Epilogue 1/4: “Because there’s no time to wait.”
“Ugh.”
I let out a soft groan as the morning sunlight hit my face.
’…Is it morning already?’
Realizing that the day had broken, I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes.
With bleary eyes, I lifted my head and saw the sun hanging high in the sky. The sunlight streaming through the window was both brilliant and intense.
Part of me wanted to close my eyes and drift back to sleep. But, unfortunately, habits aren’t so easily broken.
The first thing I did, as always, was to check the state of my body.
‘Huh?’
As I traced the flow of magic through my circuits, I tilted my head in confusion. There was a heavy sensation in my abdomen. Glancing down, I saw a white lump curled up there.
“Kyuu… Kyuu…”
”…You.”
When I saw the little tail wagging, I immediately understood.
The source of the strange sensation was a baby unicorn, fast asleep. It seemed to be having a pleasant dream, as drool trickled from its open mouth. I watched it for a while.
‘Who knew it could make such a face?’
Thinking back, I felt a bit guilty towards the baby unicorn. It had left its herd to follow us, yet I had been too busy to give it the attention it needed. And it was still in its infancy, a time when it needed care and affection the most.
‘Didn’t I promise to give it a name when I got back?’
Resolving to pay more attention from now on, I slowly sat up.
“Kyuu?”
Sensing my movement, the baby unicorn lifted its head unsteadily. As soon as it saw me, it buried its head back with a relieved expression. It must have been worried that I had disappeared again.
Gently cradling the baby unicorn, I got out of bed.
“Wake up. It’s morning.”
“Kyuu… Kyuu?”
“That’s right. Even if you’re sleepy, you should have breakfast first.”
Despite its reluctance, the baby unicorn rubbed its head against me, and I couldn’t help but smile softly. Its ears perked up, and its tail wagged gently. It seemed Han-na’s words were true.
A little later, after a cheerful morning wash with the baby unicorn, I headed downstairs. As I descended, I could hear the sounds of others moving around, indicating I was the last to wake up.
When I reached the first floor, the staff at the counter greeted me hastily, casting furtive glances my way. It seemed they were still shocked by what they had witnessed yesterday.
“Y-you’re up.”
“Yes. Good morning. Where are the clan members?”
“Those who are awake are in the dining room.”
Nodding at their words, I turned and walked down the hallway to the dining room.
Opening the door, I found several clan members gathered around a table.
‘The elder, Go Yeon-ju, Jung Ha-yeon, Shin Jae-ryong, Im Han-na, An Sol, Baek Han-gyeol… The kids aren’t here.’
“Oh my. You’re up, Clan Lord.”
Im Han-na, sitting across from me, greeted me warmly, her eyes smiling. It seemed she was referring to what happened yesterday.
“Soo-hyun?”
“Did you sleep well?”
As Go Yeon-ju and Jung Ha-yeon turned to look at me, I swallowed hard.
Im Han-na. If it had just been a hug, I might have had something to say, but since it had gone as far as a kiss, there was no way to explain it away. (Even if it wasn’t entirely voluntary.)
I gestured for the clan members, who were about to rise, to sit back down and took a seat myself. Glancing at my shoulder, I saw the baby unicorn, now fast asleep again, breathing softly.
“Kyuu… Kyuu…”
I placed the baby unicorn on the table, trying to keep it from falling, and looked around at everyone.
“Did you all get some rest?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I slept well for the first time in a while. There’s no place like home. How about you, Soo-hyun?”
“There’s no place like home for me either. Ah. Is today’s breakfast the ‘Set Menu A for a Modest Lady’?”
“Oh my. I completely forgot. I’ll get it right away.”
Before I could say it was fine, Go Yeon-ju quickly stood up and headed to the kitchen. Watching her hurry away, I let out a short sigh.
“Heh heh. You look much better after a wash. Now you truly look like a Clan Lord.”
The elder, having nearly finished his meal, smiled warmly, holding a steaming cup of tea. I nodded a couple of times and then turned my attention to An Sol, who was quietly eating. Her head was bowed, making it hard to see her face, but she seemed unable to shake off the shock.
“By the way, where are the other clan members? Have An Hyun and Lee Yoo-jung already eaten?”
At my question, Jung Ha-yeon chewed her food thoughtfully before swallowing.
“Um. I’m not sure. They haven’t shown up since they went to their rooms last night.”
It was then.
“I checked.”
The sharp voice belonged to none other than Go Yeon-ju, who had returned with a large tray in her arms. Carefully setting it down in front of me, she continued in a slightly prickly tone.
“They’re still holed up in their rooms. They won’t come out, and they don’t respond when called.”
“I see. What about Vivian?”
“Vivian wasn’t in her room.”
‘Not in her room?’
“Hmm. If she’s not in her room, where could she be?”
I tapped the baby unicorn gently as I looked at the food on the tray. It lifted its front legs to rub its face, then blinked up at me with sleepy eyes.
I was about to feed it some soup when—
“Um… Brother.”
A soft voice made me look up to see Baek Han-gyeol watching me with a worried expression.
“What is it? Do you know something?”
“Could she be… in the lab?”
“The lab? Why would she be there now?”
“Well… She used to spend a lot of nights there with Sang-yong…”
At that moment.
The clan members, who had been quietly eating, all turned to look at Baek Han-gyeol. He flinched and covered his mouth.
”?”
Then, one by one, they all turned their gazes in the same direction.
I followed their eyes, puzzled, and saw An Sol, who had stopped eating. Her shoulders were trembling slightly, as if she were about to cry.
“Why is everyone suddenly…?”
Just as I opened my mouth in confusion—
”…Ugh.”
With a short whimper, An Sol lifted her head. The moment I saw her face, I understood why she had been keeping it down.
Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had already cried, and tear tracks were visible on her chubby cheeks.
“An Sol? What’s wrong?”
I had a vague idea of the reason, but I called out to her anyway. She bit her lip tightly.
“Hic… Hic…”
She seemed to be trying hard not to cry, but her eyes and shoulders were trembling more and more.
And then.
“Boohoo~.”
Unable to hold back any longer, she burst into tears, her mouth wide open. It was a strange sound, as if she had been eating when she started crying.
“Oh dear…”
“S-sorry…”
Light sighs escaped from various places. Some people glanced at me, seemingly concerned about my reaction.
“Sola. Don’t cry. Your brother is here, isn’t he?”
Jung Ha-yeon’s soothing voice reached my ears, but I sighed and decided to ignore it.
“Hooong… Hooong…”
“I can’t take this. Soo-hyun! Just a moment…”
At the request for permission, I shrugged, indicating they could do as they pleased. Jung Ha-yeon hesitated, looking between me and An Sol, then led her out of the dining room.
The sound of her crying gradually faded away. In the silence that followed, Go Yeon-ju spoke softly.
“It seems the shock is still too much for her. After all, they’ve been together since the caravan days in Mule…”
“Seems that way.”
“But the others… They really have no sense…”
“No sense… Were An Hyun and Lee Yoo-jung like that too?”
I replied calmly. Go Yeon-ju scratched her head slightly, then spoke again.
“Should I just bring them all here?”
Instead of answering, I scooped up some soup and offered it to the baby unicorn. It seemed confused by the situation, turning its head this way and that, but eventually accepted the soup I offered.
Watching the baby unicorn eat eagerly, I finally spoke.
“Just leave them be.”
“What?”
“Just leave it be. This is their issue, not something the rest of the clan needs to worry about. So don’t force them out; let them come out on their own. We have plenty to do right now.”
With those words, an awkward silence settled over the table. I didn’t need to look around to sense the discomfort among everyone.
“Suhyeon, I understand, but…”
“User Go Yeonju.”
“Y-Yes?”
Sensing the seriousness in my tone, even Go Yeonju seemed a bit taken aback. But I had interrupted her on purpose.
Having made up my mind since early this morning, I had no intention of coaxing or comforting anyone. I never planned to in the first place.
“Hold on… Try this.”
“Kyuu.”
I tore a piece of warm bread and offered it to the baby unicorn, intending to pause the conversation. But the little creature shook its head and nudged it back toward me, as if insisting we share it together.
I smiled faintly and took a bite. Only after swallowing did I look back at Go Yeonju, who was still waiting for me to speak.
“What happened to Shin Sangyong’s body?”
“Oh, I took care of it. It’s in the room he used to stay in…”
“Thank you for handling that. After we finish eating, bring it out to the garden.”
”…Alright.”
She seemed to have more to say, but Go Yeonju reluctantly nodded.
I returned my focus to the meal with the baby unicorn, and gradually, the other clan members began to relax and resume their meals.
After finishing the meal, I left the dining hall alone. I instructed an employee to bring me a shovel and headed straight to the garden.
The garden, bathed in warm sunlight, was empty. I carefully surveyed the area, looking for a suitable spot, and then walked over to the chosen location.
Yes, I intended to bury Shin Sangyong here in the Mercenary House, not cremate him.
For the first and last time.
Before starting, I took out a cigarette I’d been longing to smoke. I didn’t sit down, though. I lit it with a flint, tucked it back into my pocket, and began digging the ground with the shovel, cigarette in mouth.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The earth gave way easily under the strength of my arms, without needing to use any magic. After about thirty shovelfuls, the once-flat garden was slowly transforming into a pit.
Just as I was about to smooth the ground after a few more digs, I sensed someone approaching from the main entrance. I paused and turned to see Go Yeonju coming toward me, carrying a long, wide coffin in both hands.
I removed the cigarette from my mouth and nodded lightly as she set the coffin down.
“Well done. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes. Um, Suhyeon.”
”?”
“I told the other clan members not to come out for a while. I wanted to talk to you.”
“It doesn’t really matter.”
I replied nonchalantly and glanced at the coffin she had brought. It wasn’t an ordinary coffin but made of translucent blue crystal.
Inside, Shin Sangyong lay with a serene smile, his body completely restored without a single mark.
As I gazed at him, Go Yeonju spoke up beside me.
“You must have been really upset earlier. The others don’t understand your feelings and keep…”
“What? Oh, no. I’m not that upset.”
”…Did you really mean it when you said to leave them be?”
I picked up the shovel again, placing the cigarette back in my mouth, and resumed smoothing the ground.
Of course, I didn’t forget to answer.
Nod, nod.
“I see. But… I understand your intentions, Suhyeon, but…”
”…”
“They’re still rookies. It’s their first war, and the first time losing someone they know…”
The cigarette had burned down to the filter.
I took a final drag, exhaled the smoke, and spat it out, then resumed digging with renewed vigor.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
“I know. And I understand, which is why I’m doing this. Nothing changes.”
“Suhyeon, you’re different from the others. I think you should talk to them.”
“I don’t think so.”
At my words, Go Yeonju fell silent. But since she remained there, I eventually stopped digging.
A quiet stillness settled over us. When I glanced around, I noticed a few clan members watching from a distance. After briefly meeting their eyes, I spoke calmly.
“User Go Yeonju. The war is over.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll say it again. The war is over. And now it’s time to return to our daily lives. But I have a feeling… things are about to get very, very busy. So busy we won’t have a moment to breathe. Do you know why?”
“Well…”
Caught off guard by the question, Go Yeonju hesitated.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts, then spoke softly.
“I don’t want to think of this war as a simple occurrence. Why it happened, or what impact it will have… One thing is certain: soon, the world of the Northern Continent, and the whole of Hall Plain, will begin to change significantly.”
Go Yeonju still looked puzzled. But it couldn’t be helped. Knowing the future related to demons and not knowing it made a huge difference.
Deciding to change my approach, I cleared my throat a couple of times.
“We need to keep up with those changes. User Go Yeonju, do you remember what I said back in Mule?”
”…”
“I have a clear purpose here. I didn’t create this Mercenary Clan just to live comfortably in Hall Plain.”
Go Yeonju remained silent, seemingly intent on hearing me out before making any judgments.
I fiddled with the shovel for a moment, then continued quietly.
“I want to go home.”
”…Yes.”
“I’ve thought about it more than once. I want to see the end of this damned world of Hall Plain and return to Earth. To live the life I was meant to have… But I don’t want to go back alone.”
If that were the case, I would have returned to Earth alone when I first obtained the Zero Code.
“Then…”
“I want to go back with my brother, with the clan members, or with people I know. That’s the ultimate goal of Kim Suhyeon, the user currently existing in Hall Plain.”
With that, I resumed my stance and began smoothing the rough edges of the dug area, speaking again.
“User Shin Sangyong’s death is indeed tragic and sad. I understand and empathize with the feelings the others are experiencing.”
”…”
“It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to cry. But we can’t let it hold us back.”
I continued to widen the pit to fit the coffin.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
“I hope the others realize what kind of world this is. Then they’ll understand on their own. Whether to follow or fall behind. Ultimately, the choice is theirs.”
“So… you weren’t abandoning them, but hoping they’d overcome it themselves.”
Go Yeonju’s voice was noticeably brighter than before.
I set the shovel aside and straightened up, looking up at the sky as I spoke.
“Yes.”
The sun, high in the sky, still shone brightly. I closed my eyes to feel its warmth, then spoke calmly.
“Because now… there’s really no time to wait.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
<Afterward.>
“Hehe. I guess I was worried for nothing.”
“Thank you for your concern. And thank you for the sheet yesterday.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Speaking of the sheet, I have a question.”
”?”
“You went to the bathhouse yesterday, right? I noticed a strange look between you and Hanna this morning.”
“W-What? Oh, the weather is nice today.”
“Suhyeon?”
“Oops. I’m planning to head back to Barbara soon, so it would be good to prepare.”
“Hmm~?”