Chapter 96

Under the pale yellow moon hidden behind the clouds, Junhwan climbed to the rooftop of the university hospital at the sudden call of Jecheon Daeseong.

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

Clack.

The red wine, as vivid as a ruby, filled the paper cup. Yuhwan, munching on a dried squid leg, subtly nodded at Junhwan, as if offering it to him.

“Ah… Thank you.”

Junhwan hesitantly took the paper cup. Though he didn’t know much about alcohol, he guessed it wasn’t cheap from the label and the year 1947 on the bottle.

“I’ve been wanting to have a drink with a fellow 'Hwan' for a while now. I brought some good wine. Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes, the aroma is excellent.”

“Isn’t it? It seems that 'Hwan's' do understand each other.”

Ha ha ha! Yuhwan laughed heartily, showing his sharp teeth. Thus, the two of them emptied their glasses under the moonlit night on the rooftop.

When the snacks in front of them had been reduced by about half, and Yuhwan noticed Junhwan’s cheeks turning red, he subtly changed his posture.

“I heard that the kid’s condition has improved a lot.”

“Yes, it’s said that he’s now in a stable phase. Thanks to Dr. Plant’s dedicated care.”

Burp… Ah, sorry. Junhwan quickly covered his mouth. Yuhwan, chuckling, drained the remaining wine in his paper cup and slowly spoke.

“Not because of the Pixie Powder… or the Princess of Black Flame, right?”

Junhwan, who was about to bring the paper cup to his mouth, stopped.

He stiffened, raising his gaze to Yuhwan. The pupils, which had been blurry from the alcohol, now filled with caution.

Yuhwan chuckled.

“Don’t make that face. I didn’t dig anything up; I heard it directly from Dr. Plant.”

“That incident….”

“I know. As long as you keep your mouths shut, I won’t go around blabbing. Do I look like someone who would do that?”

Yuhwan shrugged and refilled his empty paper cup, continuing.

“You’re not the only one with loyalty. Immortal has it too. He once owed us a favor.”

“A favor…?”

“The Unknown Gate in Busan’s Jagalchi Market.”

Swallowing the wine, Yuhwan reached for the snacks.

“Back then, the Princess of Black Flame saved our guild members.”

“….”

Junhwan listened silently, not knowing about this incident.

“You’re not surprised.”

Yuhwan muttered. Junhwan raised his head to look at him. The moment their eyes met, Yuhwan’s lips curved into a smile.

“I’m not particularly curious about how an F-rank Hunter could do that.”

“That’s….”

“Right. He’s not just an F-rank.”

Yuhwan, who had faced her in battle, could confidently say this.

“The summons from the Association must have also reached the Legion, right? Whether it’s GIA or CIA, they left quite a chilling prophecy.”

The news would have reached Junhwan, the second-in-command of the Legion. He could skip the details.

Yuhwan put down the paper cup and spoke directly.

“I need his power.”

“….”

Yuhwan’s “he” was the Princess of Black Flame.

After a moment of silence, Junhwan looked at him as if he really didn’t know.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Ho, look at that. Yuhwan raised an eyebrow and laughed silently.

The fact that the Princess of Black Flame had come out as a wolf was easy to find out with a little investigation.

The only remaining option was to knock on the Legion’s door.

She had readily paid 400,000 coins to get the Pixie Powder for the Trickster. This act itself proved the connection between the Princess of Black Flame and the Legion.

“Do you know where he is?”

“….”

“No, just give me his contact. I’ll talk to him directly.”

At Yuhwan’s words, Junhwan slowly stood up. The alcohol that had colored his cheeks had completely disappeared.

Standing in place, Junhwan looked straight down at Yuhwan.

“I’ve enjoyed the drink, Jecheon Daeseong. But I cannot give you information about him.”

“…Is that so?”

That’s right. Yuhwan, sitting cross-legged on the bench, raised his gaze to meet Junhwan’s.

Despite the unsmiling gaze, Junhwan spoke with a steady voice.

“He is a member of the Legion and someone we have sworn loyalty to, along with our Master. Furthermore….”

Junhwan glanced at the wine on the table and slowly added.

“The Legion’s loyalty cannot be diluted by any expensive wine.”

“….”

“I apologize for not being able to pay the price of the expensive wine.”

Whoosh—

The wind swept across the hospital rooftop.

The red flowers in the rooftop garden blurred his vision. A small laugh, like a tiny burst, carried away by the wind.

“I like you for this.”

Tsk. Yuhwan stood up in front of Junhwan. Though Junhwan wasn’t short, he looked like a teenager next to Yuhwan, who was nearly 2 meters tall.

“The drink wasn’t a waste at all. I have hundreds of bottles like this in my warehouse.”

Though his tone was casual, Junhwan knew he wasn’t exaggerating.

Yuhwan, passing by the standing Junhwan, walked briskly toward the rooftop exit.

Creak.

The door opened with a rusty sound. Yuhwan glanced back.

“Is it okay to pass on a message?”

“….”

“Tell him that Jecheon Daeseong, Yuhwan, is desperately looking for him.”

Including the cost of the pendant from the previous incident, I’ll prepare an even more expensive wine.

***

After the class ended, Eunha didn’t head straight home but took a taxi. Her destination was a quiet hill where her mother was laid to rest.

Walking on the well-maintained lawn, accompanied by the sound of crickets, Eunha recalled the conversation with Junhwan just now. Jecheon Daeseong was looking for Eunha, the Princess of Black Flame.

“…I think it’s related to the Association matter I mentioned before.”

Eunha simply said she understood.

After hanging up, Junhwan sent her the phone number of the Immortal headquarters via messenger, adding that he hadn’t given Eunha’s contact to the Immortal side.

Immortal

02-XXXX-XXXX / Extension number XXX