The Tigers, all in school uniforms, looked at first like some might just greet and then skip class. But soon, I was certain they were all heading straight to the columbarium.

‘They’re wearing mourning ribbons.’

On the left chest of their uniform jackets, beside the school emblem, a plain black ribbon was pinned. White Tiger had also put on a mourning ribbon he’d received from Eunho. Could it be that Eunho made these ribbons herself?

As I stood there staring blankly, Hwang Ji-ho approached me.

“Jo Yi-shin, I came as promised last year to go to the columbarium together. I’ve got your share. What do you say?”

“Uh...”

Now that I think about it, Hwang Ji-ho did say something like that last year. But I didn’t understand what my ‘share’ meant and couldn’t answer properly. Still, Hwang Ji-ho took my silence as consent and moved ahead.

Lowering his body, he pinned a mourning ribbon onto my jacket. His head was so close I could smell the chrysanthemums.

Following him, I got into the air limousine, where a subtle floral scent lingered.

‘Could he have picked the chrysanthemums himself?’

There were no flowers visible inside the car. I had planned to order from a nearby florist and pick them up myself, but it seemed the Tigers went there personally and either used delivery or assigned subordinates to transport them.

No, that’s not the important part. Even though I knew all this, I couldn’t think clearly.

......

The car was silent during the ride. Normally, if many Tigers gathered, it would get noisy quickly, but today, everyone was quiet.

Even the usually talkative Black Tiger held Olmu quietly in his arms after initial greetings.

The leash I gave him was decorated with a small black mourning ribbon, which stood out against Olmu’s cloud-like white fur.

“Stop here.”

At White Tiger’s word, the air limousine stopped in front of the florist I’d reserved.

Could the Tigers have ordered from the same place as me?

If that were true, Hwang Ji-ho would already know the florist’s location, and White Tiger wouldn’t need to speak up.

Clearly, they were here to pick up my flowers.

I planned to step out briefly after arriving at the columbarium to collect the chrysanthemums I reserved, and White Tiger must have known this but acted on his own.

“I’ll get it.”

Before I could say anything, White Tiger opened the door and stepped out.

I meant to follow but was a bit stunned and missed my chance.

The florist, perhaps recognizing me from previous purchases, glanced out and nodded at me upon eye contact before preparing the flowers.

Though I wasn’t the one who made the reservation, White Tiger, who seemed to read my mind, knew the order number and details, so the process was completed quickly.

Soon, White Tiger emerged holding bouquets of chrysanthemums matching the number of my family.

Seeing the size of the bouquets, Hwang Ji-ho said,

“Jo Yi-shin, were you going to carry all that yourself?”

“I can carry it.”

“Sure you can. But leave the heavy lifting to Baekho or me.”

“You say physical work isn’t your specialty.”

Though not on par ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ with the nobles, I’m a player too, so lifting that much is nothing, I said casually.

After speaking, I realized that wasn’t something to say to those who came to mourn with me.

Instead, Hwang Ji-ho’s voice grew even lighter.

“I’m glad you still have the energy to say that. Of course, compared to Baekho, physical strength isn’t my forte either. But I can find a way without brute force, and if it’s your request, I’ll make a special effort...”

“I’m here, Yi-shin. I can handle the heavy work.”

“I can carry bouquets like that — no, even two!”

Bang!

Before Hwang Ji-ho finished excitedly, Cheongho interrupted, Black Tiger said something gentle, and Olmu, a genius warrior, made a dazzling appeal.

Black Tiger said he’d carry two bouquets, but judging by the size, even one would tire him, so if anything had to be done, it was better to put a mythical noble to work.

A mythical noble who volunteered to be used then spoke up.

“I can do it better.”

“Baekho, you’re just a beastman, aren’t you? Don’t monopolize Jo Yi-shin’s mind and shut up when it matters.”

The air limousine quickly turned noisy.

I preferred this to the silence earlier.

I didn’t say anything, but I liked this atmosphere.

When we arrived at the columbarium, I was about to say thanks, but the scene before me left me speechless.

‘Are all these wreaths for my family?’

Blurring my focus, I stared, and it looked like I’d come to a flower field full of chrysanthemums.

With so many, I wondered if some were there by mistake, so I checked each mourning wreath carefully.

All had respectful messages mourning the deceased and the names of senders.

All were names I recognized, many calling me their benefactor.

It was hard to believe anyone had joked by writing names, as most of the well-known figures and nobles there were the type who would track down and retaliate if their names were misused.

Besides, wreaths weren’t the only things present.

‘Those are my classmates.’

Since the columbarium wasn’t large, I quickly met the visitors.

All wore mourning ribbons, whether by prior arrangement or spontaneously.

Guseulbi raised her hand to greet the Tigers loudly but stopped when she heard Ongildong whispering advice on funeral etiquette.

My younger siblings liked to be noisy, so someone visiting and greeting loudly would have made them happy.

I remembered my siblings trying hard to create a quiet environment for me but eventually failing and watching a variety show on TV, laughing and talking loudly.

I tried to think of something else.

‘I thought the Tigers and I had forgotten our attendance, but it’s just become 0%.’

I worried Teacher Ham Geun-hyung would be disappointed to see an empty classroom.

But my class wasn’t the only one with zero attendance.

“Rest in peace.”

Class president Eun Seo-ho, representing first-year class 0, greeted with a much softer voice than usual.

All the first-year 0 class, including Eun Yi-ho and Yoon Yeorang, were here.

I felt glad but also sorry, wondering how the juniors knew and came here.

I worried maybe they felt indebted because I often brought them snacks.

‘Did they tell Gong Cheong-hwan?’

Gong Cheong-hwan came to catch me skipping class often.

Neither I nor the Tigers were at school, and the first-year 0 class, who were my homeroom, were here too.

If Gong Cheong-hwan knew, he wouldn’t be pleased.

Normally, I’d chip away my attendance little by little with excuses, but now I’d reduced my homeroom’s attendance rate to zero.

Thinking of Gong Cheong-hwan’s kindly smiling face during attendance check made me feel a chill.

Tap.

White Tiger lightly tapped my shoulder and turned my gaze.

Reflexively, I looked in the direction he pointed and saw the familiar gentle smile I kept thinking of.

Gong Cheong-hwan was here too.

White Tiger shook his head, as if to say not to worry.

‘Ah, if the teacher skips school with us, we don’t have to worry about attendance.’

I wasn’t sure if that was right, but since Gong Cheong-hwan wasn’t pressing and was just smiling, I chose not to think too deeply.

More importantly, I had something else to do.

‘I finally have something I can do for my family.’

There was almost nothing I could do after sending my family off, but now there was.

Welcoming and thanking those who mourned with me.

That alone made the feeling of helplessness ease a little.

“Thank you for coming. I appreciate it.”

Something rising in my throat didn’t come out but sank back into my chest.

When I bowed in thanks, I couldn’t see the mourners’ reactions.

But at that moment, I could tell it had gotten very quiet.

The columbarium was a large memorial park but not infinitely spacious, so no one stayed too long.

My classmates and juniors left early, but except for Eunho, the Tigers stayed close.

We could have said we just happened to meet in the dorm and came together, but mingling among the nobles and meeting Jin mourners would make Eunho stand out, so it was inevitable.

Cheongho returned to his true form rather than a student appearance and stayed to guard the place.

Besides mythical nobles, disciples of Cheongho, Hwang Ji-ho’s secretary, and other nobles like Jukho had also placed flowers, making the noble mourners the largest group.

The next largest group was the dragons.

“Hwang-ho, you worked hard guarding the side of the dragon’s benefactor since early morning. Now we’ll take over, so go back.”

“Cheongryong, this is a solemn occasion, so refrain from nonsense. Since there are many mourners, just place flowers and take your people away.”

Among the dragons I knew, except for the higher beings, most had come to mourn.

The Red Lions were busy, so only a few representatives came, but all the shamans had arrived.

Ah, I realized I hadn’t seen Yong Jegun yet.

I must have unconsciously categorized Yong Jegun not just as a dragon but as something else in the amusement realm.

I recalled the conversation between Ungnyeo and Hwang Ji-ho.

―Our Jeho said he’d come after finishing class. Wait for him.

―I wanted him to rest, but it’d be problematic if many teachers were absent. I’m having Yong Jegun check the area for ‘eyes.’

The frequency of ‘eyes’ appearing in Eunkwang District had dropped considerably.

Two reasons were suspected.

First, the presence of the Fomor demons.

They aimed to protect Seongguk-eon, who was clearly being targeted by someone who accepted a contract.

Demons were sensitive to each other’s gaze, and those using ‘eyes’ seemed to want the Fomor demons not to notice them, so they behaved cautiously.

Second, the approach of the demon world scenario.

‘According to Black Horse, the number of watchers observing Gangwon Province has greatly increased.’

Demon forces were shifting more toward Gangwon-do.

Considering the two reasons above, if the Fomor demons were asked to thoroughly guard Gangwon-do as well as Eunkwang District, it might ease the situation somewhat, but that was difficult.

The next stage was Gangwon-do, and for the Fomor demons’ favor to spread beyond Eunkwang to the much larger Gangwon Province, Seongguk-eon would have to pay a heavy price.

Also, when the demon scenario fully started, the mastermind wouldn’t care about the Fomor demons’ watch, so it wouldn’t be an efficient strategy.

Thus, Seodol was the only answer to the ‘eye’ problem.

“Chrysanthemums suit Jo Yi-shin well, but I can prepare something that suits you better. How about starting by changing your tie? The Eunkwang High uniform tie isn’t bad, but it wasn’t made for you...”

“Stop. Show respect for the dead.”

Seodol hadn’t done his research but came all the way here on the pretense of mourning to do sales.

But since no one in my previous world even mourned for me under any excuse, I decided to at least be thankful.

So I planned to give Seodol a carrot and solve a slightly awkward problem with a proposal.

The dress code was complicated, but since Seodol was naturally difficult, I thought he could solve it.

“There’s an important meeting soon. Can you help me pick an outfit?”

“Jo Yi-shin, if it’s something important like that, not that rat, but I myself should...”

“I don’t want you to pick. I can make it! ...Ah!”

Excited Seodol ignored Hwang Ji-ho’s restraint and strode toward me but nearly tripped when White Tiger deftly extended a foot at just the right moment.

Seodol staggered but stared at me with bright, unbothered eyes as if nothing happened.

I revealed the nature of the important meeting.

“It’s the Bimuyeon of Jeolheukpungnim, where the martial masters of Gangho gather.”