Chapter 404 |
Hearing that a visitor had arrived, I rushed to the reception room. Inside, three Users were sitting quietly.
Two men, one woman.
It was Woo Jeongmin and his party.
"Kim... Mercenary Lord."
"You can remain seated."
Woo Jeongmin tried to stand up hastily, but I gestured for him to stay put.
After exchanging formal greetings, I sat down across from them and noticed a woman standing quietly in attendance to one side.
"User Go Yeon-ju."
It was Go Yeon-ju. It seemed she had personally guided them after hearing they were guests I had invited.
"They said they received an invitation from the Clan Lord, so I guided them here for now. I wasn't sure when you'd be back..."
"Have they been waiting long?"
"No. Only about ten minutes."
I nodded in understanding, and she looked up, continuing in a languid tone.
"Oh, where are my manners? I should have at least offered them some tea..."
"No, it's quite all right."
Woo Jeongmin's voice was a bit hoarse as he quietly shook his head.
"He says it's fine. You may leave us."
"Yes. I'll be waiting in the lobby, then. Please call if you need anything."
Go Yeon-ju swiftly took her leave.
Click.
With the soft sound of the door closing, I met the gazes of the three visitors.
There was Woo Jeongmin, who looked exhausted for some reason, and Seon Yu-un, who wore a placid expression. And next to him...
"Ehehe, ehehehe."
Won Hye-su was staring blankly at me, drool glistening at the corner of her mouth.
"...Has her condition improved at all?"
"Not at all."
Woo Jeongmin slowly raised a hand to wipe Won Hye-su's mouth and continued in a low voice.
"Hah, it's the worst. There's no sign of her mind returning... The only comfort is that she's become more docile than she was at first."
"I see."
"And..."
Woo Jeongmin seemed to hesitate for a moment before closing his eyes and continuing.
"In the end, we couldn't go through with the abortion."
"What? But why...?"
"She reacted with pathological hatred every time we tried. Crying, screaming... She even bit her tongue at one point. I think the experience of being held down by several people with her clothes off must have become a trauma for her."
"Abortion isn't that difficult in the Hall Plain. You could have used sleep magic."
"True. But it's like she knows there's something inside her. She'd clutch her stomach and look at me with such a pleading expression... In that moment, I felt something I can't quite describe."
"...After all, half of it is Hye-su's," Woo Jeongmin added, letting out a sigh with a bitter look.
"......"
Personally, I couldn't understand his decision, but I decided not to ask any further. It wasn't my place to interfere, and seeing his downcast expression, I thought it best to change the subject quickly.
"Still, you found your way here."
"It wasn't that hard to find. And I saw a few familiar faces when I arrived."
"Come to think of it... haha. Did the kids remember you?"
"No. They treated me like a stranger... Ah. I think the woman with the red eyes remembered me."
Red eyes? He must mean Yu-jeong.
I immediately continued.
"Quite some time has passed since we met in Barbara. Have you been in the city all this time?"
Woo Jeongmin seemed to think for a moment before shaking his head.
"No. We couldn't stay at the relief center forever, so we left as soon as things were sorted out. I know what you told me, but I wanted to try starting over again. So I headed west, thinking we'd figure something out."
"......"
"But... how should I put it? It was just hopeless. There was nothing we could do. Right. It was just like when I first came to the Hall Plain. On top of that, it was right after the war, so finding a caravan was difficult, and I couldn't take my eyes off Hye-su for a second."
As if revealing the stark reality would wound his peculiar pride, Woo Jeongmin's voice gradually trailed off.
"I tried everything I could... but the reality was that it was a struggle just to live day to day. On days we couldn't find work, we did part-time jobs like non-combat Users, and when we really couldn't bear it anymore, we sold the equipment we had. But that, too, soon reached its limit."
Hearing that, I felt a strange sense of realization. For a combat User to sell their equipment meant they had reached their absolute last resort.
But when I saw Won Hye-su reaching for me like a child, I understood. Far from being a help, she was in a state where she couldn't be left alone. For the two of them, Won Hye-su must have been a huge burden.
I nodded once or twice, then my eyes met Seon Yu-un's.
The 'Divine Archer' Seon Yu-un. A User who would later become one of the Ten Strong.
Perhaps because of his naturally taciturn personality, he hadn't uttered a single word since I entered.
Player Status
1. Name: Seon Yu-un (1-Year User)
2. Class: Normal Archer (Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: Bullseye (百發百中) · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (26)
7. Height · Weight: 180.9cm · 73.1kg
8. Disposition: True - Neutral
(Before Change) [Strength 45] [Durability 48] [Agility 62] [Stamina 54] [Magic Power 50] [Luck 50]
(After Change) [Strength 67] [Durability 69] [Agility 84] [Stamina 71] [Magic Power 74] [Luck 61]
(You have 4 remaining stat points.)
Good. This is very good.
Of course, his current Player Status was unimpressive. But they had likely just started their first year.
Considering that, seeing stats like these already made me think, As expected.
"The Red Fang Clan... I was just thinking I needed more talent."
Two key figures of the Red Fang Clan had walked right into my arms. Of course, I couldn't say they were completely mine yet, but I had no intention of letting them slip through my fingers. Whether they stayed or left would depend on me.
"Anyway, it was only when we reached that point that I remembered what you said. I couldn't see any hope... So I swallowed my pride and came. I'm sorry."
"Not at all. In fact, it would have been better if you had come sooner."
"...Thank you for saying that."
At that moment, a loud rumbling sound echoed through the room.
"Uung..."
Turning my head, I saw Won Hye-su gently rubbing her stomach. She must be hungry. The other two didn't show it, but their appearances were utterly wretched.
I pressed the calling stone Go Yeon-ju had left behind and spoke gently.
"I'd like to talk more, but for now, the three of you should rest. Let's get you something to eat first, and we can meet after you've had a good night's sleep."
"...Is that really okay?"
Woo Jeongmin blinked without a single refusal, a sign of how difficult things must have been for him.
Woo Jeongmin is a man of great pride, but he's also the type to clearly remember both favors and grudges. I mean, he was the kind of man who would hunt down the entire Murder Brigade just because one of his clan members was killed.
In that case, it was best to put him in my debt as much as possible.
"Stability is important, especially with a pregnant woman present. The two of you are no exception. It would be best to soothe your weary minds and bodies first."
"...Thank you."
It was then.
Seon Yu-un, who had been silent the entire time, gave a slight bow and offered his thanks. Woo Jeongmin remained quiet, but he looked quite moved.
Click.
"Clan Lord. You called?"
Just then, Go Yeon-ju opened the door and came in. I gave her a subtle glance and spoke.
"Go Yeon-ju. Do we still have plenty of rooms available?"
"Of course."
The experienced Go Yeon-ju answered in a heartbeat. It was a fact she obviously knew, but she must have understood the hidden meaning behind my question.
I gestured toward the three of them.
"These are important guests. Please guide them to the dining hall first, then assign them their quarters. There is a pregnant woman, so you'll need to give them special care."
"Yes. Don't worry."
"Ah. And..."
Go Yeon-ju turned back to me, her expression asking if there was something else.
And I continued in a low voice.
"Tomorrow morning, we will hold a meeting."
The next morning.
The meeting, the first one held in a very long time, went on for quite a while.
Since I had entrusted them with internal affairs, most of it consisted of receiving reports, but with the post-war cleanup officially concluded, I also had things to announce.
"...To summarize, only two matters remain. The handling of the war prisoners and the treatment of the remaining Golden Lion clan members."
"Th-there are remaining clan members?" Han-byeol asked, her tone full of surprise, perhaps because she was once a member.
I nodded once or twice before answering.
"It seems a few of the regular clan members survived... but the leadership was almost completely wiped out. The Clan Lord, who was one of the Ten Strong, was found decapitated, and Do Yeong-rok was found with only his head remaining."
"The only ones left from the leadership are probably Park Hyun-woo and Seong Yu-bin."
The Golden Lion Clan Lord was the User who had returned from the Steel Mountains with severe injuries. He had been unconscious ever since, and he ended up losing his life to the raiding alliance forces.
Hearing the deep groans from around the room, I addressed everyone.
"Regarding the prisoners, there's talk of breaking their circuits to enslave them, but nothing has been confirmed yet."
"What? Breaking their circuits?"
"There are about a thousand of them in the capital, and they say many of them are too dangerous to be left alone."
"Heh. The Northern Continent is taking a hard line."
Shin Jae-yeong and a few others shook their heads with horrified expressions.
I decided to keep the fact that there had originally been about 1,500 prisoners, and that 500 of them had disappeared due to a certain incident, to myself.
"Anyway. There are a few other things, but they're still under discussion, so I'll let you know when an official decision is made. Now, User Jung Ha-yeon."
"Yes."
"Let's move on to the reports. Have you finished inventorying the equipment we brought from the Frozen Forest?"
"I'm sorry. There's just so much of it, and we're organizing the warehouse at the same time, so we haven't completely finished yet. I think we should be done by the day after tomorrow."
Ha-yeon looked like she had no excuse, but I waved my hand dismissively. Since every piece of equipment was an ancient artifact, each one had to be individually verified, and with such a large quantity, it was impossible to finish quickly.
This time, I turned my head to Go Yeon-ju.
"Any other situations worth noting?"
"Hmm. I told you about the three who arrived yesterday. Ah. It's only a matter of interest for now, but... there is one thing."
Go Yeon-ju paused for a moment before continuing in her usual languid voice.
"Lately, more and more people have been loitering around the House, trying to be discreet."
"Loitering?"
"Yes. I heard from my 'Flowers of the Night' that interest in Mercenary has grown significantly these days."
"Your 'Flowers of the Night'?"
"The ones who couldn't get hired back then. They're doing well now."
Go Yeon-ju replied with a wink.
I nodded slowly, lost in thought.
"It's time for some publicity."
There were likely many reasons for the increased interest—exploration, membership inquiries, the nature of a Mercenary Clan, and so on.
And with Woo Jeongmin's group having just arrived yesterday, I was about to declare my intention to expand the clan's numbers, thinking this was a good opportunity to seize.
"Some of you may have heard, but yesterday..."
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a timid knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened cautiously, and a woman in a maid uniform appeared. An employee.
She bowed her head deeply and spoke in a small voice.
"I'm sorry to interrupt. Something urgent has come up."
"Urgent? What is it?"
"Yes. A User has arrived. She's looking for the Clan Lord right now."
Another visitor. Just as Go Yeon-ju said, it seemed interest really had grown lately.
Then, as if she had just remembered something, the employee added with a look of, "Oh, I forgot."
"She said she was invited..."
"Huh? Invited?"
At the word 'invited,' I tilted my head in confusion.
It couldn't be Han Se-yeong. If she had come, she would have said she was visiting, not that she was looking for me.
In any case, besides Woo Jeongmin's group, I hadn't invited any other Users, so I was curious who would come and say such a thing.
"Do you happen to know who it is?"
"Yes."
The employee nodded her head and immediately continued.
"She asked me to tell you it's the Queen of Swords, Nam Da-eun."