"Poison for Jeongal Jaegol?"

I couldn’t understand what he meant at first, but considering the movements of Eunho and Jeongal Jaegol in Jeju, I began to get a sense of it.

Yesterday, due to time constraints, we didn’t get to discuss everything in detail, but from what was said today, it seems that Eunho wasn’t trying to hide it from the beginning.

‘So, you met Jeongal Jaegol in Jeju Island.’

Eunho, disguised as Cheon Eunha, was moving within TC's Snow and Air.

After the incident was resolved, Jeongal Jaegol briefly accompanied Cheon Dongha and met Eunho.

It must have been that he had a lot of questions, considering that a first-year student from the newspaper department, where he works as a mentor, was suddenly in the midst of chaos in Jeju.

Since he had clashed with demons several times, there was a possibility he noticed something during those encounters.

The poison Eunho mentioned might be the existence of the mastermind, could it be?

Perhaps, Eunho had reminded Jeongal Jaegol of the poisonous existence of the mastermind.

"It might be a little different from what you’re thinking, but it’s not wrong."

Eunho half-agreed without yet speaking aloud what he thought.

Then, we’ll need to meet Jeongal Jaegol to confirm what kind of poison he released.

As I was organizing my thoughts and expressing my intention to meet Jeongal Jaegol, Eunho’s expression gradually softened.

Eunho slowly released the hand he had been holding to measure my pulse and said:

"Yi-shin hyung, your pulse has stabilized, and your face looks much better."

"Yesterday, I wasn’t in that bad of a shape."

"No, yesterday wasn’t good. I wanted you to rest at the mansion. You had done that experiment, so there’s no way your body could have been fine, right?"

Eunho said, cutting through with a smile.

There was no need to deny it so firmly, was there?

Even so, I couldn’t come up with anything to counter, so I was at a loss for words.

Eunho was wise and kind, but sometimes sharp like a knife.

As silence fell for a moment, I could hear Hwang Ji-ho’s voice from the kitchen shouting, "Baekho, stop smirking and put down the utensils!"

Eunho must have heard it, but he didn’t react at all and continued.

"I saw your face this morning at the dorm. You rest more comfortably at the mansion. And every time you stay at the mansion, everyone else’s efficiency in resting increases. Everyone can relax and rest happily knowing you’re here."

You mean I rest more comfortably in the Tiger Mansion than at the dorm?

I couldn’t speak those words out loud, but I agreed.

Since I felt at ease here, when I entered the cycle of reincarnation, the door guided by the Watchman had initially transformed into something similar to the Tiger Mansion.

Still, what about the latter?

Even if we’re close, it’s difficult for guests to rest comfortably in someone’s home.

Moreover, I was carrying nightmares with me.

I could accept being welcomed as a guest and people joyfully seeing me, but still...

Wasn’t the latter just a formality?

"If you don’t believe it, I’ll show you directly. Since everyone gathered at a reasonable time, you’ll know immediately."

Eunho didn’t speak out, but his guess wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t deny it.

It was as if I had admitted I couldn’t believe it, but since I couldn’t lie now, I just stayed quiet and walked with Eunho.

In the living room, Baekho, who was watching a children’s animated show that was trending among the kids, suddenly turned his head.

"You're here! Did you sleep well?"

It seemed like a part of the show was getting interesting, but Baekho took his eyes off the hologram and came towards me.

I was worried about his eyes swelling up after shedding so many tears beside Wonsa yesterday, but thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any major problems.

Baekho must have used his self-healing ability or maybe one of the tigers had done an ice compress for him.

Wonsa, who had been watching the same screen with Baekho, turned his eyes and looked at Baekho with a contented expression.

I thought Wonsa would rest today, but it seemed he came here because he wanted to have breakfast with his friends after returning from Jeju.

Baekho looked back and forth between Eunho and me.

Seeing that, I had a sense of déjà vu.

It reminded me of the expression younger siblings used to make when they did something good and expected praise.

"I wanted to wake you up, but today Eunho asked me to give way, so I did."

Baekho said something really sweet and nice.

He should’ve been at the age where he would have been throwing a tantrum, but he knew how to give way—really admirable.

I remembered the tigers, who would often make unreasonable demands, even when they were well past the age of doing so.

Especially that one tiger who peeked into people’s minds and snickered while not even helping with housework.

"Thanks for wanting to wake me up. Giving way like that, other adults would want to follow your example."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Baekho’s face brightened with joy upon hearing my words.

It was a face warm and gentle, far from the one he wore when he cried yesterday.

However, the praise I had intended for him as I said it aloud to the white tiger ended up being directed elsewhere.

"Wasn’t that a jab at Eunho? You didn’t even give way to Baekho and immediately went to wake up Yi-shin."

"Eunho is looking this way."

"Cheongho, did I say something wrong? When it comes to giving way, I thought of that, but unlike Cheongho, who used to barely pass with failing grades, and Hwangho, who still struggles, Baekho and Eunho’s grades are without conscience. Especially Eunho, who took first place by competing with his grandson."

Red Tiger immediately took aim at the white tiger and Eunho.

It seemed like he still didn’t like the fact that Eunho hadn’t revealed his identity to his grandson.

From Red Tiger’s perspective, where it took thousands of years to open up to his son, every single day must have felt precious and pitiful.

When I recalled the times when the Watchman sent photos of my descendants and showed off how amazing my mother, the Silver Hero, was, I could relate to that feeling.

Eunho, although he thought he wasn’t qualified, would be very happy if he knew his grandfather’s existence.

‘But Red Tiger’s actions aren’t just because of that.’

I could tell just by seeing how he visibly disliked his friends' school uniforms.

To Red Tiger, it must have seemed like they were pretending to be high schoolers, competing with children.

Considering the age of Eunho, who was ranked first along with the white tiger, Red Tiger wasn’t entirely wrong.

However, I was in no position to openly argue about it.

‘By Red Tiger’s standards, wouldn’t I also be without conscience for ranking second?’

In this world, where special abilities exist, the curriculum is quite different, but still, I was a graduate.

To keep my position as a player, I needed to maintain good grades, but if Jo Soo-hyeok and Andain, who should’ve been the joint first in my grade, weren’t here, I would have aimed for the top and kept it.

Eunho, as if knowing what thoughts were running through my head, spoke.

"Yi-shin hyung, don’t mind Red Tiger’s words. He’s just upset because his son went to the Dragon Palace and hasn’t returned. He’s sulking like that."

"If my son were here, he would’ve said something."

"In that case, it’s a good thing that Jeho is not here. Your son thinks of Red Tiger as a mythical hero and admires how well he gets along with his friends. Seeing Red Tiger pick a fight with his friend first thing in the morning, he’d be sad about not having the peace of mind."

Just hearing Eunho’s voice felt like a warm cup of tea under the sunlight, but the words didn’t match the warmth.

Red Tiger, who was gritting his teeth, looked like he was about to curse, but after seeing Woongnyeo, who was sitting next to him sipping her reddish-colored rooibos tea, he swallowed it.

Red Tiger must have loved Woongnyeo so much to hold back his words.

"Eunho, I’ll hold back because of Woongnyeo and Yi-shin. It’s a rare good morning after all."

Suddenly, my name was brought up here.

Eunho smiled gently as if he had expected that.

I wondered if he had mentioned me because he didn’t think he could win an argument with me.

Well, if he just mentioned Woongnyeo’s name, it would have been fine, but I felt that Red Tiger had brought up my name because he truly thought so.

Woongnyeo put down her teacup and lightly placed her hand on Red Tiger’s arm, saying:

"I feel the same as Red Tiger. My son went to the Dragon Palace, and I wasn’t comfortable, but seeing the guest rest comfortably in the mansion and looking well made me feel better."

"Woongnyeo... You think the same as me."

"Of course. My thoughts are always the same."

As I looked at Woongnyeo and Red Tiger, talking kindly, it became even harder for me to say anything.

Both Red Tiger and Woongnyeo weren’t people who would speak falsely just to please others.

"Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s eat."

Since many people would be sitting at the table today, Hwang Ji-ho, who had stuck his head out from the kitchen, spoke brightly.

He seemed more energetic than yesterday, probably because the burden of operating his clone had been reduced after things were settled.

Then, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"It’s thanks to you staying here."

The white tiger, who had been moving dishes, suddenly interjected.

I didn’t ask for the white tiger’s opinion, so why was he butting in?

Don’t interrupt me.

As I strongly thought that, the white tiger chuckled, and Hwang Ji-ho, looking dumbfounded, spoke.

"Yi-shin is probably thinking something. Based on context, Baekho’s words are correct this time, so let’s sit down."

"Sit next to me!"

Baekho, kindly giving up his seat, made me sit down without a fuss.

The menu today was medicinal abalone porridge with pine mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, astragalus, and bellflower, probably considering Wonsa’s still fragile internal condition.

Last night, I felt confused, but as I sat among the tigers, who showed clear affection for each other, my heart became calmer.

By the time we finished eating, I was chatting lightly and laughing.

"Today, the students from Eungwang High will return after their field trip. Before dispersing, they will all be given a check-up at the school medical facility and Hwangmyeong Medical Center. Only students who consent will have their blood drawn for research purposes. Yeom Jun-yeol already agreed, so Hyangrok will be pleased."

"Hyangrok was also very happy when Yi-shin hyung’s blood was drawn yesterday."

Hwang Ji-ho spoke, summarizing what he had seen and what would be happening today.

Things weren’t completely settled yet, so except for Baekho and Wonsa, everyone had something to do.

Red Tiger, who was the messenger this time, still had more to discuss with Hwang Ji-ho to organize the information, and Cheongho was going to work with the dragon tribe to discuss what to do with those captured in this incident and possibly use torture if necessary.

Meanwhile, the white tiger, along with the Qinglong and Zhuque, would be inspecting Zhuque’s feathers.

Also, Eunho and Woongnyeo decided to act together.

"Before showing that equipment to Jeongal Jaegol, Woongnyeo and I need to check something first."

Eunho continued.

"I hope Yi-shin hyung will check with us."