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Chapter 49
Lee Cheong didn’t hold back his anger.
“What kind of wimpy reaction is that?”
“Huh?”
As the Lord of Seoul, this was a kind of language and tone he wasn’t used to encountering.
“Neglect is abuse, you little brat!”
“…….”
“Children are supposed to be protected! Aren’t we adults supposed to take responsibility?”
Inside Choi Deok-gyu’s mind, his mental scorecard ticked up significantly.
In fact, Choi Deok-gyu felt the same way.
But since he couldn’t interfere in family matters recklessly, he was just watching for now.
“Chaeri is such a smart kid. She’ll ask for help whenever she needs it.”
“No matter how smart, a child is still a child. If the child handles everything on their own, can you really call that a child?”
Lee Cheong, who still didn’t know Chaeri well, let out an exasperated sigh.
At that moment, there was a sharp knock at the door.
“Captain! It’s Lee Chaeri! May I come in?”
Lee Cheong’s eyes narrowed at the disciplined tone of the child.
“Hey. What did you teach this kid?”
“No, she just likes doing it this way,” Choi Deok-gyu explained.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Chaeri likes military-style shows.”
Standing at about 100 cm tall, brave little Chaeri opened the door with a proud and precise posture.
Marching step by step, like a soldier in formation, Chaeri froze when she saw Lee Cheong.
‘Ugh, so embarrassing.’
It was fine with Deok-gyu since they were familiar, but Lee Cheong felt awkward.
All he could think about was getting out of the room before Chaeri embarrassed herself further.
“I have an extremely secret operation to discuss. Could you leave, please?”
Lee Cheong sighed.
“Fine, I’ll step aside. But first…”
He kneeled down and met Chaeri’s eyes.
“Chaeri.”
“Yes?”
“Hand me your phone.”
Chaeri flinched.
‘Adults always intimidate you when they speak like that.’
It was the inescapable fate of a child.
“Why?”
“Hurry up.”
Under the commanding aura of this older woman, Chaeri fumbled to hand over her kids’ phone.
Lee Cheong, with the precision of an archer, snatched the phone and quickly inputted a number.
“If Mom and Dad give you trouble, call here. Granny will scold them for you. Got it?”
“Got it, okay?”
“Yes, I got it.”
Startled, Chaeri nodded absentmindedly.
“Good.”
Lee Cheong patted her head gently.
Chaeri’s heart warmed instantly. One gentle touch from a stranger—
And that was enough.
“Lee Chaeri.”
Chaeri poked her chest with her index finger. Overflowing emotions caused her to blurt out her true feelings.
“A fluffy cloud is rising here.”
When Lee Cheong stepped outside, he was startled.
“Oh, right.”
He had originally meant to gather information about a legendary awakening, but got completely distracted by the child.
“Damn it.”
He’d be scolded heavily by the vice-lords for this.
“This lordship business is really impossible. I’m better off going out and shooting arrows. Politics is just… ugh.”
Meanwhile, Choi Deok-gyu, now alone with Chaeri, asked:
“So, Special Forces Agent Chaeri, what brings you to the situation room?”
“Captain, did you invest in Viltu Coin?”
“…Ah.”
“I’m not a baby! Time is short!”
No way can I be the only rich one!
“Don’t you still not know 110% Chaeri?”
“I know, I know.”
Choi Deok-gyu just nodded.
“I don’t just nod, Captain. I will inspect it.”
“I got it, I got it.”
Even though she was cute and adorable, she was still an L-level awakener. There was no way to take her lightly.
“Chaeri. I have a very important question.”
“Go ahead?”
“What do you usually do at home?”
“Play with Greenie, read storybooks, and sleep.”
“What’s the most fun thing?”
“Climbing the tower?”
Choi Deok-gyu flinched.
The little girl, smaller than his own arm, said climbing towers was the most fun.
“More fun than storybooks?”
“Ugh.”
Chaeri hesitated slightly. Adults always made her feel like she had to give the “correct” answer. Even simple questions felt like a test—such was the fate of a child.
Choi Deok-gyu asked again:
“Does your mom read storybooks to you a lot?”
“…I can read them myself.”
“No, I mean…”
He realized he, Myung-ja Kim, and Svida (who was actually more of an uninvited guest) were basically sending her off to school themselves.
“Where have you gone with Mom and Dad?”
Chaeri thought deeply. Come to think of it, she didn’t think she’d ever really gone anywhere.
“Easy Stone Dermatology?”
Choi Deok-gyu instinctively clenched his fists.
Choi Deok-gyu trusted Davis’s abilities, but there was one drawback—poor communication.
Sometimes, a special move was needed.
[Need to talk about Chaeri-related matters.]
As soon as he sent the message, a reply came instantly. The callback allowed him to schedule a meeting smoothly.
“It seems her parents don’t pay much attention to her at home.”
“I know.”
“Some say that counts as abuse too,” Davis added.
Davis was taken aback. He had never thought about it that deeply.
Chaeri had never spoken badly about her parents. Davis was a strategist for the empire, not a nanny for a princess.
Everyone has their own specialized skills. When it came to childcare, he was rather lacking.
“That said, it’s not enough to revoke parental rights, and even if it were, that would hurt Chaeri too. Myung-ja says emotional interaction is extremely important at this stage.”
“I’ll talk to Chaeri then.”
So a conversation began.
Chaeri was slightly excited; Phyrai-on was slightly annoyed.
“Hey, Davis. This time is mine, okay?”
“When did we make that agreement?”
Phyrai-on had little time in his manifest form compared to Davis, and he was busy with potion research. Evening time with Chaeri was limited to three or four hours at best.
“Sometimes, life has unspoken rules, you cold-blooded man!”
Davis didn’t respond. His eyes were only on Chaeri.
“Chaeri, do you ever feel lonely at home?”
“Lonely?”
Chaeri was about to read storybooks with Greenie in her arms, and tilted her head in confusion.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever thought about that…’
Tears welled up in Chaeri’s eyes.
“Hey! Why are you making the kid cry?”
“I didn’t make her cry,” Phyrai-on panicked, pulling out a small jar of powder from his inventory and shaking some onto a tissue.
“It’s mood-improving powder. Uh-oh, it’s addictive.”
Phyrai-on flailed, and Davis’s eyes reddened.
“You don’t have to answer, Chaeri.”
Chaeri was surprised. One warm touch from her grandmother (the Lord of Jeju) had melted her heart, and one simple question about loneliness brought her to tears.
She even wondered if it was tower addiction at work.
Feeling awkward, Chaeri glared at Phyrai-on.
“Phyrai-on. Are you competent?”
That night, Davis stayed with Chaeri until she fell asleep.
She climbed one floor of the tower.
Today, again, she was L-level—the number one ranking in Korea.
[Hall of Fame – 14th Floor]
[Korea]
-
Svida (Seoul, Legend)
…
[Legendary bro is insane ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
└Another Legend clear?
└Is Seoul Tower climbing real?
└We need to make a Legend hymn (serious)
The entire country buzzed with the news of the Legend clear, but for Chaeri, a new event appeared.
She woke up to a strange quest notification.
[The registered guardian’s sincerity has reached the system.]
[Your guardian loves you very much.]
That alone made Chaeri happy.
Haah! Stretching, she got up. It was truly a good morning.
[L-level Child Quest Activated!]
[!Guardian Linked Quest!]
[Create a comfortable home for the child.]
‘What’s this?’
The same notification reached Davis.
Both of them, thrilled, met in the yellow van for a morning reunion.
Inside the yellow van, Davis put his strategist skills to work.
“We should make a secret hideout. How about it, Chaeri?”
Chaeri’s eyes lit up.
“Thrill, so excited!”
Quest title: Secret Hideout.
The L-level Child Quest had begun.
