Chapter 135
Chapter 135
Turning back time a bit, after Yujin left America…
Sibylla finally regained her freedom, which had been stripped from her due to her madness.
And then…
“Arrgg!!!! Gwar, guraaaaaaa!!!!”
“Oh, God. Is this really me?” “Yes, Miss Sibylla.” “For a whole ten weeks like this…”
Only then did she realize the extent of her madness and how she had been living for the past ten weeks.
When she was told she had gone mad, she assumed her mind had just been a bit unhinged. But instead, she saw herself drooling like a beast, her powers out of control, attempting suicide by strangling herself, banging her head against the wall, and biting her tongue. The symptoms were far more severe than she had imagined.
For the first time, Sibylla’s expression showed genuine shock.
‘It wasn’t a minor thing… Just how did he treat me?’
-Click, click.-
She then spent an entire day investigating Yujin.
At first, she hadn’t given it much thought, and just tried to approach him, but once she understood how serious her condition had been, she saw Yujin in a new light.
And after a brief investigation, her conclusion?
‘Did he do all of this by himself? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.’
This didn’t seem real.
How could someone accomplish so much in just eight weeks since joining the academy? Handling basic Gates, performing miraculous treatments in psychiatry, and even completely averting a terrorist attack.
Others might just say, “Damn, it’s Yujin again,” but from her perspective, having just regained her sanity after ten weeks?
What was this? It was as if he was in a different genre altogether.
—Like someone who knew the future.
‘Could he be seeing the future like I do?’
It was a natural thought for someone like Sibylla.
For so long, she had desperately wished she could simply say, “Hey, a Gate will open here and now.” Or better yet, “Let me just solve it myself and become America’s superhero.”
But here was someone accomplishing feats just as she had envisioned.
And, given his ability to ‘spoil’ upcoming Gates, it was natural for her to suspect he was someone like her.
‘His unique talent is hypnosis, so it’s probably not his power… but at least one thing is certain.’
-A sly smile.-
‘He can evade divine punishment.’
Her speculations led her to one conclusion.
The reason she couldn’t reveal the future was because of divine punishment—a massive backlash for revealing heavenly secrets.
But Yujin could evade it.
He could disclose future events and remain unharmed.
This was of utmost importance to her.
-Sluurp.-
‘If I could just charm that cute guy and bring him to America…!’
That was the reason Sibylla became so fixated on Yujin.
With him, she’d become unstoppable.
A future-seeing entity with no penalties.
It was impossible not to be tempted.
“Sibylla. Take care of things here. In the event of an emergency, respond as an S-class awakener of America and request support.”
“Mr. President, really… What could possibly happen in peaceful Korea? It’s not like they have villains like we do.”
“Just… be prepared.”
“Understood, Mr. President.”
And so, America’s wild tiger boarded a plane…
“Greetings, Clan Master Yoo Jungchul. You may call me Sibylla.” “Welcome to Clan Cheonhwa, Miss Sibylla.”
President Morrison sent an elite research team.
An unofficial S-class awakener, Sibylla, along with about a hundred monster analysis experts, arrived in Korea.
“By the way, where’s that cute young man, Seo Yujin?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask?” “I heard he’s in charge of the saintess.” “Ah, he’ll be here tomorrow.”
-Sluurp.-
‘Tomorrow, huh. Perfect timing. I’ll make small talk, then pull him along for a few drinks…’
Thus, the American tiger arrived, dead set on whisking away Korea’s pride, Yujin.
However, Clan Master Yoo Jungchul had no idea of her intentions.
The next day, he happily introduced Yujin to her…
“It’s great to work with you, Sibylla ‘noona’.” “…?”
And with that, he unknowingly dug his own grave with America’s pride.
Glancing around, he noticed his daughter, Sia, glaring intently at Yujin, almost like someone catching a cheating boyfriend.
For Yoo Jungchul, it was a shock.
My daughter, why are you looking like that? Why are you so fierce, like you’re jealous?
As if it wasn’t already nerve-wracking seeing her cling to that guy, her expression didn’t help matters.
‘He’s a great guy, so I won’t say anything about dating him… but Sia, didn’t you say just a few years ago that I was your favorite person in the world…?’
Thanks to this, Yoo Jungchul found himself paralyzed.
Memories of his days with his daughter flashed before his eyes, taking him back to her kindergarten days.
Enough of a signal to set off alarms in Yujin’s head.
“……!!!” ‘What are you doing, dumbass? Don’t just stand there like a deer in the headlights in front of your future father-in-law!!’
From Yujin’s perspective, this was…
A foreign woman was trying to seduce him while his girlfriend stood beside him, and he hadn’t rejected her outright. A perfect setup to get slapped by Sia and his future father-in-law.
Granted, he hadn’t anticipated the sudden Korean onslaught and revealing neckline, and gravity was indeed to blame for his gaze straying, but saying this out loud was sure to bring about an inevitable disaster.
Realizing his mistake, Yujin quickly began damage control.
-Whip.-
“Sibylla. Korea is not as liberal as America. No sexy. Okay?”
Starting by setting boundaries with Sibylla.
-Whisper, whisper.-
“Really? For someone who says that, you looked pretty captivated. What were you doing?” “I was just flustered. With the most beautiful Sia beside me, where could my attention go?” “You talk a good game. Just because she’s got a bit more… you couldn’t look away? Really disappointing…” “To me, Sia, you’re perfect. No one looks as amazing as you.” “…Pfft. I’ll let you off this once.” “Thank you, my angel.”
Managing to defuse Sia, who had been on the verge of turning dark.
The way he could spin his words like that reflected the finesse of a seasoned man.
Meanwhile, what was Sibylla’s response to being coldly rejected?
-A sly smile.-
“Oops, didn't mean to freak you out! Just trying to break the ice with a little joke. No hard feelings, right?”
“…Huh?”
Far from sulking, she simply laughed it off as a joke.
Her eyes sparkled with an innocent light.
‘I knew he wouldn’t like it if I came on too strong. He’s not one of those guys who hits on women at bars.’
Sibylla had known her attempt to seduce him would fail.
She could tell he wasn’t accustomed to this sort of attention.
So why did she try to seduce him anyway?
-Hmph.-
‘Well, at least I know he’s got eyes for me.’
A simple confirmation.
When she briefly revealed her neckline, she could see where his gaze went.
Being American, it would’ve been pointless if she weren’t his type, but… well, he openly stared.
Because of this, Sibylla knew she had a chance to capture him.
“Let’s be friends. From now on. As the representatives of America and Korea.”
But she kept her intentions hidden.
She’d bare her fangs at the decisive moment, just before she was ready to make her move on Yujin.
“Uh… friend? Yes.” “Wonderful. I look forward to working together, Yujin.”
-Sluurp.-
‘Let’s make some unforgettable memories. Together.’
An ecological threat from America had arrived.
Meeting Sibylla had been… unsettling, to say the least. At first, it was awkward beyond belief, but then she showed herself as a dedicated researcher.
“Yujin? The saintess. How often can she be studied?” “How often can she come? I mean, I could just leave her here…”
Ding! Struggle, struggle. [Complete Hypnosis waves a protest sign about the evil nature of Clan Cheonhwa.] [‘???’ smiles kindly.] [Go ahead and knock some sense into your master.] [Complete Hypnosis nods and delivers a dropkick!]
“Well, she hardly ever leaves my side. But I’ll work with the director to bring her by as often as possible.” “Great. Let’s begin our research, then.”
Gently leading the saintess out, he brought her into the research lab… and while Sibylla’s initial impression was imposing, he now felt like she was more dependable.
-Whisper, whisper.-
“Sia, are you seriously dating Yujin?” “Who knows?” “What? Could you already be…!!!”
Yoo Jungchul and Sia were still gossiping behind him, but at least the research progressed smoothly.
“No mana reaction!” “All the solvents we’ve prepared show no reaction. What should we do, Miss Sibylla?” “Interesting. I’ll supply some mana myself, so go ahead and test with the relevant equipment…”
Sibylla, along with the American research team and the existing team at Cheonhwa, began their analysis on the saintess.
It felt surreal.
This research was a critical step in fighting against the EX-class Gate—a project that had finally started, thanks to his efforts as a regressor.
It was a moment filled with nostalgia and pride.
-Ding.- [‘???’ smiles kindly, acknowledging everyone’s hard work.] [Complete Hypnosis asks if the saintess is okay, worriedly…] [The transcendent figure shakes their head, saying it’s beyond the reach of these mortals, unlike your master or the transcendent candidates.] [Reassured, Complete Hypnosis resumes exploring the area.]
‘With Hypnosis-chan and the saintess as subjects, it feels a bit trivial.’
The saintess was smiling with a little '?' mouth shape as if she didn’t even feel a tickle, while Hypnosis-chan flitted around, tapping beakers like xylophones. Though they didn’t quite stir up deep emotions, he felt a sense of fulfillment nonetheless.
“We’ll wrap up for today. Detailed data analysis starts tomorrow.” “Thank you for your hard work. I reserved a highly-rated Korean restaurant for dinner. Miss Sibylla, would you care to join us?” “Oh! You’re inviting my team too, right, Master?” “Of course.” “Great!”
And so, after finishing the research for the day, we headed to a high-end restaurant to celebrate the first session.
Since it would be awkward for the support staff to dine with us, we made arrangements for a private room with just Sia, me, the clan leader, and Sibylla.
“Here, Yujin, say ‘ahh~’”
-Slip. Chew, chew.-
“Mmm, Sia, this is delici—”
Thus began the dinner with two S-classes and two clan executives.
-Suddenly.-
“Yujin? Here, I’ve got a bite for you too. Open up.” “Huh? Sibylla, you don’t have to—” “Yujin has hands and can feed himself, Miss Sibylla.” “Why are you getting angry just because I offered him a little food? Are you his girlfriend or something?” “And if I am?” “Well, that would make things… ‘interesting.’ Heh.”
Then the two of them, with me sitting between them, exchanged intense glances.
“Yujin. Are you by any chance… dating my daughter, Sia?”
“…”
The clan leader was interrogating me from the front.
Needless to say, it was not the easiest dinner to digest.