“…Gyeol? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

The fairy dragon shook his head back and forth.

Gyeol trembled all over, then opened his mouth.

“Uh… with Seong Hyunjae?”

That seemed reasonable—if Seong Hyunjae accepted. Since Gyeol wouldn’t help, Hyunjae would be effectively going alone, which is a disadvantage. Ideally, he’d decline so Gyeol could stay safe.

I headed down toward the dining hall. After capturing the Turtle, about half the Hunters had gone ashore. Since they were all guild leaders, they left the crowded island to exchange messages in private. The mansion couldn’t accommodate everyone, so I told them to return by 5 p.m. and sent them off.

Still, a fair number of Hunters remained. Park Ha-yul was still absent. I wondered if she even showed up.

A few Hunters in the dining hall saw me and greeted me like they knew me. Their attitude was very different from before. Kidnapped and kidnapped and kidnapped… anyway, until now, most high-rank and even mid-rank Hunters had treated me lightly. But now they seemed to see me as one of them.

That didn’t mean I was S-Rank level—maybe more like a raid-team member.

“Should I cook something? Is there anything you want to eat?”

I shook my head at Yuhyun’s offer.

“You can just eat what’s here. I got skilled chefs to prepare it.”

Labor costs weren’t small. Yet my sibling still seemed dissatisfied. In the spacious dining hall, everyone was eating what suited them. And there he was.

Seong Hyunjae is here too.

He was firmly planted in the window seat. Even among the throng of illustrious S-Ranks, he alone stood out. Sitting alone looked a bit pitiful—at least to me. In reality, people probably wouldn’t dare approach him. Still, eating alone must be boring.

And Director Song stood against the wall near the entrance.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I have.”

“You could at least sit.”

“I’m fine.”

My heart ached for him as the organizer. He deserved rest.

“Here, hyung. What do you want to eat?”

Yuhyun pulled out a chair, and Yerim raised her hand.

“Please grill some steak for us, Guild Leader.”

Yuhyun didn’t even pretend to hear. Yerim muttered, “What will you do with all that fire~” then squatted before Peace and grabbed its forepaw.

“Peace, can’t you grill meat properly too?”

“We’ll appear on TV together! Premium Korean beef steak grilled by a cat—no, a lion!”

Peace snapped its paw back with a thud and lay down beside me.

“Shall I grill it for you?”

“Nah, I can grill better than you, mister. I’ve got years of experience! But using a skill tastes different from normal flame.”

“Really?”

“I didn’t know before either, but using mana makes it tastier. So even when I pour water to drink, I use a skill. As practice.”

Perhaps the more sensitive one is to mana, the more one tastes differences. Or maybe Yerim’s palate is special. Just as Yuhyun went into the kitchen for the food, the dining hall fell silent. I looked at Seong Hyunjae—and sure enough.

“Guild Leader Sesung.”

An S-Rank Hunter approached Hyunjae’s table. Instead of replying, Hyunjae was slicing the crust off a slice of white bread in a long strip. With so many Westerners, they’d prepared a variety of bread, and that white bread was especially delicious.

“You haven’t got popcorn? At least some popcorn corn?”

Yerim asked, fascinated. It was tedious when it was my business, but funny when it was someone else’s. Was he just picking a fight, or someone completely cut off?

“After all, we’re both S-Rank Hunters—how great can you be─”

Hyunjae offered the bread crust. His golden eyes quietly looked at the embarrassed Hunter, as if asking why he wasn’t accepting it. Of course there was no reason to accept it, but the Hunter’s hand involuntarily reached out—it felt impossible not to take it. And then another piece, and another. The neatly removed crusts were offered one after another, and the Hunter, hesitating, meekly took them. Hyunjae then spread jam on the crustless bread and took a bite.

Noon sunlight streamed through the window, and his light-colored hair shimmered. It really was like another world over there. It was as if an invisible wall separated the dumbfounded Hunter from Hyunjae. He took another bite of bread, then lifted a cup—coffee or tea. It was a posture fit for a best-practices manual on ignoring someone.

“I warmed the soup too. Shall I bring more side dishes?”

And Yuhyun too had a knack for cleanly ignoring someone, whether beating a gong or performing a ritual. Riet had that side as well—perhaps a trait of innate S-Ranks.

The rice was instant, warmed and served in bowls. Most food was in single-use vacuum packs to prevent tampering. While Yuhyun set the table, the crust-Hunter’s expression twisted.

“Seong Hyunjae!”

Song Taewon, standing near the entrance, tensed slightly. Was he going to fight? He’d crack immediately. Since that Hunter started the trouble, we’d hold him liable. I pulled out my notebook and wrote down his name. But the Hunter, trembling with rage, threw the crust on the floor and grabbed a knife from another table. Damn him—who cleans that up?

He didn’t draw a weapon, just hurled an ordinary knife at Hyunjae.

“…Huh?”

An involuntary surprised sound slipped from my lips. A few others swallowed their breath. Clang! The knife embedded halfway in the wall, and a long red line appeared on Hyunjae’s cheek.

‘…Did he deliberately not dodge?’

Of course he did. There was no way he couldn’t avoid that. The Hunter recoiled in shock; Song Taewon caught his shoulder.

“Please step back.”

“No, I…”

“If you have a grievance, please contact the Korean Awakened Management Office or the Hunter Association officially.”

The Hunter glanced at Hyunjae, brushed off Song Taewon’s hand, and stepped back. Hyunjae, as if nothing had happened, finished his tea.

“Why didn’t he dodge?”

Yerim whispered. Was it to calmly shrug it off? But deliberately getting hurt wasn’t like him. In the end, Song Taewon stood protectively, and Hyunjae, after emptying his cup, rose to his feet.

We finished eating and left the dining hall.

“I’ll go check on Seong Hyunjae—keep watch here.”

I said to Yuhyun and Yerim, entrusting Gyeol to them. I needed to give him the invitation and get an answer about the mark. Why did he smash his phone? Thankfully the floor with Hyunjae’s room was quiet. To minimize damage if attacked, I went to the end-most room and knocked.

“Seong Hyunjae.”

I called softly, but got no answer. He must have gone inside. After knocking again, I opened the door—it wasn’t locked—and stepped in…

“…!”

My mind went blank. Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t accept it.

Seong Hyunjae lay collapsed.

No, he’s still human after all. But still. I froze, then ran over.

“Seong Hyunjae!”

He’s alive, right? Aside from the cheek wound, no other injuries. He was breathing. Did someone poison his tea? I pulled him into my arms. Pulling out my phone to call a healer, I saw Hyunjae open his eyes—they looked more sleepy than in pain.

“What on earth happened?”

He blinked, then looked down at his arms and legs.

“…Slowly.”

“Yes?”

“The method of moving. I’m recalling it.”

W-what are you talking about—the method of moving? Hyunjae slowly lifted his torso to sit up, then looked at me.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“How can I not worry when someone’s collapsed?”

“It’s just that…”

Hyunjae bent his knees and carefully stood, like a child learning to use his legs for the first time.

“I was merely testing the method the elder taught me.”

“…Child of Chaos? What did you do?”

“It’s a secret,” said Hyunjae, fully upright and smiling. Had the elder really taught him something that night in the Christmas dungeon? When he taught Yuhyun and Yerim, he’d drained all their mana until they collapsed—maybe this was similar training. In that case, collapsing made sense.

“Why not do it in your own guild? This is dangerous.”

“If it can be dangerous, that’s fine too.”

His casual reply, as if he lacked caution, left a bitter taste. He can’t die, but there was no need to do this here. Even if he won’t die, he could get hurt.

“I’m the organizer. I can’t guarantee your safety, but be careful.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Pushing down the uneasy feeling, I took out Chatterbox’s invitation. Hyunjae’s gaze fell on the gem in my hand.