“The effect is incredible….” I exclaimed and looked back.
However, unlike me, Seo Dawon’s expression wasn’t so bright. I peered at him, trying to figure out what was wrong. There was something about Dawon’s appearance that seemed unsettling.
‘Ara? His eyes…’
Dawon-ie’s eyes were black, not red. As if he had felt my gaze, Dawon-ie looked up, and I realized that the color of his eyes weren’t pure black but a red that had darkened–not unlike a shadowed, maroon deoxygenated blood color.
I grabbed him by the arm, suspicious of the change. “Are you alright?” I asked.
Dawon-ie answered half a beat late, “Mm, this… I think us Servants will need some training to adapt.”
“Really?”
“…I think the skill is subtly suggesting or informing our emotions. My mood is changing willfully,” with that said, Dawon-ie lightly swept back his bangs. It felt like he’d explode at the slightest touch.
Worried, I cupped his face with both hands. Dawon opened his eyes wide before shooting me a straightforward gaze.
“Are you feeling unwell right now?” I asked.
“……” The mage hesitated to answer, blinked, and dragged me closer with one arm. “Mmn. Shall we move on to the next skill?”
“Huh? No. W-Wait…”
While he briefly halted as I requested, his cold, firm hand was already wrapped around my back.
While maintaining that pose, Seo Dawon whispered, “And, about that last skill… Only use it with me from now on, Lee-kyung-ah.”
“That’s…”
“I think I’ve been plenty obedient and endured letting others use [Possession].”
At first, I thought this was another mischievous joke, but the following words clued me in to his sincerity.
Actually, I had originally thought that [Deadly Kiss] should be reserved for the Mage, but… How should I put this… His uncharacteristic possessiveness made me chuckle?
Seo Dawon looked at my chuckling self with a bit of dissatisfaction in his gaze; he pouted as if he were protesting.
As soon as he parted his lips, I retorted, “I’m the one using the skill though?”
“Don’t do it to their cheeks or hands–that was just a smokescreen. Now that I’ve thought about it, I can’t compromise.”
“Are you listening to me?”
“And, what do you think about occasionally kissing me while pretending to use the skill?”
“…Are you stupid? It’s too obvious, we’ll be found out…” While I reflexively retorted, in truth I didn’t really mind Seo Dawon’s strange persistence… I guess there’s no helping me. 1
I bit my slightly trembling lips and grabbed Seo Dawon’s collar. Then, with ulterior motives lining my every action, I invoked [Deadly Kiss].
* * *
“Was the training room demolished again?”
“…Ah, yes. We were just… testing out some skills…”
“I suppose Seo Dawon-nim made something amazing in there again.”
“……”
“Ham-Lee-kyung! What was all that commotion in there?”
I vaguely answered Kim Sangyoon’s question and glared at Jung Garam’s pointed jibes. Of course, the Assassin had no tact and witlessly kept remarking, “Hm? Why are your lips so swollen?”
‘…Be quiet.’ I silently warned Jung Garam; ears heating up, I pursed my lips and turned my head. Why was he inquiring about that all of a sudden anyway?
Furthermore, I couldn’t even blame Seo Dawon this time. Though he seduced me, I was the one who went wild.
After all, recently, Seo Dawon treated me like some fragile piece of sugar-sculpture candy and refrained from any kind of physical contact. This level of intimacy had been long overdue, so I kept holding onto the Mage, continuing to kiss until things got out of hand…until it was obvious to anyone with eyes to see what had happened between us.
‘So annoying…’ I felt wronged–why, unlike me, was Seo Dawon so clean and put together? Honestly–why must I be the one to feel ashamed? This wasn’t something I could do alone.
However, Dawon-ie merely smiled secretively, gazing at my lips through my glares.
“Is he enjoying himself?’ I looked at the bastard before sighing deeply. In any case, today was my fault. It wouldn’t be right to blame the Servant when I was the one who willingly succumbed.
Still, I had done what I had set out to do–judge the strength and purpose of my skills. I had seen the power of [Deadly Kiss] as well. So, I answered Kim Sangyoon, who had been peeking around the training room, honestly, “Actually, Dawon-ie didn’t invent anything new. It’s just… He was just observing since my skills had increased in power.”
“Is that possible for me as well?” Kim Sangyoon’s eyes sparkled.
‘This person’s attitude has seriously changed.’ I could feel the difference in mindset; it felt like he was now wholly focused on becoming stronger, unlike before.
In particular, I couldn’t help but compare the person who used to startle, be anxious, and avoid things whenever I mentioned Seo Dawon’s name to the person now who would be willing to follow the Mage even if he ordered the Warrior to swallow poison in order to grow stronger.
‘That’s why I called for him…’
In reality, the class-skill training could have been done with just the servants, but it seemed like Kim Sangyoon could gain a lot from being here. Furthermore, the servants didn’t object to his presence; both they and I had high expectations for this training.
“Yes. I believe Sangyoon-ssi would find it beneficial as well.”
“Really?” Kim Sangyoon’s face lit up, and he clenched his fists. He looked as if he wanted to jump into training right away, but we waited a little while longer. One person wasn’t here yet.
And…
“Hellooo…?” With a baby sash strapped to his chest and a baby in his arms, Koo Hui-seo finally entered the training room. Kim Sangyoon looked momentarily nervous, but then he calmed down, relaxing his expression.
“Hello.”
“Yees…”
“Lackey!” However, as soon as the baby in Koo Hui-seo’s arms saw me, he shouted ‘Lackey.’ I did a double take at the child, surprised by his clear pronunciation.
He had clearly grown up even though it had only been a few weeks since birth. It wasn’t just his pronunciation–even his expressions were clear.
The baby struggled in Koo Hui-seo’s arms before shouting loudly, “Lackey!”
Then, he enthusiastically stared at the skeleton dangling at my hip.
[Clack Clack Clack…]
[Don’t wanna…]
Lackey shook his head and looked warily at the baby. Rather than fear, it seemed to adopt an attitude of finding the child troublesome more than anything. As if it hated the idea of looking after something younger than it.
I approached Koo Hui-seo with a clumsy smile. I heard he’s fallen into the pit of taking care of his child, always hovering around his son… I had no idea he would even go so far as to wear an uncharacteristic baby sash.
‘Nevertheless, he looks a bit more… normal now?’
Koo Hui-seo’s mental anguish–which I had been worried about up until Koo Kyungman died–seemed to have vastly subsided with the baby’s birth.
The baby seems to have recognized Koo Hui-seo as a guardian for now–though his eyes were attached to Lackey, his fist was tightly holding onto the front of his blouse.
The baby, in turn, glanced between the Lackey and Koo Hui-seo and whimpered, as if he firmly believed that whatever it wanted could be obtained by pestering and begging them. Koo Hui-seo perceived that trust and responded with a loving smile, kissing the baby’s forehead.
Koo Hui-seo spoke to me without even bothering to say some greetings, “The baby… really likes Lackey… I tried giving him another skeleton; he was happy at first, but, when it didn’t move like Lackey did, he ended up bawling and weeping…”
Hearing that, I was feeling a bit suspicious and replied firmly, “I can’t give Lackey to you–it’s not a toy.”
“I know… But, still, can’t you bring it to the baby once a day? He’s crying and refusing to eat…”
“……”
I hesitated a bit because this was a rather awkward request from a novice dad. Lackey nibbled, so it wouldn’t hurt, on the baby’s hand which still struggled to reach the skeleton.
“Kyahaha!” The baby smiled and tilted his head as if he were enjoying this.
The baby’s bright expression was somewhat healing. Even Kim Sangyoon, whose finger was broken by that baby, couldn’t help but gaze adoringly at him.
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TL: Oh god, Koo Hui-seo’s kid is going to be so so so spoiled.
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