Chapter 42. God’s Wisdom (1)
“So does that mean I was a mercenary recruited by the Mercenary King, Kevin?”
Yukgap hurriedly asked after hearing Sunhyeong’s words.
Sunhyeong answered weakly.
“I don’t know for certain. But if you meet Kevin, you’ll probably learn something about your past.”
There was someone who might know about his past.
Hearing that made Yukgap feel as though he had finally found a single ray of light in the darkness.
He quickly pressed Sunhyeong for more.
Even the smallest detail would be enough.
“Do you know anything else about this Kevin?”
“That...”
Sunhyeong trailed off weakly.
Then he suddenly looked at Victoria and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
“Mom?”
Was he playing another ridiculous trick?
Yukgap’s irritation surged.
“Save the jokes for later!”
Victoria quickly stopped him.
“Yukgap, he’s not joking. Can’t you tell?”
Only then did Yukgap realize that Sunhyeong’s condition was different from a moment ago.
He was looking at Victoria with the clear, innocent eyes of a child, fidgeting nervously.
“Mom, you’re not going anywhere, right? You’ll stay here, won’t you?”
The way Sunhyeong spoke was no different from a young boy.
His appearance and voice were that of an old man, but the desperate wish of a child could still be felt beneath them.
“Of course. Where would Mom go and leave her son behind?”
Victoria noticed it too.
She forced a gentle smile.
Only then did Sunhyeong breathe out in relief.
“Thank goodness...”
Then he clung to Victoria like a whining child.
“Mom, I don’t want to go to America. I want to live with you. So please don’t go anywhere.”
“I’ll stay with my son too.”
Victoria answered immediately.
Sunhyeong stared at her through tear-filled eyes.
Countless emotions mixed together as he drew out a single word.
“Mom...”
With that, his eyes slowly closed.
A long, deep breath escaped his lips.
Victoria held Sunhyeong’s hand as it gradually grew cold and gently stroked it.
“Sleep well, my son.”
Sunhyeong did not answer.
He no longer looked at Victoria and called for his mother.
He simply lay there with his eyes closed, his face peaceful and free of regret.
“He’s gone.”
Yukgap muttered quietly.
Victoria tightened her grip around Sunhyeong’s hand and added almost like a prayer,
“I hope you found your mother there.”
Her cheeks were already soaked with tears.
“The Mercenary King, Kevin?”
Seryun tilted his head at the name.
Yukgap cautiously asked,
“Yeah. Do you know anything about him?”
“Not really. I’m an alchemist, not a mercenary.”
Seryun shook his head.
Yukgap had hoped someone as well-connected as Seryun might know something, but apparently even he had little knowledge of the Mercenary King.
“Still, I finally have some hope.”
Yukgap forced himself to speak brightly.
“Maybe I really was a mercenary Kevin recruited. Then somewhere on the battlefield, Abraxas kidnapped me and modified me.”
“That is a plausible theory.”
“If I can meet Kevin, I might finally learn about my past.”
Until now, Yukgap had felt as though he were wandering blindly through darkness.
Now, at least, there was a thin thread of light guiding him forward.
Maybe finding his past would be easier than he had feared.
“You obtained the right to ask Doctor Mozg exactly one question, didn’t you? She should know something about the Mercenary King.”
Yukgap nodded.
“That’s why I’m waiting for the next crescent moon.”
The Crescent Moon Auction only opened on nights when the crescent moon appeared.
He still had to wait several weeks until the next one.
But compared to how long he had wandered without a clue, a few weeks was nothing.
If anything, he already felt excited, as though he had nearly found his past and family.
“By the way, what’s wrong with the boss?”
Seryun pointed toward a corner of the restaurant.
Victoria sat there hugging a doll, looking depressed as she quietly sang.
“Sleep well, my baby. The birds in the front yard and the lambs on the hill are all asleep, while the moonlight through the window...”
Yukgap glanced at her in disbelief.
“I think that old man with dementia calling her ‘Mom’ messed with her head.”
Seryun looked puzzled.
“People who get that emotionally invested always seem strange to me.”
“Yeah. In a way, it’s impressive.”
Victoria overheard them and immediately exploded.
“You cold-blooded monsters! You’re the weird ones! How can you meet an old man who spent his whole life longing for his mother and died alone without feeling anything? Are you even human?”
Seryun and Yukgap answered without blinking.
“I’m undead.”
“I’m a chimera.”
Victoria screamed in disbelief.
“Fine! Good for you!”
While the three bickered, an unfamiliar voice entered the restaurant.
“So this is the restaurant run by Doctor Mary’s daughter? It’s more ordinary than I expected.”
A silver-haired girl entered Restaurant Shelley accompanied by a bodyguard.
Thick sunglasses covered half her face, making it difficult to see her properly.
