Chapter 352 |
Night had fallen, cloaking the world in deep darkness. A quiet silence hung over the deserted wilderness.
For some reason, the sight of Nam Da-eun, sitting collapsed in the abandoned field and blankly clutching her wrist, looked so very pitiful.
Vmmm. Vmmm.
Just then, the sound of a sword dropped somewhere in the field letting out a clear hum reached them. As if the sound had brought her back to her senses, Nam Da-eun’s eyes blinked three or four times, and then her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
"That was a fine move. Thank you for the duel."
After staring at her for a moment, I offered Nam Da-eun the highest praise I could in this situation. Having crossed swords with her, I had come to quite like her attitude of always doing her best.
"Ah... This... No... Yes... A g-good..."
Nam Da-eun seemed so flustered that she couldn’t figure out what to say.
But that only lasted a moment. Nam Da-eun’s lips parted several times, but in the end, she simply bowed her head deeply and spoke in a low voice.
"Well, a real battle and a duel are two very different things."
"Even so, there’s no room for excuses. I don’t need your pity."
"Huh? She’s pretty cool about it."
Watching Nam Da-eun stagger to her feet, I felt a slight sense of admiration for her. If Nam Da-eun had been a man—or at least, if she didn’t have misandry—we might have become pretty good friends.
Vmmm. Vmmm.
The sword Nam Da-eun had dropped from my blow was still lying in the field, letting out a clear hum. After a moment, she approached with a slight stagger and gently bent down to pick up the sword. That’s when it happened.
VMMMMMMMM!
Just moments ago, the sword had been humming relatively calmly. But the instant Nam Da-eun’s hand touched it, it began to vibrate with an intensity that was incomparable to before.
"S-Seol-ah? What’s wrong all of a sudden?"
Nam Da-eun spoke to the sword, her voice filled with panic.
"Its name is Seol-ah? Don’t tell me it has an ego...’
Faced with this sudden, strange phenomenon, Nam Da-eun didn’t know what to do. It seemed this was the first time the sword named ‘Seol-ah’ had behaved this way, as a look of clear bewilderment appeared on her face.
"Ah.'
"In any case, my business here was done, and I was seriously considering heading back when a thought flashed through my mind.
"Could it be..."
I wasn’t certain yet. But when I thought back to when I obtained ‘Victoria’s Glory,’ it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
I considered pretending I hadn’t noticed, but in the end, I started walking toward Nam Da-eun.
All the while wondering what I would do if my guess turned out to be correct.
***
Time passed, and before long, the Eastern forces had completely left the ‘Wilderness of the Secret Realm’. Looking back, it wasn’t entirely without problems, but at least as far as the ‘march’ was concerned, it had been very smooth.
And the region they entered after the ‘Wilderness of the Secret Realm’ was a place called the ‘Forest of Star Clusters’.
The Forest of Star Clusters was a rather meaningful place for Users on the Northern Continent who had been here for four years or more. This was because, back in the days before Barbara was conquered, this region had served the same role as the current ‘Steel Mountains’.
In other words, the Forest of Star Clusters was a region one had to pass through to enter Barbara, and it was a place where great sacrifices had been made during its conquest.
"Of course, its scale and difficulty can’t be compared to the Steel Mountains."
In any case, the nostalgic feelings were limited to the Users who had participated in that conquest. Since there were no ruins to explore here, the place held no great meaning for me.
In terms of stability, Barbara was arguably the number one city on the entire Northern Continent. As such, now that we had safely passed through the ‘Wilderness of the Secret Realm,’ it was clear that the journey would only get smoother from here on out.
Thus, the Eastern forces entered the new region without a hitch, and at the same time, a new change occurred for me as well.
When we first set out from Princieica, I had been assigned to the 1st Squad, led by Seo Jin-woo of the Ten Strong. However, after my duel with Nam Da-eun, she must have strongly recommended me, as I had the honor (?) of being selected for a special ‘squad’ meant to prepare for unexpected variables.
Although there was still one very minor, unresolved issue with Nam Da-eun, I gladly accepted her request. I was guaranteed more freedom of action than I had in the squad, and it was far more comfortable to run wild with a small group who could support each other’s skills than to be stuck among countless Users receiving orders.
And as expected, Nam Da-eun’s request didn’t end with just having me join. The Mercenary clan was composed of nearly seventy percent Secret and Rare Class Users. It seemed she had judged that there was a high probability of skilled individuals hiding among them.
By now, I had significantly revised my assessment of the ‘Queen of Swords,’ Nam Da-eun. At first, I thought she was just a peculiar woman with misandry, but her humble acceptance of defeat and her subsequent attitude toward me were extremely polite.
Of course, one could see it as an attempt to keep her distance, but considering she didn’t even speak to most male Users, I felt that wasn’t necessarily the case.
In any case, I accepted Nam Da-eun’s request and, after careful consideration, was able to recommend three clan members.
First, without a doubt, was Go Yeon-ju.
Go Yeon-ju had been assigned to the 5th Squad, a unit of assassins. In contrast to my cautious request for her transfer, the 5th Squad’s leader gladly approved it.
No, ‘gladly’ was an understatement.
Frankly, whether in terms of skill or reputation, the command of the 5th Squad should have naturally gone to Go Yeon-ju. However, the squads had already been formed by the time we arrived in the East, and she herself had no great desire for the title of squad leader, so it seemed the matter had just been passed over.
Nevertheless, the reason the 5th Squad’s leader welcomed it with open arms was that he seemed to find the fact that he had the ‘Shadow Queen’ under his command extremely burdensome.
Of course, I made sure to ask Go Yeon-ju herself, and as soon as she heard I was participating, she packed her bags and rushed over.
And the other two clan members I recommended were Vivian and Jung Ha-yeon.
Since obtaining the ‘Ordo of Order,’ Vivian had become able to summon the ‘Monster Legion.’ And it went without saying how useful such an ability was in war.
However, I had to think long and hard about recommending Jung Ha-yeon, but I decided to at least talk to her first. Since it wasn’t mandatory in any way, I thought it best to speak with her first and leave the choice up to her.
To state the results first, I heard that both Vivian and Jung Ha-yeon had accepted Nam Da-eun’s proposal.
Vivian, with her strong pride as an alchemist, seemed to think the ‘squad’ was something special. And Jung Ha-yeon, though she initially said she’d think about it, apparently started packing her bags the moment she heard I was there.
And so, with my full support, Nam Da-eun was able to gather a total of four people, including me, in a short amount of time.
***
Before long, the Eastern forces were in the final stages of leaving the ‘Forest of Star Clusters’. If we could maintain this pace, I predicted we would be able to move on to the next region within a day or two.
Honestly, the next region was a bit ambiguous to name. That was because the moment we crossed into it, Barbara would be just a stone’s throw away.
"Ahem!"
Suddenly, I heard Vivian let out a forced cough. After coughing a few more times in succession, she straightened her neck and looked around. Her eyes were filled with an arrogant light, giving me a rough idea of what she was thinking.
Personally, I had expected it would be a huge ordeal to bring Vivian and Jung Ha-yeon over. Considering Seon-yul’s words and actions at the last meeting, I didn’t think she would let them go easily. However, she must have remembered her own words precisely, as the Tarot Card Magician simply approved the request for their transfer.
With that, the number of people gathered in the ‘squad’ was now five: me, Go Yeon-ju, Vivian, Jung Ha-yeon, and the Queen of Swords. But that wasn’t all. I heard there were other members out scouting besides Nam Da-eun. They were supposed to finish their activities before we left the Forest of Star Clusters and meet up with us, so I would find out if I just waited patiently.
"Soohyun. What are you thinking so hard about?"
Just then, Jung Ha-yeon, who was walking in step beside me, spoke up. I glanced over at her and replied calmly.
"Ah. I was just thinking a little about the Tarot Card Magician."
"Mm. She certainly has charms that you would like, Soohyun. She’s busty, and... she’s busty."
"."
"Hoho. It’s a joke, just a joke. Don’t make that face."
Jung Ha-yeon had thrown out a joke, but seeing my reaction, she giggled and waved her hands dismissively. I let out a deep sigh and spoke quietly.
"...It’s not that. I just didn’t expect her to approve the transfer so easily. I saw something a little unpleasant at the last meeting... Her sense of privilege was too strong."
"Oh my. Really? I never felt that way."
"Really? What was she like in the squad?"
This was a rather unexpected answer, so I asked again, feeling puzzled. Jung Ha-yeon seemed to ponder for a moment before she began to speak, one detail at a time.
"Hmm. She was just like a real older sister. Once she knew I was a Secret Class, she gave me lots of advice and took good care of me. We’d sometimes chat, and she’d pass the time by telling my fortune with her cards. Right, Vivian?"
Having finished, Jung Ha-yeon turned to Vivian, as if seeking her agreement.
However, Vivian had a sour look on her face, as if something was bothering her, and answered in a subdued voice.
"Huh? W-Well... I... I don’t really... I don’t know."
Jung Ha-yeon tilted her head at Vivian for a moment, then suddenly went, “Ah,” and giggled as if she’d remembered something.
"Ah. Vivian had her fortune told with me last time, you see. But I guess the result wasn’t very good."
"Oho. A fortune, you say? Now that’s interesting. What was your fortune, Ha-yeon?"
"Hey, that’s a secret. Fortunes are just for fun."
"I’m still curious... but if it’s a secret, I can’t help it. Then, Vivian. What was your fortune, and what was the result?"
Vivian, who must have been listening to my conversation with Jung Ha-yeon, shot me a look of pure indignation. She looked as if she was about to protest vehemently.
But I beat her to the punch, pulling out the contract I had carefully tucked away.
When I silently waved it back and forth, Vivian spoke in a choked voice.
"You... Kim Soohyun... you’re so mean. Why only me..."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Now hurry up."
"Ugh..."
Where had her earlier arrogance gone? Vivian put on a sullen face and resisted passively, but when I pressed her again, she finally, reluctantly, began to speak.
"It’s just... that... I had my fortune told about the possibility of getting what I want most right now..."
"Yeah. What you want? What is it?"
"Th-that’s... the... butt..."
Wheee!
Just then, as Vivian hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, a sharp signal suddenly rang out from the front.
"We will halt the march for a moment!"
And at the shout that followed, we had no choice but to stop our conversation and halt our steps.
"Huh? What’s going on? Don’t tell me it’s a monster."
"I don’t know. Let’s wait and see."
Jung Ha-yeon peeked her head forward, but I placed a hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t like she’d be able to see anything by doing that.
"Phew. Saved."
For a moment, I thought I heard a small voice, but I decided to ignore it for now and focus on the front.
About twenty minutes passed.
Finally, news came through the crystal ball: the vanguard unit had encountered Users who appeared to have come from Barbara.