Kang Sena’s house wasn’t particularly spacious, but it wasn’t cramped either.
It was decently sized for a single woman to live in, with two rooms and a fairly large bathtub in the bathroom.
“Did you think I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth?”
“…Well, sort of…”
“I was actually quite lucky. My father succeeded in land speculation before he passed away.”
Kang Sena chuckled as she explained.
Her attire was more casual than when I had seen her at the management bureau.
She was wearing loose sleep pants, a tank top, and a light sports jacket, with her forehead fully exposed.
It seemed like she had removed all her makeup, and I found her current, more natural appearance more relatable than her polished look at the bureau.
Kang Sena didn’t seem to have any concerns about bringing me into her home.
As a man, I felt a bit embarrassed, but given the circumstances, there wasn’t much I could do.
“So, the reporters are gathered in front of my house?”
“Yes.”
“It seems like the information has leaked.”
Kang Sena casually sat on the sofa, picked up the remote, and turned on the TV.
The screen showed the scene in front of my house.
The news displayed my name in bold letters along with the title of South Korea’s first S-class awakened.
My head was pounding.
“Originally, the management bureau intended to keep your information, as an S-class awakened, as hidden as possible.”
“Hidden?”
“I’m sure I explained this to you kindly at the bureau, but you must have forgotten.”
Kang Sena sighed as she explained.
“Right now, you’re a person of interest. If the information leaks, not just Seoul but other cities will try to recruit you. It’s highly likely that scouts from other countries will also come after you.”
Is it that serious?
At first, I thought so, but then I reconsidered.
I had witnessed the terrifying destructive power of the storm dragon Tempestra.
Moreover, I had heard news of disasters in other countries causing casualties in the tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions. In such a grim situation, the news of an awakened individual in Korea capable of summoning a 4-star calamity would be enticing to anyone.
“So, what should I do? There’s a limit to hiding my face like this. I can’t even go home.”
“Hmm… For now, it seems best to arrange a room for you at the management bureau… But judging by your expression, you don’t like that idea.”
“Yes, a bit.”
“I actually agree. Given how things have turned out, the bureau will likely promote you as a figurehead. And I, being a soft-hearted woman, don’t want to serve a man who’s been through a breakup as my superior.”
“…”
I almost spat out the water I was drinking.
Kang Sena continued without changing her expression.
“But it wouldn’t hurt to build a rapport with an S-rank awakened. Even if a romantic relationship is out of the question, being collaborators should be fine, right?”
Kang Sena turned around and handed me something.
Upon closer inspection, it was a card key.
“What’s this?”
“I’ve rented a nearby hotel for you. Starting tomorrow, you’ll stay here.”
“A hotel?”
“To receive a residence as an S-class awakened, you need to go through the bureau’s procedures. But since the information has already leaked, getting a safe house from the bureau would just lead to the same situation. For now, stay at the hotel, and once the security personnel are fully prepared, it won’t be too late to face the reporters.”
As I blinked in confusion, Kang Sena impatiently grabbed my hand and placed the card key in it.
“Take it, don’t hesitate.”
“…Okay.”
“We’re collaborators, right? If you succeed, I can quit this damn job.”
With that, Kang Sena opened a can of beer and started sipping it with jerky as a snack.
“…Hmm.”
I looked at the hotel card key in my hand and shrugged.
Kang Sena, a B-class awakened and a bureau employee.
It seemed she wasn’t as bad a person as I had thought.
“…By the way, Nam Jooyeon.”
“Yes.”
“…Am I not your type?”
It seems the aftermath is a bit long.
*
Meanwhile, Mirien of the North Sea Storm was facing a dilemma.
“Should I kill them or not?”
The crowd gathered in front of the ruler Actor’s residence.
Those detestable beings were pestering Actor like moths to a flame.
Mirien was considering whether to personally punish them for Actor’s sake.
There was only one reason she hadn’t acted yet.
‘I didn’t expect Tempestra to go that berserk.’
The storm dragon Tempestra, blessed with the power of thunder, had breathed its breath towards Actor.
It was only because Actor quickly noticed and moved out of the way that Mirien didn’t lose the most important piece of her life.
Worried about this, she had spent the past two days fearing she might have lost Actor’s favor.
Mirien thought it was time to step up for Actor again.
“…First, I’ll clean up that trash… for Actor…”
As she muttered to herself, Mirien suddenly sensed a presence approaching from behind.
“…Who’s there?”
“Pathetic. Is that the humble wish of the great mage?”
The voice of an uninvited guest suddenly rang out.
Mirien turned her body to glare at the source of the voice.
“Selene, I don’t recall inviting you.”
“Indeed. I don’t recall being invited either.”
The scorched saint Selene.
A calamity said to have single-handedly burned the continent.
Once a comrade of Mirien and one of Actor’s limbs.
However, the relationship between the two, who had once shared the same boat, was far from good.
Their feelings towards the ruler were similar but diametrically opposed.
And the rift between them had only deepened since their liberation.
A wrinkle formed on Mirien’s brow.
“How did you get up here?”
“I flew. I learned the floating skill.”
Selene slightly lifted the hem of her fluttering nun’s habit.
“How trivial. So, what did you come to say?”
“I came to give you a piece of advice.”
“Advice? How dare you, a vixen who seduces the ruler, give me advice?”
Mirien showed hostility.
Selene simply looked at Mirien with indifferent eyes.
“How unfortunate. That a mage like you fails to understand such a simple truth.”
“…What nonsense are you spouting…?”
“If you’re trying to approach our lord with feelings of affection, I’m here to tell you to back off.”
Mirien flinched at Selene’s words.
Selene had never been so explicit in expressing her intentions before.
Selene continued, unfazed.
“In his current human form, our lord is, though I hate to admit it as a subordinate, incredibly fragile. Having lost his divinity, he cannot withstand your affection.”
“What?”
Mirien squinted one eye.
“Are you saying I’m a threat to Actor?”
“Of course. You are a mage who once led the world to ruin. You were never human, a disaster in your own right.”
“…What, what are you…”
“Just a few days ago, you enraged the storm dragon Tempestra, nearly causing significant harm to our lord’s body.”
“…”
Mirien bit her lip.
She was aware that she didn’t possess the emotions of a normal person.
Selene continued in a soft voice.
“You are destruction. And our lord cannot endure your affection. As a subordinate, I must prioritize our lord’s safety. Therefore, your existence poses a great danger to him.”
“…You, you, what are you trying to say?”
“Stop causing trouble and leave.”
As Selene spat out these words, the air around them stirred.
In an instant, dark clouds formed in the sky, and lightning began to strike.
A blue light flickered in Mirien’s eyes, ready to retaliate, but Selene simply closed one eye.
“…I have received orders from our lord not to fight you. If you kill me in my defenseless state, you will forever lose our lord’s favor.”
Thud.
“…Ugh.”
At the mention of the ruler, Mirien’s hand trembled.
The surging mana subsided.
Silence fell, and as Selene opened her closed eye, she delivered a reality Mirien didn’t want to accept.
“After all, you’ve already been discarded, haven’t you?”
“…”
Discarded.
It was a sentence akin to a death penalty.
[You have dismissed 5★ Mirien of the North Sea Storm.]
[Y]
Naturally, the memory from a few days ago resurfaced.
Having denied reality until now, the clear truth she hadn’t wanted to understand was once again etched in Mirien’s mind by Selene’s words.
“After all, you already know who is by our lord’s side now, don’t you?”
Selene sneered as she placed a hand on her chest.
The skin, scarred by burns, glowed a dark red in the sunlight.
“He chose me. Not a mage with vulgar feelings of affection, but a subordinate willing to pledge her life in loyalty.”
Selene’s words were sharp.
Mirien, who would have normally retorted in anger, could only shrink and tremble.
“N-no. Actor… he helped me. He gave me a new life. He gave me a heart…”
“Yes. That is an undeniable fact. But do you know this?”
Selene twisted her lips as she continued.
“Our lord treated all calamities equally. He bestowed an elixir upon me, cured Karne’s illness, and restored Asteria’s crown. In other words, you were not given special treatment.”
As Mirien fell silent, Selene glanced at the ground and shrugged.
“Hmm. It seems our lord has started to move. I’ll take my leave now.”
“…”
“I hope you remember my words well. With your brilliant mind, I believe you will understand better than anyone.”
Before Mirien could retort, Selene turned into particles and disappeared.
For a while, Mirien stared at the spot where Selene had been.
“…That bitch, how dare she…”
Mirien, who had shown hostility, soon shook her head and collapsed.
Her head hurt.
More than that, the artificial heart Actor had gifted her was acting up.
Clutching her chest, Mirien grimaced.
“…Ugh.”
She knew, deep down.
That her feelings for Actor were not the usual loyalty.
That Actor did not favor her but loved everyone equally.
And unlike Selene, who had returned to the ruler’s side, Mirien had been discarded.
The reason for which she could never fathom.
“…Huh.”
But Mirien was a disaster in human form.
An omnipotent mage.
She would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
“…You vixen, do you think I’ll just cry and give up?”
Today, Mirien realized another emotion.
Jealousy.
And hatred.
It was more than enough fuel for the magic she was about to cast.