The day of the social gathering came quickly.

After being discharged and loosening up my body a little, it was already the day of the event. The gathering began on Saturday evening at six.

My precious weekend.

Around noon on Saturday, I went over to Yun’s house.

Every time I visited, it was always the same neat, immaculate home. The residents opened the door for me but didn’t show themselves. They all said they were in their rooms getting ready for the evening appointment.

So, while I was waiting quietly in the entryway, the one who approached me first was Ami.

“Hilde, that suit looks amazing on you!”

She was wearing a navy dress.

A white mother-of-pearl pendant necklace shone against the navy, a pleasant contrast. It was a silk one-piece that fell to her ankles. It wasn’t flashy, but it was formal and elegant.

Ami held her dress «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» up with one hand and hopped down the stairs barefoot.

The senior with the round eyes saw me and brightened.

“You bought it at the place my younger brother recommended, right? They’ve always been good since we were kids.”

“Thank you.”

I was satisfied with my suit too.

The tailor had insisted a brighter color would suit me perfectly, but I stubbornly chose black. I didn’t want to draw attention in a place where formidable people would gather.

Ami came closer to inspect my suit.

While I was returning the compliment for her dress, Yun came out from inside.

“You’re here.”

He was dressed head to toe in black.

“You picked something safe.”

“Are you planning to wear only black for the rest of your life?”

I made the suggestion sincerely.

Yun only raised one eyebrow and let it fall, without any other response.

I meant it, though. My mentor was in a black suit, and it made his face look much more alive than when he wore the white lab coat.

With one hand in his pocket, Yun reached out with the other and tugged my tie tight.

“Watch your mouth when we get there.”

He gave the advice casually, as if explaining the lunch menu.

“There are ears everywhere. Your wrist feels a little bare.”

“Hilde, it suits you well.”

A husky voice came from inside the house.

The superior officer who had finished getting ready was walking out. I bowed politely and looked at the pale man.

Yehyeon was wearing a sleek gray suit. A faint green sheen in the fabric made his face look even paler.

Ami, watching Yehyeon approach, asked,

“Oppa, you didn’t wear the dark gray suit after all?”

“The checkered pattern looked too light....”

“Hng.”

Ami narrowed her eyes.

Yehyeon, flustered, gave her an awkward look.

To me, it just looked like the round-eyed senior was putting on a little act of childishness.

Yun scolded bluntly.

“Choi Ami. Speak like an adult.”

“Forgive my insolence, your lordship.”

This brother and sister never fail to be odd.

In any case, I met the dress code. Both Yehyeon and Ami praised my suit generously. At least with this, I wouldn’t have anything for people to pick at during the gathering.

On the way to the car, I got a crash course in the event — the order of cutlery, basic etiquette, and such.

They told me I really only needed to mind the basics. With that reassurance, I got into the spotless white Bentley.

The social gathering was being held at the home of the president of Aitek.

We hardly spoke on the way. Sitting in the passenger seat, Yehyeon lowered his gaze to his phone. In the back seat, Yun and Ami watched the scenery outside in silence.

Catching sight of them in the rearview mirror, I too kept my mouth shut and focused on driving.

The tension from the three of them was so sharp it was suffocating.

***

Before arriving, we passed through two separate checkpoints.

After the final one, a massive mansion came into view outside the car window. I had thought Yehyeon’s house was luxurious enough, but the mansion before my eyes was on another level entirely.

I tried not to look provincial, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from its size.

This rich?

I stopped the car in front of the wide-open gate.

Guards opened the doors for us. I quickly got out and followed the seniors as they walked toward the garden.

The garden glowed beautifully in the bluish twilight. Here and there, the lighting was placed just right, creating an elegant scene.

I was too tense to take it in properly.

The gathering was being held in the annex behind the main building.

But first, we were invited into the reception room of the main house.

We had to greet the Aitek family separately.

I stood quietly by the door, watching Yun and Ami exchange greetings with the Aitek household.

Yun shook hands with an older gentleman.

Wearing a light-gray suit and thin-rimmed glasses, the man spoke in a formal tone.

“It’s been a long time, Yun.”

“Elder brother.”

Yun replied dryly.

“It has been a while.”

There were three people in the room.

All of them were elderly — two men and one woman. None resembled Yun or Ami, but they all had neat black hair and black eyes and wore suits that radiated wealth.

The man called “elder brother” shook hands with Yun and Ami, then turned his gaze to Yehyeon.

“Commander.”

“Chairman Choi Hyunjun.”

Yehyeon gave a businesslike smile and shook his hand.

“I hope you’ve been well.”

Aitek.

In this age where the threat of creatures still loomed, Aitek handled the most crucial industry in Center Core. Aitek manufactured the Core maintenance devices. They made military supplies and IT products too, and their cash cows lay elsewhere, but their brand identity was the Core maintenance system.

A product built on Yun’s patent.

The reason money flowed endlessly into Yun’s bank account.

The life-support systems humanity relied on, running without pause.

Aitek only produced the devices; the actual management was handled separately by the Core Management Corporation. But that didn’t make Aitek any less vital.

Whenever territories were expanded, the Black Badger headquarters always coordinated with Aitek. Even when there wasn’t a massive event like territorial expansion, reports came regularly from Aitek.

The chairman, Choi Hyunjun, asked,

“There are no territorial expansion plans? It’s been quite a while since we received any notice.”

“We were preparing, but lately the creatures have been restless.”

Yehyeon gave a faint smile.

“When the time comes, I’ll contact you first.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Thank you for looking after our youngest.”

The woman with her hair tied neatly smiled with her arms crossed.

She was the president of an insurance company that had branched off from Aitek.

Still smiling with her eyes, she looked at Ami.

“Our youngest just won’t grow up.”

Ami blinked her round eyes a few times.

She looked about to say something but held her tongue when she noticed Yehyeon preparing to reply. Like when he had greeted the chairman, Yehyeon accepted the greeting smoothly.

“President Choi Hyunyoung. On the contrary, I’ve been receiving Ami’s help.”

It seemed I had to weigh every word I spoke here.

The suffocatingly stiff mood was broken by the man frowning faintly.

The second son of the Choi family.

“It’s not the creatures running wild — it’s that the elders can’t agree on which territory to expand.”

“Hyunseok.”

“Choi Hyunseok.”

No sooner had his grumbling left his mouth than both the chairman and the president spoke his name in warning.

The only one to smile was Yehyeon.

A formal smile, with no warmth in his eyes.

“In the end, the final decision rests with me.”

“For a puppet of the elders, you sure talk smooth.”

“Choi Hyunseok!”

“Choi Hyunseok. Keep that up and you’ll be sent out.”

“Are you unwell?”

While the chairpersons fumed, Yun asked the question in a puzzled tone.

Of course, no one in the room mistook it for anything but biting sarcasm. I watched, dumbfounded, as my mentor pulled off the perfect expression of pure innocence.

“I recall you weren’t quite like this before. Could it be that your remaining days aren’t many, and I was unaware?”

“You dare flap your mouth after being taken in like some beggar stray!”

“Choi Hyunseok! I told you not to drag Ami into this!”

President Choi Hyunyoung shouted sharply at her younger brother.

...Isn’t that a strange point to get angry about?

But no one looked surprised. While Chairman Choi Hyunjun sighed, Choi Hyunseok fumed, and Yehyeon kept an eerie, expressionless silence, both Yun and Ami turned their gaze to President Choi Hyunyoung.

My mentor looked at her bluntly.

“Don’t you think the favoritism is a little much?”

“I only dote on the normal ones.”

Choi Hyunyoung was unashamed.

With the expression of someone stating an obvious truth, she added,

“Ami is cute and lovable. You’re just creepy.” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Hold it in, Hildebert.

I pressed my lips into a line, fighting with everything I had to choke down the laughter. It was not the time or place, so it took my full strength to hold it back.

The way President Choi Hyunyoung spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Yun’s completely unbothered face — it was funny.

Ami nodding along as if to say, ‘My younger brother is kind of creepy sometimes,’ was even funnier.

At least no sound escaped.

But thinking I had suppressed it well was a mistake.

The president, who had been smiling sweetly at Ami, rolled her eyes and fixed them on me.

“But what brings the Commander to bring an ordinary Badger along to a place like this?”

I felt all their stares pierce me and hastily lifted my head.

Every member of the Choi family was looking at me.

“No matter if he’s Forden’s special guest — isn’t it standard never to bring a regular Badger into such a dangerous gathering?”

“Mr. Taleb.”

Chairman Choi Hyunjun walked toward me, extending his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Choi Hyunjun.”

“Ah.”

I hurried to take his handshake.

“An honor to meet you, Chairman.”

I shook hands with the eldest daughter and the second son as well. Choi Hyunyoung gave me a bright smile during the handshake, but Choi Hyunseok’s face remained twisted.

Once the formal greetings were done, the chairman turned back to Yehyeon.

“I hear Mr. Taleb is a new Badger.”

“Yes. His mentor is Yun.”

At Yehyeon’s calm reply, the Choi family’s movements paused.

But they were experienced. Except for Hyunseok, the other two merely froze for a moment, as if someone had pressed pause, but didn’t gape or choke. They quickly regained composure.

Chairman Choi Hyunjun even managed to respond smoothly.

“I’m sure you had your reasons.”

“No, elder brother. It was the Personnel Director’s decision.”

“Then the Personnel Director must have had his reasons.”

Chairman Choi Hyunjun quickly smoothed it over.

And as if unwilling to dwell on it any further, he changed the subject.

They didn’t have to react that strongly...

Or maybe that really was the normal, reasonable reaction.

Either way, the chairman circled back to why I’d been brought here at all.

Because Forden had invited me, yes.

But of course, that wasn’t the answer they wanted.

“When I glimpsed you in the article, I thought you looked like an ordinary Badger. Even when I heard Forden had specially invited you, I assumed it was just to bring in a handsome face and draw a little attention. But if you were really that ordinary, when they said the Elders would attend, the Commander would have declined the invitation.”

“A Badger ordinary enough to survive looking an Elder in the face without losing his life.”

Yehyeon answered with his faint smile unbroken.

“For now, that’s the only explanation I can give you.”

“Is he a new recruit for the upper leadership?”

“No. Ska and Gilbert are more than enough in that regard.”

“Then is he a child destined to become one of the Elders’ hands and feet?”

“No.”

At Choi Hyunyoung’s half-muttered question, Yehyeon’s voice hardened.

The Commander answered politely, but with an undercurrent of chill.

“Hildebert is mine, right now.”

The Choi family stared at me.

But I had no words to give back. Because this was all news to me, too.

It had only been a short time since I’d even learned there were multiple Elders. Of course I had never seen them in person, nor did I even know exactly what it meant to be one of their “hands and feet.”

All I could feel was gratitude that Yehyeon had asserted ownership over me so firmly....

I endured their piercing gazes and inclined my head slightly.

They observed me for a long time.

The reception room smelled pleasantly of polished wood.

Chairman Choi Hyunjun finally broke the silence, slowly.

“If you survive, we’ll be seeing you often.”

Not fully grasping the meaning of his words, I lowered my head quietly.

***

Yehyeon expressed that he’d prefer Ami not attend the gathering if possible.

Because the people who would be here were not ones it would be good for her to meet.

The senior with the round eyes didn’t look surprised or hurt. On the contrary, she seemed as if she had expected it, nodded calmly, and said she’d go to her foster father’s place instead before disappearing.

The Choi family said they had business to take care of before the event.

So only Yun, Yehyeon, and I headed to the annex first.

The annex was bright and pleasant.

The ceiling soared high, the chandeliers sparkled. Tall windows, spotless white tablecloths.

Guests in crisp clothes talking in low voices.

At a glance, it was hard to find a single part that hadn’t been carefully prepared. The whole space radiated an old-fashioned grandeur.

Finger sandwiches. Pastries. Biscuits and chocolates. Fruit and wine jellies. Sparkling water. Sherry. Buttered bread and scones. Roast meat with vegetables and potatoes. Beefsteak pie. Salmon meunière. Fried oysters. Thinly sliced turkey and ham.

Strangely traditional dishes.

Was it a theme? Or just the hosts’ preference?

Either way, the chefs must have worked hard.

I decided I would fill up on those later. Just the smell was enough to make my appetite stir.

While I was looking around, brimming with expectation, I nearly bumped into the backs of my seniors who had stopped.

Yun and Yehyeon had halted before a table set with finger sandwiches and Earl Grey.

“Hilde.”

“Yes.”

“While we’re here, don’t stray too far from me.”

Yehyeon’s eyes were fixed on the far side of the great hall.

“You mustn’t face the Elders alone.”

I followed his gaze.

Since first inferring their existence back in the Commander’s office, I hadn’t been told much about them. They were the ones who called people like me Titans and exerted undeniable influence even over Yehyeon.

Civilian society knew nothing of them — only they enjoyed the privilege of unaging bodies.

It wasn’t hard to spot them where Yehyeon’s gaze landed.

Influencers, successful businessmen, celebrities, politicians. Even among the star power of the invited guests, they stood out.

Even when smiling brightly, the unconscious pressure of their presence could not be ignored.

Get too close and you’d be eaten alive.

I glanced at a tall, platinum-haired middle-aged man, and a silver-haired woman with flowing hair tied up.

“The aggression just seeps through them,” I muttered.

Yehyeon turned wide eyes on me.

For a moment the Commander simply looked at me in pure surprise. Then, following my line of sight to the pair, he blinked several times.

And then he burst into laughter.

“Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

After finally reining in his laughter, my superior’s eyes gleamed.

“Seems you’ll do just fine.”