The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Hey, isn't your husband amazing?

At that moment, after Kang Minji absorbed something from Seongjin, who had transformed into a bat, she lost consciousness.

When she later woke up, her consciousness had returned, but her body couldn't move.

Was it because her arms and legs had been burned? Still, it was strange that not even her face twitched.

Her body literally wouldn't move.

'At least my mind is intact.'

Her thought process was working fine.

But her body should have obeyed her brain's commands, so why wasn't it moving? —She couldn't even use magic power.

'What the hell... What did you do to my body, you bastard!!'

What Seongjin had done to Kang Minji was rather simple. Like drinking from a bottle of soda, he simply sucked out everything.

Seongjin, when transformed into a giant bat, was quite literally no different from a bloodsucking monster.

Her blood vessels and bodily tissues, the core source of magic power circulation—Seongjin had taken all of it from her.

Kang Minji was, in essence, as good as dead. Yet, Seongjin had manipulated things so that her mind stayed clear.

—She was left in a brain-dead state, even though it wasn't technically brain death.

'Magic power... I can't summon my magic power...!!'

She tried moving her body using her primary trait, 'Psychokinesis,' but it was no use.

With her mouth unable to move, all she could do was shout in silent anguish.

'Ah... No... Honey! Yongjun's dad!'

That's why...

'Please, just get away from that bastard!!'

She could see the horrifying situation before her eyes but couldn't do anything about it.

In other words, she was helpless.

'That bastard...! He did this to me!!'

Her husband, Kwon Yongha, was with that brat Ma Seongjin.

And the corpses behind them were the spies from the Poison guild whom she'd sent to kill Kwon Sang-ah.

Had they been taken down by Seongjin too? But then...

"By the way, mister. Thanks for dealing with those assassins."

"Haha, what's with you all of a sudden?"

"Thanks to you, Sang-ah is safe. Right?"

― Auntie.

It was her husband, Kwon Yongha, who had killed those spies. When Kang Minji realized this, her eyes reddened with fury.

She wanted to grab her husband by the collar and furiously demand an explanation, but again... she couldn't move.

"Thank you so much for doing what I asked."

"Why are you suddenly giving me compliments?"

"You protected your daughter from the assassins. You finally did something befitting a father, so you deserve praise."

― Am I right?

At the end, Seongjin looked at Kang Minji as he spoke. Kang Minji immediately understood.

Her husband... had been manipulated by that brat to protect the daughter of his concubine.

'Yongjun's dad...! Why... Why...!!'

So the daughter of his concubine, Kwon Sang-ah, stood right there next to them as if she belonged.

'Why did you have to protect that wretch!!'

Ever since marrying him and giving birth to Yongjun, she'd always felt neglected by her husband.

As a wife with a talented child and strong influence, it was only natural for Kwon Yongha to find her appealing.

Kang Minji thought there was no woman more suited to Kwon Yongha than herself.

That's why, out of all the wives of Hwasan guildmaster, she alone should bear that title.

—But what was this madness?

Her so-called husband had brought along some disgusting, horned woman.

It felt like her sole, rightful place as wife had been stolen.

It was revolting.

The daughter born to that woman was disgusting as well. On top of that, she was a Mutamit—something she detested most.

'Why is she still alive!!'

As she stared in disbelief at the reality unfolding before her, Kang Minji screamed soundlessly.

Since she was still conscious, there was a chance she could recover. If she revived, she would take her revenge then.

There was hope left. Moreover...

"Mom! Please, you can't die yet!"

She saw her son, Kwon Yongjun, crying his eyes out before her.

It was natural for him to cry, since his mother had ended up like this.

She was glad he wasn't hurt, but she still wanted to talk to him—if only her mouth would move.

—Still, just you wait.

Her father, 'Kang Ray,' the leader of the Poison guild, was not only a hunter but also an outstanding researcher.

Her uncle and Poison guild's deputy leader, 'Kang Jun,' was a doctor who knew everything about the human body.

If she could rely on these two's brilliance, healing her body would be a piece of cake. So...

― You think you'll be able to heal?

She was startled by the voice echoing in her head. Seongjin was looking at her with a sly grin.

'Don't tell me... you can hear my thoughts?'

― No matter which doctor you bring, they won't be able to fix you. Not until I decide to release you.

'Don't talk nonsense! With my dad's and uncle's help...!'

― You mean Ray and Jun, those brothers?

When those names came out of Seongjin's mouth, Kang Minji froze.

Of course, those two were famous in Korea, but they never revealed their faces in the media.

What's more, Seongjin's way of speaking sounded as if he personally knew them, which made her uneasy.

― It's useless to rely on those bastards. Even Mewzealand's technology can't solve your problem.

'You... what are you...'

― You shouldn't have messed around so much, don't you think?

At that ominous declaration, Kang Minji's gaze trembled with anxiety.

Was he just lying to intimidate her? She wanted to believe Seongjin didn't know how capable her father and uncle were, but an inescapable feeling of dread lingered.

― Anyway, take care~

'Wait! Hang on!!'

Kang Minji was loaded into the ambulance just like that.

She seemed to be crying out as the doors closed, but Seongjin had already cut off the telepathy.

Since he had manipulated her, talking directly into her mind was easy.

― Oh, right! And...

Just before the ambulance doors closed, Seongjin waved to her. Something familiar sparkled on his index finger.

― Hey, isn't your husband amazing?

'Ah...'

Realizing that it was the engagement ring that used to be on her own finger, Kang Minji fell into utter despair.

****

After all the hunters finished regrouping, Kwon Yongha returned to the guildmaster's office.

I sat on the sofa in that room and sipped my coffee.

"You're not going to follow them? No matter what, she's still your wife."

Other hunters aside, Kang Minji was still family. Her son, Kwon Yongjun, had already boarded the ambulance and gone with her to the hospital.

Even with the duties of a guildmaster, surely family matters like this deserved some leniency.

"Yeah, she is my wife. She swore to be with me forever, I put a ring on her finger to symbolize that, and she even gave birth to our child. She fits every criteria to be called my wife."

And the two of them possessed matching qualities.

Kang Minji took pleasure in having a relationship with a man who had both overwhelming power and wealth, while Kwon Yongha was highly satisfied marrying the daughter of the Poison guildmaster, who seemed to have connections with Mewzealand.

"But... that's all there is."

Once again, Kwon Yongha spoke calmly.

"She was a woman who blindly adored me and provided the perfect stepping stone to getting what I wanted. What more am I supposed to feel about her?"

"..."

It was always hard to get used to seeing that emotionless expression. Most people feel certain things after getting married, but not this man.

For Kwon Yongha, Kang Minji ending up injured was about as significant as watching two beetles fight.

"You're something else. If anyone but me heard that, they'd split your skull open."

"Hahaha! I hope you don't misunderstand."

"What do you mean?"

"Minji knew what kind of person I was even before we got married."

Anyone could see Kwon Yongha's true nature. In this country, he'd be ranked at the top of the list of people you should never get close to.

If you wanted to be close to him, you'd have to be ready to lay down your life.

Yet, knowing that, she still married him?

"Don't believe me? Honestly, I don't understand it either. If it's power she's after, she could've picked someone else."

Given Kang Minji's personality, she probably focused only on Kwon Yongha's power and wealth.

Humans want to leave their genes to those deemed superior.

For the greedy, self-centered Kang Minji, that urge would have been all the stronger.

"But Minji didn't realize I was a poisoned chalice. She could've figured it out with a bit more attention."

A guildmaster of one of the Big Four and an overwhelmingly strong S-rank hunter—Kang Minji disregarded Kwon Yongha's nature, entranced by his power.

'Psychopath? Haha! I'll get used to it once we live together!'

She probably brushed it off that lightly.

—She'd been drawn to the sweet scent and ignored the label saying it was poison, downing the wine anyway.

"Minji chose to ignore the warnings about that poison. Isn't it actually strange that she didn't expect something like this to happen to her?"

"..."

"And I hope you're not trying to blame others. You're the one who did this to Minji, aren't you?"

Kwon Yongha's insight made me click my tongue. If nothing else, his perceptiveness deserved respect.

"How did you know?"

"You kept complimenting me as Minji was brought in. You practically bragged that her scheme had failed."

He must know those spies were sent by Kang Minji. The ones who tried to kill Sang-ah had all been wiped out by his hand.

He surely knew the fact that Minji realized this would be a huge shock.

"And that ring you're wearing—that's the one I bought Minji before our wedding."

I pulled the ring from my finger and laid it on the table. The moment he caught that detail, I knew I'd slipped up.

"Do you resent me for it?"

"Not at all. If you want, keep wearing it. From the start, everything that happened to Minji is just the result of her own actions. Isn't that right?"

It wasn't a wrong point, but hearing it from Kwon Yongha was strange.

If you followed that logic, there were plenty of things he'd have to take responsibility for as well.

"Hm? What's this book?"

"Oh, that?"

While sipping my coffee, I noticed a book on the table. The dark, grand cover drew my attention and I picked it up.

"It's a gift from Hand. Looks like it was given only to some parents of Hand students."

"Is it interesting?"

"You'll have to read it to find out."

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〈Great Quotations〉

Author – Raven Holbat

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If I recall, Raven Holbat is the chairman of Hand. I opened the book, thinking it might be a thesis written by the chairman himself.

But instead, the contents weren't a thesis or even an autobiography. It was filled with aphorisms, and each one came with verbose explanations.

〈Feel the flow of blood in your hearts.〉

〈Offer your heart to me. Only then can you experience the same abyss as I.〉

〈Trample your foes. Embrace the darkness.〉

What the hell. What am I reading?

Just looking at these lines was enough to make me nauseous—they were full of cringe-worthy, "edgy teen" remarks.

Did the chairman really publish this as a book?

What must be going through his head to create something like this?

He was clearly a bigger lunatic than Kwon Yongha.

"Huh?"

The more I read, the more I was struck by an intense sense of déjà vu.

It sounded very similar to the speeches I had given when leading a legion in Mewzealand.

—What is this?