Failed Possession Chapter-8

## Ch-8

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The carriage stopped in front of a run-down apartment building that looked as shabby as could be, yet the carriage itself was a luxury item rarely seen in Aldor.

Gordon, the general store owner, stood a little distance away from it, fidgeting nervously as he kept glancing between the building’s staircase and the second-floor window.

Elena.

Just like Yuri, it had also been ten years since Gordon last saw her.
Every New Year he received a letter wishing him good health for the coming year, and he always wrote a reply, but aside from that, they had never exchanged any personal correspondence.

He hadn’t hoped for anything more.

Back when Elena had still been at the old orphanage, Gordon had felt sorry for how she couldn’t mingle with the other children and only stuck to Yuri, so he had given her candy a few times. But from Gordon’s perspective, it wasn’t anything worthy of being called a favor.

Rather, the fact that Elena—now a mage of the Dercia Magic Tower—hadn’t forgotten her childhood memories and faithfully wrote him letters every New Year was something he felt grateful for.

A mage.

And not just any mage, but one affiliated with a Magic Tower.

That meant someone whose level of talent was on an entirely different plane from ordinary mages. Calling them the nobility of the magical world wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Among them, Elena was personally recognized for her talent and taken in by the Tower Master himself—meaning she could someday even contend for the position of Tower Master.

Exchanging letters once a year with such an extraordinary child was, for Gordon—who had never left this countryside his whole life—a lifelong source of pride.

‘D-Did I… send that letter for nothing…?’

Even when he first wrote it, he had hesitated a lot.
Until now, he had never been the one to write to Elena first. He worried that he might be bothering her, or overstepping his bounds with someone who had grown so successful.

Every New Year, Elena’s letters always contained the same question.

‘How is Yuri doing?’

Aside from replying, ‘He’s doing well,’ Gordon had never written anything else.
He didn’t want to worry Elena, and Yuri himself probably wouldn’t want that either.

In the end, after much deliberation, he sent the letter.

Starting with an apology for writing so suddenly, he explained how Yuri had been doing since leaving the orphanage, and what he had recently gone through.

This time, Yuri had truly almost died.
If the Oh brothers and the Black Snake faction hadn’t clashed in the office…
If a stray blade during the brawl had pierced just a little deeper into a vital spot…
Yuri really would have died.

If no one else, Elena at least had the right to know that.
Even after leaving Aldor, living in a glamorous city and studying at the Dercia Magic Tower, she had worried about Yuri’s circumstances for ten straight years.

But still—who would’ve thought she’d come this quickly?
Even considering the letter was sent by express delivery, she must have departed for Aldor the moment she received it.

Gordon remembered what Elena had been like ten years ago.

A timid child who couldn’t get along with anyone except Yuri, always trailing behind him.
If he handed her candy out of pity, she’d beam like she was the happiest person in the world and bow her head repeatedly with a bashful grin.

But the Elena he saw now was different from the past.
Even her presence felt dangerous. The expression and aura she carried when she stepped down from that huge luxury carriage and came straight to greet him at the shop—

If Gordon had been just a little older, he might not have endured it and wet himself on the spot.

She had been that furious.

After greeting him quickly, Elena immediately stormed off to Yuri’s house…

‘No way… that brat Yuri didn’t mouth off to Elena, did he…’

Yuri’s personality wasn’t exactly gentle either.

He had been forced to bend a bit while living in an organization, but at heart he was still a rebellious, foul-mouthed punk.

Maybe he couldn’t accept how time had passed and was still stuck in the past—back when she used to trail after him—and might end up spewing abuse at Elena, who came all this way worried about him…

‘Isn’t he going to get the crap beaten out of him?’

Groaning with worry, Gordon suddenly heard the old staircase creak.

From the second floor, Elena in a pure white one-piece dress, and Yuri with a large travel bag slung over his back, were coming down the stairs.

“Uncle Gordon.”

Elena gave a faint smile toward Gordon, who stood there with his shoulders hunched.

“We’ll be heading back now.”

We?

Startled, Gordon looked at Yuri.

‘Ah…’

It wasn’t Gordon’s fault.
It wasn’t like he sent the letter out of spite—he’d done it for Yuri and Elena’s sake.
So Yuri gave a bitter smile and bowed his head politely.

“That’s how it turned out.”

“Huh… you’re leaving so suddenly?”

“She told me to pack my things and leave today.”

The house was rented anyway. He had already packed everything he needed. If he didn’t pay next month’s rent, the place would sort itself out.

Gordon blinked his round eyes.

So the Yuri who had been heading down the wrong path… was leaving Aldor together with Elena.

“That’s great!”

It was something worth celebrating.
Beaming, Gordon walked up and patted Yuri on the shoulder.

“Take care of yourself. And don’t give Elena any trouble.”

“Yes. I’ll send letters sometimes.”

“Yeah. Come visit at least once before I die, alright?”

“Yes.”

Since it was a happy farewell, there were no tears.
Rather, Gordon felt as if an aching sore spot in his heart had finally healed.

“Leaving right away?”

The woman sitting in the driver’s seat stood up.

Yuri flinched and turned his head. She must have been there the whole time, yet her presence was so faint he hadn’t even noticed.

“Yeah.”

Elena nodded, then looked at Yuri’s surprised face.

“She’s my guard. Her name is Haryeong.”

Haryeong silently gave Yuri a small bow.

She was an Easterner with short black hair and black eyes, and her skin was pale enough to look almost bloodless.

“A guard?”

“Yeah.”

“Even a mage as strong as you needs a guard?”

He asked out of genuine curiosity, but Elena’s lips twitched.
She pressed them tight to stop a smile from spreading.

“Of course I do. Being a mage doesn’t mean you can handle every situation.”

“My lady is incompetent at anything other than magic.”

Haryeong said flatly.

Elena flinched and shot her a glare.

“Don’t say unnecessary things.”

“I, too, have the freedom to say what I wish. If you desire silence, please draft a separate contract.”

At the immediate reply, Elena simply glared at her wordlessly.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and walked to the carriage door.

“Fine. Depart immediately.”

“At what intervals shall we rest?”

“I ran out without even giving a proper report, so we need to return quickly.”

“Shortest route, maximum speed. Understood.”

Haryeong answered as she pulled up the black veil wrapped around her neck to cover her mouth.

Yuri glanced at the black mask covering her lower face, then followed Elena into the carriage.

The carriage, luxurious from the outside, was just as lavish inside.

Sitting in a chair softer than his own bed, Yuri stared at Elena across from him.

“What kind of person is she?”

“I told you—my guard.”

“Doesn’t seem like just a simple guard.”

“That’s true.”

Elena snorted and placed the brimmed hat she had been wearing beside her. With a small jolt, the carriage began to move.

“Haryeong is from the Salho Gate.”

“Ah.”

That name existed in both Yuri’s memories… and Lee Su-hyeok’s memories as well.

Salho Gate was a kind of bodyguard sect—and also an assassin sect.
But unlike low-grade killers, you couldn’t hire them just because you had money. To employ a Salho Gate assassin, you needed the proper qualifications.

Even in the game, hunting a named NPC protected by a Salho Gate assassin had been a nightmare. Their skill was unquestionable. Once a contract was signed, they would casually throw away their lives for their employer.

Because of that, there was once a trend in the Seronis community where people hired Salho Gate assassins to use as meat shields.

Though considering the required reputation grind and hiring fees, it wasn’t cost-effective and the strategy quickly died out.

“I heard not just anyone can hire them.”

“The Tower Master arranged the contract for me, said it would be convenient. And I’m not exactly part of that ‘just anyone’ group.”

Elena answered while turning her gaze out the window.
The dirty, worn-down scenery of Aldor sped past. She placed a hand over her still spotless, pure-white one-piece dress.

‘Show-off…’

It seemed that the subtle self-boasting that leaked through her letters really was part of her personality. Instead of replying immediately, Yuri sank into thought.

‘Orca Dercia arranged a contract with Salho Gate?’

For someone to go that far meant Elena and Orca were closer than Yuri had imagined. This carried a completely different weight from simply passing her a Rank-4 request. Salho Gate was that closed-off.

Maybe Elena was in a position close enough to be considered Orca’s disciple.

‘No way she’s an actual disciple.’

If she were, that insufferable Elena would never have failed to brag about it in her letters, and rumors would surely have spread.

“A Rank-4 request and even Salho Gate? The Tower Master must really look after you. Don’t tell me you’re like… her disciple or something?”

Thinking it over wouldn’t give him a clear answer anyway, so Yuri asked outright.

“A disciple?”

A bitter smile spread across Elena’s lips as she stared coldly out the window.

“Not yet. I’m working toward becoming one.”

“Working toward it?”

“Just what it sounds like. It’s true that the Tower Master favors me, but that doesn’t mean I’m the most special. Including me, there are three of us competing to become her disciple.”

Even in the game, there hadn’t been any NPC introduced as Orca’s disciple.

‘Salho Gate…’

More surprising than their closeness was the fact that the Thunderbolt Orca had arranged a Salho Gate contract for a mere prospective disciple.

In the game, if the player hired a Salho Gate assassin as an escort and then encountered Orca, she would immediately attack with special dialogue. Orca in the game despised assassins like Salho Gate.

[The stench of blood is foul.]
[Witness clearly how thin the hide of beasts who feed on others’ lives truly is.]

Yuri had seen that event too.
The emptiness when the expensive assassin you’d just hired got fried by Orca’s lightning…

‘And now she personally attaches assassins to a prospective disciple?’

He could keenly feel that thirty years had passed since the game’s setting. If the stubborn Thunderbolt Orca had changed her stance, there had to be a reason.

And somehow, that reason felt like it would be related to possessors.

Dercia Tower’s magic contained the core spells needed to follow the lightning mage tree. In the game, those spellbooks dropped at a certain probability when killing those mage NPCs. Applying that logic to reality…

‘There’s no way they’d carry such precious spellbooks around, so maybe they captured them and tortured the magic out of them instead?’

A brutish and aggressive possessor might very well do something like that.

If her subordinates kept getting attacked like that, even stubborn Orca would have to change her mind and prepare countermeasures.

Lightning mage was a popular build in Seronis, so the community had many strategy guides.

Before settling into the “underwear martial artist” meme build, Yuri had tested various builds and once tried a lightning mage build. What helped him a lot back then was a guide written by an overseas user named THOR123.

That guy had also ranked first in the Hall of Fame with a pretty high record, so he must have possessed into this world too. Whether he was alive or dead, Yuri needed to keep him in mind.

“How long until we arrive?”

“If we hurry, about a week.”

In the flowing silence, Elena, who had been staring out the window, turned toward Yuri as if she had been waiting.

“Yuri, do you want to become a mage? Or a martial artist?”

She, too, had clearly been thinking about many things. With a serious face, she continued quickly.

“If you want to become a mage, I can help you personally. Of course, I can’t teach you Dercia’s magic, but I can teach you common magic.”

“Is it even possible for someone like me, who’s never learned magic once, to start now?”

“…It’d be hard.”

Elena admitted honestly. She frowned and crossed her arms.

“The earlier you start magic, the better. But the same goes for martial arts, right?”

“No.”

A voice suddenly came from the driver’s seat.

“Considering the buildup of impurities in the body and blocked meridians, starting young is indeed preferable. However, learning martial arts late is not unconditionally disadvantageous. Some even argue it’s better to begin after the bones and muscles have fully developed.”

“Haryeong, I wasn’t asking you.”

“I simply answered because I heard.”

They couldn’t see Haryeong’s face, but Yuri could clearly see Elena’s. She was glaring openly toward the driver’s seat, visibly annoyed.

“Growth or not, it’s still true that starting late is a disadvantage, isn’t it?”

“Meridians can be opened through external training. Once opened, impurities are naturally expelled. In that sense, it’s actually easier than magic.”

“That applies to magic too. Dercia’s magic—”

“You’re the one who said you can’t teach Dercia’s magic.”

Yuri, who had been quietly listening, cut in.

Elena flinched and looked at him.

‘Don’t tell me you’re taking her side?’

Her wide eyes seemed to ask exactly that. Yuri shrank slightly under her gaze but continued.

“I think martial arts would suit me better.”

“What…?”

“I’ve done physical labor all my life.”

Age disadvantage didn’t apply to Yuri. Even if he learned much later, a possessor could catch up to early starters. But he couldn’t flaunt that in front of Elena.

So he chose martial arts over magic. That way he could hide his true level better in front of a real mage like Elena, and it was true he’d done physical work.

“B-but magic is way better than martial arts. It’s convenient, and—”

“My lady, that’s not a good statement. I’m employed by you, so I’ll withhold my opinion, but if another eccentric martial artist heard that, they wouldn’t let it slide.”

At that perfectly reasonable correction, Elena’s shoulders trembled.

Gripping her skirt, she steadied her breathing, then nodded firmly.

“You’re right. I’ll correct myself. Haryeong, that was rude of me.”

“I consider one of your few merits to be how quickly you apologize.”

“Few merits?”

“People with only strengths are rare.”

At that reply, crackling currents sparked around Elena. Her body trembled, but when she noticed Yuri staring, she hurriedly withdrew her mana.

“H-Haryeong’s always like that.”

“And you’re always crackling with electricity too?”

What is she, Pikachu?

At his dubious look, Elena hurriedly pressed down her hair that had floated up from static.

“It’s a habit.”

“Quite the convenient habit.”

If smartphones existed here, she wouldn’t even need a power bank.

“Th-then… Haryeong. Will you teach Yuri martial arts?”

“Are you insane?”

The reply came instantly.

“No amount of money would make that possible. If I teach that man Salho Gate martial arts, both he and I will die.”

“Th-then not Salho Gate’s martial arts?”

“I could teach grappling techniques. Provided appropriate payment.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“For your information, I cannot teach internal cultivation methods. If you truly want him to learn martial arts, you’ll need to procure a suitable heart method yourself.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

After that, Elena fell silent. She openly showed her displeasure, shoulders drooping as she clutched her skirt.

“Ahem.”

Glancing at the openly sulking Elena, Yuri cleared his throat softly.

“By the way… where am I staying?”

He was following her because she said to come along, but he hadn’t heard anything about where he’d live. A guest room at an inn maybe? Surely she wouldn’t buy him a house.

“My house.”

“…What?”

“What’s with that reaction? Of course my house.”

The way she looked at him like he was strange made her seem stranger.

“There are plenty of rooms, so don’t get weird ideas.”

“No… but still…”

“Unlike your place, my house even has an indoor bathroom.”

At that, Yuri quietly shut his mouth.

The bathroom was an important matter.

—