Chapter 1231. At the Continent (5)

The more I thought about it, the more that calm smile looked painfully bittersweet. That self-deprecating smile... he was trying to appear confident and act like he could overcome it all.

It was unmistakably something Light Ki-Young would do.

‘I think I know why people are making a big deal out of it. I want to help him...’

I

did

try to stop him, but the problem was that it didn’t work at all.

Whenever Kim Hyun-Sung was

that

firm about something, it'd be nearly impossible to change his mind.

Sure, Light Ki-Young could probably get through to him, but even then, I had to ask myself—was stopping him really the right thing to do here?

Whether that

famous doctor

could actually treat him or not wasn’t the point.

What mattered was that Kim Hyun-Sung had finally acknowledged his problem, and he wanted to do something about it, which was really important.

If this incident became his impetus for growth, then perhaps it wasn’t worth interfering.

Some parts rubbed me the wrong way, but honestly...

‘I want him to recover to some extent...’

However, a part of me didn't want him to be completely cured.

‘Can he really be fixed?’

I was a layman when it came to psychiatry, so I couldn't get into the details, but I

knew

that mental illnesses couldn't be “cured” that easily. The human brain was extremely sensitive and complicated.

How could one just sum it all up under one word like “mental illness”?

It was said that it was possible to be completely cured, and there were plenty of examples out there, but the word “cure” had a unique meaning for each person out there. For some, it meant being able to recognize and control their symptoms, while others believed the word "cure" meant eliminating the illness.

Others even said that mental illnesses were lifelong challenges that had to be confronted and managed. They described them as companions one had to hold hands with and walk alongside them.

If that so-called doctor were to expose every rotten part inside Kim Hyun-Sung’s mind, and actually succeeded in doing so—honestly, I wouldn't want to see that happen. They were mostly the reason Kim Hyun-Sung could be manipulated.

‘Things like separation anxiety...’

Kim Hyun-Sung wanted to live a somewhat healthy life, but the desire to stop relying on me wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

‘It won’t be that easy, but...’

“Right, noona? It can’t be treated that easily, right?” I asked.

“Do you really expect that to happen in such a short period of time? Considering how much time Kim Hyun-Sung has already lost... such disorders are easier to handle early on, but become more difficult to deal with as time goes on.

"Frankly, I believe being completely cured is just wishful thinking on his part. Regardless of how competent a doctor is, it’s bound to be a challenging struggle,” Lee Ji-Hye answered.

“

Hmm...

”

“There are a few remedies available on the continent... but Kim Hyun-Sung isn’t exactly someone who responds well to medication. In the end, it’s all about building up progress through counseling, but Kim Hyun-Sung has many secrets.

"You think he’ll reveal the fact that he’s a regressor? How can anyone treat a patient properly if they don't have a full understanding of them?”

“That’s true,” I said.

“Just making him feel that way can already be considered a success. Also, here’s what you asked for. The Black Swan Guild did some digging on that doctor, and apparently, he has some history on Earth, so take a look,” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“Thanks, noona,” I said.

“Are you sure he left today?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

Yeah, I saw him off this morning... and he said he'll visit the guild house from time to time. He said he’ll keep in touch regularly. With warp gates around these days, distance isn’t really a problem anymore. If anything happens, I can see him right away.

"To be honest, things haven’t been great at the guild lately, so I thought it’d be better to let him take a break. He

did

go through a lot in Rohen,” I answered.

“

Hmm

, that makes sense. Let’s stop talking about him and head out. Many people are waiting,” Lee Ji-Hye suggested.

“Okay.”

I walked out with Ji-Hye noona, and I saw many familiar faces.

‘It’s been a while.’

I was meeting some of the senators. Due to my body being in this form, I had to hold this meeting in secret, so I couldn’t really invite a lot of people. Even the attendants were dismissed, so the tea room looked far more spacious than usual.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young?”

“It’s been a while, Senator Caitlyn and Senator Elise,” I greeted.

“Y-Your figure... I heard about it beforehand, but... but you really got younger,” Caitlyn said.

“I'll likely recover soon...” I said.

“I truly appreciate everything you've done,” Elise said.

‘They’re trying to hug me as well.’

We never really felt the need to hug, so it was funny how things were playing out differently this time.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young... you really...”

It'd always start with them holding my hands firmly, as if to say that they were here to comfort my pain and wounds. What started out as a light hug with a few pats on the back soon turned into a strong, almost desperate embrace.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young!...

Haa...

Mr. Lee Ki-Young!” Marilyn exclaimed.

“Senator Marilyn, I-I can’t breathe,” I said.

“

Ah

, I’m sorry.”

Nothing had changed. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia. Once hailed as the cherished jewel of Castlerock, or if I were to borrow Woo Hyo-Yeol’s words, I'd say... yeah, she was more like a reckless kid.

From being a reckless kid to a senator in the Sacred Democratic Country. Apparently, she was doing a decent job, which had to be a relief for Castlerock’s former count.

Honestly, these people were the ones I hadn't seen in a while. Father Basel was someone I saw regularly during prayer meetings, and I'd occasionally run into Oscar as well while I was taking care of tasks related to the Sacred Democratic Country.

This particular mix of people gathered solely for the tea party was a rare sight.

Even when we crossed paths, we'd never have the time to sit down and actually talk to each other.

When Caitlyn and Elise were still noblewomen and Marilyn was still a young heiress, social events were their world, so they couldn’t dedicate themselves to anything else.

Now, as paid senators, they were much busier than before. Still, whenever I hosted tea parties in my name, they would always attend, even if it meant going out of their way to do so. I was sure they had to juggle more than a few things to make it happen.

“I would have liked to meet with everyone, but because of my ongoing condition, I could only contact the three of you,” I said.

“Oh my, I’m honored. To think that you held us in such regard...”

Their faces clearly showed that attending the tea party was worth it despite the difficulty.

“Of course. Our connection isn’t something ordinary,” I said.

“

Hohoho

.”

“Today, I prepared ordinary black tea. It’s not as fancy as usual, but I thought it wouldn't be bad to enjoy the simple things once in a while,” I told them.

“That’s not bad either. To be honest, we get more and more exhausted as our influence gets bigger,” Caitlyn remarked.

“Lady Caitlyn is right. I sometimes miss these simple pleasures,” Elise chimed in.

“Lady? Senator Elise, you should be careful what you say...” Caitlyn criticized her.

“

Ah!

Was that rude of me? It’s just been a while...” Elise mumbled.

“You just wanted to have fun like we used to, right, Lady Elise?” I asked.

“

Ah!

Then that means I’ll be Lady Marilyn,” Marilyn chimed in.

“I’ll call you Lady Marilyn,” Elise joked.

“

Hohohoho

.”

“

Hohohohoho.

”

‘It’s pretty fun.’

“Why don’t we catch up while eating dessert?” I suggested.

“Sounds good.”

What remained unchanged was that these three still served as the main communication hub for the senior officers of the Sacred Democratic Country.

They dealt with big and small incidents happening all over the place, regardless of whether those incidents had been verified or not.

They even uncovered facts that the Black Swan Guild couldn't discover.

It was understandable, as the Black Swan Guild would never bother with rumors about a senator’s cousin having an affair with the head of a powerful family.

The initial conversation focused on the Sacred Democratic Country’s affairs. It was necessary, but it was a rather dull start.

“The tax rates were adjusted this time, weren't they? The real estate prices should stabilize soon, especially in Lindel...” I asked.

“It’s even worse than the capital. We need to build a city with a satellite soon... but it hasn’t been approved yet...” Elise said.

“As far as I know, the Three Major Guilds have already made a move. Isn’t that right?” Elise said.

Over time, the topic became more and more absurd.

“I haven’t heard any news while I was away, so... Lady Caitlyn,” I turned to her.

“

Ahhh.

There are many things I want to tell you,” Caitlyn said.

“It'd be great if you were here, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. It's such a pity,” Elise chimed in.

“Well, there was a truly ridiculous statement made in the recent assembly,” Caitlyn said.

“What? Really?” I asked.

“It’s true. Just how ignorant can he be... Despite being slammed by the media, he still can’t get it together,” Caitlyn complained.

‘I knew he was going to cause trouble someday.’

When the atmosphere reached its peak, the real juicy gossip came out. Honestly, this was why I kept coming back to these tea gatherings. They were such a good way to blow off some steam.

“After going through all that, they used a parentage verification spell, and it turned out that they weren’t related after all!” Elise revealed.

“Oh my. Is that true, Lady Elise?” Calitlyn asked.

“Of course, Lady Caitlyn,” Elise answered.

“So it was indeed Lord Malcom. Rumors had been going around, but I still had my doubts. However, that unmistakable red hair gave him away. Mr. Lee Ki-Young, I’m sure you were...”

I knew something was fishy.

“You’re right. His red hair... clearly resembled Lord Malcom... It was clearly different from the Baroness’ shade of red,” I commented.

I confirmed with my own eyes that Lord Malcom and that red-headed individual looked similar.

“Have you heard?” I asked.

“Pardon, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?” Elise asked.

“I haven’t heard the full details, so I can’t confirm the accuracy... but I’ve heard the Republic is in chaos due to a certain commander’s messy love affair...” I revealed.

“Whaaat? When you say the Republic’s commander... you don’t mean... Jin Cheong...” Elise was in disbelief.

“Yes, it's Commander Jin Cheong. There was a rumor going around that he had recently purchased a servant from the black market. I brushed it off as a baseless rumor, but apparently, it wasn’t just a rumor,” I continued.

“

Haa...

so the black market still exists in this day and age... That man is really something else. His appearance and true nature really don’t match at all,” Caitlyn grumbled.

The government can try to stop it, but those determined to take advantage of it will keep doing so. It’s truly unfortunate, especially the fact that he purchased a servant. The reason for the purchase is just too obvious. Actually, such things still happen frequently in the Republic,” I explained.

“Not only that, but I heard he’s a member of a secret club,” Elise added.

“It’s pretty obvious since he frequents the black market,” Caitlyn remarked.

I wondered why it felt like my mind was clearing up.

The stress that I had been accumulating in Rohen was disappearing little by little. I could feel a gentle energy rising in my somewhat weary life. Perhaps it was because I got younger, but even the tea and dessert tasted better than before.

“I heard he has three children hidden somewhere in the Republic...” Elise said.

“What?”

“I never thought of him like that until now...” Caitlyn mumbled.

Boom!

“The Hero of Shadows is going to cry!” Marilyn exclaimed.

Her shout made me confident that an article about this would appear by tomorrow.

“I heard that Mr. Elias of the Elf Kingdom has become so enamored with a woman that he’s been neglecting his duties. They say that he hasn't been able to sleep properly due to that,” Elise revealed.

“I just don’t understand why there are so many scandals. What is everyone doing at a crucial time like this?

"Seriously... the very people who should be holding this continent together are the ones letting us down. I'm worried about the future of this continent...” Caitlyn complained.

It wasn’t purely for personal pleasure. Although the outcome was uncertain, big problems tended to become buried by even bigger ones. I never expected that they would discover Kim Hyun-Sung’s hospital trip, but it would certainly be helpful to him.

I nodded in satisfaction and was about to speak about Jin Cheong’s wrongdoings when Senator Elise beat me to the chase, saying, “Have you heard? Apparently, Senator Hanest’s son almost got expelled. Something about bribery—”

“Senator Elise!” Caitlyn shouted.

Marilyn cast a wary gaze on me.

‘What is it?’

“Please pretend that you didn’t hear that, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. It seems Senator Elise got a little too carried away...” Caitlyn said.

“I’m sorry,” Elise apologized.

‘What does Senator Hanest’s son have to do with bribery?’

I spent a long time pondering it, but I soon found the answer.

“Is this about what happened at the Blue Guild’s Youth Center?” I asked.