Chapter 73

Inside Optimus’s Room.

Ice Queen and Phantom Luna are glaring at each other intensely.

“..As I said earlier in the car, that role was originally mine.”

“Even so, it was only ‘temporary.’ It could change at any time.”

“If we go by that logic, I believe Phantom Luna’s role is also temporary.”

“Well, it hasn’t been long since I switched to the Korean branch. That’s why it’s still temporary, but considering there’s been no change for half a year, it’s practically confirmed.”

Feeling like she had perfectly countered, Phantom Luna continued with a hint of confidence as she looked at Ice Queen.

“Also, I’ve been handling the role much longer than you, Ice Queen.”

“……”

The moment Ice Queen’s eyebrow twitched, Phantom Luna flinched slightly.

“Maker was the villain I chased first. If we go by how long I’ve been chasing him, shouldn’t I be the one?”

“..But you ended up going to the exchange meeting, didn’t you? If you were truly the only one who could stop Maker, you wouldn’t have had to attend the exchange meeting.”

“That’s…”

Their argument continued for a while.

‘What am I doing, acting so childish…’

Though they occasionally felt a sense of reality hitting them, both of them wanted to be the one in charge of Maker.

Honestly, they themselves didn’t even know why.

It could be a sense of duty, or perhaps a desire for revenge.

Or maybe it was some other complicated emotion.

But one thing they both agreed on was clear.

‘I’ll be the one to catch Maker.’

‘No, I’ll be the one to catch Maker!’

As heroes, wasn’t that enough?

“Hmm.”

“So, whether it’s by rank or capability, I’m the more suitable one.”

“Even if rank is uncertain, my capabilities aren’t lacking. Just look at my abilities…”

“Hold on, both of you, calm down.”

Optimus, who had been watching their endless argument, decided to step in to mediate.

“Why?”

“Neither of you is willing to back down, right?”

“Yes.”

Phantom Luna and Ice Queen looked at Optimus as if asking why he would even ask such an obvious question.

‘They sure get along well at times like this.’

Though their gazes were quite disrespectful, Optimus decided to let it slide since it wasn’t the first time.

Uuung-

He glanced toward the window, then smiled as he looked back at Ice Queen and Phantom Luna.

“Well, it’s settled then.”

The two women perked up at Optimus’s words.

“Both of you can be the lead heroes.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

At his clear declaration, Ice Queen and Phantom Luna both let out dumbfounded voices.

***

“..Ugh, why do I feel a chill?”

Right after finishing her report to Astra, as soon as she stepped out of her office, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

‘What is it? Did a cold breeze get in somewhere?’

But no matter how much she looked around, there was no sign of any draft.

And soon after, she felt a warm sensation, quickly forgetting about the earlier chill.

‘Let’s head back to my room.’

Udadadada-!

As she approached the door to her room where the two kids were, she heard hurried footsteps near the entrance.

Creeeak-

“W-welcome back!”

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Riru.

Boom boom boom-!

She politely placed her hands on her stomach and greeted her, but her sparkling eyes and wagging tail like a motor were hard to miss.

“I’m back, Riru. Did you guard the house well?”

“Grrr-! I guarded it well!”

As she patted Riru’s head, Riru smiled proudly, stretching out her arms to block her way.

‘..What is this? It feels like I’ve seen this somewhere.’

It reminded her of a silly squirrel meme she saw online, saying “Hug me!”

And Riru probably struck that pose for a similar reason.

“Hehe…”

As expected, hugging her was the right answer, as Riru giggled and rubbed her face against her.

Seeing this, she smiled and patted Riru’s head.

Tap tap.

After a brief pause, Gayeon tugged at her sleeve and looked up at her.

“Should I peel off the leech?”

“..Don’t call your sister a leech.”

With a serious expression, she lightly flicked Gayeon’s forehead.

What kind of leech is this, calling your sister a leech.

But Gayeon ignored her words and turned her gaze to Riru.

“Stupid dog. You’re making it hard for Oppa to come inside. Get out.”

“…Eeeng.”

At Gayeon’s words, Riru shook her head and burrowed deeper into her embrace.

Gayeon looked at her with slight dissatisfaction.

“I’m fine, Gayeon.”

“But Oppa is tired…”

“I can just carry her in.”

I’m already used to carrying something in both hands because of you, Gayeon.

“And Riru had to stay behind when we went on that mission, right? So it’s only fair she gets to stay close now.”

“Oppaaa..!”

“Gahk!”

At her words, Riru, seemingly moved, wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly.

Wait, if you squeeze any harder, you’ll break my neck…!!

“..Sis is so mean! Calling me a stupid dog and all..!”

“If it’s a stupid dog, then call it a stupid dog. What else? And loosen your grip. Are you trying to kill Oppa?”

“Ah..”

“Cough. Ahem… It’s fine. It’s okay.”

Startled by Gayeon’s words, Riru loosened her grip.

Thanks to that, I quickly regained my composure and was able to comfort Riru, who was on the verge of tears.

“Ugh, you dummy. Don’t you know your own strength yet?”

“Eeeng..”

“Stupid dog. Idiot.”

“Eek..! If I’m a stupid dog, then Sis is a greedy pig!!”

At Gayeon’s continued teasing, Riru made a funny face and got angry at Gayeon.

“I was just waiting for Oppa at home! Sis went on a mission with Oppa and did all that stuff!”

Seeing Riru shouting, Gayeon smirked and scoffed.

Where did she even learn that from…

“You have to be useful to be taken along.”

“Riru is super useful!”

“Not at all.”

“Yes, I am!”

“You’re not.”

“Yes, I am!”

Riru pouted and buried her face back into her embrace.

“Mean Sis! Greedy Sis! Always hogging Oppa and never giving me a chance!”

“Yeah. That must have been hard for you.”

“Love is something you fight for. Just crying won’t make your destined partner appear.”

“..That’s not something you say in this situation, Gayeon. And where did you even learn that?”

“From the book under Sister Chicken Coop’s bed.”

..That doesn’t sound like a wholesome book.

I’ll have to talk to Ahn Yeri or Astra about that later.

“Oppa is tired. Move aside.”

“No, this is Riru’s spot!”

“Haha…”

Stop fighting, kids.

I just want to rest…

***

“Grrr… Phew…”

“……”

After somehow making it into the room and taking a shower.

As I stepped out of the shower, I saw Gayeon and Riru already fast asleep.

“It’d be nice if they were this well-behaved all the time.”

As I carefully patted their heads, they smiled contentedly.

I moved them to the bed so they could sleep comfortably, then stretched out on the sofa.

“Am I raising subordinates or daughters?”

Chuckling softly, I closed my eyes and quietly reflected on the day’s events.

‘Today was a bit chaotic.’

From Phantom Luna getting caught off guard by the villain,

to somehow managing to put a leash on her with quick thinking.

And just when I was about to shake Phantom Luna’s resolve and strengthen her spirit, Ice Queen showed up and disrupted the flow.

‘Nothing went according to plan.’

I might have gotten complacent, but the most unexpected thing was Ice Queen.

I mean, who comes back from an exchange meeting and immediately goes after a villain?

‘It’s not all bad, though.’

Well, even in this situation, it wasn’t all failures.

‘With Ice Queen back, there’s so much more we can do now.’

Ice Queen’s return brought the main players together,

and thanks to her attacking me right away, I was able to show off my ability to evade two high-ranking heroes in real-time.

‘..With this, the name “Maker” should be sufficiently inflated, so I won’t be underestimated when I go to “that place.”‘

“Nice.”

It seems like it’s finally time to carry out the big plan I’ve been preparing for half a year.

‘Preparation is perfect.’

It’s time to finally get the artifact I need and throw the country into chaos.

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