Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 67

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 67】

Chapter 67: Each Person’s True Feelings (2)

That night, Kwon Han-ul had climbed onto the Mansion’s rooftop.
Standing alone against the night breeze was a pitifully desolate sight, but there was no helping it.
Currently, Kwon Han-ul was the only person capable of sensing the entire Mansion.
Joo Ha-yeon was present, but she was resting inside now. She had overexerted herself laying a barrier across the entire Mansion.
Since trusting Mark Griffin filled him with severe anxiety, Kwon Han-ul had no choice but to take action himself.
Kwon Han-ul gazed into the distance. A translucent barrier rose high along the Mansion’s perimeter.
It was the barrier Joo Ha-yeon had created—visible only to those inside the Mansion, and it would trigger an alarm if anyone unauthorized attempted to breach it.
“So that’s what magic is.”
Secret knowledge that only witches or mages could wield.
Magic operated on entirely different principles than skills. If anything, he’d heard it was closer to an academic discipline.
Beyond that, Kwon Han-ul knew absolutely nothing.
“I don’t know much, but… I doubt mages like Joo Ha-yeon are common among their kind.”
She continuously maintained a barrier vast enough to encompass this entire sprawling estate.
Even to Kwon Han-ul, who was ignorant of magic, it was clearly no ordinary feat.
“Are the patrols going smoothly?”
Kwon Han-ul looked down below. He could see Kwon Hu-don’s team members conducting patrols around the Mansion in organized shifts.
That was when it happened.
Kwon Han-ul suddenly turned around.
“Oh?”
There stood Mei Hong, her face startled.
“I blocked my presence with a concealment skill. How did you notice me?”
“I’d be in trouble if I couldn’t manage that much.”
“When you say it like that, it makes me sound incompetent.”
Mei Hong spoke with a note of disappointment.
“Just like this afternoon, your senses are remarkably sharp, Kwon Han-ul.”
That statement was half right and half wrong.
It was true that his senses had grown acute thanks to the dragon’s instincts granted by the Black Dragon Bloodline.
But his ability to detect the intruders this afternoon and sense Mei Hong now came from the Bloodline Servant’s Blood.
Using the Bloodline Servant’s Blood allowed him to perceive the mental energy of living creatures around him. That’s how he’d detected enemies in advance.
“I was worried you might be cold, hungry, or uncomfortable. So I brought various things.”
“What do you mean by uncomfortable?”
When Kwon Han-ul quipped back, Mei Hong burst into laughter. Then she draped a blanket over his shoulders.
“I also brought soup. The Mansion’s chef is quite skilled.”
Mei Hong opened the lid of an insulated container and offered it to him.
Kwon Han-ul accepted the bento box and sipped the soup. Since he’d been feeling peckish, it went down smoothly.
He was enjoying a modest late-night meal when someone caught his eye.
Takamine Ryoko was crossing through the Garden.
“I told you not to move about carelessly.”
Joo Ha-yeon had warned him when she set up the barrier—that while the barrier’s performance was excellent, one shouldn’t rely on it blindly.
The reason Kwon Han-ul was standing watch on the Rooftop, and the reason Kwon Hu-don’s team was patrolling, was to prepare for any contingency.
“I’ll be right back.”
Kwon Han-ul set down the bento box and blanket, then leaped down toward where Takamine Ryoko was.
“Oh my!”
Takamine Ryoko startled and stopped in her tracks.
“Where are you going so late at night?”
“Ah… I was just going to do some work.”
“Work?”
Takamine Ryoko pointed to a rosebush some distance away and spoke.
“I need to prune it.”
Kwon Han-ul let out a slight sigh.
“I did mention that it’s dangerous and you shouldn’t move about carelessly.”
“I’m sorry. There’s work left undone that I couldn’t finish today…”
“There’s no need to apologize. You’re the owner of this house, after all.”
At those words, Takamine Ryoko’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
“You’re not upset?”
“I can hardly scold my client, can I?”
Kwon Han-ul stepped aside and spoke.
“Go ahead and finish your work. I’ll wait here just in case.”
“Thank you.”
Takamine Ryoko bowed her head respectfully. Then she picked up the garden shears and began snipping away at the rosebush’s branches with deliberate cuts.
Kwon Han-ul stepped back and waited.
“I’m sorry.”
Strangely, Takamine Ryoko apologized with each branch she cut.
“Does it hurt that much?”
Kwon Han-ul couldn’t help but ask about this peculiar behavior.
“If you’re so sorry, why are you pruning it?”
“Because the tree grows better that way.”
Takamine Ryoko answered.
“Dead or useless branches must be removed for the tree to grow healthier. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s unavoidable.”
With those words, Takamine Ryoko continued cutting away the branches.
Kwon Han-ul watched her silently.
I had no interest in tending plants. But there was something oddly disconcerting about this conversation with Takamine Ryoko.
Shortly after, the work was finished. Takamine Ryoko bowed respectfully toward me.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“No.”
Takamine Ryoko suddenly fixed her gaze upon Kwon Han-ul, studying him intently.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“You’re remarkably strong, Kwon Han-ul.”
It was an unexpected remark.
“I’ve studied medicine since childhood to inherit the Takamine Family and the hospital. Treating Hunters is far more difficult than treating ordinary people, so there was much I needed to learn.”
Takamine Ryoko spoke with evident interest.
“I had to understand not only human anatomy but also mana itself. Thanks to that knowledge, I can gauge a Hunter’s level the moment I see them.”
Takamine Ryoko drew closer to Kwon Han-ul, took his hand, and placed something in his palm.
“What is this…?”
“Keep it safe. Promise me?”
After her earnest plea, Takamine Ryoko turned and entered the Mansion.
“…,”
Kwon Han-ul turned the object over in his hands several times before slipping it into his pocket.
Then he bounded back toward the Rooftop.
“I’m back—huh?”
But on the Rooftop, there was someone else besides Mei Hong.
“Oh, hey.”
Kwon Hu-don waved awkwardly with an uncomfortable smile.

* * *

Kwon Han-ul first asked Mei Hong.
“When did you arrive?”
“A while ago. I told him you were in the Garden, but he said he’d just wait here.”
Kwon Han-ul turned to Kwon Hu-don and asked.
“What’s this about?”
“W-well… I came to r-return this…”
Kwon Hu-don held out a long object wrapped in silk. Kwon Han-ul took it and unwrapped the silk to examine it.
The object was a longsword.
“This is…”
It was a blade I’d seen countless times before. Kwon Han-ul turned to look at Mei Hong.
“…Father,”
Mei Hong murmured blankly, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Kwon Han-ul extended the longsword. Mei Hong clutched it tightly to her chest.
“Why did you return the sword?”
When the recruitment of Mei Hong had failed, Kwon Mi had threatened to melt down this blade.
Given Kwon Mi’s temperament, it was highly likely she would have actually done so.
“W-well, Mother said to dispose of it, but… it’s a k-keepsake, isn’t it? I thought it was r-right to return it.”
Kwon Hu-don spoke in a stammering voice.
“…You acted on your own judgment?”
“Y-yes.”
“If she finds out, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“I-it’s fine. Mother told me not to f-forget the pride of Heukcheon. I j-just followed what she said.”
I couldn’t help but burst into hearty laughter.
“Thank you.”
“I… am also… grateful…”
Mei Hong spoke in a tearful voice. Kwon Hu-don awkwardly laughed again and said.
“N-no, it’s o-obviously what I sh-should have done.”

* * *

“Damn idiot.”
Behind the Mansion.
Mark Griffin clicked his tongue as he listened to the sounds coming from the rooftop.
“Heukcheon’s pride? What a joke. How much longer do I have to serve that moron as captain?”
One of the other team members beside Mark Griffin asked in response to his grumbling.
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t be able to hear it. Never mind.”
At Mark Griffin’s level, he could hear the sounds coming from the rooftop. The other team members had no chance of catching them.
“More importantly, is everyone here?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mark Griffin looked at the people sitting before him. They were all members of Kwon Hu-don’s team.
He’d secretly gathered them here under the pretense of doing patrols.
“What do you all think of our captain?”
The team members glanced at each other’s faces. They didn’t speak, but their dissatisfaction was evident.
“Did I even need to ask? Who would follow someone who can’t even speak properly?”
All the team members nodded in agreement.
“But don’t worry. I’m here. From now on, just trust me and follow my lead. Everything will work out fine.”
“Are you telling us to betray our captain?”
Someone asked. Mark Griffin frowned.
“Stupid bastard.”
“Sir?”
“Betray? If we do something like that and get on Heukcheon’s bad side, we’re all dead.”
Mark Griffin clenched his fist tightly. The team members’ faces stiffened slightly.
“Besides, who’s backing our captain? Kwon Mi. She’s one of the real power players in the Heukcheon Group. Now that we’ve got this connection, shouldn’t we use it to the fullest?”
“Then what you’re saying about following only you, Vice-Captain…”
Mark Griffin smiled and spoke.
“It’s simple. When the moment matters, just prioritize my orders over the captain’s. Got it?”
He was openly saying he’d turn Kwon Hu-don into a puppet.
But not a single person in this room objected.

* * *

Several more days passed.
During that time, I devoted all my efforts to securing the Mansion’s defenses, yet no attacks occurred.
“What am I thinking?”
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down. That moment was always the most dangerous.
Before I knew it, a week had passed, and the succession ceremony day arrived.
The Mansion’s staff had to move busily from morning onward. Since the Takamine Family’s succession ceremony would be held in the Mansion’s Banquet Hall, there was much to prepare.
“But why won’t this tie cooperate?”
I too had to wrestle with my necktie in front of the mirror from morning.
It was supposed to be a succession ceremony, after all. I couldn’t just dress carelessly and stand guard.
“This Heinkel fellow didn’t even install an automatic dressing function. What was he thinking?”
I was grunting while tying my necktie when—
“When will you be ready?”
The door opened and Mei Hong entered. Then she froze as if struck by lightning.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, well, that is…”
Mei Hong’s face flushed slightly.
Seeing her unusual demeanor, I tilted my head in confusion.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, that’s not it… I just thought… formal wear suits you quite well.”
At her sudden comment, I cocked my head.
“But it looks like you’re having trouble with that necktie.”
Mei Hong hurriedly changed the subject. I pulled at the necktie and asked.
“You’re just watching—why don’t you help me instead?”
“I don’t really know how to tie neckties either… I’ll go call Ha-yeon!”
Mei Hong bolted out the door.
A few minutes passed.
“Kwon Han-ul, I’m coming in.”
With a knock, Joo Ha-yeon entered.
“I heard you were having trouble with your necktie.”
“…Embarrassingly, I’m still clumsy at it.”
Joo Ha-yeon approached and took the necktie from me. With graceful movements, she began tying it.
“Mei Hong was making quite a fuss.”
“About what?”
“She said it suits you well.”
What suits me well? I was about to ask when Joo Ha-yeon stepped back.
“All done.”
I examined the necktie in the mirror. Her work was flawless.
“I’m always indebted to you.”
“Not at all. You’re always welcome.”
Joo Ha-yeon smiled in reply. Then, another knock sounded.
“Kwon Han-ul, you have a visitor.”
At the Mansion servant’s words, Kwon Han-ul tilted his head in confusion. A visitor? For me?
“I’ll come in.”
The door opened, and the servant entered alongside a middle-aged man.
He was a man with a robust physique for his age—a testament to his meticulous self-discipline.
“This is our first time meeting face to face.”
The man extended his hand as he spoke.
“I’m Nomura Masataka.”
At those words, Kwon Han-ul recalled the organizational chart he’d committed to memory before the mission.
Nomura Masataka.
Once a tenured professor at Takamine Hunter Comprehensive Hospital, he now held the position of interim hospital director.
He was the man who had wielded all the hospital’s power since the previous patriarch of the Takamine Family died.
“So you’re the hospital director. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“How flattering that Heukcheon’s rising star recognizes me at a glance.”
Nomura Masataka smiled at Kwon Han-ul’s words.
“But what brings you to see me?”
“There’s something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Something you wanted to ask?”
Nomura Masataka leaned in and whispered discreetly.
“Are you perhaps interested in rebirth?”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————