Chapter 468 – 468. Shinsu Kirin (2)
“It’s okay. The baby in the womb looks healthy too.”
The opinion of Theresia, a pregnant woman nearing full term at Riod’s mansion, was very positive.
“Thanks.”
Riod nodded and thanked Eunhyun after the examination.
“Thank you.”
“It’s not that difficult. Rather, it is the Marquis’s wife who is most uncomfortable right now. Ah, should I call you the Duchess now?”
“Whoops, the inauguration ceremony hasn’t even taken place yet.”
However, since Queen Diane had already decided on her succession, the day when the family of the Marquis Olivion would soon be called the ducal family was not too far away.
“And now, I want Eunhyeon-nim to let go of me. I am grateful that she thinks of me, but it is burdensome for her to treat me with the respect that her husband does not.”
“Well, whatever…”
Eunhyeon secretly looked at Leod’s expression.
In fact, she had known Riod before he died 20 years ago, so she maintains that relationship even now, but his wife, Theresia, who suddenly came into being, was still a stranger to Eun-hyeon.
However, since Eun-hyeon came to Fernias Kingdom and reunited with Riod for about two years, it is not time for her to be so awkward.
“I already heard from her husband, so I know about Eun-hyeon-nim’s secret.”
“…”
“To think that someone who is over 400 years old treats me with respect. It is too burdensome.”
Eunhyun smiled bitterly at her and nodded her head.
It’s not very nice to be openly spouting your own secrets, but with her and the Lyods, that’s an exception.
Fortunately, it seemed that he hadn’t told Eira yet.
“Then… I will do that.”
“Yes.”
Theresia nodded her head with a satisfied smile.
After the time of examination, the three of them sat down at the table and chatted.
Eunhyeon and Riod drank black tea made by her lady-in-waiting, but in the case of Theresia, since she was pregnant, she had been drinking her own milk tea, as if the scent didn’t match well.
“How about her sister?”
“Illyana? She is doing well.”
“… Hmm?”
In response to Eunhyun’s reply, who was responding more plainly than she thought, Theresia put on a puzzled expression for a moment.
“Ah.”
Soon she realized that Illyana hadn’t told Eunhyeon yet, and she smiled a little.
“What’s the matter?”
“Whoops. No. It’s nothing.”
“… ?”
Eunhyun was a little suspicious of Theresia’s reaction, but she didn’t bother to ask.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. It’s because I can’t prepare a celebration for the succession to the duchy.”
It is, of course, the role of Theresia, the wife of the Olivion family, to hold a celebration banquet for Riod, who has been promoted for her merits in the vampire eradication operation.
However, since she was pregnant and her movement was uncomfortable, Theresia would be very sorry that she could not prepare for it.
“Not necessarily.”
However, her expression was a bright smile instead of that.
Because she had someone to do the role for her.
“Put this over here. And the menus that will be displayed at the banquet…”
Outside the mansion, it was none other than Eira who was making various preparations, such as setting the table and selecting the menus to be presented at the banquet.
“Because I feel like my daughter is doing her part right.”
“… You can do it lightly.”
On the other hand, Riod seemed very dissatisfied with the preparation of the banquet to celebrate his victory.
“It is a place to celebrate you. You can’t just let it go.”
Of course, Theresia was not the only one who thought so.
She was seen as having a new life, and Eira, who took over the role in place of Theresia, who was unable to move, was very motivated.
It is a place to celebrate her kingdom’s greatest knight, her proud father.
It was unthinkable for her two daughters that she would never think of anything sloppy or modest.
In addition, all the money required to prepare for this event comes from Eun-hyeon’s pocket.
“… I feel like I am putting too much burden on you.”
“What is Jim? Rather, it is because I am grateful.”
Eunhyun smiled and refuted Leod’s words.
I didn’t feel any debt or burden between the two of friends who helped each other, such as fulfilling their requests and asking for them whenever necessary.
“You drank a lot of tea. Then I’ll be on my way.”
After drinking all the milk tea, Eunhyun stood up.
“Okay. Thank you for the examination today.”
“I’ll come back on the day of the victory celebration banquet.”
“I get it.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Upon arriving at her house, it was Lily who greeted Eun-hyeon at the entrance.
“Are you here?”
“Huh.”
“Did anything go wrong?”
“It’s a special day…”
Lily chewed the word and muttered in response to Eun-hyeon’s question.
Judging by Lily’s slightly stiff and hesitant attitude, it seemed that something had happened.
But she didn’t bother contacting me, so it wasn’t that serious?
“What happened?”
Eunhyun, who was watching Lily’s reaction, asked Lily directly.
“Come on, Master…”
Lily called Eunhyun with the most cautious expression and tone.
“Huh.”
The mouth that had been pondering for a long time on how to convey this fact finally opened.
“Gerard-nim… I heard you proposed to Shin-soo?”
“…”
It wasn’t as serious news as I thought.
However, Eun-hyeon had to feel a slight headache at the completely unexpected story.
“I’ll go straight to the shrine.”
“Yes. Bye. How would you like dinner?”
“I’ll bring Erin on time. Just contact me.”
“All right.”
Eun-hyeon left the house immediately after seeing off Lily and headed for the shrine.
The moment I put my hand on the doorknob and opened the door of the shrine, I hesitated at the high density of magic flowing from inside.
“…”
This is neither Erin’s power nor the nine-tailed fox’s power.
The dense magic density is the giraffe’s magic power in Gerard’s body that he had felt before.
“Are you starting to control it already?”
Anyway, isn’t this pretty fast?
I thought it would take at least a few months, but this is an amazing achievement.
Eun-hyeon entered the inside of the shrine and found the two people training.
Gentle energy flows from the bodies of Gerard and Erin, who sit quietly on the floor and close their eyes, filling the inside of the shrine.
The energy that the two exude is entangled with each other, as if competing to see which one has the upper hand, and is ready to devour the other.
The one who is really being pushed back is Erin.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
A nine-tailed fox, who had been watching the two from a distance, noticed Eun-hyeon and walked slowly.
Hearing of Gerard’s unsavory atrocities, he was worried that the nine-tailed fox might drive him away, but he did not refuse to teach him.
Remembering that, Eunhyeon obediently lowered her head.
“Thank you for accepting my request.”
“… You get something, so you have to give something.”
The gumiho glanced at Gerard with a puzzled expression.
He is not ignorant enough to pretend not to know the grace he received from Eun-hyeon and his friends who resurrected them by making a new vessel.
Following the gaze of the nine-tailed fox, Eunhyeon moved her gaze to Gerard, who was training to control the wild magic within his body.
“How is Gerard?”
“… He is truly amazingly talented.”
Excluding various factors such as personality and behavior, if you think only focusing on the field of mana, Gerard is a great talent.
But the talents he possesses are not purely innate.
Although his reserve of magical power is infinitely behind that of Erin, the way he circulates it and cultivates it neatly as his own skillfully handles it is infinitely splendid.
It is not a talent developed overnight.
The reason why he is performing better than Erin, who started learning first, is the difference in age that Gerard has.
“Maybe… You must have worked hard for half your life without taking a break.”
Starting from being educated by Eun-hyeon, he gradually grew up and was called a hero. Even after Eun-hyeon died and the war ended, Gerard continued to improve his skills.
There was a time gap of about 20 years between Erin and Gerard.
That’s a huge gap that, no matter how extraordinarily gifted Erin is, she won’t be able to catch up in the short term.
“You created that guy, right?”
The nine-tailed fox noticed at once that it was Eun-hyeon who turned Gerard into a great gemstone.
“… I was just pointing out the way. That guy who came along is great.”
“Joy. Even you, the one who points out the way, is not normal.”
The gumiho sneered as if it were absurd.
In the first place, the idea of consuming the power of a divine beast with a human body is very nonsensical.
The magical power of a giraffe is different from that of a nine-tailed fox in its very nature.
The magical power of the nine-tailed fox is an aggregate of pure magical power that has been cultivated more neatly by collecting clean spirits that have been practiced for close to a thousand years.
On the other hand, Kirin’s magical energy is full of roughness and violence that condenses nature’s thunderbolt and burns everything it touches.
The idea of controlling such magical powers of a giraffe in a human body is literally like trying to commit suicide.
The choice was up to Gerard, but it was hard to see that Eun-hyeon’s efforts and ideas that made that choice a reality were also sane.
“Can I ask for Gerard from now on?”
“What if I refuse?”
“To be honest… Rejection is very difficult… Still, if Shinsoo-nim doesn’t like it, I can’t help it.”
“…”
The nine-tailed fox was lost in thought as he stared at Gerard, who continued to refine her energy.
It was very surprising from the point of view of the gumiho that he was thinking about it, but no one pointed out or realized that part.
‘There is talent. Unlike that inexperienced one, he has a taste for teaching.’
However, the reason Gerard is not immediately accepted is because of the frenzied favor he is showing himself.
Gerard’s one-sided courtship was a very embarrassing pure emotion that Gumiho had experienced for the first time in hundreds of years.
Emotions are addictions that can never be broken.
Once you start to know, you can never stop.
He loved a human 400 years ago, and that’s why he was betrayed.
The wound of that betrayal was so bitter that even now it remained strong in a part of his heart.
‘It would have been better if I had a dirty desire.’
If so, I would mercilessly pluck out his tongue and break his head.
He has absolutely no reason to hesitate over that resentment if he sees himself and harbors black feelings.
Or, like Eun-hyun, I am comfortable with a thorough business relationship where give and take comes and goes.
However, the feelings that Gumiho reads and Gerard harbors are pure feelings full of admiration and love.
So, for the first time since his resurrection, the gumiho realized that it was fear.
He is extremely wary of anyone touching his heart, as he has already experienced a bitter betrayal after giving affection.
“… Think about it.”
In the midst of Eun-hyeon’s request and his own complicated mind, the gumiho put off making a decision.
“All right.”
It was fortunate for Eunhyeon that the gumiho did not immediately show any intention of refusal.
Eunhyun nodded slowly.
