Chapter 29

“Thanks for coming, everyone! From today on, we’re comrades. If there’s ever anything you need, I’ll help however I can. Cheers!”

Morae raised her glass for the toast.

Dozens of people followed suit, lifting their glasses with a loud chorus of cheers.

The clinking of glass and the sloshing of liquor echoed noisily through the room.

There were only a handful of people younger than Morae, but giving the toast was naturally her role.

Partly because she was the Commander’s daughter, but more importantly because every one of the new recruits had been brought in by her.

Since these were her recruits and this was her welcome party, she was also the host.

“These drinks are expensive, so drink as much as you want!”

Still, tonight’s stars were the new recruits.

Morae accepted a drink from one of them before popping a cheese cracker into her mouth.

The rich, high-proof fruit liquor spread warmly across her tongue.

One of the older recruits let out an impressed whistle after tasting his drink.

“Wow… instead of soju or beer at a company dinner, you serve whiskey and wine? That’s incredible. Is it always like this? Are you all really that rich?”

“Being rich doesn’t mean money grows on trees. How could we do this every time? This is everyone’s first introduction to the Legion, so we’re treating you well. It means we have high expectations. After all, you’re all people I personally chose!”

Smiling, Morae poured another glass of liquor that cost fifty thousand won a bottle.

There was soju and beer for anyone who preferred them, but tonight’s main attractions were moderately expensive drinks like whiskey and wine.

There were even a few premium bottles worth over a million won.

Since she’d boldly promised there would be good alcohol, Morae had paid for the lavish spread out of her own pocket.

The atmosphere resembled an easygoing company dinner where everyone addressed one another like old friends, but every dish and every bottle on the table practically screamed money.

“I was the one who asked to join the Legion, but I’m really happy everyone welcomed me like this. I look forward to working with all of you!”

One of the women joining as a new recruit bowed politely.

The Legion members greeted her with enthusiastic applause.

Morae, who had already downed four glasses while entertaining the newcomers, beamed happily.

“We’re happy to have you! You’ll all become a huge part of expanding the Legion’s strength.”

Her smile was completely genuine.

There were six new recruits this time.

Three had been scouted from outside the island, while the other three had come voluntarily and were accepted after being evaluated.

One had been recommended by an existing Legion member.

The other five had all been personally recruited by Morae.

Ever since Eun Jisung had become Commander, expanding the Legion had largely become Morae’s responsibility.

None of these six could compare to Pado.

Still, each of them excelled in their own field.

None listened to her as readily as Pado, but they listened soon enough.

None were as attractive as Pado, but they were pleasant-looking.

None were quite as loyal as Pado, but they were loyal enough.

Adding six companions like that made her feel secure.

For Morae, who had been working day and night to fill the void Pado would eventually leave behind, it was reassuring.

Even if every compliment ended with, “…though not as much as Pado.“

Having thought about Pado five times in the span of a few moments, Morae took another drink.

She emptied another glass of strong whiskey in one gulp, then began swaying slightly.

“I really… have high hopes for all of you.”

Her tongue was already beginning to loosen, yet no one tried to take her glass away.

No one was worried about her.

The party was being held inside one of Central Headquarters’ halls.

Even if she got so drunk she had to crawl back to her room, she’d still be inside a safe, comfortable building.

And if she couldn’t make it back at all, she could simply sleep there.

The older Legion members had watched Morae grow up since her teenage years.

Whatever drunken antics she might pull, they were fully prepared to indulge her.

No one was concerned about her getting drunk.

Surrounded by warm, affectionate gazes, Morae happily sipped away.

It had been a while since she’d shared drinks with everyone, and as one person after another offered her another glass, she found herself unable to refuse.

Before long, the alcohol had completely gone to her head.

“Drink up—!”

With the host herself blushing and grinning from ear to ear, the welcome party quickly grew livelier.

After chatting about where everyone had come from and what they planned to do in the future, the conversation naturally shifted to how each of them had ended up joining the Legion.

“I wasn’t interested at first. The West Sea Legion is known for playing defense. I worked over on the East Sea side, so I never thought I’d have anything to do with them while working as a Hunter.”

“We don’t usually go over that way.”

“I figured the Hunter Association would come after me eventually, but I thought I’d end up fighting alongside some battle-crazy maniacs against the Association.”

He wasn’t wrong.

People who lived only for fighting rarely lasted long in the Legion.

Years ago things had been different, but for nearly the last decade, the West Sea Legion had earned a reputation as a haven for people with nowhere else to go—a retirement home of sorts for underground Hunters.

People came here because they wanted to build a small new world beyond the reach of the government and the Hunter Association.

“But Morae did me a huge favor. There’s no way I could refuse to follow her. I became an underground Hunter, not some ungrateful bastard.”

“I’ll let you fight. I’ll make sure you win.”

Having only caught the latter half of the conversation, Morae staggered into it with a drunken grin.

The man lightly clinked his glass against hers.

“The Commander’s daughter has plenty of ambition. Makes me want to believe in her. Whether it’s actually possible… that’s another story.”

“True. I want to support Morae because she works so hard, but Sister Nokyeong isn’t the type to spoil her.”

One of the veteran members, who had lived in White City for nearly fifteen years, gently brushed Morae’s messy hair back.

Already thoroughly drunk, Morae hiccupped while absentmindedly fiddling with her earlobe.

“I’ll… talk to Mom.”

She repeatedly tugged on her long earrings before popping a piece of fruit into her mouth.

Chewing on a neatly sliced piece of melon, Morae tilted her head.

“Mom said… if I’m confident I can do it… then I can… She just said she wouldn’t help… Mom’s so unfair. If I were Mom, I’d have marched on Seoul ages ago.”

“Sister Nokyeong’s abilities really are a waste. Still, White City became this prosperous because of her.”

“If I were Mom, I’d have conquered Incheon by now at the very least.”

After finishing the melon, Morae stuck out her tongue.

Completely drunk, she began sulking about her absent mother.

The endlessly defensive, risk-averse attitude shared by Eun Jisung and Han Nokyeong had never suited Morae.

It was hard to believe someone so ambitious had been born to parents who possessed virtually no desire for conquest.

While both of her parents had long since stopped recruiting, Morae aggressively scouted new talent.

While they remained hands-off, Morae poured her energy into managing the Legion’s members.

She possessed ambition.

She possessed charisma.

The only thing holding her back was that neither her father—the Legion’s Commander—nor her mother, the Legion’s true powerhouse, had any intention of helping her.

“Even if I were Pado, I’d have pushed all the way to Incheon. Besides… he treats me well.”

The moment Morae started complaining about Pado too, one of the veteran women promptly stuffed a slice of pear into her mouth.

Everyone simply let the drunken Morae ramble while continuing their own conversations.

“I actually came because of Eun Jisung—ah, I mean, the Commander. I’ve dreamed of doing research with him for years. Since he’s part of the underground Hunter world, I thought it’d always stay just a dream. But then… well… I accidentally blew up a laboratory.”

“Hahaha, so that’s why you ended up on the run.”

“I warned them it was dangerous research beforehand, but they wouldn’t cut me any slack. They wanted to throw me in prison! Isn’t that unfair? If I’m locked up, I can’t do research. I’m just glad I escaped.”

One of the slightly tipsy recruits sniffled.

Curled up in his seat, he looked genuinely miserable.

“It was so, so hard before I met Morae! Dr. Eun must’ve had it just as rough when he escaped too, right? Ah… I couldn’t even bring my research materials with me. But Dr. Eun still managed to keep researching even under those circumstances… I really admire him.”

Remembering the hardships of life on the run, the man trembled.

No matter how dangerous the experiment had been, he’d still blown up an entire laboratory.

Yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of guilt on his face.

He had exactly the kind of outlaw potential that made Morae decide he was worth recruiting.

Indeed, not a single Legion member told him he’d done anything wrong.

Because none of them believed he had.

Trying to make up for all those difficult days on the run, the man shoveled every appetizer within reach into his mouth before pounding his chest and looking up.

“Whew… anyway, I’m really happy things turned out this way. It’s an honor to work under Dr. Eun Jisung. The facilities are incredible, and the researchers here are top-notch.”

“Yep. Our research facilities are the best. Government labs have too many approvals to worry about. They could never do the kind of work we can.”

“Exactly! Permits, approvals, safety regulations, public opinion… all that nonsense just gets in the way of scientific progress!”

The new recruit slammed his knee in frustration.

Coming from the man who had casually blown up an entire laboratory without malicious intent, the words carried a rather unsettling weight.

After venting for a while, he turned toward Morae.

His cheeks and nose were flushed as red as apples.

The cause wasn’t love.

It was simply the alcohol.

“You’re so lucky to be learning under Dr. Eun.”

“Well… not really. I’m nowhere near as good as Dad.”

After finishing the pear and then the apple, Eun Morae awkwardly wiped her lips.

Hearing someone lavish praise on her father made her feel proud. As his daughter, it was both embarrassing and gratifying. But when people said they envied her for having studied under him, she never quite knew how to respond.

With a shy, troubled look, Morae lowered her eyes and picked up the bottle. The others noticed her glass was empty and hurried to refill it.

“That’s why… Pado…”

The words That’s why I need Pado slipped down her throat together with the cocktail.

The drink was sweet, but its high alcohol content seemed to spread through her veins.

Her vision began to waver, half blurry and half unsteady. The dizzy sensation wasn’t unpleasant—if anything, the growing intoxication made it feel strangely comfortable. Morae licked the alcohol from her lips and lowered her head.

Talking about her father right after her mother naturally made her think of Pado.

She wanted to see him a little.

But she also didn’t want to see him.

And she felt a little disappointed that he wasn’t here with her right now.

Every time she thought of those three, another glass somehow appeared in front of her.

Already drunk, Morae kept stealing other people’s drinks or pouring herself fresh glasses.

Each time she drank, a familiar silhouette shimmered through her blurred vision.

Dad.

Mom.

And Pado.

Mom.

Dad.

And Pado.

Pado.

Dad.

Mom.

Then Uncle Jeongeon…

And Pado…