"By the way, this is strange."
"...What is?"
Sihyun, whose trust had plummeted to zero with the previous answer, stared at Russ, who was absentmindedly stroking his chin. Having seen him act like a lunatic for quite some time, it was hard to take his serious demeanor seriously. It was a skill to create such an impression in just a few minutes. Russ, with a thoughtful expression, let out a muffled laugh and spoke, resting his chin on one of his legs.
"No matter how I think about it, it seems like you're the cause."
"Me?"
"What cause are you talking about?"
Dawn's voice added to Sihyun's confusion. Having stared at the back of his head as if he were targeting him, Dawn finally shifted his gaze towards Russ. The discomfort felt from the back of his head disappeared.
"I've been working as an Awakened for a few years. Can you guess how many?"
"I don't know."
"Ten years."
"...."
Wasn't he active from the beginning then? Considering that the first Irregular appeared ten years ago, it roughly matched the timeframe. Sihyun slightly raised his trust level by one, thinking he was more of a veteran than expected. Russ, with a thoughtful tone, continued, resting his chin on his hand and looking at the young Quadruple.
"I've never seen this many Irregulars in such a short time span since I started as an Awakened. But this time, we have Kraken, Sirens, and even the ocean's calamity appearing in a short time."
"And you think I'm the cause?"
"Yes."
"Are you crazy?"
Dawn snapped at Russ's words. Sihyun thought it was strange for Dawn to get angry. He casually turned his head, and Dawn's raised eyebrows came into view. Sihyun extended his hand, stopping Dawn who was stepping forward. Dawn's gaze, which was directed at the man, turned back to Sihyun.
"You seem surprisingly calm."
Sihyun shrugged at Russ's voice.
In life, one could experience possession and encounters with the original body's owner. Well, encountering an Irregular due to such a reason didn't seem that surprising anymore. And above all...
"Nothing is certain yet."
"That's true. But there are signs."
"What signs?"
Russ emitted a low hum in response to Sihyun's question. Sihyun stared at him as if he had nailed something to him and then Russ spoke slowly.
"Titan took you away, right?"
"Me?"
Sihyun?
Wondering why he let him go, Russ's forehead twitched. It was curious that Dawn got angry for no reason. Slightly turning his head, he saw Dawn's raised eyebrows. Sihyun reached out his hand, preventing Dawn who was about to move forward. Dawn's gaze, which was directed at the man, turned back to Sihyun.
"You were taken captive at that time."
"Ah, me?"
Wondering why he let him go, it seemed it was because of himself. It seemed that the cause he mentioned was not the cause of Irregulars appearing but his own cause. Sihyun closed his mouth, refraining from conveying any comforting words. Saying something thoughtlessly might lead to a situation where death would be preferable. Russ, with a frown, slowly opened his mouth.
"When I was working as an Awakened, it had been a few years since I became an Irregular."
"I don't know."
"Ten years."
"...."
Wasn't he active from the beginning then? Considering that the first Irregular appeared ten years ago, it roughly matched the timeframe. Sihyun slightly raised his trust level by one, thinking he was more of a veteran than expected. Russ, with a thoughtful tone, continued, resting his chin on his hand and looking at the young Quadruple.
"I've never seen this many Irregulars in such a short time span since I started as an Awakened. But this time, we have Kraken, Sirens, and even the ocean's calamity appearing in a short time."
"And you think I'm the cause?"
"Yes."
"Are you crazy?"
Dawn snapped at Russ's words. Sihyun thought it was strange for Dawn to get angry. He casually turned his head, and Dawn's raised eyebrows came into view. Sihyun extended his hand, stopping Dawn who was stepping forward. Dawn's gaze, which was directed at the man, turned back to Sihyun.
"You seem surprisingly calm."
Sihyun shrugged at Russ's voice.
In life, one could experience possession and encounters with the original body's owner. Well, encountering an Irregular due to such a reason didn't seem that surprising anymore. And above all...
"Nothing is certain yet."
"That's true. But there are signs."
"What signs?"
Russ emitted a low hum in response to Sihyun's question. Sihyun stared at him as if he had nailed something to him and then Russ spoke slowly.
"Titan took you away, right?"
"Me?"
Sihyun?
Wondering why he let him go, Russ's forehead twitched. It was curious that Dawn got angry for no reason. Slightly turning his head, he saw Dawn's raised eyebrows. Sihyun reached out his hand, preventing Dawn who was about to move forward. Dawn's gaze, which was directed at the man, turned back to Sihyun.
"You were taken captive at that time."
"Ah, me?"
Wondering why he let him go, it seemed it was because of himself. It seemed that the cause he mentioned was not the cause of Irregulars appearing but his own cause. Sihyun closed his mouth, refraining from conveying any comforting words. Saying something thoughtlessly might lead to a situation where death would be preferable. Russ, with a frown, slowly opened his mouth.
"When I was working as an Awakened, it had been a few years since I became an Irregular."
"Is it possible to strike lightning with all your strength when you're a weak guy stuck to Titan? After hitting him a few times and making him let go, this cute Quadruple was on the verge of death. Once I decided to let him live for now and went up, Titan's energy disappeared again. At this point, there might be something to say."
"Still, it's not certain."
"That's true."
Whether it was simple or lenient, Sihyun thought it might be both as he looked at the man who missed Titan because of him. Having saved him, he ended up missing Titan as well. If this continued, it felt like he was accumulating more debt. Concerned about this, Sihyun quickly changed the subject.
"So, today's case seems special."
"Yeah."
"From my perspective, it seems like you think I'm the cause because I'm a Quadruple."
"Oh."
"Why do you keep insisting on that? Call me Russ."
"Ah, yes, Russ."
Sihyun once again tried to recall where the Eastern Courtesy Bureau was, adjusting his address accordingly. Doing so made him feel somewhat uneasy. As he waited for a response, a voice suddenly emerged from behind Sihyun.
"Is there any connection between the Quadruples and the appearance of Irregulars?" It was Haru's question. It made Sihyun remember the companions he had seemingly forgotten, standing silently behind him, having achieved their goals of straightening his hair and covering him with a blanket. Sihyun's gaze shifted towards Haru. When Haru noticed the ghostly look in Sihyun's eyes, his expression darkened. Slightly bewildered, he clenched his lips.
"Why is he like that again?"
Just because he fell into the sea and came out once, the kids had changed. Starting with Daun, who used to get angry at the slightest provocation, to Haewoon, who now stood silently without complaining about his legs. Sihyun, thinking that everyone was the same as usual except for Geonu, who was next to Haewoon, glanced at Geonu. Geonu met his gaze and clenched his fist.
"..."
Taking his eyes off, Sihyun looked at Russ instead. It seemed more comfortable to look in this direction.
"The connection between the Quadruples and the Irregulars' appearance?"
"Yes."
"I don't know about that either."
"Really?"
Haru asked in response to Russ's nonchalant answer. Russ raised and lowered his shoulders, and then tapped the foot he had on his knee. His black shoes swayed in rhythm. Unlike the perplexed kids, Russ alone remained nonchalant.
"I've just met the Quadruples, how would I know exactly? It's just a guess. Wondering if Quadruples might have an influence on the Irregular appearances, you know? So, I was trying to take them to the IRS to see."
"If they are brought, I planned to treat them exceptionally well. Instead, I wanted to take a look at the Irregulars. That's why I offered to protect them."
Cancel that simple-minded remark. Still, having spent ten years in the awakened world, Russ seemed somewhat shrewd. Sihyun, who thought it was a good idea to refuse, summarized the conversation. The conclusion was not certain, but the appearance of the Titan might be related to that.
Suddenly, the nightmare he had before the math trip came to mind. It was a dream that eventually became a prophecy. As that dream came to mind, Sihyun's certainty about denying Russ's assumptions wavered. Perhaps that prophecy dream was not unrelated to what Russ said. In a fraction of a second, Sihyun's thoughts became complicated.
There's only a hunch, no certainty.
With limited information to be sure of something, Sihyun sighed heavily, swallowing his frustration.
"Are you okay? Does something hurt?"
"Yes...?"
As Haru, who had grabbed his shoulder nervously, asked with widened eyes, Sihyun, who was trying to assure him that he was fine, saw Haru frowning, not trusting his words.
"Are you really okay?"
"Hyung, I'm really fine."
"But..."
It's not some kind of aftereffect, right?
Sighing with anxiety, Haru asked, and Sihyun touched his forehead. Turning his gaze around, he noticed that the expressions of the other Class A students were no different from Haru's. Even Hamin was putting on an expression, so it seemed like a done deal.
Their expressions seemed strange for some reason.
It was probably due to their surprise at the fact that I almost drowned in the sea and almost died. Still, I survived, used healing, and had no injuries. I was moving around and talking normally. Looking at various pairs of eyes showcasing their unique personalities, Sihyun spoke up. It seemed like he needed to clear up their misunderstandings.
"I'm really okay."
Sihyun said nonchalantly, with a strange tone. Then the students' expressions sank even further. It had the opposite effect.
What should I do to make them believe me?
As Sihyun struggled, laughter erupted from behind. Russ seemed to find this situation incredibly amusing, laughing as if he couldn't breathe. Sihyun, who ignored the untrusted triple, narrowed his eyes and then stood up from his seat. Among the Class A students, Haru was the most sensitive to Sihyun's actions.
Just standing up, Sihyun reassured Haru, who was trying to stop him, that he was fine and walked towards the railing. He wanted to show that he could move around and wander without any problems.
It seemed that's what happened.
"I'm really fine-"
Sihyun's words, walking towards the railing, abruptly stopped. Instead, he gasped, and Sihyun, who was about to speak, closed his mouth. At this early hour, the murky sea reflected in his blue eyes. His eyes, resembling the sea, shook violently, and he struggled to breathe. Sihyun, with wide eyes, held his throat, gasping for breath. The A-class kids hurriedly approached Sihyun.
His heart pounded fiercely.
He couldn't help but recognize this familiar feeling, and Sihyun couldn't help but wonder where it came from. His vision turned.
It's over.
Just before Sihyun collapsed, he mumbled, looking at the pale faces entering his sight.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
