CHAPTER 106: SONG HA-EUN AND THE LEECH QUEEN (1)

Roberto quickly raised his head, shocked. “Sorry? I-If you leave right now, Your Majesty...”

Now that the troublesome Marco Family was out of the picture, the Leech faction desperately needed Isabella's might to take control of all of Italy.

A pretty smile formed on her face. “Hehe.”

She slowly extended her hand and gently stroked Roberto’s chin while he bowed before her, causing his face to turn pale.

“H-Hik!”

“Since when did you start questioning my decisions, Roberto?”

“I apologize!”

He slammed his forehead on the floor.

Thud!

Isabella snorted as she looked down at him. Then, she casually brushed her hair back. “Hmph. Well, it’s not like I’m going just to see him.”

“Then...”

“The Owls.”

The trembling servant suddenly froze, replaced by a predator exuding a bloodthirsty aura.

“I plan to find out how they managed to obtain the Curse of the Purple Shroud,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Perhaps... the Serpent is the one pulling the strings.”

“If so, I should accompany you—”

“Didn’t you just say now isn’t a good time to leave?”

Isabella's departure would already be a heavy blow. If Roberto—the second-in-command of the Leech faction—were to leave too, their plans to dominate Italy would be completely derailed.

“That’s...” He trailed off.

“Haha. Roberto, stay here in Italy and lead the Black Star Society, alright?” She lightly patted his cheek, smiling faintly.

He bowed deeply. “I will follow your orders, Your Majesty.”

She licked her fingertips lightly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Well then, there’s something I need you to investigate immediately.”

“Anything you wish. If it’s about the Owls, I already have some information—”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Ah. What is it, then?” He cocked his head.

“Find out what Korean men like! Make a list of at least thirty things!”

Her nostrils flared as she excitedly clenched her fists.

Roberto rubbed his forehead as if fighting off a headache. “Ha...”

***

[The association’s investigation revealed that the horrifying terrorist attack in Guro-dong was orchestrated by one of their executives, Cheon Woo-Seong, who was also connected to the Black Star Society—]

Kwon Oh-Jin pressed the power button on the TV remote with his toe.

Beep.

So the existence of the Black Star Society is finally coming to light.

Their atrocities were now fully exposed to the public.

An organization that would command monsters to slaughter hundreds of civilians was an abomination to both man and god. It didn’t take long for Korean news outlets and online communities to buzz with talk of them.

“It’s not just Cheon Woo-Seong’s case, either. All their past crimes are rising to the surface.”

In particular, the kidnapping and murder of Lee Woo-Hyuk’s older brother had ignited public outrage, especially since Lee Woo-Hyuk was the guild master of Valhalla, one of Korea’s top ten guilds.

Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head, disgusted by all their merciless deeds.

“Fucking scum.”

He wasn’t the only one furious. A petition demanding the punishment of the Black Star Society had gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures in just three days, a clear reflection of the public's seething rage.

Still, it’s not like they'll just vanish.

Although Cheon Woo-Seong was dead, the Owl faction wouldn't just disappear. Countless members were still unaccounted for. Most concerning of all, the King of Owls, Cheon Do-Yoon, was still alive and well.

“He hasn’t made any moves yet, but...”

If the association and major guilds acted to exterminate the Black Star Society, Cheon Do-Yoon would inevitably retaliate.

Considering all that, Kwon Oh-Jin had a lot to get done. However, sitting next to him was Vega, who floated up and crossed her arms.

“Don’t even think about moving a muscle until your arm's fully healed.”

“I told you. I’m fine now.”

“Fine? What do you mean, fine?!” she snapped harshly, placing her hands on her hips. “Even now, you couldn't use your fingers to turn off the remote, right?”

“Umm...”

He knew she wasn’t wrong.

During the last battle, he had concentrated too much mana in his arms, leaving his mana circuits utterly wrecked. Though he could sort of move his arms now, his fingers wouldn’t budge.

And Water Affinity only heals external wounds.

Mastering the Stigma of Aquarius would supposedly allow him to heal internal injuries as well, but he wasn’t at that level yet. For now, he had no choice but to wait for his mana circuits to recover naturally, rendering his arms practically useless.

“But there’s so much to do...” He sighed and clicked his tongue at the major setback. Having ascended to six stars, he needed to adapt to his improved physique and Stigma and also study his newly acquired skills, Lightning Charge and Lightning Discharge.

“You just became a six-star, too. Why are you in such a hurry?” Vega asked reproachfully.

“There will be a massive war soon.”

"A war?”

He nodded. “I couldn’t do anything before because I was powerless.”

His gaze softened as he looked at Vega, pretending to reminisce. Even without Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories, it wasn’t hard to predict that a full-scale conflict with the Owl faction would erupt soon.

“Before... as in?”

“The first timeline.” He averted his sorrowful eyes. “Back then, I was just a rookie Awakener who'd just barely reached three stars.”

He recounted a fabricated past as though he was writing a fictional novel. “Back then, I didn’t even understand why it all happened. I was too busy trying to save myself, much less anyone else.”

“My child...”

“But it’s different now, isn’t it?” He smiled faintly. “I’ve become so much stronger, incomparable to before, and... you’re with me too, Vega. So, at least let me do some training that doesn’t involve my hands—”

“No.”

Dang, she won't budge.

“My child.”

A radiant light enveloped her as she regained her true size and embraced his head. Her touch was as gentle as a spring breeze, and the warmth of her skin soothed his cheek.

“Why do you always put others before you?” she asked.

... Put others before me, huh?

He'd deliberately made it seem that way, but hearing it outright was something he'd never anticipated in his lifetime.

“I understand your desire to protect others, but you must not push yourself to the point of breaking your body,” she gently murmured like a parent guiding a naive child. "You’re the only one who can change the course of destiny, are you not? Of course, others are important... but you should care for yourself first.”

“Vega...”

“Do not try to shoulder everything alone.”

She poked his nose playfully.

Boop.

“As you said yourself... I’m here with you this time, am I not?” She smiled tenderly as she tightened her embrace.

A soft, indescribable sensation pressed against his cheeks as she continued, “Just as you strive to protect me from the fate of destruction, I will give my all to protect you.”

He was speechless upon hearing her words.

“Oh my, are you embarrassed? Your cheeks have turned red,” she teased.

How is anyone supposed to remain unaffected by that? he thought.

Her gentle voice echoed in his ears. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. Relax... and let yourself rest in my arms.”

“Ah...” A hazy drowsiness settled over him like the heaviness of a food coma. Still wrapped in her embrace, his eyelids began to drift shut.

“Haha, what a good child.” She gently stroked his hair, smiling softly. “Whenever you feel like being spoiled, just let me know. I’ll gladly indulge you as much as you want, whenever you want.”

“Vega...”

Is this what a mother’s love feels like? he wondered. I can see why Cheon Woo-Seong acted that way.

A tingling sensation washed over him, accompanied by a powerful urge to entrust everything to her.

Maybe staying like this a little longer won’t be so bad...

Just as he gave in to her embrace, Song Ha-Eun’s voice rang out, snapping him back to his senses.

“What are you doing?”

“A-Ahem! H-Ha-Eun, you’re back?” He nervously asked.

“Yeah, I went to get you some food.” She placed a heavy bag on the table, shooting Vega a sharp glare. “You couldn’t hold back for even a second, could you? Way to be in heat..”

“H-Heat?! How dare you?! How insolent!” Vega shot to her feet. “I was merely taking care of my child!”

“Keep taking care of him like that, and you’ll have two kids to look after soon.”

“You truly have a vile mouth!”

“Hmph. Better that than pretending to be all refined.”

A tense atmosphere crackled between them, but it didn’t last for long.

“Haa. My child is unwell," Vega said. "Let’s not waste our energy on useless banter.”

“... Tsk. Fine.”

Maybe they had even gotten used to each other by now.

“Let’s eat, Oh Jin. I got a ton of food,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“What did you get?” he asked.

“Hold on.”

Rustle, rustle.

She rummaged through the bag and began pulling out its contents: nutritious porridge, ginseng chicken soup, grilled eel, and more. She seemed to have grabbed anything that sounded healthy.

“Why’d you buy so much?” he asked. Even at a glance, it was enough food for nearly ten people.

“You need to eat a lot to recover, dummy. Seriously, why do you always come back injured like this?”

She lightly smacked his head, grabbed his arm, and led him to the dining table. Quickly taking a seat to his right, she picked up a piece of eel with her chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.

“Say 'ah.'”

“I can eat by myself...”

“With those arms? How?”

“If I just use my wrist like this—”

“Shut the fuck up and open your mouth, dummy.”

Ignoring his protests, she shoved the piece of eel into his mouth.

Chomp, chomp.

“See? It’s good, right?" she asked. "I bought the priciest one just for you.”

She grinned widely as she scooped a spoonful of porridge, but before she could feed it to him, a small piece of shredded chicken got to his mouth first.

“Haha, is it tasty, my child?” Vega patted him on the head as he chewed, seated to his left.

“What the fuck? I bought this!” Song Ha-Eun yelled.

“Isn’t there too much food for you to feed him by yourself?”

“... You're a sly one, you know that?”

“Hehe. Once you gain as much life experience as I have, you too will grow wise.”

“Hmph. Must be nice being so old, huh, old hag?”

“O-Old hag?!”

“Oh, wait, is 'grandma' more accurate? Hmm... no, if you’re a Celestial, you must be thousands of years old...”

“Silence! Right this moment!”

The two bickered as usual while feeding Kwon Oh-Jin bite after bite on the side.

Should I feel happy about this or not? he wondered. He couldn't be happier having two stunning women feeding him, but the hostile atmosphere made it a little hard to swallow. He felt like he was dining between two gorgeous time bombs.

Well, still... He smiled faintly. At least it’s not cold.

He knew he could never let go of this warmth emanating from either side of him at the table, like flowers in both his hands.

“C’mon, there’s still plenty left!” Song Ha-Eun chimed.

“Hehe. Try this too!” Vega said.

... Forget flowers, I ended up grabbing fire. I'm going to burn up..

Chomp, chomp.

He continued chewing, letting out a quiet chuckle.

***

“Phew~!”

How many servings was that?

With his stomach filled to the brim, he escaped to the shower with the excuse of washing up.

“Seriously, they don’t know what moderation means.”

Awkwardly moving his stiff arms, he stripped and stepped into the shower.

As he was letting the water wash over him, the door slowly opened. He whipped his head around in alarm. “W-What the—?!”

Song Ha-Eun stood there before him, blushing and wearing only a thin towel. “A-Ahem.”

“Ha-Eun?”

“Your arm’s injured, so you’ll have trouble washing up.” She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger as she stepped into the shower. “I-I’ll help you wash up.”

“W-What are you talking about—”

Before he could finish his sentence, she walked closer and took off her towel. “Stay still, dummy.”