Cough, cough. “Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing smashing the door like that? At least knock before you come in…”
A tall man scratches his beard sheepishly.
He tries to reattach the door that’s lying on the floor, but upon seeing the broken hinges, he lets out a long sigh—sighhhh.
“Quite strong, huh? How the heck did you manage to… with a stellite alloy and even added an anti-intruder coating…”
“…”
Jinwoo’s words annoy me for no reason. Why was I worried about this guy’s safety again?
Well, it’s not like Mok Jinwoo is the kind of person who would get killed by a blade in the first place.
He did say it himself. Even if thrown among demons, he’d return with just a tongue…
“Didn’t the branch chief say to come anytime, day or night, any day of the year?”
“Well, that’s true, but… who would’ve expected you to come today… especially with the door locked…”
“This is the Information Bureau base, right? How can you just call women over like that? What if it wasn’t me, but some older ladies who saw you…”
“Don’t even mention those guys.”
Jinwoo shakes his head as if he’s fed up.
“When I think of how troublesome those women from the cradle were back in the day… whenever I tried to have fun with Jaehyuk, they’d suddenly pop up like ghosts… urgh.”
“I think I understand why the older ladies don’t like the branch chief…”
“Well, that’s great. I don’t like them much either.”
That was a rare firm answer from him.
“And what you think is not true. That woman earlier? She’s my informant. Works as a night singer at a VIP club. Her lips are very tight…”
“Isn’t that more concerning? How can you…”
“What’s wrong with that? We all live like that. While passing along news from the higher-ups… if I have time… heh.”
He shrugs with a smug smile.
Then he clears his throat and changes the topic.
Ahem. “Well, let’s drop that conversation. How about you? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…I’m fine. I did have some minor injuries, but after a few days of rest, I’m almost healed…”
“That’s a relief. I was worried because I hadn’t heard from you. I felt a bit at ease seeing you at the hearing…”
Jinwoo nods.
“This time, I took a beating from Paecheon. I never expected that noble would personally lead her soldiers into battle. By the way, did I get my crow back? I sent it as soon as I sensed movement…”
“I arrived almost at the same time as the Paecheon side. It seems like it got stuck in the air defense system and couldn’t come in properly.”
“Tch… I was worried about that…”
He lightly clicks his tongue and furrows his eyebrows.
“Thinking like that, it really was a stroke of luck that you survived. If I were Paecheon, I would’ve killed both you and the Jeokhwa heir on the spot. The justification would have been perfect…”
“…Right. But how did you know I was with the Jeokhwa?”
“A person from our side who’s in the cradle told me. Speaking of which… hmm.”
Suddenly, Jinwoo stops mid-sentence as if he had recalled something, nodding his head at me.
“I think it might be good to directly interact with him. That way, we can exchange information more closely, right? We’re not complete strangers after all.”
“Are you saying one of my acquaintances is an agent of the Information Bureau?”
And I was thinking it might just be one of the staff, but Jinwoo drops a name I never would have expected.
“You know him? Sin Muyeong.”
*
“Huh?”
I sat there dumbfounded, reflexively asking back.
As soon as I heard the name, an image of a strict-looking male student with glasses popped into my head.
Though the public perception wasn’t great, he was one of the few students I could speak openly with at the cradle.
After we met in the ward after the first ranking match, I had even mentioned I’d be temporarily leaving the cradle for mentoring experience before heading to Jeokhwa.
But he was an agent of the Information Bureau…
“Did you put him on surveillance against me?”
“Surveillance? Why would we put surveillance on you?”
He chuckles as if my question was nonsense.
“He was someone whose admission to the cradle was decided way before yours. We needed someone to relay the movements of the academy’s noble families immediately. Muyeong doesn’t even know that you and I are close.”
“Really… I had no idea he was an agent of the Information Bureau.”
“Muyeong is more capable than you think. Besides being a rare spirit mage… you know? His temperament.”
There’s no way I could not know.
I recall Muyeong’s eccentric behaviors.
“Doesn’t that react not just to humans but also to our kind?”
“When you say ‘our kind’…?”
“Oh, for instance… female demons that disguise themselves as young women to seduce men?”
“Can he detect beasts?”
The appearance of demons stripped of magic looks no different from that of humans.
Powerful individuals of at least two ranks show a slight odor, but such breeds are quite rare.
Their distinct awkward vocal language seems to correct over the years as well.
While not numerous, long-standing demons are incredibly hard to differentiate from humans unless they are killed and their spring is revealed.
If he can detect such entities instantly, he is clearly more than just capable.
“Exactly. Apparently, those similar beings are harder for him to bear than humans. Female demons usually reproduce in groups, you see. When they go into heat, they switch males by the dozens…”
“Group sex…”
That word gives a very squishy echo.
Just imagining it makes my head spin.
Before I know it, I’ve echoed his words but quickly realized it was a mistake.
“Oh? What’s wrong? Are you getting a bit interested? Well, you are at that age, I suppose…”
Jinwoo’s voice is filled with mischievous playfulness.
“Or have you already tried it? Huh? You must have charmed those naive cradle girls…”
“I haven’t… done anything like that. I don’t even want to.”
“Really? I think there are sufficient possibilities though…”
His gaze felt piercing, as if he could see through my mask, but he quickly shifted back to the topic.
“Well, you’ll find out eventually. Anyway, that reproduction method is totally contrary to Muyeong. He’s a proponent of platonic love. A rare romanticist these days…”
Hearing his explanation made me wonder if Muyeong’s aversion also applies to men.
If so, I want to experiment first with the person before me…
“Have soldiers in plain clothes waiting nearby while Muyeong just roams the alleys. Then if he starts frothing at the mouth and gasping for breath, we surround the area… and then?”
He raises an eyebrow in response, as if that was the answer.
“Sometimes misidentification occurs, but I can assure you it’s superior to any method I know.”
I remember wondering why I hadn’t seen him all weekend, and it seems my question has finally been answered.
I wonder if working without a break would be tough for him, but then again, knowing his personality, he probably would have been eager to do so…
“…Does the principal know about his identity?”
“I don’t know? I didn’t tell her, but she probably has some sense that we’ve planted someone.”
He continued casually as he dried a glass with a dishrag.
“But even if she knows, she probably wouldn’t care too much. The principal and we have a mutual understanding under the greater good of stabilizing the Republic. If she had been in the capital during the Jeokhwa crisis, it wouldn’t have escalated this much…”
“Is that so…”
“Yeah. But it’s quite strange. Muyeong rarely shows human-like affection towards anyone. I’m pretty sure he said something about… the solidarity of wounded souls?”
“…I have no idea what that means. By the way, may I ask you…?”
I continued talking with Jinwoo about various things after that.
Through his mouth, I could hear various developments that I could not know at this moment.
However, being a naturally talkative person, I had to sift through a significant volume of information to extract what was valuable to me.
The arrival of a new night singer at the VIP club with a sweet voice was attracting attention and support from the influential, inciting jealousy among others—something I had absolutely no need to know…
“By the way, should I start calling you ‘young master’? The new crown prince of Heukryeon…”
“Don’t tease me. I’m leaving.”
“How boring. Fine. It’s funny though, considering you’re not even blood-related, you’re just like Jaehyuk…”
As I was about to leave since it was getting late, Jinwoo tossed another mischievous joke at me. Does he ever get tired of this?
“Ah, um…”
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to exchange farewells and leave, hearing Muyeong’s name suddenly reminded me of our interrupted conversation back in the ward.
“By the way, do you know what witches are?”
Jinwoo hesitates for a moment, then asks in return.
“…Why do you ask?”
“I just suddenly thought of it. When I was talking with Muyeong about it, I had to stop. It seemed like some sort of criminal or mutant identification name…”
“…Hmm. Is that so?”
He drags out the sentence a little before nodding his head slightly.
“Well, that’s not incorrect. However, I think it’s better to hear about that from Muyeong himself since he brought it up.”
“Why? Just since we’re on the topic…”
“That’s because the last shuttle to the cradle is nearing its final departure. You haven’t forgotten that tomorrow is Monday, have you? If you want to start the first day back with a tardy mark…”
“…Ah.”
I turned my head in response to his words, realizing the clock was signaling late into the night.
“…Alright. Then…”
“Yeah. Take care getting back, young master.”
I let Jinwoo’s jokes go in one ear and out the other as I stepped out into the silver moonlight.
I started walking toward the shuttle stop heading to the cradle.
This slight unease I felt now—surely, it wasn’t just because of the unanswered questions that suddenly arose.
When I had spoken the word ‘witch’ and heard the source of that question…
The strange look that flickered on Jinwoo’s face for an instant before vanishing…
Did that feel like a sigh of tension followed by relief? Was it my misunderstanding?
Was the word ‘witch’ such a touchy topic?
*
The view of the cradle, which I hadn’t seen in a while, was rather desolate.
But since this place had been where I spent a considerable amount of time being fed and sheltered, it felt strangely endearing and familiar.
Since it was quite late, there wasn’t a soul in sight, aside from the guards at the main entrance and the security cameras.
The courtyard that was always bustling with students in white school uniforms was extremely quiet.
There was only the flickering light of the indoor training area in the distance, illuminating who could be training at this hour.
I slipped through the bushes beside the courtyard.
As I walked along the back road for a while, the familiar view of the dormitory came into sight.
Among them, the mansion located in the most secluded and scenic spot was none other than Yeon Minha’s dormitory.
And as I leaped over the fence to avoid the prying eyes of others…
“…You’re late.”
A voice, clearly laced with annoyance, pierced my ears.
Suddenly appearing like a ghost patrolling the hallway, the pale Yeon Minha glared at me with her arms crossed.
In the darkness, her red eyes shone fiercely.
“You told me to go to bed early today. I said I might be late.”
“But it’s still too late… Walking around during such dark hours, who knows what might happen…”
Does this girl even know who I am?
Especially since she’s younger than me.
At her feet, I spotted a small cat with a mix of cream and amber color.
Meow!
Peanut dashed to my feet, sniffing around excitedly.
I hadn’t seen this little guy in a few days, and while I was genuinely happy to see him, Peanut seemed to have some complaints.
After sniffing around for a bit, he suddenly stood upright and bit my ankle with his teeth—chomp.
The pain was sharp enough that I almost let out a yelp.
Maybe it had been too long since our last meeting, so I lifted Peanut by the scruff and cradled him in my arms.
But Peanut’s discontentment persisted.
His claws were digging into me fiercely as he kept trying to scratch my arms and legs.
It felt part sulky, part like he was throwing a tantrum…
“Do you have any idea why he’s acting like this?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Dad came back without any contact after being away, and it’s late at night…”
“…”
That doesn’t quite seem right.
“Ugh. Never mind. Let’s hurry inside. Classes start again tomorrow…”
“Understood.”
So, I followed Yeon Minha into the dorm while holding Peanut.
I noticed a strange stain on the outer wall that hadn’t been there before and turned my gaze toward it.
And soon recognized the nature of the stain.
“This is…”
It wasn’t just a stain, but rather a large array of graffiti.
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