Chapter 79: The Last Person I Wanted to See

After agreeing to go wherever Viora wanted, I had honestly expected something far more important and complicated.

Maybe a park, or a shopping district. After all, she had practically begged me to take her there.

Yet the moment she finally told me where she wanted to go, I almost laughed.

The place she wanted to go so badly was; Spice and Flame.

The exact same food stall we had visited a few days ago. Also the same stall where she had remembered fragments of her past and guilt had nearly crushed her.

Of all places, she wanted to return there.

’Seriously?’

At first, I tried asking why. But asking Viora questions often produced less information than asking a brick wall.

"I want to go."

"Why?"

"I just do."

"..."

That was the entire explanation, or you can say the entire conversation. And now, we were walking through the city together.

The weather was pleasant, not too cold or too hot. People moved along the sidewalks while cars occasionally passed by on the roads.

Viora walked beside me while lightly holding my hand. Even though she could now sense her surroundings better than before, I still didn’t mind it.

Since a small part of me had gotten used to it.

As we continued walking, the place where the stalls were came into view. Then the nearby intersection appeared, and finally we were able to reach Spice and Flame.

The small stall stood exactly where I remembered. Smoke rose from the grills and the scent of cooked and fried meat drifted through the air.

Several customers occupied nearby tables, but when we got a bit closer, my whole body froze.

There was someone standing in front of the stall. Someone who I never expected to see here.

My body became rigid and every instinct inside me screamed danger.

’What is Black doing here...?!’

I thought, and at the exact same moment Viora’s grip on my hand tightened.

"Woo Jin." She spoke up, "The thing I sensed yesterday. I am sensing it again."

Yeah, I know. I can see him too.

Without hesitation, I also tightened my grip and quickly led her away toward the nearest wall.

"What are we doing?" Viora asked.

"We are hiding."

"From who?"

I peeked around the corner before answering. "Someone I really don’t want to meet."

Unfortunately, that answer only made her more curious and she didn’t decide not to ask me any questions.

"Why?"

Because he might be a monster, he might be stronger than you, and he might kill me the moment he sees me now after whatever he said yesterday.

There were many reasons, but if I said any of them it would only lead to more questions. Instead, I simply replied, "He is dangerous."

For a brief moment, Viora became silent and then she slowly turned her head toward the stall again. Even though she couldn’t see it, the sight was still unsettling. Because it looked as if she was staring directly at him.

"What is he doing?" she asked.

"I have no idea."

And that was the truth. Since he didn’t move and just stood there with his hands in his pockets and a slightly relaxed posture.

At this point, I was beginning to wonder if he had simply decided to spend the entire day standing there.

Then something unexpected happened. Black walked toward the stall and my mind began to run with countless thoughts.

Was he meeting someone?

Receiving information?

Or planning an assassination?

That was what ran through my mind. However, reality turned out to be much stranger.

"One spicy chicken skewer." He ordered and the owner nodded.

Several moments later, Black accepted the skewer, then after thanking the vendor he started eating it.

"..."

I blinked while looking at him eat the meat. Surely there was more. There had to be. This wasn’t the only reason he was here.

Because it didn’t make sense. Villains weren’t supposed to buy street food. They weren’t supposed to politely thank vendors, nor were they supposed to stand around looking normal.

Yet he continued standing there while eating, taking one bite after another. Other than that, nothing happened. There was no secret meeting or any hidden message conveyed to the vendor.

Black was just buying food and that made him even harder to understand.

After finishing the one he was eating, Black purchased another one. The stall owner seemed completely relaxed around him.

Which suggested one of two possibilities. Either he had no idea who Black was or Black visited often.

"Woo Jin." As I was peeking at Black from behind the wall, Viora called my name.

"What?" I asked without moving my gaze away from him.

"I still want spicy food." When she said that, I looked down at her. She was standing quietly beside me. She hadn’t gotten distracted from her objective. But right now wasn’t the right time.

"You picked a terrible day."

I said and continued to focus on Black.

Then, just as I was beginning to wonder how much longer he planned to stand there eating skewers, another figure entered my field of vision.

A woman was walking toward the stall from the opposite side of the street.

She looked to be in her late twenties and wore a simple coat that didn’t attract attention. Beside her walked a small girl who couldn’t have been older than seven or eight years old.

At first, I didn’t pay much attention to them.

Then the little girl spotted Black and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Dad!"

She yelled, and before the woman could stop her, the little girl rushed toward Black without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Black looked up from the skewer in his hand. For a brief moment, his expression remained exactly the same. Then something changed and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.

Thump.

The girl collided with him a second later. Black instinctively caught her before she could fall and lifted her into his arms.

"Dad! I am here!"

The girl immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. Meanwhile, Black placed a hand on her head and gently ruffled her hair.

"..."

I just stared at the scene happening in front of me.

This was the same man who had calmly volunteered to personally deal with a failed assassination.

The same person Viora had called a thing. Yet right now he looked like an ordinary father spending time with his daughter.

"Impossible."