The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

The door suddenly burst open, and someone walked in—it was Woo Mahan, the Guild Master of Hwarang. My brother furrowed his brow slightly as he spoke.
“Guild Master Woo Mahan, have you forgotten how to knock?”
“Ah, my apologies. I thought only Mahun was here.”

Woo Mahan glanced around at us, then broke into a broad smile.
“Oh, Hae Roun, you’re here too!”

The mage turned his gaze slightly and gave a hollow laugh.
“…Yes, Guild Master. Unfortunately, I am still here.”
“That’s great! I have something to ask of you anyway!”

Woo Mahan pulled a white piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the mage.
“What is this…?”

The mage tilted his head in confusion, and Woo Mahan, now looking apologetic, exchanged glances with my brother before replying.
“We’ll compensate you generously. Could you escort Mahun home discreetly?”

Then he leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially.
“That guy’s magic tends to be… too flashy.”

Perhaps overhearing the comment, the Demon King lifted his chin imperiously and retorted.
“It is not flashy.”
“Shut up!!” Woo Mahan snapped.

The mage raised an eyebrow and peered into the white envelope. Almost immediately, his mouth fell open. Noticing this, my brother quickly produced another white envelope from his pocket and handed it to the mage.
“Hae Roun, we’ll compensate you generously as well. If this gate incident affects your company work, please let us know at any time.”

It was a blatant attempt to recruit him under the guise of assistance.
The mage stared blankly at the envelopes from my brother and Woo Mahan before finally smiling brightly.
“Money makes everything possible. Trust me—I’ll get everyone home safely.”

Indeed, money solves everything.

My idea of returning home via the mage’s portal was shattered when my brother and Woo Mahan insisted on seeing us off as we climbed into the Spirit Master’s car.
“Spirit Master, don’t you have anything for me? I’m doing all this to get you home, you know?”
“Get me home? I’m the one driving right now.”

At Kang Hasu’s retort, the mage pouted but quickly pulled out the two white envelopes from his pocket, grinning brightly.
“The mage is rich now!!”
“Rich, my foot. Why don’t you use that money to figure out how to clean up your records? From now on, you’ll be known as H. Roun, the corporate hunter,” the Spirit Master said dryly.

The mage raised one corner of his mouth and replied,
“The mage never dies alone. CEO Kang Hasu, watch your back—I’m going to catch a pile of bugs and sprinkle them over your head at night!”

Screech—!

The car, which had been smoothly cruising down the road, came to an abrupt halt with a loud screech.
I widened my eyes and clutched my seatbelt tightly. The honking of horns blared outside.
Kang Hasu, pale as a sheet, shouted,
“…Ifrit, spare me! Don’t say such terrifying things!!”

I flicked his forehead lightly.
“Focus on driving properly!!”
“Why is it always me…!”
“Safe. Driving. Safety. First.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, the mage enunciated each syllable mockingly, whispering them to Kang Hasu.
Kang Hasu glared daggers at the mage, who covered his mouth and grinned teasingly.

The sight of the two guild members bickering nearly brought tears to my eyes. Then, the Demon King, who had been sitting quietly next to me, opened his mouth.
“Godslayer.”
“What?”
“I wish to disembark.”

Suppressing the sigh that threatened to escape, I ran a hand over my face.
“…Endure it.”
Because I want to get off too.

“Are you seriously comparing a mere Fireball to the great Lord Ifrit’s flames?!”
“Aren’t they both fire attributes? Seems fair to compare.”
“Insolence!!”

Despite the repeated warnings to drive safely, the Spirit Master and the Mage had launched into another argument.
I sighed deeply and rolled down the window. Maybe some fresh air would calm me down—otherwise, I might just explode.

But even that proved to be a challenge.
“Godslayer, the hair of mine obstructs my vision.”
“Then tie it back.”
“It’s cold!!”
“Ask Sylph to turn the wind into a warm breeze.”
“Mage, don’t you feel like you’re freezing to death here?!”
“Then die.”

Life was exhausting.

As if that weren’t enough, traffic was now at a standstill—it must have been rush hour.
I considered closing my eyes for a brief nap, but that thought didn’t last long.

“Spirit Master, clear up this traffic! The road’s so clogged, and it’s driving the Mage crazy!”
“Shut it!! If you’re that frustrated, why don’t you use one of your fancy spells to move the car yourself?!”

The bickering between the Mage and the Spirit Master was endless. Even so, the Demon King managed to nap peacefully through the chaos. Or so I thought.
“Godslayer.”

Guess not.

The Demon King, whom I thought was asleep, slightly furrowed his brows as he looked at me. I shook my head firmly.
“No, you can’t get off.”
“Exactly, Demon King! No matter how frustrating it is, bear with it for a little longer. You were paid, so we can’t just half-ass the job, right?”
“And there’s nowhere to pull over anyway,” I added.

One comment turned into two, then three. Fed up, I glared at the two loudmouths in the front seat, signaling them to focus on the road.

“It is not about disembarking, as you might think,” the Demon King clarified.
“Then what is it?”
“The pact with the Spirit Master is yet to be completed.”
“…?”

A pact with the Spirit Master? What was he talking about?

Then it hit me—the Forbidden Covenant we’d started but never finished. In all the chaos, I’d completely forgotten about it.

The Spirit Master hadn’t, apparently. Judging by the way he was now pounding the steering wheel in frustration, he was well aware.
“Demon King!! Why would you bring that up?!”
“Nice one, Demon King! Even the Mage forgot all about it!”

The Mage gave the Demon King a thumbs-up, and the Demon King smirked proudly.
“One must finish what one starts.”

Hearing those words from the Demon King made it sound profoundly absurd. Judging by the Mage’s peculiar expression as he slowly withdrew his thumbs-up, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

The Demon King, now wearing an equally peculiar expression, turned to me and asked,
“So, Godslayer, what shall you do?”
“What else? Like you said, we’ll finish it. Isn’t that right, Spirit Master?”

The Spirit Master ruffled his hair in irritation and responded curtly.
“Do as you please!”

Well, if that’s how he felt, there was no need to hesitate. Doing as I pleased was second nature, after all.
“Put a leash on Doby for me.”

The first to react was the Demon King, whose eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed,
“Godslayer, do you wish to take a slave?”
“No, you lunatic! I don’t mean an actual leash around someone’s neck—ugh, why am I even explaining this to you?!”
“It hurts!!”

I struck the Demon King on the shoulder with all my strength and let out a long, deep breath.

| 9th Circle Archmage |: “LOL, the Demon King is so hilarious. (´∀｀)”
| Spirit Master |: “The Demon King seems a bit… peculiar―^^”
| 9th Circle Archmage |: “Totally agree!!”

At the messages flying around, the Demon King suddenly bellowed,
“I am not peculiar! Godslayer! They are mocking me!!”

His voice, laden with indignation, prompted my indifferent response.
“Demon King, you are peculiar. Don’t worry, though. They’re weird too, and so is he.”
“The Mage is perfectly fine!”
“And why am I being lumped in with them?!”

Do they seriously not know?
I simply shrugged in response.

The Spirit Master cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke.
“Ahem. But Guild Master, putting a leash on Doby might be difficult. He’s committed to his concept of being a free spirit.”
“Free spirit or not, that kid’s a little too free. Can celebrities even act like that?”
“That’s part of his charm.”

Charm? Sure, if you mean the kind of charm that invites trouble.
“More importantly, how did you even meet Doby?”
“I have no idea. He came to me on his own.”
“He sought you out? Scandals with non-hunters could be problematic.”

The Spirit Master added that, in fact, scandals with anyone would be problematic.
His discomfort wasn’t my concern. But scandals? I’d reject that notion outright.
Just the thought of it made me grimace, but the Mage, oblivious to the mood, kept poking fun.
“Guild Master isn’t exactly a non-hunter, though, right? You’re just the oldest nerd leading a pack of nerds hiding their powers, aren’t you?”
“Do you want to die?”

Ignoring my threat, the Mage hummed a tune as if he hadn’t heard me.
I shot him a warning glare before turning to the Spirit Master.
“Doby’s a hunter too, right?”
“Yes. All the celebrities under our agency are active hunters.”
“Does he know you’re a Spirit Master?”
“How could he? Besides, even as a hunter, he’s still a novice. He’s got immense potential, though.”
“Is that so? Then how did he figure out I’m a Returnee?”

Screech—!

The car, which had been cruising smoothly, came to an abrupt stop with a loud screech. My head barely avoided slamming into the seat in front as I shouted,
“Can you PLEASE drive safely, you idiot?!”

The Demon King adjusted his disheveled hair and gave a small nod of agreement.
The Spirit Master, however, ignored my remark, his face full of confusion.
“Doby knew you were a Returnee? How? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Looks like the Guild Master is doomed.”
“I’m not doomed, so shut it, office worker hunter Hae Roun.”

Hae Roun’s face fell as he reluctantly shut his mouth. I, on the other hand, maintained my indifferent expression as I addressed the Spirit Master.
“I don’t know how he found out, but please put a leash on him. I’ll meet him and figure it out later.”
“Understood. Conveniently, there’s also a drama offer for him right now.”

[The Second Covenant has been established.]

A notification about the covenant flashed, but it wasn’t the important part.