Chapter 333

M E M O R I Z E

"Hey. You've got some nerve. What kind of Guardian acts like that?"

"You're the one who said it was okay."

"When did I say that? I said I didn't mind you helping Mercenary, but that you had to discuss it with the angels first."

"What? I don't know anything about that. Anyway, if I can't stay by my brother's side, I can't do it. No, I won't do it!"

As if she had been eavesdropping the whole time, Lee Hyo-eul burst through the door the moment she heard Ahn Sol's plan.

And now, the two of them were in the middle of a heated argument.

The angels were no fools. As the one who guides and leads, the Guardian of the Northern Continent must always act from a neutral standpoint. They would never tolerate Ahn Sol wielding the Guardian's authority for her own selfish desires. She, on the other hand, seemed to think it was a simple matter of trying it out and quitting if it didn't work.

"Wow. What a backstabber... I'm getting chills. You were a really nasty kid, weren't you?"

"Hmph. Look who's talking. You're the one who's truly nasty."

Lee Hyo-eul was practically foaming at the mouth at Ahn Sol's refusal to back down, but she seemed to be at a loss for words. She soon rolled her eyes and let her shoulders slump. The truth was out. It looked like she felt her perfectly laid plans had just gone up in smoke. But the same was true for Ahn Sol. She puffed out her cheeks, showing deep disappointment as if she were the one who had been wronged.

"What on earth..."

"That's enough, both of you."

Sensing that a second round was about to begin, I spoke in a low tone. Even to my own ears, my voice felt heavy. I had been on edge ever since the Call to Arms. Now, to have these frustrating things happen in the Clan House, my supposed sanctuary, was more than a little irritating.

As if sensing my mood, the sound of their heavy, angry breathing began to subside.

There's a saying that a tree with many branches has no peaceful days. That was my situation exactly. Of course, this couldn't be blamed on just one person. Lee Hyo-eul, for putting such useless ideas in a child's head. Ahn Sol, for biting the bait without a second thought. And me, for knowing about it but putting it off day after day with the excuse of being busy. If we were to assign blame, all three of us were at fault.

It wasn't that I didn't understand Ahn Sol's feelings. She had acknowledged that she'd been a burden to Mercenary until now, and she had probably couldn't stand it. Furthermore, while Ahn Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong, who had started at the same point as her, had both received Rare Classes and were steadily improving their skills, she must have felt like she was the only one stagnating.

But even if I understood her feelings, I couldn't just let this slide. If things had gone wrong, I could have lost her right under my nose.

I took a moment to calm myself before speaking in a quiet voice.

"Ahn Sol."

"Y-Yes..."

Ahn Sol answered in a timid, shrinking voice. It suddenly reminded me of the past. I had constantly scolded Ahn Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong ever since our time in Mule, but I had always doted on her, spoiling her rotten. It was no wonder Lee Yu-jeong's constant refrain was, "You always favor Ahn Sol."

In any case, I didn't want to waste any more mental energy on pointless matters, nor did I want to get caught up in this mess.

"Go to your room for now. And I want you to reflect on what you've done until I call for you again."

"O-oppa."

"Go."

"....."

"....."

Ahn Sol called out to me in a pitiful tone, but I hardened my gaze and looked her straight in the eye. She flinched, lowered her head, and then gave a few weak nods.

"I'm sorry..."

After muttering in a voice as small as a mosquito's, she trudged down the hallway. As I watched her go, I snapped my head around. Knowing her guilt, Lee Hyo-eul was avoiding my gaze with a sour expression.

"You. I need to have a word with you. Follow me."

I tossed out the words in a cold voice and walked into my office. A moment later, I heard the sound of Lee Hyo-eul closing the door behind me.

Without even telling her to sit, I went straight to my desk and took out a pen and took a seat. I then took out a record and a quill pen and began writing a message to my brother.

"Um... Mercenary Lord. You seem very angry..."

"Lee Hyo-eul."

Lee Hyo-eul began to speak cautiously, but I deliberately cut her off and continued to move the quill. The message for my brother was a rejection of her as a joint clan member. To be honest, up until the Call to Arms, I had thought she might be quite useful. But in the end, who cares about a Guardian? It wouldn't matter if we had one or not. Exploration? In the Northern Continent alone, I already knew of more than twenty locations. It was a hundred times better to give up cleanly than to recruit her and cause discord.

"Ahn Sol is a member of the Mercenary clan, and I am Mercenary's Clan Lord. And you approached her without my permission. What am I supposed to say in this situation?"

"I'm sorry. I apologize for that. But if I were to make an excuse..."

"There's something I really hate hearing."

I hadn't written a long, drawn-out story, just the essential points, so it didn't take long. I folded the record two or three times and pushed it to the edge of the desk. Then, in the most business-like tone I could manage, I spoke.

"I really hate it when people who have already said everything they wanted to say and caused a mess start making excuses with words like 'of course,' 'but,' and so on. Don't make excuses. It's pathetic."

"....."

"....."

"What kind of feelings do you think Ahn Sol had when she listened to you? No, before that, do you even know what kind of person she is?"

"....No."

"Or is it that you're the great Guardian of the Northern Continent, and we're just the Mercenary clan, so we have to obey you? That would mean you were looking down on us."

It was then. Lee Hyo-eul, who had been listening in silence, suddenly lifted her head and looked me straight in the eye. Though her overall expression seemed composed, her eyes were blazing with an intense light. It seemed my words had struck a nerve. But it was only for a moment. Lee Hyo-eul soon lowered her gaze, walked to the desk, and picked up the record I had pushed to the edge.

"You're right. I was shortsighted. I have no excuse. It's not something I should say after all this has happened, but I hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

"Mercenary is a clan that has grown this far on its own. We haven't benefited from you, and I don't think we need to. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes. I'll take it to heart. I'm truly sorry about this incident, and if you wish, I will apologize to her personally."

Lee Hyo-eul was certainly a person of stature. I had been spewing biting remarks that attacked her pride, but aside from that one moment just now, her expression truly conveyed her apology.

I stared at her for a moment, then gestured to the door with my chin. It was a signal for her to leave as quickly as possible and not cause any more trouble.

"...Go back to Haemil for now. And you should thank my brother. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have let you go this easily."

"Right. It's funny to say this now, but I'm truly grateful for you saving my life and for your help during the Call to Arms. I'll be in touch again soon. Next time, it won't be for a personal matter like this, but for official business."

"I won't see you out. You can go."

Lee Hyo-eul gave a polite bow, then calmly and walked away. Her back, as she slowly headed for the door, looked unusually dejected.

The moment the door closed and she was gone, I let out a long sigh.

Suddenly, everything felt incredibly complicated.

*

Several days had passed since Lee Hyo-eul's departure. During that time, the Mercenary clan had been... quiet, I suppose?

Nothing was different from usual. Just like any other clan or User, everyone was doing their own work while keeping a sharp eye on news from the outside.

I was on the rooftop, staring blankly down below, about to sink into deep thought.

"Soohyun. What are you thinking about so hard?"

A clear voice flowed into my ear from behind. I turned my head to see Jung Ha-yeon holding two teacups, offering me a bright smile. She slightly raised one of the cups, from which steam was gently rising. I had just been craving a hot cup of tea, so for the first time in a while, I nodded with a willing heart.

The dark liquid and fragrant aroma. It had to be Ramon tea. I savored the scent and asked in a calm voice.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I stopped by the office to give a report, but you weren't there. So I came up to the rooftop, just

in case."

A lie. Would someone who was just stopping by bring tea with them?

But I had no intention of pointing that out to someone who had come for a brief tea time. I smiled faintly and decided to play along with her. Given her meticulous nature, she would have come with a report to give, even if she had to create one.

"Yes. What is the report?"

"It's about the vagrants. As you instructed in yesterday's meeting, I've handed them over to Istaniel Row, along with all the records we found. They said they'll be holding a trial soon and would like you to visit."

"I see. A clear report. You've worked hard."

I deliberately raised my teacup as I replied.

"...Ahem. Ah. And the Lord of Istaniel Row asked me to pass on a message. She's grateful for Mercenary's goodwill. And she said she hopes you won't worry about it too much."

I nodded as I swallowed a sip of tea. I understood what she meant immediately. A bitter smile still came to my lips when I remembered how I'd broken into a sweat trying to clear up the misunderstanding with my brother back then.

Good thing Han So-yeong is so magnanimous.

I smiled bitterly to myself and continued to sip my tea.

With nothing left to report, Jung Ha-yeon began to subtly study my expression. After a brief silence, she gently spoke.

"Soohyun. It might be a little strange to say this in the current situation, but things have been quite dull lately. In the past, we would have been in a frenzy preparing for an expedition..."

"You seem to have something you're curious about."

At my direct question, Jung Ha-yeon's eyes glinted for a moment. She wrapped both hands around her teacup and continued.

"Yes, that's right. You didn't say much during yesterday's meeting. Everyone was curious about the results of the Call to Arms, but you didn't mention anything about it... Is it a secret you can't talk about?"

"Yes. It's a bit difficult to go into detail just yet. It's classified."

"I see. Then there's nothing to be done."

"In any case, for the time being, you just have to wait. As time passes, you'll find out naturally."

The invasion of Halo had probably begun by now. And, as of this morning, all communication had been cut off. Just like with Mule, Beth, and Dorothy, I suspected they were employing some large-scale interference with magic wavelengths, but I didn't let it show. It would seem strange for me to be the only one who knew when the other Users were still in the dark.

Or they might have already been conquered.

"It's very noisy outside. From what I hear, the Warp Gate to Halo was cut off, as if by a lie, the moment the Golden Lion was about to dispatch reinforcements. I can't imagine what's become of Halo by now."

"It wasn't 'as if by a lie,' it was a lie. I think the chances of it being cut off so coincidentally are close to zero."

Abandoning Halo to gather their forces in one place and reorganize was a fairly brilliant choice. But from the start, Do Yeong-rok was not a vessel fit to lead the Golden Lion. He lacked the drive to put his own thoughts into action.

By now, he should have sent a request for aid to the southeast, but I heard there had been no word from him up until the Call to Arms. It was an interesting spectacle to see how long the Golden Lion would hold onto its pride. The moment they sent that request for aid would be the moment the fire on their own feet started to spread.

At the earliest, the moment Halo falls, or at the latest, the moment Barbara is conquered, the southeast will immediately take action.

In any case, my role ended with giving them the key. How they chose to use that key was entirely in their hands. For the time being, rather than taking the lead, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a step back from this flow of events and simply watch. It wasn't something I should get involved in of my own volition, and it was a time that required a change of pace.

Realizing it was futile to try and get anything out of my answers, Jung Ha-yeon let out a thin sigh and spoke.

"Phew. I came here hoping to get some information... In any case, the conclusion is that we have to wait indefinitely."

"My lips are itching to tell you, too. I'm sorry."

"Hoho. It's alright. Ah, Soohyun. In that case, does this mean most of your busy work is over?"

"Pardon? Yes, well. I suppose so."

"Then... this is a bit of a sudden request, but how about we throw a party soon?"

At the out-of-the-blue suggestion of a party, I immediately frowned. Seeing my expression, Jung Ha-yeon quickly added.

"No one has really seen each other much lately. And we have new clan members, don't we? It would be a chance to see everyone's faces after a long time and to hold a welcome party. What do you think? Is it too much?"

"Hmm..."

A party in this situation, of all times...

Thinking that the timing felt off, I tilted my head. I was about to put the decision on hold by saying I'd think about it.

But in that instant, a thought flashed through my mind.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it."

"Oh my. Really?"

"Yes. I needed to take stock of the equipment we got from the vagrants anyway, so the timing is perfect. Still, tell the clan members that the purpose is for team-building, rather than a party."

Jung Ha-yeon beamed, looking quite pleased. She seemed happy that I had agreed so readily.

"Wow. That's a relief. For some reason, Sol has seemed down lately, and I was worried about her. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear this."

"Ahn Sol?"

"Yes. She just shakes her head whenever I ask what's wrong... I'll have to try and talk to her with this today."

"I see."

I chuckled to myself. I handed my empty teacup to Jung Ha-yeon and walked toward the rooftop door.

"Please discuss the details with Go Yeon-ju. Something has come up, and I need to go somewhere for a bit."

"Yes, I will. But where are you going?"

Jung Ha-yeon asked as she stacked my teacup on top of hers. I stretched my arms out wide and replied.

"I'm thinking of going to the Temple."

"Ah..."

Hm? What's with her reaction?

I had simply said I was going to the Temple, but Jung Ha-yeon's face flushed, and she began to fidget with her fingers. Not understanding why, I shrugged my shoulders and was about to leave through the door.

"Um, Soohyun!"

"?"

"Um... Now that you're done with all your busy work..."

I turned back at her sudden call and saw her throat bob as she swallowed. She glanced at me with a blushing face, then muttered in a voice as small as a mosquito's.

"Can I... visit you at night sometimes...?"