LTTH C67

Chapter 67

To think that after all his efforts to avoid it, Hansol would end up setting foot in the Hunter Association’s courtyard. His vision still darkened from the teleportation, his mind reeled.

The Association dogs won’t stay quiet.

They knew he had been evading them. Of course, they would have made their preparations. Escape would not be simple.

When at last he dared to open his eyes, a scene all too familiar spread before him. The Association’s C-Wing—the very building he had seen the day he was deceived into taking a so-called “cross-dimensional dispatch mission” to Britain.

“Hansol, there seem to be rather a lot of people here,” Kassie murmured.

“…So it seems,” Hansol replied.

Keeping his nerves taut, he slowly swept his gaze across the area. The researchers he had seen during his first deployment to Britain were nowhere in sight. Instead, more than ten men in formal suits stood there.

One who appeared to be their superior stepped forward, and as though he had been waiting all along, approached Hansol with a slight bow.

“Chae Hansol-nim, we have been expecting you.”

The man’s tone was mild, his smile courteous. Yet perhaps because of that suffocating title—a man of the Association—Hansol found no warmth in it.

“Before we speak of your mission, there are other matters I would first discuss. May we move to a different place? I would prefer to speak with you alone, without the companion you brought.”

Though his words were phrased as requests, there was nothing of choice in his tone. Behind the politeness lay arrogance, even faint contempt. To them, Hansol was still nothing more than the “perpetual Level 1 healer.”

Damn them.

Resentment boiled within him, but he could not simply turn and leave. If he walked away, they would brand him with charges, pursue him as a fugitive. The Association in Korea was more than capable of such schemes. If he went meekly, they would surely force some twisted contract upon him before letting him go.

“Chae Hansol-nim, time is passing,” the man pressed, smugly urging him.

Hansol’s fists clenched. Messiah, Saint, Hope—they could call him what they liked. In truth, when left alone, he was treated as nothing more than a powerless hunter.

No choice.

The disdain radiating from the man, the growing shadow across Hansol’s face—together, they were enough to move Kassie, who had stood silently at his side until now.

“Hansol, what are these people saying?”

His voice was stripped bare of gentleness, devoid of warmth—cold as when he had slaughtered monsters.

“They sound like your enemies. Shall I kill them?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Seeing Kassie about to strike, Hansol seized his arm, shaking his head fiercely.

If only I could raze them to the ground…

But life could not be lived entirely by one’s desires. And if Kassie caused trouble here, it would hinder his ability to cross between Korea and Britain. Hansol himself would also lose any foothold in Korea. He had to endure—for Kassie’s sake, for himself, for their future.

“…Let us move,” Hansol said at last.

“A wise decision. Your companion will be escorted elsewhere.”

As though predicting Hansol’s answer, the man closed in smoothly. It was only natural that Hansol and Kassie were separated.

“…Hansol, and you would endure even this?” Kassie’s voice darkened.

At that moment, azure light began to stir at Kassie’s side.

“……?”

Hansol thought Kassie was about to unleash destruction. But no—the light swelled, shaping itself into the figure of a man.

“Hansol-nim.”

Normally, the Association buildings were woven with anti-mana wards. If hunters rioted within, civilians could be harmed; the wards were the safety net. Yet to this figure, they posed no obstacle.

Familiar features framed by a robe bearing the crest of the Mage Tower—the very man whispered of in half-jest, half-reverence, that nearly every magic circle in the world had passed through his hands. The Tower Master.

“Had I known you were coming, Hansol-nim, I would have come to greet you,” he said.

“Darling, you’re safe! I missed you,” came another voice.

Of course, he was not alone. His golden hair half-singed, but still radiating the presence of the world’s Number One Ranker, James stood at his side.

“You two…”

Just their presence swept away the weight of the Association’s gaze. Relief filled Hansol as he looked upon them.

“How did you arrive here? No—when did you come?”

“When Hansol-nim failed to appear, we came to fetch you,” the Tower Master replied.

He glanced at Kassie before stepping closer to Hansol.

“We returned to Korea immediately after speaking with you. And you—remove your hand.”

The Association official, who had been about to rest a hand on Hansol’s shoulder, recoiled at the Tower Master’s cutting words, stepping back though his eyes still smoldered with resentment.

“It seems you are quite displeased. Then, why not try your hand?”

The Tower Master’s voice hardened as he stepped forward, menace radiating from him. The ground quaked with a resounding thud; his boot had sunk several centimeters into the concrete.

Hansol’s eyes widened.

So it’s true—mages really do raise their strength as well.

The Association man trembled, yet still clung to bravado. “You know what happens to hunters who use their powers on civilians outside a Gate.”

“Do you think I care?”

Realization dawned at last—the Tower Master would not be cowed. The man backed down, signaling his subordinates to withdraw.

Yet just before he could slip away, the Tower Master’s voice rang out once more.

“One more thing before you go. Hansol-nim’s contract—I am dissolving it.”

“……”

The man’s face twisted, his expression raw.

The Tower Master did not waver. Indeed, as though the man’s look spurred him further, he pressed on.

“Any penalty for unilateral termination—send the bill to the Mage Tower. As for the two items you provided, charge their value as well. Name your price properly, if you wish to trade with us again.”

Crushing, absolute. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Hansol away. The Association man mouthed silent words, but none left his lips.

It ends so easily…?

Was this the Tower’s true might? Or were there stories untold, hidden threads Hansol could not see?

Watching the man retreat in defeat, Hansol turned his gaze upon the Tower Master, his thoughts unsettled. What is this man, truly?

“Hansol-nim, I am relieved beyond words that you are safe. Are you hurt?”

“No, thanks to you.”

He had nearly been ensnared, but the Tower Master had swept it away—covering even the penalty fee. Truly, it was thanks to him.

“But… the penalty fee…”

Hansol’s brow furrowed. He could not abide debts, yet neither could he claim to repay such a sum at once.

“You need not worry. Hansol-nim will pay nothing. We will collect elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere…?”

Hansol blinked, just as the Tower Master’s finger pointed toward James, who grumbled nearby.

James is paying the fee? Why?

“Ah, yes. I nearly forgot. He was supposed to deliver the Dark Zone purification compensation, but he neglected it. He asked me to give it to you.”

“That was not the reason I went,” Hansol protested.

“Darling…” Kassie murmured, puzzled.

Indeed, Hansol had not cleansed the Dark Zone for reward, but to aid James—and to test whether his skills would work upon it.

“Still, take it. America sends apologies. Consider the penalty fee your delayed reward.”

The sum was enormous—hardly something to dismiss. Hansol’s expression tightened.

“Before you fret, Hansol-nim, there is no need for guilt. This is your due. Your right. Isn’t that so, darling?” James said, with all the gravity he could muster.

“…Darling again,” Kassie muttered, turning to Hansol.

With a serious face that suited him not at all, James pressed on.

“Hansol, you don’t have a lover, do you?”(jelly jelly baby)

“…What?”

Hansol stared in disbelief.

Kassie’s gaze flicked toward James, his eyes narrowing.

Heavens.

Kassie had drawn the wildest of conclusions.