noveldrama
Chapter 203
Chapter 203
This morning felt… off.
Shia, after a passionate night, had suddenly gone radio silent.
The President of the United States had called with an ominous proposal.
-Clang!
“Huh? Yujin, what’s wrong?”
“Something’s strange. For an awakened like you to break a cup.”
“……”
Even the cup broke.
It was strange.
An awakened like me? If I dropped a cup, I’d be able to catch it mid-air before it hit the ground.
Our reaction speeds are leagues beyond ordinary humans.
But I had let the cup fall?
And didn’t even notice until it shattered on the floor?
Impossible.
Even Alice and Master, their eyes wide in shock, couldn’t believe it.
“Tsk….”
‘Is something bad about to happen?’
The signs weren’t just ominous—they felt intentional.
Almost as if someone were desperately trying to warn me about an impending danger.
-Ding.
[“Hypno-chan wonders if this is good enough and smiles mischievously.”]
[‘???’ scolds, asking what Hypno-chan thinks they’re doing, calling it reckless.]
[‘If Yujin catches on too early, it could disrupt the ‘logic’ in a big way.’]
‘Well, not like that’s possible….’
Still, was I really getting this unsettled over a broken cup?
How unlike me.
-Grin.
“My bad. I must’ve been so distracted by how beautiful Alice and Master look that I zoned out.”
“Yujin?”
“What’s with the sudden…”
“Alright, if everyone’s ready, let’s go. Today’s supposed to be a fun day!”
So, I smiled.
As if to shake off the unease running down my spine.
And then—
[‘???’ activates the advanced skill ‘???’.]
-Grab. Thud.
‘Better bring the Saintess along, just in case.’
I plopped the Saintess onto my shoulders.
Normally, I’d leave her at the dorm.
She’s such a gentle creature that she wouldn’t cause any trouble.
At most, she’d ride around on the robot vacuum.
But today, for some reason, I felt compelled to bring her along.
For a bit of combined fun—a piggyback ride, if you will.
-Plod, plod. Hop, hop.
[“Hypno-chan protests, calling me unfair! She puffs up her cheeks, saying I forgot all her hard work yesterday!”]
[‘???’ insists today is important and tells Hypno-chan to sit this one out.]
-Grab.
‘Hypno-chan, first-tier add-on, incoming!’
I couldn’t let the Saintess ride alone, so I added Hypno-chan on top of her.
Balanced perfectly on the Saintess’s head like a tiny accessory.
Only then did I feel a bit more at ease.
With these tiny, harmless things stacked like a three-scoop ice cream cone on my head,
I felt like the most harmless person in the world.
[“Hypno-chan sparkles with joy, shouting, ‘So high up!’”]
[‘???’ worries about the potential risks.]
[“As long as I’m with Master, we’re invincible! And with Mom, we’re unbeatable!”]
[‘…Fine. Let’s go together.’]
“Alright, let’s head out. Alice. Master.”
We all made our way to the director’s office together.
There were several things to take care of:
double-checking for any lingering traces of Paimon’s influence,
finalizing festival preparations,
and discussing other official business.
And then…
-Creak.
“Director, good mor— Ack!!?”
That ominous feeling I’d had since this morning?
I finally understood its reason.
***
As Yujin spent his passionate night,
others were having a different kind of heated night.
Specifically, Seol Hayeon and Paimon.
-Buzz, buzz.
“I told you, the only way is to run! Just give me the mana already!”
Paimon’s voice echoed through the director’s office,
her frustration evident as she stomped her feet.
Her shrunken chest and childlike figure made her tantrum look more like that of a petulant child,
but it was clear just how agitated she was.
“I said no. Stop whining and come up with another plan.”
“Kreeeek!! How many times do I have to say it? There’s no way to fight those things!!”
“Then figure out a way to make it possible!!!”
Seol Hayeon raised her voice in response, just as exasperated as Paimon.
“Didn’t I show you the data on the Saintess? Didn’t you say her traits were similar to those monsters? Then why are you just crying and not coming up with a plan?!”
“I told you, I don’t even know why she exists or what she is! All we can do is run!”
“Tch. Figures.”
‘Is there really no way?’
Seol Hayeon frowned deeply.
The previous evening, she had extracted information from Paimon about the EX-rank gate occurrence.
She had stayed up all night preparing for what was to come.
But the reality was grim: she herself knew nothing.
Yujin, bound by the logic of the Throne, knew nothing either.
Which left Paimon as the only one capable of solving this.
Yet all her pestering had led to nothing but whining:
“There's no way to fight them. We need to run. Give me the mana.”
Seol Hayeon couldn’t help but be annoyed.
If Paimon had at least tried to think before giving an answer, she might’ve understood.
But instead, Paimon answered without thought, driven solely by fear.
Seol Hayeon wanted nothing more than to smack her.
“Sigh.”
‘I suppose this just shows how dangerous they are—so much so that she can’t even imagine opposing them.’
But she refrained.
Seol Hayeon wasn’t blind to the terror in Paimon’s eyes.
The fear of an unstoppable death was written all over her.
‘I can’t rely on her alone for this.’
‘If she’s too scared to think rationally, she’ll only keep coming up with defeatist answers.’
With no one else to turn to, the burden fell on Seol Hayeon to guide Paimon.
She furrowed her brow in thought.
‘It’s impossible to extract more information because of this Throne logic. I need to piece together an answer with what I already know….’
-Pause.
“...Yujin?”
After three minutes of deep contemplation,
Seol Hayeon spoke up.
Paimon turned her gaze toward her.
“Seo Yujin? That man? The one you kept as your personal toy?”
“What nonsense—no, that’s not the point. What about him?”
“What?”
“I mean, isn’t Yujin the biggest wildcard in all this?”
Seol Hayeon began explaining her thought process.
When she thought about it, everything seemed tied to Seo Yujin.
Paimon noticing the EX-rank gate,
the cause of the gate—the Saintess—all of it revolved around him.
Was that really just a coincidence?
“No way. There’s definitely something about him that we don’t know—something massive.”
“Well, yes, but….”
Paimon’s expression shifted.
Gone was the whining insistence for mana.
Now, her gaze was serious.
Seol Hayeon noticed the change, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“We can’t know what it is because of this ‘logic,’ right?”
“Right. Which is why there’s no point in—”
“But what if we take a gamble? What if Yujin is the key variable we need?”
Seol Hayeon’s passionate reasoning followed.
They didn’t know much about Yujin,
but the secrets surrounding him were undeniable.
If they were to bet on anything,
wasn’t he the most logical choice?
“But even so, fighting those things… it’s impossible, even if we gathered every demon in the abyss….”
“Even if the sky falls, there’s always a way out. There has to be a way to survive.”
“...Hmm.”
“Think about it carefully. Factor Yujin into the equation.”
“Hmm, hmmm?”
For the first time, Paimon sank into deep thought.
-Squeeze, squeeze.
“...?”
‘Why is she groping her chest while thinking?’
Paimon absentmindedly kneaded her now-flat chest.
Seol Hayeon didn’t know this, but it had been a habit of hers back when she was more voluptuous.
The tactile sensation helped her think better during times of stress.
-Tilt.
“...It’s not entirely impossible.”
It took thirty full minutes before Paimon finally spoke.
Despite her tendency to brute-force everything,
the image of Yujin had sparked a plausible idea.
“But this… it can’t possibly work….”
“Just tell me already.”
Seol Hayeon urged her impatiently.
Whatever idea Paimon had come up with,
she wanted to hear it immediately.
And finally, Paimon said:
“———If he’s willing to abandon everything.”
“What?”
“If he gives up everything, even his humanity, and becomes a mere insect… then it might not be impossible.”
Seol Hayeon’s eyes narrowed at the cryptic suggestion.
To her, it sounded like nonsense.
But…
‘It’s not nonsense.’
Her instincts told her there was truth in Paimon’s words.
“Isn’t your premise wrong? Saving the world from an EX-rank gate seems worth such a sacrifice.”
“Value is relative.”
“Relative? Then how about this?”
“What is it? Tell me. As long as it doesn’t violate the Throne logic, I’ll explain.”
And so, the two continued their conversation late into the night,
desperately clinging to the faintest possibility of avoiding destruction.
“...Ridiculous. That has no value at all.”
“Value is relative, isn’t it? To him, it might be enough.”
“Ugh.”
The lights in the director’s office stayed on until dawn.
***
After countless discussions throughout the night, morning came.
Seol Hayeon stood prepared, waiting for Yujin.
Even if an EX-rank gate were to erupt today,
she could confidently say she had no regrets, having made all necessary preparations.
And then…
‘This is for humanity! You’ve got this, Seol Hayeon!’
-Creak.
“Director, good mor—”
“Good morning, Brother Yujin?”
“Ack.”
Poor Yujin had just been hit by a metaphorical strategic nuke.
‘Has that old lady finally lost it? Did I overwork her to the point of senility!?’
“Yujin, don’t tell me that’s your type!? Like that manga where the character says, ‘You’re all pent up!’”
“M-Master!? Is that really how you see me…!?”
“……!!!?”
The impact was undeniable.