NOVPUBSeong Guk-eon quietly examined my left eye before grinning.
"Haha, I must have been so out of it that I didn’t even notice I was coming."
With several tense individuals around, I had been on edge, but Guk-eon’s smile at least gave me some relief.
While Guk-eon was speaking, even the Jin clan members present were silent.
"I should be the one apologizing and expressing gratitude to you, but I don’t think you would accept that warmly. Still, I must say thank you."
"No, I don't really..."
"Thank you, Yishin."
Before I could say anything, my words were cut off by Seong Guk-eon.
Seong Guk-eon was the kind of person who expressed gratitude for even the smallest things, so I couldn't fault him.
It seemed like he was worrying more about me because of my eye, and I probably should have pretended to be fine.
The scene of receiving such grand treatment, coupled with showing my changed eye, made me feel a little guilty, as though Guk-eon’s sense of responsibility had grown heavier.
Seong Guk-eon continued with a firm tone.
"Before coming here, there was much discussion about your treatment. Don’t refuse any treatment. I hope you don’t think you can solve it all by yourself, Yishin."
I had been thinking about handling the treatment on my own, as it seemed like it would take a while and I didn’t want to burden the dragon clan too much.
It was as if Seong Guk-eon had seen right through my thoughts when he spoke.
Hwang Jiho and Huanglong nodded firmly, as if they agreed with what Seong Guk-eon had said.
It seemed that the Jin clan, who symbolized the same color, were indeed alike in unexpected ways.
Seong Guk-eon spoke with heavy words, though his smile remained bright.
"I lost an eye in this form, so I can’t shamefully walk around with both eyes open. I won’t use both of my eyes until yours heal."
"...What?"
"If you want me to use both eyes, get better quickly."
Seong Guk-eon, seemingly not open to any rebuttal, lightly tapped my shoulder and stepped back.
Seong Guk-eon won’t use both eyes because of me?
Seong Guk-eon was not someone to make empty promises.
No matter how severely injured he was, he had never once broken his vow to explore otherworldly realms every week.
Since he said this, I was sure that even during those explorations, he would only use one eye.
Among Seong Guk-eon’s abilities, there was one involving his eyes, so I didn’t know what he was planning to do by making such a statement.
‘I wish Jeon Muyeong would step in...’
I looked around and realized that the only person who might have been able to stop Seong Guk-eon was right there, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
As soon as Seong Guk-eon and I finished our conversation, Jeon Muyeong came over and spoke, but he didn’t object to the decision to use just one eye.
He simply reported the events that had happened while Seong Guk-eon was away.
Since Jeon Muyeong didn’t stop it, there was no point in arguing.
"The reason Seong Guk-eon is here is for two things. One is to discuss future plans, and the other is to make it difficult to distinguish between the fake and the real in one place."
Hwang Jiho revealed something I hadn’t asked about.
It seemed like a strategy meeting had been held between the clones of Hwang Jiho, who were stationed at the Hwangmyeong Building, and those present there.
I could understand Hwang Jiho’s reasoning.
‘Having Seong Guk-eon stay in the same place as me would definitely deceive the enemy’s eyes. If the mastermind is indeed that cautious, they would have already checked the whereabouts of both the real and fake Seong Guk-eons.’
The problem, however, was Seong Guk-eon’s shocking declaration about only using one eye.
Sadly, it seemed like I was the only one here who disagreed with that decision.
Hwang Jiho continued.
"Using only one eye is an appropriate strategy to deceive the enemy’s eyes. After this, Seong Guk-eon will go to Hwangmyeong Medical Center for treatment and wear an eye patch made using my barrier technique."
This way, the rumor that Seong Guk-eon is connected to both the dragon and noble clans would become even more solid, making it easier to impersonate him in the garden, as though it had been Seong Guk-eon and not me.
The more I thought about it, the fewer excuses I had to stop Seong Guk-eon’s decision.
In the end, there was only one solution.
Get the treatment done as soon as possible and heal.
I asked Huanglong to arrange a treatment plan for me as quickly as possible.
"It seems you've made up your mind to receive treatment. I’m glad we’ll meet often."
To be blunt, this situation had little to do with the dragon clan.
So from Huanglong’s perspective, it was simply an inconvenient and troublesome task to take on, but he seemed happy, and that made my feelings complicated.
"I want to tell Yishin to rest, but I doubt he’ll listen."
"I’m fine, I can take the treatment."
"I didn’t say that to hear you say you’re fine."
Thanks to the most powerful priestess treating me, the pain was gone, and my strength had returned.
So I really was fine, but Hwang Jiho pretended not to hear that.
Still, he didn’t seem like he was going to proceed with the meeting without me, so I chose not to argue.
"This place has a dense concentration of power, which isn’t good for your health. It would be better to move."
Following Huanglong’s suggestion, we all moved.
Huanglong called for a dragon spirit to guide us in the middle of the move.
It seemed like the priestesses were headed elsewhere.
"My priestesses and I will discuss the treatment plan in more detail. If anything happens, call me immediately through the dragon spirit."
Huanglong gave the instructions to me, not Qinglong or Yeong Jegun.
Since this was the Dragon Palace, shouldn’t he be saying such things to the dragon clan?
Huanglong really seemed to consider me as one of the masters of the Dragon Palace, talking to me like that.
After Huanglong left, the Jin clan members started making unnecessary comments, unable to behave like their age.
"Those dragon folk are really acting with determination, huh? Huangho, did you just watch them do that?"
"Wait until Yishin’s treatment is done. Just use him and discard him afterward."
"Oh, are you planning to abandon the Dragon Palace? I doubt the dragon’s benefactor would do something so heartless."
"You don’t know how heartless the noble clans’ benefactor can be, do you?"
"Is Yishin being heartless to Huangho?"
They kept it up during the move, and even after arriving at the lounge guided by the dragon spirit, they didn’t stop.
Kim Shinrok looked confused whenever Jeokho said something harsh, while Seong Guk-eon seemed somewhat intrigued by the situation, and Jeon Muyeong was concerned about Kim Shinrok.
Eventually, Jeon Muyeong reluctantly spoke.
"...We can’t rest until the meeting is over."
As soon as he said that, the room quieted, and all eyes turned to my left eye.
I didn’t say that because I wanted to rest immediately, but I probably should have phrased it differently.
Still, it seemed to have worked, as it seemed they had made up their minds to proceed with the meeting.
"Best not to waste time."
"That’s right. You can always say when you want to rest. Just remember, the Dragon Palace has many places for you to rest."
"Yishin won’t stay in the Dragon Palace today. Now, let’s discuss this matter first."
Hwang Jiho lifted the coffin, surrounded by his barrier technique, into the air.
Despite the commotion, Hwang Jiho had not forgotten to retrieve Seong Guk-eon’s coffin.
"It’s better to start by talking about Seong Guk-eon’s grandfather."
Just then, Seong Guk-eon, who had heard all of Jeon Muyeong’s report, stepped forward.
As Hwang Jiho set the coffin down, Seong Guk-eon lowered himself to look at Seong Hyeongwoo.
Seong Hyeongwoo was Seong Guk-eon’s grandfather, but since he had passed away at a young age, there wasn’t much of an age gap between them, and they resembled each other more like brothers than grandfather and grandson.
"It’s my first time meeting you in person."
Seong Guk-eon greeted Seong Hyeongwoo, but of course, there was no response.
As I watched that scene, I remembered something I had thought about when I first learned about Seong Hyeongwoo’s corpse.
‘I had thought about resurrection when I first learned about Seong Hyeongwoo’s body...’
If Seong Hyeongwoo’s body was well preserved and his soul still lingered in the cycle of reincarnation, maybe there would be a way to resurrect him.
I had a rare item from the Underworld that might make it possible.
Though I had thought about it, when Seong Guk-eon and I went to find him, Seong Hyeongwoo’s AI had said something like this:
[When I made a contract with the Jin clan, I created a gap in the contract. That gap is death. Only when Seong Hyeongwoo was alive was my soul bound to them.]
The gap Seong Hyeongwoo aimed for in the contract had been death.
All the data Seong Hyeongwoo input into the AI had been after his death.
The Jin clan likely never expected that Seong Hyeongwoo would do such a thing after his death, so they agreed to the contract.
[The contract that binds the soul ended with my death. After death, what I give away is only the flesh.]
Seong Hyeongwoo had agreed to give away his body after his death.
However, he had no obligation to do anything beyond that for the Jin clan who contracted with him.
What they did with the body and how they protected it was their responsibility.
The Jin clan also likely judged that it was impossible to get Seong Hyeongwoo to do anything after his death, so the agreement ended with the handing over of his body.
[So if you recover my body, please handle it without leaving any trace after you’ve obtained the information. Whether it’s cremation or anything else, the body must not remain intact. There’s a small chance, but don’t attempt to resurrect me. If I regain my life, the contract that binds my soul could revive as well.]
Seong Hyeongwoo had left this AI message to leave information behind and, perhaps, to warn against any attempt to resurrect him.
Hearing that, I decided not to think about Seong Hyeongwoo’s resurrection anymore.
Before Seong Guk-eon left, Seong Hyeongwoo had advised his grandson:
[You will one day be in a position to make dangerous contracts, just like me. When that moment comes, be sure to leave a gap in the contract.]
— I will remember, Grandpa.
Seong Guk-eon had answered his grandfather confidently.
Whether it was because of that advice or not, Seong Guk-eon later made a dangerous contract with the Pomor demon clan.
And following his grandfather’s advice, Seong Guk-eon had left a gap in the contract.
"Huangho, why did you personally retrieve the body and bring it here? Was it for the funeral?"
"That’s not the case. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought it all the way here."
Instead of Hwang Jiho, Seong Guk-eon answered Qinglong’s question.
"After my grandfather passed, there was no need to follow their words. So he left information behind."
"So Seong Hyeongwoo had a hidden will?"
"It’s similar. I just learned about it recently."
Seong Guk-eon spoke vaguely about the existence of the AI beneath the ground.
Fortunately, no one seemed to suspect or think it strange.
"So, what kind of information did Seong Hyeongwoo leave?"
In response to Hwang Jiho’s question, Seong Guk-eon repeated what he had heard from Seong Hyeongwoo.
"My grandfather said that before he died, he left special abilities on his skin and hair. As long as they don’t remove his skin or shave his hair after he’s dead, the records will remain."
Fortunately, it seemed like the black forces had replaced the clothes Seong Hyeongwoo had worn, but had not touched his skin or hair.
Though the hair was one thing, inscribing abilities on the skin was no simple task, and I could feel Seong Hyeongwoo’s determination.
He had done all this to leave behind certain information.
"By analyzing the skin and hair, we’ll be able to find the place where the body stayed."
