At the al, I barely managed to get past the barrage of questions.
"My dear, shouldn’t you tell where we’re headed? A secret? Is there really a need for such secrets between us? It’s not like we’re going to so forbidden place."
"Do you understand the feelings of a teacher who has to watch their beloved student nearly die every ti they go out? Where is it this ti? Another dangerous place you’re going to stick your head into?"
"You tell not to worry, but with things like Shipnaha and that situation in China... are you going to charge into so 3rd-tier monster again this ti?"
"Senior, you can’t go to another dangerous place… can you? If you keep this up, you’re really going to get hurt. Why don’t you co stay with my family for a few days and rest?"
… I sohow got through it. The performance of the Tower Master’s shield was quite strong.
"Why did he co all the way here? Isn’t there quite a bit of distance?"
[That much, I’m not sure…]
After the overly dramatic breakfast, Yeon-hwa, Se-yul, and I went out to see the unicorn.
The unicorn had been lying out since early morning, but Yeon-hwa had been napping, so she only heard about it during the al and hadn’t t it in person yet.
"By the way, the unicorns seem to really like you, Ha-yul. Is it here to see you? You’ve already seen it once recently, haven’t you?"
Yeon-hwa, her arms crossed behind her head, tilted her head. It seed she found it strange that it had co all the way here.
"I don’t know, uh-cha-cha... My body feels refreshed but a little stiff."
With Yeon-hwa muttering in her usual playful manner, I rembered last night.
A mory that was difficult to describe, a rather unpleasant one. And it wasn’t the awkward al of rice cakes that I didn’t like, but a truly fulfilling al that satisfied both mind and body…
I felt my face heat up. Before the heat fully rose, I quickly turned my head and changed the subject.
"Pathetic."
"What? No, that’s not what I ant…"
A crack appeared on Yeon-hwa’s face, a clear sign that she was a bit hurt, and she began to make excuses.
She had taken the bait so easily. It worked, though, as my face cooled down almost imdiately after.
Honestly, I thought Yeon-hwa was the one teasing on purpose.
No matter how much I ate, I never felt satisfied, so I had taken the risk of embarrassnt to go find what I truly wanted that night.
Suppressing the heat on my face, I squeezed Se-yul’s hand, which was still in mine.
[It’s here.]
That’s when we arrived at the spot where the unicorn was. It was a place near the edge of the land, where there were more grassy areas than flowers or trees.
"Purr?"
As I approached, making sure to announce my presence so I wouldn’t startle it, the baby unicorn, who had been basking in the sun, raised its head.
With bright eyes, it calmly surveyed us.
It was the first to make eye contact with , then looked at Se-yul, who was clinging to my leg, her eyes locked with his.
In that gaze, Se-yul tightened her grip on my hand.
"A unicorn..."
[Yes. It’s your first ti eting it in person, isn’t it?]
"Yes."
Se-yul nodded, curiosity flickering in her adult-like eyes. As she looked at the unicorn, her small wings fluttered slightly, and I nodded in satisfaction.
"Wow, it really ca here? How did it know where to co?"
That’s when it happened.
The baby unicorn, still looking at Se-yul, suddenly noticed Yeon-hwa.
"...Purr!"
The baby unicorn blinked in confusion before it suddenly jumped up. At the sa ti, an aggressive energy radiated from it.
"What’s going on?"
Yeon-hwa blinked in surprise, stepping back. A sudden pulse of pure white magic emanated from the unicorn.
Its long front legs scraped the ground several tis, an obvious sign of an impending charge.
Bang! It didn’t stop there, as the unicorn's body lunged forward with great force.
"No way, why is it attacking , of all people?!"
Yeon-hwa, flustered, yelled out in disbelief. She started to gather her mana to respond to the unicorn’s charge.
Before she could react, I stepped in front of her.
Bang!
The heavy impact of the collision reverberated through the ground. There was no dust or dirt flying, but my feet didn’t budge an inch. The long horn in my hand trembled slightly. The baby unicorn had stopped just inches in front of .
I narrowed my eyes and confronted it.
[No!]
Purr…
The baby unicorn, whose horn was caught in my hand, whimpered.
It sounded like a mild whine. But I didn’t ease the sharpness in my gaze.
[No! You can’t just attack people like that! Why would you try to hurt soone?]
This was sothing that needed to be addressed firmly.
It had tried to charge at , and if it had succeeded, soone could have gotten seriously hurt or even killed.
Although this unicorn appeared cute and young, its strength could easily wipe out dozens of people.
Of course, if soone invaded their nest, it would show hostility and suspicion. After all, the common sense between humans and monsters is often different.
But right now, wasn’t it the opposite? The baby unicorn had co to the mansion where Yeon-hwa lived, not an intruder entering its nest.
Screech...
[No! Don’t whine!]
I scolded the unicorn firmly.
It wasn’t much of a punishnt for a monster, but fortunately, communication worked.
The unicorn was intelligent, and more importantly, I had the Confession Necklace, which helped convey my intentions.
The Confession Necklace had started to show changes since before.
When I asured it properly, I realized that, from a certain point, my thoughts started to bleed through.
It was similar to my innate powers, like the elents of fla. I didn’t even need to put it into words—the aning itself reached the recipient.
Thanks to that, I could communicate with monsters who didn’t understand language.
Of course, without the Confession Necklace, I would have had to mimic my elental powers using Homogenization.
Purr…
After a brief scolding, the baby unicorn sat down in the grass, its mood deflated. It then rubbed its head against .
I relaxed my gaze slightly, cautiously patting its mane.
This was just a light scolding, as the unicorn’s behavior didn’t have any real malice behind it.
Even if it had charged at , it would’ve only sent flying far away. It wouldn’t have actually stabbed with its horn. But it was still a matter I needed to address.
If Yeon-hwa had been the one facing it, though?
Sorry to say to the baby unicorn, but it wouldn’t have just been a mild scolding.
[Yes, that’s right... You can’t just attack people for no reason.]
Purr...!
[What?]
[There was a reason?]
Anyway.
While the baby unicorn was whining and rubbing its head on my thigh, Se-yul, still in Yeon-hwa’s arms, blinked and sat down next to .
"Ugh, why does it hate so much?"
[Not sure…]
"Why does everyone hate , whether they’re spirits or monsters? I haven’t done anything! Even our daughter thinks so, right?"
"Gaahhh!"
"...Is it really that scary?"
Se-yul, who had been sitting quietly in Yeon-hwa’s arms, suddenly jumped up, startled by Yeon-hwa’s playful comnt.
Yeon-hwa, stunned by Se-yul’s reaction, opened her mouth in disbelief.
"Ugh... Daddy. Please hug ."
[...Okay, co here.]
Se-yul, who had clung to , snuggled close to , pressing her little body into my chest. She nestled her face into my empty thigh.
"..."
While I was lost in watching the playful exchange between Yeon-hwa and the unicorn, I suddenly rembered Yeon-hwa’s comnt from earlier and gently patted Se-yul’s back.
"Daddy?"
Se-yul tilted her head with a sweet smile at my touch. Her precise pronunciation sounded strangely awkward.
Se-yul, calling "Daddy."
But had I ever referred to her as my daughter?
In truth, there was no need to ask.
I had never consciously called her that.
I couldn’t stop her from calling Daddy, but I had always referred to myself as her protector, not her father.
I called her my child, but I couldn’t bring myself to call her my daughter.
It was because, on an unconscious level, I couldn’t fully accept this relationship.
I feared that I couldn’t fulfill the role of a parent properly. There was so much I couldn’t do for her, and I felt guilty.
But in the end, it was just an excuse.
And now, that excuse seed pointless.
I had this deep relationship with Yeon-hwa, and with others as well? I, the greedy one, would never let them go.
But to push away my relationship with Se-yul just because it felt burdenso was absurd.
[Se-yul.]
"Yes, Daddy."
She smiled brightly at my call, and even from observation, I could see how beautiful that smile was.
Fairy knights like Se-yul have a short childhood, and I regretted not spending more ti with her during that brief period.
[Daughter.]
"Yes, Daddy."
Se-yul replied instinctively.
"...Huh?"
A few seconds later, it seed she realized sothing was wrong, blinking blankly. The sight of her innocent confusion made smile without aning to.
How sweet and comforting it is for a child to have their parent’s attention. Even I, who had never known fulfillnt, knew it well.
So, if I ever had a child, I wanted to give them all my love.
I gently pushed Se-yul’s soft bangs up and kissed her forehead.
Smack.
The sound of the kiss made Se-yul’s eyes widen even more. I smiled and rubbed my cheek against hers.
[Daughter, how about we go on a picnic before the break ends?]
Se-yul, still stiff as a board, slowly relaxed as we stayed like that for a few minutes. Then, she jumped up and started bouncing happily.
"Ha-yul, why are you bringing along and then ignoring ?"
"That’s not what I ant..."
I was playfully teased by Yeon-hwa, who was a little jealous.
That night. Hong Yeon-hwa, on the first night? Thanks to a special privilege, she was able to hold Ha-yul in her arms and fall asleep again.
"Who’s pathetic, huh?"
Bang!
"Ughh..."
Because of that, the surrounding gazes were a bit intimidating. Today, Se-yul’s gaze was particularly cold.
But since the break was coming up, and I might not see Ha-yul for a while, I wanted to have him all to myself until today.
"Sssshh..."
[Fulfillnt]
[Sweets]
[Nutty flavor]
"Ugh… okay, yes… good boy."
After feeling a relatively short mont of pleasure, Hong Yeon-hwa lay in bed with Ha-yul, letting out a heated breath.
Thankfully, today, she had figured out a bit about how to make Ha-yul succumb, so she avoided him passing out in a crude way.
In fact, there was no real tactic.
Before things had really gotten serious, Ha-yul had been so soft and pliable, that just giving him so milk would’ve been enough to make him nod.
Anyway, she felt like her pride was sowhat intact.
If Ha-yul hadn’t restrained himself, Hong Yeon-hwa would’ve ended up like a fallen frog.
"Ugh."
As Hong Yeon-hwa basked in the sweet feelings, a sudden thought crossed her mind, and she sighed, looking down at Ha-yul in her arms.
He was planning to wander sowhere during the break.
She didn’t know exactly where, but he was hiding it under the pretense of being the Tower Master.
‘Can I dig into it?’
It wasn’t easy to get Ha-yul to open up. Plus, if she forced him to speak, he might suddenly start vomiting blood and collapse, like last ti.
Ha-yul was like a ticking ti bomb that couldn’t be carelessly touched.
"Ha-yul, what are you planning to do during the break…?"
Hong Yeon-hwa sighed, muttering to herself.
She wasn’t really asking for an answer. If she had wanted one, she would’ve asked while he was still awake.
[Plans for the break, First Goal… asure the entrance to the Hidden Realm]
"Eh?"
In the still of the night, Ha-yul’s response suddenly echoed. Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes widened in surprise.
The voice ca from a familiar source—Ha-yul’s Confession Necklace, which he wore even while sleeping.
Hong Yeon-hwa couldn’t help but look bewildered.
Recently, the Confession Necklace seed to have improved its security, so it was surprising to hear it speaking so freely.
"This crazy thing."
At the sa ti, a chilling sensation crept up her spine.
In the end, that necklace was pulling Ha-yul’s thoughts. If it had accidentally revealed sothing it shouldn’t, like a curse or sothing else, it could have been disastrous.
If that had happened? She shuddered just imagining it.
"...Can you hear ?"
[Yes.]
"Are you awake?"
[No.]
"...What do you think of Hong Yeon-hwa?"
[Love]
[Affection]
[Milk]
[Cow]
[Gratitude]
[Warmth]
[Comfort]
[Soft]
The clicking sounds that followed made Hong Yeon-hwa’s face turn grotesquely red.
"What the heck… why ‘cow’...?"
She flushed with embarrassnt as she glanced down at Ha-yul. It was as if the necklace was treating her like that.
"Hmm."
Anyway, Hong Yeon-hwa tried to compose herself after her startled reaction. There was a dangerous part in her playful thoughts, but she had been wondering sothing for a while now.
‘Can I ask about this?’
A small hesitation caught her. Ha-yul was clearly hiding sothing, but could she just ask about it?
‘...No, it’s better than barging in and coming back like a dead body...’
That was the more hopeful view. What if he really ended up in a dangerous place? What if things went horribly wrong?
"Ugh..."
Just imagining it made her nauseous, and the flas of fear seed to rise uncontrollably.
She made her decision.
Hong Yeon-hwa swallowed her saliva and carefully asked.
She didn’t expect much. She wasn’t going to poke at his embarrassing secrets, but she wanted to know where exactly he was planning to go during the break.
"What’s the Hidden Realm you just ntioned? If it’s going to cause a problem, don’t answer, please."
Click
The Confession Necklace clicked again.
[Hidden Realm]
[A rift in space that has been open for hundreds of years and remains unhealed]
[What was once a re rift begins to function as a mini-dinsion after surpassing a certain size]
[However, the Hidden Realm cannot exist independently and will inevitably go into a rampage at so point.]
...
[Case Studies]
[1st instance, failed suppression, unable to locate entrance. Centered around Russia, turned into Demon Realm.]
[2nd instance, failed suppression, entrance located on the Australian mainland. Demon Realm rampaged, turning the mainland into a Demon Realm.]
[3rd instance, failed suppression, entrance located in Belarus. Major parts of Europe turned into a Demon Realm...]
[4th instance, failed suppression...]
...
[8th instance, suppression successful...]
...
[11th instance, suppression successful...]
[12th instance, Demon Realm progressed and took full control of the Demon Realm.]
[Player Adjusted System: Affection Level]
Ha-yul → Se-yul
●●●●●●●●○○ (89/100)
"?" "Guilt" "Remorse" "Self-bla" "Embarrassnt" "Anxiety" "Worry" "Struggle" "Bitter" ...
▼ Dramatic Change ▼
●●●●●●●●●○ (95/100)
"Daughter" "Affection" "Family" "Self-bla" "Embarrassnt" "Anxiety" "Worry" "Struggle" ...
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