Chapter 376 – The Battle for Cornus (4)

[Resignation]

Her hair was the yellow of a young chick, and her eyes seemed to hold the essence of spring within them.

She was gentle, but her sharp wit had already earned her a formidable reputation within her family. As she sat in her office, she tilted her head in confusion.

“…This matter is not within my jurisdiction.”

Sansuyu’s perplexed gaze swept over the face of the man who bowed his head before her.

“You mean it’s not your jurisdiction?”
“I’m saying it’s not for me to decide. Secretary Seong Ji-ho.”

Firm and unwavering.

Compared to her peers, she didn’t stutter and took charge of matters that weren’t her responsibility. She was a precocious genius, unlike anyone they had seen before.

Even with a separate department to handle such matters, it was foolish to hand a resignation letter to a member of the escort party. Seong Ji-ho’s face reddened as he hurriedly reached for the resignation letter.

“I… I apologize.”
“Wait a moment?”

As Seong Ji-ho reached for his resignation letter, it slipped from the table. Suyu, who unfolded a well-wrapped paper and read it, blinked again and looked at Seong Ji-ho.

Sansuyu scrutinized Seong Ji-ho’s face beyond the letter.

“Personal health reasons… It doesn’t seem like it.”

Naturally, since the basic format was used as is. Seong Ji-ho crumpled his face, as his condition was not good enough to warrant writing a resignation letter one by one.

“Was the salary the issue?”
“……”

Receiving no answer, Suyu nodded and, resting her chin on her hand, said, “Hmm…” as she pondered. She spread her thumb and forefinger to form a V shape and placed it under her chin, causing her cheeks to bunch up. Her golden eyes darted around.

“Did you sleep well today? You have dark circles.”
“Yes, no… Yes, I slept a lot. It’s okay.”
“Really? Hmm.”

Why was the person who had been so kind and considerate today being so particular?

I need money. Be it an S-class dungeon or anywhere else, I must scavenge even the scraps of a living allowance.
Loans have already been gathered to their limits.

For Seong Ji-ho, whose mind was preoccupied, Sansuyu’s inquiry came across as highly unpleasant.

“Um… Miss. I apologize. I just can’t do this anymore.”

His face is covered in a thick beard.
The man who stood with dignity just last week now seemed on the brink of death.

Unwashed, his complexion is pallid, and his hair is matted and greasy.
One might think he’s ill, but it’s the face of someone worn down from the weight of too many worries. She knows that.

Sansuyu spoke to Seong Ji-ho, who furrowed his brow.

“…May I hear your story?”
“Pardon?”

Seong Ji-ho lifted his head and saw Sansuyu’s face.
It was a peculiar expression.

Not merely a sympathetic face, but a stance intent on clearly observing and resolving the current situation.

It was a sight one couldn’t expect to see on the face of a young child.

He knew that the young lady was peculiar. Discussing his own circumstances wouldn’t change anything. Sung Ji-ho’s fists clenched tightly.

He was in unbearable pain, yet he was expected to speak of it. The fact that he thought Sansuyu’s bright smile was irritating was a shameful burden he would bear for the rest of his life.

“That’s…”

After an extended silence, he finally opened up about his situation.

The reality that his mother and father were afflicted with a rare disease of unknown origin, and that they could die if they didn’t undergo surgery. Furthermore, treating the illness required an unimaginable sum of money.

Upon hearing this, Sansuyu offered Sung Ji-ho a small smile.

“I see. So that’s why you quit your job as a secretary.”
“Yes…”
“Then I’ll speak to my father about it.”
“…Pardon?”

A word of reassurance.

Seong Ji-ho’s eyes quivered as he selflessly gave to himself, still lacking in ability.

“I’ll suggest that you receive treatment from the medical staff directly under the Cornus family. Don’t worry about the costs of surgery or hospitalization. Isn’t this all part of employee welfare? Ahem!”
“No, really?”

At this peculiar attitude, Seong Ji-ho’s face paled.
He shook his head.

“My lady, I apologize… I don’t understand why you would go to such lengths.”
“It’s alright. Isn’t it, Secretary Ji-ho?”
“I’m not sure if I’m that capable. It’s just…”
“It’s fine.”

Seong Ji-ho’s arms tensed at the words that emerged from her youthful lips.

“If such a small act of help can bring great strength to our family, what can’t we achieve?”

Words he would never forget until the moment of his death.

“My lady…?”
“Secretary Seong Ji-ho is sincere. I believe he’s not one to forget a kindness.”

Then, with a wide, childlike smile, she beamed.

“My mother praised me for having an accurate eye, didn’t she?”
“……”

I couldn’t tell if her actions were calculated or emotional.
The young lady held nothing back when it came to helping others.

Even though I was aware of this, directly experiencing it was a different story.
Why would she help me?
Did she truly believe that I was helpful to the family?
I was still inexperienced and made mistakes from time to time.
I had even been a nuisance on occasion.

A high-ranking hunter who, at best, wielded a sword or threw a punch.
What could she possibly gain from showing kindness to someone like that?

“Alright, chin up, shoulders back! See? Everything will work out. You got this.”
“Um…”
“If it’s a matter of salary, let’s think it through together. Hehe.”

With an innocent expression and a casual stride, Sansuyu followed him, hands resting behind her back. She grasped Seong Ji-ho’s elbow.

“I’m certain you’ll get through this without any major problems. Please, don’t worry too much.”

Ah.

That’s why people cherished it.

As she tilted her head and gazed up at herself, her youthful countenance seemed to emanate a faint, ethereal glow, much like a woman from an ancient classic.

***

Directly following the conversation with the young lady, Seong Ji-ho, who had been working as usual, saw Sansuyu sitting on the swing, dabbing at her tears.

Sansuyu and her mother.
The tender voice comforting the weeping Sansuyu, seated side by side on the swing, reached even beyond the window.

“Are you alright?”
“……”

Seong Ji-ho didn’t know what she was thinking, but he concealed himself. He suspected that the reason she was crying might be related to him, and he had no valid pretext to observe her.

She wasn’t sobbing loudly, but she continuously wiped away her tears, one drop after another.

“Mom, I got scolded again.”
“Again? Hehe. What was it for this time? Did your father tease you once more?”
“Yes. He told me not to cause unnecessary trouble…”

With a crestfallen expression, Sansuyu descended from the swing.

“My secretary… You know, her family is unwell.”
“Aha, I understand now.”

Her mother, with a bright smile, opens her arms to embrace Cornus. Nestled in the saffron-hued fabric, Cornus smiles in comfort.

“Our Cornus has done a good job.”
“But I get scolded all the time. I made so many mistakes last time, too.”

As she continues to stroke her golden-yellow hair, the young lady closes her eyes and smiles contentedly. What must she look like in the eyes of her mistress?

A genius who excels without being told?
A daughter born from an undesired marriage?

What Seong Ji-ho could be certain of, observing from the side, was that she was a gentle woman with ample maternal instincts.

“Mom, I think our Cornus is doing well.”
“… Mom always thinks differently than Dad.”
“Your father is the flawed one. Hehe.”
“Am I doing well?”

“Of course~ Suyu is far better than Dad. That’s how the world she lived in was. One must treat people like people. Those who see people as tools always come to a bad end.”

– Blink, blink.

Sansuyu, not grasping the meaning, tilted her head.

“It’ll all come back around someday.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely~ If our Suyu lives like this, she can accomplish anything.”

Witnessing the woman embracing her daughter despite being sick and festering, Sung Ji-ho turned her back, concealing her appearance from others.

“Why did Suyu try to help the secretary?”
“It’s not helping. It’s only natural… We are the employers, after all.”
“Oh. That’s something the labor union would like, huh? Heh.”

There was nothing left to say.
With his back against the wall, Sung Ji-ho slowly sank to the floor.

“……”

He slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding.
The weary sigh that finally escaped felt, for some reason, too tender and hot.

* * * * * * *

My throat aches.

Consciousness feels distant. A rotten rope slowly descends into my field of vision.

Tightly enclosed within the bark of an ancient tree, I struggle to pry the gap open, but it remains unreachable. Damp mud oozes from my hands, and my breath is choked by the scant oxygen.

The blurring horizon is a vertical line, drawn with a crimson thread. The young lady’s eyes tremble above the blood spreading across the damp floor.

“There’s a limit to repaying kindness with enmity. I took in a worthless wretch and raised him. Are you honing your blade?”

The voice that reaches me sets my mind ablaze.

“The hidden desire is right before your eyes, Sansuyu.”

“…Jiho? Why… Why?”

“If you’ve regained your senses, don’t just sit there. Follow me.”

– I flinch.

Does my body already believe I’m dead? My muscles quivered like rigor mortis setting in.
My vision grows hazy.

-*Secretary Seong Ji-ho is diligent. I don’t think they’re someone who would forget a kindness.*

“Kheop, Kahak!”

Blood bursts forth from my mouth.
As the girl being dragged along reaches out her hand, I muster all my strength to turn my head.

Her face still shows she hasn’t grasped the situation.

My senses have become so dulled that I can hardly feel any emotions. I know this because I’ve watched the once radiant girl gradually change by my side. She’s taken aback when she should be angry, never cries, and doesn’t know how to make friends, leaving her downcast.

She doesn’t even realize how unfortunate she is now, nor does she understand why we’re worried.
Unaware of what she’s done for me, she asks why I put myself through so much for her. She lashes herself without reason and endures a path of penance with no cause.

“Hehe, hehehe.”

The young lady’s mind had been shattered for years.

“Damn bastard.”

With those strained words, Sanhyeokwon turns to look at me. His gaze is like that of someone peering at worthless trash. He had always looked at me that way until I could properly fulfill my duties.

He turned his creaking head. My body screamed that it couldn’t go on any longer, but somehow I managed.

The expression on the young lady’s face as she looked at me was different than usual. If it weren’t for the anguish in her features, I might have been pleased, thinking that her expression had changed for the first time in years.

Memories flashed by like a spinning zoetrope.

Two realizations suddenly came to me: I had spent half of my life with the young lady.

“…”

And now, I could no longer do so.

* * * * * * *

[Here’s a rough map of the bunker’s interior.]
[If intruders enter, they’ll likely gather around this area… Stopping them at this gateway is the issue.]
[Si-heon.]
[Please.]

*Crash!*

The electricity ceased simultaneously with the sound of the rupture. Not only electricity, but also the magical energies that seemed to govern the bunker, stopped.

‘Did Seong Ji-ho do this?’

If that’s the case, now is the opportunity. Observing the hunters beginning to chase the intruder, Tae-yang halted his sprint.

At the first gateway, Tae-yang gradually slowed down and held his breath.

“Go ahead.”

Three paths. With the dagger in hand, Tae-yang, who had gathered mana from his pocket, motioned for me to proceed. From now on, I followed the pre-memorized map’s path, running with all my stored energy.

[Master… Do I have to reward them?]

Eleanor and Lucy obstructed the path at the second gateway. In the end, Aori shut the door at the final gateway.

Aori swung the door wide open, smiled with a grand salute, and I stepped inside.
The deepest part.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, I halted and glanced back.

Aori shut the door with a whine, flicking her thumb through the crack in the door.

“Your Majesty, proceed according to the plan.”

I had nothing left to worry about.
Tae-yang, Aori, White Ant, Lucy, and Eleonor.
They would find their own way out and flee, while my sole task was to bring Cornus with me.

_Thud!_

_Creak._

The ceiling was illuminated once more as the light returned.

A wisp of gray smoke rose from the now-brightened area.

“Who are you?”

The man narrowed his eyes and reached for his sword.
I was familiar with the names and faces of those who had been identified as dangerous individuals.

_S-rank Hunter_
78th among hunters, excluding the realm
Sword Master Cardril

“San Hyukwon.”
“What?”
“Where is Cornus’ heir?”

The mistletoe transformed into leather gloves.
I briefly experienced the sensation of the leather encasing my hands before clenching my fists.
Cadrill’s brow furrowed, and a surge of sword energy emanated from his hand.

“You’re an intruder. I’d rather not kill a fellow hunter. I’ll make this as painless as possible.”

I strode forward.

-Flash!

Simultaneously with the appearance of a bright flash, the elongated white sword was torn to shreds.

“…What.”

With a single word uttered, the man collapsed, his neck broken amidst the shattered fragments. Blood spurted from his body as his eyes flew open.

“What… happened…”

I casually shook the blood from my hands.

-Creak.

An unsettling sound resonated from the bones throughout my body, still unaccustomed to the newfound speed and power.