we become one part of the path that leads there, our fight has meaning.’

Her voice was gentle, but it sounded stronger than any speech I’d ever heard.

‘That’s why I still can’t throw away the hope that the Eye of Hell will close completely one day. If that happens, even this exhausting journey will feel worth trying, right?’

The moment I heard those words remained vivid in my mind. The dark shelter, the quiet atmosphere, even the musty smell of the underground.

The hope in her voice felt strong to me.

At the time, I thought her expectation was an impossible dream. Even so, I nodded to her words. I wanted to believe like she did.

And many others placed their hopes in that small possibility too. Even if not our lives, we wanted the lives of others in the future to end in a happy ending.

But that small, tiny hope was crushed by a single informant who crossed into Tubain.