Seomun Hyeok’s eyes narrowed. He could accept that Haram didn’t believe him — but acting as though he hadn’t heard a single word was another thing entirely.
He hadn’t anticipated this. When Seomun Hyeok fell silent, unable to find the words, Haram took it as a refusal and scrunched up his nose, letting out a dismissive little growl.
“Hand it over.”
For someone claiming to be an archmage, he wasn’t the least bit threatening. Understandable, given that he was trapped in the body of an E-rank healer.
“Did you not say that if I removed the Dragon Heart, I would die?”
“You can just regress again, can’t you.”
“……?”
“What. Was that a lie?”
Haram’s sullen gaze landed on Seomun Hyeok. Seomun Hyeok froze, momentarily at a loss for words.
Could it be. Was he actually believing him — the fact that he had been repeating these regressions over and over?
Like it was natural. Like it was obvious.
Seomun Hyeok was moved before he even realized it. It had been so long since he had expected anything from another person, and having those expectations met was something that had almost never happened to him.
“You believe me?”
“How would I believe you. Who even are you.”
“No, but just now—”
“Even so, what you just said — it didn’t sound like a complete lie to me. I’ve seen many people with eyes like yours.”
Haram believed him. To be precise, it was his secret that Haram believed in — but to Seomun Hyeok, that was one and the same.
And so he made a decision: he would trust the young man in front of him a little more.
“Honestly speaking… I no longer want to turn back time.”
“Then don’t.”
“As I mentioned, in order for that to happen, I must save this world. I have to become a hero recognized by the System.”
As if sensing Seomun Hyeok’s feelings, the System responded.
System/ Be fri nds wit yo com ade
Comrade, not “comade.”
Ignoring the System’s message, he continued with a desperate look on his face.
“…Become my variable. With your help, I believe I can succeed this time.”
“Hmm, well….”
“If you join me in saving this world, I will give you everything I have.”
What Seomun Hyeok wanted was a perfect death. And what Haram wanted was the Dragon Heart nestled beside his heart.
If he saved the world, Seomun Hyeok would be free. Since what he desired was death, he could split open his chest at that point and hand the Dragon Heart over to Haram — and they would both get what they wanted.
“Everything you have?”
Haram’s gaze drifted toward Seomun Hyeok’s chest. Seomun Hyeok gave a single nod.
“Even my life.”
He had expected Haram to accept this offer without a moment’s hesitation. In the back of his mind, he was already forming a concrete plan — the moment Haram agreed, he would pull out the S-rank contract he’d shoved into his inventory.
But Haram did not readily agree. He seemed dissatisfied with Seomun Hyeok’s terms. The reaction was the complete opposite of what he had expected, and Seomun Hyeok couldn’t hide his growing unease.
“Why — what don’t you like about it? If there’s something more you want, please, say anything.”
“Oh? In that case, I won’t hold back.”
Ahem, ahem. Haram raised a hand to cover his mouth and cleared his throat. For a brief moment, the corner of his lips looked like it had curled upward. Or was that Seomun Hyeok imagining things?
“First, the compensation for my help will be paid upfront.”
“The Dragon Heart?”
“Ha. That’d be fine by me — but didn’t you say you don’t want to regress?”
“Then…?”
“What comes to mind immediately.”
Haram made a sweeping gesture around the room for emphasis. Seomun Hyeok’s gaze followed.
“First, this house.”
“Pardon?”
“As you can see, this place is absolute trash. Until recently, I was living in an imperial palace. I cannot continue living somewhere like this.”
Having said that, Haram gave an exaggerated shudder, then extended a finger and pointed at the old furniture and belongings one by one.
“And money. I have none right now. There’s only one packet of ramen left in the cupboard. At this rate, I’ll starve to death.”
“…….”
“Lastly, mana.”
His fingertip slid toward Seomun Hyeok. Seomun Hyeok’s shoulders flinched involuntarily.
“I am trapped in this body right here. Like this, I can do nothing.”
He explained his plans to Seomun Hyeok. First, the method of performing dimensional transfer again to bring his original body from the other world over to this side. Or the method of fashioning a new body that could function similarly to his previous one, and so on.
“For now, I’ll continue researching both methods. But even while researching, I need mana to conduct experiments. Mana is also essential for daily life.”
“…Is there some particular reason you need to change bodies? If it’s just the amount of mana needed for everyday life, items and buffs should be able to cover that to some extent.”
Seomun Hyeok raised a question that had been nagging at him for a while. At that, Haram — who had been about to say something — pressed his lips shut and shook his head.
“Just take my word for it.”
The corner of Seomun Hyeok’s eye twitched with irritation. He couldn’t even begin to guess what Haram was trying to hide from him.
“Regardless. Even setting aside my own convenience — when I use mana, it will work out in your favor as well. That I can guarantee.”
“In my favor.”
“Wasn’t the goal to catch the Demon King or whatever it is and save the world? If I can use magic the way I used to, I could crush some Demon King in the blink of an eye. I’ll do my utmost to support you so that you can die without a care in the world.”
Haram was a better talker than expected. At least, Seomun Hyeok was being persuaded.
Certainly, even that explosion he’d triggered outside earlier — for something activated in such a short time, the power had been considerable. On top of that, this person claims to be able to use multiple types of magic, so he’ll be a substantial asset.
Having finished his deliberation, Seomun Hyeok asked how he might go about transferring his mana over. At that straightforward response, Haram smiled and reached out a hand.
“Tsk, hold still.”
He restrained Seomun Hyeok, who had startled and was about to pull back, then swiftly interlaced their fingers, seizing his hand. Bony fingers, knuckles jutting out at every joint, threaded themselves between Seomun Hyeok’s firm ones.
“……!”
The mana drained smoothly out of Seomun Hyeok’s body. Haram raised his free hand and pointed at the broken front door, through which a cold draft was seeping in.
Hmmmm—
As the mana circulated, the air hummed. The fragments of the broken door and wall trembled finely before lifting up into the air.
The next moment, they found their way back into place, restored to perfect condition without a single flaw.
Startled, Seomun Hyeok looked down at the hand caught in Haram’s grasp. He could feel the mana being steadily siphoned away through it.
“Whenever I want to use magic, you just need to offer your hand like this. I’ll draw out the mana as I need it.”
So in other words—
“You’re telling me to be your mana battery…?”
It was treatment he had never experienced before. He had offered everything he had, and what Haram truly wanted from him was nothing more than a mana supply source.
“This is non-negotiable. The house and money, naturally, are also non-negotiable.”
Haram lifted an eyebrow and spoke with firm resolve. The way his eyes looked at Seomun Hyeok was exactly like someone with all the power staring down at someone with none.
…I’m an S-rank Hunter, for what it’s worth.
It was a look he had never once received since becoming an S-rank Hunter.
* * *
Once the situation had settled to some degree, the two sat facing each other at a wobbly dining table with uneven legs and began drafting a contract.
What Seomun Hyeok wanted was Haram’s help — specifically, for him to join his guild, Eclipse, and to play a part in saving the world from the Demon King, presumed to be the final boss.
And what Haram wanted in turn was a house, money, and mana — and after helping Seomun Hyeok accomplish all of his goals, to receive the Dragon Heart from him.
Seomun Hyeok wrote out the above terms in the contract and went over the more detailed clauses with Haram.
“First, we’ll need to address the housing situation and provide financial support.”
“Yes. I want to get out of this dump as soon as possible.”
Haram ground his teeth, looking thoroughly done with the place. At just that moment, a pitch-black cockroach the size of Seomun Hyeok’s thumb scurried out from the corner of the room and began rampaging across the floor.
“That! Do you see that! What a filthy, unsanitary environment!”
Haram leapt up like a cat that had spotted a cucumber and shrieked, then scrambled over to Seomun Hyeok’s side and pressed himself against him. He proceeded to grab Seomun Hyeok by the collar and shake him, demanding he do something about it.
“Ha….”
Thanks to Haram’s shrieking, it felt like his eardrum on one side was going to give out before long. Seomun Hyeok pressed a hand to his forehead, half-seriously reconsidering the contract with Haram — and still dutifully sliced the cockroach in two and disposed of it.
“Throw that dagger away. And while you’re at it, get rid of the bug carcass too.”
This is basically having a mother-in-law. Grumbling internally, Seomun Hyeok did everything Haram told him to do, and it was quite a while before they were finally able to resume drafting the contract.
“Since you’ve come from another world, everyday life in general is going to be difficult for you. Can you do things like cleaning or cooking?”
“Of course not.”
“…I see. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting otherwise.”
“How insolent.”
“Yes. Well then, along with finding a new place to live, I suppose we’ll need to hire a housekeeper to look after your daily needs.”
Tap, tap. Seomun Hyeok drummed the end of his pen against the dining table. His mind quickly ran through Haram’s attitude toward him, his way of speaking, all of it.
…To an outsider, Pyo Haram’s condition would look anything but normal.
No matter how long he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer. No — there was exactly one method that came to mind. He had simply chosen to look the other way because he really didn’t want to do it.
“Haah….”
“Why the heavy sigh.”
Seomun Hyeok glanced over at Haram, who had gone right back to sprawling about lazily now that the bug had been dealt with. Haram, without Seomun Hyeok even registering it, had already taken hold of his pinky finger and was siphoning mana from it.
Clatter— trickle— whoosh—
From the sink, a chipped cup floated up gently into the air. Clean water filled the previously empty cup, and then it came sailing over toward them.
Haram caught it lightly and took a drink, then said:
“What are you staring at. Go get your own water.”
“…I’m fine.”
Well, well. The great archmage from another world had not a speck of social grace, and neither his speech nor his behavior was remotely ordinary.
He couldn’t possibly leave Haram like this in the care of some civilian who didn’t know any better. That civilian would be innocent of any wrongdoing.
Though of course, so am I.
In the end, Seomun Hyeok proposed the one option he least wanted but that was, for now, the only one available.
“Let’s go to my place.”
