Chapter 245: Taeyangs Empty Spot
Immediately after Geum Taeyang was pulled into the gate, the three remaining people were in a panic.
Even though they had witnessed the event with their own eyes, all they could do was stare blankly at the empty space, dumbfounded.
The spatial rift that had swallowed Taeyang had already disappeared, and no one could explain why it had occurred.
“What did Taeyang say?”
“Oppa said it was the gate to the Dragon District.”
“Ariella, open the gate behind you immediately. I’m going to save Taeyang!”
“This gate… is still closed.”
“If it’s closed, there must be a way to open it!”Gayeon was surprised at her own inability to maintain composure.
Even though she knew pressing Ariella wouldn’t change anything,
She couldn’t forgive herself for doing nothing while Taeyang disappeared before her eyes.
“What did you do? If I had known something like this could happen…!”
“I didn’t know either. This was unimaginable.”
“Tsk, can’t you even guide properly?!”
“Master, calm down…! It’s not Big Sis’s fault!”
“And what were you doing while Taeyang was being dragged into the gate?”
“What?”
“Big Sis…!”
Ariella didn’t back down either.
“It’s your role to protect Taeyang’s body.”
“It happened so fast, I couldn’t react. Who knew a spatial rift would occur and swallow Taeyang?”
“That goes for me too. But… how did Taeyang know he was going to the Dragon District?”
Cecilia, who initially didn’t know the reason, seemed to remember something and spoke haltingly.
“It’s… Oppa’s ability.”
“The precognitive ability he mentioned back then…!”
What if that ability told him where the other side of the gate led?
“What are you talking about?”
“Oppa’s Blood Art is unique. Sometimes he receives information in advance, even without realizing it.”
“Receives information in advance?”
“Oppa didn’t seem to be fully aware of it either…”
“Then there’s a high chance he went to the Dragon District.”
Ariella breathed a sigh of relief.
“His luggage seems to have gone with him, so Taeyang will be fine.”
“Is there no way to open the gate from this side?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about this phenomenon. I’m going to report to Her Majesty.”
“You want me to sit here twiddling my thumbs while my master might be in danger?”
“I didn’t say that, Sword Empress.”
“Move. I’ll open that gate.”
As Gayeon drew her sword and declared her intention towards the closed gate, Ariella immediately retorted.
“Tampering with the gate is a violation of Imperial law. Do you want to be arrested again?”
“You do what you can. I’ll do what I can.”
Ariella thought.
Just as there’s no one who worries about water when cutting it with a sword, no matter how much Gayeon tried, the closed gate wouldn’t open.
However, the woman who declared she would open the gate was Gayeon, a master swordsman who reached the pinnacle in her world.
If she said she would do it, even if she couldn’t open the gate, there was a possibility she could break it beyond repair in the worst-case scenario.
“No, if you touch the only Dragon Gate and render it permanently unusable, Taeyang will become stranded in that world.”
Cecilia was at a loss, caught between the two agitated people.
“Big Sis, Master…”
“So, you want me to just wait?”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m just doing what I can now. If you want to assign blame, you can do it afterward.”
“Stop!”
Cecilia shouted.
“It’s my fault!”
Gayeon and Ariella simultaneously turned to Cecilia.
“It’s my fault for not being able to grab Oppa, who was right in front of me.”
“….”
“….”
Gayeon couldn’t forgive herself.
The fire in her heart was spreading, unable to stop even if it sparked onto those around her.
But, seeing her disciple blaming herself for everything, Gayeon suddenly reflected on herself.
She sheathed her sword, her hands trembling with shame.
“I’m sorry, Ariella. I… showed you an uncomposed side of me.”
“You don’t have to apologize… I wish someone would blame me.”
“It was my duty to protect Taeyang. The thought that I failed to do so makes me ashamed to even lift my head…”
“Oppa… will be alright, Master! We can go find him again!”
“Right, we need to find a way to resolve this situation now.”
Cecilia and Gayeon’s gazes focused on Ariella.
“World’s Best Boobs Big Sis! Would Her Majesty know the cause?”
“I don’t know, but Her Majesty is the one who knows the most about gates in the Empire. He’s been researching them for over a thousand years.”
“Then I’ll wait here while you go for an audience.”
“This area isn’t safe. The chance of Taeyang returning here after crossing over is extremely slim. Let’s go back to the workshop first.”
“…Tsk.”
They leave.
The very fact that they were leaving without any results tormented Gayeon.
No, no one here was at ease.
The atmosphere had been so cheerful when they left the workshop, but now no one spoke a word.
‘Oppa… are you alright?’
Peridot was standing at the entrance of the workshop.
She sensed the unusual atmosphere.
“Senior, what happened?”
“Oppa… he got sucked into a gate… and we don’t know where he is.”
“….”
“Ariella, take me with you. I want an audience with Her Majesty.”
“He’s not someone you can just see whenever you want.”
“Even if I have to wait at the door, take me. Taeyang wouldn’t have let you go alone.”
“Please take me too!”
When Cecilia also stepped forward, Ariella sighed.
She didn’t have the energy to refuse the two, knowing they would follow her anyway.
She, too, only wanted to know why this had happened.
With Seina, who grasped the situation late, joining them, the four headed to the Emperor’s detached palace…
“What’s this? All of you came swarming in?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. We came here because it’s an urgent matter.”
Ariella knelt and bowed her head.
“Did something happen to Taeyang?”
“That’s…”
After hearing the full story, Sihyeon remained silent for a long time.
Ariella was nervously anticipating Gayeon yelling.
After what felt like an eternity, Sihyeon finally spoke.
“Right before Taeyang got sucked into the gate, did he say not to worry because it’s the gate to the Dragon Kingdom?”
“Yes, Cecilia heard him.”
“I heard him clearly, Your Majesty!”
“I know about Taeyang’s Blood Art. I thought it only activated when he smelled a milf…”
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
Ariella whipped her head around to Cecilia.
Even if Her Majesty didn’t want formalities, it was rude to ask back without permission.
Cecilia hastily lowered her head.
“I-I apologize!”
Cecilia, who even bit her tongue in the process, had tears welling up in her eyes.
“Taeyang’s slave training is lacking. I’ll have to give him a hundred lashes when he returns.”
“W-wah… I’ll take them instead!”
“Cecilia!”
When Ariella scolded her sternly, Cecilia covered her mouth and sniffled.
“I’m kidding. Kidding. Sigh, I can’t even joke around now that I’m in a high position.”
Gayeon clenched her fists.
“Your Majesty! If you know anything… please tell us. I… we… gathered here with desperate hearts.”
“What I just said casually isn’t much. Taeyang’s Destined Development is a skill where information leaks intensify when the upcoming event is related to a milf.” ŊBΕş
No one properly understood Sihyeon’s words at that moment.
“It means Taeyang is always being led to situations favorable for meeting milfs…”
“….”
“….”
“Alright, no one understood. Let’s just skip to the main point.”
Sihyeon was sad.
She felt Taeyang’s absence, who would have chimed in with gusto even if he didn’t understand.
“The reason the gate to the Dragon Kingdom is closed is because it was opened from somewhere else.”
“Mother, you can’t open a gate arbitrarily from another location, can you?”
“Not with ordinary means. But if a gate to the Dragon Kingdom was opened from somewhere other than Isil, this entrance would close due to lack of resources.
It means there can’t be multiple holes leading to the same world. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“M-mm…”
Cecilia clutched her head and groaned.
“M-Mother… does that mean the original entrance closed because someone opened it from somewhere else?”
“Yes, but opening and closing a gate to another world is a divine feat. If a human does it, imperfections will inevitably appear. As a result, another gate was temporarily opened.”
“And Oppa got sucked into that…!”
“Yes, regardless of the gate opener’s intentions, they wouldn’t have set the coordinates to drop him in the middle of the ocean, so Taeyang will be fine.”
“Thank goodness…!”
As everyone sighed in relief at Sihyeon’s confirmation,
Ariella realized a chilling fact from this series of events.
“Then who opened the gate, and for what purpose…”
“That’s the problem. It was probably the Hero.”
The Hero.
Since everyone present had witnessed the First Number’s power during the Nine-tailed Fox invasion, the Hero’s existence weighed heavily on their minds.
“I didn’t know the priest he travels with could use dimensional magic…”
“Did they… do that to harm Oppa?”
Cecilia asked cautiously.
“The timing doesn’t match. Taeyang being sucked into that gate was probably an accident. So, it doesn’t make sense that they planned it.”
“Meow…”
“But you’ve hit a good point. Cecilia, was it?”
“Yes…!”
“I can feel your concern for your master.”
“Ehehe…”
“The Hero’s party must have gone to the Dragon Kingdom for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is right now. I’ll have to investigate. We can’t leave Taeyang alone like this…”
“I want to go help Oppa!”
“I’ll go too, Mother.”
Seina and Cecilia stepped forward simultaneously.
Sihyeon was surprised by Seina’s proactive attitude, more than anything.
“Seina, are you ditching work with Mom to go find your boyfriend?”
“Th-that… uhm
… yes… if I put it bluntly, that’s correct.”“The diligent Seina… finally…!”
Sihyeon wiped away tears of joy.
Seina’s cheeks flushed red at her mother’s exaggerated reaction.
“Mother, the gate in the Devil District… please!”
“Alright. I’ll form a special task force centered around Seina. Find the Dragon Kingdom gate on the other side and go help Taeyang.”
“Thank you!”
“Regardless of how it happened, Taeyang ended up alone in a world with the First Number, so he’ll need someone’s help.”
“Oppa… is Oppa in great danger?!”
“He’ll survive even in the worst-case scenario. Because Seol-ah is there.”
On their way back from the audience,
Gayeon immediately spoke to Seina.
“Seina, I’d like to be included in that special task force.”
“Yes, your assistance would be a great help.”
“I want to go too!”
“Cecilia, you might end up fighting the First Number on the other side.”
Ariella seemed to be against Cecilia joining the task force.
Unlike Seina, who was special from birth, and Gayeon, who transcended human limits, Cecilia was at greater risk.
Cecilia herself knew this well. However…
“I… I want to go.”
“….”
“I can smell him, so I can find where Oppa is faster than anyone else!”
“Cecilia…”
“It’s no use stopping her, Ariella. She’s my disciple. She’s not the type to hide when her precious family might be in danger.”
“Master!”
Cecilia hugged Gayeon!
Mesmerized by Cecilia’s incredibly soft cat ears, Gayeon gulped.
“S-so soft. How can they be so soft?”
“Meow meow!”
“Be my cat, Cecilia.”
“I can’t, because I’m Oppa’s cat.”
“….”
Feeling Ariella’s gaze, Gayeon cleared her throat and pushed Cecilia away.
“A-ahem. This isn’t the time for this. What would Taeyang say if he saw us?”
“I wasn’t particularly criticizing you internally.”
“…I felt guilty.”
“You heard Her Majesty. Taeyang just got caught in a gate someone else opened. There’s no need to worry.”
With an indifferent expression, Ariella reached out and gently kneaded Cecilia’s cat ears.
“World’s Best Boobs Big Sis, can I… touch your breasts too?!”
“Huh? Well… a little.”
Cecilia melted as she kneaded Ariella’s breasts.
“W-wow… the texture is amazing…”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
Seina and Gayeon glanced at Ariella’s large breasts.
“Really, they’re no different from yours.”
“World’s Best Boobs… amazing…”
“….”
Seina didn’t miss Ariella spacing out from time to time.
“Lady Ariella, you say that, but you’re the most worried.”
“Ugh…”
Everyone smiled, as if they knew Ariella’s feelings.
“Don’t worry, Ariella. I’ll make sure my disciple returns safe and sound.”
“Leave Oppa to me! World’s Best Boobs Big Sis!”
“This time, I won’t let Lady Ariella sad.”
“…Everyone’s… talking nonsense…”
As if her tension had been released, Ariella’s voice trembled.
Her violet eyes were watery, as if tears were about to spill out.
“I’m really not worried.”
“Big Sis…”
“If it’s Taeyang… by now… he’s probably so healthy, he’s embracing another woman…”