“Since we’re hungry, let’s eat first. Sieun, I’m fine with anything, so order whatever you think best. Or whatever you’re having is fine.”
“…Yes, Patriarch.”
“…”
At first, she had expected to hear the sort of lines one might see in a drama: that she was an impudent wench, that she was more fox than rabbit, that he would give her as much money as she wanted if she would divorce Do Gyeonwoo even now.
Contrary to Yeon Haneul’s expectations.
‘What brings Grandfather here? Did he not come to get angry?’
Do Yeik, patriarch of the Divine Sword Do Clan.
Though he was also Do Gyeonwoo’s grandfather, and clearly did not look kindly upon Yeon Haneul, he did not go out of his way to scold her.
Instead, he was sitting at the same table with her and Do Sieun, even eating lunch with them.
‘Wow, he eats so neatly. He really knows how to eat….’
Do Yeik used his fork and spoon to twirl up the rosé pasta and eat it.
As Yeon Haneul stole glances at him, she couldn’t help but find it fascinating.
At the same time, it was awkward.
“…”
Yeon Haneul, Do Sieun, and Do Yeik.
None of them were saying a word.
Do Yeik had told them in advance not to mind him and to talk comfortably between themselves, since they had originally arranged to meet each other, but…
‘How could we possibly do that….’
With Do Yeik sitting there, she could not help but be conscious of him.
Yeon Haneul grumbled inwardly.
When she sent a glance at Do Sieun, Do Sieun gave her an extremely apologetic look.
In response, she gently shook her head to say it was all right.
This wouldn’t do.
‘I don’t know why Grandfather suddenly came to meet me, but he’s still Gyeonwoo’s grandfather. I should treat him warmly.’
Yeon Haneul steeled herself.
To break the awkward silence, she quietly opened her mouth.
“How is it, Grandfather? Does the food suit your tastes?”
“Why am I your grandfather? You married on your own without even receiving my permission. I have yet to acknowledge you as my granddaughter-in-law. So do not call me that.”
“…”
Do Yeik answered coldly.
Even so.
‘He said yet….’
Yeon Haneul did not lose heart.
She did not know whether he had said it intentionally or without thinking.
But in Do Yeik’s words, she had found, however faintly, room for their relationship to improve.
Moreover, regardless of how things had been before, she was now Do Gyeonwoo’s wife, and she wanted to become someone worthy of him.
If she shrank back, that would reflect directly on Do Gyeonwoo as well.
Not wanting that, she decided not to bend and to stand proudly.
She smiled brightly.
“But the fact that you are Gyeonwoo’s—my husband’s—grandfather doesn’t change. So I’ll keep calling you Grandfather as a sign of respect.”
“…Hmph, you’re quite a bold child. Just like that Gyeonwoo rascal…. Sieun, meat really can’t be left out after all. I’ll have meat… yes, steak sounds good. Order one of those, any cut will do. And if you two want to eat more, choose something as well.”
“…Yes, Patriarch. I’ll order. Haneul, is there anything else you want to eat?”
“No, unni. I’m fine.”
He might have found it displeasing.
Yet instead, Do Yeik drew a satisfied curve at the corners of his mouth.
After that, he said nothing more about what she called him.
As if he was telling her to call him whatever she wished.
Sensing his intention, Yeon Haneul could not help but feel happy inside.
Do Sieun’s expression also brightened.
Then, he abruptly began.
“So.”
“…”
“How is it, living together? Throwing the clan aside and disgracing it.”
At his admonishing tone.
Yeon Haneul briefly chose her words, wondering how she should answer.
Then she decided to answer honestly.
“Yes, I’m truly happy.”
“Tsk.”
There was no tremor in her voice.
Yeon Haneul’s smile deepened.
Do Yeik, on the other hand, clicked his tongue as if dissatisfied.
From then on.
“Do you have money saved up? You won’t receive the clan’s protection, so how do you plan to live from now on?”
As though worried about Do Gyeonwoo and Yeon Haneul.
Do Yeik asked all sorts of detailed questions.
“Yes…. I do have some money saved separately, and people around us have helped a lot, so we’re all right. As for how we’ll live from now on… Gyeonwoo and I haven’t discussed the specifics yet, but for now we’ll focus on graduating… and after graduation, we’ll try to be scouted under the best possible conditions….”
“So you did not leave the clan because you had certainty about your future. Do you two have no sense at all? You truly are reckless beyond belief. What about a home? Do you have the money to buy one?”
“That’s… a large house might be difficult, but I think we could buy a small one…. For now, until graduation, we’ll live in the dormitory… and after graduation, we’ll either find a separate home or use the dormitory at wherever we work….”
“It may be one thing while you are students, but should a married couple be living in a dormitory? You need a home where the two of you can live together in peace. Have you decided where you’ll live?”
“That’s still…. Wouldn’t we decide on somewhere close to where we work?”
“Tsk, so you have no plan. How pathetic…. You do intend to buy a car, don’t you? Can both of you drive?”
“Gyeonwoo can drive a little… and I’m planning to learn soon too. I think we’ll need it by the time we graduate….”
“At least that is fortunate to hear. Yes, the two of you should know how to drive.”
“Ahaha…. Thank you.”
Do Yeik grumbled.
And yet he did not stop interfering.
Yeon Haneul, bombarded by his questions, was simply bewildered.
This was almost…
‘It feels just like a formal meeting between families?’
She had seen it in dramas.
Yeon Haneul felt unsettled.
It was then that Do Yeik changed the subject.
“What are your plans regarding children?”
“…”
“Surely you don’t have none?”
At the question, whose intent she could not read.
Yeon Haneul hesitated for a while before answering.
Then she slowly nodded.
“Both I and Gyeonwoo… we both like children. We do want to have children. If possible… many. I want the house to be lively. I think Gyeonwoo secretly hopes for that too….”
“Even if the child born that way is a demi-human who does not genetically resemble either you or Gyeonwoo at all? No, there would be one thing they resemble. That child, too, would have red eyes like you.”
“…”
“No matter how much the world changes, there is a high chance that child will face discrimination from society. There will come a day, at least once in their life, when they resent you. And is that all? The world will point fingers at you behind your backs. They will say you may have fooled around with another man, that Gyeonwoo may be raising a cuckoo’s child. The more children you have, the worse it will be.”
No matter how much you deny it, the truth does not matter in the slightest.
The world believes only what it wants to believe, and hears only what it wants to hear.
For no reason more than that it is entertaining.
You, as a demi-human, should know that.
“Even so…”
While Yeon Haneul could not answer and lowered her head.
Do Yeik, who had unilaterally expressed his view, cut her off with emphasis.
He continued.
“Will you not regret it? Can you be good parents to your child, and stand proud as parents? Do you have the confidence to endure the world?”
“…”
With a sharply honed gaze.
Do Yeik stared at Yeon Haneul.
Soon after.
“If I were alone, it might be hard. But if Gyeonwoo is with me… I can endure it.”
As though refusing to lose to his gaze.
Yeon Haneul, who had been looking down until then, raised her head and met Do Yeik’s eyes.
She spoke with conviction.
“We promised when we got married. That the two of us would definitely become happy. Even if life doesn’t go the way we want.”
“…Is that your resolve? No, is that the two of yours?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“You have nothing to your name, yet you’re full of spirit. Well, if you have nothing to your name, you ought to at least have spirit….”
Yeon Haneul did not avert her eyes.
Do Yeik lifted the corner of his mouth in a faint smirk.
Then, after rummaging in his clothes, he placed something on the table with a tap and rose from his seat.
“I shall be going now. There is no need to stand. Just remain seated.”
“Patriarch, I’ll also…”
“Sieun, you stay and finish your business. I’m sorry for interrupting your meeting.”
“But because of the villains targeting the Contribution Association…”
“Do you think I would be done in by the likes of them? Hmph, if they are coming, let them try.”
Stopping Do Sieun and Yeon Haneul as they tried to rise and see him off.
Do Yeik, who had one hand resting on the table, offered Yeon Haneul a word of advice.
“The world is weak to the strong, and strong to the weak. So if you truly intend to draw out a future for yourselves…”
“…”
“Become strong. Become great. So the world can never look down on you, nor on your children. And…”
Do Yeik lifted his hand from the table.
There was a metal plaque lying there.
Yeon Haneul recognized what it was at once.
It was the Device of the Ultramarine Sword.
“During this break, come to the main house with Gyeonwoo for a meal. You can greet the members of the clan as well.”
“Ah…”
“And be sure to tell that worthless Gyeonwoo this too. You brat, you do not marry on your own without receiving permission from the elders of the house. And I never even expelled you, so what is this nonsense about leaving the clan as if giving me a notice?”
“…”
“Do you know how hurt I was? Even your father did not go this far. He knelt and begged me to allow his marriage, at least…. Hoo, I’ve grown old too. In the past, I would have cast him out for sheer insolence…. Granddaughter-in-law, make sure to tell him.”
“…Pardon? Ah, yes!”
Before she knew it, Do Yeik’s attitude had softened noticeably.
At the address “granddaughter-in-law.”
Yeon Haneul was startled, but quickly answered with vigor.
At the thought that she had finally been acknowledged, a smile formed on her face on its own.
“Then let us meet during the break.”
“Yes, Grandfather. During the break, I’ll be sure to come visit with Gyeonwoo… with my husband. Please get home safely, and stay healthy!”
Toward Do Yeik, who was leaving his seat.
Yeon Haneul’s rabbit ears bounced as she politely bowed with her hands at her navel.
* * *
Haemong-dong, District 7 of Academy City.
With the ruins bordering the coastline as the stage.
Seo Jeongjin and Kwon Haeil, as well as Yong Suhwan and Min Hwiseong, were each taking charge of Mo Hwidam and Song Yejun in battle.
Thanks to that, I and Gang Hanbyeol, along with the other hunters, should have been able to feel less burden against the Villain Alliance, but…
‘It’s not as easy as it sounds. These bastards are strong.’
As expected of elites carefully selected to raid the Hunter Bank.
Every single one of the villains possessed formidable skill.
There were even demons mixed in here and there, and monsters drawn by the mana permeating the battlefield had begun to appear as well.
Because of that, though we held the advantage, we could not firmly settle the tide of battle.
Meanwhile, they struggled in their own way to somehow break through the situation.
So much so that.
“There are students mixed in among them! Attack those guys first!”
“Why are students here!?”
“Who cares! Capture them and use them as hostages!”
The Villain Alliance did not hesitate to focus their attacks on me and Gang Hanbyeol.
For us, who had unexpectedly drawn aggro, it was nothing but troublesome.
Moreover.
“One of them is the Thunder Cat of the Divine Sword Do Clan, and the other is the Fighting Demon’s disciple!”
“The Thunder Cat, and the Fighting Demon’s disciple? They’re valuable enough as hostages.”
“What? The Thunder Cat? Didn’t that guy leave his clan recently?”
“That doesn’t change the fact that until recently, he was a member of the Divine Sword Do Clan! If the Divine Sword Do Clan and the hunters have any pride, they won’t be able to ignore his existence!”
“Move aside! The young Fighting Demon is mine! Young Fighting Demon! You will pay your master’s debt in his stead! If you die, blame your master!”
“Divine Sword Do Clan! Enemy of our sect! I will kill the Thunder Cat! No one interfere! Today, right here, I will avenge the grudge of the sect destroyed by the Divine Sword Do Clan!”
Having realized my and Gang Hanbyeol’s backgrounds.
Villains harboring all sorts of grudges even began to threaten us.
I felt somewhat wronged.
So I shouted in disbelief.
“I’m not even part of the Divine Sword Do Clan anymore!?”
“Shut up! Enemy of our sect! What did we ever do wrong! Did you really… have to steal our sword arts! You thieving bastards!”
“Then go complain to the main family….”
“I remember that day forty years ago! Back then, your clan’s patriarch…!”
“Sounds like you’re talking about the previous family head. Take that up with him at his grave. Why blame me?”
“Because you’re of the Divine Sword Do Clan!”
“I told you, I’m not anymore.”
Facing the old man, who was filled with pent-up rage,
I clicked my tongue in frustration.
Right then—
Crackle!
My evasion instinct kicked in.
Following the appeal of my Gift, I immediately twisted my body.
A sword passed through the spot where I had been.
“Divine Sword Do Clan! Enemy of my friend! If it weren’t for you people, we could have made a huge score back then!”
“That Azure Thunder you’re so proud of! I’ll break it today!”
“I said I’m not part of the Divine Sword Do Clan anymore….”
Why were there
so many villains desperate to treat me as their sworn enemy?
No longer a member of the family, I let out a sigh on its own.
I had no idea how many people I was facing at once.
‘If you want revenge on me, at least take a number and wait your turn. Does it even feel like revenge when you all rush me at once like this?’
I couldn’t understand it.
Nor did I want to.
At the same time, I was growing impatient.
‘My skill isn’t coming out right….’
If I had reached a level where I no longer needed to depend on a sword, that would be one thing.
But right now, I couldn’t help but feel the shortcomings of the sword in my hand.
‘If only I had the Guncheong Sword, I wouldn’t be struggling this much….’
I clicked my tongue in regret.
But there was nothing I could do.
I had no choice but to do my best with this sword.
As if betraying that wish—
Crack!
‘Damn it!’
The sword could no longer withstand the impact and snapped.
My eyes widened in dismay, and I had to get out of there at once.
But there was no way the villains would let such an opportunity pass.
“The sword of the Divine Sword Do Clan has broken!”
“Hahaha! How can a sword of the Divine Sword Do Clan be so weak?”
“And after the Divine Sword Do Clan praised him so highly, the Thunder Cat was nothing special after all.”
“Today! By my hand! The Divine Sword Do Clan shall meet its death!”
The villains rejoiced.
I had no choice but to grit my teeth and swing the broken sword.
‘Isn’t there a decent sword anywhere?’
Against the villains chasing me,
I dodged while relying on my evasion instinct.
At the same time, I looked around, trying to find another sword.
But nearby, there was no sword—
I’m here.
Use me.
No.
There was definitely a sword close by.
I was about to answer the voice I had been hearing for some time—
That was when it happened.
“Gyeonwoo!”
It was Yeon Haneul’s voice.
Her voice shattered my thoughts.
Coming to my senses, I turned my head to look for her.
And there—
Whoosh!
‘…That’s!’
A metal plate was flying toward me.
Realizing what it was, I immediately leaped with Air-Stepping and snatched it out of the air with one hand.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
As I landed on the ground,
“Device On.”
I recited the activation phrase.
In an instant, the metal plate regained its true form and transformed into the Guncheong Sword.
“Yeah, this is the feeling. As expected, you’re the only one for me.”
The moment I held the Guncheong Sword in my hand, longing surged over me like a tide.
How long had it been?
A month or two? Three?
It didn’t really matter.
Feeling my energy brim over, I cast water elemental magic.
“Thanks, Haneul.”
At this moment, once again,
it was time to return as a member of the Divine Sword Do Clan.
I would answer the villains’ revenge in earnest.
And so—
Lion Nova
I brought my sword down.
Azure Thunder answered savagely.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss