Chapter 203: [HER BOYS]

Kairie didn’t hesitate.

She carried herself with the ease of someone deeply humble yet undeniably powerful—someone who knew her position, her influence, and her responsibility, and bore all of it with quiet grace.

After greeting the S-Class hunters with that serene, gentle smile…

She stepped forward.

Directly toward Eli.

Every pair of eyes followed her like magnets snapping to steel.

Some widened.

Some narrowed.

Some flickered with confusion, envy, or plain disbelief.

And Eli?

Eli turned into a statue.

Not metaphorically.

Literally.

If someone poked him, he’d probably topple like a stiff cardboard cutout.

Kairie stopped right in front of him, close enough that he could smell a faint scent of something clean—snow, mint, a touch of white lotus.

Cold but comforting.

Soft but steady.

“Eli,” she said gently, her voice like warm tea poured into a cold cup. “If you don’t mind… may I speak with you for a moment?”

Eli’s brain blue-screened so violently he heard internal Windows error noises.

“…H-Huh?”

I AIND—WHAT DO YOU MEAN SPEAK WITH ME—WHAT DID I DO—WHAT IS HAPPENING—

Everyone else looked just as shocked.

Mio’s jaw dropped.

Arman choked on his own air.

Even Samantha and Zacharias paused mid-glare.

Kairie waited patiently—never pressuring, never looming—just watching him with quiet kindness.

And Eli—

“Y-Yes—! I-I mean—of course! Yes!”

Kairie’s smile warmed just a bit, soft enough to soothe but still composed.

“Excuse us,” she said politely to the room.

Instantly, murmurs and greetings filled the air again.

Samantha lifted an eyebrow, amused.

Zacharias frowned deeply, confused.

Mio gave Eli both thumbs up and mouthed, Good luck.

Arman mouthed, Try not to stutter.

Ezra Yun silently mouthed, RIP.

And Elione Noa Ahn… was escorted out like a nervous fledgling duckling learning its first steps.

Kairie gently placed a hand on his arm—light, cool, reassuring—and guided him toward the exit.

Wormy immediately tightened around Eli’s wrist under his sleeve, scales bristling, reacting to Eli’s rising panic.

’Wormy, buddy—please don’t wiggle right now, I’m already hanging on by emotional dental floss—’

Wormy didn’t move, but its grip remained firm—protective, anxious.

The meeting room doors closed behind them with a soft, echoing thunk, cutting off the storm of auras, egos, and chaos inside.

For a moment, the silence of the hallway felt like stepping into another world.

Kairie led him a few steps down the corridor—past the elevators, past the security panels, until they reached the massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Korenea at night.

The city sprawled below them—thousands of lights glittering like a shifting ocean, neon signs painting the buildings in soft colors, cars weaving like tiny fireflies.

Eli swallowed.

His nerves spiked all over again.

But Kairie simply folded her hands neatly in front of her, standing beside him like a calm pillar of frost.

She looked out at the city first… then at him.

Eli stood beside her.

Nervous.

Sweaty.

The living, breathing embodiment of “I don’t know what to do with my hands so I will just…stand.”

His fingers hovered awkwardly at his sides before he forced them behind his back. Then in front. Then behind again. Then he finally settled on gripping the hem of his sweater like it was a lifeline.

Kairie said nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

For an entire minute.

Just stood there beside him, her calm aura like soft frost spreading through the hallway, her expression thoughtful and distant as she gazed out over the glittering sprawl of Korenea.

Eli’s panic multiplied by the second.

’Why am I here???’

’Did I break a rule? Did someone report something? Can she sense Wormy? Oh god. Oh GOD—Is this about the SS-Class dungeon?

Wormy tightened around his wrist again—just a subtle warning constriction beneath his sleeve.

’She’s so quiet. Why is she so quiet?? WHY—’

A tiny, glowing “stop panicking, Eli” squeeze.

Eli ignored it with pure, delusional willpower.

His throat felt dry. He cleared it softly, the sound embarrassingly small.

“…U-Um. Mrs. Ryu? Did… did I do something?”

Still no answer at first.

Kairie simply kept watching the city below, her breath faint against the glass.

Then—

A small smile curved at her lips. Soft. Melancholic. Beautiful.

“You know,” she said gently, her voice like the chill of early winter sunlight, “I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time now.”

Eli blinked.

Once.

Twice.

A third time, slower, like his brain was lagging behind reality.

“…M-Me?”

Finally—finally—Kairie turned to look at him fully.

Her warm brown eyes landed on him with a tenderness that almost knocked the breath from his lungs. It wasn’t pity. It wasn’t scrutiny. It was something softer, deeper, older.

Affection, maybe.

Recognition…?

A small, amused chuckle escaped her.

“Yes,” she said softly, her expression warm enough to melt ice. “You.”

Eli had no idea what to do with the way his heart flipped.

’Why me? Why would someone like her want to meet someone like me?’

His lips parted, shaking slightly.

Eli swallowed hard.

His throat felt too small, his tongue too heavy, and his brain was actively trying to throw itself out the nearest window.

“W-Why would you… I mean, uh… may I know why? I’m… assuming you’ll tell me why, but uh…”

’God. Stop talking. Stop talking. Why am I like this?’

He wanted to physically slap himself.

Kairie—mercifully and unfairly gorgeous—just laughed softly. Not mocking. Not annoyed. Just… gentle.

“Please don’t be so tense,” she said, amusement warm in her voice. “I won’t bite.”

Eli nearly choked. “R-Right. Yes. Sorry.”

“And,” Kairie continued as she turned back to the window, “why are you so surprised that I’m interested in you? Your father is an old acquaintance of ours.”

Eli blinked.

“Oh… I didn’t know that.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “But that’s not the main reason. Your name has been circulating ever since the Tear Ogre incident. After that, you accomplished even more feats in a very short time.”

Eli shook his head quickly, lifting his hands in flustered denial. “I—I haven’t really accomplished anything that big. I just… happened to be there and was somewhat useful. It was mostly the hunters—the others—Kairo and Caelen did almost everything.”

Kairie’s lips curved in a soft, knowing smile.

“I’ve seen the footage,” she said. “And I’ve heard their reports.” She turned fully toward him again. “For the most part, Elione… it seems you were the heart of everything.”

Eli froze.

Her voice was so sincere. So steady.

So certain.

Like she wasn’t just being polite—she truly meant it.

A quick, violent heat climbed up his neck.

“Ah—well—um—” He looked away abruptly, ears burning bright pink. “O-Oh… well…”

He sounded pathetic.

He knew he did.

But Kairie’s smile didn’t fade. If anything, it softened further—like watching someone endearing struggling to accept compassion.

“You should give yourself more credit,” she added gently. “Courage is also a form of strength, Eli. And from what I’ve gathered… you have a great deal of it.”

Eli’s chest clenched.

Not painfully.

Just… tightly.

Like someone was carefully holding his heart in warm hands.

Wormy squeezed faintly around his wrist, almost as if agreeing.

And Eli couldn’t help it—he let out a tiny breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“…Thank you,” he whispered, voice small but honest. “You’re… very kind.”

Kairie’s gentle smile didn’t fade—it deepened, warm enough to make Eli’s throat tighten for reasons he absolutely did not understand.

“Kindness is the least I can offer,” she said softly. “Especially to someone who has been through so much recently.”

Before he could respond, she lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Not heavy, not commanding—just a light, reassuring touch.

The kind someone gives when they want to ease the weight off your spine without saying it out loud.

Eli stiffened instinctively.

Then melted. Just a little.

Kairie’s voice softened even further.

“Which is why I pulled you out of the meeting. I wanted to give you a breath before they all descend. Our dear hunters… they can be rather loud.”

Eli let out a strangled laugh. “Haha… well… yes. Overwhelming is a good word. Especially when the first thing I saw was Samantha and Zacharias trying to kill each other with eye contact.”

Kairie chuckled lightly, knowing, almost fond. “That sounds like them, yes.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks heating. “It’s a lot being surrounded by so many S-Class hunters. But it’s… um… very eye-opening.”

“Good,” she replied gently. “You should look forward to the meeting. It will be important for all of you, but—”

A small, sharp beep cut her off.

Kairie paused, glancing down at her coat pocket. She reached for something small—rectangular, sleek, unfamiliar. Eli blinked. He’d never seen anything like it before.

She tapped the screen once, eyes scanning whatever message flashed across.

And then she looked up at him.

Composed.

Calm.

But with purpose returning to her expression.

“It seems we must cut our talk short, Eli.”

His heart jumped. “O-Oh. Is something wrong?”

“No,” she said with a gentle shake of her head. “But Midas, Caelen, and Kairo have arrived. Along with the remaining S-Class hunters.” She tucked the device neatly away. “Which means the meeting will formally begin.”

Eli swallowed hard.

He nodded, trying not to visibly implode. “R-Right… yes… of course.”

Kairie walked ahead with calm, measured steps, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor as she made her way back toward the meeting room.

Eli followed.

Not beside her.

Behind her.

Like a duckling trailing after a swan.

He tried to steady his breathing, tried to keep his hands from trembling, tried to keep Wormy from overreacting under his sleeve—but his nerves were still a tangled mess.

They approached the double doors, the muffled aura of a dozen S-Class hunters leaking through the cracks like heat from a furnace.

Eli swallowed so hard he nearly choked on his own spit.

Kairie reached for the door handle—

Then paused.

“Oh,” she said lightly, almost as if it were an afterthought. “Before I forget.”

Eli blinked.

Kairie turned around, her warm brown eyes softening as they met his. Her expression wasn’t stern, or pitying, or formal.

It was… motherly.

Genuinely motherly.

And Eli—who had been running on pure anxiety, adrenaline, trauma, and glittery-sweater-induced humiliation—felt his stomach drop.

“I’m sorry if my boys have caused you trouble,” she said gently.

Eli’s brain:

’…Wait, what?’

She continued before he could breathe.

“They don’t mean harm, but sometimes their competition gets the better of them. Thank you for being patient with them.”

Eli’s soul left his body.

“…Huh—?” he squeaked, voice cracking like a thirteen-year-old in puberty.

But Kairie didn’t elaborate.

She didn’t give him context.

She didn’t say which boys she meant.

She simply smiled—gentle and warm, like she hadn’t just dropped a nuclear information bomb in his lap—and pushed open the door.

Bright light spilled out.

A dozen S-Class hunters turned their heads.

The room fell silent again.

And Eli was shoved mentally off a cliff.

’…Her boys?’

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