After Story. 001 ― Granddaughter-in-law (3)
Do Yeeun’s test was...
Unfortunately, it did not go smoothly.
[You have encountered monsters.]
[Junior Worm (Rank. 02) x 2]
“Oppa, watch your feet! Worms!”
“Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself first!”
As for the Mild Scorpions, as long as we somehow moved without drawing attention, we generally wouldn’t get tangled up with them. The problem was the Junior Worms.
The ones that mainly moved through the sand reacted to our footsteps and launched surprise attacks.
Because of that, we had no choice but to watch our footing.
On top of that.
[You have encountered monsters.]
[Mild Scorpion (Rank. 02) x 5]
‘Damn it, did the scorpions notice too?’
Just like this.
Because the things that burst out of the sand caused a commotion, the Mild Scorpions would come rushing in as well.
We couldn’t help but be troubled.
Especially Do Yeeun, who was taking the test.
Even so, she didn’t falter.
‘...She’s surprisingly good.’
Though Do Yeeun was flustered and running around in confusion, she dodged the scorpions’ pincers and steadily dealt with them one by one.
After she grew somewhat used to the battle, she even raised the corners of her mouth in enjoyment.
Since I was only there to assist with her test and couldn’t offer direct help, focusing instead on evasion, I couldn’t help but be inwardly impressed.
Just then, a Junior Worm rapidly dropped down above her head.
Kuoooh! Paaak!
“...Tch. Seriously, right when I was about to kill them all?”
Noticing its presence, Do Yeeun stepped back just before it struck.
The creature burrowed straight back underground, aiming for its next ambush.
A moment later.
Kugugugu!
Just as the desert sand seemed to tremble—
Pajik!
‘...This time it’s me!?’
The Junior Worm surged upward.
Having sensed it beforehand through my Gift and avoided its ambush, I clicked my tongue.
Then Do Yeeun shouted.
“Oppa, stay right where you are!”
Is she trying to use me as bait?
Yeeun, I may be assisting with your test, but I’m still not bait, you know?
Though I was dumbfounded, I followed her instruction.
Kuaaaak!
The Junior Worm targeted me.
A mass of hideous fangs was about to swallow me whole.
Right then.
Lion’s Frenzied Dance
Do Yeeun’s sword, approaching from behind the Junior Worm, took on a blue light.
She climbed onto the creature’s body and swung her sword wildly.
And she didn’t stop there.
Lion’s Whirlwind
‘She’s using Form Six and Form Eight at the same time? That’s possible!? No, it is possible, but she should think about what that does to her body!’
Using the added force, Do Yeeun whirled together with her sword.
The Junior Worm was carved to pieces, scattering flesh and blue blood.
“I call it!”
Do Yeeun Tornado
When did you even make an original form, and what’s with that naming sense?
As the Junior Worm that had passed beside me collapsed in a cloud of sand, I could only feel conflicted.
Whether I did or not, Do Yeeun landed on the ground and swiftly pulled up the flag.
“Great! Oppa, take the flag! Let’s hurry back!”
“Uh... Yeah...”
Come to think of it, Do Yeeun was a promising talent too.
She just hadn’t stood out much because Do Sieun and I had overshadowed her all this time...
I realized that anew.
“Oppa, run!”
“Yeah, yeah...”
* * *
Do Yeeun and Do Gyeonu had acquired the flag and were returning.
The people who had watched the process up to that point couldn’t help but be shocked.
“She’s only fourteen years old? That’s ridiculous... No, what in the world...”
“Huh... She used Attack Forms Six and Eight at the same time? Is that possible? No, it is possible, but...”
“You’d need the stamina to support it, have to move your muscles with extreme precision, and above all, your mana control would have to be excellent...”
“And she just used Azure Lightning, didn’t she? Only for a moment, but still... Handling Azure Lightning at fourteen... Doesn’t that make her even faster than Sieun?”
“......”
Had Do Yeeun’s skills always been at this level?
The people were purely impressed.
Do Yeik was the same.
“Hoho, now that I look, Yeeun is no ordinary child. When did she grow so much? Impressive.”
Do Yeik was extremely satisfied.
At the same time, he felt regret.
“Hmm... I wonder if it’s truly fine to send off a child who will go on to achieve even greater things...”
There were limits to the education of a middle academy.
It might be different for those without a notable background, or even for ordinary prestigious families, but by the standards of the Divine Sword Do Family, it was lacking.
Then was it truly fine to entrust Do Yeeun, whose future was so promising, to a middle academy’s education?
Of course, she would receive the family’s training in parallel through the Regulus Clan, but...
He couldn’t help but be troubled.
But what could he do?
A promise was a promise.
“Grk... It can’t be helped.”
If he went back on his decision now, his dignity as family head would be damaged.
After letting out a brief groan, Do Yeik decided to think of it positively.
“It may be a bit early, but experiencing the wider world will surely bring her much to gain.”
Do Yeik twitched his lips as he watched Do Yeeun running in from the desert while fleeing from the monsters.
It was then that the wind blew.
Whoooosh!
The sand dust blooming around Do Gyeonu and Do Yeeun happened to ride the wind and fly toward the people.
Do Yeik clicked his tongue briefly.
Including him, everyone hurried to deploy mana barriers.
But faster than that, Yeon Haneul snapped her fingers.
Snap!
Hwaaaak!
Mana spread out from Yeon Haneul as its center and formed a barrier that enveloped the area.
The thickly swirling sand dust was blocked by the barrier she created and could not seep inside.
“......”
“I’m sorry. I should have put up a barrier from the start...”
Thanks to her, while the people who had avoided the sand dust blinked, Yeon Haneul did not put on airs and instead apologized politely.
Do Yeik, who turned his gaze to her, lifted the corners of his mouth with a faint chuckle.
“It’s nice to have a mage in the family. We can watch so comfortably like this... No, child. Rather, I should thank you.”
“...Not at all, Grandfather.”
“Can you block the heat as well?”
“Yes, I should be able to.”
“Good, good. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Yeon Haneul readily agreed.
When she snapped her fingers once more, the area quickly began to cool.
The people reacted with delight, and Do Yeik’s smile deepened.
‘Sister Sieun was right.’
It was thanks to what Do Sieun had whispered to her right after they entered this Gate.
Having received praise from Do Yeik, Yeon Haneul couldn’t help but feel inwardly excited.
She quietly turned her head, looking for Do Sieun, who was sitting with her own family.
Their eyes met at just the right moment.
‘Sister, thank you. It’s thanks to you.’
Yeon Haneul mouthed the words without making a sound.
Reading her lips, Do Sieun smiled brightly.
She subtly raised her thumb and conveyed with the shape of her mouth.
‘No, I only said a few words. You did it all, Haneul. You did really well.’
* * *
Seriously...
Even coming back with the flag was no easy task.
By the time Do Yeeun and I stepped onto the stone floor where the monsters couldn’t approach, we were covered head to toe in desert sand.
‘Ugh, it’s so gritty.’
We had even eaten sand here and there along the way.
While catching my breath, I spat onto the desert to get the sand stuck in my mouth out.
Beside me, Do Yeeun was dry-heaving too.
“Are you okay? Here’s water. For you too, Yeeun.”
“Ah... Thanks.”
“Unnie, I love you!”
As expected, there’s no one like my wife.
Thanks to her handing us water, Do Yeeun and I were able to rinse out our mouths and wet our throats.
‘But why does Haneul’s face look so bright? Did something good happen without me knowing?’
I could only wonder.
I’d have to ask her the details later.
Putting that thought aside, I decided to face Grandfather.
Do Yeeun quickly pulled herself together too.
“Patriarch, here’s the flag!”
“Yes, both of you worked hard.”
Do Yeeun snatched the flag from me and held it out to Grandfather with both hands.
Receiving the flag, Grandfather encouraged us.
Then he praised Do Yeeun.
“Yeeun, you did better than I expected. We were all quite surprised. When on earth did you awaken Azure Lightning, and when did you create an original form?”
“Azure Lightning was just a little while ago! And I made the original form just now!”
“Hoho... Is that true?”
“Yes!”
“......”
Hearing Do Yeeun’s confident answer, the people, including me and Grandfather, couldn’t help but be astonished.
No, how did it make any sense for a kid who was only fourteen to create an original form on the spot...?
Wasn’t that way too implausible?
But...
‘They do say reality is stranger than fiction...’
Maybe if we just raised Do Yeeun well, we could prevent the end of the world.
I couldn’t simply deny the thought that had come to me as a joke.
In any case, Grandfather’s reaction was extremely favorable.
Since she had brought back the flag in the first place, it seemed there was no need to worry about Do Yeeun’s test result at all.
“Continue to devote yourself even more from now on. Follow Sieun and Gyeonu’s example.”
“Yes, Patriarch! So, Patriarch, can I go to Academy City!? Can I attend the middle academy!?”
“Of course! Naturally, you may go.”
“Yes!”
“But you must not neglect the promise you made with me. Even after you go there, do not be idle, and make sure to receive training regularly from the Regulus Clan.”
“Yes, understood! Of course!”
Once Grandfather’s permission was given, Do Yeeun answered full of joy.
She was so happy that the satisfied smile never left her face.
“That’s great. Right?”
“Yeah... So we’ll be able to see Yeeun in Academy City starting from the new school year? It’ll be nice to run into her.”
Yeon Haneul linked her arm with mine.
I agreed with her opinion and nodded.
At the same time, I was a little worried.
‘If Yeeun causes trouble, am I going to have to clean it up? And from now on, I’ll have to look after Yeeun’s life there in place of Mother and Father...’
It seemed I’d suffer in my own way.
So, Yeeun, please, let’s just live peacefully without any problems.
I prayed inwardly.
* * *
The next morning.
Our family left the main house to return home.
“Goodbye, Grandfather.”
“Yes, have a safe trip back.”
When Yeon Haneul, who was about to get into the car last, politely offered her farewell, Grandfather, who had come out to see us off, responded warmly.
With that, we set off for home.
“The kids are doing fine at home, right?”
“Mm... I suppose.”
At the topic Yeon Haneul brought up, I thought of Yeon Bada, Cha Eunsol, and Nam Yuri, whom we had left at home yesterday.
A wry smile came to me naturally.
“As for food, well, Eunsol is there, so I’m sure they managed to eat properly.”
“Kik, true...”
“Seeing as they didn’t contact us, there probably weren’t any problems.”
Yeon Haneul let out a small laugh and responded as if she agreed.
After that, we chatted affectionately, and Father, Mother, and Do Yeeun joined in as we spent an enjoyable time together.
Before long, we arrived home.
“They’re not going to complain that we didn’t buy them any gifts, are they?”
“Mm... Knowing Eunsol and Yuri, they just might?”
“If that happens, we can buy them chicken or something, and they probably won’t say anything more.”
We opened the door and entered the house.
“Eunsol, Yuri, Bada. We’re back. You kept the house safe, right?”
As we walked down the hallway and headed to the living room, Cha Eunsol, Nam Yuri, and Yeon Bada were...
‘Huh?’
For a moment, yellow flashed across my vision.
I hadn’t seen wrong.
“Gyeonu, Gyeonu, welcome back! Do you have any idea how lonely we were yesterday!?”
“Yum. Did you buy anything tasty?”
“Gyeonu! You’re back safe!”
In the living room, besides Nam Yuri, Cha Eunsol, and Yeon Bada, there was one more person.
“Gyeonu, have you been well? I heard from those two. You went to your main family’s house, right?”
“......”
The princess of the Grace Empire, Lisa Grace.
Stepping inside, I widened my eyes when I saw her.
“Lisa, why are you here...?”
Lisa’s answer, however, was calm.
No, brazen.
“Something came up. I’m sorry, but I’ll be in your care for the time being. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
This is all because of you, Gyeonu.
So you need to take responsibility.
‘No, why...’
I felt wronged.