The kids let out a collective gasp at Go Yeon-ju’s words. Some of the equipment hanging on the wall even sparkled on its own. As they gazed at the relics of the warriors, the three of them, excluding me, seemed utterly entranced.
However, when I finally discovered them, I felt surprisingly calm. After all, the reason I came to Magia in the first place was to obtain these items. I was more astonished by the unexpected success we had in Mule, where I had only gone to see the “Qi Spear Master.”
Objectively speaking, it was a jackpot, but it was still within the realm of what I had anticipated. While it was satisfying, it wasn’t enough to leave me in awe. So, I clapped my hands lightly to bring my clan members back to their senses.
Clap, clap.
“How long are you going to stand there gawking?”
“Oh my, look at me.”
Yeon-ju murmured, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as my clapping snapped them out of their daze. The others quickly regained their composure, looking a bit sheepish. The rewards at the end of an expedition always lift the spirits. The previously subdued atmosphere began to lighten, if only slightly.
That’s when it happened.
“Brother!”
From the first floor, An Sol’s voice rang out loudly. I focused my hearing and soon sensed her taking a deep breath.
“The other users have woken up!”
”…An Hyun. Lee Yoo-jung.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Yes, oppa.”
They answered simultaneously, then looked at each other and frowned, as if to say, “Why are you copying me?”
“Where are you two looking? Anyway, Yoo-jung, you mentioned there was another place on the third floor, right?”
“Uh, yeah. It looked like a lab. I didn’t get a good look because we left quickly…”
“Then you two go up first. Yeon-ju and I will tidy up here and join you.”
“Got it, oppa.”
“Give me a bag. And tell An Sol we’ll be down in 20 minutes.”
An Hyun handed me a bag with a slightly regretful expression, probably because he couldn’t pack the items himself. But soon, they nodded with excitement and turned to leave, likely eager to see what new discoveries awaited them.
Watching them leave quickly, I turned my gaze to Yeon-ju, ready to finish up and head out. But when I saw her face, I had to swallow my words.
Yeon-ju was looking at me with a teasing, knowing smile.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, Su-hyun, you’re just too much. You’re usually so indifferent, but you can be so cute at times like this.”
”?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I know you wanted to be alone with me.”
Yeon-ju laughed prettily, her eyes twinkling. I shook my head in disbelief, sighed, and moved silently to the wall. Ignoring her was the best strategy.
“Are you embarrassed?”
The first thing I picked up was a dress made of interwoven leaves. It was labeled as Yggdrasil’s, likely worn by a fairy queen in her time. The fresh, forest-like scent it exuded was quite striking. But there was a problem.
“What’s with that reaction, Su-hyun!”
“Stop talking nonsense and pack the gear.”
Yeon-ju’s tone was full of mock indignation. I replied calmly, holding the dress up in front of me.
‘It would be cool to wear.’
The dress was a one-piece, but being made entirely of leaves, it had too many gaps. The collarbone and upper chest were completely exposed, and the lower part barely covered the essentials, like a very short pair of hot pants.
“You’ve changed. You wanted it so badly, and now you’re neglecting me.”
The fairy queen’s main weapon was a bow, suggesting she had the skills of an archer. This thought led me to Im Han-na, who had a similar aura to the fairy queen—delicate yet graceful, with fair skin and starry eyes. And perhaps even more… Ah, well.
I tried not to think about it, but the image of Han-na in this dress kept popping into my head. I shook my head to clear the thoughts, just as Yeon-ju’s wistful voice poked at my ears.
“I shouldn’t have introduced you to Han-na.”
”…”
I wanted to protest, to ask why she was bringing up Madam Im, but the moment I heard it, a chill ran down my spine.
I swallowed hard and turned around. Yeon-ju was holding a bundle of items, her lips curled into a slight smile, feigning tears. I had been caught.
“How did the Shadow Queen end up alone? Su-hyun, are you really going to keep me waiting?”
“Sola! Just wait a bit! I’ll be right there.”
“Huh? Haha. Okay. I’ll trust you and wait.”
Right on cue, An Hyun’s voice called out from the first floor. Of all times.
“Hmph, I’ll have to brag to Ha-yeon~.”
But before that, how could she twist An Hyun’s words to sound like my response? I wanted to argue, but I had to hold back. I should have remained composed when Han-na was mentioned. With her sharp instincts, who knows what she’d latch onto next?
How could I turn the tables? There was only one way. After sensing who was outside, I opened my bag and approached Yeon-ju calmly. She was smiling, her eyes twinkling, as she bent slightly to put things away. And at that moment.
“Huh…? Su…”
I quickly calculated the angle and leaned in, aiming for her still-smiling lips.
“Mmph…!”
Smooch.
Something warm and soft gently pressed against my lips.
“Hey, oppa! You’re here?”
“Yeah. I brought everything from the second floor. How’s it going here?”
“Oh, don’t get me started. You’re just in time, oppa. I found some gold and jewels, but the bag’s full. I haven’t even started on the other items…”
Yoo-jung’s rapid-fire words stopped abruptly when she saw the magic bag I was carrying. I had stuffed it to the brim, so it was barely closing. Understanding her gaze, I swung the bag around to the front.
“It’s fine. Where did you put the items?”
“All but one are on the floor.”
As Yoo-jung said, various items were neatly arranged on the floor—colorful potions, palm-sized wooden boxes, and strange, dark red lumps. I nodded, then looked up at her mention of the one item set aside.
“Why did you set one aside?”
“Well…”
Yoo-jung tilted her head and pointed in one direction. Following her finger, I widened my eyes slightly. A rather curious sight awaited. A large egg, almost the size of a human head, floated in a blue barrier, with a blue orb circling it, emitting a bright light.
“I tried touching it, and it was easy to grab, but I left it just in case.”
“Good call.”
I replied casually and activated my third eye.
『Fairy (Queen)‘s Egg』
『Mavolo’s Preservation Magic Orb』
‘A queen’s egg, huh. I hadn’t heard of an egg being found here.’
As I pondered, I recalled a record I read on the fourth floor. Margarita had been pregnant once. This egg was likely what she had laid. The message confirmed it as the fairy queen’s egg.
‘Whether we eat it or hatch it, it’s best to take it.’
Having decided, I was about to speak to the two engrossed in the egg when I heard a voice.
“Shadow Queen, this is what I discovered. It looks like an egg.”
“Hoho… I see…”
“Indeed. What do you think?”
“Hoho… An egg… It’s wonderful… truly wonderful…”
“Yeon-ju noona?”
“Hoho… An egg is… the fruit of love… I want Su-hyun’s egg too…”
Thankfully, Yeon-ju trailed off, avoiding disaster. Yes, they probably didn’t hear. I decided to think that way. Her face was still flushed, and An Hyun, unaware of the situation, just stared at her in disbelief.
With a sigh, I reached into my bag, rummaging through the contents. I felt the familiar touch of the books and equipment I had packed earlier. Digging deeper, my fingers finally brushed against something soft. As I pulled it out, Lee Yoo-jung looked at me with curious eyes.
“Is that a Chaos Mimic? Did you really bring it?”
“Yeah, you know your stuff.”
“Is it the dad, the mom, or the baby?”
“The baby.”
Answering so quickly felt oddly awkward. A “baby Chaos Mimic”—the idea was strangely cute for a creature.
I looked down at the Chaos Mimic, its mouth tightly shut. Though it had lost most of its monstrous power, the “red gem” needed to control it hadn’t been renewed yet. In simple terms, it was sulking.
But that was fine. I grabbed both sides of its mouth and pulled them apart in one swift motion.
“Eeek!”
The sudden scream startled everyone, and they turned to look at me with surprised faces. Meeting their gazes, I spoke calmly.
“Let’s save the inspection for later. We can do it once we’re back in the city, right? For now, let’s pack up everything we can see.”
“Eee… Eee…”
“Quiet, you.”
Thwack.
“Eek!”
The Chaos Mimic continued to wail mournfully, but a firm smack silenced it, leaving it to whimper quietly. With the noise finally gone, I handed the crying baby Chaos Mimic to Lee Yoo-jung. She hesitated, stroking it a few times, then began to gather the items, glancing at me for approval.
“Eee… Eee…”
And so, amidst the Chaos Mimic’s soft sobs, we started packing our gear.
It didn’t take long to gather everything. In about 20 minutes, we had cleared out the items from the second and third floors. As we descended with our now-bulging bags, we saw Kim Han-byeol pacing at the bottom of the stairs. Noticing us, she looked up immediately.
“Oh, you’re done exploring?”
“Yeah. How’s the first floor?”
“Just like you said, I took down all the decorations and packed them.”
“Good job. And?”
“Well… I found quite a bit of equipment. It seems like it belonged to the users here.”
She added that she hadn’t handed them over yet and waited quietly for my response. Equipment belonging to the users, huh. We couldn’t just leave them naked, so I planned to return their gear. But I had no intention of returning the equipment of those who had already passed.
The customs of Hall Plain regarding ‘rescue’ were quite unique. While returning items out of courtesy was common, it was just that—courtesy. Returning equipment to surviving users was enough to fulfill our moral obligation. As for the remaining gear, the mercenaries could claim first ownership.
In that sense, Kim Han-byeol was quite astute. If it had been An Sol, she would have handed everything over without asking for permission.
Watching Kim Han-byeol waiting for my answer, I pondered for a moment. Taking everything wouldn’t be a big deal, but they were members of a clan under Istantel Low.
After some thought, I spoke up.
“Give back the clothes the rescued people were wearing. We can’t send them out naked. But keep everything else… Oh, remember the first person who woke up? If there’s any equipment belonging to someone named Mi-hee, give that back too. But only to her.”
“What if others ask for theirs?”
“They won’t. They should understand. Once we’re back in the city, their clan can buy it back, or we can deal with it ourselves. So don’t worry too much.”
“Okay.”
Kim Han-byeol replied obediently. With our conversation over, we moved towards the center of the hall.
It was time to leave the ruins.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yoo-jin.
I’m sorry, but I’ll be taking a break from replying to comments today. (I’ll combine them with the next chapter. ㅜ.ㅠ) I’m suffering from a terrible headache and stomachache. Maybe I ate too much cold food, or perhaps it’s from sleeping with the fan on. Is this what they call air conditioning sickness? Even thinking deeply makes my head throb. I considered taking a day off, but I feared that if I stopped for a day, I’d want to keep resting. So, I decided to push through, even if it means writing with less energy.
I ask for your understanding and hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thank you for always reading. (__)