Soon, Mihailov, Wei Yan and the referee from during the spar entered the office with the referee having changed into a different clothing. The office was filled with a tense atmosphere as Mihailov crossed his arms and sat on the other side of Yu Jitae, next to the square desk.
While Wei Yan ordered his assistant to brew some coffee, Yu Jitae sat still and imagined crushing Wei Yan’s head.
A demon referred to a human that received mana from the abyss. If an animal received the exact same thing, it would turn into a monster. A common aspect between monsters and demons was blind rage and killing intent towards humans, as well as their intense lust.
The world had faced a large threat due to these beings. So in the first and the second round of his regressions, without even the time to consider dragons and whatnot, Yu Jitae was led around by the demons. Memories from back then were clear in his head despite close to a hundred years having passed.
To him, all demons were beings that must be killed and was one of the large elements hastening the approaching Apocalypse.
It was when he was imagining crushing Wei Yan’s head and wondering what to do next after seeing the protruding bones in his head. Raising a cup of tea, Wei Yan opened his mouth.
“Hah this. I don’t know where to start from. First off, I am very regretful and am sorry to both guardians and cadets for such a thing happening during an interview of the Azure Dragon study group.”
A soft voice, and a way of speech that calms people down.
His eyes appeared depressed, as if he was appealing that he fully understood his responsibility in the matter. That voice which incited crowds countless times to satisfy his own desire was still the same despite the world being turned over.
Yu Jitae got rid of stray thoughts as the matter in hand was more of a priority.
“What is fortunate, is that there hasn’t been a huge problem that could cause an irreversible relationship. There has been a contact from the hospital, and fortunately, it ended with just bruises and fractures.”
Wei Yan furtively glanced at Yu Jitae to read his mood.
“So, I’m wondering if there even is a need to turn it into a bigger problem, or get angry over this… Since both of your children had desired to enter the Azure Dragon study group, how about we end it on a good note? As long as you two consider it positively, I will take care of all the other procedures.”
Unlike how demons usually showed their nature easily, Wei Yan’s patience was outstanding. To put this in comparison, it was similar to living 24 hours in abstinence in a period of time where one’s sexual desire bursted like crazy.
This was to increase his fame, in order to look for a bigger prey.
Right now, it was the same as well. His gaze that seemed to be naturally glancing across the room stayed longer on Yeorum. It was a tiny bit longer.
Her appearance as a dragon, and the overwhelming fighting ability amongst the reserve cadets meant Yeorum was the ideal member of Azure Dragon study group.
Wei Yan was coveting Yeorum.
“Mihailov.”
“I’m Yu Jitae.”
“Before receiving an apology, let me apologise. Sophia is still young and immature. Just then, her emotions seemed to have taken control of her. So…”
“I won’t receive your apology as a guardian.”
Having been interrupted in his speech, he twitched his eyes.
“What?”
“What meaning is there to an apology that borrows the mouth of another.”
“…With both of us being in the position of a guardian, I wish you would receive it with goodwill. An apology is an apology, and there’s no way you don’t know where I belong to.”
“We are not in the same position. Is that the way you apologise at the place you belong?”
Hearing his words mentioning RIL, Mihailov’s expression crumpled and the assistant that had stood as the referee was likewise slightly flustered.
“Hah, your attitude is a bit disrespectful. I started my words with goodwill and you reacting in this way confuses me. Then what do you say should be done? Should I bring a sick child and let her apologise?”
“If you want to apologise, then you should do that.”
“…Look here. Isn’t your arrogance a bit over the top?”
“Yourself as well.”
“This guy…”
Mihailov stood up, but Wei Yan quickly interjected.
“Calm down Mihailov. Let’s just sit down first and share a slow conversation. Mister Guardian Yu Jitae, I also wish you could be less thorny. If things turn out like this, I have no choice but to hand this over to the Disciplinary Office.”
There was still a video remaining and once an investigation started, it would become bothersome. Mihailov let out a deep sigh and spoke to Yu Jitae.
“Sophia is nineteen. It was a young child acting slightly immaturely. Once we start an investigation, it would be more of our fault and it’s true that her stimulation was the cause. I wish you could tolerate it as a child’s mistake. And to be honest, there’s nothing your side did well either, right?”
Yu Jitae shook his head.
“That is none of my business.”
“What?”
“The reason I called you over for a conversation, isn’t because of that girl that ran in with a sword in hand. And that’s why I’m naturally not planning to receive an apology.”
Who was right or wrong did not matter in the slightest to him. That would be a completely meaningless debate.
“What I’m curious about is this – why didn’t you stop the child that unsheathed a dagger and ran in? I called you over because I wanted to ask that.”
“What are…”
“That child, her eyes weren’t sane. When I looked up, there was not a single relation with our child. That means that running towards an opponent she’s seeing for the first time with frustration from a defeat as the reason is her personality. You, as the guardian, should know that right.”
“Back then, it was a sudden turn of events!”
“Is that why you couldn’t stop her? Because it was sudden?”
“…!”
“If you can’t even control that, you shouldn’t be letting her go to school. She’s not a hairy beast or anything. And if you can’t even control that, you shouldn’t be a guardian either.”
Mihailov felt his fist trembling. Yu Jitae’s words were wrong over and over again, but he couldn’t call out his mistakes. Back then, he definitely could have held Sophia back, but didn’t.
It was an emotional issue. He was also frustrated that his child was defeated helplessly and the fact that the redhead was provoking them in an unsightly manner was another factor.
Whatever the case, the redhead wouldn’t die, and because he himself was there, Sophia would be safe as well. Since there was RIL behind him, he would be able to ignore some small rumours. As long as he could show how scary the world was to that annoying kid… that was where his thoughts were at.
“Calling yourself a guardian despite having no skills, raising a hand to an opposing cadet, and getting hit on top of that.”
Hearing Yu Jitae, Yeorum blocked her mouth and giggled, as if she remembered what she had done.
“What. Why.”
When eyes gathered on her, Yeorum reacted indifferently.
Mihailov carefully chose his words. Yu Jitae’s words were exquisite with ill will. They pricked at his pride that usually wouldn’t have held itself back but if he were to correct it, his inner thoughts would be left in the open.
“And yet now you’re saying, ‘Sophia is young and immature’… Aren’t you embarrassed for blaming a young child for your own shortcoming?”
Yu Jitae continued provoking him. In fact, he did not have a single emotional discontent against Mihailov. He was just saying whatever he wanted, as if he was giving advice while watching over a game of chess from the side.
Even then, Mihailov’s expression was gradually becoming more ugly. He was distressed enough to feel displeased by the troubled gazes Wei Yan and the referee were facing him with.
In the end, he chose to change the topic.
“…So what are you trying to do? In a small world, are you trying to oppose RIL? It’s my first time hearing a household called ‘Yu’ though.”
He believed in RIL, as well as his power and position. Mihailov himself was a soldier that had entered RIL before the war, and threw himself for it during the past 20 years.
What about the guy in front of him? From what he looked up, both his name and household were things he had never heard of. Everything would be solved once he was pressured. That was what he thought.
“Why are you talking about households here?”
“I’m trying to say that nothing good will happen in the future by provoking me. Do you think Lair is a wide place?”
MIhailov forced a smile on his lips.
Yu Jitae was familiar – too familiar with that sort of expression. There were many that told him the same thing. They were ones with a lot of possessions, and were those that were used to suppressing others with force. In the end, half of them were dead, and the remaining half wished for death.
“Well, I’ll stop here as well since it was our mistake…”
Mihailov, who was continuing his words in confidence, slurred the end of his words.
Eyes.
His eyes were looking at him.
Those eyes that appeared strangely hazy until now were clear and suppressed him. Something heavy could be felt suffocating his heart.
“Before you go, let me look at your dagger.”
Before he could realise, there was a dagger in Yu Jitae’s hand. It was Mihailov’s. Despite having just left an artifact sheath with ‘cleansing’ spell casted, there was Yeorum’s blood remaining on the blade.
With the sleeves of his shirt, Yu Jitae started wiping the blood away.
He then reached the sword back towards the flustered Mihailov, who received the sword and unconsciously took a few steps back.
The things that had just happened were outside his comprehension. Did he just touch my waist?
His condescending heart vanished in an instant.
Thinking back, it was the same before as well. When he walked in through the dimension gap, Mihailov couldn’t understand it and had given up on comprehending it.
Squeezing the last bit of his pride, he opened his mouth.
“I will admit that it is completely our fault and will be responsible for it. Since you deem an apology unnecessary I’ll stop here. But… it will be better for you to be more careful. With that attitude, you might get hurt some day.”
Then, he regretted his words as soon as he finished them. At the end of that clear gaze was his own self. He felt tiny like a child standing before a beast, as cold sweat travelled down his spine.
Around the time he felt that the surroundings were oddly quiet, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.
“Use crowded roads.”
Words turned into a sticky poison and enveloped him. He could feel large thumping noises in his heart, enough to have it touch the ribs with a cold feeling. “If money… compensation for the situation is required, send it via a letter.” Without even knowing what he was saying, he spouted random words and quickly left.
It was because he had a thought that he didn’t know what would happen if he were to stay there.
There’s no way such a thing would happen with that many eyes watching. He’s a young dude.
His consciousness vehemently rejected the emotion called fear but fear, which had eaten up his emotions, selfishly caused him to imagine a future that hadn’t even occurred. His breath quickened, as he carried his uncontrollably trembling hand to touch a cigarette.
If he didn’t leave just then, he would have been dead.