*
That evening, Jurim told him that Lee Taemin, who had been admitted to the hospital immediately, had stabilized a great deal.
And that the person who had followed along had been bawling his eyes out, tears and snot and all……
He was probably talking about Guildmaster Choi Hyeonu. After all, he had tried to get close to Lee Taemin without caring about his own body.
Gru suddenly recalled Guildmaster Choi Hyeonu trying to slap Lee Taemin across the cheek.
It seemed there were many different shapes of the heart inside a person.
Hurting someone, and yet still trying to approach and embrace them……
It was still difficult for Gru to understand, but in any case, calling Jurim at that moment had been an extremely appropriate decision.
If he had been even a little later, Lee Taemin really would have been in danger.
He had saved Lee Taemin, relieved Serhi of his worries, and even wrapped up the caregiver quest very nicely, but……
In the living room, Youngran, the housekeeper, said as she tied on her apron.
“I heard everything from the boss, Gru. You’re banned from TV, right? He told me to keep a close eye on you.”
“Hooong……”
For Gru personally, one major difficulty remained.
Gru whined like a little puppy as he loitered in front of the TV.
Beside him, Mephisto and Beillach, who were likewise addicted to TV, were hesitating with him.
Right now was the time for the three of them’s favorite animation, “Zombie Hunter,” to air.
The previous episode had ended with the hunter who had become a zombie nearly having his identity exposed to his comrades, so the three of them had been eagerly waiting for today to come……
“Myaaaau……!”
Beillach bared his teeth tightly in rebellion and looked at Gru.
It was a protest asking why he had pointlessly called Jurim and made things turn out like this.
“Piiit!”
At that, Mephisto kicked that impudent face.
Beillach rebelled by pattering his millet-sized hands against Mephisto in retaliation, and when Mephisto flew up again to attack once more, Gru caught the baby bird with both hands.
“Stop it! G-grown-ups have to know how to endure.”
Gru huffed through his nose.
“Gru has lots to do, so Gru has to go. Too busy, no time to watch TV……”
After hesitating, Gru returned to his room with tears in his eyes, and Youngran, who had been watching, let out a small laugh.
*
It was true that he had things to do.
[Caregiver “Serhi” Affection Quest Complete!]
[Caregiver “Serhi” Worry Quest Complete!]
Because he had succeeded in quests one after another, his filial piety points had piled up nicely!
[Filial Piety Points: 75,000]
‘So, so many!’
All of these points were thanks to Serhi and Subordinate 2 (not really).
Gru immediately started up the Filial Piety Factory and began making a few more drones.
Whirrr, scrape scrape.
While watching the factory clatter away, Gru checked the empty chest of a chick drone.
Would it sell for more if he put Beillach’s magic stone inside?
Gru took out an earring that looked as though a piece of the night sky had been cut out.
[Beillach Shados’s Star (SSS)]
It was something Jurim, who had taken Lee Taemin to the hospital, had left behind.
He said Taemin had handed it over with a message to pass it on to the Children’s Robber Gang……
Only after hearing the earnest warning not to use the magic stone dangerously ten whole times was Gru able to receive it.
Come to think of it.
‘How did he know it was Gru just from hearing “Children’s Robber Gang”?’
Gru propped up his chin.
‘As expected of Rank 1?’
Considering Gru’s dad had never gone to kindergarten, he knew quite a lot.
With his chin in his hand, Gru fiddled with the earring.
Beillach had said that even he couldn’t absorb magic stones or make new ones right now.
‘Because he can’t return to his main body.’
According to Beillach, magic stones were like urinary stones in the main body. But since he couldn’t return to his main body right now, he couldn’t make any.
‘What’s a yuri-nary……’
He didn’t really know, but at any rate, he could tell that this was the only one for now.
‘It’d be a waste to use something like that just anywhere……’
It would be nice if magic stones grew in clusters like potatoes.
‘Potatoes.’
Clouds began to billow up inside his head, and soon potatoes with arms and legs grew from them.
They were magic-stone potatoes that sparkled like the shining night sky.
The potatoes sang, “I’m a mighty magic-stone potato! Supreme potato!” as they tossed the baby sheep into the air.
‘Potato potato potato potato.’
Before he knew it, his head had begun to fill only with potatoes and magic stones.
‘Let’s make them!’
I need to find out how to grow potatoes well.
Gru picked up his phone to search, then tilted his head when he saw a notification.
There was a notice from the kindergarten in the Kids Note app.
It was a notice saying that the school sports day would be held soon, and they hoped for many people to attend.
Seeing it, Gru’s face brightened.
‘There’s going to be a sports day!’
Chapter: Uju’s Awakening
Knock, knock.
Kim Hyeokjung, the principal of Yustitia, knocked on the door of the chairman’s office.
“Come in.”
When he opened the door and stepped inside, the backlight shone into his eyes, making him frown without realizing it.
“You’ve come at just the right time, Principal. I had just finished looking over the sports day plan you sent me.”
When the chairman smiled softly, pretty dimples appeared in both cheeks.
Roun Han.
He was the chairman who had come over from the British branch.
Han Roun, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, looked extremely easygoing, and the body visible beneath his shirt was so solid it was hard to believe he worked an office job.
His pale almond-colored hair and eyes looked golden when the sunlight hit them, and as mystical as that color was, his appearance also had a mysterious quality, as if he were both Eastern and Western.
Everything about him—his nationality, age, and appearance—seemed ambiguous.
“There’s nothing as good as sports for bringing children together. You may spend the budget generously.”
He spoke as though he were being magnanimous, but the budget for this sports day had not come from the foundation’s funds. It had been wrung out of the Olympic Council of Asia.
After discerning movements to deploy Awakened ones in the upcoming Asian Games, he had struck a deal.
Even if one were generous, he did not look over thirty, yet he was a man of remarkable skill.
Then, at the sudden chilling sensation that came over him, the principal turned his gaze to the side.
There was another person sitting in the chairman’s office.
A man? Since when had he been here?
“Um…… Chairman, excuse me, but is he a guest? Since this is, after all, confidential school business…… Things like this are rather sensitive these days, so……”
The man set down his teacup and straightened his back. Then, in Japanese, he spoke playfully to Han Roun.
[“Oh, should I introduce myself?”]
[“Don’t tease him.”]
Han Roun, who replied in equally fluent Japanese, turned his gaze to the principal.
“You don’t need to worry about him. This person isn’t very good at Korean.”
“Annyeonghaseyo.”
The middle-aged man, who greeted him with a foreign accent, curved his eyes into crescents.
He was so large that the principal wondered why he had not sensed his presence. On top of that, there was something familiar about him, as though he had seen him somewhere before.
Why?
As he forgot his manners for a moment and stared intently at the man’s face—
“Principal, may I ask what brings you here?”
“Ah.”
“Since I have a guest, if it isn’t urgent, I could visit you another time.”
“No. I only came to ask whether you had received the report regarding the sports day. If something else comes up, I will come again next time.”
“Yes, then please take care on your way back.”
“Yes, yes.”
The principal bowed and stepped out the door.
Beyond the closing door, Han Roun’s voice could be heard faintly.
[“Don’t be too cruel, Amakusa-san.”]
Click—
As the principal turned and headed toward his office, he tilted his head.
“Amakusa……”
Amakusa? It was a familiar name.
He tried to recall the man’s face again, but before he knew it, his mind had gone blank.
‘But if it’s Amakusa, isn’t that the Japanese master craftsman……?’
No way.
It wasn’t as if there were only one or two people with the surname Amakusa.
He shook his head and went outside.