Chapter 67: The Overlapping Realms

“Was he the lord you served in the Demon Realm?”

“Yes.”

“A castle where demons, not monsters, resided? And he was its master?”

“Yes.”

“That’s preposterous—”

“N-No, really. Or at the very least, they’re twins! I didn’t mistake him. Their face and aura are identical!”

“Given he’s a returnee, it’s not entirely impossible, but how could an F-rank become a lord?”

Kim Jeong-su fell silent. Indeed. No matter how much he thought about it, his mind simply couldn’t grasp it. Assuming Lee Su-yeong’s words were all true, the most probable explanation was rank manipulation.

Someone highly ranked lowering their status to deceive others. In lawless zones like Cheongwang, it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.

‘But, that’s also strange.’

First, there was no reason for it, and this wasn’t Cheongwang—it was Grisha. Manipulating ranks by involving the Association would be nearly impossible, even for Credit. So what on earth had happened? The more he dug, the deeper he seemed to fall into a labyrinth.

‘Well, the Guild Master will handle it.’

The burdens of deliberation and decision all belonged to Bae Gil-su. He had no need to ponder such bothersome and complex matters. Kim Jeong-su, growing listless, erased the thoughts that had surfaced in his mind.

“A-A-A lord.”

“…Yes?”

“Seize the lord.”

“…Yes?”

‘Did I erase too much?’

It was a conclusion that skipped so many steps, one might mistake it for something unconsciously overheard. At that moment, one of Bae Gil-su’s eyes spun in its socket.

Kim Jeong-su’s eyes widened.

‘What was that?!’

But when he looked again, Bae Gil-su’s eye was perfectly normal, just as always.

‘Did I imagine it?’

Clutching his pounding heart, he scrutinized it, but it remained unchanged. Feeling troubled, he swallowed a sigh, thinking he was seeing things. Something twitched near the back of Bae Gil-su’s head, yet, regrettably, it was at an angle invisible to Kim Jeong-su.

Yeowon found himself at the epicenter of conversation.

The city buzzed with excitement over stories about him, and other major cities that received the news were no different. It was no exaggeration to say that all attention in the vicinity was focused on him.

However, the focal point of all this commotion secluded himself immediately after resolving the Black Mist. Even the Hunter Association, unable to withstand the citizens’ pressure, subtly probed, but he remained unyielding.

All visitations were refused. He issued only a boilerplate official statement, declaring his intention to dedicate himself to clearing the Black Mist and conquering the flood damage. Sagyeol’s grin stretched from ear to ear.

Given the unfolding situation, it would take more than a day or two for things to settle. Sagyeol, with a slight exaggeration, recounted the interests swirling around Yeowon. Unaccustomed to such a situation, Yeowon stiffened, agreeing to voluntary seclusion.

In truth, the surging interest was also due to the silence from Yeowon and Credit. If he had simply come out and waved once, it would have been less intense. Having caused such a stir and still maintaining an air of mystery, the unaddressed curiosity only continued to mount.

Sagyeol, knowing all this, was utterly shameless.

He hadn’t lied. He had simply omitted certain details.

As Yeowon looked down with a troubled expression at the crowds gathered like ants before the guild building, Sagyeol clicked his tongue in satisfaction.

Proximity often fosters intimacy. He believed all that remained was to ensnare this innocent muscle-hamster with sweet words and devour him.

“Sagyeol.”

“Hm?”

“There’s something I want to confirm.”

The keen intuition of an S-rank screamed, ‘Say no to this.’

“No—”

“It might help with the flood damage conquest.”

“Ah, in that case.”

Lee Hyun-su, sensing the mood, subtly interjected.

Sagyeol’s eyes widened, glaring, but Lee Hyun-su feigned ignorance, despite the cold sweat trickling down his back. Before the Black Mist appeared, a returnee’s true value lay in information. Now, a returnee who had handled the Black Mist had something they wanted to verify, and it was information that could even aid in flood damage conquest?

It would be foolish not to accept it.

“Do it later, later. We just wiped off the blood, what’s the rush?”

‘I should have thrown that idiot out earlier.’

“There’s no rush in the world. Only the right time.”

“……”

Sagyeol, sunk by the calm, rational argument, fell silent. Feeling the refreshing release of ten years of pent-up frustration, Lee Hyun-su began to relay the information Yeowon desired.

Sagyeol watched for a while. ‘How long could it possibly take?’

If there was a root cause, it was forgetting for a moment the true nature of this returnee, utterly oblivious to worldly affairs.

It started with simple data organization. The task involved reviewing data on monsters that had appeared within Grisha and the flood-damaged areas, then adding supplementary information or correcting inaccuracies.

However, once the stage was set, Yeowon quickly immersed himself in the work. He didn’t let go of the documents except to eat and sleep. At some point, he even began to increase his workload himself.

“I see some incorrect information. Can I correct it?”

“Of course! How could information compiled from a hunter’s report be more accurate than a returnee’s?”

‘Shut up, you bastard!’

Sagyeol glared, unable to curse in front of Yeowon. Lee Hyun-su subtly moved behind Yeowon, pretending not to notice the gaze. He was a fox hiding behind a tiger, nothing less.

“I’ve finished the verification.”

Just as Sagyeol’s patience, already stretched thin, was about to snap, Yeowon thumped down the revised report and spoke.

“…That?”

“Ah. I revised these while I was at it.”

“…Thank you.”

Lee Hyun-su, who hadn’t anticipated such thoroughness, bowed his head deeply in thanks. Sagyeol grinned, then stomped down painfully hard on Lee Hyun-su’s foot.

Unaware of what was happening beneath the table, Yeowon opened his mouth with a serious tone.

“My prediction was correct. Judging by the types of monsters crossing over, the gate’s location point aligns with the Demon Realm.”

Sagyeol, grasping the gist immediately, couldn’t hide his surprise. Lee Hyun-su, on the other hand, merely blinked.

“What does that mean?”

Yeowon pondered for a moment how to explain this.

“Woodmir.”

“Woodmir?”

“The creatures I caught in the Black Mist. Their main habitat is in the southwestern part of the Demon Realm.”

Yeowon brought up a map. His finger circled the gates that had opened near the flood zone, specifically around the Black Mist.

“All the monsters that emerged from the gates opened in this area are monsters that live in the southwest.”

Moreover, when the locations of the opened gates were superimposed onto the Demon Realm, the regions precisely matched. Lee Hyun-su’s eyes widened in utter shock.

What did that signify?

“Surely not.”

“Surely that’s exactly it,” Sagyeol replied indifferently. Yet, a chilling coldness resided in his eyes.

Only the dimensions differed. It meant the Demon Realm and the Middle World precisely overlapped.

“Oh my heavens,” Lee Hyun-su mumbled, as if completely entranced. Then, “Oh my heavens!” he cried out again, almost a cheer.

“That means!”

“It means it’s possible to create a map of the Demon Realm. If only Yeowon is available.”

Lee Hyun-su thought, ‘We can now draw predicted monster spawn maps for areas where gates haven’t opened yet, or for unexplored territories outside the city!’

Sagyeol thought, ‘No more work now!’

Lastly, Yeowon was thinking of something entirely different.

‘If this is certain, two things can be known.’

One was the high probability that Yeowon had been kidnapped to Grisha in the past. Having woken up after feeling like he’d been unconscious for about a day, he naturally assumed he was somewhere in Baekdam, but this implied otherwise.

He had been unconscious for at least four days. The route was by airship. The influence of the Three Crescent Moons Guild back then was far greater than Credit’s now. Evading the eyes of the Hunter Association or the city government would have been quite easy.

As he thought that far, things he had belatedly missed began to come into view. It was a massive building, not a single ray of light penetrating it. It was likely underground, but even building such a facility in Baekdam made no sense.

‘The place where the commoners lived was the forest adjacent to my territory.’

In the same vein, there was a Demon King’s Castle in Baekdam. The narrow, dark alley where Yeowon opened his eyes after crossing the gate and returning was precisely where the Demon King’s Castle stood.

He felt suffocated. The existence of a scar he had long forgotten suddenly became prominent. They say the more you try not to think about something, the more you think about it. The more he tried to escape, the closer he felt to Kratus.

“Yeowon.”

Something both cool and warm touched his cheek. ‘Could such a thing exist?’ He opened his eyes, which he hadn’t realized were closed, to see a familiar face. He had expected it. Yes. Of course, it would be this man.

“Are you alright?”

He was not alright at all. And he knew he wasn’t alright because Sagyeol had asked. There had been a time like this before—when Sagyeol asked if he was hurting on the airship. Yeowon’s expression subtly twisted. Outwardly, it was a faint reaction, but Sagyeol saw the tempest raging within him.

“Hyun-su.”

“Then…”

The quick-witted Lee Hyun-su subtly rose. Even then, he didn’t forget the documents Yeowon had organized. Clutching the papers carefully with the same ability he used to crush mountain-sized demons, he vanished like the wind.

“You just worked too much,” a gentle voice soothed Yeowon. Despite knowing better, knowing that wasn’t the real reason, he truly felt exhausted from overworking.

“You’ll be fine after a good rest.”

“……”

“Have you ever seen me lie?”

Yeowon hesitated, then said, “Didn’t you lie from our very first meeting?”

“I merely kept some things hidden. I didn’t lie.”

Sagyeol, answering with defiance, slowly enveloped Yeowon. A hand, harboring impure intentions, slipped beneath his clothes. His attempt to retreat in surprise was halted by an arm that had already wrapped around his waist.

Sagyeol grinned, then pressed one of his nipples firmly and massaged his chest. Yeowon bit his lip.

“Such… actions…”

“As I said before, the definition of ‘intimacy’ is subjective. This isn’t even our first time, is it?”

Yeowon couldn’t answer. Unable to move or resist, his initiative stolen, Sagyeol pressed his lips against him. Hesitantly, his lips parted. As he was willingly led, Yeowon realized the true problem with how things were unfolding.

It was that he didn’t dislike Sagyeol’s actions.

Given his personality, if he had disliked it, he would have cut it off sharply, and then some. Sagyeol suddenly recalled Yeowon’s answer. When asked what he thought of this relationship, he had replied, ‘I don’t know.’

If it had been anyone else, Sagyeol would have thought, ‘Is this bastard daring to play hard to get with me?’ But his opponent was Yeowon. To say ‘I don’t know’ truly meant he didn’t know. He had never experienced anything akin to a fluttering heart, let alone a romance.

‘That means…’

The answer was already as clear as day. Sagyeol, realizing it belatedly, let out a hollow laugh. He lost his composure when it came to this man. His reason, once his pride, grew clouded. Everything he had done until now served as proof. That he only now realized this obvious truth was yet another piece of evidence.

“Yeowon.”

The man whose name was called slowly opened his eyes.

Sagyeol, pulling away after a long moment, tightly embraced the body stiff with tension. Each ragged breath he heard echoed in Yeowon’s heart.

“Yeowon.”

He needed to answer, but his tongue, too, had stiffened and wouldn’t move.

“I love you.”

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