294 — The Price

‘Mua, mua…’

Ma Hana was at a loss from embarrassment.

The reason she deliberately stayed out of Ju Na-young and Moon Bora’s sweet conversation and listened quietly.
The reason she was toasting bread in the corner and sipping a can of beer.

Because Ma Hana also felt it was necessary.
As someone who would be by Seha’s side,
there needed to be time for an honest conversation between them…

They were close, but they’d never had a frank talk about this.
They always hid their true feelings and pretended otherwise,
so she believed sharing sincere feelings should come first.

So it was natural that all eyes turned to Ma Hana now.

‘Muaa…’

As the one who had the deepest bond with Seha,
and the first woman who would always stand by his side no matter what others said…
She had to speak for them.
She had to represent the position of a legitimate partner.

“…”

Yet despite those thoughts swirling in her head,
Ma Hana couldn’t answer.

Imprinted deep in her brain,
was that binding word the being had uttered.
A single line she still couldn’t believe.
It gripped Ma Hana like a shackle.

‘Muaa, pull yourself together, Ma Hana.’

Two people are watching.
Two people are asking.
It’s a necessary process and an important chapter for a happy future.
Just as she tried to force an answer out.

“Pft.”

Suddenly, Ju Na-young laughed.
With a foam mustache at her lip,
she leaned back and sighed as if it all felt ridiculous even to her.

“…This is ridiculous. Yu Seha doesn’t know anything… us drinking the kimchi soup in advance… frankly, if Seha refuses, it’s completely meaningless, right?”

Moon Bora, sipping her beer, replied as if agreeing.

“…True. You’re not thinking about the one giving the rice cake at all. Still, don’t you think people like us can handle it?”
“That’s true.”

They normally would never say such things, but…
all three were women with nothing to be ashamed of.

And there was the most important thing.
Something that meant they could confidently beat a truckload of other females.

“We’ll make Seha happy. More than anyone…”
“Lucky bastard, having the hearts of three such amazing women all to himself. Wait, including Jin-ah unnie, is it four?”
“Um, since we’re on the subject…”
“Hm?”
“Don’t you think it won’t end with just four?”

Ju Na-young looked uneasy at Moon Bora’s remark.

“…Ah, anything more than that is a bit much…”
“Actually, nobody brought it up, but aren’t there plenty of girls who like Seha?”

Moon Bora, drunk,
still clearly remembered.

Whether in class,
or at lunch,
or during personal training,
there were groups of female students who unknowingly trailed after Yu Seha…

“Some of them were daughters of noble families I even knew about.”
“…Well, the Gonis Hunter Academy is such a prestigious academy… those who enter are all top-tier.”
“Because of that, many come just to build future connections regardless of graduation.”

To Yu Seha, they might be girls whose names he didn’t even know,
but each of them were young ladies whose looks and wealth far exceeded ordinary standards.
Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange if any of them joined his harem.

“Additionally, limiting it to cadets doesn’t make sense anymore. Outside is actually more dangerous.”
“Yong? Outside?”
“Yes, outside.”

During this vacation,
Yu Seha traveled around and formed connections with many people.

For him it was to gather as much strength as possible to prepare for a Tartarus assault,

And anyway, because of that he became entangled with,
There were plenty of women who came to trust him.

“One by one. Famous hunters, and due to the nature of awakeners, many are impressive women. Young seniors of marriageable age.”

Moon Bora mentioned vast possibilities.
Each point wasn’t nonsense; there was reason in them.

Ju Na-young still wore an uneasy expression,
And, sipping her beer, pointed out one person specifically.

“…Rather than the senior hunters, it’s that, what’s her name, the vice-chair… no, now the chair? Anyway, that woman seems more threatening.”
“…Ah, Chairman Su Ok-bin. I agree—she had the most physical closeness with Seha, right?”
“Yeah, and how should I put it, her actions and the way she looks at Seha are unusual.”
“…She’s very devoted. Of course, Seha is worthy of that, so it’s not strange, but… uh.”
“Isn’t she quite dangerous?”
“Yes, honestly, a bit a lot…”

In truth, in this era.
A rising star who succeeded in seizing the highest power.

Maintaining a relationship with Ju Ye-young,
Su Ok-bin was the one extending her reach to many.

Yu Seha also trusted and acted on Su Ok-bin’s words completely.
Their relationship as collaborators was that tight.

And most striking of all was Su Ok-bin’s beauty.

“Hng, elves are a scam.”
“Yong, admit it.”

As elves, purely in terms of beauty they were overwhelmingly top-tier,
And could keep a firm, enchanting body until death.
Regardless of species, as fellow women it was a trait to be envied.

“…Also, the sword master seems a bit interested, and Sister Yuri the saint is definite.”
“…What, what?! The saint?! I didn’t know that… Wait, aren’t the twin saints ten years old? Clank clank!”
“You must’ve forgotten—Seha is only nineteen. That age gap will be trivial in a few years.”
“Yonggg… that’s kinda a bold take…”

A conversation full of seriousness mixed with gags.

Ma Hana sipped her beer, quietly toasted bread, and listened to the adorable duo’s chat.

“No matter how I think about it, it’s right for us to manage it. It’ll just keep growing otherwise; it seems good for Ju Na-young and me to sort them, and Hana to give final approval.”

“…But, what if Seha says he isn’t satisfied with just the three of us—no, four—and wants more? He does like kids…”

“Hng, hng?! No way… We all know Seha isn’t that womanizer! I’ve never once seen him ogle a woman’s chest or butt.”

“That’s true, but Seha is still a man, right? Wouldn’t he want to embrace various women? I don’t know for sure, but men supposedly have the instinct to spread their seed widely. Plus he has the looks, ability, and position…”

“…Ahem! Hng! There’s sense to that, but we’ll just make sure he’s satisfied with only us!”

“…Like what, for example?”

“…Um, cosplay? Maid outfits… or that bunny girl outfit senior Choi Mari wore recently… men go crazy for that… wouldn’t Seha turn his head too?”

“Yong! You’re too lewd, Moon Bora pervert!”

“No, what! You asked first! I’m drunk talking like this… it’s embarrassing!”

Bickering back and forth,
an overly excited, gushing conversation.

Ma Hana watched them blankly and smiled, “Meow…”
Even as a woman, they were truly adorable.
Which made her even more troubled that she couldn’t give an answer.

“…”

Ma Hana scratched a cheek flushed from alcohol.
The earlier question asking for permission.

If it had been Ma Hana just a few weeks ago,
she would have approved without hesitation.

Ma Hana still hadn’t forgotten.
That thought…
her dream…

—That everyone, without exclusion, would be happy.

The resolve she made at the amusement park.
Her wish for more varied connections by Yu Seha’s side.
And it would be even better if those became loving marital relationships.

That hadn’t changed.
Yet the reason she couldn’t answer.

It wasn’t that she wavered or had changed…
It was because of a third, external matter.
A worry she absolutely couldn’t speak of, a darkness.
It was that shocking line from the Demon King.

—So step back. You are still a small, young Demon King.

‘…What on earth does that mean…’

Ma Hana put her hand over her heart.
Its beat was no different than usual.

Just an ordinary pulse, but
the source might possibly be the King of Demons—the thought that it could be the Demon King swelled ominously.

Ma Hana swallowed dryly and thought.
In fact, were there traces she hadn’t noticed?
There had been several foreshadowing signs.

‘…My father’s past, which even I don’t know.’

Her father, who had deliberately avoided telling her directly,
Ma Tae-han’s actions.

And similarly, her mother’s past, whose name she didn’t even know.
How on earth had the two met,
Ma Hana still didn’t know.

“…I even asked Cha Yeoju unnie.”

She had asked late at night after training.
But her sister was coldly resolute about it.

—Now is not the time. Come back when you have the qualifications.

‘…’

It was the same with the [Unique Abilities] section.
Even Seha, who knew almost all of her skills,
Had never heard of the skill called [Luck of the Nekomata].

‘…And there’s still one marked as ???…’

A second unique ability.
And a mysterious new class…
Her life was full of questions.

Honestly, whatever…
She didn’t much care about such things.

So what if she were a Demon King.
There had been no problems so far,
and she hadn’t felt even a fragment of demonic energy within herself.

Perhaps, as people say…
well, a defective Demon King among Demon Kings…
maybe she was such an exception and had no affinity with Magi.

What Ma Hana truly worried about was something else.
And because of that she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

‘…If, really, I am a demon…’

Not an ordinary feline-person,
but a descendant of a transcendent being whose half of their blood exists in the ‘outside’ world…

Then…
If that were truly the case…

‘Being with Seha…’

In the fairly distant future,
becoming his woman,
sharing deep love with him,
and doing those shamefully intimate things that lead to being born…
my child would…
the child raised in Seha and my love…

‘…Would be born carrying demonic energy?’

Would they one day suddenly
awaken as a Demon King?

“Sigh…”

Ju Na-young and Moon Bora continued their drunken banter.
And Ma Hana sat alone, sunk in dark worries.
The night of drinking, a rare occurrence, deepened.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

Yu Seha sat at his desk writing letters.
Several pages—
long letters, in fact.

After finishing the last sentence,
He finally put down his mechanical pencil.

“Hoo…”

Yu Seha sighed softly.
Around him, neatly packed luggage and supplies were stacked orderly.

As he looked over them, his gaze shifted slightly.
He noticed the red information window that had been appearing for days.
He checked the thing he had deliberately been ignoring.

“…”

There, a countdown was displayed, precisely pointing to [60:00] minutes.