Chi-Hyun’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Chi-Woo; there seemed to be even loathing and repulsion in his gaze. But Chi-Woo didn’t back down. He glared back at his brother, hard, all the while getting a strange sense of déjà vu. It felt as if someone had looked at him the same way his brother was looking at him before.
[Do you know what that ‘authority’ even means?]
[Don’t just talk rashly without knowing.]
[I am speaking as someone who knows things you don’t know. The choice and method you are undertaking right now are definitely wrong.]
These were what Laguel had told him when he first entered the Celestial Realm. She had looked at him with an indescribable expression tinged with resentment. From his brother, Chi-Woo even felt a deep sense of emptiness and bitterness. Laguel and his brother—what were they so resentful and bitter about?
“…Follow me,” Chi-Hyun simply said.
Chi-Woo furrowed his brows. He wished his brother would just get angry at him or insult him. In fact, he wouldn’t have felt so tormented even if his brother beat him up right now. Chi-Woo couldn’t bear this suffocating, heavy atmosphere.
“Why should I?” Chi-Wo gritted his teeth and didn’t plan to move until he heard what he wanted to hear.
“Just—” Chi-Hyun whirled around and started to raise his voice, but calmed himself down again before continuing, “…Follow me while I’m asking nicely.”
This attitude set fire to Chi-Woo’s heart even more. He resisted stronger. “I don’t want to. Am I your puppet or something? Am I supposed to just do whatever you tell me to?”
“I’m not going to ask anymore.”
“Oh? What do you—"
Swish! Before Chi-Woo could finish his sentence, invisible energy circled around him and grappled him. Chi-Woo desperately tried to break free, but the energy wound even tighter with fearsome strength.
“Hey, you—” It also muffled his mouth before dragging him forcefully forward. Chi-Woo continued to resist, but in the end, he was helplessly dragged away.
There weren’t any other people on the streets since dawn had just broken. Chi-Hyun headed to the palace. He didn’t go inside through the front entrance, but rather stood still for a while before making his way to the basement.
‘How does he know about this place?’ Chi-Woo thought nobody but Eshnunna should be privy to it. Chi-Hyun walked down the stairs and threw Chi-Woo to where Philip’s statue used to be. Finally, Chi-Woo’s arms and legs were set free, and the bind around his mouth was released.
“Told you that I won’t just use words anymore,” Chi-Hyun said while looking around.
“What—but how did you know about this crypt?”
“I sensed it. This is a crypt?”
‘I see. He found the place by spreading his mana around him—no, that isn’t the important thing right now,’ Chi-Woo thought and quickly asked, “Why did you bring me here?”
“Because you need a place to stay.”
“What do you mean? I have a house.”
“It’s not safe there.”
For a moment, Chi-Woo couldn’t understand what his brother was saying.
“In reality, this whole capital is in danger. It’s located where the Demon Empire, the Abyss, and even the Sernitas could reach. At any point in time, this city could be bombed from above. Considering that, the basement is safer.” It seemed Chi-Hyun had thought of the worst-case scenario, which was a fitting one for this world.
“Although I have set up the basic defense, think of this place as a temporary shelter and endure it for a while. Since a new city has been established, I will prepare a place for you to stay when negotiation with the monsters is complete.”
“…Wait. Does that mean you’re planning to lock me here?”
“Yeah.”
“But Chi-Hyun—”
“Be grateful that this isn’t a prison.” At the same time, words that Chi-Woo couldn’t understand flowed out of Chi-Hyun’s mouth and vibrated, filling up the whole room. And that wasn’t the end of the spell.
“■.”
Wing! Wing! Wing! Wing!
“■. ■. ■. ■.”
Every time Chi-Hyun opened his mouth, their surroundings changed. The area twisted and turned before changing back to its original form.
—This is insane!
Philip shouted and came out of hiding.
—How many times is he going to change the space…! W-Who is this guy, seriously?
Chi-Woo didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but it seemed his brother was making it so that he couldn’t get out of this place.
“Ha.” Chi-Hyun breathed out and glanced at Philip, who was exclaiming in shock.
“I will deliver you food three times a day. If you don’t want to be locked up in an actual prison, stay here obediently.”
“…Aren’t you being too much?”
“And.” Ignoring Chi-Woo, Chi-Hyun looked up at Philip. “What is that?”
—…Me?
Philip flinched and scratched his head.
—Uh…I’m just a…
“Why are you wandering around with a dead spirit around you?” Chi-Hyun turned to Chi-Woo, paying Philip no attention. “Even if it’s a good soul, it belongs to the dead. It’s not right for a living person to carry around a dead spirit.”
“…”
“It could be dangerous. Shouldn’t you know this better than I do?”
“…Things happened,” Chi-Woo said, knowing that his brother wasn’t wrong. But he also quickly added, “I’ll take care of it. Don’t touch him.”
But of course Chi-Hyun snorted and said, “Should I do it for you? Or are you going to do it?”
“I told you not to.”
“Okay, then I will.” Chi-Hyun raised his hand at Philip.
—Uh, uh…
And clenched his fist.
—Urgh!
Philip shrieked in shock and groaned as pain shot through him.
“W-What are you doing? Stop it!” Chi-Woo shouted. This almost felt like a bad dream. He even wondered if Chi-Hyun was really his brother. Although his brother had always been cold and unfriendly, it wasn’t to this level. No matter what he expected, however, this was reality and not a dream. Philip’s screams grew louder before coming to an abrupt halt.
—Kuh!
“I told you to stop and not bother him,” Chi-Woo said quickly, looking back and forth between Philip and his brother. “Got it? I will stay here, Hyung, and do as you told me, so…”
Chi-Woo’s eyes widened as Philip’s head drooped. Then he took a deep breath when he saw that Philip was quickly fading away.
“Sto—”
—P!
There was a loud bang. Chi-Hyun was suddenly flung into the wall, and he got back up coughing.
“What…” Chi-Hyun’s eyes turned wide in shock.
“What happened just now…?” He had suddenly felt an incoming surge of mysterious energy. Sensing the attack beforehand, Chi-Hyun had defended against it, yet Chi-Woo’s energy easily pierced through his barrier and hit him. Among the heroes who had entered Liber, no one could ever do the same, not even Ismile from the Nahla family. After recollecting himself, Chi-Hyun looked ahead at his brother.
Chi-Woo lifted his head, his slowly revealed face was now adorned with a pair of brilliantly shining eyes.
“…” Chi-Hyun’s eyes narrowed as he sensed another presence. Meeting his gaze, Chi-Woo curved his lips into a smile. The younger brother Chi-Hyun knew would never smile like that. That meant only one thing.
“…Damn it, shaman god,” Chi-Hyun growled.
—You crossed a line.
A leisurely voice echoed.
—Isn’t he the younger brother you’ve finally reunited with after a long time? I was hoping you would treat him with more affection and care. Have a heartwarming brotherly moment.
“Why didn’t you keep the promise?”
—Promise? Ah, yes, that promise.
Chi-Woo snorted.
—About the tribute… Well, it wasn’t a bad offer. I got what I wanted in return.
“Then why—”
—I simply waited. This child was the one who made the move.
Chi-Woo cut Chi-Hyun off before putting his hands on his chest and continuing firmly.
—He came here of his own will. Didn’t he tell you already?
Chi-Hyun was aware. That was why he couldn’t say much other than denying the things Chi-Woo had asked from him.
—Don’t act so coldly. He came all this way here for his only brother. Why don’t you keep that in mind and be nice for once?
“Don’t make me laugh!”
—Haha. Calm down. I want to see some brotherly love, not a fight between two sworn enemies.
“…You won’t get to see either,” Chi-Hyun said with a growl and quietly steadied his breathing. “Get out of my brother’s body and don’t ever come back.”
—Don’t worry. He won’t get sick like before.
“What?”
—The foundation has already been established.
After the mysterious and profound words, the light in Chi-Woo’s eyes gradually subsided.
—But it’s not perfect yet…
After the lingering voice faded, Chi-Woo’s eyes returned to normal.
“…Huh?” Chi-Woo blinked and looked confused. “Uh…wait…I’m…” Philip didn’t disappear. Even though he was on the ground looking clearly distressed, he still existed as a spirit. However, Chi-Hyun was standing quietly with a frighteningly stiff expression. Chi-Woo had no idea what had happened. It felt as if his memories were cut and forcibly reattached. Now that he thought about it, he had lost a lot of his strength. An awkward silence stretched between them.
“You don’t know…yeah, there’s no way you would know…” Chi-Hyun only began talking after a few minutes. “There are things that are beyond mortals and can’t be solved by human power. I’ve learned my lesson.” He let out a deep sigh. “You may think I’m going overboard.” His voice gained strength as he continued, “You may cuss me out and no longer think of me as your older brother. It’s fine with me even if you hate or disown me.”
Chi-Woo quickly regained his senses. He couldn’t just let Chi-Hyun go like this after finally meeting him. He called out to his brother, “Hyung.”
However, Chi-Hyun shook his head.
Chi-Woo pleaded, “Listen to me. Please.”
“Nothing’s going to change even if I hear you out.” That was a declaration of sorts, a declaration that Chi-Hyun was never going to change his mind.
“Hyung. Hyung!”
“That’s enough. If I said more—”
“Wait! Wait! Wait a minute!”
Chi-Hyun marched toward the door and suddenly stopped to look over his shoulder. “Shut up and stay quiet inside!” His angry cry roared in the secret chamber. Chi-Woo, who had been desperately calling out to his brother, shut his mouth while feeling the anger he had been suppressing for a while come back to him. He unconsciously clenched his fists. This was what he hated about his brother. Whenever he asked his brother something, he’d tell him to stop being curious about useless things and go study.
Chi-Hyun, who had been panting hard for a while, quietly took a deep breath. “…You,” he glared at Chi-Woo and spat, “Should have never been born.” That was the last thing he said before leaving.
Bam! Chi-Woo heard the door slam shut. Chi-Hyun was gone. But even then, Chi-Woo remained motionless. Chi-Hyun’s parting words echoed in his ears, and he stood unmoving with a blank face.
On the other side of the door, Chi-Hyun was in a similar state. He leaned against the door and stared up at the ceiling with an indescribable expression. Then he got back to ground level and entered the palace, picking a random room before throwing himself into a seat. Immediately, he turned on his device. A hologram appeared in the air.
“Come out.” He stared at the empty hologram and growled. “Come out! I said come out! Laguel!”
Sccck! The hologram crackled, and soon after, the blurry and opaque figure of an angel emerged.
* * *
The next day arrived. Noel Freya visited Chi-Hyun early in the morning to give him a report. She was going to greet him with a big smile when she saw him walking out of the hallway. However, she quickly hid after seeing Chi-Hyun’s face. ‘We’re fucked.’ That was the first thought coming to her as soon as she saw his stiff expression.
No matter how famous Chi-Hyun was for being cold-blooded, he was still a human with emotions. As an obsessive stalker-fan who had been following Chi-Hyun for a long time, Noel had acquired the ability to read his emotions by analyzing his facial movements to nano units. And after analyzing the look on his face, it was clear that Chi-Hyun’s mood was abysmally bad. She had actually never seen him in a worse mood than now no matter how difficult and dangerous the situation got.
‘What happened?’ Noel though.
Chi-Hyun had been humming before he left, but now, his mood had completely changed. Moreover, his subsequent actions were even more incomprehensible. He went outside before quickly coming back with a package. Then…
‘What? Whaaaaaaaaat?’
Tatatata.
Noel Freya screamed internally when Chi-Hyun started cooking in the kitchen. This was the first time she had ever seen him cook. Chi-Hyun was not a gourmet and did not particularly enjoy eating. He basically ate only to live. Why was he suddenly cooking with so much care? ‘Is it for a change of mood?’ Noel thought. ‘Is he concerned about something? Come to think of it, the eighth recruits…’ Her prediction was partly correct, but in the wrong direction.
Chi-Hyun was thinking of his younger brother. He had been thinking of only Chi-Woo since yesterday. ‘I can’t let this be.’ He had locked Chi-Woo up in a fit of anger. Regardless of the reprehensibility of his actions, Chi-Hyun knew that locking up Chi-Woo was not a perfect solution. ‘I can’t just stick by his side the whole time.’ There was no permanent solution. What could he do to increase Chi-Woo’s rate of survival until Liber’s crisis was resolved?
‘Power.’ He had to gather more power; in this world, power was essentially the law and justice. Thanks to Chi-Woo, he might have to play a role that he had no intention of taking up. Of course, not everything would be solved even after Chi-Woo gained more power; Chi-Hyun knew this better than anyone else. In order to fulfill the most minimum conditions, he needed one more element. Namely…
“What are you doing?”
Chi-Hyun turned to the source of the voice that had suddenly interrupted his thinking.
“Sir, I-I mean…I was just curious.”
“…”
“I-I’ll get going…” Under Chi-Hyun’s stare, Noel awkwardly laughed and quickly turned around.
“A meal?”
Noel Freya immediately stopped at his sudden question. At first, she thought she had heard him wrong.
“…What?”
“A meal. Have you eaten already?”
“Ah…” Noel Freya blinked like crazy and shook her head in surprise. “No! No, I haven’t!”
“Then, you want some?”
Noel’s eyes became big as saucers. A dish made by Chi-Hyun himself! Someone who seldom cooked! There was no greater reward than this. “C-Could I?”
“I’ve made quite a lot. It doesn’t matter if you have some.”
“Really? Is this for real?”
“Try it first. It might not be to your taste.”
When Chi-Hyun set aside some of the food for her, Noel Freya almost fainted. “It’s delicious!”
“You haven’t even tried it yet.”
There was no way it wouldn't be delicious. Noel was confident that even if he gave her poison, she would enjoy it and die with content. Noel was moved by his unexpected offer and shed tears while pledging her undying loyalty to Chi-Hyun once again.
Chi-Hyun looked at Noel and continued his earlier thought before he was interrupted. He had long known about Noel Freya’s over-zealous loyalty, and there was only one reason why he had let her follow him. There was a saying that even dog poop can be used for medicine, and he thought there might come a time when she would prove to be useful. He had let her be in case such a scenario arose.
‘If necessary…’ Just like what Giant Fist and Mua Janya were to Chi-Hyun, Chi-Woo also needed people who would stay by his side to support and help him in whatever situation. Chi-Hyun said, “If you like it, do you want another bowl?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”
“Eat slowly. Tell me if it’s not enough.”
“Yes, sir!”
But if Chi-Woo couldn’t find people like that, Chi-Hyun needed to find people who would die for Chi-Woo for his sake.