Even after leaving the Inner World, Hong Yeon-hwa remained dazed for quite a while.
Part of it was probably the helplessness that came from being completely overwhelmed by a stronger opponent, but it seemed there was another reason as well.
Looks like she gained some kind of insight.
If that was the case, the best thing to do was not interfere.
So I quietly waited, and before long, focus returned to Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes.
She turned toward me and asked,
“How much… time passed?”
“Not long. The flow of time is different there.”
“Ah…! So that’s what you meant.”
“That’s right. How was it?”
“I… learned a lot…”
Still looking somewhat absentminded, Hong Yeon-hwa began recounting what had happened in the Inner World.
As expected, the one who greeted her was the Ruby Magic Tower Master.
Judging by her appearance, there was a high chance it had been Hong Hyeon-ah.
Following her instructions, Hong Yeon-hwa demonstrated the best spell she could muster, and she felt as though she had earned some degree of recognition.
Then it was Hong Hyeon-ah’s turn, and the magic she displayed had been an enormous shock.
“There were a lot of things I’d learned too… but it was different.”
“How so?”
“The spells were more concise, and the way they unfolded… it was like they were alive…?”
“Sounds like inviting you there was the right call.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
Hong Yeon-hwa carefully spoke up again.
“You know…”
“What?”
“I kind of… want to try copying it.”
“You want to spar?”
“Mhmm.”
Magical training was never the same when done in empty air. Having even a practice dummy was different, and having a living, moving opponent was different again.
I readily agreed.
“Sure. While we’re at it, let’s do this too.”
[‘Hardship’ has been activated.]
[‘Stage 25 Hardship’ has been applied to the target.]
[Cooldown: 5 days 23:59:57]
Since she had gained a considerable amount of insight just moments ago, there was a high chance the quest objective would be related to that.
And it was better to get the cooldown ticking as early as possible.
“……!”
As expected, excitement filled Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes as she stared at the quest window.
I then handed her the “red book”.
“Want to try this too?”
“A Challenge… Book?”
“If you want to take it more seriously.”
Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t hesitate for long before nodding.
“I’ll do it…!”
“Excellent.”
She had both motivation and a clear direction, which made things easier for me.
After accepting the Challenge as well, we faced each other and prepared for battle.
“…….”
Hong Yeon-hwa raised her wand and began chanting a spell.
Large and small magic circles appeared one after another, transforming into all kinds of flames that rained down on me.
In response, I combined [Feather Step] and [Sailboat], weaving through the gaps between them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
***
Quite a bit of time passed while we sparred in a state bordering on complete immersion.
Then, sensing someone’s presence, we stopped.
Turning our heads, the first thing we saw was a head of red hair.
It was Hong Yeom-baek, Master of the Ruby Magic Tower and the Hong sisters’ father.
As he approached with several companions, he broke into a wide grin and shouted,
“My daughter! My boy!”
“Ugh, seriously! Dad! Keep it down!”
Hong Yeon-hwa complained, covering her ears.
Whether she liked it or not, Hong Yeom-baek simply burst into hearty laughter and continued speaking.
“Thank you for coming! I truly mean it!”
“It’s been a while, sir.”
“When you showed up, it felt like the whole Magic Tower became livelier! And look at her….she’s actually training again for the first time in ages!”
Hong Yeon-hwa immediately protested.
“It hasn’t been that long…!”
“Haven’t you been holed up in your room lately? Do you know how worried everyone was?!”
“Wh-Why are you exaggerating so much? It’s not like I stayed in my room all the time!”
“See? Now that your friend is here, you finally feel motivated again!”
“Dad, seriously!”
Hong Yeon-hwa hurriedly tried to cover her father’s mouth, but naturally, it was a hopeless attempt.
The one who finally stopped the runaway train that was Hong Yeom-baek was the woman standing beside him.
She took hold of his arm lightly and said,
“That’s enough. She clearly doesn’t like it.”
“…Ahem. Did I get a little too excited?”
“You should lower your voice a bit too. You’re the Tower Master. It doesn’t look very dignified otherwise.”
“…Understood. I’ll be more careful.”
The booming shouting vanished, and Hong Yeom-baek suddenly became much more refined.
That alone made it easy to guess the nature of their relationship.
The woman looked to be around thirty.
She resembled the Hong sisters so closely that, at first glance, I thought she might be their eldest sister.
But that clearly wasn’t the case.
Her overall aura was subtly different, and her hair was black.
Which meant she didn’t possess the fire attribute characteristic of the Ruby Magic Tower.
Which also meant she belonged to a different lineage.
At the same time, she seemed even stronger than Hong Yeom-baek himself.
Almost certainly S-Rank.
After studying me for a moment, she finally spoke.
“When I heard that Yeon-hwa had formed a Bond with a first-year student, I wasn’t sure what to think. But you really are a Monarch.”
“It’s only a title. I still have a long way to go.”
“That’s excessive modesty. At your age, achievements like yours would be something to be proud of anywhere.”
I offered a faint smile and bowed my head.
“I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Kim Ho.”
“I’m Yeon-hwa’s mother. I hope you don’t mind if I speak casually?”
“Of course not.”
Mother Hong tilted her chin slightly and glanced around the group.
“It’s almost dinner time. Let’s talk while we eat.”
***
After taking a short break, I followed Hong Yeon-hwa to the dining area.
A massive table was covered with all kinds of dishes.
There was an especially large variety of grilled foods, which was fitting for the Ruby Magic Tower and its mastery over fire.
About half of the dishes were also coated in spicy seasoning.
Magma, Inferno, Hellfire…
For Seo Ye-in, this was practically a minefield, and even I would probably have to be selective about what I ate.
Of course, to the Hong family, this all seemed perfectly normal.
Once everyone had gathered around the table, Hong Yeom-baek offered the customary greeting.
“There’s not much to speak of, but please enjoy.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Everyone began serving themselves portions of the various dishes.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa glanced in my direction a few times before cautiously pointing at several dishes on the table.
“This one… and this one… are really good.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhmm. I like them too…”
“I’ll give them a try.”
They were grilled chicken and fried fish, both cooked to a delicious golden brown.
Though at a glance, they were bright red enough to make it obvious they had been generously coated in Hellfire sauce.
Still, considering the thought behind the recommendation, I could at least taste them.
I added the dishes she recommended to my plate and took a bite of each.
An intense, searing spiciness immediately flooded my tongue.
…Yep. Definitely Hellfire.
Hong Yeon-hwa watched my reaction anxiously.
Then she carefully asked,
“Do you… like it?”
“Yeah. It’s good.”
“These ones and these ones aren’t spicy at all. Give me your plate.”
Taking my plate, she added several dishes that hadn’t been coated in spicy seasoning.
Then she even poured me a drink.
“Try this too…”
“Thanks.”
“Mhmm…!”
Hong Yeon-hwa smiled with obvious satisfaction.
Then she noticed her older sister staring at her with an expression of complete disbelief.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You really can’t take your eyes off him, can you?”
“I’m just checking whether he likes the food! He’s a guest.”
“You never paid this much attention to other guests.”
“When? I did too.”
“The last time we had guests, you practically had your nose buried in your own plate.”
“What do you mean buried in my plate? Stop saying weird things.”
Just as the sisters’ argument seemed ready to escalate further—
Mother Hong spoke a single, brief sentence.
“Let’s eat.”
“…….”
“…….”
The two sisters immediately quieted down.
As one might expect from someone who could effortlessly keep Hong Yeom-baek, the Master of the Ruby Magic Tower, under control, it seemed that Mother Hong was the true authority in this household.
For a while, the only sounds were utensils lightly clinking against plates.
Then Mother Hong looked at me and said,
“You seem to have something you want to ask.”
“Just a bit of curiosity.”
“Go ahead.”
“I assume you’re an unaffiliated-element mage. Would you happen to have any connection to the Magic Tower Association?”
“I served as its Master for a short time.”
Most of the clubs at Dragon Slayer Academy were essentially smaller versions of outside organizations.
The Swordsmanship Club had close ties to the Murim Alliance.
The White Magic Club was connected to the Magic Tower Association.
And it seemed Mother Hong had once been the leader of that very organization.
Gracefully handling her utensils, she asked in return,
“Curious why I stepped down from the position?”
“If you don’t mind me asking.”
“It wasn’t anything dramatic. I simply thought my family was more important.”
The Hong couple exchanged faint smiles.
Then she continued.
“People are always surprised when I give that answer.”
“It is somewhat unexpected. It’s quite different from the impression I’ve had until now.”
“That’s how people are. You rarely know what’s truly in someone’s heart. Not until you sit down and speak openly like this.”
“I agree.”
I slowly nodded.
“I wanted to meet you as well. After all, you’re the Bond partner of my precious daughter.”
“I expected as much.”
“And… from what I’ve heard, she’s Number Three?”
The atmosphere around the table instantly turned cold.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes darted around helplessly.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeom-baek and Hong Ye-hwa wore expressions that seemed to say, Here it comes.
So this is turning into a pressure interview all of a sudden.
Most people would lose their appetite in a situation like this.
But I was as thick-skinned as I was ambitious.
Picking up a piece of one of Hong Yeon-hwa’s recommended dishes, I answered calmly.
“Does the order really matter?”
“I’d say it’s quite significant. After all, you didn’t form Bonds with just anyone.”
“It’s true that I was careful about it. That doesn’t mean I intend to treat anyone differently.”
“You can say that, but when there are three of them, someone is bound to get less attention.”
I replied with a gentle smile.
“That depends on the size of the vessel. I still have plenty of room.”
“…You’re remarkably confident.”
“If I weren’t, I never would have started in the first place.”
“…….”
Mother Hong stared at me in silence as if she was deep in thought.
Of course, the answer had already been decided from the beginning.
“…I’ll continue to observe. If things turn out the way I expect… I’ll find a way to break it off. No matter what it takes.”
“You won’t have anything to worry about.”
Since things had already reached this point, I decided to be even more shameless.
Picking up a piece of Hellfire chicken, I held it up to Hong Yeon-hwa’s mouth.
“Here. Say ah.”
“……!?”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s pupils shook violently once again.
She had finally realized that what I was doing was the sort of thing couples normally did.
“R-Right now…? Here…?”
“Why not?”
“It’s not that I can’t…”
Her voice trailed off as she cautiously looked around.
The Hong family suddenly became very interested in serving themselves more food, pretending not to watch.
But it was painfully obvious that all of their attention was focused right here.
Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to notice it too, judging by the way her eyes kept darting around.
So I exaggerated a little and urged her on.
“My arm’s getting tired. At this rate I’m going to drop it. Come on. Ahhh.”
“A-Ahh…?”
Still looking completely dazed, Hong Yeon-hwa timidly opened her mouth.
I promptly placed the piece of Hellfire chicken inside.
“…….!”
Her face instantly turned as red as her hair.
Keeping her head lowered, she quietly chewed.
Watching the scene unfold, I silently asked the Hong family for their evaluation with a glance.
“…….”
Hong Ye-hwa looked like she had just witnessed something she could never unsee.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeom-baek’s grin stretched practically from ear to ear.
As though he might burst out with a booming “Kuhahaha!” at any moment.
Mother Hong’s expression remained nearly blank, but there was a faint hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
Looks like I passed the first interview.
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