Gyeol froze. I could feel his confusion as clearly as if he’d used the Teacher skill. Maybe I should step in now. Just as I thought that and tried to slip from Gyeol’s arms, his grip tightened. Of course—such stubbornness must run in the family. ‘No risk in being found out.’ I needed to help Gyeol see this through. I silently apologized to Seong Hyunjae again. “I’ll buy you a meal sometime.” [Gyeol, don’t worry about anything. Do as you wish. Right now, you are Seong Hyunjae.] Gyeol’s arms trembled slightly. [Whatever you do, it’s fine. Even if you make mistakes, “Seong Hyunjae” can take responsibility for anything. He’d sort out any mess you create by the next day—even if you drove him crazy.] So step forward boldly. That’s the most Seong Hyunjae thing to do. Ordinary people couldn’t do that, but Gyeol has been influenced by him. He can do it. He’ll succeed... Though I worried the child might pick up bad habits. Not to grow up exactly like Seong Hyunjae, Gyeol—just do it for now. Gyeol stroked my nape, then settled onto the sofa. I felt his tension loosen. His golden eyes blinked as he looked at Samir. It wasn’t Seong Hyunjae’s expression but Gyeol’s—and somehow it felt more natural. After all, Seong Hyunjae could make that face too. “ I’m tired, so I should rest. And I’m hungry. Prepare Korean food. For dessert, vanilla, chocolate, and melon ice cream.” It seemed absurd—but plausible. After all, he was Seong Hyunjae. “...This is a bit startling.” Samir’s eyebrows rose slightly. A well-mannered young S-rank. Very patient. “We can’t even be certain you truly are the Sesung Guild Leader. If you expect gentlemanly treatment, please give an answer worthy of it.” What to do... I scratched my ear with my paw. My ears have been itching ever since—funny how they move on their own. My tail, too. Semi-automatic, apparently. ‘Waiting here wouldn’t be bad...’ But I can’t fully trust the prince and princess yet. Even if they cooperate later, best to reunite as soon as possible with Yuhyun’s party arriving in Africa. So, I whispered to Gyeol and let him speak. “ Do you really think I’m here without any plan?” He gave that look—ice cream and Korean food for Dad now—and spoke. “ Until my stats recover, no mere S-rank Hunter can harm me.” Samir narrowed his eyes, and Isabella lifted a huge axe in her hand. Such haste! Isabella strode forward, holding the axe like a willow branch in one hand, then raised it high. “ If you lie, speak now.” Gyeol smiled silently. With Isabella’s other hand, he grabbed my nape—and The axe’s handle dropped. Bang! The sofa shattered in the crash. Splinters flew; the floor cracked. Isabella blinked. Through the broken sofa, she saw Gyeol. The axe blade pressed against his chest, yet there was not a scratch. “ Strange feeling. It didn’t block my attack, yet had no effect.” The sofa and floor lay wrecked. A flowerpot fell from the table and shattered. But Gyeol seemed unfazed, as if standing in another dimension. Gyeol tapped the blade with his hand. Isabella lifted the axe, and Gyeol stood, took me back, and sat on the intact opposite sofa. “ Twenty side dishes at minimum. Two kinds of soup separately. Take your time, but make it a perfect Korean feast. I wish to dine in peace. As you can see, my stats remain low, so I’ll allow guards outside—but no CCTV. Discussion after the meal.” “ Indeed, hard to doubt now.” Samir said. Neutralizing an S-rank attack was no ordinary ability—whether he was Seong Hyunjae or not, he was formidable. “There is no CCTV in this private chamber.” Samir turned to make arrangements as Isabella glanced at me once more before leaving. Left alone, Gyeol sighed quietly and whispered to me. “ How was that, Dad?” I tapped Gyeol’s shoulder with my paw, as if saying Well done. [Well done, amazing! Now let’s get out of here.] “ Why? We can wait for Uncle here.” [We’re abroad; there could be complications. They might not arrive quickly. And the photos circulating are of the Sesung Guild Leader—though they might suspect you’re Gyeol, they won’t expose you. Then a rush of Hunters to Africa to meet the Guild Leader would look suspicious.] Even if we sneak in, Yuhyun searching for me would notice his absence and grow suspicious. [Then things could escalate. If my identity leaks, they might take you hostage.] With two S-ranks present, hiding our identities long would be impossible. Isabella’s relatives also know I’m in Africa—news would spread in no time. [I’ll escape without endangering you, Dad.] [Better to try and run than be caught hiding here.] Since total silence is suspicious, I retrieved the frog toy from my pocket, activated it, and tucked it under the cushion. The toy hopped irregularly, muffled by the cushion—enough to sound like someone bored on the sofa. Then I shifted back into human form. [Cling to my back, Dad.] Gyeol returned to fairy dragon form, handed me the translation item, and clung onto my back. I used Stealth skill and approached the window. The hot climate meant it was wide open. An A-rank Hunter stood guard, but didn’t recognize me. I could slip away now—but I don’t know these streets. I sniffed the air; my human senses were far keener. Following the scent, I found it. A familiar, homey aroma flowed from the kitchen. I slipped inside, swiped a loose-fitting local robe, changed into human form, and draped it. Perfect for hiding Gyeol. Then I calmly headed to the kitchen. “ Hello, I hear you need a Korean chef?” The head cook, pondering bulgogi meat and long-grain rice, turned. Other chefs looked up too; one pointed at me. “ Haven’t I seen you before... You—Han Yujin?” “ People say that a lot. East Asian faces look alike, I guess. My brother’s tired of being told he looks like Hunter Han Yujin.” “It’s been three years since I left Korea. It’d be great if I knew a famous ranch director. Korean cuisine all of a sudden—is that the Guild Leader’s request? You don’t seem like Korean food eaters. What ingredients do you have?” Pressured to hurry, they showed me the supplies. Of course, Han Yujin wouldn’t wander into an African villa kitchen to cook. Bold confidence can make you... believe it, I suppose. “Hmm, still missing a lot... What about kimchi? Essential to Korean food. Is that soy sauce? No doenjang either? This won’t do—let’s go to the market. Grab everything like Korean food. Ah, Korean bulgogi sauce! We can make japchae too. Do you have glass noodles?” I told them to prep what they could; and one volunteered to go with me for ingredients. He took the car keys obediently. I covered my head and face with the veil, leaving only my eyes. “ East Asian skin is delicate~ must cover everything.” The source of thɪs content is 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽 Whatever that means. We piled into the SUV. Armed Hunters patrolled, but they didn’t stop a chef heading out for ingredients. Nice car—with GPS, even. And off we went, the villa receding behind us. The market town lay quite a distance away. After we’d driven far enough... “ Oh, I forgot something. Could you call the kitchen?” The chef slowed, pulled out his phone, and unlocked it. As soon as he did— “ And, uh, please park somewhere quiet.” I tapped his shoulder with the barrel of my pistol. Surprised, he braked. Perfect—near-empty surroundings. “ Wha—what do you want?” “Sign a contract: hand over your phone and car keys, stay off the villa grounds, and keep silent for one day. If you give me your account number, I’ll compensate you generously. Do not report a stolen vehicle or make an international call.” Soon enough, Seong Hyunjae’s disappearance would be discovered; just keep it quiet for a day. The chef nodded. To show good faith, I handed him Peace’s lunch—those magic stones are expensive. “ Your phone can make international calls?” After confirming that, I dropped him off and moved to the driver’s «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» seat. Gyeol, now in child form, buckled his seatbelt dutifully. Our little obeys the law—though Dad’s unlicensed, so don’t follow that part. “ Good. Gyeol, call Uncle. Do you know his number?” “ Yes, I memorized it.” “You’re smart. Remember: not 010, but 8201. What’s the nearest airport here? Egypt, right?” How long to Egypt by car? Gyeol dialed, making a sour face. “ Dad, it says the call can’t connect.” “ Already on the flight? Must be taking off. Then Aunt.” “...Aunt doesn’t work either.” “Right, they’d all be on the same flight.” They wouldn’t be unreachable throughout the flight, would they? If in a hurry, they might’ve taken a commercial plane. Chief Song, Hyunah, even Noah didn’t answer. Perhaps they blocked unknown numbers, like Seong Hyunjae. Then... “...Gyeol, do you know Haeyeon Guild or the ranch’s number?” Gyeol shook his head. “No phone, so I didn’t memorize it. You don’t know either? You’re the director, Dad.” “...True. Now everything’s saved on phones, so if it’s not in your contacts, you don’t remember.” I only memorized because phones break so often. Otherwise, I’d recall only Yuhyun’s and Yerim’s numbers. And Haeyeon’s changed after the regression. “ Gyeol, let’s search. It should pop up on the search engine.” “ Okay... Dad, the letters are squiggly!” “ Then English! Switch to English. Haeyeon Guild in English...” “ Internet is slow... disconnected.” Maybe out here there’s no signal. Or the phone’s poor condition. In that case... “ Call any number in Seoul: ask to patch me through! Dial 822!” International call wouldn’t go through; a landline might. Someone would pick up. After a few attempts, I got through. “ Excuse me, may I have the Haeyeon Guild’s phone number—” But the line went dead. Wait! It’s not a prank call! The second attempt was the same. Then... “ Hello! You’re on the special quiz show for Hunters’ radio!” “ What is the phone number of Korea’s premier S-rank Hunter Guild, Haeyeon Guild? Answer within ten seconds! Ten, nine...” [Hold on—Hey! Gyeol, search Haeyeon Guild! Phone number!] Through the phone came the number. Gyeol jotted it in my notepad. “ Correct! If you give us your address, we’ll send a gift.” [Yes, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu—] We wrote down the address. I’ll send them a gift when I return to Korea. Gyeol looked at me with admiration. “ Dad, you’re amazing!” “ There’s always a way. But children shouldn’t imitate it.” It’s still deceiving someone, after all. Ahem. Must live honorably. But no one’s harmed. I’ll compensate them. Then I called Haeyeon Guild. Soon connected to Seok Simyeong. [We’re so relieved you’re safe.] His voice brimmed with concern—more than before, strangely. Maybe influenced by memory of the regression. “ How is Yuhyun? Is everyone safe?” [Yes. Director Han Yujin, the fairy dragon, and the Guild Leader all moved safely to Manhattan. The Guild Leader, seeing the SNS posts, went straight to North Africa. He will arrive at Egypt’s Aswan International Airport near Prince Samir’s villa, though flight time is at least ten hours.] Quite far. But in a day, we’d reunite. They all must have worried—Yuhyun, Yerim, Peace, even Chief Song traveling too. Hyunah will join separately. [Hunter Noah arrives in Egypt first. We’ll send his contact details as soon as we can.] “ Understood. I’ll head to the airport immediately. The immigration process may be complex, but I’ll try to meet them right there.” And then I wanted to go home. But I had to bring Seong Hyunjae with me—where on earth is he? Send me a wedding invitation with the address, so I know where to find him. After the call, I set Aswan International Airport on the GPS. Estimated arrival: about six hours. “...Supposedly the closest.” Fuel was plenty—but six hours? That’s like going from Seoul to Busan. “ Gyeol, if you’re hungry, let me know. I put plenty of snacks in the glovebox.” “ Thanks, Dad. I can wait.” Gyeol bobbed his leg and looked quite happy—like a father-child road trip. Yes, let’s drive with that spirit. We are, after all, a family touring Egypt. Maybe we’ll see the pyramids. After a long drive, the airport we reached... Explosions erupted everywhere, flames blazing. I hadn’t done this—who was responsible?