## Chapter 88 – 88. LTNS
#88. LTNS
Within the Magic Tower, mages are categorized by rank based on their skill and achievements.
From 5th grade to 1st grade, the support and treatment provided by the Magic Tower vary according to rank, so mages make every effort to prove their skill and achievements.
Of course, everyone knows that not everything can be solved with effort.
Because there are many geniuses in the world, and one’s own talent is always lacking.
Even mages who were born as prodigies or gifted individuals with more talent than ordinary people and successfully graduated from the Magic Tower’s training center realize this reality.
“I’m Marna Hirkus, a 1st grade alchemist from the Gray Magic Tower.”
In the Magic Tower, a battleground for geniuses, there are those who crush everyone with overwhelming talent, absurd monsters. They are called ‘1st grade mages’ with respect, reverence, and fear.
There are only 7 within the Gray Magic Tower, and even if the scope is widened to the whole world, the number does not reach 100.
That’s what a 1st grade mage is.
“G-Golden Marna…?”
Choi Hyena’s voice was trembling, as if she was rarely flustered.
Golden Marna, a name that anyone with even a little interest in magic couldn’t possibly not know.
Originally, alchemy is a discipline created to turn common metals into gold. And Golden Marna is an individual who is considered closer to the essence of alchemy than anyone else among modern alchemists.
In just a few decades of activity, her alchemy has saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and she has made historically significant contributions to gate exploration.
“To be called that by young children… It’s a little embarrassing.”
In name and reality, she is the best alchemist of the modern era, recognized by everyone.
After receiving confirmation from her, Choi Hyena hurriedly turned her head and looked at me. It was as if she was scolding me, saying, ‘You should have told me if we were coming to meet someone like that!’
I’m also upset about that part.
I didn’t know this store was run by that Marna either. In the first place, I just asked Grandma Choi Youngok to introduce me to a competent alchemist.
‘You could have told me in advance…’
It was clear that she didn’t say anything because she expected me to be surprised.
I sighed inwardly and bowed politely.
“I’m Kang Hyunwoo, a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower. I don’t have a rank yet.”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Choi Hyena, a 4th grade mage affiliated with the Magic Tower.”
“Choi Hyena? What’s your relationship with Youngok?”
“…She’s my grandmother.”
At Choi Hyena’s answer, her half-closed eyes sparkled.
“No wonder! I thought you looked like Youngok when she was young. I never thought I’d see Youngok’s granddaughter here.”
Marna looked at Choi Hyena with a happy smile. Isn’t that exactly the expression grandmothers make when their grandchildren visit their home on holidays?
Of course, I don’t remember ever going to my grandmother’s house on holidays, but I had a feeling that’s what it would be like.
“Um… May I ask what your relationship is with my grandmother?”
“Are you curious?”
“…Yes.”
At Choi Hyena’s question, Marna closed her eyes quietly as if recalling memories for a moment, and smiled subtly.
“To put it nicely, we’re friends, but normally, we had a bad relationship.”
“A b-bad relationship…?”
“You have no idea how eccentric Youngok was back then… Just because I, a graduate classmate, had a higher rank than her, she would pick fights with me over everything, so there’s no need to say more.”
“Ah…”
Choi Hyena’s expression, having suddenly learned about her grandmother’s flamboyant past, was pale enough to be seen from the side.
“She once fired fireballs at a man who confessed to her, and once she burned down my workshop and ran away. Just thinking about it makes me laugh now.”
What on earth did that grandmother do when she was young?
Normally, she’s a kind grandmother with a bit of playfulness.
“You don’t have to make such an expression. We’ve been together for decades, and I’ve often put laxatives in Youngok’s meals.”
As the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. The certain thing is that that grandmother is not normal either.
“You know what? All the elixirs you ate when you were young were made by me.”
“R-really?”
“Of course, I even made elixirs for my granddaughter, but I was dumbfounded when she wouldn’t even let me see her face properly… Now that I see it, it’s worth hiding.”
After that, Marna seemed happy to meet her friend’s granddaughter, and Choi Hyena had various conversations with her.
Choi Hyena was clearly nervous about the sudden appearance of a big shot from the Magic Tower, but there was nothing I could do to help.
“21 years old… The same age as my granddaughter, and she already has a man to marry. I’ve never been jealous of Youngok until now, but I’m a little jealous now.”
“T-that’s not it!”
“Hmm? Then is he your boyfriend?”
“T-that’s not it either…”
“What, then I was just an fling to you?”
While secretly eavesdropping, I heard a topic that was quite concerning, so I slipped in.
“I was serious, but you’re just taking me around to eat and throw away?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Normally, a right punch would have flown into my abdomen for talking nonsense, but now there was an adult next to her that she had to be mindful of.
Watching Choi Hyena, who was flustered and didn’t know what to do, it wasn’t easy to hold back my laughter.
“Besides, right now in your belly-“
“Eek!”
Choi Hyena hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands and glared at me with slightly trembling eyes.
I felt a silent message telling me to please shut my mouth.
I understood Choi Hyena’s extreme reaction because I knew that what I said about her being pregnant was a lie.
Marna would know about the ‘Blessing of Infertility’, so she would feel that it was somehow fishy that Choi Hyena, who was only 21 years old, was pregnant.
In the process of resolving such doubts, it would not be pleasant for Choi Hyena for me to find out about the ‘Blessing of Infertility’, and she would not want the fact that she was falsely pregnant to reach Grandma Choi Youngok’s ears.
It was the moment when the ambiguous relationship between the boss and subordinate became clear.
“D-don’t tell anyone else about that…”
Choi Hyena, who came close to me faster than when she was running away from the monster, whispered in a voice too small for Marna to hear.
“Why?”
“That’s…”
“Are you ashamed of me?”
When I spoke in a more subdued voice than usual, as if I was feeling depressed, Choi Hyena’s pupils were trembling even more than before.
I tried acting pitiful, and it seemed to work well.
“I just thought she was your grandmother’s friend…”
In the end, Choi Hyena became a bad woman who was ashamed of her boyfriend and didn’t want to introduce him to people around her.
“That’s not what I mean…”
“Then can I tell her?”
Choi Hyena couldn’t answer easily.
Judging from the cold sweat on her forehead, she seemed to be racking her brains to get out of this situation somehow.
Maybe it was because I was seeing this side of her for the first time, but I couldn’t help but find it a little funny, but honestly, I was a little curious about what Choi Hyena would say.
Just looking at the fact that she was trying to hold onto me by even taking out the pregnancy card, it was clear that Choi Hyena had feelings for me, but that was just my guess.
It may be my greed, but I wanted to hear a more definite answer from Choi Hyena.
Like Iris and Chun Yeohwa.
“…It’s okay.”
“Huh?”
“…It’s okay to tell her.”
It’s obvious, but life is not a novel where the plot unfolds as I wish.
“An fling…? What’s that?”
Nevertheless, the answer that came out of Choi Hyena’s mouth was the development I wanted.
“I’m sorry, Hyena is very shy, so I just played a prank for a moment. We’re not dating yet, we’re just getting to know each other.”
I put my arm around Choi Hyena’s shoulder. I smiled at Choi Hyena, who was pulled into my arms without any resistance, and whispered once again.
“I’ll let you off this time.”
Only Marna, who didn’t hear my voice, could smile contentedly like a grandmother who saw her grandson bring his girlfriend.
While hugging Choi Hyena, whose expression was not very good for a while, I listened to Marna’s stories about her past with Grandma Choi Youngok. Of course, I didn’t listen because I wanted to, but I couldn’t help it because it was awkward to interrupt the elders.
In the unfolded bundle of stories, there was also Grandma Choi Youngok’s rascal days.
Applying for a magic duel with a professor she didn’t like, and going to a wanted villain group and killing them all because she was bored, and so on.
I was curious about who Choi Hyena resembled, and that question was answered.
“Can you keep it a secret from Youngok that I told you? I like the store now, so I’d be a little sad if a fire broke out overnight.”
“…Yes.”
“Anyway, you said you had a request for me?”
Finally, the story moved on to the topic I wanted.
“Do you know about a poison called ‘Cheonshimgongyanghwadokryeon’?”
***
Bang, leaving behind the rusty front door with a broken door closer, I carelessly threw off my coat in the familiar one-room apartment.
I had received a loan for the deposit and had roughly decided on a house to move to, but I didn’t know when I would move because I didn’t have much time on Earth.
“I can’t believe there’s a poison that even that Marna doesn’t know…”
I collapsed onto the old mattress as if entrusting my body to it.
The reason why I asked Grandma Choi Youngok to introduce me to a competent alchemist was very simple.
To make an antidote for the ‘Cheonshimgongyanghwadokryeon’ that was eating away at Chun Yeohwa’s body.
Last time, thanks to the ‘Sweet Apple’, I was able to alleviate the poison of the ‘Cheonshimgongyanghwadokryeon’ in Chun Yeohwa’s body to some extent, but it was not a fundamental cure.
Even if divine power neutralizes the poison, creating an antidote was the only solution for now, as I couldn’t bring a priest back with me.
However.
‘…I’m sorry. I’ve dealt with thousands of poisons and made hundreds of antidotes, but I’ve never heard of a poison called Cheonshimgongyanghwadokryeon.’
The result was that she didn’t even know what kind of poison ‘Cheonshimgongyanghwadokryeon’ was.
Of course, I had expected it. The place where Chun Yeohwa is and Earth are completely different worlds, and there was a possibility that there would be poisons that have not been discovered on Earth.
No, even if there is the same poison, there is no guarantee that even the name will be the same.
Even if there is already an antidote for a poison on Earth, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that it would be called by a completely different name.
“But… is it not a completely bad situation?”
Fortunately, Marna said that she was willing to try to develop an antidote through research if I brought Chun Yeohwa’s blood.
For now, that promise was enough.
In addition, Marna even gave me a neutralizing agent to eat for a few days just based on the symptoms I mentioned. With this, there will be no problem even if Chun Yeohwa has a seizure for the time being.
“…Shall we go soon?”
[Name: Chun Yeohwa
Age: 20 years old
Race: Human
Affiliation: AXZ-174
Occupation: Second Princess of the Cheonma Church
Disposition: Cold-hearted, cruel, calculating, devoted love
[Would you like to rematched with Chun Yeohwa?]
[Y/N]
Originally, I was going to rest for a while, but as I lay alone in the dark house, the thought of resting gradually disappeared.
The thought of wanting to meet Chun Yeohwa again as soon as possible filled my head.
[Y]
Sunlight poured in through the slightly open entrance of the tent.
As I gently raised my body at the presence felt right next to me.
“My dear, good morning.”
The red eyes that I faced after a long time were looking at me with full of goodwill.
