“This will probably be the last time. We don’t really need it anymore, but I kept it just in case.”
It had been a few days since I last saw Young-seong, and he was beaming with joy.
I heard that his wife’s treatment had ended and she was currently undergoing light rehabilitation.
“That’s great news, brother.”
“It’s all thanks to you. You’re a lifesaver for my wife and me.”
Since she was almost fully recovered, I thought I should visit Young-seong’s house soon.
They must have gone through a lot, and I wanted to see the two of them living happily together.
‘I never thought my ability would be this helpful. I’m glad I didn’t give up.’
A smile naturally formed on my face.
As Young-seong, who was following my lead, broke into a broad smile, Ara, who was nestled in my arms and observing his expression closely, giggled along.
“Hehe.”
“…Ahem. You’re, you’re cute. How have you been, Ara?”
“Hehehe.”
It seemed that ever since the power measurement last time, Young-seong had been a bit scared of Ara.
I couldn’t understand how he could be scared of such a cute child, but knowing that he was once the head of the Ara Hongryeon Research Department, I understood.
‘He must be a total T-type personality.’
I thought something that might be considered rude as I watched Young-seong struggle with Ara.
Ara seemed to enjoy subtly teasing him.
She has a mischievous side too.
“By the way, I never imagined that you, Kyu-seong, would end up contracting with Ara Hongryeon, who has ties with me. I never thought about it before…”
“Looking back, I think it’s thanks to you, brother.”
“What? What did I do?”
“You were one of the people who helped me the most when times were tough. You were the biggest help after my family.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t say things that make the atmosphere weird.”
Despite his awkwardness, his twitching lips were impressive.
His body was honest, contrary to his words.
“What you did for me was really a small thing compared to what you did. Can that even be compared?”
Please calm your lips before you speak, brother.
Watching him struggle to hold back a smile, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
However, when Ara, who was next to me, mimicked Young-seong’s awkward expression, I finally burst out laughing.
“Pahaha.”
“Hehehe. Kyu-seong Kyu-seong laughs weirdly.”
Don’t say that, Ara.
You look quite mischievous with your giggling face too.
“Oh! Kyu-seong. Come to think of it, I didn’t tell you because I wanted to surprise you, but today…”
Knock, knock!
Just as Young-seong was about to say something, there was a knock at the door.
“Director Choi Young-seong, the guests from the Iron Blood Guild have arrived.”
“The Iron Blood Guild?”
When I tilted my head and looked at Young-seong, he seemed excited, as if he had been expecting this moment.
“Please show them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The voice outside faded away.
In the meantime, I asked him what was going on.
“The Iron Blood Guild? Did you arrange a meeting?”
“Yes. You know where the Iron Blood Guild is, right?”
“Of course. They’re a rising powerhouse, competing for the top spot in our country with the newly emerging terror guild.”
Ara Hongryeon was impressive enough, but it didn’t have the image of being the best, just symbolic.
However, the Iron Blood Guild, which had just arrived, was undoubtedly considered one of the top guilds in our country.
‘But why did he ask them to come here?’
Thinking I should leave to give them space, I stood up, holding Ara in my arms.
“Hm? Where are you going?”
“It seems like you have an appointment, so I was going to leave first. Oh! May I visit your house sometime?”
“What? How can you leave?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
At that moment, there was another knock, and the door naturally opened. The guild master of the Iron Blood Guild, whom I had seen on TV or the internet, appeared.
“Huh?”
An elderly man with white hair, Baek Tae-seop, and his aide entered together.
He was a famous figure, so it was impossible not to recognize him. He was an awakened one who was active on the front lines until about 20 years ago, and now he was more famous as the founder of the Iron Blood Guild.
“Welcome, sir.”
“Oh, yes. How have you been, Young-seong?”
Should I greet him first?
Just as I thought the situation was becoming quite awkward and was about to bow,
“White hair!”
Ara reacted first.
“Huh? What a cute little lady.”
“Hehe. I am cute. But I’m not a little girl, I’m Ara!”
“Hahaha.”
Baek Tae-seop looked at Ara with a warm gaze, like a grandfather looking at his grandchild. He seemed eager to approach and hold Ara.
“Uh, hello. You are the guild master of the Iron Blood Guild, right?”
“Yes, yes. That’s right. I’m Baek Tae-seop. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, I’m Lee Kyu-seong. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“I am Ara!”
Thanks to Ara, I managed to greet him naturally. Meanwhile, Ara squirmed out of my arms and approached Baek Tae-seop.
“White hair.”
“Haha, grandpa’s hair is white, right? Do you want to touch it?”
“Yes!”
Baek Tae-seop lifted Ara up as she raised her arms, signaling for him to pick her up.
Ara then began to tousle Baek Tae-seop’s hair, examining it closely.
“Hehe.”
“Hahaha.”
It truly felt like a grandfather-granddaughter scene.
The person accompanying Baek Tae-seop looked on nervously, worried that Ara might accidentally do something wrong.
Me? I wasn’t worried.
Ara might look young and cute, but she is quite thoughtful.
‘…Am I being too biased?’
Just then, another person barged in without knocking.
“Oh! Everyone is here!”
“Hanul?”
“Oh, yes! Kyu-seong! Have you finally decided to join our guild? Hahaha! This is great! Welcome to Ara Hongryeon!”
Without paying any attention to Baek Tae-seop right next to him, Hanul blurted out his words and then shouted upon seeing Baek Tae-seop playing with Ara.
“Old man! Aren’t you going to greet me if you’ve arrived?”
“Haha, you’re still as rude as ever, Hanul. Shouldn’t you bow your head first when you see me?”
“Hmph! I don’t know what brings you here suddenly, but just stay around and leave quickly!”
Their words were rough, but their tone suggested they were quite familiar and informal with each other.
Come to think of it, I heard they used to go on dungeon raids together frequently in the past.
“By the way, is this the first time you’ve met Lee Kyu-seong, who’s here to join Ara Hongryeon Guild?”
“Yes? Yes, that’s correct.”
Suddenly, Baek Tae-seop, still holding Ara, turned his attention to me and asked.
“Hmm, I’ve been quite busy lately, so I haven’t heard much about Mr. Kyu-seong. Would it be impolite to ask about your awakened grade?”
Ah, now that I was joining Ara Hongryeon, it seemed he was curious.
I understood completely.
Even though Ara Hongryeon couldn’t exert the same power as before due to Si-young’s poisoning, it was still one of the top five guilds in the country.
It must have seemed surprising to Baek Tae-seop that Hanul, the Predator, personally acknowledged an awakened one who was joining such a guild.
“Hey! Kyu-seong is ours! Don’t get any ideas!”
“Haha. I was just curious about the new connection. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer, Kyu-seong.”
At that moment, Ara, who was in my arms, shouted.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong is amazing! He’s a Great Lord!”
“Huh?”
Surprised by Ara’s sudden declaration, I awkwardly smiled and answered the previous question.
“You might be disappointed, but I am a Level 1 awakened.”
“Level 1?”
Both Baek Tae-seop and his aide looked astonished. Then they quickly apologized, looking embarrassed.
“Oh, it’s not that I’m belittling you, Mr. Kyu-seong. It’s just rare for a Level 1 awakened to join Ara Hongryeon. It’s actually impressive.”
I had expected a bit more arrogance from the head of the Iron Blood Guild, but he showed none of that towards a Level 1 awakened like me.
Feeling good, I waved my hand dismissively.
“No worries. It’s just that Ara Hongryeon saw potential in me.”
“Hmm, hard to believe. I think you must have some quite unique abilities beyond being a Level 1.”
Baek Tae-seop’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
Up until then, he had looked like a kindly neighborhood grandfather, but now he seemed like the fierce leader of the Iron Blood Guild.
“That’s enough, old man. Stop prying.”
Hanul stepped in, blocking Baek Tae-seop’s line of sight. Then the aide, who seemed to be his secretary, stepped forward coldly.
“Mr. Kang Hanul, please refrain from being rude to our president. There are limits to our patience.”
“Oh? What will you do if you run out of patience? Do you want to fight?”
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense.
I glanced at Young-seong, but he seemed uninterested in the argument, busy gathering something.
Papers? Documents? Anyway, he was dealing with some papers and had his laptop open, working on something else.
“Why are you fighting?”
Ara, still in Baek Tae-seop’s arms, tilted her head in confusion.
The tense atmosphere quickly melted away.
“It’s nothing. We were just playing around.”
“Get along well.”
With an overly serious demeanor, Ara crossed her arms and advised everyone. Seeing this, Baek Tae-seop’s expression softened.
“Ah, how wonderful it would be to have a granddaughter like our Ara.”
Mr. Tae-seop? ‘Our’ Ara?
As I watched with wide eyes, Baek Tae-seop changed the topic and asked me a question.
“But Kyu-seong, you brought your daughter here. That’s unusual.”
“Daughter…”
It’s understandable.
Hanul and Young-seong, who knew Ara’s true identity, chuckled.
“Hmm? Is she not your daughter?”
Baek Tae-seop, puzzled by my ambiguous response and their chuckling, asked again.
Then Ara spoke up.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong is a lord! Umm… he’s a daddy!”
“Yes. I am her dad.”
I haven’t married, nor do I have a girlfriend, but Ara is indeed my daughter, of course.
From the beginning, Ara called me dad when we first met. Though she is much older than me.
‘She said she was 3,500 years old…’
Whether it was a joke or serious, I vaguely remember her mumbling that.
“Oh, you got married young.”
“Yes? Yes, well…”
Thud.
At the sudden noise, I turned my gaze to see Guild Master Han Seok-jun and Jeong So-yeon standing by the door.
When did they arrive?
“Ara is Kyu-seong’s daughter?”
Before even greeting, Jeong So-yeon’s surprised voice filled the reception room.
Cliche Novel 