Odin's Eye (1)
'Why is it so noisy?'
Hwang Yeon-ji slowly opened her eyes, feeling curiously unsettled.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but her body felt great.
She had felt oddly languid before she fell asleep, but now that sensation was gone.
However, the problem was—
"... Yuria."
The mont she opened her eyes, she saw a man with strange ashen-gray hair looking at her with a deeply wistful expression.
And it wasn't just that mysterious man in the room—there was also Park Jung-woo, Shin Ah-yeon, Lee Soo-ah, and even Alencia, all gathered closely together.
"I guess Manager Park was right."
"Right?"
"What, is it true?"
Why were they all having a conversation only they understood?
Yeon-ji had no idea what had happened while she slept.
"So, what do we do now, Ardan?"
"... How comical. Do you ask, knowing full well I have no choice?"
To Jung-woo's question, asked with arms folded, the man called Ardan replied in a manner as impressive as his appearance.
'He speaks like a noble.'
That threw off her timing to ask who he was.
Unlike the relaxed-acting Ah-yeon and others, Jung-woo and Ardan's expressions were dead serious.
"From now on, I will no longer leave my daughter behind."
At the word 'daughter', Yeon-ji rolled her eyes.
'Who?'
At most, that Ardan man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
Among those present, no one looked like they'd be referred to as 'daughter'.
'Wait, he's a demon, isn't he?'
Yeon-ji belatedly noticed his pointed ears and realized he was a demon.
A demon, but he says 'daughter'?
Huh?
"Yuria... No, in this world, your na is Yeon-ji, right?"
He placed his hand on Yeon-ji's shoulder, who blinked blankly at him, and said.
"Let's get along from now on."
"...?"
Only then did Yeon-ji realize sothing was seriously off.
***
"Still, with this, unless sothing major cos up, there won't be any issue with the movie release."
Jung-woo said that and then left the mansion.
Due to Ardan's sudden appearance, he hadn't been able to wrap up the movie-related work properly.
"But I wonder where Jung-woo oppa took Ardan?"
Soo-ah muttered curiously.
That part was sothing Shin Ah-yeon was also very curious about.
'The movie can't have anything to do with that man...'
Jung-woo had asked Ah-yeon to alter his appearance with an illusion spell.
Then, seemingly in a very good mood, he'd disappeared with Ardan.
'Maybe he's registering him as S-rank?'
Nah, that couldn't be.
If that happened, not just Korea, but the whole world would pay attention.
In less than a year, the tiny managent agency called Unique would have four S-rank awakeners.
If she included Yeon-ji, that made five.
That was enough power to take on a whole country.
"... What the heck happened while I was asleep?"
Yeon-ji was the most bewildered of all.
She'd woken up after a nap and been introduced to a strange man claiming to be her father.
"It's a long story to explain..."
Soo-ah began explaining, starting with what happened during Relic Fiesta.
That Jung-woo possessed the Demon King's heart, and that he tried to summon a top-rank demon using it.
That's when Ardan appeared, and he'd co to this world in search of his daughter's heart.
"The Demon King's heart?"
"Yes."
"Just to check... is there any problem with that?"
"He just—coughs up blood, or at least, that's what he said..."
Is that really a 'just'?
'So that's why he was coughing up blood.'
Yeon-ji finally understood why Jung-woo had been coughing up blood.
The Demon King's heart, huh.
'Judging by how these guys are acting, they must know things are okay, aside from that.'
Otherwise, Soo-ah wouldn't be agreeing with such a dopey look on her face.
When Ardan was misunderstood as having killed Jung-woo, hadn't she created a catastrophic Conceptualization Technique, threatening to kill everyone?
After seeing that on the news, Yeon-ji couldn't help being appalled.
She'd always known Soo-ah could be impulsive, but to manifest a Conceptualization Technique like that...
Of course, as soone who was still only A-rank, Yeon-ji envied anyone who could use a Conceptualization Technique at all—but she definitely didn't want one like that.
'But is he really all right?'
Seeing Jung-woo cough up blood, Yeon-ji had just figured there was sothing wrong with his lifespan.
Even after learning the real reason, Yeon-ji still felt strangely uneasy.
'Ordinary humans can't handle demon power.'
That was sothing Jung-woo had told her directly.
Hadn't he said it was practically a miracle that she herself beca a 'half-demon'?
But to forcibly shove the Demon King's heart into your chest and still be fine?
'I want to check for myself.'
If everything really was fine, it would probably be manifesting in jewel form, just like the 'core' embedded in her own forehead.
For so reason, Yeon-ji felt Jung-woo was hiding sothing.
She glanced surreptitiously at Ah-yeon, who gave the slightest shake of her head.
Clearly telling her not to bring it up any further.
'She must have felt sothing was off too.'
She didn't know whether Jung-woo was really terminally ill as she suspected, but there was no doubt he was hiding sothing.
"More importantly, Yeon-ji, now you have a new dad! You going to tell your real parents?"
Maybe trying to lighten the mood, Ah-yeon changed the subject with a breezy tone.
Noting Ah-yeon's transparent intentions, Yeon-ji just clicked her tongue and decided to play along for now.
"No, I don't have any. I'm an orphan."
"..."
That wasn't the answer Ah-yeon was hoping for.
She couldn't find anything else to say and closed her mouth.
"What? Other than being a bit bored from ti to ti, it wasn't a problem at all, you know? I grew up in an orphanage, but I quickly got out thanks to a special class."
It was Alencia who replied to Yeon-ji's words.
"Yeah, it's boring. When I ended up alone, I was old enough that I couldn't even go to an orphanage."
With no close relatives to contact, Alencia had had to live alone ever since Jas went to prison.
"Is that why you beca a strear?"
Yeon-ji eyed her curiously.
"I had money, but wanted to try sothing. By the way, Yeon-ji, why don't you use informal speech with ?"
"It's more comfortable this way."
Alencia didn't know Yeon-ji's true identity as Ji Yeon-hwa.
That's why Yeon-ji spoke to Alencia as she had in Arica. Once you got used to speaking a certain way, it was hard to change.
"Anyway, starting by assuming everyone naturally has parents is a mistake."
Yeon-ji grumbled and shot a glance at Ah-yeon.
As if to say, it's easy for you to think that since you obviously have parents.
"W-what? That's not it, okay? Soo-ah, you agree with , right?"
At Ah-yeon's words, Soo-ah averted her eyes awkwardly.
"Yeah, well, just having parents doesn't an you're always happy..."
"..."
She shouldn't have said anything.
Ah-yeon felt more anxious than ever.
'I just made kimchi with my mom a few days ago.'
She'd packed a ton at her mom's insistence, and the fridge was stuffed with kimchi.
She'd complained to Soo-ah and Yeon-ji the whole ti, and now she felt she'd have to watch what she said every ti she took out kimchi.
'How do I smooth this over?'
With Jung-woo constantly bringing in new people, Ah-yeon felt her mansion was turning more and more into a dormitory.
'A dorm would be better—this is just an orphanage... Ugh! Seriously!'
As Ah-yeon brooded, the demon nad Ronbil, sitting idly in the corner, hesitantly pointed to himself with his index finger and spoke.
"Uh, I don't have parents either. They died when I was a kid."
"Do you want to et them?"
"No, thanks."
It was clear he'd spoken up just to fish for so sympathy.
Ah-yeon shot another glare at the demon who shrank his shoulders, then let out a sigh.
'Now I can't even curse as carelessly in online gas...'
As she felt the gazes of the three on her, Ah-yeon's palms gradually beca clammy.
Uuung!
As if by miracle, her phone rang.
"Um, yeah, I'll just go outside for a second to answer this!"
Leaving the prickly gazes behind, Ah-yeon hurried off to her room to take the call.
If she could just hold out until morning, things should settle down.
"Thank goodness for this call... Huh?"
Ah-yeon's eyes narrowed as she checked her smartphone screen with a sigh of relief.
The caller was soone she really didn't feel like talking to.
【Patrick Jefferson】
He was one of only seven great mages in the world,
And the vice-guildmaster of the world's largest mage guild, 'Odin's Eye'.
***
"There's soone I'd like to recomnd as a new manager."
"... What?"
Sung-hwan looked at
as if I was speaking nonsense.
"By the way, has Soo-ah finished all her interviews?"
"Yes, it was all wrapped up on set, and nothing else is scheduled."
"It's a relief the movie release shouldn't be affected... But what's with the sudden manager?"
We had been continuously searching for new managers.
With the number of hunters hoping to join Unique rising lately, it was getting hard for Director Song to handle alone.
"I think it's about ti we form an A-rank party. There's soone I'd like to recomnd for that role."
"They are a manager, right? Not a hunter?"
"He's a manager."
He scrutinized my face skeptically.
"If you're recomnding him, I doubt he's just so ordinary person."
"You can look forward to him."
"You didn't bring him, did you?"
"Yes, he's right outside. Should I call him in?"
When I gestured toward the office door, Sung-hwan reluctantly nodded.
"You can co in now."
Clunk.
Hardly had I finished speaking when a man opened the door and entered.
Thanks to Ah-yeon's illusion magic, his hair was now black and he had a decently neat face, plus the build of a fashion model.
He was so tall that Sung-hwan looked up at him in a daze.
"... More like a model than a manager, don't you think?"
I couldn't help but grin at that reaction.
'No wonder he's the Northern Duke.'
If not for Ah-yeon disguising him with illusion magic, he would have looked incredibly handso.
Still, Ardan had an aura that overwheld those around him.
"Pleased to et you, I am—"
"Ahem, Ban Jae-hoon."
"... Ban Jae-hoon, nice to et you."
Ardan extended his hand for a handshake and started to introduce himself, only to hurriedly correct himself.
Despite all my warnings on the way here, he still found it awkward.
'I considered using Ardan as a hunter...'
But that would have been too hard to conceal.
After Soo-ah burned the Demon King's blood, Damian would no longer sense Ardan's presence.
But if Ardan went into battle, his demonic energy would be detected, which would give away that he was still alive.
'Ardan is a top hidden card.'
Though much weaker now, at his peak Ardan was one of the three most powerful in the demon realm.
First, I needed him to adapt to the modern world by working as a manager, and use him as escort for our A-rank hunters.
'Can't have him loafing for free als.'
Having gone to so much trouble to get him, I should get every use from his talents.
"So, Jung-woo, introduction is fine, but—any experience...?"
"I'll vouch for him."
"Ugh... this isn't so family company."
"It is, really."
With all the executives being long-ti friends, it was hard to deny the 'family company' label.
After scrutinizing Ardan a few more tis, Sung-hwan let out a sigh.
"... Here's what we'll do, then. We'll put him on probation for a month, then decide."
"Understood."
That was enough.
Given Ardan's skills, his performance was basically guaranteed.
'All right, ti to start generating real revenue.'
The A-rank party would be the managent's main source of inco.
It was finally ti to start putting it to work.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
So Europe next?
【????????(??????)】
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