185
“She’s actually asleep.”
“I know.”
Hanbit went upstairs and looked at Momo, who was sleeping in the bed.
The girl had changed into clothes Haneul had purchased from the auction house.
The veil that had covered her face was folded neatly on the desk.
“Momo…”
Kenji bit his lip at the sight.
He had recognized his daughter by her voice and habits — but seeing her face confirmed this way meant something different.
“How was she? Is she still very guarded?”
“She was at first, but once we started frantically picking out clothes, she got interested again. Seems like she likes cute things.”
“Does she.”
He had expected her to hide herself away in a corner again, but it seemed Haneul wasn’t so frightening.
Maybe putting her with someone her own age really was the right call.
“Would you stay with her for a while?”
“Of course! I’ll take good care of her! I need to come early, so I’m off to sleep!”
Haneul left behind her cheerful voice and logged out.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll ask my grandmother and get back to you right away.”
Noeul followed right after and disappeared as well.
What remained now was Hanbit, Kenji, and Kim Jaeha.
“…This helplessness is unbearable. To have my daughter right in front of me, and yet have to exist as a stranger to her.”
The downcast Kenji had stayed a few steps back from the bed.
Knowing Momo was afraid of him, he was deliberately keeping his distance.
“I can’t begin to imagine how difficult this must be. I have a daughter myself, so..”
Kim Jaeha thought of his own family and offered words of comfort.
Watching the two fathers, Hanbit suddenly recalled something.
“Kenji, you mentioned that investigations on the gear side had already been conducted?”
“Yes. I commissioned dozens of investigations from various manufacturers and development experts. The result each time was left as cause unknown.”
He had reached out to everyone known as an authority and asked them to investigate.
But not a single one had been able to find any thread to the mysterious phenomenon.
“It was likely a lack of clues. There should be something on the gear side as well, so for now let’s watch Minho’s research progress.”
“If you need it, I can bring you to Japan to see my daughter’s condition in person. A resident specialist is there, so you’d be able to receive accurate updates on the situation. If you simply say the word, I’ll arrange everything from the flights onward.”
“That sounds worthwhile. I’ll ask him.”
Hanbit nodded and sent a message to Lee Minho.
The reply came back in ten seconds.
「What? The Nio Group chairman said that personally? I’m going! Absolutely going!」
Lee Minho after changing jobs had become a different person in many ways.
Or rather, perhaps his original personality had been suppressed all this time by his garbage-quality superiors.
“He says he absolutely wants to go. Shall I pass along his contact information?”
“Please. I’ll have preparations underway immediately.”
With that exchange done, Hanbit came downstairs with Kim Jaeha.
Kenji remained at Momo’s side.
“Something feels heavy about this.”
Kim Jaeha let out a sigh.
The situation between the two of them was still weighing on him.
Of course he also knew well that there was no immediate solution.
“You’re going to forge a new sword, right? Give me the materials. I’ll get to work on it right away.”
Kim Jaeha decided to focus on what he could do.
For the game to be cleared faster than the competition, Black Dragon’s growth was the most important thing.
Understanding that intent, Hanbit opened his inventory.
“If you need anything else, feel free to contact Yeonwoo and purchase it freely. Don’t worry about the cost.”
The pale blue sword that would serve as the base, and the Star Ingot as the main material.
The supplementary materials were things he had been carrying — Snow Drake bones and horns, the residue from the Yeti’s Breath, and the like.
Of course, under the blacksmith’s judgment, additional materials could be added at any point.
“Leave it to me. I’ll show you what growth looks like.”
Kim Jaeha said, gripping the black hammer in his hand tight.
The rewards obtained through the Tower of Vortex had brought many changes to him.
The hammer in particular, and the old blacksmith’s journal obtained from Ashid’s box, were treasures of tremendous value.
With effort added on top of that, a fine result would surely be produced.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s not needed immediately tomorrow.”
“That’s my line. Get inside and rest.”
Kim Jaeha waved his hand as though shooing him away.
Hanbit smiled faintly, said his last goodbye, and logged out.
“See you tomorrow.”
* * *
Early the following morning.
Hanbit logged into RP and came face-to-face with two girls.
“Black Dragon!”
“Oh!”
Haneul, who was already logged in, and Momo — whose bare face he was seeing for the first time.
She was still looking around cautiously, but she didn’t seem to be in bad shape.
“Sleep well?”
“…I think I slept soundly for the first time.”
Momo nodded shyly.
Given the way she had been treated in the Holy Nation, every day would have been uncomfortable.
At the very least, accepting this place as a safe space was a good sign.
Clatter—
Just then, a strange sound came from the kitchen ahead.
Hanbit, looking puzzled, stepped inside.
“Phew….”
Kenji, standing before the cooking counter, was letting out a breath.
He appeared to be trying to prepare food.
Momo would need to eat here, after all.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah.”
At the voice, Kenji turned around.
The fierce face paired with a colorful apron was quite the contrast.
“Black Dragon, you’ve arrived early. I was just doing a little cooking.”
He glanced at the cooking magical device.
The flaring flame somehow felt unsettling.
“If you’d like, shall I take over?”
“Hm? You can cook?”
“Picked it up naturally in the other world. It won’t take long — please leave it to me.”
“…Thank you.”
Kenji, who had sensed his own limits, handed over the space readily.
Various ingredients on the shelves.
Whatever he had been trying to make wasn’t clear — but there was a suitable menu.
‘This is set up nicely.’
The kitchen had been put together in detail with home-style cooking in mind.
Hanbit picked up the tools and got right to cooking.
It took less than twenty minutes for the food to be ready.
“This should do.”
A brunch with a sandwich feel, centered on bread and pork.
Hanbit portioned it into bowls and moved to the dining table in the next room.
“Come on over.”
“Yes!”
Haneul nodded and quickly pulled Momo by the hand to sit down.
Kenji also made his way to the table a beat later.
“Wow…”
“That looks incredibly good.”
The two girls looked at the steaming food with anticipation.
Kenji appeared simply in wonder.
“Let’s eat!”
Thwack—
Haneul expressed her thanks and immediately took a bite of the sandwich and chewed.
“Wow!”
She spun her head toward Hanbit.
“This is really good! Is the taste always this vivid?”
Haneul poured out words in an emotional voice.
Food in RP doesn’t fill the stomach, but it delivers sensations that feel just as real.
Momo, watching that reaction, swallowed and took a bite of the sandwich.
“…!”
The girl, eyes wide, looked at Hanbit.
Then she focused her attention back on the food on her plate.
‘She’ll be all right.’
Hanbit took in that reaction and stepped out of the dining room.
Kenji followed behind.
“Could you share the recipe? My daughter seems to enjoy it so much…”
“Of course. I’ll also put together a list of simpler dishes you can make and send those along.”
“Thank you.”
The two moved to the reception room and took their seats.
Kenji checked the time and asked Hanbit:
“What are your plans going forward? I imagine you’ll be finishing Episode 6 first.”
“Yes. My immediate goal is to become a candidate for the Raven Kingdom survey team, so I intend to close out Episode 6 quickly.”
The final episode of Raven, already set in motion.
Hanbit sweeping the administrators had produced the result of drawing the exiled crown prince onto the stage.
Zenith’s vengeance was also a central pillar of the story, so there was no shortage of things to keep in mind.
Not starting the episode immediately was also an effort to eliminate all the small variables.
“Is there anything you need from me directly? Whether it requires funding, connections, or anything else — I’ll lend my strength. What you’re working toward in the end is also for my daughter’s sake.”
Momo still needed time to settle, and at the very least her father had to stay by her side.
From his position as a major corporate chairman, the areas where he could help in this situation were refreshingly clear.
“For now, it’s fine to focus only on items to protect Momo. Depending on what clues come up, there may be times we need to move together outside.”
“I’ll make sure that’s prepared reliably. As for yourself — in reality or here, please don’t hesitate to let me know what you need. And this is separate, of course, from the support funding sent to DD Studio.”
“Support funding?”
“Yes. What I sent today is 3 billion, but I plan to continue with regular installments at short intervals. It’s coming from my personal funds, so please don’t feel any burden. Use it freely.”
A figure shocking enough in many ways to make not feeling burdened quite difficult.
The depth of Kenji’s desperation came through in equal measure, which made declining feel wrong.
“Then I’ll make grateful use of it.”
Hanbit expressed his thanks and brought a few potential uses to mind.
In the meantime, Noeul arrived.
“Good morning.”
The orange-haired boy offered a polite greeting to Hanbit and Kenji.
Then he continued with a slightly troubled expression.
“So… my grandmother has suddenly decided to take a trip to Ulleung Island, so could we perhaps meet in two days?”
“…Is that so?”
A sudden Ulleung Island trip was not something he had anticipated.
Of course, pushing the time back wasn’t a problem.
“That’s fine by me. Please tell her we’ll visit at a time convenient for her.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll let her know right away.”
Noeul moved his hand and sent his grandmother a message.
It seemed the trip had already begun.
“Oh, you’re here.”
A little more time passed, and Haneul came into the reception room.
She had sent Momo up to the second floor, apparently.
“What, Grandma’s going on another trip?”
Haneul, having heard the story from Noeul, asked in surprise.
“A friend invited her.”
“She did that last week too. Just how many friends does she have?”
Haneul reacted with exasperation.
For some reason, the twins’ grandmother was sounding like quite the extraordinary figure.
“So the meeting with Grandmother is postponed to another time, then? What are we doing now?”
Haneul, who had been shaking her head, moved the conversation to the next item on the schedule.
Her expression said she wanted to do something — anything.
“There’s quite a bit of time.”
Hanbit checked the time.
About six hours left before the episode would begin.
Avant-garde had sent word that he was gathering information on the black market, and Kim Jaeha that he was forging the weapon.
In that case, what needed to be done with the twins right now was clear.
“Kenji, would it be possible to receive a Warp Crystal registered to Temoshá?”
“Of course.”
Kenji nodded, took a crystal from his inventory, and handed it to Hanbit.
Haneul, watching, asked:
“Huh? Are we going straight to Temoshá?”
“No, there’s somewhere I want to stop first.”
“Where? What are we doing there?”
Haneul made a puzzled face at the strange destination.
Hanbit, watching her, stood from his seat and said:
“Hidden skills. Both of you need to learn them, don’t you?”
