Chapter 197

It was a coincidence. The ring that Yoo Ju was wearing came into view.

‘Ah…’

Come to think of it, she only sent a distress signal with the ring at first, and after that, she didn’t send any signals with the ring.

If I sent a signal with the ring, maybe I could bring Yoo Ju back to her senses.

‘Damn it, please come to your senses.’

Saaa—

As I channeled mana into the ring, the ring Yoo Ju was wearing began to glow.

At first, there was no reaction from Yoo Ju, but as I continued, her eyes, which had been swinging the spear aimlessly, suddenly regained life.

“Huh?”

Of course, Yoo Ju could clearly see her own ring glowing. Moreover, the ring she was wearing and the one I was wearing were bound items.

In other words, the only person who could send a signal to her ring was ‘me, who was still alive.’

‘I was stupid not to think of this earlier.’

If I had thought about the ring sooner, I could have prevented Yoo Ju from losing her sanity in the first place.

There was no one to blame but myself for thinking of the ring too late.

I showed the ring on my hand to Yoo Ju, who was regaining her senses, so she could see it more clearly.

“Ahh…”

Yoo Ju, who had finally come to her senses, looked at me and burst into tears.

‘…I feel a bit guilty.’

Of course, I’m human too, so I couldn’t help but feel guilty seeing Yoo Ju like that.

After all, it was because I had deceived her that she ended up like this.

‘She must have gone through a lot of emotional turmoil.’

“Yoo Ju.”

The others seemed to realize that Yoo Ju had regained her senses, as they sighed and put away their weapons.

“Y-Yoon Seong…”

Even though she used to call me Yoon Seong in front of others, it seemed like her emotions were too turbulent to care about that now.

‘…Well, that’s understandable.’

I held Yoo Ju as she clung to me and patted her back.

“Sniff… You’re alive… Thank goodness… Thank you… Ahh…”

‘…Damn it.’

Forget about my clothes getting soaked with her tears, Yoo Ju’s reaction was making my conscience hurt.

“I thought… I thought you were dead. I… I thought you were dead, Yoon Seong…”

…I was aware of the others’ gazes, but for now, calming Yoo Ju down was the priority.

“I’m not dead. Why would I die? I’m fine, so let’s pull ourselves together.”

‘Damn it.’

Lee Jae-hyo was watching this scene with a pleased expression, but the problem was the other two women.

Yoon Yeon and Ha Yu-ri were looking at Yoo Ju and me with strange gazes.

‘…Sigh.’

I could understand Ha Yu-ri’s glare because of what she had said to me before, but I was curious about why Yoon Yeon was looking at me like that.

Her gaze was oddly sharp.

“Sniff… Yoon Seong… Yoon Seong…”

“I’m fine, okay? I’m not hurt, I’m perfectly fine. So calm down.”

“Okay… Call my name… Please…”

“……”

‘Ah, this is…’

She always had a peculiar obsession with me calling her name.

I hesitated, aware of the others’ presence, and Yoo Ju looked at me with teary eyes.

“Please… call my name…”

‘Sigh…’

“…Yoo Ju.”

When I called her name, she smiled with tears still in her eyes.

‘…She’s pretty.’

I had to admit it. Her face, wet with tears and smiling at me, was really beautiful.

******

The incident where I was kidnapped by the Execution Society was finally over.

As a result, three executives of the Execution Society were dead, most of the outlaws under them were annihilated, Woo Seo-heun had fled, and the leader and the archer had also escaped.

I didn’t know about the other two, but Woo Seo-heun was now wanted across the entire continent.

By now, Woo Seo-heun, the Abyssal Priest, had become a very famous celebrity in Eras.

‘She’s probably cursing right now.’

Life as a fugitive isn’t easy. She must be under a lot of stress.

The reason I didn’t put out warrants for Jeon Myung-cheon and Yang So-wol was simple.

‘It would be strange if I knew their personal details.’

The reason I knew their personal details was none other than my own ability.

Unless I revealed my ability, I couldn’t put out warrants for them. Woo Seo-heun, on the other hand, had been a spy for Eternity, so it was possible to issue a warrant for her.

Anyway, and finally, there was the achievement of capturing Gwi Chang, who had been in a cooperative relationship with the Execution Society.

It was a pretty spectacular result. No, in fact, it was a remarkable achievement.

‘It’s a feat no one has accomplished before.’

Practically speaking, the Execution Society, which had been so notorious, was now as good as gone, and on top of that, we had captured a traitor like Gwi Chang.

It didn’t take long for the news to spread across the continent. This incident had elevated the reputation of Eternity, Shinwha, and the Mardan Clan to a level unmatched by any other clan in any country.

Of course, since the Execution Society’s crimes weren’t limited to Baronia, the reaction from other countries was naturally intense.

‘As for Yoo Ju… is she okay now?’

I explained to Yoo Ju, who had regained her senses, the same thing I had told the others. That I had been replaced by a clone and then escaped.

‘Whether Yoo Ju would believe it was the biggest concern…’

It wasn’t that Yoo Ju didn’t believe me. On the contrary, she believed me so much that it was almost awkward.

It seemed like, regardless of the circumstances, she was only concerned about the fact that I was alive.

Seeing her so focused on my safety made my conscience hurt again.

From my perspective, desperately trying to come up with excuses for her, it was extremely embarrassing.

‘And above all, her obsession has gotten worse.’

There might be an obsession as a lover, but the obsession I’m talking about now was of a different kind.

‘She started obsessing over my safety like crazy.’

At first, she made me report to her wherever I went, to the point where it was exhausting.

‘If that was all, it would have been fine, but damn it…’

Lately… it seemed like Yoo Ju was planning to keep me from leaving the clan.

It wasn’t a metaphor—she literally seemed to want to keep me from leaving, telling me I didn’t need to do any work and often assigning my tasks to others.

She would call me to her office and spend the whole day with me, or when she couldn’t come herself, she would have Wi Ho-yeon…





He gave the order.

He said to never let me leave the Clan House without his permission.

‘Damn, this is just imprisonment.’

At first, I thought Wi Ho-yeon would take my side, but it seemed she and Yoo Ju were on the same page, as Ho-yeon started keeping a close watch on me almost 24/7.

‘Not even letting me sleep is too much.’

Unbelievably, she even guards my door at night, sitting in some weird meditation pose or something.

“Ha…”

During the day, I’m watched by Yoo Ju and Ho-yeon, and at night, it’s just Ho-yeon.

Even Yoo Ju, for some reason, started sneaking into my room late at night after this incident, despite Ho-yeon guarding outside.

…Even though Ho-yeon is right outside my door.

‘This is exhausting.’

And of course, Yoo Ju doesn’t come late at night for innocent reasons. There’s always a separate motive.

It was obvious why Yoo Ju came to my room late at night.

‘But I can’t just reject her.’

She’s been so shaken by recent events that her need for affection has become extreme.

Honestly, since it’s my fault she’s like this, I can’t just turn her away when she comes late at night.

Lately, Yoo Ju’s dependency has reached an extreme level.

If I’m even slightly out of her sight or not in the Clan House for a moment, she turns pale and starts searching everywhere.

‘Her dependency on me is way too much.’

I suddenly remembered reading about someone on Earth who struggled with their wife’s extreme dependency on them, and I think I get how they felt now.

And even though Ho-yeon is guarding outside, Yoo Ju still comes at night, so I have to be mindful of Ho-yeon’s presence.

The room is soundproofed, so the noise won’t carry outside, but with Ho-yeon just a wall away, it’s awkward having those kinds of moments with Yoo Ju.

‘Damn…’

What’s even more ridiculous is that Ho-yeon acts completely unfazed.

As if she’s seen and heard nothing, she doesn’t react at all to my relationship with Yoo Ju.

‘Though sometimes her face does turn a bit red…’

And another problem is that because Ho-yeon doesn’t react, Yoo Ju feels even less restrained in her actions.

‘Why is she asking me if she feels better than Ho-yeon…’

If it were just Yoo Ju and me, it’d be one thing, but with Ho-yeon right outside the door, it feels oddly sinful.

Lately, Yoo Ju’s tastes have gotten even more extreme, to the point where it’s downright shocking.

…If even I’m shocked, you know it’s bad.

‘No matter how I think about it, I messed up this time. I shouldn’t have planned things like this.’

It’s great that Ho-yeon has grown so much, but the losses are also huge.

It’s not a material loss. If it were, I’d have laughed it off.

The biggest loss is that I’m practically living under house arrest. In other words, I have no freedom.

Even when I tried contacting Ruska, she wasn’t on my side either.

– It’s only natural, Master. If I were in Yoo Ju or the Sword Monarch’s position, I’d have kept you under house arrest too.

“……”

– In fact, I’m quite pleased with the current outcome. You need to be more careful about your safety.

‘Damn it…’

– They won’t keep this up forever, so it’s better to wait patiently. Things will get better with time.

‘I know that.’

Of course, things will improve over time. The problem is that I’m suffocating right now.

‘No, more than suffocating, it’s just weird.’

One of the two women I’m involved with is guarding outside, while the other is on the other side of the wall. It’s an abnormal relationship.

It’s beyond ridiculous.

I even asked Ho-yeon directly if she wasn’t uncomfortable with this treatment or situation.

Her answer was something else.

“I’m fine, Lee Yun-seong. As I’ve said before, you don’t need to worry about me at all. Please don’t mind me and act as you please.”

She even encouraged me to act on my desires, which made me laugh bitterly.

‘These… crazy women…’

I’m starting to suspect they’ve all been poisoned or something.

“Ho-yeon, isn’t this tiring? Instead of meditating or whatever, wouldn’t it be better to rest in your room?”

“It’s fine. I’m not tired at all. In fact, I think it was strange before. As your guard, I’ll make sure to keep you safe even while you sleep.”

‘Damn…’

I subtly tried to see if she was tired of guarding at night, but it didn’t work.

“So, please rest well tonight. Or… do you need some nighttime assistance?”

“Huh?”

‘What?’

I was caught off guard by her mention of “nighttime assistance,” and Ho-yeon nodded slightly before continuing.

“…I was foolish. Please forgive this inadequate guard for not understanding your intentions. Tonight, instead of the Clan Master, I will serve you.”

I was too stunned to speak. I couldn’t understand how she came to that conclusion.

She even grabbed me and pushed me into the room.

“W-wait…!”

“There’s no need to refuse. I’ll make sure you feel good.”

I tried to resist as she forced her way into the room, but with my low stats, it was useless.