As I stepped through the portal into the summoning chamber, a voice I hadn’t heard in ages greeted me.

“It’s been a while, User Kim… Su…?”

The serene voice echoed through the chamber as always, but the name that should have ended with “Hyun” trailed off, tinged with a faint question. I had a feeling why, so I deliberately avoided Seraph’s gaze.

Looking down, I saw Mar sleeping soundly in my arms, and Dodo still clinging to my ankle. What on earth did I do to deserve this?

Just as I was about to carefully sit down, a soft sigh reached my ears, followed by a slightly stern voice.

“User Kim Su-hyun. You cannot sit here. Please exit and re-enter.”

I finally looked up to see Seraph’s beautiful form seated on the altar. Her wings shimmered in the air, and her eyes held a tender look. It had been nearly a year since I’d last seen her, and she looked just as I remembered.

“So, I can’t bring these two in here, can I?”

“Correct. I cannot allow it.”

“But they’re just newborns.”

“Regardless, they are still residents.”

Seraph’s voice was firm and unyielding. I clicked my tongue in mild frustration.

“Tsk. Still as strict as ever about the little things.”

“Little things? And strict? User Kim Su-hyun, this summoning chamber is a space meant solely for you and me. No one else should intrude. Allowing residents here is… out of the question.”

”…”

“I wish for you to focus solely on me, just as I do on you… at least in this space.”

Perhaps it was the nature of our conversation, but even though we weren’t raising our voices, the quiet, enclosed space made every word echo. It seemed to have woken Mar, who turned her sleepy eyes towards me.

I sighed and stood up. Seraph’s reasoning was sound, and there was no point in arguing.

I had half-expected this outcome anyway, so I turned to leave without complaint.

Or at least, I tried to.

“Ma!”

Suddenly, Mar exclaimed, “Ma!” while patting my chest with one hand and pointing at Seraph with the other. Her sleepy eyes sparkled with recognition. It seemed she thought Seraph was her mother.

I chuckled, thinking of someone who would be quite disappointed to hear this.

I decided to leave Mar and Dodo at the temple and retrieve them after my conversation with Seraph. With that plan in mind, I turned towards the portal.

“Pa? Pa? Ma, ma!”

For the first time, Mar whimpered, as if asking why I wasn’t taking her to her mother. But as Seraph had said, I couldn’t leave them here, so I gently soothed Mar and continued walking.

That’s when it happened.

“User Kim Su-hyun!”

A voice, noticeably louder than before, stopped me in my tracks. I turned to see Seraph, her hand outstretched towards me, her mouth slightly open. When our eyes met, she slowly withdrew her hand.

“Hmm?”

“Well, it’s just…”

“You told me to leave.”

“Just… come back, please.”

“Come back? Why? You said it wasn’t allowed.”

“Upon reflection, it’s been a while since you visited… and they’re still so young… I mean, flexibility. Yes, flexibility.”

Seraph’s eyes were fixed on Mar, and her tone was almost pleading.

“Flexibility, huh.”

”…Do you not like it?”

Her tone was surprisingly endearing for Seraph. I shrugged. I didn’t mind not having to go back and forth. I was curious about her sudden change of heart, though.

I returned to my usual spot, but Mar’s whimpering continued. She kept reaching out towards Seraph, clearly not satisfied with just seeing her.

“It seems difficult. I shouldn’t have brought them in, as you said.”

“No, it’s fine. If you could just hand the child to me.”

”…Seraph?”

“Continuing like this will make it hard to talk. It would be better if I held her until we’re done.”

She was right. It made sense, but something felt off.

Still, I couldn’t ignore Mar’s pleading eyes, so I decided to accept Seraph’s offer. After all, it was part of her role as a helper. With that thought, I quickly moved to the altar.

And at that moment.

As I handed Mar over.

Seraph shifted slightly to the side, creating a space on the altar for me to sit.

…I was taken aback. I had planned to hand Mar over and leave, but her gesture seemed to invite me to sit beside her.

Seraph, however, was focused on Mar in her arms, looking like the Virgin Mary cradling Jesus. Her cheeks were flushed like a sunset over a river.

“Pa, pa.”

Even in her mother’s arms, Mar’s whimpering didn’t stop. Now she was reaching out to me.

I watched Mar for a moment, then, as if drawn by an unseen force, I sat down next to Seraph. The altar was spacious, yet it felt like we were sitting very close.

Finally, Mar stopped whimpering and giggled. I glanced sideways to see Seraph holding Mar securely, her eyes still shining with that ethereal light, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Gradually, and almost imperceptibly.

I found my gaze drawn to her.

Yes, Seraph was definitely smiling.

Time passed.

As Mar’s babbling quieted and her breathing steadied, Seraph, who had been cradling her without a hint of movement, spoke softly.

“It seems she’s asleep now.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, looking at the spot where I usually sat. I felt a strange sense of understanding about how Seraph always saw me.

“A half-human, half-fairy… Her potential is remarkable. What’s her name?”

”…Mar. Named after the fairy queen, Margarita.”

“Mar… Mar… It’s a beautiful name.”

”…Huh?”

For a moment, I thought Seraph’s tone had changed. As I looked at her again, I felt my breath catch. Seraph had leaned closer, closing the distance between us.

Her delicate shoulders, the graceful line of her neck, and the silver hair cascading over her cheek came into view.

At the same time, Seraph’s unique scent enveloped me, filling my senses. I closed my eyes. Her fragrance was… purifying, somehow. It was undeniably pleasant.

Then, I realized what had been bothering me. In the summoning chamber, our positions were always fixed: Seraph on the altar, me on the floor. Our perspectives were naturally different.

But sitting shoulder to shoulder like this, with Mar between us…

It felt almost like we were a family.

Feeling the awkwardness creeping in, I cleared my throat a few times and spoke.

“I heard you sent a message to the temple.”

“The priest of light must have conveyed it well. Yes, User Kim Su-hyun, you ignored seven summonses. I felt it necessary to provide a stronger incentive for you to visit the temple.”

”…So, you sent a message just because I didn’t respond to the summons?”

“Not exactly.”

Seraph shook her head gently, continuing to stroke the sleeping Mar.

“You recently tackled the mountain where the dragon sleeps. Did you hear about it at the temple?”

“Yeah. They said the results were perfect, and they’re going to raise our clan rank because of it.”

“That’s right. The Mercenary Clan’s rank is currently AA. With this achievement, it will rise to S rank. It will be the first S rank clan in the history of the Northern Continent.”

“Hmm?”

The first S rank clan in the Northern Continent’s history.

I tilted my head in confusion but soon understood Seraph’s words. In the first round, there were S rank clans, but they appeared after the Iron Mountain campaign. In other words, an S rank clan wasn’t supposed to appear at this time.

To be honest, I never really paid much attention to the clan rank because I knew it didn’t offer any tangible benefits. But listening to Seraph now, it seemed like there was something more to it, something significant.

“That’s true… but is there any real advantage to reaching S-rank? Several clans, not just the Mercenary Clan, have reached AA-rank, and there haven’t been any special perks.”

“While it’s true that higher clan ranks don’t come with predetermined benefits that users desire, from the angels’ perspective, they can serve as a measure of qualification.”

“Qualification? What kind of qualification?”

“User Kim Su-hyun, you’ve led the Mercenary Clan to achieve numerous accomplishments, some of which include thwarting major demonic plans.”

The sudden mention of demons caught me off guard, and I found myself staring at Seraph with renewed curiosity.

Throughout both the first and second rounds, discussions involving demons rarely ended well. As such, we usually avoided the topic unless absolutely necessary. Yet today, Seraph had brought it up first.

I decided to listen more intently, curious about what else Seraph had to say.

“The achievements you’ve made over the past three years are truly exceptional. Most angels, myself included, hold your abilities in high regard. After much deliberation, we’ve decided to honor these remarkable achievements by granting the Mercenary Clan a unique benefit.”

Seraph emphasized the words “Mercenary Clan” with particular weight. I stroked my chin thoughtfully and replied.

“I get what you’re saying. I appreciate the sentiment, but you need to tell me what this special benefit is.”

“I was just about to get to that. To be brief, we plan to grant the Mercenary Clan the authority to establish an academy.”

For a moment, I couldn’t quite grasp what Seraph was saying.

”…An academy? Are you talking about the user academy in Barbara?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I frowned. During the first round, there was only one user academy. It remained that way even as we reached the top, and across the entire continent, not just the northern one, there was only one user academy.

Of course, there were instances where the rights to the inn and the user academy transferred to Atlanta, but the idea of having two academies on one continent was unheard of.

“Hold on. I don’t understand what you’re saying. The user academy is already established in Barbara, isn’t it?”

“It’s a bit different from the Barbara user academy. Didn’t I mention that earlier?”

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling a bit frustrated, signaling for more details.

Seraph, however, didn’t rush. Instead, they looked at me steadily.

After a brief pause, Seraph spoke calmly.

“It’s not a public user academy for everyone, but an academy exclusively for the Mercenary Clan.”

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Ah, I sincerely apologize to those who have been waiting. I got home late today, so I started writing much later than usual. I’m really, really sorry. (__)

P.S. “Roe Yujin” is not an abbreviation for “loli with big breasts,” everyone. Recently, my older brother told me he searched for my work. While we were having a nice meal, he suddenly asked me why people were calling me a female soldier. My heart skipped a beat. Not only my brother, but my parents also occasionally read the comments. Please, have mercy on me. My family is starting to look at me strangely these days. Sob sob sob! ㅜ.ㅠ And for the record, I prefer older women.