Chapter 803

MITRON had closed earlier than usual.

Due to the early closing, the counter, decorated in a spring atmosphere, still had some stock left.

‘Did they close early because of me? I suggested meeting outside to avoid this.’

However, Ryu Jang had rejected my suggestion.

There were too many eyes around at Eungwang High, and the reason he gave for not meeting outside was that the Demon King of Byungwan and the Silent King, Sidelenium, couldn't act outside.

If I considered just my own business, it would have been enough to talk with Ryu Jang, but it seemed like Sidelenium wanted to see the situation firsthand.

Given the situation, I decided to choose some snacks at MITRON to bring to the first-year dorm students.

‘Eun-ho, Eun-ho, and Cha Seok-won, who got closer because of their proximity, the first-year 0-class dormitory members, and the junior members of the newspaper club… there are more than I thought. If I bring too much, they might feel burdened, so I’ll pick something small.’

As I was pondering between strawberry yogurt macaroons and cranberry-strawberry financiers, Ryu Jang appeared.

Ryu Jang was dressed in casual clothes instead of his usual pastry chef outfit.

He must have changed clothes during his brief absence.

“Seems like you’re picking out snacks for your juniors.”

How did he know?

It seemed like Ryu Jang had read my thoughts and continued.

“Jo Yi-shin usually buys snacks for the classmates in the morning. Since the students scatter for elective classes in the afternoon or even leave early, I thought you'd be getting snacks for your dorm mates in the evening.”

It was true.

Our class usually scattered for elective classes in the afternoon or left early to take care of things. Though we did have end-of-day classes, it was rare for everyone to gather, so if we were going to have snacks together, we’d choose morning.

Ryu Jang continued.

“I’ve heard first-year students talking about you. They said the snacks you bought were so good, they came looking for more.”

Did the juniors say that?

They must be good kids because I’ve heard them thank me even when I wasn’t around.

It was rewarding to hear that the juniors enjoyed the snacks, so I was glad I bought them.

“I’m glad the juniors liked them.”

“Yes, it’s true. But I think it’s less about the taste and more about the person buying them. As long as Jo Yi-shin is here, I won’t have to worry about sales.”

Ryu Jang said modestly.

No matter how much I bought, if MITRON’s products weren’t good, no one would come looking for them.

He was making a point, but Ryu Jang just smiled without responding.

Instead, he recommended several types of cookies.

“Cookie sales have gone up too. Quite a few students have asked what the Bread Shuttle bought for you.”

“Looks like you’re buying cookies a lot lately.”

“Yes, I buy them every time I meet my girlfriend.”

Bang Yoonseob had become picky about pastries since he ate so much while being the Bread Shuttle.

If he buys cookies every day, people will definitely be curious about it.

I wondered if Ryu Jang knew about Bang Yoonseob and Choi Young-hee being together.

It wasn’t like Bang Yoonseob had openly bragged about dating, but it seemed like the news spread quickly.

Since I hadn’t had many conversations with Ryu Jang, I thought he might have heard about it from someone who had seen me buying something before the confession event.

“You’ve arrived.”

After passing through the long hallway and entering inside the store, Sidelenium was waiting.

Sidelenium, as usual, wore a raven mask and spoke silently, only moving his lips.

“Did you return from the Dragon Palace safely?”

I hadn't mentioned it, but Sidelenium seemed to know about it to some extent.

With that level of information, it seemed a waste for him to be silent and watching from the sidelines.

While there was an advantage in remaining neutral so that enemies wouldn’t easily act, it seemed like a waste in many ways.

“I couldn’t intervene because the Dragon Clan and the Hojok were moving together. I couldn’t see the full story unfold, but I have some idea of what happened.”

At that moment, Ryu Jang showed Sidelenium a device hologram.

Sidelenium quickly scanned the holographic screen with his eyes before speaking.

“Did you uncover the secret of the contract between the O family and the Sea King from the Dragon Palace? The place where the clue was left was attacked.”

Sidelenium gestured, and Ryu Jang showed the hologram to me as well.

On the hologram was the full article about the attack on the law office that Ju Su-gyeom had mentioned.

It seemed like Sidelenium knew that the law office was related to the O family’s misfortune.

Sidelenium seemed to be waiting for me to speak about the Dragon Palace, but I needed to discuss something else at the moment.

“Today, I came to talk about something different.”

“I thought you might demand something in return for revealing the details of what happened at the Dragon Palace. What a shame.”

“If I think it’s necessary, I’ll talk about the Dragon Palace.”

If it was needed, I planned to reveal information to the extent that it wouldn’t harm the Dragon Clan or Hojok.

“I want to hear about what happened at the Fomor demons’ auction.”

The Fomor demons had been extremely cautious about the involvement of the True Blood and higher beings during the Halloween party.

Their caution was justified.

That day, the Fomor demons’ leader, Black Horse, and the leader of the West Clan, Seodol, along with numerous high beings from Celtic mythology, were involved.

‘But the one who orchestrated that event was a human.’

While they were cautious of True Blood and higher beings, their guard against humans was weak.

The human who showed up at the auction that day was Neon Ong Gildong, a thief blessed by the patron of Mi-their.

Merlin’s disciple, Druides Guseulbi.

The one qualified to be king, Seong Guk-eon, and his assistant Jeong Mu-yeong, and of course, me.

And Ryu Jang, the trusted servant of the Crow King.

In the end, it was the humans who disrupted the auction.

“The pastry chef said you arranged the meeting at the auction.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Ryu Jang answered readily.

Earlier, I had brought up the topic of Ryu Jang and Seodol meeting, and had this conversation with Sidelenium.

“I met him while searching for the Lia Fáil at the request of Morian.”

“Did you find it?”

“Yes, my contractor is exceptional, so I completed the task without issue.”

Ryu Jang had briefly explained what he did with the Lia Fáil, which was part of an arrangement with the Danou gods.

I didn’t ask for too many details as it was closely related to Ryu Jang’s powerful connection with the wildlands, which I felt was inappropriate to probe into.

All I understood was that the arrangement was made with a higher being’s request in mind, and that was enough.

I had shared only the same information with Seong Guk-eon.

But now was the time to know more.

“I want to know what kind of power you applied to the Lia Fáil, and what is happening with it now due to that power.”

Instead of answering, Ryu Jang turned his gaze to Sidelenium.

It seemed like Ryu Jang couldn’t make a decision and answer on his own.

“I’ll listen to the reason. Is this related to the Fomor demons coming to the Korean Peninsula?”

“Their intention is to have someone qualified as king break the Lia Fáil. They are currently pinpointing the person they believe to be in the Silver Mine District.”

“I already know that. But I think someone qualified to be a king can easily deceive their eyes.”

Sidelenium seemed to be aware of both the movements of Jeolheuk Punglim and Seong Guk-eon’s responses.

Even knowing all this, he kept silent, which made him a terrifying figure in many ways.

But he probably didn’t know what I was about to say.

“Someone is trying to assassinate that person qualified to be a king.”

“Assassinate a member of the Korean National Assembly? That’s not a common occurrence.”

It seemed that Sidelenium wasn’t aware of the assassination attempt on Seong Guk-eon.

If it was information Sidelenium didn’t know, it was likely being planned in secret.

If the assassination was imminent, Sidelenium might have noticed it by now, though.

“That’s why I’m checking all the moves I can make.”

Sidelenium seemed to consider my words carefully, as if weighing the value of the information.

He would have to clarify Ryu Jang’s power and abilities, so I understood his hesitation.

After a moment, Sidelenium spoke.

“Alright. I will tell you. But there’s a condition.”

After hearing Sidelenium’s condition, I nodded.

It seemed that the price was lighter than I had anticipated.

Ryu Jang, despite the exposure of his powers, didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s not much compared to the Demon King, but I also like Jo Yi-shin. I think it’s fine to reveal my powers.”

With that, Ryu Jang didn’t charge me for the snacks I had picked out, even adding a little extra.

He used the excuse that since the shop wasn’t open, he couldn’t accept payment, but it seemed like he just wanted to give them to me.

I felt like Ryu Jang was losing out, but I decided that in return, I would buy MITRON products for the juniors more often in the future.

As March neared its end, the cherry blossoms began to bloom.

As the cherry blossoms bloomed, the tigers began the task they had planned since last year.

“It’s my first time at an amusement park!”

“It’s more game-like than VR, and much cooler than the pictures I’ve seen!”

“I want to ride that one first! But I heard we need to stand in line before the attractions.”

The descendants of Eun-ho, who had come to Hwangmyeong Theme Park, looked around, unsure of what to do.

The place, filled with cherry blossom decorations, was once the theme park run by Namgung Mulsan, now waiting for the grand re-opening after the ownership change.

Or, saying it was a re-opening wasn’t entirely accurate.

Not only had they bought new attractions, but almost all the mascots had been replaced, making it feel like an entirely new park was being built.

‘They used otherworldly metals to handle the strong players’ abilities, and they’ve even added high-rarity wards for safety.’

Hwangmyeong Theme Park was protected by a massive barrier.

This place, once the site of the Seokchon Lake tragedy, might now become Korea’s largest shelter.

Thinking of that, the tiger mascots scattered around looked almost like guardians of the park.

These tigers, newly designed as mascots for the theme park, were welcoming visitors with cherry blossoms in line with the spring opening atmosphere.

‘I’ve been here with the class before, but back then, it still felt like Namgung Mulsan’s theme park. This is probably the first time we’re here after everything was torn down and rebuilt.’

Meanwhile, Hwang Ji-ho, the owner of the theme park, seemed pleased with his investment, laughing proudly.

“Ha ha ha! Today, there’s no need to stand in line. Ride whatever you want. But for safety, you must stay with me.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you, Mr. Hwang-ho!”

Seeing the kids happy made me feel happy too.

There was more to be happy about.

Roar!

The angel, wearing the tiger mascot costume, flew around me, spinning.

The angel seemed eager to enjoy the park, so I picked them up, but soon, another thought crossed my mind.

‘I wish Baek Ho-gun had come too.’

Eun-ho wouldn’t have come anyway with the descendants, but Baek Ho-gun hadn’t come voluntarily.

My final playable character, as a beastman of Sin-yeok, couldn’t leave the Silver Mine District.

Since this theme park was located in Songpa District, it was impossible for him to come.

It would have been great if they could just move the entire park to the Silver Mine District, given how much it was being rebuilt.

I kept the thought to myself, afraid that Hwang Ji-ho might actually suggest moving the theme park to the Silver Mine.

Thinking of the tigers who couldn’t be here, I walked toward the attractions, following the descendants.