00639
Man: I’m sorry.
Woman: Sorry for what?
Vivian cried bitterly. Truly, she wept with such sorrow that it was heartbreaking, pouring out her grievances for a long while.
“Waaah… You’re really not serious about this, are you? Remember last time in front of Goyeonju? I was crying as I walked away, but you didn’t even try to comfort me… Waaah…”
‘Well, who told you to throw a tantrum back then?’
“And! When you were on night watch that time… Hey, if someone scored a goal, isn’t it natural to feel a little proud? Is it okay to just ignore me like that? I wasn’t asking for a reward or anything! I just wanted a simple ‘good job’—is that really so hard? Waaah…”
‘No, that’s because you’re not being honest.’
“Yeah, I know I wasn’t perfect. I admit I was wrong for fighting with Ansol during the mission, so I understand that. But this? This isn’t right, okay? Kim Soohyun, this really isn’t okay. Is it fun to toy with someone like this? Is it fun to mess with someone’s feelings? Waaahhh!”
‘Then who started acting up first?’
Sobbing, Vivian let out all the hurt and bitterness she’d been holding inside, her voice a mix of tears and sorrow. I’d always responded quietly in my heart, but now she was crying as if her whole world was breaking apart.
“I do everything you ask! I follow all your orders! Do you even know what kind of feelings I had when I summoned the 6th Division this time?”
“Of course I do. You know how much I rely on you. I trusted you enough to give you that responsibility.”
Vivian alternated between pounding my chest with both fists, and I kept stroking her back gently, soothing her like a baby. Gradually, the force of her pounding weakened.
“What did I do so wrong…? Why do you always hate me…?”
“No, Vivian, you haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t hate you.”
“Then why do you keep being so mean to me? You could be a little kinder… Waaah…”
“You’re right. I think I was wrong. But it’s only because I care about you so much. So let’s stop this now, okay?”
Only then did Vivian slowly lift her head and look at me. Her nose was red and still sniffly, tears glistening on her long lashes, but in this moment, even that looked beautiful.
“That’s better… good girl…”
I ran one hand through her hair and carefully wiped the tear stains from her face with the other. Vivian scrunched up her face a little but didn’t resist. In fact, she seemed to lean into my touch, closing her eyes softly as if to feel it more deeply. Seeing that, a gentle smile spread across my lips.
After letting out all her tears, Vivian, still sniffling, spoke in a voice thick with emotion.
“…Kim Soohyun. You really don’t hate me, do you? You’re not actually angry or disgusted with me, right?”
“Of course not. Why would I hate someone as lovely and precious as you?”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. I truly like you.”
I answered with conviction. Vivian blinked a few times, and her face instantly flushed a warm twilight hue.
“…That’s a lie.”
She muttered softly, but it wasn’t from the heart.
“It’s not a lie.”
“Then… prove it.”
At her request, I nodded in agreement.
“How?”
As if waiting for this, Vivian continued.
“Stroke my hair.”
“Okay.”
“Wipe my face like before, and rub my back.”
“Got it.”
“Say nice things, and gently touch my whole body like you’re comforting me.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed lightly at her endless requests but didn’t skip a single one. I softly stroked her hair, wiped her face clean, rubbed her back, and spoke sweet words while caressing her entire body. As I did, Vivian calmed completely, her lower lip slightly pouting as she stared at me intently. I smiled warmly.
“Is that enough now?”
“…Promise me one more thing.”
But Vivian’s voice turned a little gruff as she spoke again.
“A promise?”
“Yeah. Promise me that if you ever bother me again, you’ll comfort me just like today.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you want to?”
Suddenly flustered, Vivian stammered. I paused to think, then spoke.
“How about this: you don’t bother me at all from now on? I’ll only say nice things like today.”
“Uh, what?”
Vivian’s eyes went wide, and she looked at me with a reluctant expression. Disappointment was clear on her face.
‘What’s wrong?’
I tilted my head.
“You don’t like that?”
I asked, but Vivian didn’t answer. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
“Why?”
“U-uh…”
“Hm?”
“Bothering… is…”
Vivian trailed off, turning her head shyly. Her face was bright red now. Watching her sulk and stare at the floor, I pondered her words.
“So you’re saying bothering me is okay?”
“N-no, it’s not that it’s okay!”
“……?”
“It’s just… it’s your free will… so I can’t really interfere…”
Blushing even more, Vivian twisted her body nervously and stammered.
A brief awkward silence followed.
Honestly, I still don’t fully understand what she meant. But I decided to let it go for now. Vivian seemed to want that, and I was the one trying to soothe her.
“Alright. Then I promise I’ll always comfort you, even if you bother me.”
“Y-yeah. That’s enough.”
“Okay, got it.”
“…But just so you know, it’s one comfort for every time you bother me.”
When she double-checked, I nodded in agreement. With that settled, Vivian cleared her throat awkwardly and fidgeted, trying to straighten up. It seemed she was starting to feel a little embarrassed.
Though she’d suddenly quieted down, I wasn’t about to let her go just yet.
“Vivian.”
I gently turned her around and pressed her back against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I felt her shiver. Even without looking, I knew her face was tense. I smiled inwardly.
“K-Kim Soohyun? Wh-what are you doing?”
“Let’s just stay like this for a moment.”
“I’m hungry… the food’s getting cold…”
“So, you don’t mind?”
I whispered softly into her ear, and her body trembled. She parted her lips slightly and shook her head faintly. That must mean she liked it.
Suddenly feeling playful, I whispered again, barely audible.
“Are you really okay with this? Because I want to stay like this all day… …Sigh.”
“Hee, hiiing!”
I blew gently on her ear, and Vivian flailed like a lively fish. Her reaction surprised me a little. I hadn’t realized before, but Vivian’s body was quite sensitive. Usually, she’d hold back, but even small touches made her react strongly. So then…
‘I wonder how Vivian would react if she had an orgasm?’
No, wait. What am I thinking right now?
“D-Don’t… do that…”
Just then, I heard her plaintive voice, and I decided to stop teasing. My goal today was to completely ease Vivian’s heart, and I was determined to stick to that.
Still holding Vivian, I looked up at the sky. The moonlight wasn’t very bright due to some clouds, but the faint glow was still beautiful.
“The moonlight’s pretty, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
“Shall we stop staring and eat?”
This time, she shook her head.
‘So cute.’
I gently stroked her still-tense body as I kept gazing upward.
There we were—me holding Vivian, and Vivian leaning against me.
For a long time, we felt each other’s warmth and watched the moon hanging in the night sky.
‘But why do I keep feeling like I’m forgetting something…?’
After the festival, time passed quickly.
Thanks to my brother’s plan, the festival ended without a hitch, and the expedition’s mood brightened considerably. I was also able to fully restore my relationship with Vivian, which had grown distant. So it wasn’t a completely wasted time. (The day after the festival, a fully recovered Vivian was back to her usual antics, bouncing around everywhere.)
The only worry was that Ansol still hadn’t woken up, but there was more hope than before. At least his life wasn’t in danger, and every time I visited, he gave strange (?) reactions. The priest in charge even admitted he didn’t understand why Ansol hadn’t woken yet, so I had a cautious hope that he’d open his eyes soon.
As I was unwinding the fatigue that had built up until now and waiting, the Southeast Expedition finally arrived at the Northwest Fortress. It had been just five days since the first contact about the rendezvous—a blink of an eye, really. That meant the entire Northern Continent expedition would be departing the fortress the very next day. The Northwest Expedition had been steadily preparing to leave during the intermittent communications.
As expected, the Eastern Expedition was far from warmly welcomed. Actually, “welcome” wasn’t the right word at all. To be precise, they were outright ignored. Considering the Northern faction’s stance up to this point, their dismissive attitude toward the East was, in fact, somewhat understandable.
Still, Jo Seong-ho, the Supreme Commander of the Eastern Expedition, seemed completely unfazed by the Northwest’s cold shoulder. Rather than offering any congratulatory words on the campaign’s progress, he returned the snub with equal indifference.
He barely spoke except to his immediate subordinates or occasionally to Han So-young, showing a blunt disregard for his older brother or the Northern officials. Honestly, I had no clue what Jo Seong-ho was thinking.
Anyway, setting aside the strained relations between East, West, and North—
After the Southeast Expedition arrived, one thing puzzled me deeply: Han So-young’s attitude. As expected, she maintained a neutral stance between East and Northwest, but the problem was how she treated me.
I wasn’t expecting a warm embrace or formal praise—there were too many eyes watching for that.
Yet, despite me going out to personally greet her at the door, Han So-young completely ignored me and walked right past, as if I were invisible—so much so that a cold breeze seemed to brush by.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t hurt. Strictly speaking, the mercenary clan I belonged to was part of the Southern Expedition. If she had even just made eye contact, I wouldn’t have felt this way.
Of course, this was typical Han So-young behavior, but it was a stark contrast to how she acted when sending me off from the fortress.
I wanted to grab her sleeve and ask why, but I couldn’t. Right after the Southeast Expedition’s arrival, Han So-young was hosting a meeting with the commanders of each expedition. I wasn’t qualified to attend. So, with a restless heart, I returned to my tent, left to wonder.
“Did I do something wrong?”
I sat on the cot, lost in thought.
“Hey! Mercenary Lord!”
Suddenly, a sharp voice whispered in my ear. Glancing over, I saw someone poke their head through the entrance, smiling brightly. The sight of the woman’s cheerful face caught me off guard.
I opened my mouth in surprise.
“…Yeon Hye-rim?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Ding!
『Vivian La Clasius officially confirmed to participate in the Soo-hyun conflict starting from episode 638.』
『Vivian’s main weapon is in Majo Mode, capable of awakening Kim Soo-hyun’s sadism and attracting attention.』
『Current participants in the war: Jung Ha-yeon, Go Yeon-ju, Nam Da-eun, Im Han-na, plus Vivian La Clasius. & Eliminated so far: Yoo Hyun-ah.』
『Upcoming participants: 1. Kim Han-byul 2. ?? ?? (??? ??) 3. ?? 4. Lee Yoo-jung.』