“[I’ve been waiting for you! Would you like some tea?]”

The rookie, all excited, created a white table and plush chairs right in the center of the beautifully landscaped garden. The trees were lush, and brightly colored flowers bloomed in the flowerbeds. The tiled floor, alternating pale brown and deep green, felt as soft underfoot as fine earth. To the right stood a fountain decorated with a flower base and pigeons; to the left, a large swing chair hung from a sturdy branch. Vivid blue butterflies fluttered past my eyes.

“…So you know there’s a problem.”

They’d really put effort into it. The volleyball grinned.

“You can return to your normal size now.”

Han Yuhyun and Yerim remained small, but Seong Hyunjae had hidden entirely inside my pocket. Was the elder that awkward for him? Yuhyun hopped off my shoulder and settled on a willow leaf. The leaf glided across the pond in a circle and floated back to me.

“You like this. And you seem to be in a much better mood.”

“Hmm, I suppose.”

Had I shown it too clearly? But they really were cute. A tiny Rin, just the size of a fingernail now, popped up in accordance with Yuhyun’s size. There were only a few minutes left anyway.

“Sir, look at this!”

Yerim had already flown up onto the table, holding the handle of a giant teacup.

“I wish we could take a photo. Mr. Volleyball!”

“[Yes?]”

“Chatterbox does broadcasts—could you take just one photo for us? If you can’t, it’s fine.”

“[I can! Of course!]”

The rookie leapt high, brimming with confidence, and Yerim beckoned me over.

“Sir, sit here and hold the teacup. I’ll mimic sipping it. Han Yuhyun, grab that fork. Put the cake plate here and stand beside it. Hurry!”

Yerim, juggling a teapot far larger than herself, flew around to position everything before time ran out. Yuhyun obediently used a tiny fork to lift a piece of cake.

“Sir, give a natural smile! Han Yuhyun, stop staring at only him. That’s it—perfectly natural. Mr. Volleyball!”

“[Cheese! Cheese!]”

The rookie made camera sounds with their mouth, then—

Screeee—

With the rip of my pocket, Seong Hyunjae burst out.

“Ugh!”

“Hyung!”

Seong Hyunjae, who had eaten his cookie first, also grew first and landed squarely on my lap. He was over 190 cm now; my chair toppled backward under his sudden weight, but ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) he quickly leapt off and caught me.

“You should’ve gotten out yourself when time was up!”

“Can’t I eat one more and hide a bit longer?”

At once, Yuhyun and Yerim returned to their original sizes. Yuhyun leapt down from the table and caught me.

“Are you okay? You weren’t hurt?”

“He just climbed onto my knee. I’m fine. You can sit on me without issue too.”

It was only a matter of balance—they’d unexpectedly added weight. I suddenly remembered feeding Yuhyun seated on my knee when she was a toddler.

“[Here are the photos.]”

The rookie handed us three pictures. They’d come out nicely—like staged and composited shots. Since the rookie had created them, they even showed up in my inventory.

“[I’m glad you seem in a better mood, Honey!]”

“I’m not. Didn’t Chatterbox break the rules? Why this bullshit?”

“[Actually, he didn’t break any. After all, it is Chatterbox. That’s just the alias we use to reduce interference.]”

“He even appeared on the broadcast himself.”

“[He was recognized as human, not as a transcendent.]”

Indeed, the broadcast version of Chatterbox had a human build. Tall and thin, but hardly bizarre.

“[The humans on Chatterbox’s side never spoke of transcendent beings either.]”

“That may be…but—”

The prophet had spoken only of himself, never mentioning the god they served. I wondered why a cult would use a broadcast but refrain from overt religious activity—it seemed they’d concealed Chatterbox’s true nature.

“[Diarma and the Harmless King also exerted this level of interference. They’re the ones who wield the system.]”

True enough, previous Filial-Devoted had directly contacted and exploited hunters. Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae had contracted with Diarma; he’d tried to control Liet. They even sent the mighty dragonkin, Raucitus, into a dungeon.

The Harmless King, too, had reportedly helped capture and exploit a Chinese goblin king.

“[They could intervene or utilize parts of the system depending on ability, but they cannot manage it globally as we do. Thanks to that, Honey’s information is thoroughly protected.]”

“But showing up so openly puts us at a disadvantage.”

“[Not necessarily. Filial-Devoted hide and operate secretly because they risk being perceived as universal evil. Picture people believing that villains want to destroy the world—naturally, everyone unites against them.]”

…Indeed, a clear enemy makes it easier to rally.

“[Evil forces don’t form secret organizations without reason. Filial-Devoted hide their power to achieve destruction easily, while we choose few to prevent world-hopping leaks. As I said before, too much information weakens the protective barrier of Honey’s world.]”

“So what about Chatterbox?”

“[I tried contacting him… he just insists it’s a funeral. He’s been saying that.]”

“…Just a funeral?”

“[Yes. He wants the entire world to know of the farewell to the world where the Harmless King fell.]”

I knew that much already, but it was absurd. The scariest opponent was the one who charged in with no thought of past or future—and Chatterbox was exactly that. If he truly only wanted a funeral, that made him all the more dangerous.

Better if he had some hidden motive.

“…Why would he do that?”

“[I wouldn’t know; I’ve never been in love. Honey might understand better.]”

Me? Come to think of it, I too—wanted at least some kind of funeral… I couldn’t let go.

“Did the Filial-Devoted say anything?”

“[Most transcendent beings in Honey’s realm just say, ‘Let’s watch a shamanic ritual and eat rice cakes.’ It’s just one among many worlds. There may be unique presences, but Chatterbox sacrifices himself to draw attention. People are curious, but nobody directly confronts him. It’s hard to get involved.]”

“Hard to?”

“[We’ve opposed each other for ages, so implicit rules formed—one being to match numbers. There are many transcendent beings on our side, but I’m the only one who contacts directly for that reason. When the Harmless King intervened, Chatterbox only assisted.]”

“…And the elder? Neutral?”

“[Yes. He doesn’t belong to any faction. He’s closer to a ruler of worlds belonging to the First Source.]”

“Then the Puppeteer must be neutral too.”

“The Puppeteer?”

The volleyball tilted its head.

“I mean…”

I stopped mid-sentence. I still didn’t want to tell the rookie about the eclipse or Seong Hyunjae’s matter. The elder might already know.

“A transcendent called the Puppeteer accessed the Harmless King’s drawer.”

“[Drawer… you put a transcendent’s contractor into a drawer?!]”

“Long story.”

The volleyball leapt about three meters.

“[Are you okay, Honey?]”

“He wasn’t hostile toward me. He actually warned it was dangerous this way.”

“[Another being’s contractor… I never imagined there was such a thing. Chatterbox cannot harm Honey directly, but the Puppeteer…]”

I wondered, as the rookie spun.

“[He has many aliases. The elder too. The Puppeteer is relatively common; I’ve even been called that.]”

“Because of those dolls before?”

“[Yes. It’s one of my skills. Anything else notable?]”

“He had human hands—but he can change his appearance at will. What about the elder? Maybe he knows.”

I’d heard the elder created the eclipse with the white bird and the snow-laden tree. Such power marked him as an ancient transcendent—perhaps he knew the Puppeteer.

“[He’s probably watching a drama.]”

“…Huh?”

“[I told him about the internet and streaming. He knows worlds like Honey’s exist, but he’s rarely directly experienced them. He said he wanted to get to know Honey’s world better, so he watched exactly one show.]”

What could he be watching? Hopefully it wasn’t a soap opera.

“[I’ll tell him you’ve arrived.]”

“Please do. And Chatterbox—setting up a network is one thing, but my likeness—”

“[Yes?]”

“You broadcast me without permission, you bastard! We need to settle this firmly! It’s illegal!”

“[Um, from our side…]”

“When in Rome, follow Roman law. If you insist on mimicking humans, obey human laws! You used us for profit—don’t you owe payment? You never said on our contract you’d broadcast me on TV! That’s breach of contract! And what’s this ‘right of publicity’? S-ranks are immensely valuable—how dare you use us for free?!”

Our hunter abilities weren’t the only draw; we had popularity rivaling celebrities. Appearance fees were astronomical; even paying S-ranks hard to secure endorsements. Yet he aired us for free, without consent!

“So many offers Yuhyun and Yerim get for commercials! We should sue him!”

“[Shall I connect you to Chatterbox?]”

“You can connect?”

“[Yes, briefly. Honey is already… connected with Chatterbox.]”

The rookie looked at my nape. I unconsciously touched the bandage still there.

“…Is this dangerous?”

“[No. Just mutual exchange of business cards. You can’t trace location, and it has no other effect. It’s about the name. You heard it, right? That has more impact.]”

“…I see.”

“[Yes. It’s better not to know a transcendent’s true name. They rarely reveal it…]”

The rookie, still uneasy, opened a portal and stepped through, saying they’d be right back.

“Welcome.”

Inside the dark room stood Chatterbox. As on the broadcast, human form, human voice. The white mask covering the face looked ordinary at its edges. Short white hair beneath a translucent black veil was neatly swept back.

Had I not known, I’d have taken him for a stage or musical actor.

“How do you plan to compensate me?”

I crossed my arms and glared.

“This whole upheaval makes me not want to attend your party. It wouldn’t be odd if an F-rank like me skipped it.”

I tapped the floor with my toe.

“From your perspective, I’m your star. By all means, go ahead and hold a funeral without your leading actor.”

“You seem very upset.”

“Isn’t it natural? Because of you, I’ve already endured buckets of profanity. I’m full of it. Why would I attend and risk more damage?”

Chatterbox could not hold a party without me—otherwise, his funeral would lose its meaning. He stepped toward me; I stood firm and looked up at him.

“Han Yujin will have no choice but to attend.”

A hand in a white glove pressed lightly against my chest.

“If you can profit from using Han Yujin, you’ll run through thorns to get him.”

“…What bullshit.”

“Would you not welcome suffering? Don’t you want to sacrifice yourself?”

“I plan to live long enough. I have to.”

“Really?”

I nodded, as of course I would. Chatterbox smiled.

“Do not worry. From now on, I will leave editing to the participants. I will merely broadcast the footage as host.”

“Leave it to participants?”

“Yes. You may choose whether video or audio airs, add subtitles, and select broadcast countries if you wish. Options can be changed instantly as situations demand. Even without mutual consent, I will ensure neither side’s video, audio, nor personal data is exposed.”

He meant mosaic-censoring, I thought.

“With skillful use, you could steer this to your advantage.”

“…….”

“Of course you will be compensated. For this broadcast—”

“Whether skill, item, or other perk, at least triple-SSS rank. We’ll negotiate exact terms later. I wasn’t the only one on display.”

“I accept.”

I forced calm logic. If used well, this could be advantageous for us. Attendance was inevitable; to withdraw now would only leave us empty-handed.

“Bring your lawyers and draft a precise contract. Send your representatives.”

No loopholes. It was like signing for a variety show; we could enlist outside help. Chatterbox nodded, then snapped his fingers.

A vision appeared: my sister, dying, collapsed in my arms.

Then the reverse: I was dying, my sister cradling me.

I blinked—the vision vanished, replaced by the smiling white mask. My body moved instinctively; I grabbed his collar.

“…What have you done.”

“Nothing. I only showed you a fragment of Han Yujin’s heart. I do not know what exactly you saw.”

“Until we meet again.” With that, Chatterbox melted away. An exit appeared behind me, but I stood frozen.

What if it had been reversed? What if I’d been the one dying as she tried to save me?

“…That was disgusting.”

I ground my teeth and turned. Outside, the bright garden greeted me.

“…Elder?”

In the chaos stood the child-form Elder Chaos, and before him Seong Hyunjae knelt politely. For some reason, I found myself in a better mood.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep