Shin Yuwol’s grip tightened on her blade, her knuckles whitening as she grappled with Han Soyeong’s biting accusations. The air grew thick, heavy with unspoken truths.
Beneath them, the floor pulsed with faint, eerie patterns. Hidden in the shadows, the manager had been fine-tuning the magic circle, biding her ti for the perfect mont. The preparations were nearly complete—only the final activation remained. The challenge now was whether the two swordmasters would evade the spell. Despite her careful adjustnts, the circle would emit a brief, unavoidable flash of light upon activation.
They won’t dodge it, will they?
The glow would last less than a second. For most, reacting and escaping in that fleeting mont would be impossible. But these were no ordinary foes—they were trained swordmasters, their instincts honed to a razor’s edge. Complacency wasn’t an option.
If they sensed the light, detected the faintest hint of danger, and leaped out of range...
"Was that strange trick your doing just now?"
"N-No, it’s not what you think..."
"I won’t hear excuses."
The manager’s mind raced, envisioning the consequences—straight to the afterlife. Death didn’t frighten her. She’d poured everything into this plan for one reason: to taste Yuseong’s power before her end. With her life already wagered, what was left to fear?
"Keep your eyes sharp," she whispered to her deputy. "There’ll be an opening."
"Yes," ca the tense reply.
Her nerves frayed, her usually still heart seeming to pound. As she watched the two won wreak havoc on her tavern, she saw her chance—
Slash!
Now!
Han Soyeong’s legs were severed, and she crumpled to the ground, still clumsy with her newfound vampiric power. Before she could regenerate or regain her footing, they had to act.
"Done! Deputy Manager, now!" the manager shouted.
"Got it!" her deputy responded, fingers flying to activate the spell.
The invisible circle took shape, its energy enveloping the two won at the heart of the chaos.
"W-Wait! Why’s that man in there too?!" the manager cried, her heart sinking.
Yuseong, collapsed and vulnerable, lay within the circle’s range. Panic seized her as she turned to her deputy, who looked equally stunned.
"Huh? Weren’t we sending him too? Isn’t he with them?" the deputy asked, bewildered.
The manager’s stomach churned. She hadn’t specified to exclude him. Her deputy had assud all three were to be teleported together.
"No, no! If we send him now, I’ll never find him!" she gasped.
The spell’s destination was scrambled—once cast, no one, not even they, would know where the targets landed. It could be nearby by sheer luck or halfway across the region, an unpredictable, far-reaching teleportation.
"Quick, cancel it!" she pleaded.
"What?! How do we cancel it now?!" her deputy snapped.
"I’m telling you, the man will go too!"
"So what’s the problem?!"
Their argunt echoed as the spell’s energy coalesced, undetectable to anyone but them. Stopping it now was a fantasy.
What do I do? Am I going to lose him like this?
As she stomped her foot in helpless frustration, an unbelievable sight caught her eye.
Roll.
Yuseong, collapsed and motionless, tumbled once, rolling just beyond the circle’s edge.
Had so energy leaked? No, that wasn’t it.
"You’re no different from ," Han Soyeong spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You call my love twisted, but yours is just as warped."
The two won, consud by their confrontation, were blind to the circle’s subtle hum. It was a stroke of divine luck.
Thank you, heavens!
Seizing the mont, the manager pushed to complete the spell. The circle flared to life, its brilliant light swallowing the air.
"What’s this?!" Shin Yuwol gasped, her eyes wide with shock.
A grating tallic screech followed—a sword slicing through the air.
No... she couldn’t have.
No matter how skilled, she couldn’t have damaged the circle with a single swing in that instant—could she?
The manager clung to hope as the light faded, revealing the aftermath.
"It worked!" she shouted.
"Success!" her deputy echoed.
The two won were gone.
"The man?!" the manager cried, rushing to where Yuseong had been.
Fear gnawed at her—had he been caught in the spell’s edge or injured in the chaos? If he was gravely wounded, tasting him now would be difficult. Even as a vampire, she drew the line at preying on the dying.
Relief washed over her as she saw him, seemingly unhard.
"Ahh... Thank goodness... Sir, are you hurt anywh—"
Her hand reached for him, only to be t with a sharp smack. His casual flick knocked her hand away.
For a mont, she stood frozen, disbelief clouding her mind.
Did he just... swat my hand?
Anger flared, replacing her shock. A soon-to-be prey daring to act so defiant? He needed to learn his place.
Slurp.
Swallowing the saliva pooling in her mouth, she prepared a mind-control spell. First, she’d make him remove that strange cloak.
Her hand reached for his head again—
Smack.
Twitch.
He knocked her hand aside once more, fearless and unyielding. Her patience snapped.
"Sir, I’m not trying to harm you," she said, her voice tight. "I just want to check for injuries. Could you let touch you?"
"..."
"Sir, if you keep being uncooperative, I’ll have to use force."
"...5... 4..."
His voice, low and steady, began an unprompted countdown.
"Sir? What are you doing?" she asked, unease creeping in.
"3..."
"You think counting changes anything? The won who could protect you are gone—far, far away."
"2..."
He ignored her, his tone cold, chanical, devoid of emotion.
Roselia’s POV
Sothing was wrong.
...Was his voice always like this?
Monts ago, he’d been slurring, stumbling in a drunken haze. Now, his countdown was chillingly clear, each number delivered with eerie precision. It was a aningless act, yet it carried an unsettling weight, as if he’d beco soone else entirely.
Did the alcohol wear off so quickly?
She’d only known him drunk, never hearing his sober voice. Doubt gnawed at her.
"1..."
"Sir...? What’s with the numbers—"
"Done."
With that, he collapsed, falling backward as if all strength had fled his body. Not a gentle lie-down, but a lifeless drop.
...Huh?
Confusion overwheld her. What was happening? The prey she thought secured was acting bizarrely. The simplest explanation was that he’d drunk himself into another stupor.
"Ha... Fine. I’ll take him to bed," she muttered, deciding to deal with the cloak later.
As she reached to lift him—
"...What are you doing?"
A shiver ran down her spine. A voice that shouldn’t be there echoed in the air.
Dan Yuseong’s POV [Flashback]
"Master, where did you learn all this?" I asked, idly rolling the orb she cherished between my fingers. She lounged on the porch, her presence as commanding as ever.
"All this? What do you an?" she replied, her tone teasing.
"Everything. Reading the heavens, your brute strength in hunting beasts, fire magic, talismans... You’ve mastered so much."
"Mastered, huh..." she murmured, her voice trailing off.
Each breath she took caused her chest to rise and fall subtly, a sight that once captivated but had long since beco familiar. After days of living with her, it no longer stirred as it once did.
"You pick up all sorts of tricks when you live long enough," she said with a shrug.
"Have you really lived that long? Just how old are you to talk like that?"
"Didn’t I teach you it’s rude to ask a woman’s age?" she shot back, her eyes narrowing playfully.
"Then stop acting like it’s obvious you’re ancient."
"...Tch. Tonight..." she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
The brief rest ended, and it was ti to clean the house.
"Master, is sothing wrong with your hair lately?" I asked, sweeping the floor.
"Pfft!" she choked, nearly spilling her tea.
"I keep finding golden strands everywhere, and the only place they could co from in this house is your head."
The next day, I woke so drained I could barely leave my blankets. But Master returned with a beast she’d hunted, and its nourishnt restored my strength swiftly.
Roselia’s POV
"M-M-Maam, why are you here?!" I stamred, my voice trembling with panic.
"Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?" Shin Yuwol’s voice was calm, but her presence lood like a storm.
"N-No, of course not! I-I just thought you’d vanished, so I was trying to take care of him—"
Behind stood Shin Yuwol, the master swordswoman I thought I had sent far away through the magic circle.
The circle had worked—I’d seen it. The spell activated, and both won vanished from this very spot.
So how was she here?
The coordinates were scrambled, designed to drop them sowhere random—anywhere but here. A chilling thought struck . By so cruel twist of fate, they’d landed nearby. The odds were infinitesimal, a mockery of the heavens themselves.
Damn it.
To send them randomly and have them return here? It was divine mischief at its worst.
"Well, to , it looks like you were approaching him with impure intentions," Shin Yuwol said, her gaze piercing.
"Haha... A misunderstanding, of course! No way that’s true," I said, waving my hands frantically, grasping for an excuse.
Think. What can I do?
Gulp.
"Sir, I’ll explain everything, so please calm down—"
"You said sothing about taking him to bed?" Her words cut through my flimsy defense.
Oh no.
She’d heard that part. How could I explain—
Wait.
"Haha... It’s late, and seeing him collapsed, I thought he must be exhausted. I was just going to offer him a place to rest—nothing unsavory, I swear!" I blurted, forcing a smile.
"Hmm." Her expression remained unreadable, urging to continue.
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