"Master, about Nia."
"What."
"It's just, um…. …Is she really my daughter?"
Ji-woo asked Erdis Arcana with a face caught halfway between nerves and curiosity.
Whether Nia, who had just left for Jeju Island, was truly her own child.
Not the Ji-woo of this moment, of course. That would be a story belonging to the Ji-woo of the past.
Either way — whether Nia was a biological daughter born of her own blood and genes.
"Wait, then…does that mean I also have a husband somewhere……. No, that can't be right?"
"No. …You never conceived a child to begin with."
"Phew."
Only after hearing that Nia was an adopted daughter, not a biological one, did Ji-woo finally relax.
It hadn't even been half a year since she'd become a girl like this, and suddenly some Hidden Boss had come up claiming to be her daughter — she'd been a little startled, honestly.
Ji-woo had gotten pretty good at wearing girls' clothes by now, but she wasn't quite ready to be someone's mom yet.
Besides, she was still only eleven years old, any way you looked at it.
"So, then — how did she end up becoming my daughter?"
"It's a long story."
"Could you maybe summarize it? Short version?"
"…You overpowered her yourself. Told her to become your servant."
"Ugh."
Erdis Arcana's account: the Ji-woo of the past had given Nia quite the beating.
Long ago, a battle had taken place between Ji-woo and Nia, and in the end Ji-woo had won — forcing Nia into submission as both a daughter and a servant.
Erdis Arcana recalled the memory from that distant past for a moment, then explained it to Ji-woo in those terms.
"But…considering she fought me, she seems to like me an awful lot…."
"I don't know the details either. One day they were just suddenly close."
"Hmm. I guess I'll have to ask Nia directly."
And so, the questions about Nia — this newly met Hidden Boss — were settled for the time being.
But Ji-woo still had one more fundamental question lingering.
"Um, Master. I get that my past self was really close with the Hidden Bosses."
"Go on."
"But that was my past self who was close with them — the me right now is a different person, isn't she?"
So why did the Hidden Bosses treat her as though they were reuniting with the Ji-woo of the past?
Fenrion, the first one she'd met. Hwaran, who had asked her to tell new stories.
Arkiel, who had dropped to her knees the moment they met. Erdis Arcana, standing right in front of her now. And Nia, just a little while ago.
"Could it be that…in a Hidden Boss's eyes…I look somehow different?"
They were seeing the Ji-woo of her past life and the Ji-woo of now as if they were the same person, layered on top of each other.
Erdis Arcana at least seemed to draw a fairly clear distinction between the past and the present — but still.
"Please tell me, Master."
That was what Ji-woo wanted to know most of all.
Not just the Hidden Bosses she'd met so far — the ones she'd meet in the future might also mistake her for the Ji-woo of the past.
She wanted to ask her master's opinion on how she should handle those kinds of misunderstandings.
【Entity: Null smiles quietly toward her master of the past.】
"…………."
After a brief silence in response to Ji-woo's careful question, Erdis Arcana opened her mouth and spoke.
Choosing expressions that Ji-woo could understand more clearly.
"…What's familiar to us is the Ji-woo from your past life, the one you mentioned. The Ji-woo who reincarnated from that past life is you, right now. Do you follow so far?"
"Yes. I follow."
"You said you're different, but to us, even if a human dies and reincarnates, we consider them the same being. We don't think of them as entirely separate existences."
"Hmm…."
The Ji-woo of the distant past and the Ji-woo of now — their bodies bore only a faint resemblance, and their souls existed separately as distinct individuals.
By human standards, calling them completely different people would be the accurate way to put it.
But the criteria by which Hidden Bosses like Erdis Arcana judged humans was a little different.
"…That name of yours, 'Ji-woo' — in the end, that's just a name humans gave you."
Almost simultaneously, something slid into view.
A familiar Status Window floated up before Ji-woo.
【Status Window】
【Name: Lee Ji-woo (Female)】
【Age: 11】
【Class: Gaia】
【Rank: F】
【Skills: ❮(P)No Attacks During Dialogue: S❯ , ❮(P)Let's Be Friends: S❯ , ❮(A)Assimilation: F❯ , ❮(A)Data Viewing: F❯ , ❮(A)Data Summoning: F❯】
"…Gaia? What's this?"
It was a Status Window Ji-woo knew well — but there was one word she'd never seen before.
A Class field that hadn't existed before had appeared, and it was now displaying Ji-woo's class as 'Gaia.'
And those three letters were precisely—
"The name we gave you."
—the reason why Erdis Arcana and the other Hidden Bosses recognized the Ji-woo of the past and the Ji-woo of now as the same being.
Because the Ji-woo of now bore the exact same title of 'Gaia' as the Ji-woo of the past.
In the case of humans, if the body and soul were different, they'd be treated as entirely separate existences — but Hidden Bosses made their judgment based on that very title, 'Gaia.'
As long as the Ji-woo of now was 'Gaia,' she was the same existence as the Ji-woo of the past.
"Does that answer your question."
"Um…. Yes."
Honestly, she hadn't understood Erdis Arcana's explanation one hundred percent.
All she'd really grasped was that the Hidden Bosses she'd meet going forward would also recognize her.
Still, there was only one thing Erdis Arcana herself knew for certain.
That the Ji-woo of the past — her old student — had chosen the Ji-woo of now as her successor.
'…What on earth was she thinking.'
If she could, she'd have asked outright.
Just what kind of plan had her old student been making when she decided on Ji-woo as her successor.
【Entity: Null gazes at Entity: Lee Ji-woo and smiles quietly.】
"…………."
But the old student of the past was now nothing more than a lingering soul, watching in silence.
There was no detailed, careful explanation of what her plan was.
Perhaps that was why.
"Then, Ji-woo. Listen carefully."
Erdis Arcana ended up speaking to the Ji-woo of now, rather than the old student of the past.
Because either way, Ji-woo would need to reunite with the servants of the past as Gaia going forward, and make those old servants follow her once again.
She decided that for now, the priority was making sure Ji-woo understood what path she needed to walk.
"Increasing your number of servants is important, but there's something else that matters too."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Your safety."
And so Erdis Arcana spoke.
About what conversation she'd had with Yoo Do-a the night before, for Ji-woo's sake.
And about what she planned to do going forward with M.M.L.I, which was currently drawing enormous attention from around the world.
"The reason you were able to come to England is because your little sister was worried — she asked Arkiel and me. Asked M.M.L.I to help."
"Huh? That's not right."
"…Just say it that way. Otherwise things could get more complicated."
"Ah, I see."
"You're still a member of the Haetae Guild. Publicly, you and we have absolutely no connection——"
But in the middle of Erdis Arcana's explanation, Ji-woo's eyes began to spin.
Almost at the same time, her body swayed.
"…Oh no…."
Ji-woo's strength slowly drained away, and she collapsed flat on the floor, spread-eagled.
Then, in an exhausted voice, she asked.
"Uugh……. I'm suddenly so tired……. What's happening to me……."
"…It's because you used too much mana."
This was, at least, somewhat expected.
The Ji-woo of just a little while ago had sent enormous islands — each one massive — to the other side of the globe.
Naturally, the amount of mana she'd burned through had been staggering.
It was no surprise she'd gone limp and crumpled to the ground like this.
-Twitch twitch.
-Twitch twitch.
"Hngh……! …I can't get up. What do I do."
"It's fine, just lie there and listen."
Erdis Arcana understood Ji-woo's situation and simply let her stay on the floor.
She wasn't the type to get angry over something like this.
Besides, Ji-woo still barely knew how to use mana in the first place.
"M.M.L.I and the Haetae Guild are in a cooperative relationship. Just as Arkiel mentioned earlier."
"But, then…what does that mean for me?"
"Even if you send your servants into Dungeons, it'll be processed as a dispatch from M.M.L.I. As in, they received a request from the Haetae Guild and sent out mercenaries."
In other words, she didn't need to worry about anyone finding out who the Hidden Bosses actually belonged to.
What followed was that Erdis Arcana would handle the attention, wariness, attempts at containment, and recruitment overtures that would be directed at M.M.L.I.
"Of course, the final decisions will be yours. They're your servants, after all."
"But I don't know anything about that kind of stuff. Like, I don't even know how to write contracts or anything."
"You'll learn. Step by step, from the beginning."
"Ugh, um."
And so, Erdis Arcana calmly taught her.
What roles Ji-woo would need to play as the true owner of M.M.L.I.
And at the same time, how Ji-woo — who was still publicly a member of the Haetae Guild — should conduct herself.
"You need to build a harmless image. Make it look like you have absolutely nothing to do with M.M.L.I."
"Hmm…. How?"
"Stand out in ways that have nothing to do with combat. …That'll naturally make you seem like a harmless existence."
And then, magical glass panes floated up and hovered right in front of Ji-woo.
Erdis Arcana projected onto them images of girls around Ji-woo's age.
Instagram photos of girls who inspired nothing but the thought that they were cute.
"When you look at these, what do you think?"
"Hmm…. …Nice outfits?"
"Do you think they're scary?"
"Not particularly?"
"That's your goal right now. Making it so that when people look at you, they don't think you're strong or scary."
"?"
In short, she was telling Ji-woo to take cute photos like these and become an Instagram influencer.
If Ji-woo became famous for cute photos, the general public would just see her as a cute girl.
A smokescreen, in other words.
"It's a method your guild master suggested."
"Ugh."
"I thought it would be effective too. Do you disagree?"
"No. It's not that, but…."
Honestly, even thinking about it herself, it was a method with some merit.
A way to hide Ji-woo's overwhelming strength while simultaneously making Ji-woo as a person well-known.
The problem, though, was that it would require Ji-woo to keep wearing those cute outfits on a regular basis.
And keep posting photos to Instagram, too.
'…Can I actually do this?'
The desire to be famous versus the embarrassment of wearing cute clothes — which one mattered more?
Still sprawled on the floor, Ji-woo began to deliberate with an extremely serious expression.
But.
"…And when you're around other humans, don't call me Master."
"What?"
There were still things Erdis Arcana needed to tell Ji-woo.
How to explain the relationship between Ji-woo and Erdis Arcana to other people.
What to say and how to act when other people were around.
Erdis Arcana gave her student — still flat on the floor — one last lesson.
"People these days don't use that kind of language. …Just call me something that doesn't sound awkward. Use your judgment."
"Then, just…Miss Erdi?"
"That 'Miss' thing doesn't seem very common either."
"Erdi…Auntie? 'Ma'am' feels a bit much, so…."
"………."
For a moment, Erdis Arcana genuinely wanted to hit Ji-woo.
But she held back with tremendous patience, and told her to use the same kind of address she used for Yoo Do-a.
If Yoo Do-a was the guild master of the Haetae Guild, then Erdis Arcana was the head of M.M.L.I.
Meaning, for the time being, Erdis Arcana held a similar standing to Yoo Do-a.
So she told Ji-woo to address her similarly to how she addressed Yoo Do-a — but.
"E…Erdi…sis?"
"…………."
This was its own kind of problem.
This time it was Erdis Arcana who couldn't seem to adapt to the title.
Being called "sis" by a face that looked exactly like her old student felt very, very strange.
"Um…. Erdi sis? What's wrong?"
"…You can call me Master for now."
And so, after even Erdis Arcana's public form of address had been settled.
At precisely that moment, Ji-woo turned her head toward Arkiel and Kim A-rin, who had just returned to the manor.
"You said you'd be right back. You're late."
"Sorry, sis. Something came up."
"How petty, holding a press conference without me. Hmph."
"…You saw the news."
Faced with her sister's obviously sulking expression, Kim A-rin changed the subject by asking if she was hungry.
Her plan had been to coax Ji-woo by suggesting they head back to the manor for a nice lunch.
But almost at the same moment, bubbles suddenly began to froth up from the ground.
And then.
-Splash!
『Mama! I chased them all away!』
A strange woman in reverse attire burst up through the bubbles and flung herself straight at Ji-woo.
Calling her Mama, no less.
『Mama, Mama. I did good, right~.』
"Yeah. Good girl. Nia's the best."
Ji-woo praised Nia while simultaneously meeting Kim A-rin's eyes — eyes currently registering a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
A look that demanded an explanation for what on earth was going on, right this instant.
"…Say hi, Kim A-rin. You've got a niece now."
『Who is she, Mama?』
"Mm, Mama's little sister. So for you, Nia, she'd be…your aunt?"
『Hi, Auntie!』
"…!……!!"
Kim A-rin, who had briefly let her imagination run wild, nearly collapsed clutching the back of her neck.
The thought that her sister, barely eleven years old, had become a mother with a child in tow — she'd almost fainted for real.
Of course, it was so obviously impossible in any realistic sense that she snapped back to her senses almost immediately, but still.
-Whisper whisper.
-Whisper whisper.
"…She's a Hidden Boss too. She said she wanted to be my daughter, so I just said sure."
"S-sis. Even so……!"
"What's the big deal. It's not like it costs anything."
"No, you're right, it doesn't cost anything, but…. …Haah."
Every single time she looked away for even a moment, another Hidden Boss had been added to the count.
This one also seemed to like Ji-woo an awful lot, but a Hidden Boss was still a Hidden Boss.
The sheer pressure radiating off her was anything but ordinary.
The problem was that in a few days, when they returned to Korea, Ji-woo's home would have a grand total of three Hidden Bosses living in it.
"W-wait, look at me for a second, sis."
"What?"
-Pitter-patter!
-Click.
And so Kim A-rin pulled Ji-woo into a room for a moment and spoke in a worried voice.
Even with just Arkiel alone it was already more than enough to be dangerous — if Erdi and Nia were added on top of that, it would truly be unmanageable.
"It probably won't come to that, but. If it ever got out that three Hidden Bosses were living in your house, it would probably……."
"Ah, it's fine. I got a separate place."
"…? A separate place? You did?"
"Next to Jeju Island — I moved an island there. From now on, the Hidden Bosses are going to live there."
"……?????"
"No, seriously. I'm serious."
"…Sis. Did you have a dream or something?"
Faced with Kim A-rin clearly not believing a word she said, Ji-woo thumped her chest in frustration.
She couldn't exactly show her right now, could she.
-Flash.
"…Wait, I can just show her?"
"?"
"Nia! Give your auntie a house tour!"
『Got it!』
Almost simultaneously — splash.
Nia grabbed Kim A-rin by both ankles and yanked her downward, teleporting her to the waters near Jeju Island on the other side of the globe.
And then, exactly thirty minutes later.
-Splash!
『I'm back, Mama!』
"……………."
Nia returned to England with Kim A-rin in tow and immediately ran to Ji-woo and hugged her — but Kim A-rin came back soaking wet from head to toe, and stood there in a daze for a long while without saying a word.
She seemed to have been quite thoroughly stunned by the scale of the new home Ji-woo had prepared.
"The map…has changed…. …How on earth…."
"I just kind of went like this and like that and told it to hide next to Jeju Island. And then it just went there on its own."
"……Is this really the sis I know? You haven't been possessed by some kind of god or something?"
"Mwahaha, foolish mortal. Do I still look like Ji-woo to you……!"
"…Yep, that's my sis."
"Ugh."
***
A few days after the Jeju Island housewarming incident.
"Let's go, sis. It's time."
Kim A-rin, already ready to head out, looked at me and gestured for me to get up.
Today was the day we had to go in for questioning about how Arkiel and I had entered England without going through proper channels.
Well, calling it "without proper channels" was a stretch — it was more like an emergency response for Hunter rescue operations.
Thanks to Arkiel, the Red Gate incident had wrapped up without a single casualty, too.
"Just say what I told you to say. It'll probably…take about ten minutes, give or take."
"But can't we just do it over the phone?"
"…It's still an official inquiry. You have to come in person, sis."
"Guess not."
Kim A-rin said they'd just ask how we ended up in England and then send us on our way.
Apparently there was no chance of me or Arkiel ending up in jail or anything like that.
Though, unlike me, Arkiel's questioning might take a bit longer, she said.
After all, Arkiel had been the one who'd directly fought the monsters, and on top of that she'd gone and held a press conference announcing she was affiliated with some organization called M.M.L.I.
"Hey, sis. But what about Erdi…?"
"She said she was ready a little while ago."
From the perspective of London's citizens, Arkiel was a savior — but the British Hunter Association had a somewhat different stance, and apparently had quite a few things to look into.
So Erdi had decided to come along too.
She said she'd keep an eye on Arkiel in case she accidentally said something she shouldn't.
For the record, today Erdi was visiting the British Hunter Association in her capacity as the person in charge of M.M.L.I, the organization Arkiel belonged to.
Maybe that was why.
-Creak….
-Click.
-Click.
"What are you standing around for. We might be late."
Today, Erdi was dressed in a suit, with her round ears and thin tail completely hidden.
She couldn't exactly show up to the British Hunter Association looking like a little kid, after all.
Since this was her first official public appearance as the head of M.M.L.I, Erdi had come out looking properly formal for the occasion.
"Um, that…. Is that really you, Master?"
"Who else would it be."
"It's just, you look so completely different."
She was still beautiful, though. Incredibly so.
She'd been a pretty girl in her child form, but transforming into an adult had taken her from pretty girl to outright stunning.
Erdi herself was looking back at me with an expression like, what's the big deal? — which made it a little awkward.
Anyway, we got into the limousine that had been waiting in front of the manor and arrived at the Association building.
｢Welcome to the British Hunter Association.｣
The Association staff who had been waiting for our arrival bowed their heads as we approached.
And at the sight of those staff members, Erdi turned her head slightly toward me and spoke.
"Ji-woo."
"Yes?"
"I'll be off, sis."
"Oh, take care, sis."
Since other people were watching right now.
Just as Erdi and I had agreed before, we played the part of two sisters who simply knew each other.
I thought I caught the corner of Erdi's mouth curl up just slightly at that moment — but I probably imagined it.
"Alright, let's go, Kim A-rin."
"……Just for today, call me sis too."
"What are you on about."
