“Thank you for your cooperation, Guild Master Amaterasu.”

I forced myself to erase useless imaginings and spoke in a businesslike tone. At this, Shishio’s expression visibly soured. Hey, officially we’re not that close. And even privately… the keyword effect is too strong.

“…Chief Han Yujin.”

…Don’t look at me like a forlorn dog that’s been abandoned! What on earth do you want from me? Did you really think I’d greet you warmly after such a long time and hug you? But I couldn’t keep being so stiff either. The keyword effect will wear off soon, so I need to raise affinity while I still can… right… yes.

He’s a guild master who’s helpful in many ways. This is necessary. Just pretend it’s a cameo in some ridiculous soap opera.

“I… I’ve missed you so much. I’m glad you look well.”

Amid the rising goosebumps, I forced a natural smile. At my words, Shishio’s face brightened again.

“But what about your neck—did you get injured?”

“No, I just pulled a muscle while exercising.”

Today it was a pain patch instead of a bandage. When he offered a potion, I refused, saying true strength came through training, not potions.

“You’re far too frail, Han Yujin. Rather than stand here like this, let’s eat!”

As Shishio thrust out his hand, Yuhyun slapped it aside with his forearm. Yerim shot me a glare of disapproval.

“Don’t lay a hand on my brother.”

“No, but…”

“Yuhyun, don’t be too harsh. He’s done so much for us.”

When I defended him, Shishio perked up and strode ahead. Yuhyun leaned close as if to protect me and whispered.

“He seems… different.”

“People do change suddenly. They say facing death often does that.”

In Shishio’s case it was the keyword effect, but his attitude likely came from his mother’s influence. Did that lion ever speak informally to her? Or did she die when he was young, so he grew up dropping formalities? Kids often speak so casually.

A large limousine slid past Amaterasu guild members in uniform. Shishio opened the door for me with a radiant smile. His teeth were so white they dazzled.

“We’ve prepared not only ships but also helicopters—ten each of 15- and 25-seaters. Our transport capacity is more than enough.”

One hundred fifty to two hundred fifty people. Plenty of room to move all the guests at once. I envied that they could so easily deploy military hardware for a private event.

“Chief Han Yujin.”

Shishio, who’d been proudly listing his preparations, suddenly looked serious. Was there a problem? He lowered his voice heavily.

“I want to be acknowledged by Guild Master Haeyeon—”

“Wha—what are you saying?!”

My sudden shout startled Peace and Gyeol, who looked up at me in surprise. Yuhyun and Yerim looked puzzled too.

“No—that can’t be!”

What on earth do you mean, acknowledged, you fool!

“Was that too hasty?”

“Not hasty—you can’t do that!”

“…What can’t be done, brother?”

Yuhyun, with a displeased look, asked Shishio.

“What did Guild Master Amaterasu say? The atmosphere’s been odd this whole time.”

Yerim asked as well, lacking a translation item. Well, the thing is…

“You and Guild Master Amaterasu aren’t close at all. So what acknowledgment?!”

“Uh, we’ve grown quite close while preparing this gathering. We were once enemies, but now we’ve forgotten the past—that sort of thing.”

“But you just said it’s not possible.”

“It’s too soon. It hasn’t even been a year since that fiasco, right?”

There’s no way I’d ever admit he thought of me as… money. And how dare he say that in front of others…! Calm down. When the keyword effect ends, he’ll come to his senses.

“This isn’t easy. I expected it, though. Especially since Guild Master Haeyeon cares for you so deeply. She might feel like you’re being taken away from her.”

“…Brother, that’s nonsense.”

“He’s always been one for grand statements.”

“Exactly what did he say? I want a translation item, too. Why doesn’t Guild Master Amaterasu use one?”

“Hunter Park Yerim, here—you can have mine as a gift.”

Shishio eagerly handed the translation item to Yerim, winking as he did so.

“I hope you’ll cheer for me and Chief Han.”

When Yerim used the item and understood this, she recoiled and clung to me.

“Ugh, gross. What kind of nonsense is that? I still don’t get it even after translation.”

“…I don’t really either.”

This is driving me mad. What acknowledgment? If he gets acknowledged, then what? I hurried to reassure Yuhyun and Yerim that nothing would come of it.

Amid the uneasy feeling that he might drop another bombshell at any moment, we ate and then departed for the island. From the helicopter, the island looked sizable. A long beach hosted the dock, and a clear road led to the mansion. The grand house—one main building and two annexes—was almost too magnificent to use. In front was not a garden but a large courtyard, seemingly for light exercise by Hunters. This allowed the large helicopters to land right in front of the mansion.

Shishio stepped off the helicopter first and held out his hand to me. Ignoring him, Yuhyun wrapped his arm around my waist as we disembarked. I may be F-rank, but I’m still an adult man. I’ve even served in the military. I can get down on my own.

“It looks like a house out of a classic Western film.”

Yerim said as we entered the building. The interior was as antique in style as the exterior. The sweeping staircase in the main hall was truly magnificent.

“If we placed a lion statue at the top of those stairs, it’d be perfect.”

Shishio muttered regretfully. Don’t hint at that—I have no intention of housing lions here. The ceiling was high, with a sparkling chandelier. Gold leaf here and there suggested the previous owner shared Shishio’s tastes. And although there were no lions, there was a dragon: a massive dragon tapestry hung on the central wall between the split staircases. Soyeong would love it.

“You said it’s okay if it gets destroyed, right?”

“Even if it’s not okay, it’s impossible otherwise.”

Shishio stated matter-of-factly.

“If top Hunters gather, at least one building ought to get wrecked!”

He’s refreshingly frank. The keyword effect must be strong, since he’d completely forgotten destroying his own guild’s building.

After giving us the tour, Shishio reluctantly returned. He’d looked to me for rescue, but I pretended not to notice. If only he hadn’t mentioned wanting Haeyeon’s acknowledgment, he might’ve seemed somewhat endearing.

Our assigned room was a special suite at the top of the main building.

“Let me remind you again: neither of you is to step in under any circumstances.”

I said as I removed my coat. It felt a bit chilly indoors.

“We mustn’t give the impression that I’m under S-rank protection.”

“Don’t worry.”

Yerim replied immediately, but Yuhyun looked dissatisfied.

“Do you really need to be so hands-on? If you make them think you’re not harmless, things could get worse.”

“Things have changed. Besides, there’s an emergency shelter now.”

“If you prevent me from using items from my inventory, it won’t matter.”

I can’t seal inventories magically, but physically restricting access is possible. Items require grasping to use—if you cover my hands and mouth, I can’t do anything.

“If we quibble over every detail, nothing can get done. And I’ll use Eun-hye’s help. If someone threatens in a way her favor can’t counter, you must intervene at your discretion.”

“Right, Han Yuhyun. Let Uncle do his work. We’ll be watching, and if it’s really dangerous, we can teleport in to help.”

“…Brother, you don’t have to go this far.”

Yuhyun muttered in displeasure.

“Guild Master Amaterasu was also watching your every move.”

“I was surprised too. Uncle, how on earth did you manage that?”

…He said I could call him Mom. I refuse to have any children larger than me ever again. No more humans, and monsters only if they’re small.

“Peace, just stay in your room, just in case. Gyeol, you too.”

“Okay, Dad. I’ll stay quiet.”

Gyeol blinked his big eyes cutely.

“Not okay. You wouldn’t just sit quietly. You already were so stubborn about coming here.”

“But Dad’s stubbornness is the strongest! Uncle thinks so too, right? You don’t think Dad’s own recklessness… makes me have to be stubborn too.”

“That’s true.”

Yuhyun agreed. Gyeol folded his little arms as if to prove his point.

“So if you really can’t restrain yourself, you’re grounded for a while.”

“Okay. I’ll just sit on your shoulder like ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a doll.”

Would that really be safe? Bringing along a single baby monster is one thing. I peeled off the pain patch from my neck, then removed the magical overlay I’d used to mask Chatterbox’s seal. At once, Yuhyun and Yerim both frowned, and even Peace and Gyeol wrinkled their noses.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep