Chapter 576: Unintended Encounter

I briefly explained to Yehyeon and Kairos what had happened outside.

Even after I finished, neither of them spoke right away. Yehyeon, who had been listening with wide eyes, collapsed onto the sofa with a complicated expression, while Kairos examined my face from every angle.

“Was he doing well?”

That was the first thing Kairos said at last.

I couldn’t answer immediately.

“I don’t know.”

The last words I had said to Kyle came back to me, twisting something in my gut.

I tried not to let my eyes redden.

“There was a unicorn.”

“A unicorn?”

“In the world Kyle went to, there was a horse with a horn.”

Normally, that would’ve been exactly the kind of thing Kairos liked.

But this time, he didn’t react. His orange eyes studied me carefully.

I forced a smile.

“If you have something you want me to pass along, tell me. Something like that might happen again.”

“I think you’re the one with more to say than I am.”

Kairos answered quietly.

“Besides, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Kyle probably already knows what you really feel.”

Maybe.

Whenever it came to Kyle, my confidence and sense of self-worth took a straight plunge. Because of that, I could never think objectively about anything involving him.

Weren’t we already at the point where we couldn’t read each other anymore?

Still, there was a strange certainty that our last meeting hadn’t been the end.

That bizarre encounter across dimensions hadn’t been either of our doing.

If we met again... what would I even say first?

If I apologized, would he scoff? Or just frown?

...I couldn’t even imagine.

My gloomy thoughts were broken by Yehyeon’s voice.

“Hilde. Go inside and get some rest for now.”

Yehyeon stood up, then turned his gaze to Kairos.

“Black. Could you take Hilde back to the cabin or your place?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t like I was in such bad shape that I couldn’t make it to the house right across from here.

I thought that, but didn’t bother saying it out loud.

Instead, I listened to Yehyeon as he slowly tidied things up, speaking to Jack and Yun as well. It seemed he wanted to think more about the matter they had reported. I didn’t know what Jack had reported, but Yehyeon informed them he might contact them even while they were off duty.

He added that things outside the Core seemed unstable, so they should get proper rest while they could.

...The fact that he wasn’t saying any of that to me made me uneasy.

I had been quietly listening before finally cutting in.

“You’re not going to cancel my reinstatement, are you?”

“Decision’s on hold. Go rest for now.”

Yehyeon’s answer came back firm.

The voice was even a little cold, and I opened my mouth—

—but Ami, who had gone to change, suddenly ran out from inside.

“Hilde! Take this before you go!”

She shoved a can of candied walnuts into my hands.

Then she scampered over to Jack, who was turning toward the entrance.

“Jack. This is a gift for Milk!”

What Ami handed over looked like a small floating carpet.

Kairos accepted the grass-colored fabric—just the right size for Milk—along with a brief greeting.

Each of us holding something small, we stepped out into the darkened street.

Kairos followed Yehyeon’s instructions without question.

I mean... it’s literally right across the street.

It felt a bit ridiculous, but not unpleasant either, so I let him follow me inside.

Kairos settled naturally into the living room.

“You’re not leaving?”

I didn’t expect him to still be there even after I finished brushing my teeth.

“Got something to say?”

The red-haired man, who had been sitting there blankly, looked at me.

He smiled and nodded.

“Oh, you came because you had something to say? You should’ve said so.”

“You look tired, so I’ll keep it brief and leave.”

“If it’s urgent, you can just say everything now.”

“It’s not urgent at all.”

“Really?”

Then why bother following me all the way here? We’re both off tomorrow—you could’ve said it then.

Still, it wasn’t like it bothered me, so I slowly walked over to him.

“What is it?”

“Presence concealment.”

Kairos said it calmly.

“I’m thinking of releasing it tomorrow. Are you busy?”

...Right.

I’d completely forgotten about that.

I stared down at those orange eyes in silence for a moment. Kairos blinked a couple of times.

“You look exhausted.”

“I’ve got nothing scheduled tomorrow.”

The reclamation mission had originally been planned to last much longer, so I hadn’t made any plans or appointments.

By now, I had expected to be lying in a bed at the Safe House.

Still... it felt good to be back home.

“Anytime works for me. But are you really sure about this?”

“Of course. Honestly, I’m kind of looking forward to it. When my presence disappeared, Milk sulked for quite a while.”

Ah.

I hadn’t thought about it from that angle at all.

But now that I did... yeah, that made sense.

Actually, there might be more advantages to removing it...

As I nodded absentmindedly, Kairos smiled and stood up.

He told me to contact him when I woke up tomorrow, then left the cabin.

He added a few gentle words of nagging before and after that, but I was too sleepy to really listen.

I’m seriously exhausted.

Dragging my heavy body up the stairs, I collapsed into bed—and fell asleep the moment I hit it.

Without dreaming about Kyle.

***

Things never go the way you expect.

After waking up and finishing my usual training, I headed toward my spacious neighbor’s house around lunchtime, thinking about Kairos’s presence.

And there, I ran into something I hadn’t expected at all.

It was yet another thing I had forgotten.

The flying Creature incident that caused a brief commotion during the sports festival.

Yoow had returned after completely uncovering the truth behind that little incident.

“In other words, there’s a brat who crawled under the Third Elder.”

The strategist, Igor, gripped the glass of water he’d been handed with a grim expression.

“To be honest, most of that generation doesn’t even know what the Empire is. But this idiot knows just enough to be dangerous, and apparently picked up summoning techniques for no good reason...”

“Sounds young.”

“Twenty-four.”

Just a kid.

“Surprisingly, there’s not a drop of human blood mixed in. Though neither parent was one of the Blessed.”

“Who are the parents?”

“You’d have to ask about the grandparents. On the maternal side, there’s Raisa, a toll collector, and Kerin, who spun thread. They kept to themselves and were afraid of you, so you probably don’t know them well.”

Yoow was right.

Their faces flickered faintly in my memory before fading. I’d probably never had a proper conversation with them.

Yoow let out another heavy sigh.

“The paternal grandparents are about the same. The problem is both sides failed at raising their children, and those failed children married and produced an even bigger failure.”

...Harsh.

Though, back in the Empire, Yoow used to talk about noble families the same way. So it didn’t really surprise me.

Neither did the fact that a useless individual had been born among our kind.

I was far too old to be surprised by that.

Though this one sounded worse than expected.

“Basically, that moron believes he’s superior to humans, and he’s dying to show it.”

“I know the type.”

I muttered tiredly.

“Was wondering when one would show up.”

“He’s deeply interested in you and your summoner. Seems to think that if he meets you, you’ll recognize how exceptional he is.”

Yeah, there were plenty like that in the Empire.

The type who wanted to get close to famous people, believed they were special, and desperately sought recognition.

I dropped onto a nearby sofa, watching Igor mutter, “What a pathetic idiot,” under his breath.

Then I spoke as if to myself.

“But he hasn’t come looking for me yet. He should’ve sensed my presence.”

“He did come.”

“Oh really?”

Did I just not notice?

“It was when you were in a coma. Doesn’t seem like he entered your room. And he hasn’t come to this area.”

“I haven’t seen anyone suspicious besides summoner fans.”

“Didn’t he come looking for you, Kai?”

I turned to the red-haired man who had been listening quietly.

Kairos scratched between Milk’s ears and shook his head.

“Doesn’t seem like he came to me. No one comes to mind.”

“If he hadn’t crawled under an Elder, Lin could’ve handled it.”

Lin would be offended hearing that.

Still... it wasn’t wrong, so I let it slide.

“But now that he’s under an Elder, if we touch him, they’ll jump at the chance to move. We can’t act carelessly.”

“I’m fine with it.”

If he came, I’d just grab him and beat some sense into him.

I was confident dealing with this type of young man. Sure, some never changed no matter what, but most of them fell in line after a little discipline.

The problem wasn’t me.

“Kai, you’re the problem.”

“I don’t particularly mind either.”

“Really? That type would absolutely do something shady. He could track your presence and livestream your location online, selling it to stalkers for money.”

“You really are well-versed in dealing with this type.”

Yoow admitted.

Then he turned to Kairos.

“And the Captain’s right. You’re a superstar. Jack Black’s current position is more than profitable enough.”

“I didn’t conceal my presence back in the Empire either.”

Kairos shrugged with a smile.

“And that place had a class system, remember? Still managed just fine. Honestly, types like that are easier to handle.”

“Ah, you can’t just remember the class system, Summoner. You were under the Emperor’s favor. You were protected by the highest authority—that’s why you avoided the worst of it.”

“That’s true. But still... his summoning ability didn’t seem particularly impressive. I don’t think he can do anything to me.”

“Let’s postpone lifting your presence concealment for now.”

Yoow finally got to the point.

That must’ve been why he came today.

“You don’t need to delay it for long. But there’s a fairly large Elder gathering today.”

A hint of disappointment flickered in Kairos’s eyes.

But he didn’t show it. He simply nodded, then gently set the dozing Milk down onto the grass-like cloth Ami had given him.

Milk stretched, then curled up comfortably.

Kairos invited us to stay for lunch.

“I’ll cook.”

“I’ll do it.”

Kairos rejected Igor’s offer immediately.

I ended up laughing a little.

“What?”

Igor grumbled.

“Your cooking’s no better than the Captain’s.”

“I’m definitely better than you.”

“This is just a classic case of two amateurs comparing themselves.”

Yoow scoffed.

“Wait... Sir Igor, you’ve been freeloading at the Summoner’s house and eating his cooking?”

Igor proudly declared that he handled all the other housework...

Kairos didn’t seem to mind. He said he was rarely home anyway, so hiring someone was inconvenient, and Igor taking care of things made it easier.

In fact, these days, Kairos was busier than I was.

That afternoon, he alone was summoned by Yehyeon.

“I’ll be back.”

“If you can, tell me what it was about. Unless it’s classified.”

I was curious what exactly was happening outside the Core.

Nothing felt urgent, so I could take my time figuring it out.

Kairos smiled and nodded before leaving.

The rest of us lazed around in the empty house until evening.

Until I got a message from Lee Seunghyun.

***

“Hilde.”

Lee Seunghyun, who had suddenly contacted me asking if I was free, showed up in front of Kairos’s house without much explanation.

He arrived in a sleek black sedan that suited him perfectly.

“What is it?”

I walked toward his car, leaving Igor’s sulky farewell behind.

“Did Eric call for me?”

“Yes.”

My subordinate answered dryly.

“Are you aware that an Elder meeting is currently in progress?”

“I heard.”

“He said he would like to speak with you as soon as it ends. And since it’s a sudden request, he said he would understand if you declined.”

“Let’s go.”

I didn’t have any plans anyway, and I was curious what he had to say, so I got into the car.

But if I had known this would be the result, I might’ve reconsidered getting in.

The cause was obvious.

An attack from the Third Elder.

While waiting for the meeting to end, Seunghyun and I were stuck at the waiting area because of his movement.

At that point, I didn’t think much of it.

Even if we were stuck, we were still inside Center Core. It was a strange place, sure, but there was no reason we wouldn’t be able to leave.

The problem was that we weren’t the only ones in this ‘Creature Research Lab.’

“...!”

The moment I saw Yehyeon standing in front of the collapsed entrance, I couldn’t hold back a sound.

“Yehyeon. What are you doing here?”

Yehyeon turned toward me and Lee Seunghyun, his eyes widening.