It was afternoon.
The sun, hanging high in the sky, was half-hidden by passing clouds. The once chilly air was gradually warming, and the breeze blowing in from the city carried an inexplicable sense of vitality.
Three months had passed since the war ended.
Monica, having been somewhat removed from the chaos, had quickly regained its former state, and with the combined efforts of the Istantel Row, the city was thriving more than ever.
Thinking about it, Han So-young was indeed an extraordinary leader. She had managed the chaos skillfully, turning it into an opportunity for the city’s growth.
Bang!
A sharp sound suddenly pierced the air. I turned my head towards the garden, the source of the noise, and saw Ahn Hyun, shirtless, vigorously swinging a spear.
Bang! Bang, bang!
The sound of the spear cutting through the air was quite lively. His form wasn’t bad either. It seemed that his daily practice since that day was starting to show results.
Hyun paused for a moment, maintaining his stance, and tilted his head. As a ‘Qi Spearmaster,’ heavily reliant on martial arts, it seemed there was something he couldn’t quite connect.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, he suddenly turned his head and looked directly up at the terrace where I stood. Oh, has his perception become sharper?
Feeling a sense of satisfaction, I waved with a cheerful smile.
Hyun initially looked surprised, his face blank. But then, with a puzzled expression, he glanced at me and quickly covered his sweat-drenched torso with a shy look.
’…What?’
I wondered what was going on and instinctively reached for my sword. He shook his head vigorously, as if to say no, and then bowed with a sheepish grin.
After that brief, inexplicable exchange, Hyun resumed his serious practice, and I nodded slightly.
They say pain leads to growth.
Since Shin Sang-yong’s death, the attitudes of the group had slowly begun to change. Of course, it varied from person to person, but the one who showed the most significant change was Hyun.
He used to be a bit too carefree at times, but lately, even when he joked around, he never forgot his responsibilities.
Watching him diligently wield his spear again, I turned and headed back to my office. I opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and descended the stairs to the third-floor storage room.
I planned to organize the storage soon and also check on the new equipment that had arrived.
A short while later.
Upon reaching the third-floor storage, I paused at the sight of an unexpected visitor.
The door, which should have been firmly closed, was slightly ajar, and I could sense someone’s presence inside.
Carefully opening the door, I stepped into the storage room and found a woman crouched among the thick boxes. I took a closer look at her.
Her flawless, pale skin and tightly pressed lips gave her a cold appearance. As our eyes met, I realized it was Han Byul.
She flinched upon seeing me and quickly lowered her gaze.
“Oppa? Hello.”
“Yeah, hi.”
“Um… this is…”
“I know. I heard from the old man yesterday… You’re learning about jewels these days?”
Remembering the request to open the storage for her, I wasn’t surprised to find Han Byul there.
Hearing my response, Han Byul’s eyes widened, and she nodded with a slight pout.
At the same time, I activated my third eye.
Name: Kim Han Byul (1st Year)
Class: Jewel Mage (Secret, Jewel Mage, Runner)
Nation: Free Mercenary
Clan: Mercenary (Clan Rank: Under Evaluation)
True Name & Nationality: One Born of Stars • Master of Beautiful Light and Luster • South Korea
Sex: Female (22)
Height & Weight: 170.5cm • 51.3kg
Disposition: Cool • Effort
(Before Change) [Strength 51] [Endurance 59] [Agility 70] [Stamina 53] [Magic 88] [Luck 68]
(After Change) [Strength 51] [Endurance 59] [Agility 71] [Stamina 54] [Magic 89] [Luck 68]
(Remaining Stat Points: 4)
‘No more injuries? And her magic increased by one point.’
“Yes. He’s been teaching me things I didn’t know, so I visit every day.”
Her response was clear and confident, unlike before.
It felt unfamiliar, but perhaps this was Han Byul’s true self. Her disposition and stats showed she had been working hard.
Welcoming this change, I approached her with a smile and patted her head.
“You’re working hard. Keep it up.”
“O-Oppa?”
“Yeah? People have been saying you’ve changed a lot since you first arrived. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Th-Thank you… I mean, wait…”
Was she upset? Han Byul squirmed, trying to avoid my hand, blinking rapidly in apparent embarrassment. I quickly withdrew my hand, and for some reason, I heard her breathing become slightly uneven.
With a flushed face, she cleared her throat and fiddled with the ring on her left ring finger. It was the Anti Magic Ring I had given her before.
“Did I make a mistake?”
I asked, just in case.
Han Byul looked at me, her lips pressed tightly, and shook her head. Then she lowered her gaze again. Why does she dislike making eye contact with me?
Her voice came from her bowed head.
“Oppa… you’ve changed a bit lately.”
“Hmm? How so?”
“You used to be so cold and scary… but now you sometimes smile… sometimes call my name… and your eyes seem kinder…”
‘Sometimes?’
Her words were vague, trailing off here and there. I tilted my head, and she looked up again.
“Just… you seem more relaxed than before. I like it.”
She concluded with an inexplicably solemn tone.
I scratched my head for a moment, then smiled faintly, thinking it was a compliment.
At that moment.
As I smiled, a faint blush appeared on Han Byul’s previously expressionless face, and a subtle smile graced her lips.
Though she rarely smiled, it suited her well.
‘Beautiful.’
We exchanged silent smiles for a while.
Crash! Thud, thud, thud!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the hallway stairs.
“Oppaaaa! Something terrible happened!”
A piercing voice echoed through the hallway and into the storage room.
We both frowned simultaneously.
To get straight to the point, the voice belonged to Lee Yoo-jung. The “terrible” thing she mentioned was a fight that had broken out in the dining hall. Inside the Mercenary House, no less. I was taken aback and rushed to the dining hall.
While internal conflicts weren’t unheard of, they had never escalated to physical altercations.
The world of ‘Hall Plain’ is different from the modern world. Each user has ‘stats,’ so a simple fight could easily turn deadly. Of course, unless things got really out of hand, there were limits to how far it would go…
But that wasn’t the only issue. If not handled quickly, this could escalate into a major internal conflict within the clan, so it needed to be resolved immediately, regardless of the reason.
I dashed down to the first floor and ran towards the dining hall, where loud noises were coming from. I quickened my pace and pushed the dining hall door open.
The scene that unfolded before me made me stop in my tracks.
Inside the dining hall were several clan members, but the first person I noticed was Jung Ha-yeon, looking extremely angry. On the table in front of her was a baby unicorn, its tail stiffly raised, growling.
’…’
I tried to grasp the situation, holding onto my sanity.
The two were in the middle of a heated argument.
“You. Are you going to keep acting like this?”
“Kyuu!”
“I’ve been patient with you, but do you know how upset you’ve made me?”
“Kyuu kyuu!”
…But I couldn’t make sense of it.
All I could see was Jung Ha-yeon, visibly upset, and the baby unicorn defiantly staring back at her. What was I supposed to deduce from this?
Turning my gaze, I saw Go Yeon-ju in a corner, stifling her laughter. She was holding her mouth with one hand, tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard.
At that moment, Jung Ha-yeon’s voice rose even higher.
“How dare you look me in the eye and defy me! Apologize now!”
“Kyuu kyuu! Kyuu kyuu kyuu kyuu kyuu!”
“You little rascal!”
Finally losing her patience, Jung Ha-yeon took a decisive step forward and scooped up the baby unicorn.
“Kyuu, kyuu-kyuu?”
The baby unicorn flailed its legs in surprise, but Ha-yeon firmly tucked it under her left arm. With its rear end exposed, she raised her right hand high.
“You little rascal!”
Smack!
As her hand sliced through the air, a sharp sound echoed from the unicorn’s backside.
And it didn’t stop there.
“You rascal! You naughty little thing!”
Smack! Smack, smack!
“Kyuu! Kyuu-kyuu! Kyuu-kyuu-kyuu!”
“Where did you learn such bad behavior? Who told you to threaten people like that? Do you even know that threats are wrong?”
Ha-yeon relentlessly spanked the baby unicorn, her hand showing no mercy.
Smack! Smack, smack!
“Kyuu, kyuu-kyuu! Kyuu-kyuu-kyuu-kyuu!”
The baby unicorn struggled with all its might, but it was no match for her strength. After all, it was just a weak little creature still in its infancy.
No, this isn’t the time for this.
“Stop!”
Most of the clan members, unaware of my arrival, turned to me with startled expressions.
I quietly passed by Vivian, who was looking enviously at the baby unicorn, and spoke up.
“User Jung Ha-yeon.”
“Su, Su-hyun?”
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Ah… well, this is…”
Ha-yeon looked around helplessly before gently setting the baby unicorn down.
“Kyuu… kyuu-ung…”
The baby unicorn ran to me, crying, and I carefully picked it up. Its once-white bottom had turned a bright red from the spanking.
Watching Ha-yeon bite her lip lightly, I asked again.
“Was there a reason for this?”
“I’m sorry, Clan Lord.”
”…It’s just a baby. I don’t know what happened, but surely there was no need for such a commotion.”
“I was just… upset.”
Upset, huh.
I gazed at Ha-yeon intently. Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t have acted this way without a reason.
Deciding to get the full story later, I focused on calming the situation for now. It wasn’t a good look, after all.
“Kyuu-ung… kyuu-ung…”
The baby unicorn buried its head in my chest, sobbing. Given the sharp, stinging sound of the spanks, it must have hurt a lot.
I gently cradled its swollen bottom and spoke softly.
”…Alright. I’ll take care of this little one for now. Ha-yeon, maybe you should take a moment to cool off.”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll reflect until you call for me.”
After taking a deep breath and responding calmly, Ha-yeon turned away. I noticed that Yi Jeong was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if it was a big deal, but it seemed worth investigating.
Just then—
“Brother!”
A loud voice burst into the dining hall, hitting my ears like a storm. It was An Sol.
“Something’s happened!”
I closed my eyes with a sigh.
Trouble here, trouble there.
Just moments ago, I was feeling calm after seeing Hyun and Hanbyul, but everything changed once I entered the dining hall.
’…This better not be serious.’
But given An Sol’s official role as a mission member, I couldn’t just ignore it. So, steeling myself, I turned around with my eyes still closed.
An Sol continued.
“Th-the Istantel Low Lord and… um… a guest have arrived!”
At that moment, my eyes snapped open.
‘A guest?’
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
This part covers an exploration episode, planned to span four installments. However, I might add one more.
I’m almost fully recovered. :)
I’ll be taking a break on November 23rd (Saturday) due to a prior engagement. I apologize for the inconvenience.