The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 447

Chapter 447

Chapter 447 . While He is Gone (4)

Seol Jihu was still in the hospital .

His routine couldn’t be more boring . Every day he was examined, given pills and injections, and he slept . When he wasn’t sleeping, he spent all his time staring into the air .

His doctor told him he shouldn’t rely on pills and suggested reducing doses over time, but Seol Jihu had no intention of following his advice .

It wasn’t that he didn’t try . He did, but nothing changed . A splitting headache shook his brain whenever the effects of the drugs wore off . Moreover, his sense of emptiness and lack of motivation deepened, driving him further into a severe depression .

Seeing how much pain Seol Jihu was in, his doctor once again prescribed antidepressants to him, admitting that even though it was only a temporary solution, it was what he needed at the moment .

Yes, this was much better than before . His senses grew dull and he couldn’t move his body as well as before, but at least, he didn’t feel any pain—because he felt almost nothing .

If he were to develop tolerance to the current dosage, it would have to be increased . Not even his doctor was sure how long the drugs would work . Regardless, he felt grateful for the numbness caused by the pills .

Of course, that was only in his opinion . Others could tell he was getting thinner and paler by the day .

Today too, Seol Jihu was lying in his bed with a blank expression across his face, his eyes staring into space .

Yoo Seonhwa peeped inside the hospital room with a worried look before clearing her throat .

“Jihu~”

Trying to sound happy and bright, she entered the room, holding a tray .

“I’m back . It’s already lunch-time, so I grabbed some food from the cafeteria . Let’s eat . ”

Yoo Seonhwa chattered, as she removed the restraints that had been placed on Seol Jihu . The hospital allowed patients’ restraints to be removed while their drugs were in effect, at their guardians’ discretion .

“Wow . There’s a reason they say that SY is the best of the best . Look at this . It’s huge, right?”

With a look of pleasant surprise, Yoo Seonhwa picked up a large piece of grilled shrimp with her chopsticks .

Seol Jihu was silent . He’d been staring into space ever since Yoo Seonhwa entered the room .

“Let’s dig in before it gets cold . Here, I’ll peel it for you . ”

Yoo Seonhwa peeled a shrimp and brought it close to his mouth .

Seol Jihu finally responded . He shook his head slightly from side to side to indicate he didn’t want to eat .

“Just try one bite . You love grilled shrimp . ”

“…”

“Jihu? Come on, say ‘ah~’”

Seol Jihu turned his face away from her .

“Jihu… . ”

Yoo Seonhwa’s smile faded . She bit her lower lip and let out a long sigh .

“You have to eat to get better… . ”

She murmured with downcast eyes and began stroking Seol Jihu’s back with her palm .

“…Alright . ”

After a moment of silence, Yoo Seonhwa leaned toward Seol Jihu .

“Do you want to go out for a walk? Maybe that will make you feel better . What do you say?”

Again, there was no reply from Seol Jihu . Nonetheless, Yoo Seonhwa pulled him up from the bed and pressed the nurse call button .

Seol Jihu was dragged upstairs to the hospital’s rooftop . A belt, which was connected to a rope in Yoo Seonhwa’s hand, was tied around his waist, and two male nurses accompanied him as well .

The sky was clear and the wind was cool .

There were several people on the rooftop . Seol Jihu’s eyes immediately met those of a person staring at him from afar, but he paid no mind to it .

“This sure calls for a misunderstanding, huh?”

Yoo Seonhwa lifted her end of the rope and smiled bitterly .

“The weather’s nice~ I hope you get better soon so that we can go out and play . ”

She made Seol Jihu sit on a bench before flopping down beside him . Then she began to chatter without a pause . This confused Seol Jihu . She wasn’t like this when she threw the 2 million won in his face… .

Or was she?

Seol Jihu’s forehead tensed in a small frown . It was then .

Buzz!

Yoo Seonhwa’s voice stopped at the same time as a vibration rang in her pocket .

“Ah… . ”

She saw the name on the screen and glanced at Seol Jihu .

“Wait here . I’ll get you something to drink . ”

Seol Jihu couldn’t tell if it was an important call or if it was something else, but he was better off not knowing . Anyhow, Yoo Seonhwa handed the rope to the nurse and got up .

“Yes, yes… . Right now… . ”

Yoo Seonhwa’s voice receded farther and farther into the distance .

In the meantime, Seol Jihu sat perfectly still, his eyes staring up at the sky when suddenly someone approached him from the railing and sat down next to him .

“Hey . ”

A voice called him .

Seol Jihu slowly dropped his gaze .

There, he saw a woman whom he had probably never met before in his life, looking at him with a bright smile across her face . He could tell from the way she was dressed that she was a patient just like himself .

“Yes, you . ”

“…”

“Haven't we met somewhere before? Ah, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to hit on you . I’m really just curious . ”

“…”

“You’re quiet, aren’t you? You remind me of myself when I first came to this hospital . ”

The woman smiled when Seol Jihu remained silent .

Seol Jihu slowly shook his head .

“No? That’s odd . You look familiar… . ”

The woman tilted her head slightly, but before long, she shrugged as if the issue had already disappeared from her mind . Then she raised her arms above her head and stretched .

“Isn’t the weather nice today?”

With an expression as bright as the autumn sky, the woman closed her eyes to enjoy the cool breeze on her face .

Seol Jihu was about to turn his eyes back to the sky, but instead, he stopped to examine the woman who was brushing away her hair from her face . Perhaps it was because of what she said that suddenly made him feel like he had, in fact, seen her somewhere before .

“When I’m feeling down and low, I find that the best solution is to go on a trip . The weather’s so nice, too… . ”

The woman opened her eyes slowly and glanced at Seol Jihu .

“Should we go?”

“…”

“On a trip, I mean . Should we just leave?”

Seol Jihu couldn’t figure out why she was asking him of all people . He turned his gaze away from the woman, not even bothering to answer her question .

“To somewhere, no one knows . ”

But that was before she said this . Seol Jihu turned his gaze back to the woman, and she smiled .

“Over there . ”

Suddenly her voice dwindled to a whisper . She quietly gestured behind her . Seol Jihu’s eyes now reflected the sky and the cityscape beyond the railing .

“Do you want to go with me?”

A trip… . A trip to somewhere no one knows .

Seol Jihu stared at the sky with empty eyes . He didn’t know why, but he felt intrigued by the woman’s suggestion . A trip sounded nice to him .

“But you have to make some preparations beforehand . ”

Seol Jihu’s eyes widened slightly .

“Because you won’t be able to leave in that state . ”

The woman pointed at the belt tied around Seol Jihu’s waist .

“So smile . ”

Smile?

“Like this . Look at me . ”

She pulled up the corners of her mouth with the tip of her fingers . Her red lips curved upward to form a smile .

“Smile even if you feel sad, and then you can go on a trip . ”

He then noticed that there was no rope attached to the woman and no nurse watching her nearby .

“How about it? When you’re ready, we should—”

It was then .

“Jihu!”

Yoo Seonhwa hurriedly jumped in between them, looking slightly angry .

“You…!”

The woman met Yoo Seonhwa’s fierce glare with a look of innocent surprise, tipping her head slightly to the side .

Fuming from her nose, Yoo Seonhwa turned her head to the nurse .

“Why didn’t you stop them?”

“Pardon? But they were just talking… and it wasn’t anything weird . They were talking about going on a trip . ”

“A trip?”

“We don’t necessarily stop patients from interacting with each other unless otherwise noted . ”

Yoo Seonhwa let out a deep sigh .

“Jihu . What did she say to you?”

“…”

Yoo Seonhwa looked down at Seol Jihu and clicked her tongue .

“…Let’s go back to your room . ”

She grabbed Seol Jihu’s arms and helped him up .

‘A trip… . ’

While heading for the stairs, Seol Jihu glanced behind his shoulder . It turned out that the woman was also looking at him, and their eyes met .

The woman waved and smiled brightly as if assuring him that they would meet again .

*

Draft calls were issued in all of the cities .

The situation was grim .

The Parasites, with their superior mobility, invaded both Grazia and Caligo at the same time . Sung Shihyun and Vulgar Chastity were in charge of the former while Exploding Patience and Twisted Kindness were in charge of the latter .

Fortunately, unlike Nur’s case, the two cities were able to evacuate their residents before the enemy arrived . But the fact remained unchanged that humanity lost two cities without even getting a chance to fight back .

They had no choice . The Parasites attacked with a ferocity that the two cities couldn’t possibly stand .

The Parasite Queen’s intention was clear . She was taking advantage of Seol Jihu’s absence to destroy any and everything that he might come back to .

The Federation dispatched auxiliary forces and humanity was gathering soldiers as well . However… .

‘We have to save at least one city… . ’

The situation was not in their favor . Nur and Scheherazade were already in ruins, and now two more cities were under enemy control .

Only three cities remained .

Both Odor and Haramark lost their use as fortresses when the enemy penetrated their rear defense . The only comforting thing about the current situation was that Eva, which was closest of all cities to Tigol Fortress, and whose fortification was almost complete, still remained intact . However, there was no guarantee that it would stay that way even after the Parasites decided to attack it with full force .

“Haaaa… . ”

Teresa looked down at the map spread across her desk and fell into contemplation . She was so focused on her thoughts that she failed to notice the footsteps approaching her .

“Take a look at this . ”

“…Hmm?”

It wasn’t until she saw a necklace dangling in front of her that she came to her senses .

The necklace was beautifully handcrafted .

Teresa raised her head . Prihi pulled his arm back, then tossed the necklace into the air and caught it again, as if to flaunt its splendor .

“…Father?”

“Yes, it is me . ”

“That necklace… . ”

“It’s my wife’s and your mother’s keepsake . ”

Prihi answered calmly .

“And it’s also a Royal Oath . ”

“…What?”

After a brief pause, Teresa jumped back in surprise .

Prihi snorted .

“Why are you so surprised? You know that both you and I each have one . ”

“But you said you already used it!”

“I said that I would accept Valhalla’s terms, but never said that I used the Royal Oath to gain the right to manage Earthlings’ settings . ”

“…”

“But my kind and generous future son-in-law sent the members of the Federation to Haramark without even double-checking . I trusted him not to kill his future father-in-law over this . ”

Prihi winked .

Teresa’s face brightened .

“So… you had it with you this whole time?”

“Mm . Well, since there’s only one left, I was going to use it at an appropriate moment . I knew the Parasites wouldn’t leave us alone . ”

Prihi shrugged his shoulders and continued .

“The truth is that I tried to use it many times already . ”

“?”

“How could I sit still knowing my future son-in-law is in danger? I heard one Divine Wish isn’t enough, but I figured I’d convince them somehow . ”

“You did!?”

Teresa leaned forward in excitement .

“Yes . ”

Prihi tilted his head back calmly .

“I asked them if they could reduce the number of contribution points needed for the Divine Wish or modify the resurrection setting . ”

“And?”

“They said both can’t be done . ”

“But why!?”

Teresa sounded desperate .

“More precisely, they said it would be a waste of a good Royal Oath . ”

Prihi gave a bitter smile .

“At its core, a Royal Oath is a Divine Wish . The only difference is that the gods can’t refuse it . ”

Which meant that Royal Oaths too had limits .

“There’s no reason for me to use it if it can’t achieve more than a Divine Wish can . ”

Basically, a Royal Oath’s maximum output was the same as that of a Divine Wish, and nothing worthwhile could be achieved with just one in regards to the problem at hand .

“When I heard that, I couldn’t press them further . Now that I think about it, if it were really possible to wish for something of that caliber, I probably would have wished for 100 new Royal Oaths . ”

Prihi muttered, looking slightly downhearted .

“…What about the resurrection setting?”

“Same . It can’t be changed with a single Royal Oath . They said if they could, they would’ve already modified it . ”

Prihi smacked his lips .

“The cause of my future son-in-law’s death is the Parasite Queen… . The gods said in order to change the result, I need something that could match the grandiosity of the cause, and one Royal Oath falls short by a lot . ”

“…”

“They kept mentioning the law of causality, the law of the world, blah, blah, blah… . I couldn’t understand any of it . Anyway, I began thinking about what to do next… . ”

Prihi fidgeted with the necklace before suddenly swinging his arm .

With widened eyes, Teresa instinctively reached out her hand .

“I, Prihi Hussey, hereby transfer the ownership of the Royal Oath, to Teresa Hussey . ”

The announcement was all too sudden .

“F-Father?”

“Well… Do think of it as your dowry . It’s the least I can do as the father of a daughter who’s going to marry the greatest hero of our time . ”

Teresa’s jaw dropped slowly .

“I noticed that you’ve been falling behind your rivals ever since you two parted . Use this as an opportunity to win his affection . ”

“Ah… . ”

Teresa became speechless .

Prihi smirked .

“Anyway, that necklace is now yours . Use it at your own will but with discretion . ”

“Father…!”

Teresa’s voice rose in pitch .

Seeing his daughter’s eyes sparkle with delight, Prihi spread his arms wide open with a gentle smile .

“Yes, my daughter… . ”

And Teresa… .

“I’ll go tell everyone right now!”

…rushed out of the room, past her father, with the necklace in her hand .

“…”

A gust of cold wind blew past Prihi .

“So much for raising a daughter… . ”

His arms dropped to his sides .

‘I miss you, sweetheart . ’

His heart began to fill with a longing for his wife, who he lost during the war .

‘Gee . ’

But shortly after, Prihi broke into a smile .

It wasn’t as if he gained nothing . He got to see his daughter smile, who he knew was only pretending to be okay .

‘The number of Divine Wishes required has been reduced by one . However… . ’

Prihi fell deep into thought as he shuffled out of his daughter’s room .

The decision made by the Star of Avarice was a reasonable one . If only acquiring a Divine Wish was easy… .

When Prihi heard from the gods that no Earthling in Paradise currently had enough contribution points to exchange for a Divine Wish, he immediately abandoned that method . It was not only dangerous but also virtually impossible to obtain the necessary contribution points during the coming war .

So there was only one hope left—he somehow had to obtain a second Royal Oath .

‘Eva’s already used theirs… and Nur’s can’t be transferred… . What should I do… . ’

The Queen of Grazia had already used hers a long time ago to revive her dead son . It’s a shame because even though she used a national treasure for her personal gain, her son died again in less than two years fighting in the war .

Odor and Caligo’s royal families used theirs to obtain the right to manage the Earthlings’ settings when they first allied with the Federation .

In the end, there was only one royal family left .

‘Given the circumstances, she may have already used it . But… . ’

He couldn’t know for sure, but if there was any chance at all, he had to reach out for it . A name crossed Prihi’s mind .

Roe Scheherazade .