Since they’d settled in Jiaguo, Eui made a point of visiting her parents on a regular basis. It was nice having them around again, and she was glad that she didn’t have to worry about them living abroad. They had their work cut out for them rebuilding their business in Jiaguo’s fledgling economy, but her father seemed to enjoy the challenge and opportunity, and her mother was happier than Eui had seen her in a long time.

Well, not right at that moment. An Chunhei was pacing around her living room, fretting nervously because Eui was late. She’d already been putting off her visit to meditate at the pond before Jin Hu had shown up, and her conversation had gone on longer than anticipated.

Eui wasn’t sure what she was worried about, but her mother could come up with disastrous scenarios for anything, even the head of state being delayed by less than an hour.

She knocked on the front door to announce her presence before letting herself in.

“Hi Mom, hi Dad! Sorry I’m late, I got caught up talking to a student.”

Chunhei rushed in from the living room and swept her up in a tight embrace.

“Oh, thank the ancestors you’re alright! You had me worried sick!”

Eui chuckled and shook her head.

“I’m fine, Mom. You know that if anything had actually happened to me, I’d let you know immediately.”

From anyone else, that might have been a strange thing to say, but barring an unimaginable calamity, there really wasn’t much that could prevent Yoshika from warning her loved ones.

Eui’s father emerged from the kitchen, smiling brightly.

“Oh, let your mother worry, Eui. It stresses her out to have nothing to stress over.”

Chunhei turned around and smacked her husband in the shoulder, pouting.

“Shut up, you! Come on in, honey. Dinner’s already prepared—your father let me do the cooking for once.”

“Oh nice!”

Eui actually preferred her mother’s cooking, but it was a bit much for most people’s palates, so An Minjun usually served guests. The spicy aroma wafting in from the dining room was already tickling her nose.

They enjoyed a nice quiet family dinner together, making small talk and discussing what had been keeping them all busy. An Minjun had branched out from merely managing the family business, organizing a local trade union to better inform the policies that he argued for in his capacity as one of Jiaguo’s councilors. Chunhei still focused on her work as a seamstress and designer, her designs already gaining widespread popularity in the city and becoming a defining feature of Jiaguo’s unique fashion.

For her part, most of Eui’s time was split between teaching in the academy, and handling the surprisingly large number of government issues that managed to climb all the way up the ladder and require her judgment.

“Half the time it’s something stupid like whether merchants running shops in the commercial district should be allowed to reside within their shops.”

Minjun chuckled.

“That was an issue I raised, Eui. It’s one thing now, while the city’s population is so low, but back home, real estate was extremely expensive. We may not be in Goryeo anymore, but this is still a shield city, and as the population grows denser you’re going to need to consider how to use the space efficiently.”

Eui’s mother nodded in agreement.

“It’s all well and good if someone can afford multiple properties, but requiring it makes running a business much harder to get into.”

Eui sighed.

“I know, Mom. It just feels so petty, sometimes. We shouldn’t have to weigh in on every little thing. Sometimes I feel like people just want us to pass judgment so that they can pre-empt appeals by saying ‘Yoshika said so.’”

“Welcome to the burden of leadership, dear.”

The conversation went on like that for some time, until there was a lull in the discussion and Eui finally worked up the courage to ask the question that had been weighing on her since before her arrival.

“Hey, Dad, did you ever manage to put together that thing I asked for?”

Immediately the atmosphere grew a little more tense, and Eui’s parents exchanged an uneasy glance before Minjun cleared his throat.

“I...did, yes. Minister Dae actually did most of the work—he’d apparently looked into it shortly after the descent of the gods. That was years ago, but he just recited it off the top of his head—did you know mages have perfect memories?”

“Yeah, Dad, I am one, remember?”

He chuckled nervously. He was stalling, not that she blamed him. She’d been late to dinner for the same reason.

“Right, yes. Well, all I did was ask around, pull on a few connections, and put faces to the names. Are...are you sure this is what you want? Perhaps it’s best not to stir up settled dust.”

“I’m sure, Dad. I need this.”

With a resigned sigh, An Minjun reached into his sleeve and produced a neatly written scroll, sliding it across the table to her.

“Here, then. A list of surviving relatives of all the people who suffered bandit attacks that could be traced back to you as the most likely culprit.”

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Eui reached over and picked up the scroll. It felt unbearably heavy, despite weighing next to nothing.

“You mean the people I murdered.”

Her mother grimaced.

“Eui...”

“No, Mom, this is important to me. I can’t dance around the issue or sugar coat it. I killed people. I did it to survive, but that doesn’t make it right. Maybe nothing can make it right, and I have to live with that. But I owe it to these people, and to myself—but most importantly to you—to try.”

Chunhei’s eyes welled up with tears, and Eui’s father rubbed her back as he smiled sadly at Eui.

“You realize that these people all still live in Goryeo, right?”

“I know. But I need to see them. I’ve already made arrangements to go.”

Her mother shook her head.

“Not again, Eui! You can’t seriously tell us that after we moved all the way here just to be closer to you, you’re leaving again.”

“I’m not.”

Her parents froze, their faces contorting in confusion. She shook her head and chuckled.

“I can be in two places at once—and I don’t just mean as Yoshika. I can’t project simulacra very far outside of my domain, so my physical body will have to go in person, but I’m still going to be here too. I’ll still teach classes, attend council meetings, and of course I’ll still come over for dinner.”

Chunhei blinked.

“O-oh...I thought you were about to say goodbye to us again.”

“After I worked so hard to get you back in my life? I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Her mother stood up and walked around the table to hug her.

“I’m sorry I doubted you. And...even if you were going to leave, I want you to know that you have my support, no matter what. What you’re doing is extremely brave, and I’m so proud of you.”

Minjun smiled wryly.

“It’s also pretty stupid.”

“What your father means is that he’s proud of you too, isn’t that right, dear?”

He chuckled, standing up to wrap them both up in his arms.

“Of course—that much goes without saying. Good luck, Eui. And whatever happens, remember that we’re here for you.”

Eui held them both tight. She was still afraid, but as long as she had their support, she felt like she could handle anything.

“Thank you. I love you both.”

“We love you too, Eui.”

----------------------------------------

Since she wasn’t really leaving, Eui’s departure went without fanfare. Some of Yoshika’s attention was split off to handle the extra simulacrum that attended to her duties at home, while she flew most of the way to Nayeong City on her own.

The trip was boring and uneventful, with the exception of Jianmo occasionally complaining that the trip was boring and uneventful.

“Can’t you at least stop to kill some magical beasts or something? You may have other bodies back home, but I’m stuck here with you.”

Eui snorted.

“You didn’t have to come, you know.”

“Oh please, it’s even more boring back there than it is out here. All politics this, and economics that—you girls were so much more fun when you were urgently running around trying to put out world-ending fires.”

“Fires you started.”

Jianmo laughed.

“I sure did, didn’t I?”

“If it makes you feel any better, we’re probably going to be visiting Void’s avatar while we’re in Goryeo. It owes us some answers.”

“Would you believe that it doesn’t? I don’t hate that old monster, but it’s probably not going to give you the answers you’re looking for.”

Yoshika knew that, of course, but she still needed to ask.

Despite Jianmo’s whining, the trip took less than a day flying at full speed, and Eui found a familiar face waiting for her at the checkpoint.

Eunae’s older sister, Princess Seong Misun, grimaced as she approached.

“Ugh, of course it would be you. Could you not have bothered to send one of your more pleasant aspects?”

“Could you not have bothered to send one of your more pleasant princesses?”

Misun scoffed.

“Trust me, you’re better off with me than you would be with my mother or cousin—though I suppose you’re going to have to meet them anyway, once we get to the capital. Lucky you. How are my sisters?”

“Good. Haeun’s taken to the academy like a duck to water, and Eunae’s been a huge help as our liaison to Goryeo.”

“I see. Well, she was the one who relayed your message, so I suppose it’s been working out.”

Misun turned on her heel and began walking back through the checkpoint. Eui took the hint and followed, the guards immediately making way for them as they passed.

“I’m surprised that you’re my only escort. Last time I visited we had an entire squad of mages following us around, and a personal escort to keep us out of trouble.”

“Last time you visited, you dragged that personal escort straight through the front doors of a gambling house and practically razed it to the ground to unearth the leader of a criminal organization. I’m amazed my aunt is allowing you into the country at all.”

“I suppose exceptions are made for fellow heads of state.”

The princess gave Eui a condescending side-eye and scoffed.

“You’ll be wishing they weren’t soon enough. I’m told you have a number of personal detours we need to make before heading to the capital? Let’s get that waste of time over with so I don’t have to spend another second more than necessary babysitting you.”

“Good to see you too, Misun.”

Eui hadn’t chosen to arrive in Nayeong just because it was the closest Goryeon city. It was also home to the first name on her list—Cho Sook-Joo, the widow of the last person she’d killed before arriving at the academy. Cho Kyung was the mage whose place she’d taken after finding his token of invitation and following it to the place that would change the course of her life.

A difficult one right out of the gate—not that any of them were likely to be easy. Magus Cho had left behind a wife and children, who depended on his support. They still lived within the city walls, even years later, because he’d left behind his savings before setting out to seek new opportunities promised by the academy.

Opportunities that would never come to fruition, because Eui had stolen them along with his life.

They found her address readily enough—the city administrator was more than happy to help a guest of the princess. It was a humble little apartment unit in a simple building nestled between two identical buildings deep in the residential district.

Not as run down as the apartments closer to the red-light district, but definitely on the lower end of the city. It was a surprisingly difficult position for Eui to identify with. Jia had been far worse off, growing up, while Eui’s family had been wealthy for as long as she could remember.

Out of every single person she knew, the closest to the class of housing she found herself approaching was probably Jiaying.

Eui shook her head. She was letting herself get distracted. She could do this—she’d been preparing herself for years. She couldn’t let herself get cold feet now.

Steeling her resolve, Eui approached Cho Sook-Joo’s door and knocked.