TMBIPYMEN Chapter 31

"Eggs."

At Olga's words, Yustar's gaze flickered. His shoulder still throbbed—it hadn't been long since he'd forced the dislocated joint back into place.

"What did you say, Olga?"

"Eggs. I said there were eggs."

Yustar frowned.

"The demon's eggs? Where?"

Olga picked up her pen and scrawled something across the paper before speaking.

"Right after the demon died and the sink disappeared, I ordered the members to investigate the riverbed. You saw it yourself—that demon seemed strangely obsessed with the sink, didn't it? And that's exactly what got you hit in the end."

"It did."

Yustar felt the sensation of blasting it away spread from his fingertips throughout his entire body.

The moment when all sensation in his body went numb, his nerves screamed, and his bones shifted out of alignment... A tingling numbness rose in his memory, as if a powerful current had flowed along his spine.

"So?"

When Yustar asked, Olga set down her pen with a thunk and leaned back against her chair.

"So we searched and found eggs there. There were two of them, and according to the members, they were ridiculously heavy."

The expression "ridiculously heavy" was probably Olga's words rather than the members', but it didn't matter either way. Yustar touched his chin with an intrigued expression.

"Did you bring them here?"

"Only one. The other one was broken. The embryo hadn't formed yet. I don't know what will happen with the remaining one, but we're investigating it for now. If an embryo forms inside, we'll be able to understand more about the identity of the demon that the sink created, or rather..."

Olga's eyes blinked twice.

"The demon that came here through the sink, from who knows where."

"What if it doesn't form?"

At Yustar's question, Olga shrugged.

"Well then, I suppose we'll make a giant omelet. Though I can't guarantee what it'll taste like."

Yustar fiddled with the cloth bound tightly around his shoulder, then untied the knot. It had been fastened to keep him from moving too much, with warnings that the pain would last an hour or two, but it didn't seem to be helping much anyway.

As Yustar unwound the bandage, he raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, but how did it lay eggs? There was only one creature. Are you certain there was only one?"

Olga snorted.

"Maybe it was hermaphroditic. It's common."

Yustar tilted his head and chuckled softly.

"Well, Olga. It might have been common where you came from, but it's not particularly common here."

"Snails are hermaphroditic, you idiot. And leeches too."

He sensed her tone sharpening, but Yustar grinned and set down the bandage. He'd anticipated exactly this reaction when he'd raised the topic, so he remained relaxed.

Yustar said, "If that egg hatches completely and grows up safely, the thought is rather horrifying."

Ha! A sound emerged. It was Olga bursting into laughter—sharp and loud like a child's.

"I felt something similar when you ran toward the river. That 'horrifying' feeling you mentioned. Ah, I thought, finally that man has given up and is going to die."

"Why would I die? And can't you use more refined language? You're old enough by now."

This time, Olga glared at Yustar with a face flushed red with anger all the way to her hairline. If she'd had something like a club in her hand, she would have swung it at his shoulder—the injured one—right then and there.

But that momentum didn't last long. Olga, who had been radiating murderous intent, blinked and shook her head.

"I'm old enough, but I can't even speak my mind? How pitiful."

Yustar put on the shirt he'd removed and pulled his long hair out from under the collar. Hair nearly white scattered messily before gathering neatly. He roughly combed through his hair with his fingers and picked up his jacket.

"Going back?"

Olga asked. She was already holding a cup filled to the brim with coffee.

"I have to. There are headaches waiting for me other than just this one."

Olga took a sip of coffee without taking her eyes off him, then smacked her lips.

Whenever Yustar watched her gulp down coffee like she was pouring it in, he thought, 'Is it really okay for someone so young to drink this much coffee?'

Of course, it remained only a thought. Olga was far from young, and if he said such a thing, she might pour the coffee all over his face.

Olga, who had been staring at him silently, lowered her gaze to her coffee.

"Is it about Ode?"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Yustar's mouth.

"Well, you could say that, or you could say it isn't. My brother..."

A brief silence passed. Olga exercised patience—rare for her—and endured the minute or so without pressing him.

Eventually, Yustar looked at her.

"My brother wants me to marry Layla."

In that moment, coffee sprayed from between Olga's lips. Not only the floor but also her white coat, which had been spotlessly clean, became speckled with dark stains. But stains didn't matter to Olga. At least not right now.

"Is he insane?"

"Who are you asking about? Me? Or my brother?"

"Both. No, Ode first. Go ask him. Ask if he's lost his mind, because he certainly doesn't seem sane."

Despite the blatant criticism, Yustar only chuckled and didn't stop her.

Olga continued. The cup she'd been holding had already been carelessly set down on the table.

"Marrying his only brother to a witch? What nerve. Does he have some grudge against someone? Is it you, or is it that young witch?"

Yustar slowly shook his head.

"It's not like that. Neither... Neither of them. My brother is..."

He started to say something, then stopped and slowly shook his head. Now wasn't the time to talk about Ode. Not to anyone... Not to anyone at all.

Not even to Layla.

"Anyway, just know that's what's happening. When it's over, I'll announce it officially anyway... To the other branch chiefs too. And to the other members if necessary."

Olga looked at him once more as if dumbfounded. But as if she had no desire to interfere further, she turned away and waved her hand dismissively.

"Do whatever you want. Whether you get married or divorced. But you'd better listen to my advice. Nothing good comes from marrying a witch. Witches aren't meant for marriage in the first place. They don't need love either. You know why, don't you?"

"I know."

Yustar answered briefly and smirked.

"Few people know it better than I do. Right?"

"What does that young witch say? Does she want to marry you?"

Yustar's shoulders lifted slightly.

"Well, even if she says no, she'll come to like it soon enough. Won't she?"

After speaking sarcastically, Olga yanked off her stained coat and tossed it aside.

The slender arms revealed beneath the short sleeves were white and unmarked like those of an ordinary girl, but a closer look revealed otherwise. Along her elbow were countless tiny dots as if pricked by needles, forming a straight line that continued down to her wrist.

Yustar stared silently at the faint marks dotting her arm. Olga pulled a clean new coat from the cabinet and put it on, then turned toward him.

"Did you tell her it's cheating?"

"Cheating?"

Olga rolled her eyes with a displeased expression.

"I'm asking if you told that young witch that you're cheating right now. Don't play dumb when you understand perfectly well."

As she spoke, Olga tilted her head as if emphasizing the word "cheating." Her expression was always sullen, but now she looked even angrier. No, not so much angry as if she was trying to reproach and scold Yustar.

Yustar answered, "If I tell her, it won't be cheating anymore. Right?"

Olga made a loud tsk with her tongue and spat out, "Get lost."

"Will you send me a wedding gift?"

"I'll send you an omelet made from demon eggs, so have it for breakfast."

When Yustar came outside, Layla was waiting with her hands clasped together like someone anxious. Seeing that he was unharmed, her complexion improved somewhat, though she didn't look comfortable.

"Are you all right, Layla?"

When he asked with a slight smile, Layla nodded, relaxing her expression a bit more.

"Let's go back."

"To the palace?"

"Of course. Or is there somewhere else you'd like to go?"

Layla shook her head with a bewildered expression. Yustar naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her toward the portal.

"How was it? Demons are quite different from ghosts, aren't they?"

He felt Layla's shoulder stiffen slightly. The tension and fear she hadn't felt in the urgent situation seemed to wash over her only now.

"Very... different. Very much so."

Layla answered carefully and nodded, adding, "They were different from the demons I knew about too. The demons in books, I mean. My mother had books like that."

"They would be, Layla. They'll be different. But you need to get used to them."

Layla's lips closed quietly. Her gaze lowered slightly, and Yustar glanced at her profile and spoke in a low voice as if comforting her.

"Don't worry. I won't make you do anything as dangerously reckless as what I did earlier."

Layla looked up at Yustar. Questions filled her red eyes. As if asking, 'Why not?'

Yustar smiled and tilted his head slightly toward Layla. His long hair flowed forward and touched Layla's cheek.

"What's with that look, Layla? Did you think I was going to make you levitate a giant demon into the sky?"

He nodded to the member adjusting the portal coordinates, then took Layla's hand and stepped onto the portal.

Layla said, "It's more that I... need to be helpful to you anyway. Don't I? That's why you sought me out. But my abilities fall short—that's the problem."

"Your abilities?"

Yustar lowered his gaze and smiled gently.

"That's one thing you don't need to worry about at all."

As the coordinates were input, a brief sound rang out. To Layla, it felt like a ringing in her ears.

"Ready for transport."

When the member spoke, Yustar lowered the arm that had been wrapped around Layla's shoulder and took her hand instead. Hummm... With the sound, she felt every extremity of her body scatter into fine particles.

"Rest well when we get back."

Layla lifted her head and looked at Yustar.

"Things will get busy starting tomorrow."

"What will..."

Her words couldn't reach their end. As the portal activated, light flashed before her eyes, and her entire body became dust and floated up into the air.