It was evident from the dragon’s animalistic instincts.
That there was someone with impure intentions here.
Haeli could keenly feel desires that she couldn’t discern from the Dok family.
But that’s as far as it went.
Haeli didn’t react at all.
It was only when those filthy desires turned towards Yeona that the situation reached a crisis point.
“Insane. Didn’t I hit the jackpot today?”
A small hole in the restroom wall. The rat who had entered the adjacent stall through it rejoiced at the sight of the newcomer.
It wasn’t just a woman with a killer voice. Her face was perfect too. The rat, intoxicated with excitement, thought today was the day he’d capture the masterpiece of a lifetime.
“Hehehe….”
The rat chuckled as he swallowed his saliva, taking out a small camera. Then, as he attempted to move the camera through the hole, diverting his gaze from it,
“Spying is bad, you know.”
Suddenly, a voice came from beside him. The owner of the voice was none other than Haeli. Having teleported into the restroom, Haeli stared fixedly at the man.
“How did you…!”
The rat who faced Haeli shouted.
And regretted it. The moment he spoke, he realized the woman in the adjacent stall might have noticed.
“Oh, darn it.”
The rat cursed inwardly. He stood at a crossroads. He could easily overpower the child in front of him. But could he overpower both the child and the woman in the adjacent stall?
‘No. Who knows when people will come in. But… Wow, she’s incredibly pretty. Should I just grab her and run? No, no. Let’s not get greedy. If you have a long tail, you’re bound to be stepped on.’
You can’t shut a rat’s mouth. Clenching his teeth, the rat swiftly picked up the bag lying on the floor. It was a decision made with regret.
But when you’re in a hurry, trouble always follows. Due to rushing, the camera he was holding slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
And the curious bystander asked what it was, even in such a situation.
“What’s that?”
“You really lucked out today.”
On the other hand, the rat answered, rolling his eyes. Then, hastily picking up the camera from the floor, he shoved Haeli aside and attempted to flee. Or so he tried.
If only Haeli hadn’t grabbed his wrist.
A strength impossible to come from fern-like hands twisted the man’s wrist forcefully.
“Ahh! Let go of me!”
“No. What’s that thing?”
“The crazy bastard! Aaah!”
“What’s that?”
“Hu, huk. A…ouch. It hurts! Sweetheart, please let go. Huh? Oppa will explain everything. What, what do you want to know?”
The rat gritted his teeth in pain as he spoke. Haeli’s expression cracked at his words, dry as they were.
“Hurts?”
It was because of the sudden recollection of instructions.
Jong-sik had said never to harm anyone. She had almost violated that.
“Just ask Yeona unni about it.”
Suppressing the urge to get rid of the man, Haeli pursed her lips. And then she decided to grant the man’s wish. She was a good child, after all.
“Spying is bad. Just look.”
She took him to a place where he could see freely.
That’s when it happened.
Hearing Haeli and the man talking, Yeona urgently opened the restroom door.
“Haeli!”
“Yeona, unni.”
But no matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t see the man. Yeona had clearly heard the man’s voice. That’s why she had rushed over.
Yeona looked around Haeli anxiously and asked desperately,
“Haeli, where? Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, where’s the person who was here? Where did he go? Did he bring you here, Haeli? How did he end up in this stall?”
Then Haeli made a sudden realization.
“Oops, when I use magic, I should ask… I’ve already sent him far away.”
“Huh? What?”
In the end, Haeli spilled the beans. About why the man came into this stall and what she did to him.
“If Dad finds out, I’ll be in trouble…”
“Ah. Thank goodness. It’s really lucky nothing happened.”
“But something did happen. I sent him away.”
“It’s okay. It was an unavoidable situation. You did well. By the way, Haeli. Let’s keep what happened here between us. As our little secret?”
“A secret?”
“Yeah. It’s something only Haeli and I know.”
Yeona decided that it wouldn’t be good if it got out. Firstly, because Haeli’s identity wasn’t certain. Secondly, she didn’t want to make Jong-sik angry over something that was already over.
“Hehe, okay.”
For Haeli, on the other hand, it was actually a good thing. As long as only Yeona unni and herself knew, there would be no trouble with Jong-sik. Haeli nodded with a smile.
And so, it was the moment when Haeli and Yeona’s secret was born.
Meanwhile, at that moment.
A man suddenly appeared on a farm located on a deserted island with no residents.
He was the man who had been hiding in the women’s restroom stall just a moment ago.
“Wh-What. What’s going on?”
He blinked his eyes widely, looking around frantically in the suddenly changed space. But there was nothing to see.
Only a piercing stench assaulted his nostrils. Along with the excited howls of beasts.
“Gr-Grkk?”
“Grkk!”
“Ah, ugh. Let me… go.”
“Kwaaaaah!”
His head was spinning. Yet, amidst it all, a determination to survive surged within him.
“Hup!”
First, he lowered his voice. Then he blinked his eyes continuously. Even though he couldn’t see anything in front of him now, there might be something visible once he got used to the darkness.
Even amidst this, the howls of the beasts continued. How much time had passed?
The man’s eyes, accustomed to the darkness, began to vaguely see his surroundings.
‘Ah.’
And then he despaired.
He saw about twenty orcs tangled together.
The man knew what their actions meant.
And at that moment.
The eyes of an orc met the eyes of the man who had been teleported. The dilated eyes of the orc in heat glowed.
“Grkk?”
“No, no-!”
What couldn’t be?
The man trembled in fear, stepping back. His buttocks felt cold. But what awaited him was another orc behind him.
“Grkk?”
“Kwaah!”
“Ah… Aaaargh!”
That’s how it was.
The place where the teleported man arrived was none other than an illegal orc breeding farm.
Jong-sik arrived at none other than the neighborhood real estate office after leaving the department store.
Was it because of the mine incident near the neighborhood last time? The real estate office window was plastered with information about properties for urgent sale.
Among them, there was even a shop that had previously caused a stir at the “Dok’s Restaurant”. They must have enjoyed their time there.
It had already been quite some time. However, due to the unsavory incident, the shop was not selling easily, not even close to the average market price.
Seeing this, Jong-sik smirked.
Ding-a-ling.
Was it because he had called ahead before arriving?
The real estate agent, upon seeing Jong-sik, pretended to recognize him.
“Oh, welcome.”
“Yes. Hello.”
Moreover, as Jong-sik occasionally dined at the “Dok’s Restaurant,” the real estate agent knew him.
“You’re here to see the blacksmith’s site, right?”
“Yes. But I also want to see other properties available. Preferably near the house.”
“Other properties as well? Ahaha.”
The real estate agent’s eyes sparkled. Just looking at the blacksmith’s site was already a big deal, but wanting to see other properties as well? This wasn’t an ordinary customer.
“Please have a seat first. You must be tired from coming all the way here. Let me offer you something to drink first.”
The real estate agent resolved to treat Jong-sik with utmost sincerity. It was a moment of thinking that he should offer only the best treatment to big clients. Yeona and Haeli entered the real estate office belatedly.
Ding-a-ling.
“Oh!”
The sudden appearance of the two left the real estate agent momentarily speechless. It was undoubtedly because of Haeli’s beauty. But that was only for a moment.
“Hello. I should greet Haeli too.”
“Hello.”
“They’re with me. Please take care of their needs as well.”
At the sound of the breaking silence, the real estate agent quickly regained his composure. Instead of being lost in the beauty of the child, it was more important to grasp the big client in front of him.
“Of course, that’s how it should be. Please wait a moment.”
A moment later,
Jong-sik sipped the tea brought by the man. It was a familiar taste. In the Eldar Continent, even men enjoyed this tea.
“Growing children don’t need this kind of thing, but we’re different, aren’t we? Hehe. It’s quite delicious, isn’t it? It’s tea made by mixing Lykan juice with Yagwanmun.”
In other words, it was a natural aphrodisiac. Of course, Jong-sik was confident in that regard.
There was no need for Jong-sik to rely on the efficacy of such tea, but he drank it out of courtesy towards the other party. Anyway, that’s how it was.
“It’s delicious. Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
“I’m glad you like it. Hehe. Oh, you mentioned wanting to see other properties too? While we can show you the blacksmith’s site right away, for other properties, we should probably contact the real estate first… Would you mind waiting a moment?”
It was at that moment, as the real estate owner was about to get up from his seat for that reason, that Jong-sik intervened.
“No, that’s okay. I don’t need to see them.”
He meant it literally. Jong-sik had no intention of viewing the properties. The reason was simple: it was bothersome and tedious.
Also, there was not just one item to purchase. Jong-sik intended to buy all the properties that came up near the “Dok Restaurant,” including those involved in the recent incidents.
“Excuse me?”
The real estate owner tilted his head as if he had misheard. Jong-sik reacted indifferently to such a response.
However, his action was anything but insignificant. Holding a pencil on the desk, he walked over to the map on the wall and drew a long circle. It encompassed the entire alley where the “Dok Restaurant” was located.
“If any of the properties within this area are listed for sale, I intend to purchase them all.”
Including the proceeds from the sale of the gray rune transfers, obtained from the strategy guide for Let’s Plays. Money was not an issue.
Of course, the real estate owner, unaware of this, swallowed hard and cautiously spoke up.
“Well, there might be more than just one or two places. Are you really planning to buy them all? Why on earth…?”
“Um. Do I need to explain the purpose when buying real estate?”
“Oh, no! No, of course not! I mean, why would you…?”
“Anyway, please make arrangements to identify the properties listed in this alley and set up contracts for them on the same day.”
“Yes, yes. Understood! Absolutely!”
The voice of the real estate owner as he spoke trembled uncontrollably. It was because the jackpot named Dok Jong-sik had just exploded.
“So, what about the blacksmith’s site…?”
“We should go see that. You said it’s nearby, right?”
“Yes, yes. Of course. We can go right away.”
“Then let’s go without delay.”
“Yes. But Mr. Dok, the real estate.”
“…?”
“I’m extremely grateful for entrusting such a big deal to our real estate. Can I ask why you’re giving me this opportunity?”
In response, Jong-sik raised the corners of his mouth and replied, “Aren’t you regulars at our restaurant? We thought we’d help each other out.”
Meanwhile, at that moment.
There was a group visiting Dok’s Restaurant.
It consisted of the artisan, Jang Mi-ae, who possessed the S-rank skill [Soul of the Artisan], and the association president, Nam Woo-jong.
Accompanied by several subordinates, they visited Dok’s Restaurant. Their purpose of visit was due to a message received from Trigo.
The message hinted at something regarding the shelter. However, that was merely a superficial reason for their visit.
