Chapter 838: PAID

Childhood Friend of the ZenithWords: 1840

As soon as I stepped out of the Poison King’s room, I put some distance between us and exhaled deeply.

“Phew.”

Relief washed over me. Thankfully, my plan had worked.

‘Managed to slip out cleanly.’

The Poison King had wanted to ask me how I could extract energy from the demon stone.

But by taking advantage of his emotional state, I had successfully avoided answering his question and made my escape.

The problem was, by now, the Poison King had likely caught on.

‘That old man… he won’t sulk over this again, will he?’

He was old enough to know better, but given his track record, I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.

“Ugh.”

Still, I figured it would be fine. Or at least, it had to be.

‘Honestly, considering I’m even helping with the trading company matter, he should let this slide.’

That’s just how the world works, doesn’t it?

Even though he’s “former” nobility, as the head of one of the Four Great Families, he ought to have some flexibility.

Otherwise—

‘…I’ll just tattle on him.’

I could always report him to the person he cared about most.

And that person just so happened to be—

“Come out.”

Right here, nearby.

At my command, I heard movement from the bushes. Sure enough, a sheepish-looking woman emerged quietly.

Of course, it was Tang So-yeol.

With a slightly lowered gaze, she asked,

“...Did you know?”

She was asking if I had known she’d been hiding there. I answered calmly.

“No.”

I hadn’t.

Surprisingly, Tang So-yeol was exceptionally skilled at concealing her presence.

If I’d heightened my sensory awareness to its absolute peak, I might have detected her, but—

‘I would’ve had to push it to the limit.’

Given that my Nine Flames Firewheel Technique was malfunctioning, I’d need to strain myself more than usual to achieve that.