An Extraordinary Living Arrangement

Purchasing a new house or building one was not the problem.

I had received 10 billion won, but it wasn’t as if I didn’t have money of my own. Furthermore, although the house had caught fire, important materials and magic books were not at risk of damage because they were under additional protection magic.

To destroy all of those, one would need something like ‘Hell Fire’ used by an 8th Circle Master.

I returned to the house where the fire had been completely extinguished, and as I pushed through the onlookers marvelling at the charred frame and the perfectly intact library protected by a barrier, the crowd began to stir as I entered.

One of the firefighters appeared to have stayed behind and spoke to me as he saw me.

“Is it alright inside there?”

“I think you only need to worry about the other parts. There is no basement, and since it was a two-story building above ground, you may leave if it’s considered effectively razed.”

Seeing that a firefighter was still remaining to monitor the situation, it seemed the fire had lasted longer because the disaster had been caused by magic. Since I had also taken out quite a large insurance policy regarding fire, the follow-up measures could be considered well-concluded.

However, the problem lay in the task of personally packing all these belongings.

‘Since no one but me can approach because of the barrier, it’s fine to leave it like this, but… it’s only right to clear it out if I’m to rebuild the house.’

The magic books and ancient texts stored in the library alone numbered over 20,000 items.

With interpreted artifacts from other worlds and artifacts yet to be interpreted piled up like a mountain, I contemplated seriously.

‘Can my sub-space handle this?’

The method for expanding sub-space was simple.

It was a matter of allocating mana as what is commonly called a ‘cost.’

But when I used mana, the consumption was always doubled.

The problem was that this limitation also applied to the cost allocated to the sub-space.

I could obtain a large sub-space accordingly, and I was indeed using a fairly large one, but if I were to increase it further here, I would lose the ability to use one full-scale magic spell.

‘Four full-scale spells left… If divided into smaller units, it’s enough mana to use medium-range magic 200 times, but in a situation where I don’t know what kind of enemy I’ll face, is such waste justifiable?’

Even the two people pointed out as masterminds behind this incident were problematic.

‘Since it’s difficult for Chu Myeong-hun to act publicly, the Magic Tower will be the primary opponent, but the current Magic Tower Master is a rather tricky individual.’

Most first-generation mages had been killed or were living in seclusion.

However, those few mages had formed a group called the Magic Tower to seek a way to survive, and currently, a man who vaguely called himself—or was called by others—a ‘Sage’ was serving as the Magic Tower Master.

‘Pi Jin-hyeok is an 8th Circle Beginner; in reality, he’s effectively below my level, but he’s not someone to be ignored.’

It would be ideal if old man Han Sang-gil or old man Jeong Gil-sun stepped up, but they were individuals with no intention of fighting an all-out war with the Magic Tower.

Furthermore, after the country stabilized, the New Government had been trying to minimize armed conflicts between Awakeners.

‘Aside from Chu Myeong-hun, that man Kim Dae-san seems likely to meddle as well…’

The moment Jeong Gil-sun stepped forward, Kim Dae-san might have already grasped the situation. It was because the two of them were quite close.

‘There are too many things catching my feet. They’re like monsters of power and wealth…’

Even if I wanted to round them all up and sort them out, my strength was limited.

I never imagined I would feel my body tiring so quickly to be this resentful.

No, until now, it was at a level where I felt no inconvenience. But now I recognized that I needed to interpret the situation differently and pay attention to the parts I had been indifferent to.

‘I just need to change things. If so, starting from the first step…’

Ultimately, after investing a massive amount of mana into the sub-space cost, I proceeded to sweep everything in the storage and the library into the sub-space.

“Phew, when will I rebuild this house… Tsk.”

Money would solve it, but I only felt regret because it would take too much time.

“How did the business go?”

I was able to return to Go Yu-jin’s house at quite a late hour, and I spoke while checking the mana flow to ensure there were no issues with the defenses I had set up.

“It was resolved smoothly. However, there might be some talk about it.”

“You killed them, didn’t you?”

“I repaid the grudge for my house.”

“What about the other parts?”

“It would be best if you thought of it as a simple rampage by a Cultist of Ruin.”

After hearing my words, she had an expression of disbelief.

It was because she seemed to know how incredible the defenses I had placed on my house were.

“Tell me the truth. Is the enemy… so powerful that you have to hide the facts?”

“It is not like that. Not only is there no one to be called an enemy, but even if there were, it is my own personal grudge. It’s not something for the CEO to worry about or think about in a complicated way.”

Realizing I had no intention of telling her, Go Yu-jin spoke as if to urge me.

“You can ask for help anytime. I am always on your side.”

Truly, those were grateful words.

Go Yu-jin soon headed to the kitchen saying she would prepare a meal, and I headed to my room at her word to come after washing up and changing clothes.

It was just as I was walking through the mansion, which was so grand I couldn’t get used to it, and heading toward my assigned room.

I sensed a new presence and released mana, but it was then.

“I-it’s me! Me!”

I confirmed it was An So-mi from her urgently shouting voice, and I asked out of curiosity why she had come along today.

“Do you visit often?”

“I’m going to stay here for a while because of Mr. Geum Seong-chan.”

“…Because of me?”

While I tilted my head in confusion, An So-mi asked back with an incredulous expression.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Seriously… Men…”

“I’m not very fond of making divisions. Even on the battlefield, factional conflicts arose because of those divisions, and because of the bizarre claim that men and women should be distinct, even operations were eventually…”

“Stop! That’s not what I meant!”

Then, in response to my question about what her intention was, she stared at me for a long time before speaking.

“I’m not happy with Yu-jin living alone in this big mansion, but now that that damn Cultist of Ruin burned down Mr. Geum Seong-chan’s house, how could I feel at ease? Besides, you’ve let a strange man into the house, who knows what might happen and how?”

“I’m not that kind of shallow person, though?”

“Men don’t hesitate once the situation is set.”

That wasn’t wrong. So, I had to say something about being treated like a potential criminal.

“Not only is it not true for all men in the world, but in such situations, it’s no different for women. For that matter, hasn’t the female sex crime rate soared due to the male population sharply decreasing because of the Great Cataclysm and the war, surpassing the male crime rate long ago?”

It was a state where women with power were dominant.

However, because of innate cruelty, strength, the will to dominate, and a consistent social structure, men were merely still dominating the highest levels of power.

As more time passed and more prominent figures emerged among women, it was an environment where the ideology of women being superior to men could spread.

“Seriously, do you know that you’re so serious sometimes it’s off-putting?”

“Everyone in the world thinks I’m off-putting.”

“Why is everything you say such a tragic story?”

“Wasn’t that a leading question?”

An So-mi explained everything to me one by one as I tilted my head in total lack of understanding, and I could tell that the whole situation was just a misunderstanding caused by An So-mi’s way of speaking, which stemmed from her attitude of worrying about Go Yu-jin.

“I really can’t get used to the way women speak. But I understand. Since I now know you two are close friends, it must have been natural concern.”

“It’s not a ‘way women speak,’ it’s just how women talk in everyday conversation, okay?”

“Metaphorical expressions and a way of speaking where the intention is unknown…”

Just then, Go Yu-jin came up, saw the two of us talking, and asked.

“What are you two doing?”

“I was being lectured.”

“No, I wasn’t?!”

When Go Yu-jin looked as if demanding an explanation at An So-mi’s flustered shout, she explained the circumstances.

Then, Go Yu-jin bowed her head and apologized on her behalf.

“She probably did that because she hadn’t heard the detailed circumstances. I’m sorry. I should have told her first that I was the one who made the suggestion…”

But even after An So-mi learned that it was Go Yu-jin’s suggestion, she spoke confidently.

“Still, it’s a space where a woman lives alone, so I think it’s actually a bit problematic to just accept a suggestion so readily!”

“So-mi, no! If you say more, I’ll really get angry.”

They began bickering with each other, and soon Go Yu-jin was seen dragging An So-mi down to the first floor. Then, she spoke to me from about halfway down the stairs.

“Get ready and come down. I’ll have the food ready.”

“You, you cooked too?!”

An So-mi was startled, so Go Yu-jin covered her mouth and dragged her down the stairs, and because she kept making ‘mm-mm’ sounds while pointing at me like someone with a lot to say, I stared at that scene for a long time before heading to my room.

‘She is a person I truly cannot understand.’

Women were difficult.

Afterward, while being treated to the meal Go Yu-jin had prepared, I briefly explained what had happened today, and An So-mi spoke with concern.

“Won’t there be a legal problem if the government intervenes?”

“As you know, the Cultists of Ruin are a group with many social problems, and they are troublemakers to the point of being described as the worst of the worst. Furthermore, it’s not just murder and arson; they kidnap and confine a large number of people to use humans maliciously or kill them. So, immediate execution upon discovery is possible.”

Furthermore, it was self-defense.

Because they had tried to kill me directly. So, I conveyed that there would be no problem regarding this, and after a short contemplation, the two who heard the whole story also nodded.

“The CEO is a very good cook.”

It was something I said after devouring the well-made kimchi stew as if I were famished, and she showed a happy smile before speaking.

“I’m grateful that you’re eating well, but there’s something that’s been on my mind for a while. Will you do me one favor?”

“I will grant it if it is a reasonable request.”

“It’s not such an unreasonable request, so I really hope you’ll grant it. In private places, will you act privately?”

“Go Yu-jin!!”

An So-mi screamed, and Go Yu-jin also looked at An So-mi once before shaking her head. It was a silent gesture telling her not to say any more.

However, since I didn’t think it was a matter to agonize over, I gave an affirmative answer and said.

“I will call you Yu-jin-ssi. I think that level is appropriate.”

“Thank you. That’s enough.”

I occasionally called her Go Yu-jin-ssi, but since I considered calling her ‘Yu-jin-ssi’ as a sign of friendliness, like a kind of social promise, neither I nor Go Yu-jin seemed to have any major complaints.

Except for An So-mi…