“Hey! Han Yujin!”

As we entered the Lyon branch of the French Hunter Association, a familiar face popped out. Do Hamin shot Yuhyun a resentful glare before slinking over to me.

“Your brother left me stranded in America!”

“Huh? What are you talking about? How old are you, that you can’t even find your way home from the U.S.?”

“Hey! I went all the way to America to help you, and you just disappeared on me! I went there on a favor!”

“What favor? How much have I paid you so far?”

At the mention of money, Hamin clamped his mouth shut. He’d more than once demanded extra upkeep fees, claiming the hamster deserved proper treatment.

“…Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. Your brother’s been terrifying in your absence. My lifespan must’ve been cut by at least half a year!”

“Don’t brag about a mere six months.”

“What? Han Yujin, your temper’s the same now as it was back then…”

Hamin paused mid-sentence, cocking his head. Though he’d forgotten any pre-Regression memories because of his low grade, remnants still lingered.

“But you didn’t have to come all the way to America, did you?”

“Yeah, about that…”

Lowering his voice, Hamin whispered to me.

“I got a new skill while looking after Geumdong.”

“A new skill?”

“Yeah. Since Geumdong’s a D-rank boss monster, I felt underpowered. I leveled up and took him for walks into a few dungeons with the Haeyeon hunters. Not long ago, I acquired the ‘Rodent’s Ally’ skill.”

…What is that? A skill you get from loving hamsters?

“It ties into my trait—an information skill.”

“Information?”

“You can glean information from rodents. The range is wide— not just from monsters, but even ordinary rats.”

Hamin puffed up, grinning. Wait—rodents?

“That must be useful.”

“Right?”

“Although I suppose not as much as cockroaches.”

“…Hey. Rats are already disgusting.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Hamsters aren’t rats! Anyway, since it’s rodents, it’s not precise info. But great for tracking people—rats sniff things out and roam the city. I heard France has loads of them. There are cooking rats, too. That one’s kind of cute.”

“It’d be perfect if it were cockroaches.”

“…I wouldn’t take that, even if you gave it to me.”

Cockroaches really go anywhere… just thinking about it gives me the creeps. I congratulated him on the new skill and turned back to Yuhyun.

“Yuhyun, if you hired someone, you should at least have told them you were firing them.”

“Sorry, hyung. I had to move in secret—couldn’t contact you. I thought it’d be fine. America’s safer than Africa… probably.”

“Well, you’re an adult—getting lost in a city where your phone’s blasting signals? One call to Dodam or Haeyeon, and you’d be fine. So that’s the excuse, huh?”

“I’ll let it slide since you paid me.”

Hamin pouted. He’s mellowed a lot since Regression—used to be far more prickly back then.

“How’s everyone else? I couldn’t reach them while sneaking around.”

“Yeah, they’re fine.”

His answer sounded weak.

“Anything going on?”

“No, nothing—except the blacksmith caught a bad cold. Really bad.”

“What? How? The forge isn’t exactly cold. Did he overdo it? He kept nagging me to take care of myself…”

“I only heard you checked in, then he vanished again, so I don’t know details…”

“He looked pretty rough?”

“He did look exhausted.”

“Yuhyun, did you hear anything?”

“I visited the forge.”

Yuhyun told me what happened right after I went missing. He’d gone to meet the Neophyte in a dungeon, then ended up at Myeong-woo’s forge, where he met the Neophyte and Hwangrim.

“He was too weak to move then, but later he contacted me and said there was no need to tell you.”

“Even so, why’d he wait so long to say anything…”

A Neophyte and Hwangrim—what on earth happened there? Probably trying to help me, like in that Chinese dungeon. If I’d known sooner, I’d have asked the Elder. Thankfully he seems recovered enough to move… but if he’s in the forge, there’s no way to reach him, so I hope he’s okay.

“Anyway, are you heading home now? Geumdong must be waiting.”

“About that…”

I still needed to find the location of Seong Hyunjae’s wedding. Hamin couldn’t help—the area was too vast. I had to get at least a rough region; they really hadn’t sent an invitation.

I glanced at the association staffer, hovering politely nearby. He smiled affably.

“Shall we move, if you’re ready?”

“Yes, let’s.”

We followed him inside. The Lyon branch wasn’t huge, but faint mana pulsed everywhere—apparently built with plenty of dungeon materials.

‘My mana sigils are really coming back.’

I felt them stronger than yesterday.

“If it becomes known I’m in France, will that cause trouble?”

“In Europe, unlike Africa, no one can run rampant. Don’t worry. Besides, if word gets out that Director Han is in Europe, airport and flight terror attacks would never cease.”

Countries here have far more airports per area than elsewhere. It’d be near impossible to hunt down all the perpetrators. The European Hunter Union has as many S-rank hunters as the U.S. Even individualistic S-rank hunters wouldn’t stand by if someone caused chaos in their territory.

“Those terrorists were a problem even here. If we can work with Korea to take them down, we’d welcome it. This way, please.”

The staffer opened a door. Inside, a few journalists and what looked like other association members waited.

“Fritz Weil from the German Hunter Association.”

A middle-aged man spoke, then:

“Marisa Moore from the British Hunter Association.”

A middle-aged woman greeted me.

“Hello. I’m Han Yujin, Director of Dodam Breeding Center.”

Introducing myself to representatives from other countries felt awkward. Yuhyun, as Haeyeon Guild Leader, stood behind me in support, making me even more self-conscious. I’m really not cut out for this. When I first regressed, I never wanted the spotlight.

“This is Haeyeon Guild Leader Han Yuhyun, my brother, as you know.”

Next to him stood the café owner—though that role was really Hamin’s now. Yuhyun gave a polite nod.

The journalists snapped photos and took some video, then conducted a brief interview.

“I believe my final spatial shift malfunctioned. I never dreamed I’d end up in Africa, though.”

I dodged by saying I’d been injured and recovering at a kind stranger’s home, which delayed contact. It was a remote area—no one recognized me, and I couldn’t get phone service.

“I will issue a formal statement about any questions once I return to Dodam Breeding Center. Also, I heard some joyous news while I was missing.”

Could any of them know what?

“I understand that dear Guild Leader Seong is to be married, but I haven’t received an invitation—perhaps because you couldn’t locate me. I’d be honored to attend, so please let me know.”

I added that I’d be truly grateful for any updates, indicating I’d show my respects.

After the reporters left, we decided to wait at the association until Yerim’s party arrived in France. Barring any interference, they’d likely arrive by tomorrow.

“Does anyone here know news of Guild Leader Seong’s wedding?”

I asked the staff, but they too only knew he was getting married, not where.

“My daughter is to be married soon, too.”

Marisa, sorting papers from her bag, said.

“Oh? Congratulations.”

“Wedding planning hasn’t been easy. I ended up helping.”

“It’s no small task—so many details. I don’t know how it is in England, though.”

Marisa’s eyes crinkled in a gentle smile. Her lips moved as if speaking Korean—she was quite fluent.

“Your Director Han plans to attend, I hope? The groom will be thrilled.”

“Thank you for saying that. Please convey my congratulations.”

I wondered if the groom was my fan. Though my pre-Regression memories were gone and Chatterbox’s presence faded, party memories remained. My popularity must still be—hemhem—considerable.

The staffer guided us to a nearby hotel. Hamin dashed off for sightseeing. No word yet from Yerim’s group, and phone contact was impossible. Instead, I messaged Dodam and Haeyeon with our situation.

[Aside from Ppiyak and Bellare disappearing occasionally, everything’s fine. Sorok’s grown well, and Songi’s also bigger.]

Senior Keun said the breeding center was fine and told them to return safely. He’d warned not to take Ppiyak or Bellare—but they wouldn’t listen.

“Sorry to keep stepping out. Thanks for covering for me.”

[No problem. Few days «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» left—Happy New Year. It’ll be hard to return immediately, I suppose?]

“Yes. I think so. Happy New Year.”

Why did Seong have to plan his wedding on January 1? It couldn’t be his choice… If it was, I’d have to smack him at least once.

Propped against a big cushion, I lay back on the bed, flipping TV channels. Yuhyun sat on the single sofa, examining the Sovereign’s Blade, his gaze serious.

“Something bothering you?”

“…Huh?”

“Pre-Regression you—about you.”

Yuhyun tilted his head at me.

“…Yeah, a little.”

“I thought so. Don’t fret too much—that’s natural. Hey, I made a mess in the Chinese dungeon, too—grabbed by the collar and my weapon drawn~”

“I feel like I was too careless back then. I’m sorry, hyung.”

“It’s fine. In the end, it wasn’t all bad.”

He still annoys me, but I want him to be well. He must be fine. God, he really bugs me.

“Above all…”

Yuhyun returned his gaze to the black blade.

“You’d have liked pre-Regression me as much as you like me now.”

“Of course—I mean, it’s you. You’re Yuhyun.”

I stifled the thump of my heart.

“But still, it irks me. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t care so much. Now I trust you always come back to me. But if it’s the same person…”

“…So it’s you. The same person.”

“Yeah.”

Yuhyun nodded curtly, without looking my way. My fist tightened on the bedsheet. My throat felt parched. Someday I’ll have to tell him. But that me is gone, and I must finally let him go—unlike the brother beside me now.

So it’ll be okay.

“Shall we go out to see the sights later? There are beautiful buildings. The association staff said this city’s famous for its cuisine. Let’s go eat something good together.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

He answered crisply, but still looked more subdued than usual. Oh dear. I’ll have to cheer him up with some sightseeing.

I switched the TV to a hunter channel and held out my palm. Faint scar lines showed.

“Little one, can you come out?”

How to summon it? Diarma summoned at will—but when I focused my magic, I felt a soft warmth from the scar, then:

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep