By Zephyria 
160
“…….”
I knew that each Devouring Ghoul’s antennae looked different. I also vaguely knew that the bigger and more ornate the antennae, the smarter the bastard was.
But I had never organized them like this. I didn’t even know that their shapes were so distinct that you could name them. I guess sitting in a chair and scribbling something wasn’t my cup of tea.
I would rather have torn off and collected the Helmet Bones of antennae Devouring Ghouls, but I was sick of writing. Whenever I had to face writing, I was so annoyed that I thought, “I really am a commoner.”
At that moment, Ho-eun turned around and asked.
“Ah, do you happen to remember the antennae of the leader in this village? Is it among these?”
“…….”
Tae-muk blinked slowly. He was about to point to the leaf-shaped one, but Ho-eun pointed to the leaf-shaped one first.
“Could it have been this one?”
Tae-muk’s eyes narrowed subtly.
“Why do you think so?”
“When I saw them from the ramparts, their movements didn’t seem very intelligent. They just bit at anything they could get their hands on, and they didn’t move in groups. That means the leader Devouring Ghoul didn’t give any significant orders with its antennae.”
“…….”
“Am I right?”
Tae-muk scratched his eyebrow with a vague look on his face. Then, he looked back and forth between Ho-eun and the drawing, and then let out a soft exclamation.
“You’re smart.”
Ho-eun is a nobleman. He’s from such a high status that he can be called a nobleman among noblemen, and his family has been going in and out of the palace for generations, so I thought he would have learned a lot, but I didn’t know he would be this smart. On top of that, he memorizes everything he sees, and he speaks clearly. What do they call this? Ah, a prodigy.
“……Pardon?”
Ho-eun stiffened at the sudden compliment. He even stopped breathing. After rolling his eyes around for a moment, he shook his head.
“Ah, no. It’s just that, uh, everyone is busy, but I’m always lazing around, so I thought I’d try to do something. It’s just my opinion, and it’s definitely not at a level where I deserve this, this praise.”
Ho-eun, who was stuttering, couldn’t make eye contact with Tae-muk and turned his upper body. He also fidgeted with the edge of his notebook. In response, Tae-muk reached out and cupped Ho-eun’s chin, lifting it up. Their eyes met upside down.
“Just take compliments as compliments.”
“…….”
“You did well.”
Ho-eun blinked and looked up at Tae-muk. Then, at some point, he smiled, crinkling his eyes.
“Yes. Thank you.”
A faint heat rose on his white cheeks. He bit his lower lip slightly, as if he was shy and embarrassed. Tae-muk watched him quietly, then kissed his lips whole. He wasn’t satisfied with just one, so he kissed him two, no, three more times. Ho-eun giggled as if he was ticklish.
“Draw one more. I’ll show it to the others.”
Tae-muk said, carefully releasing his chin. At that, Ho-eun’s eyes widened.
“……Really? Will this be helpful?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll get some new paper.”
Ho-eun got up with an excited face. Then, like a squirrel, he ran to the next room. Again, there was a rustling sound of him rummaging through the paper. In between, Ho-eun’s breathing was more excited than usual.
Tae-muk listened to the sound quietly, and a subtle smile spread across his lips. Then, he looked at the antennae drawn in Ho-eun’s notebook and slowly hardened his expression.