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Join the ServerFive days had passed with zero progress. To Ion, even time spent eating felt like a waste. He wanted to skip meals entirely and immerse himself in the data. However, Baba—who had to eat Mana Sulfur to maintain his human form—threatened him.
“If I eat alone, I might get so lonely that I fail to ingest enough. Then I shall become a bat right here, and this temple will crumble…”
Because of that blackmail, Ion was forced to take meal breaks. For the past few days, only Ion and Baba had eaten together, but today, Blan joined them.
“They say this is the best restaurant in the Heavenly Realm. I had to make sure Lord Baba tried it before we leave!”
Blan, who had been busy playing around with various Heavenly people, had managed to scout out a famous eatery. As they entered the restaurant, a spicy, savory aroma tickled their noses. The group sat in a corner. Blan ordered for everyone without even asking.
“What did you order?”
“It’s a type of noodle dish. Apparently, they boil chicken cut into bite-sized pieces with mushrooms, vegetables, and thick noodles in a spicy broth.”
“Sounds like Dak-hanmari Kalguksu…”
“Oh, right. That’s exactly the name. How did you know?”
Moments like this made Ion realize once again that this world was a “created” one.
‘The Apostles set it up so that each world shares bits of the same culture to make it easier to run their plays.’
Since they had arrived right at lunchtime, the place was packed. Two members of the Bird-folk tribe opened the door and walked in.
“Greetings, proprietor. It’s been a while.”
“Ah, it has. My father has passed away.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. May he return to us from the River of Light.”
“May he return to us from the River of Light. Table for two? Please sit by the window.”
“Let’s see if the taste remains unchanged.”
Perhaps because their lifespans were so short, these kinds of conversations repeated several times.
“Guests, your food is served.”
“Ha, looks delicious! Though of course, the most delicious thing in this restaurant is the owner.”
“Hehe. Mr. Blan, I’m working. See you after my shift.”
The Heavenly owner winked at Blan and walked away.
‘Disgusting…’
Ion frowned, but then it occurred to him that Blan and Baba were sitting too close. Blan had said he liked Baba’s appearance… Ion realized he had been too careless.
“Baba, switch seats with me.”
“Hmm? Very well.”
Baba complied without asking why. The arrangement changed so that Ion sat next to Blan, and Baba sat alone across from them. Blan didn’t seem to care at all.
“Hey, let’s eat. I’ll serve Lord Baba first.”
“Give me only a little, as I am full from the Mana Sulfur.”
Blan served the noodles to Baba first, then to himself. As Ion reached for the ladle, Blan did something unexpected. He served a portion directly to Ion.
“This is too much.”
“Too much? It’s not even half the bowl. It was frustrating watching you eat like a bird all this time. This place is seriously good, so eat it all! Eat and then eat more!”
Ion had intended to leave leftovers. But then Baba spoke up from across the table.
“He is right. Damion is still in his growth period, so eating a lot will help him grow taller.”
“…!”
Now that he thought about it, that was true. He had stubbornly denied being younger than the other orphans because he didn’t want it to be confirmed, but at 18, he was still growing. There was still a chance!
Ion, the shortest and smallest among the orphans, picked up his chopsticks with grim determination. Baba smiled contentedly. A short while later…
Ion’s bowl was licked clean. Blan stared at him with an expression of disbelief.
“Crazy. Just crazy. You finished a whole bowl in three minutes. It takes longer to drink hot chocolate. Did you just pour the noodles directly down your throat? Don’t you get indigestion eating that fast?”
“If you train enough, you don’t get indigestion.”
“Why on earth would you train to eat fast?”
“So I don’t waste time eating.”
Ion rubbed his stomach, his brow slightly furrowed.
‘I’m too full.’
When satiated, the body becomes sluggish. Then, one cannot respond properly to sudden attacks or when quick thinking is required. As Ion slightly regretted his choice, Baba took his bowl. Seeing him reach for the ladle, Ion spoke quickly.
“Baba, no. I’m not eating more. You eat up.”
“Damion, to grow tall—”
“I’m really full right now. Can you even eat more after the Mana Sulfur?”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll head out first.”
“Hey.”
The one who caught Ion as he tried to stand was, surprisingly, Blan. Blan had a stern look on his face.
“You really ate very little. This is a dish meant to be eaten in multiple servings. I only gave you one ladleful to start. I don’t usually worry about humans, but… you eat way too fast, and you eat way too little. At this rate, forget one or two years—you won’t even last one.”
“I don’t always eat small portions. I can eat two bowls of Kimchi-jjigae.”
“What’s Kimchi-jjigae? An Earth dish?”
“Yes.”
Kimchi-jjigae was the only food Ion could eat more than his usual capacity. It wasn’t just Ion. On the rare occasions the Teacher brought Kimchi-jjigae, all the orphans would eat two or three times their limit—and they would all suffer from stomachaches the next day.
“Anyway, I’m leaving. Come to the temple right after you finish eating. We’ve had zero harvest for five days already.”
“No way. If you leave, Lord Baba will leave, and then I’ll be eating alone. There’s a line of people waiting to eat with me; do you dare leave me by myself? Unacceptable. Stay in your seat!”
“…Blan, you can’t eat alone, can you?”
“Hmph. I could if I put my mind to it, but I don’t want to. Sit down and wait for me.”
Because of the hybrid who couldn’t handle “hon-bab” (eating alone), Ion was only able to leave thirty minutes later.
‘There are no clues about the Divine Zone at all.’
Since Baba was currently in human form, the Apostle’s gaze would be fixed on him. Ion searched the data regarding the Divine Zone with a bit more ease. However… there was no data on the Demon King, let alone the Divine Zone or the Apostles.
‘Teacher clearly said to go to the Divine Zone through the Heavenly Realm.’
“While they are distracted, head secretly to the Heavenly Realm and meet the Apostle of Sorrow in the Divine Zone outside of it.”
He had spoken as if [Sorrow] could definitely be found by going to the Divine Zone. But if he couldn’t find the link between the Heavenly Realm and the Divine Zone…
“Ah.”
Ion hunched his shoulders as a headache struck again.
I need Sanse…
He missed his lovely green plant. He wanted to bury his nose in Sanse’s leaves and inhale the scent. Or he wanted to squeeze Baba. In bat form, of course…
[BABA]
A hologram popped up on Ion’s wrist. Since he had been thinking about a squishy bat, Ion was a bit surprised as he accepted the call.
Ion tucked away the data he was looking at and dashed over to Baba. Blan was already there, looking bored. Baba showed Ion the data he had found.
“In the past, a hybrid Celestial once extended their lifespan. It says they received something called a Dragon Heart from the Dragon Lord of Idea. That person lived for over a hundred years.”
“…You called me over because you found this?”
“Yes. I am a magnificent ‘ba’. A helpful ‘ba’.”
Sigh. Ion let out a hollow breath.
“You are not a magnificent or helpful ‘ba’ at all. Please think about our priorities. We need to find the missing black-haired man.”
“If Sanse were here, he would have said your lifespan needs to be fixed first.”
“Sanse isn’t here right now.”
“When we return to Idea, let us meet Sevi first. Sevi is close to us, so he will surely give up his heart.”
Regardless of how one actually obtains a heart, Ion frowned at the mention of Sevi. He didn’t want to drag that young dragon into the light. Sevi’s name wasn’t in the memoir. He was a “residue” just like Ion—and a Dragon residue at that. Dragons were outliers. Beings powerful enough to change the course of a scenario at any time.
If he caught an Apostle’s eye by mentioning Sevi for no reason… the very thing the Teacher feared might happen.
“We’ll talk about this later; for now, disperse. Blan, go back to your spot.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sigh, Lord Baba, I ran here while I was eating a lunchbox So-yoon made for me with such care. Is this how it’s gonna be?”
“A lunchbox? You just ate lunch; what else are you eating?”
“Hybrids are naturally big eaters. I get hungry after just two hours.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just enjoying your dates? Are you actually collecting information properly?”
“Of course! These Heavenly folks are so innocent and naive; once you get a little close, they spill everything. I even found out that more and more young Heavenly people are complaining about only Angels being allowed to be Guardians. The younger generation wants to resume exchange with Idea.”
“You there, you must not chatter so loudly in the temple.”
A librarian approached with a solemn face, likely because the conversation had dragged on.
“One more outburst and you will be rem— Oh, Mr. Blan?”
The librarian’s face turned red. Blan winked and waved a hand.
“Oh, it’s Pung-yeon. Hey. Last night was fun. Were we too loud? Sorry.”
“They were your companions, Mr. Blan? It’s fine. Go ahead and talk. And… when shall we see each other again?”
The librarian made an appointment and walked away. Just what on earth is this hybrid doing? He had only been learning the Heavenly language for a few days, so his pronunciation and grammar must be awkward… yet his skills at seducing people were undeniable.
Blan lowered his voice much more than before.
“Anyway, the other Heavenly races want to trade with Idea, but it seems the Angel race is opposing it.”
“The reason?”
“The kidnapping incident 18 years ago, obviously. The reason the Angels give is so valid that it doesn’t look like exchange will resume anytime soon.”
If that kidnapped child is me, then the culprit isn’t an Idea-in, but [Sorrow].
Ion thought he should tell the Great Heavenly King the truth someday.
. . .
The group dispersed again to find information. But today, once again, the temple’s closing time approached with no results.
‘If it’s this hard to find… then all the data related to the Apostles and the Divine Zone must be in the North Wing archives.’
It seemed he would have to make his move tonight. As he was pondering how to sneak in, his ID tablet buzzed. He thought it might be Baba calling with more useless info, but the sender was unexpected.
The white-winged Heavenly person he had met a few days ago sent the surprising news that Mount Baba was an actual place name.
“Thank you. If I find information about that couple, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
After thanking them, Ion rushed to the archive.
“…!”
Upon opening the book and checking the data, Ion’s eyes widened.
「3-15/01~11: A non-Heavenly, handsome man with long black hair and black eyes lived for a short time at the foot of Mount Baba, running a grape farm. (Related data: Guardian/Restricted Access)」
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