NOVEL FROG Chapter 34
“What, what, what, what…!”
It was an explosive declaration that Muyeong spat out, making ears doubt their sanity.
It took Yena a little time to grasp the meaning behind that question.
“You… what do you mean…!”
Yena puffed her cheeks with a flushed face. Tears were welling up in her eyes. It was the first time I had seen Yena, always smiling, this angry…
“Why are you overreacting? It’s just a straightforward question.”
“Why would you even ask something like that…!”
“Just answer quickly. I asked this out of desperation. I’d like to wrap this up swiftly.”
“You… you…!”
Yena could no longer speak properly.
I’m not particularly quick-witted myself, but I know very well that such questions are rude to ask someone.
Seeing Yena so furious didn’t put me in a good mood either.
However, as if sensing my distress, Muyeong suddenly shot a firm look my way.
“I’m sorry for causing a commotion. But it’s important, so I ask for your understanding for just a moment. I hope you can answer quickly.”
“Huh… huhh…”
Muyeong’s inexplicable insistence continued. In the end, it was Yena who succumbed. She glanced at me a couple of times, then bowed her head and whispered her response.
“Of course… 0 people…!”
“That’s a lie.”
Though it was a struggle for Yena to spit it out, Muyeong cut her off sharply.
“…”
After hearing Muyeong’s declaration, Yena fell silent for a moment. Then her small shoulders began to tremble slightly.
“Ah… no… that’s a lie…”
Her trembling voice was filled with unjust frustration.
“No… huh… I, really… really…!”
Soon, Yena turned back and vanished in an instant beyond the mist.
I tried to follow her to catch Yena, but Muyeong grabbed my shoulder and blocked my way.
“Hey. What on earth are you?”
Muyeong calmly received my sharp words. His expression behind the glasses was nothing but relief.
“Leave it be. She will surely handle it herself. There don’t seem to be any monsters nearby, and if she’s in trouble, she’ll set off a red firecracker…”
“That’s not what I mean. Why are you saying such harsh words to my friend? I’ve known Yena much longer than you, whom I just met today…”
“From what you’re saying, it seems like you really haven’t known anything until now.”
“What do you mean…”
“Do you know what a summoner is? The definition of a summoner is fundamentally that of a wizard with extraordinary intuition.”
“…I know. But what does that have to do with the current situation…”
“Summoners can command spirits thanks to the ‘Passage’ being opened, but sometimes certain senses or danger signals develop unusually sensitively. And these senses are greatly affected by the life experiences of the summoner before they awaken.”
A sudden urge to punch him arose for a moment, but his serious explanation curbed my impulse to act.
“I’m not a particularly skilled summoner, but I possess a unique intuition that others don’t, thanks to the spirits I control.”
“…?”
“I’ve had some painful experiences because of women in the past. I wandered for a while because of it. Perhaps due to that past, my body now shows a keen rejection response when I’m near a woman of poor quality.”
“…So what are you trying to say?”
What came out of Muyeong’s mouth next was something I never could have anticipated.
“That kid from earlier. She’s a woman who has eaten at least dozens of men.”
*
“What?”
“You can take it literally or figuratively. Was it Ha Yena? From the moment you brought that girl here, an indescribable headache and stench overwhelmed me. I couldn’t hold onto my sanity at all.”
Indeed, Muyeong’s expression earlier truly seemed like someone suffering from pain.
“…But I didn’t smell any stench or anything…”
“Of course, it’s a sense that only I can perceive. Why do you think I used the word intuition?”
“People meet and part ways with various others throughout their lives…”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have felt such a feeling in the first place. I told you, it’s an intuition developed from personal pain. What I can feel is simply the truth of love. It doesn’t matter how many people someone has dated and broken up with.”
“…”
“But just now… honestly, it was terrifying. I have never felt such an intense and one-sided sensation before. Is such a life reasonable for someone our age?”
Muyeong shivered as if he were experiencing chills.
“Of course, you can’t accurately judge a person’s past life just based on that. But to be honest, I could be sure when I saw her shamelessly lying about having 0 partners. There’s definitely something dirty behind her.”
“…”
“When I think about how I wasted precious time because of those damn girls, the anger still builds up. I think you might have had a similar experience too. That’s why I think the spirits looked down on you with pity…”
“…”
“That’s why I had no choice but to take on the role of the villain. You don’t look like a bad person at all. But seeing that naive face beside you, who knows nothing, I couldn’t stand it…”
His crazed eyes were filled with conviction. It was full of frivolity, yet his words had a persuasive power that drew people in.
Could it be that he really did chase Yena away for my sake…?
But I just couldn’t think of Yena as such a dreadful person…
“…Are you really sure about that intuition?”
“It has never been wrong a single time in verified cases.”
“Verified cases?”
“I’m talking about situations where my intuition has been confirmed afterward. Although there have only been a few such instances so far, it’s a hundred percent…”
“That doesn’t mean it’s certain…!”
“Of course not. If I scrutinized every single person just because I had this feeling, wouldn’t I be treated like a lunatic?”
His sudden common-sense remarks left me momentarily speechless.
“…”
“In most cases, I wouldn’t go out of my way to commit such rudeness. But just now… I simply couldn’t endure it.”
That concluded his self-defense.
I fell into a moment of contemplation.
It seemed that Muyeong acted out of goodwill towards me, but I couldn’t just blindly believe his words.
A claim of 100% certainty only in verified cases? Where in the world did such nonsense exist?
Yena was the first friend I made after coming to the capital… I couldn’t be swayed by such words.
Besides, if Yena really were such a person, I wouldn’t feel that strange sense of familiarity toward her…
“…I don’t think your intuition can be taken as absolute.”
After careful consideration, I told Muyeong.
“Yena lived in a pioneering village in the outskirts before coming straight to the capital. So logically, such a life wouldn’t have been possible.”
“She’s definitely lying…”
“Enough already. I’m going to find Yena. I can’t leave my best friend in such a dangerous place alone. Sorry, but if Yena is uncomfortable, it’s better for you to leave. If you’re going, I can take you to a safe zone…”
“Hah… It can’t be helped then. I’ll try to endure it as much as I can. I can’t leave with a villain like Jo Chang behind and act unfaithfully.”
“…”
Further discussion seemed pointless. It seemed like Muyeong’s way of thinking was very different from mine…
“…Understood. Then when I bring Yena back, apologize sincerely. Don’t ever mention things like earlier again.”
“…Ugh, got it.”
Muyeong made a face as if he had bitten a slug, but ultimately nodded.
I left Muyeong hiding again and set out to find Yena. The thick mist made it hard to explore around, but Yena wouldn’t have wandered too far.
– Huh… hrrr… hrrr…
As I expected, soon I began to hear the sound of someone sobbing in the overgrown hilly area. Anyone hearing it without context would feel a chill run down their spine.
I approached the source of the sobbing. Soon I spotted the shadow of a small herbivore sitting behind a large tree trunk.
“Ugh… huh…”
“…Yena?”
At the sound of my calling her name, Yena stopped sobbing in surprise. Without even looking back, she muttered weakly.
“…Why are you here…”
“Why am I here? Of course, I came to find you…”
“Your friend… sniff… said she didn’t like me…”
“She thinks she misunderstood something. She wants to apologize. And you are my closest friend. How could I leave you…”
“Friend… sniff…”
Yena stood up and turned around to walk out.
“I’m… not…”
“What do you mean not…”
“It’s true… I’ve never dated a single man in my life… You know I can hardly talk to anyone… You’ve seen me only being close to girls back in the cradle… sniff…”
“I believe you. You don’t need to say anything like that…”
“It’s true… sniff… it’s so unfair…”
“I believe you.”
“…sniff… really…?”
“…Of course.”
“…sniff.”
Though the sound of her crying hadn’t completely dissipated, her attitude was much more positive than before.
“So we’re going back together?”
“…Yes…”
In the end, I managed to get a positive answer. We headed back toward the hideout. All the way back, I could hear her sad sniffles behind me.
Outside, Muyeong was waiting for us.
“Alright, apologize quickly like you said earlier.”
“…”
Muyeong still looked like he wasn’t keen on it. But in the end, he walked toward Yena and extended his right hand. I stepped aside a bit so that Yena could accept his apology.
“Huuh, I’m sorry. I think I had some big misunderstanding earlier. I sincerely apologize for my slip of the tongue. Would you accept it?”
“…sniff. I will accept it…”
Yena seemed like she still wasn’t fully calmed down, but she ultimately took Muyeong’s outstretched hand and accepted his apology.
And that was the moment.
“Ugh…”
“You… you…!”
Out of nowhere, Muyeong suddenly turned his head to the side and heaved his stomach’s contents onto the ground.