Chapter 4: The Gathering of Talent (4/4)
As soon as I heard we had visitors, I rushed to the parlor. Inside, three guests sat quietly.
Two men and two women.
It was Woo Jung-min and his companions.
“Kim… Mercenary Road.”
“You can stay seated.”
Woo Jung-min started to rise, but I gestured for him to remain seated. After exchanging the usual pleasantries, I noticed a woman standing quietly to the side.
“User Go Yeon-ju.”
It was Go Yeon-ju. She must have guided them here after hearing they were my guests.
When I called her name, she approached and whispered in my ear.
“I brought them here since they said they were invited by the Clan Lord. I wasn’t sure when you’d return…”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, just about ten minutes.”
I nodded in acknowledgment, and she continued in a languid tone.
“Oh dear, I should have offered some tea…”
“No, it’s fine.”
Woo Jung-min’s voice was slightly hoarse as he shook his head gently.
“He says it’s fine. You can leave now.”
“Alright, I’ll wait in the lobby. Call me if you need anything.”
With that, Go Yeon-ju swiftly exited the room.
Click.
The door closed softly, and I turned my attention back to the three visitors.
Woo Jung-min looked somewhat weary, while Sun Yu-un maintained a calm demeanor. And next to them…
“Hehehe, hehehehe.”
Won Hye-soo stared at me blankly, drool at the corner of her mouth.
”…Is she alright?”
“Not at all.”
Woo Jung-min slowly wiped her mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“Sigh, it’s the worst. There’s no sign of her coming back to her senses… The only consolation is that she’s calmer than before.”
“I see.”
“And…”
Woo Jung-min hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes and continued.
“We couldn’t go through with the abortion.”
“What? Why not…”
“Every time we tried, she reacted violently. She’d cry, scream… even bit her tongue once. I think being surrounded and undressed left a trauma.”
“Abortion isn’t that difficult in Hall Plain. You could have used a sleep spell.”
“True. But she seems aware of something inside her. She’d clutch her belly and look at me with such a pleading expression… I felt something indescribable.”
”…After all, half of it is Hye-soo’s,” Woo Jung-min added with a bitter smile and a sigh.
”…”
I didn’t quite understand their decision, but I chose not to press further. It wasn’t my place to interfere, and seeing his somber expression, I thought it best to change the subject.
“Still, I’m glad you found your way here.”
“It wasn’t too hard to find. And I saw some familiar faces here.”
“Did they remember you?”
“No, they treated me like a stranger… Oh, but the woman with the red eyes seemed to remember.”
Red eyes… he must mean Yoo Jung.
I quickly followed up.
“It’s been quite some time since we met in Barbara. Have you been in the city all this time?”
Woo Jung-min paused, then shook his head.
“No. We couldn’t stay at the shelter forever, so we left as soon as things settled. I wanted to start over, despite what you told me. So we headed west, thinking we’d figure it out somehow.”
”…”
“But… it was daunting. We couldn’t do anything. It was like when we first arrived in Hall Plain. Plus, it was right after the war, so finding a caravan was tough, and I couldn’t take my eyes off Hye-soo for a second.”
His voice trailed off, perhaps due to his pride, as he revealed their struggles.
“We tried everything… but in the end, it was a struggle just to make ends meet. On days without work, we took odd jobs like non-combat users, and when we couldn’t bear it anymore, we sold our equipment. But even that had its limits.”
Hearing this, I felt a sudden realization. Selling equipment as a combat user meant they had reached their last resort.
But seeing Won Hye-soo reaching out to me like a child, I understood. She was more of a burden than a help, and they couldn’t leave her alone. She must have been a significant obstacle for them.
I nodded a couple of times, then met Sun Yu-un’s gaze.
‘Divine Archer’ Sun Yu-un. A future top ten user. True to his reserved nature, he hadn’t spoken a word since I entered.
Name: Sun Yu-un (1st Year)
Class: Normal Archer (Expert)
Nation: Barbara
Clan: -
True Name & Nationality: Bullseye • South Korea
Sex: Male (26)
Height & Weight: 180.9cm • 73.1kg
Alignment: True Neutral
(Previous) [Strength 45] [Endurance 48] [Agility 62] [Stamina 54] [Magic 50] [Luck 50]
(Current) [Strength 67] [Endurance 63] [Agility 84] [Stamina 71] [Magic 74] [Luck 61]
(4 ability points remaining.)
Impressive. Truly impressive.
Their current stats might not seem like much, but considering they’re just entering their second year, it’s remarkable.
‘The Red Fang Clan… I was just thinking we needed talent.’
Two key figures from the Red Fang Clan had come to me. While they weren’t fully committed yet, I had no intention of letting them slip away. Whether they stayed or left was up to me.
“Anyway, it was only when we hit rock bottom that I remembered what you said. We saw no hope… so we came here, shamelessly. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I wish you’d come sooner.”
”…Thank you for saying that.”
At that moment, a growling sound echoed.
“Ugh…”
I turned to see Won Hye-soo gently rubbing her stomach. She must be hungry. The other two didn’t show it, but they looked quite worn out.
I pressed the call button Go Yeon-ju had left and spoke softly.
“I’d like to talk more, but you should rest first. Let’s get you fed and rested, and we can meet again after you’ve had some sleep.”
”…Is that alright?”
Clearly exhausted, Woo Jung-min blinked without any hesitation.
He was proud but also remembered debts well. He once took down the ‘Murder Brigade’ for a single fallen clan member.
It would be wise to let him owe me as much as possible here.
“With an expectant mother, rest is crucial. That goes for you two as well. It’s best to soothe your weary bodies first.”
”…Thank you.”
It was then that Sun Yu-un, who had been silent until now, slightly bowed his head in gratitude. Woo Jung-min remained silent, but he seemed genuinely moved.
Click.
“Clan Lord, you called?”
Go Yeon-ju entered the room, and I spoke with a gentle nod.
“Go Yeon-ju, do we still have plenty of rooms available?”
“Of course.”
She answered immediately, understanding the underlying meaning of my question.
I gestured to the three guests.
“They’re important guests. Please guide them to the dining area first, then assign them accommodations. Pay special attention to the expectant mother.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“Oh, and…”
Go Yeon-ju looked at me, sensing there was more.
I spoke quietly.
“We’ll have a meeting tomorrow morning.”
The next morning.
The meeting, held for the first time in a long while, stretched on for quite some time.
Most of it was reports on internal matters, but with the post-war cleanup officially concluded, I had updates to share as well.
”…In summary, only two issues remain. The handling of war prisoners and the fate of the remaining Golden Lion Clan members.”
“Are there any clan members left?”
Han Byul, who had once been part of the clan, asked in a surprised tone.
I nodded a couple of times before answering.
“A few clan members survived… but the leadership was nearly wiped out. The Clan Lord, one of the top ten, was found beheaded, and Do Young-rok was found with only his head remaining.”
”…”
“The only ones left from the leadership are Park Hyun-woo and Sung Yoo-bin.”
The Golden Lion Clan Lord had been a user who returned from the Iron Mountains severely injured and had been in a coma ever since, only to lose his life when the allied forces struck.
Listening to the deep sighs from around the room, I addressed everyone.
“As for the prisoners, there’s talk of breaking their circuits to enslave them, but nothing’s been decided yet.”
“What? Breaking their circuits?”
“There are about a thousand of them, and some are too dangerous to leave unchecked.”
“Haha, the Northern Continent is taking drastic measures.”
Shin Jae-ryong and a few others shook their heads, looking appalled.
In truth, there were originally about 1,500 prisoners, but due to certain circumstances, 500 of them disappeared. I decided to keep that fact to myself for now.
“Anyway, there are a few more things, but they’re still under discussion. I’ll inform you once an official decision is made. Now, User Jung Ha-yeon.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s move on to the report. Have you finished accounting for the equipment brought back from the Frozen Forest?”
“I’m sorry. There was so much of it, and we’re organizing the storage at the same time, so it’s not completely done yet. I think we can finish by the day after tomorrow.”
Ha-yeon looked like she had nothing more to say, but I waved it off, indicating it was fine. Each piece of equipment was an ancient artifact, requiring thorough verification, and with such a large quantity, it couldn’t be completed quickly.
I turned my attention to Go Yeon-ju.
“Anything else noteworthy?”
“Well, I mentioned the three who arrived yesterday. Oh, there’s one more thing, though it’s just a minor interest for now.”
Yeon-ju paused for a moment, then continued in a languid voice.
“Recently, there have been more people loitering around the house.”
“Loitering?”
“Yes. My ‘Night Flowers’ have noticed an increased interest in the mercenaries lately.”
“Night Flowers?”
“The ones who couldn’t join as employees before. They’re doing well now.”
Yeon-ju answered with a wink.
I nodded slowly, lost in thought.
‘Seems like it’s time for some promotion.’
The increased interest could be due to various reasons—exploration, membership inquiries, or curiosity about the mercenary clan.
With Woo Jung-min’s group having just arrived yesterday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to expand the clan.
“Some of you might have heard, but yesterday…”
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a timid knock interrupted.
“Come in.”
The door opened cautiously, revealing a woman in a maid’s uniform. An employee.
She bowed her head and spoke in a small voice.
“Sorry to interrupt, but there’s an urgent matter.”
“An urgent matter? What is it?”
“Yes, a user has come to see you. They’re asking for the Clan Lord.”
Another visitor. Just as Yeon-ju mentioned, interest seemed to be on the rise.
The employee suddenly remembered something and added with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“They said they were invited…”
‘Invited?’
The word ‘invited’ made me tilt my head in curiosity.
It wasn’t Han So-young. If it were her, she would have announced her visit, not sought me out.
Aside from Woo Jung-min’s group, I hadn’t invited anyone, so I was curious who it could be.
“Can you tell me who it is?”
“Yes.”
The employee nodded and quickly replied.
“They said to tell you it’s Nam Da-eun, the Sword Queen.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
It’s the start of December! The last month of the year! It feels quite nostalgic. :)
The temporary pause in serialization due to exams is approaching. ㅜ.ㅠ
Oh, how sad.
Ah, everyone, you can look forward to the next chapter.
We’ll reveal a huge twist about the Sword Queen.
Hehehe.(?)
She might pair well with Vivian.(?)