Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 120

Chapter 120

“…Are you alright?”

“…Does that mean something has to be broken somewhere?”

“Not really, I was just surprised to see you in better condition than I expected.”

“It’s a relief we didn’t go through all that trouble for nothing.”

“…Why such a regretful comment?”

Jung Tae-il, looking perfectly fine, threw a grim joke as if to prove his consciousness had returned. 

Thanks to that, my scattered mind snapped back into focus just before the break. At the same time, I couldn’t help but show my surprise.

A faint curve appeared on Tae-il’s indifferent face.

“Is my waking up such a surprising event?”

“No, it’s just that… I can’t say I’m not responsible for why you ended up like this. I was worried, you know. But throwing such a scary joke, it’s only natural to be surprised.”

“Oh, come on, now you’re nitpicking.”

“…Ah, Mr. Tae-il.”

He smiled, lifting one corner of his mouth as if to reassure me. In contrast, I became crestfallen.

To some extent, I felt guilty.

Watching this scene beside me, Han Seung-hoo shook his head as if annoyed. Then he volunteered to be a disturbance during Tae-il’s enjoyable recovery time.

“If you were going to act like this and make Yeon-oh unnerving, you should have stayed unconscious. Why did you have to wake up and cause chaos? You’re still not completely recovered.”

“…What?”

“Just a moment ago, you were sweating cold and moaning in pain. Oh, more importantly, you seem to be mentally off. How do I make you pass out again?”

Han Seung-hoo gathered mana power in his hands, claiming he could handle this level of mana. The formed mana construct soon turned into a thrilling mass of electricity at the mere sight.

‘…Isn’t that <Lightning>?’

Using it like that… It’s not even Spiral or what.

But more importantly, I had to stop Han Seung-hoo right away. I didn’t think he would attack Tae-il, but people were unpredictable.

Also, as Han Seung-hoo said, Tae-il wasn’t in a completely recovered state.

I was momentarily startled when he walked out and spoke, forgetting to check… But looking at him again after Han Seung-hoo’s words, Arvani’s mana still lingered in his body.

But there was something strange.

‘…When I first checked, it was barely in the abdomen, but now it’s spread all over the body.

If I had to judge someone from afar using only mana… I was confident enough to identify the current Jung Tae-il as Arvani.

Even if subjected to a strong attack, mana doesn’t spread like this. Usually, other people’s mana slowly drains away over time.

I squinted at Tae-il. Then he casually brushed his hair back and chuckled.

“You worry so fiercely.”

“…It’s inevitable. More importantly, Seung-hoo, could you get rid of that terrifying electricity? Fighting in my house is prohibited.”

“Got it, sis. Tae-il is lucky.”

“Meeting you as soon as I woke up probably leans more towards the unlucky side.”

“…What?”

If you receive a quarrel, you have to return it twofold, or so it seemed Jung Tae-il threw in a word without changing his expression. Thanks to that, Han Seung-hoo’s expression became even more wrinkled.

He muttered quietly that he should have thrown the electric mana construct he had in his hand at Jung Tae-il before getting rid of it. If you’re not going to win, why start a quarrel in the first place… 

Feeling a pang of sympathy, I patted Han Seung-hoo’s shoulder and approached Jung Tae-il.

“Let’s talk. We have things to discuss, don’t we?”

“…Just the two of us?”

“Yes, just the two of us.”

“Don’t you feel Han Seung-hoo glaring at me with those fierce eyes?”

“…This is something that you and I need to discuss alone.”

Jung Tae-il nodded his head, messing up his hair that he had just neatly brushed back with one hand. Then he shifted his gaze to Arvani, who was at my feet.

Arvani perked up, bobbing his head against my leg before bounding off with cheerful footsteps into the guest room.

“I’ll wait there, so go pacify that guy behind you and come back.”

“…Why do I have to pacify him?”

“Well, that’s up to you.”

Glancing briefly at Han Seung-hoo standing sullenly beside me, Jung Tae-il extended his hand to me. When I looked at him with a questioning gaze, wondering why he was offering his hand, Jung Tae-il emphasized it with a single clap of his hand without saying a word.

Does he want to be escorted to the guest room or something?

…But this is my house. Shouldn’t I be the one doing that?

Although the roles seemed reversed, I wordlessly placed my hand in Jung Tae-il’s. The calluses from handling weapons felt rough against my palm.

He silently watched my hand for a moment before giving a small laugh and firmly holding it. Then he led me to the guest room.

Click, the door closed, and even as Jung Tae-il approached Arvani, who was already claiming the bed, our hands remained clasped until the moment we were alone. It was only when he approached Arvani that my hand finally slipped away.

Feeling a bit disappointed, I ran my hand through my hair, and Jung Tae-il’s low voice reached me.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“…Uh, well. I need to know exactly what happened with Arvani.”

“Because you’re the master?”

“Yes, that’s one reason. And also, Arvani shouldn’t be causing trouble like this again. I want to know what symptoms he showed.”

There must have been some incident.

The incident that led Arvani to attack Jung Tae-il.

Although it’s a precaution if Arvani were to attack someone again next time… I didn’t know if it could be undone.

As a mature Arvani, he was capable of killing a lower hunter with just one breath.

…Hah, where should I get dragon training? Should I go meet a Blue Dragon?

Feeling frustrated, I bit my lip unconsciously. Even though I could taste the tangy bitterness at the tip of my tongue, I couldn’t stop.

In the sinking atmosphere, Jung Tae-il looked at me quietly before slowly opening his mouth.

“To the person who just woke up?”

“I’m sorry for being insensitive. If it’s not a memory you want to recall…”

“It’s okay, it was just a joke.”

“…You also make jokes sometimes.”

“Occasionally.”

Ah, I see.

As I looked at him with eyes devoid of soul, Jung Tae-il shook his head as if to say, what’s the problem?

I felt an overwhelming desire to smack him.

I silently repeated to myself, ‘That guy is a patient,’ and steered the conversation back to the main point.

“Please tell me properly, Mr. Jung Tae-il.”

“…Nothing happened. Seo Yeon-oh, it’s nothing for you to worry about too much.”

“How can I not worry? I’m supposed to be Arvani’s owner, after all.”

“…So, there won’t be a next time.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I mean just that.”

No, you have to finish your sentence!

I stared at Jung Tae-il, who was petting Arvani’s head while leaving out important words, with a bewildered expression.

Then Jung Tae-il inserted his hand into Arvani’s forelegs and lifted him. It was clear as day that his plump belly was prominently displayed.

Huh?

Arvani, suddenly poked in the belly, blinked with a puzzled expression as if to say he didn’t understand a thing. If it weren’t for this serious situation, I would have rushed over to help him with his tummy troubles right away.

Serious matters are serious, and cute matters are cute.

Seeing me momentarily falter under the onslaught of extreme cuteness, Jung Tae-il chuckled as if to say he found it absurd.

After that brief moment, he became expressionless again and continued speaking.

“Even if Arvani is still small now, he’s already matured.”

“Why are you bringing that up now?”

“It means that even to the master, there’s a secret he wants to hide.”

“…Are you insinuating that something happened between you and Arvani?”

When I narrowed my eyes at Jung Tae-il, he lowered Arvani onto the bed, gesturing for me to figure it out on my own.

It was also a clear indication that he wouldn’t answer any further.

Thanks to that, I remained tight-lipped and alternated my gaze between Jung Tae-il and Arvani.

What on earth happened between them… that they have to keep it a secret from me?

Could there have been a dangerous deal? Is that why they can’t tell me? But why Jung Tae-il?

The questions piled up like a tower of babel, immeasurable in height.

‘…I wonder if there are any clues in Arvani’s status window.’

As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I immediately opened the system window.