Episode 83
Though I had anticipated difficulty in persuading Gena, it turned out to be surprisingly smooth sailing afterward.
“Yes… If it’s something like this… I’ll go with you.”
“Eh?”
“I’ve known all along… that you’ve been pushing yourself for my sake…”
Perhaps it was to be expected.
This was only the third time I’ve met her, but I already knew everything—what Gena thought about her brother, Zenon, and the best way to win her over.
“Is it okay… if I eat all of this?”
“Of course. I bought it for you to eat.”
“Wow…”
That might be why, at the high-end restaurant – not Hios, by the way – when the table was laden with enough food to break its legs, Gena reacted in a way that was almost identical to her reincarnation some time ago.
Though she appeared demure, Gena wasted no time in enthusiastically devouring the food. As I watched her, a smirk slowly crept onto my face.
“Didn’t your brother tell you not to go with strangers who offer you good food?”
At my words, Gena’s spoon and fork paused mid-air. After a moment of bewilderment, she looked up at me, swallowed her food, and smiled gently.
“You’re not a stranger, though.”
“Hah. That’s true.”
“Besides… you’ve known about our brother very well.”
“…”
“You knew more about our brother… than I did, even while living together.”
I had already confided the truth to Gena—her brother Zenon was in grave danger.
Initially, Gena didn’t believe me, but when I confronted her with various circumstantial pieces of evidence, she finally had no choice but to trust me. After all, deep down, she had already been harboring anxiety and doubts.
Precisely because I knew this, I went straight to the point.
‘Alright, so far so good.’
The atmosphere was pleasant. Gena was taking a friendly stance toward me. Now was the time to bring up the real matter.
Leaning slightly closer to her, I began to speak.
“I brought you here because, well, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor…?”
“Help stop your brother. Convince him to cooperate with us.”
The dice were rolled. Judging by Gena’s character so far, her reaction would undoubtedly be negative.
As expected, Gena’s large eyes widened, then drooped, and she bowed her head.
“I-I’m weak… all I do is rely on my brother. How can I possibly stop him…?”
“You’re the only one who can talk him down. That creepy siscon… no, Zenon values his little sister above all else. He won’t listen to anything but what you have to say.”
“Only me?”
“Yes.”
This was genuine. A person willing to endure tough, dirty jobs – even submerging himself entirely – all for his sister, is unlikely to heed someone else’s pleas to stop.
Thus, only Gena’s persuasion could bring Zenon to a halt – the one person he desperately protects.
‘Whatever promise Resurrection Sect made to him remains a mystery…’
Most likely, it was a deal concerning Gena’s safety or future.
By the time the regression point was renewed, the deal had already been sealed. Hence, blocking the deal itself was now practically impossible.
At minimum, it needed to be nullified. If at all possible from my side, I would fulfill whatever the sect promised in this deal.
‘I’m prepared to compromise to a degree.’
That much was clear; this guy is a crucial component of my current plan. If left unchecked, he’ll become an incredibly troublesome obstacle. Especially with the lack of information on him, he’s all the more concerning.
Still…
“I can’t… There’s no way Brother Zenon would listen to me…”
Right. If this kind of situation arises, it’s game over.
If Gena gives up on trying to persuade her brother, I must take a deep breath and survey the surroundings. Seop Baek and Demon King were sitting at the adjacent table, watching us silently.
After some contemplation, I twisted my lips into a slightly cruel smile.
“Then I’ll kill your brother. Gena.”
“!!”
“That guy… he’s completely out of his mind. For the sake of protecting you, he’s enabling a disaster that could obliterate this entire city. And I’m included in that obliteration.”
“H-How could…”
“I can’t just stand by and watch that nonsense. If you give up or fail to persuade him, I’ll sever his head right there on the spot.”
Yes. If persuasion fails, the only other option is intimidation.
Gena gasped, her head snapping up. Seop Baek, who was listening from the side, was equally astonished.
Gena looked at me, her trembling eyes fixed. She soon sighed, likely realizing the sincerity in my gaze.
“I-If Brother Zenon was gone, I…!”
“You wouldn’t survive for long, would you? I know that. That’s why I’m saying this.”
“N-Neh?”
“If you both want to live, you must succeed in persuading him.”
Of course, this was merely a bluff.
In a previous lifetime, I was utterly defeated by Zenon. I don’t know why, but despite the clear level gap, I couldn’t defeat him.
But Gena has no way of knowing that. Therefore, she has no choice but to waver in the face of such intimidation.
“How… will it go now? Can you persuade him already?”
I smirked as devilishly as possible and asked, to which Gena hesitatingly nodded through tear-filled eyes.
A sharp glance came from the side. Turning my head, I saw Seop Baek looking at me with a deeply shocked expression. I exhaled bitterly and looked away.
‘All this for survival.’
I’ve never been good at thinking things through. Actually, I rarely bother to.
For problems I can solve physically, I prefer to take the direct approach. As for these underhanded tactics, I don’t particularly enjoy them.
But when necessary, I use them without hesitation.
‘Seop Baek, you didn’t witness your corpse from the past life…’
You wouldn’t know the sight of your dismembered body rolling around; you didn’t hear Ara’s pitiable cries. That’s why you can look at me with that disappointed face. If you had seen it… would you truly be able to blame me?
Though I wanted to say it outright, I managed to swallow it down.
“But… still…”
As I tried to settle the churning in my stomach, Gena spoke up with difficulty.
“I don’t even know where my brother is. Without meeting him, how can I persuade him?”
“Ah, that’s simple.”
“Simple? Do you know where my brother is?”
“Nope. Is there any need? Just call him here.”
“Call…?”
I gently grasped Gena’s baffled wrist.
Though startled and shrinking back due to the intimidation from earlier, her curiosity seemed to overpower her as she stared at my hand.
“It’ll sting a little.”
“Wh-What? Ow!”
I fixed Gena’s palm and, holding a dining knife in my other hand, lightly scratched her hand.
“Wh-What is this? It hurts!”
As Gena saw the blood dripping from her hand, she began struggling to pull it away. I let go immediately after.
Leaning back in my chair with ease, I waited for Zenon to arrive.
‘Everything that needed to be done has been done.’
Zenon didn’t evacuate his younger sister ahead of time from this perilous city about to face disaster.
Why? Either because he can teleport or because he has a safeguard mechanism to sense danger to his sister.
‘But there was nothing in that shack he left her in.’
Therefore, the safeguard must be on his sister’s body.
Like some kind of system where her injury alerts Zenon, or similar. Expecting something like that, I carried out my actions accordingly.
“J-Jena! What happened!? Are you hurt? How did this happen!?”
Fzzzzt!
In the middle of the restaurant, a tear in space appeared. Concurrently, a male voice full of anguish rang out.
The tear split apart and a red-haired elf prince emerged: Zenon.
“Perfect timing, huh? Caught you off guard!”
I cheered and immediately threw the knife I was holding toward Zenon. With my immense strength, it flew straight like a dagger.
Clang! Of course, Zenon parried it easily with his dagger from his waist.
“Hello, pal. Is this our second meeting since you got slapped on the shoulder earlier?”
Only now did Zenon’s gaze shift from Gena to me.
In an instant, his eyes widened to their limits and he started trembling uncontrollably.
“You’re the one…”
But then, perhaps realizing his sudden appearance and brandishing of a dagger had gathered everyone’s attention, he paused.
The commotion among the guests began. Aware of the disturbance, Zenon refrained from attacking me, instead pulling his hood deeper over his face.
I gestured toward the bewildered Zenon, with my finger pointing at Gena.
“Your sister says she has something to say to you.”
“Wh-What…?!”
“So, I called you here to set up an arena for conversation. The 1st Zenon Family Conference is hereby convened!”
“What nonsense is this…!”
Zenon looked at Gena with disbelief.
When Gena nodded urgently looking distressed, Zenon’s face filled with even greater confusion. Slowly, the tension in the hand holding the dagger began to ease.
Leaving the two alone, I began to exit the restaurant casually with the group—Demon King and Seop Baek.
No, just before leaving,
As I passed by Zenon, I whispered something in his ear.
“After all this, do you really think the Resurrection Sect will let go of your sister?”
The sound of Zenon swallowing hard reached my ears. His shoulders trembled violently.
It seems my guess was correct—it was a stroke of luck. I silently rejoiced inside.
Then, this reason for constant surveillance will completely disappear, and I’ll be able to wait in peace.
“Take all the time you need for pleasant chat. Don’t hesitate to let me know when you’re done. I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Wait! Stop right there!!”
Although Zenon tried to follow immediately, Gena pulled his sleeve.
“Brother, don’t… Please don’t go!”
“Jena! What on earth…!”
“Please don’t go… I’m really serious, there’s something to say.”
“…”
It seems Gena’s earnest tone had hit its mark, for Zenon gritted his teeth but reluctantly sat down next to her.
‘Great job, Gena. Hope you can successfully persuade him with the same momentum.’
If you fail… the ‘Zenon Family Conference’ might go on indefinitely—10, 50, 100 rounds—and it will still feel like just one round to you, but it’ll be torment for me.
I smirked bitterly and left the restaurant, leaving the two behind.
Immediately outside, Seop Baek, who had followed quietly, glanced worriedly back at the restaurant.
“Will it be alright? Can Gena persuade him?”
“She has to. Otherwise, both of them will die.”
“B-But…”
If even the 10th, 50th, 100th ‘Family Conference’ fails, it’ll lead to the trial phase of taking down Zenon.
10 rounds, 50 rounds, 100 rounds… However many it takes.
In this life, there might be a chance to live, but eventually, Zenon will meet his end at my hands.
‘And what you should be worried about isn’t that, anyway.’
Why are you so concerned about someone else’s life, Seop Baek? Prioritize your safety first.
If the persuasion fails, if my plan fails… not only Zenon and Gena will die, but you too.
I breathed out a brief sigh observing Seop Baek’s worried expression and then said to her.
“In any case, this is assuming the persuasion will succeed.”
“Ah, Yes?”
“Now, I’ll tell you what you need to do.”
“Ah, Yes!”
Perhaps sensing her role was finally here, Seop Baek nodded solemnly.
I chuckled faintly at her attitude, quickly straightened my expression, and began.
“Seop Baek, from now, you’ll act independently of me.”
“Eh…?”
“When Zenon is on our side, immediately use his teleportation to head to the capital. Got it?”
“Why the capital all of a sudden?”
“We need to find someone and bring them here.”
“Someone…?”
Yes, someone.
Someone who, upon hearing my current predicament—or even without the details, solely knowing it’s my matter—would rush right over.
No, not a person but more human-like robot.
‘Time to pay back the meal I owed from the Trial of the Veil!’
Recalling the last image of the woman that came to mind, I carefully articulated her name to Seop Baek.
“The name is… Seseona. Find a blue-haired woman named Seseona and bring her here.”
