Chapter 12
“So, are you saying that if there were no administrators, all the constellations watching over Earth might have tried to destroy our dimension?”
“It’s closer to the truth to say that they simply would have had no reason to take responsibility or consider it precious. Of course, there are some constellations that have grown attached to certain beings or this dimension itself. But they aren’t many.”
“Ha…”
The story, told purely from the perspective of a constellation, was chilling enough to make her shiver involuntarily.
Even knowing that such a thing would never happen, in the past or future, she still broke out in a cold sweat.
“I never thought I’d feel so relieved that our country has so few Chosen Awakened.”
In most countries, awakenings are classified into three types: natural awakenings, triggered awakenings, and chosen awakenings.
A natural awakening happens simply as part of everyday life. From what she knew, Cha Min-seong was an example of this.
What was it…? He said he was playing basketball with friends when he suddenly slammed the hoop into the ground.
A triggered awakening occurs when some event activates awakening factors within the body. Most existing Awakened undergo this process, including Kyung Se-ha.
Lastly, the chosen awakening, also called a constellation awakening, is the rarest. Worldwide, there have been only a few documented cases, just double digits at most—and even those were mostly discovered secretly, not officially reported.
But imagine if one of those double-digit beings didn’t just awaken but appeared on Earth as a full-fledged “constellation”…
“Ugh, that’s horrifying.”
“Huh? You don’t like it that much?”
A flustered voice tickled Kyung Se-ha’s ear. Turning her head toward the source with a puzzled expression, she saw Moa, looking deeply troubled, tapping the steering wheel.
“Do you want me to ask for another place, even now? Actually, they offered about five other locations besides this one, which I politely declined. But if we contact them now, I think we could still prepare it in time…”
What was she talking about?
Just as Kyung Se-ha was about to ask Moa’s brother with wide, questioning eyes,
Beep!
Clank!
The heavy iron door slid open on both sides.
It was then that Kyung Se-ha realized she hadn’t been told about the “house” her family would be living in before leaving the hospital.
*
“The Grey Hales family has left the hospital?”
“Yes. They seem to have entered their residence about an hour ago.”
“The residence… the one near Seoul?”
Disaster Preparedness Bureau, Awakener Administration Office.
A middle-aged woman, slouching in her chair, removed the hot towel covering her eyes and asked.
“They rejected the high-end Han River apartments and the ambassadorial residences, asked for a large plot of land far from anyone, and somewhere distant from dungeons. We scouted day and night for three days straight to find it. And they went there?”
The official reporting to her nodded and added, “They also insisted on a basement.”
“Ah, that damned basement… that was the problem.”
The director clicked her tongue.
Finding a mansion that met Grey Hales’ requirements wasn’t particularly hard.
Wealthy people often have spacious suburban homes far from neighbors for leisure, and of course, they avoid placing them near dungeons. Safety-conscious rich people rarely build vacation homes near dungeons in the first place.
The problem was the basement.
“I still don’t understand why they were so picky about the basement.”
“I thought they might be installing a bomb shelter, but apparently not.”
The subordinate responded impassively. Since Grey Hales’ third son had entered the mansion, only furniture delivery and internet installation workers had stepped inside.
“They wanted a specific type of water vein nearby, so I half thought they might be up to something in Suwon.”
“Really? I was thinking they might summon a great spirit or something.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Don’t you see what your nameplate says?”
The director glared and pointed at the nameplate.
“Sorry, ma’am.”
“You want a slap or do you want to leave?”
“I’ll continue reporting.”
The man in a suit continued calmly, regardless of her scoff.
“We detected an attempt to access information about the silver lion within the administration. The trace led to the Awakening Support Office. After disciplinary action, memory erasure procedures were carried out.”
The director exhaled a long sigh.
“Is the administration full of idiots? They should know why the security level is set to maximum. How many times has this been?”
“This is the twelfth instance since the silver lion arrived in Korea.”
“Who cares? How did someone so thick-headed even pass the exam…”
“…The Investigation Bureau still hasn’t figured out the principle behind the relic the silver lion brought from beyond the gate. They only assume it’s something specialized for treating the companion’s illness. They said traces of the relic alone are insufficient for more accurate information.”
“Same problem there. Enough, listening to more won’t get us any proper answers.”
The director shook her head in frustration. Realizing she had nothing to rummage for, she took a stick candy offered by her subordinate.
“By the way, what is this silver lion anyway? Why does a kid have such naming sense?”
“The lion is a symbol of England, and Mr. Grey Hales’ hair is silver, isn’t it?”
“…”
“Oh, the little silver lion hasn’t left the mansion since entering, so no separate report.”
“And the first and second lions?”
“The big silver lion and the middle silver lion.”
‘Real’ needs no adjectives. The official murmured plainly.
“…Go. Go get some food.”
The director pointed to the door, head in hand.
12:20 PM.
Perfect timing to chase away a nephew whose intentions no one understood.
*
A five-story mansion near Seoul.
A pond with carp, housing for employees, a single-story building suitable for an art studio, and a two-story building likely designed for parties. After touring the mansion, Kyung Se-ha reached the final destination and couldn’t help but be amazed.
Drip…
A cavern shimmering with blue and white light.
In the center of this enormous cave, impossible for an ordinary mansion’s basement, was a mysteriously beautiful lake.
“The water is like the lake in Rosconna. Bathing in it loosens the Telada roots attached to your heart.”
Kyung Se-ha gazed silently at the sparkling crystal-like lake and turned her head. Her father, who had said he was helping her mother “prepare,” was standing beside her.
“The place with ten thousand lakes, your hometown?”
Rosconna. The white mirror reflecting the world.
Starting with the first constellation who set foot on the lake surrounded by conifers, constellations of sufficient rank and morality gradually gathered to form a loose family system.
“Yes.”
Did he miss his hometown? Hennerwood exhaled, slowly closing and opening his eyes.
In Rosconna, constellations called him the “Lake Keeper.”
After sealing Adness, he inherited the previous generation’s position, leading Rosconna and fulfilling his duty.
Yet, nothing was more precious than family—not even the homeland where he was born and raised.
