The First Official Wife War (3)

From the moment I stepped into the mansion, the atmosphere felt off.

You know those days, right? When you’re heading home, but your heart races and you have a bad feeling.

On such days, without fail, a report card would be waiting, or my parents would know something to scold me about.

After meeting a peculiar transcendent, spilling blood, and feeling mentally exhausted, I just wanted to rest, so I called a carriage to return home. But the mansion’s atmosphere seemed to say,

“Welcome. Never seen a mess like this before, have you?”

Every mage I encountered was restless, and the higher I climbed to the third floor, the more shocked everyone I met seemed.

Moreover, all five tower masters were outside my room.

I tried to push through the space they cleared in surprise to enter the room, but there was no door. And then I saw the scene inside the room at a glance.

For a moment, I wondered if I had found the wrong room and looked around.

Above all, the room was littered with all sorts of debris and dust like a junkyard, the windows had disappeared, the walls of the spacious room were covered with new geometric patterns, and a massive side bag pierced one wall like an abstract art piece, with its sharp blade bared towards the room.

“What on earth is all this?”

Someone once said that when you’re too dumbfounded, you feel more deflated than angry.

That’s exactly how I feel now. Why cause such chaos in someone else’s room when there’s a perfectly good training ground?

“K-Kim Han…”

“Mr. Kim Han…”

“Oh dear.”

“Comes.”

Each greeting me in their own way.

In a different place, under different circumstances, I might have enjoyed hearing the results of the ‘transmission.’

“Lee Hyo-ju, explain.”

I wanted the situation to be explained by Lee Hyo-ju, who seemed the least likely to be involved in such antics. However, when she unexpectedly said she didn’t know the beginning part, I felt a headache coming on.

“Then… forget about Naruan. Hazel, explain it. Don’t leave anything out from the start. Objectively.”

“Understood.”

As Hazel’s explanation progressed, not only my expression but also those of Lee Hyo-ju and Mae Young-ryeong turned bizarre. And Naruan’s head drooped endlessly.

“That’s all, partner. And as you know, it’s not solely Naruan’s fault.”

Seeing my face gradually harden, Hazel began to defend Naruan, emphasizing that she had ignored her.

In the situation where Hazel was defending herself, Naruan seemed so surprised that her head shot up, and she was glancing back and forth between me and Hazel, trying to gauge the situation.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. I get it, but no. This has gone too far.”

“But partner.”

“Enough. Everyone except Naruan and Hazel, leave. And Lee Hyo-ju, tell Tess to bring just one bed. I can’t sleep in this mess, so I’ll be sleeping in the underground training room tonight.”

“Yes.”

“Rest well.”

As the two left and the tower lords withdrew, I glanced at Naruan, who couldn’t hide her anxious expression and was looking around nervously, then turned my gaze away coldly.

And I asked Hazel something I was curious about.

“Hazel.”

“Yes. I’m listening, partner.”

“…I don’t understand this ‘partner’ thing. More importantly, why didn’t you take the elixir? Did you perhaps not receive the Harmonious Divine Technique?”

I asked about something I was curious about while checking the information of the four as soon as I arrived.

The divine power spirit had not yet blossomed. Although there was a slight increase in stats, it wasn’t what I desired.

It was partly to fulfill her long-cherished wish, but also because she handled space, I allowed her to make a contract with a spirit.

“Here…”

“Huh? The elixir? Why aren’t you eating it? Is there a problem?”

Shyly—definitely ‘shyly’—she offered the elixir. Hazel hesitated to speak and finally answered in a voice as small as a mosquito’s.

“Because it was given by my partner, I find it too precious to consume…”

Ha! What kind of Demon God’s redemption story is this?

But looking at Hazel’s expression, she was being too sincere. However, it was incomprehensible how Hazel, whose sole life goal was to make a contract with a spirit before becoming whatever Comes was, had changed so much.

“Enough, eat it quickly. Right now. We don’t have time for jokes. I’ll give you separate equipment later, so cherish that.”

In the past, I would have yelled, asking what kind of foolishness this was.

But after gaining insight, I became so calm and rational that it was hard to adapt.

If Arun saw this, he might have shouted, ‘Who are you wearing Kim Han’s mask!’

“Hazel, eat that and wait a moment. Naruan.”

“…Huh?”

“Do you want to become my enemy in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’?”

“Oh, no! I want to live with Kim Han!”

Naruan shook her head and hands vigorously, vehemently denying it. Her chubby cheeks jiggled with the movement of her head.

If someone had seen her, they might have forgiven her for her adorable cuteness, shouting, “Battling is the truth!”

“Stop joking around. I’m asking you seriously.”

Clearly, something was wrong with me.

Strictly speaking, this was entirely Naruan’s fault. Her actions showed no regard for the harm caused to others in her pursuit of what she wanted.

Moreover, those “others” were comrades who would fight back-to-back in the upcoming blood-curdling battles, making it even more problematic.

Nevertheless, the command from my brain to my mouth was delivered in a gentle, coaxing tone. Though the content wasn’t exactly soft.

“N-no, really, it’s not.”

“Is that so? But Naruan, your actions are too similar to those of someone I despise the most. So, I don’t think we can be together. I’d like you to leave, Naruan.”

The voice wasn’t loud, but like a chilling frost, it was all the more terrifying.

Did Naruan sense that intensity? Tears welled up in her big eyes and rolled down her plump, cute cheeks endlessly.

Anyone who saw Naruan now would feel compelled to hug her and pat her back out of pity.

“N-no! I won’t do it again!! I swear! Please!”

But I turned my back coldly on Naruan, who was pleading, and approached Hazel, who was just getting up.

“Did you do it?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to you.”

I heard the sound of sniffling behind me. Hazel looked at Naruan over my shoulder with a face full of pity.

“My partner.”

“Yeah, speak. Just not about Naruan.”

“…I want to return the words you said to the gods during your speech with the Three Gods’ Manifestation.”

“What?”

“You said it, didn’t you? Even when parents punish their children for their mistakes, there is ‘love’ in it. There is ‘affection’ for the child and a concern for their ‘future.’ There are no parents who hate their children, you said.”

Did I really say that? Did I really utter such a cringeworthy line in front of 100,000 representatives and the entire continent?

“Still, it’s not allowed. The legion isn’t a place for socializing. It’s a gathering of comrades who can trust and rely on each other while walking a path filled with battles and wars. That’s why, when there’s no combat, we must embrace each other like family. Anyone who loses their mind and brandishes a weapon at a comrade cannot be in my legion.”

Unlike when I spoke with Naruan, my firm words even made Hazel flinch.

I have no intention of abandoning Naruan. If I really intended to do that, I would have cursed her thoroughly and kicked her out of the mansion right then.

I’m putting on this act because if I don’t correct Naruan’s reckless mindset now, at this early stage, I never will.

“For now, Hazel, take this.”

Three books. Is it because she’s a representative, or because the skill category has been unlocked? Hazel’s expression as she looked at the books was peculiar.

“Th-this?”

“When you open the book, it will ask if you want to learn the skill as if you’re being taught. Just say yes. It’s made so you can learn the skills.”

Hazel is even more surprised by the explanation. Looking back and forth between the books and me, Hazel spoke in a trembling voice.

“Did you make these yourself?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, that’s right.”

Hazel realized it at that moment. What kind of preparation required her partner to suffer losses.

With trembling hands, she opened the book, and a line of message appeared in the air.

“…I will learn it.”

Fwoooosh.

As soon as she said she would learn the skill, the book shone brightly as if it was burning with light, not fire, and gradually scattered into the air.

“This, this is!”

“How is it?”

“How, how is it?! How can you ask that! This is truly… amazing. Truly incredible. Truly…! Ah!”

An incredible skill. An incredible artifact.

The moment she opened the book and said she would learn it, she could faintly sense the scent of spirits around her, something she couldn’t find no matter how hard she tried before. And it wasn’t limited to any particular attribute.

What kind of price did her Comes have to pay to create such an artifact!

Hazel’s sudden tears left everyone bewildered.

Judging by the effect, it seemed she had learned the skill effectively, but she sat down and started crying.

With Naruan crying behind and Hazel in front, it was a dilemma.

“Hazel? What’s wrong?”

“To create something this incredible, you must have had to give up a lot, right?”

“Huh, huh? No.”

“When you say no, it feels like the truth. I see. The legion is that important to you.”

Hastily, I urged Hazel, who was moved by her own assumptions, to learn the remaining skill books.

“Did you learn it all? There’s a skill called ‘Blessing of Nature.’ Do you know what it does?”

“Yes. It’s a skill that creates an environment similar to the spirit world within a 39-meter radius. The duration is fixed at 39 minutes, and it can be used every nineteen hours.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a technique similar to summoning in the spirit realm. You use this technique after forming a spirit contract. And above all, if combined with your power to manipulate space, I think it will yield good results, so give it some thought.”

“Ah! You are truly… amazing.”

Ending the conversation with Hazel there, I approached Naruan, who was still crying incessantly.

How could so many tears come from such a tiny body? Part of her shirt was soaked.

“Naruan.”

“Sniff… Han, sniff! I’m sorry… sniff… sob.”

Too childlike for a representative.

How did Mors turn this child into such a lonely wolf in her past life? What happened to someone like her?

I don’t know. But it’s really dangerous as it is.

Frankly, if she gets excited during battle and doesn’t follow orders or strategies, not only Naruan but the entire legion could be in danger.

With the talent ‘Insight’ equipped, my mind quickly spun to complete the best scenario for the best outcome.

“I want to trust you. That’s why I’ve given you many chances. Right? When we first sparred, when I talked about the legion, when I explained how to use the registration card. Right?”

“…Yes. Sniff.”

“But every time, you did what you wanted. As I said earlier, I can’t entrust my back to a comrade who doesn’t follow orders in battle and does as they please. So, as I said before, you need to leave this house now.”

“No, no! I’ll really listen well from now on!”

Naruan clinging to my pant leg was pitiful. Her overly young appearance and the endless flow of tears made it even more so.

“…Really?”

“Yes!”

Nodding vigorously up and down, the tears that had welled up in her eyes splattered everywhere.

“Not only my words, but depending on the situation, you might have to follow orders from Hazel or Lee Hyo-ju. I won’t always be with you. There are tasks that require waiting for a long time and enduring hardships according to the mission.”

“Yes! I will listen well!”

“…Well.”

Naruan, whose reasoning ability exceeds the 90s but thinks in a one-dimensional way, was to be coaxed and soothed with this plan.

The first step was the shock therapy of saying, ‘I will abandon you.’

The second step was unilateral neglect after the shock therapy.

The third step was leaving a slight room for doubt by saying, ‘I want to trust you, but I can’t.’

The last step was, ‘I’ll try trusting you once more.’

After completing all the plans smoothly, I took out a wet tissue from the inventory, carefully wiped Naruan’s face, and sent her to her room, emphasizing once again, ‘This is the last time I’m trusting you!’

Without the help of the gods of the Creator Line, honestly, it’s an uneasy plan, so I have no choice but to carry Naruan along, but there’s not a single genuinely reliable representative around me, including Naruan, which made me sigh.

While lamenting my situation for a while, I felt a gaze touching my cheek. Turning my head, I saw Hazel smiling contentedly with a motherly smile, looking at me.

“Why are you looking at me with that expression and face?”

“You… will really make a good father. I’m glad.”

“…?”