NOVPUB‘It was a completely obvious thing to say.’
The reactions of the other tigers, besides Hwang Ji-ho, were strange.
They were all looking at me, their expressions filled with gratitude.
It seemed like each of the tigers had their own backstory.
‘It must be hard for the tigers here to speak about responsibility to Hwang Ji-ho.’
For various reasons, the tigers here had allowed Hwang Ji-ho to carry the heavy responsibility on his own for a long time.
So, it would be difficult for them to bring up anything related to their old friend, Unsa.
But I added a few more words, unsure if the tigers had nothing on their minds.
“There’s a lot I want to say to Hwang Ho, but there’s nothing about the message sent by Unsa.”
“I agree. Hwang Ho may have been late in dealing with the trash, but he did save Unsa, didn’t he?”
“......”
Eunho and Jeokho spoke in turn, and Baekho nodded.
As they spoke, Hwang Ji-ho’s expression softened.
By the time he spoke again, a smile had appeared on his face.
“I have a great benefactor and a good friend. Thank you.”
Hwang Ji-ho seemed happy to hear that obvious sentiment, but added something as if he wasn’t willing to accept it.
“However, if it’s related to a friend, I will take on responsibilities even if it’s something I don’t have to bear.”
Our words didn’t seem to lessen the responsibility that Hwang Ji-ho felt.
Still, he was smiling, unlike when he first brought it up.
Late at night, at the annex of Hwang Myeong-ho's mansion.
Since school had started, Eunho, who had rarely stayed at the mansion, was there unusually late.
Eunho, with his long silver hair neatly tied, walked with Hwang Ho’s avatar, who had a youthful appearance.
The two were now headed to Unsa’s bedroom.
“You made up your mind faster than I thought. Do you now believe that Unsa is innocent?”
“I’ve believed from the start that Unsa is innocent. It would be inefficient to keep him tied up in the furnace for such a long time just to deceive our eyes.”
“If Jeokho were here, he’d say something like this. He would’ve asked why you didn’t show up earlier if you thought that way.”
Jeokho had left the mansion, claiming he needed to analyze the information left on Seong Hyeo-don’s body.
It seemed like seeing Unsa’s message had rekindled his motivation.
Right now, Jeokho was working tirelessly with his son.
“If it were Jeokho, he’d definitely say that. But it’s good that he’s not here now, so we can move quietly.”
“I thought you intentionally brought it up later to let Jo Eui-shin rest, but you must have had another motive.”
It seemed like Eunho had chosen this time to avoid Jeokho and Jo Eui-shin.
If they had known Eunho was going to meet Unsa, they would have insisted on accompanying him without a break.
If it were for a private conversation, Jo Eui-shin would have naturally given them some space, but this wasn’t just a simple visit.
Eunho also had the intent of seeing Unsa’s face directly to gauge his feelings.
Hwang Ho understood this and subtly guided Jo Eui-shin to rest.
“Jo Eui-shin hyung can be informed later. He’ll understand when I tell him I decided to visit Unsa after much contemplation. But I thought Baekho hyung would be coming too. Where is he?”
“He’s calming down the guardian beast in front of Jo Eui-shin’s room. Ever since Jo Eui-shin lost his left eye, the guardian beast’s mood has been quite off.”
“I heard the guardian beast doesn’t even show its face to Jo Eui-shin, but it seems like it’s nearby.”
That would be news that would make Jo Eui-shin happy but could also make him act foolishly.
Eunho smiled, thinking he could subtly leak that information if Jo Eui-shin showed any interest in seeing the guardian beast later.
Looking up at Eunho, Hwang Ho asked.
“Eunho, why did you suddenly decide to see Unsa? Even though you believe Unsa is innocent, didn’t you consider the possibility of him betraying us?”
“I believe Unsa is innocent for now, but I think there’s still a possibility he could betray us in the future. That hasn’t changed.”
Eunho’s thoughts seemed no different from the beginning.
Even after seeing Unsa’s desperate messages, Eunho still didn’t completely eliminate the possibility of betrayal.
Having experienced brutal betrayals in the mythological era, Eunho was not ready to give up his suspicions.
Yet, Eunho had still decided to meet Unsa.
“I came here because I saw you taking responsibility, Hwang Ho.”
“......What do you mean by that?”
“Responsibility.”
Hwang Ho stared at Eunho for a long time with his youthful appearance.
Eunho still spoke gently.
“When Unsa was captured, I was the head of the clan. It’s late, but I want to take some responsibility for that.”
“There’s no need for that. But how do you plan to take responsibility?”
“I’ll face Unsa directly and reduce the chance of betrayal. If he does betray us, I’ll be the first to know and correct the situation.”
Eunho spoke as if nothing had changed in his attitude, but his words were like a sharp blade.
If Unsa betrays them, Eunho would find out first and deal with him.
Hwang Ho understood what Eunho meant by responsibility.
That was the role a leader should play, and Eunho had come to relieve him of that responsibility.
Before Hwang Ho could speak, Eunho added.
“I hope that will never happen.”
Thus, Hwang Ho and Eunho shared the responsibility and went to meet Unsa.
Unsa had heard from Hwang Ho’s avatar that Eunho was coming and was nervously waiting.
When the door opened, Unsa quickly raised his head and saw Eunho.
As soon as Unsa’s eyes met Eunho’s, his eyes immediately welled up with tears.
“Eunho...!”
“Unsa, it’s been a while.”
Unsa tried to jump off the bed to check on Eunho’s well-being, but his body couldn’t follow.
He barely managed to sit up, but his body wobbled unsteadily.
Eunho, after judging that this movement wasn’t an act, approached him.
“I heard you were deeply asleep. I’m glad to see you up.”
“Thank you for worrying. I’m glad Unsa was safely rescued. May I check your pulse?”
“Of course. I’m sorry for troubling you with my hand.”
Eunho extended his hand toward Unsa, who was smiling without any guard.
Unsa didn’t resist at all when Eunho pressed on the pulse point above his vital area and flowed his psychic energy.
Unsa seemed to have no thought that Eunho might harm him.
He simply appeared happy to have Eunho check his health up close.
After confirming Unsa’s condition, Eunho asked.
“I was in a deep sleep after Unsa was captured, but you seem to know about that. Did you also know I was asleep after the otherworldly collision?”
Eunho spoke in a warm tone, but there was heavy suspicion hidden beneath it.
Hwang Ho, noticing this, hid his bitter feelings, though he didn’t show them.
‘Even though he says this, it’s likely true that Eunho still believes Unsa is innocent for now. He’s probably just trying to confirm where the seed of betrayal might be hidden.’
Eunho’s suspicion stemmed from two facts.
One was that Unsa had referred to Poongbaek and Usara as his close friends.
The other was that Unsa seemed to have some knowledge of the external situation.
Looking at the things Unsa had said after waking up, Eunho judged that Unsa might know a bit about the state of the Ho clan.
If he had been bound in the furnace with all information blocked, there was no way he could have known.
Sending a half-hearted distress signal was the most Unsa could do, but it was impossible for him to gather external information.
“......When I was in the furnace, I heard talk about the Ho clan. There wasn’t any good news, but it didn’t seem like a lie.”
Unsa responded calmly to Eunho’s suspicions as if he hadn’t noticed.
Sadness was evident in his eyes, but it seemed to be directed at someone other than Eunho.
Eunho, realizing who that person was, asked.
“Did Poongbaek and Usara send the news to you?”
“Yes, they told me there was no hope for the Ho clan and advised me to change my mind.”
While Unsa was burning in the furnace for a long time, Poongbaek and Usara visited multiple times.
They usually came to check if the furnace was operating well, but occasionally they spoke to him.
The main topic was the news of the Ho clan.
Unsa had received information that the Ho clan had suffered heavy losses in a large battle, that Eunho had fallen into a deep sleep, and that the whereabouts of Shin-in and Cheong-ho were unknown.
“Poongbaek and Usara kept trying to persuade me. I also heard they struggled to gain my complete trust.”
“Those two?”
“They must have found it suspicious, as they tried for such a long time to change my mind.”
Hwang Ho and Eunho silently suppressed their harsh words.
It was clear that the person who had been with Unsa all along never fully trusted Poongbaek and Usara.
While both betrayed him quickly, they had originally been under Shin-in, so it was no surprise that the sly man couldn’t fully trust them.
‘They probably tried to stir up Unsa’s guilt using Poongbaek and Usara.’
If Poongbaek and Usara had even a little affection for Unsa, they wouldn’t have tried to persuade him to betray them. Instead, they would have tried to free him from the furnace.
But Unsa didn’t seem to have considered that.
After a long discussion, Eunho stood up.
“I’ve taken up enough of Unsa’s resting time. I’ll be leaving now.”
“......Already?”
Despite having spoken so much, Unsa seemed reluctant to part.
Eunho, trying to ease Unsa’s disappointment and prepare for his next move, said.
“I’ll visit often. There’s a lot I want to hear.”
After the weekend, a new week began.
During the weekend, I spent time reviewing the information I had gathered with the tigers.
This included the message from Unsa discovered at the Old School Building and the records left on Seong Hyeo-don’s body.
It took a while to check and compare all the decades-old information, but the effort was worth it.
‘It seems like I’ve narrowed down the location information to some extent. There are still some parts that haven’t been properly interpreted, but with more time, it should be resolved. Also, since Eunho took the lead, there shouldn’t be any problems with the Unsa-related information.’
While I was asleep, Eunho had made a big decision and met Unsa in person.
Eunho thoroughly explained their conversation and shared his future plans.
Eunho intended to track what message Unsa had left through their discussion.
‘Eunho was already thinking about the possibility of Unsa turning on them. Perhaps he’s trying to confirm that possibility himself, to prevent it. And gather more information... huh?’
On my way to school, I suddenly had an ominous feeling. Turning around, I saw Yong Je-geon standing there.
As soon as I turned, Yong Je-geon greeted me brightly, as if he had been waiting for me.
“Eui-shin, hello?”
I wondered how long he had been following me like that.
Yong Je-geon had probably been flying quietly behind me, hiding his presence.
“Jun-yeol is preparing something very interesting, you know? Did you hear about it?”
In Yong Je-geon’s eyes, whatever Jun-yeol was doing probably looked interesting.
I was about to ignore him and move on, but it seemed Yong Je-geon wasn’t planning on letting me go so easily.
Paaah!
In an instant, a space colored in violet spread around us.
It was a barrier that blocked sound.
There weren’t many students at this hour, but as soon as I noticed Yong Je-geon’s presence, those who saw him quickly turned and walked away.
As a result, only Yong Je-geon and I were left on the wide street.
“Hong-ryonghwa is related to the future of Jun-yeol that you know, right?”
Well, yes.
It was the first ability that activated when Jun-yeol went berserk at Plamago.
Yong Je-geon said no more and just quietly watched me.
‘Why is he saying something like that? Could it be...’
Hearing Yong Je-geon, I remembered a certain move I had been ignoring after becoming Jun-yeol’s mentor.
Jeong Mu-young had learned a new way to use the "shadowless time" through Replay, gaining the ability to erase others' presence.
In Replay, Jeong Mu-young had been on the verge of death, his mind altered by a great power, yet he successfully acquired this ability.
Could this apply to Jun-yeol as well?
If so, Jun-yeol could quickly learn Hong-ryonghwa through Replay.
