Chapter 455: Results and Evaluation (2) |
Objectively, Jung Ha-Yan was a very charming woman. She still couldn’t be compared to the supreme Hee-Ra noona, but she had a voluminous yet petite body. Her large eyes also made her look cute.
I wasn’t sure if magic could influence one’s appearance, but she definitely looked prettier compared to when we first met. Back then, she wasn’t really interested in making herself look more beautiful.
But now, Jung Ha-Yan had become even more beautiful. Her pink lips made her look like a character straight out of a comic, and her skin looked like porcelain. She was pretty enough for guys like Yoo Seok-Woo, whom I could barely remember at this point.
Overall, she was charming, but she was nothing more than a cute little sister to me.
Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t pretty enough for me to react this way. I was a man, so my heart pounded faster when Jung Ha-Yan hugged me tightly. Still, it wasn’t enough to explain the strange feelings and signals that my body was giving off.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
I didn’t know how to describe it, but it was different from the usual.
I was sure she went for a jog this morning because I could still smell her sweat, and the scent kept on stimulating my senses. I shook my head because it felt like I had consumed a stimulant.
I was flinching and trembling, which made me particularly unhappy about all this. My heart was pounding madly against my chest, and my breathing had turned rough.
I started to question her intentions because she acted like a leech as she pulled me even closer to her and made sure that our lower bodies were rubbing against each other.
The bright smile on her lips made it clear that she had realized that I was conscious of her today. Jung Ha-Yan’s seduction was usually awkward and hard to look at, but right now, I started questioning whether she was a succubus or not.
I also couldn’t help but think that she might have cast a spell on me.
‘I hope she didn’t go crazy and decided to learn some kind of seduction spell.’
She most likely didn’t do something like that, and even if she had used a seduction spell on me, there was no way she would pull something like this.
Jung Ha-Yan had some knowledge about alchemy, so I couldn’t help but think that she might have concocted an aphrodisiac or something. However, I would definitely notice if someone had used something like that on me, so it shouldn’t be the case here.
With that being said, I started thinking that perhaps this was truly a side effect of the fairy disguise spell.
I felt uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to push Jung Ha-Yan away.
She looked disappointed, but when I kissed her lightly and patted her back, her disappointed look was replaced with a smile.
‘I really like that she’s simple.’
“Have you been well?” I asked.
“Yes! I have been doing well. There were a lot of adjustments that had to be made, but I’m fine. I-I’ve been working with Miss Sora, too. I’ve been really busy these past few days, so I had no time to do anything else. There were many things that required magic, and all the construction was done through magic as well…” Jung Ha-Yan replied.
“Han Sora?” I asked.
“Yes, Miss Sora,” she answered.
‘I’m sure she’s suffering...’
The rookie of the Blue Guild was still traumatized, and she had grown a lot that I shouldn’t call her a rookie anymore. I couldn’t help but think that she was drawing her own hopeful future through this task. The Blue Guild had a branch office in Rift Land, so I was sure that she really wanted to be transferred over to the branch office.
‘Naturally, she probably worked the hardest…’
Unfortunately, I couldn’t fulfill that wish of hers.
‘I should at least give her a raise.’
She probably wasn’t interested in pay, but I wanted her to be aware that I cherished her. I was sure that she wanted to avoid any affection from me, but I had to be affectionate for her because she was the only black mage on the continent.
She had contributed a lot during the war with the Republic, and she would also become useful in the continent enhancement plan.
However, it was undeniable that I was kind of worried. Kim Hyun-Sung simply misunderstood me, but Han Sora was basically a ticking bomb. Actually, Jung Ha-Yan was the same.
Jung Ha-Yan was a reliable ally, but she knew too much.
If Jung Ha-Yan were to unknowingly chatter away, Light Ki-Young’s happy life would end. Of course, she wouldn’t really harm me, but I still had to take extra care of her because of her volatile nature
Naturally, I thought I had to be a little nicer. I looked at Jung Ha-Yan with my usual smile, but I spoke as if she were the cutest thing in the world. I could feel Jung Ha-Yan was feeling better just by seeing my smile.
“It must’ve been hard for you. You couldn’t even rest…”
“I-It was kind of tiring, but it’s my job,” Jung Ha-Yan said.
‘Wow, I’m really proud. Hearing you say that makes me want to cry tears of joy…’
“Still… weren’t you lonely?” I asked.
“A-A bit? Actually, I was really lonely,” she answered.
“Then… do you want to eat breakfast together? We can take our time looking around. I looked around briefly, but still…” I suggested.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course, I’ll eat with you!” she yelled.
We needed to go back, but rather than going back to work right away, I thought going on a date wouldn’t be so bad. Jung Ha-Yan had been enduring the grueling job pretty well. She had recently blown up due to the marriage issue, but she hadn’t caused any other trouble. She hadn’t made a fuss about us being apart for a few days, and she didn’t suddenly intrude and make things complicated.
The result of the training I had been giving her was finally bearing fruit. She was doing her best in her job and was both handling and holding in her frustrations exceptionally well. I wasn’t going to give her a special reward, but I wanted to applaud her for holding it all in.
Of course, it wasn’t that difficult for me to spend the little free time I had left with her.
I packed my stuff and walked out with Jung Ha-Yan. I flinched once again when she grabbed my hand and pushed her chest into me as much as she could, but I was fine.
We were famous, so people were looking at us, but Jung Ha-Yan seemed like she wanted the people to look at her. It kind of felt like she was announcing to everyone that I was her property.
She chattered nonstop amidst our unexpected date.
“I-I-I made that as well.” Jung Ha-Yan pointed out.
“Really?” I asked.
“I-I made that, too. I also made that bridge there. Miss Sora helped, but I did almost everything by myself!” she replied.
Jung Ha-Yan showed off her accomplishments in a similar way to how our fathers often mumbled that they built the Hangang Bridge.
“S-So, I was kind of surprised when people suddenly visited, but I was fine. A few people tried to talk to me, but I didn’t answer. I also didn’t make eye contact with any men,” she continued.
“You really didn’t have to do that…” I commented.
Jung Ha-Yan was trying to show off her modesty and virtue. The conversation wasn’t very useful, but my exhausted mind relaxed as I talked to her. It felt like I was going on a walk with a puppy.
‘The weather is nice, too.’
Overall, it was peaceful, and I wasn’t the only one who was enjoying this peace. People were smiling, and everyone was spending time in their own ways. Some people were eating on terraces, some were talking by the fountain, and others were shopping either in the general store or the weapon store.
I wanted to give this atmosphere a thumbs up, but my thoughts from yesterday made me feel uncomfortable. I got even more uncomfortable when I thought about how these people would soon fight for their lives on the battlefield once the upcoming threat arrived.
I looked around using Mind’s Eye, but I couldn’t find anyone with impressive stats.
The denizens of the Sacred Democratic Country, Republic, and the Kingdom of Others had better stats than the people around here.
The denizens of the Union of Kingdoms, who didn’t participate in the previous war, and the neutral foreigners looked like they were out on a picnic. I had announced that there was an upcoming threat, but they were acting as if I hadn’t said anything.
Still, the peaceful atmosphere wasn’t that bad.
“It’s too peaceful…” I mumbled.
“What did you say?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.
“I-It’s nothing. I was just talking to myself,” I replied.
“D-Do you have something on your mind?” she asked.
“It’s nothing serious, but… I’ll tell you later once I’ve organized my thoughts. Let’s start heading back to the Guild House. Did you build the branch office as well?” I asked.
“...”
“Ha-Yan?” I called out.
“Huh?Oh, yes. I made the framework. Miss Kim Mi-Young worked on the interior. The furniture was custom-made and brought from Lindel—Ah! The first floor of the Guild House is being used as a shopping district. It has a potion shop, and Miss Ah-Young’s smithy is right there as well…”
”The second floor is the true Guild House. Only guild members can access it. It’s bigger than the one in Lindel. The practice room, the alchemy workshop are big, a-and the rooms are big as well,” she answered.
“That makes sense. The buildings in Lindel have already been built, so it isn’t really practical to build a Guild House from the ground up. You can definitely build bigger Guild Houses here, so I’m sure many clans will come here,” I said.”
“A few powerful clans are already considering purchasing land. The Black Swan and the Red Mercenary Guild are already here,” she said.
“That’s smart,” I commented.
We continued walking while talking. Soon enough, a familiar emblem appeared in my sight, and I realized that we had already arrived at the Blue Guild’s Guild House in Rift Land.
It was bigger and more stylish than the Blue Guild’s Guild House in Lindel. On the first floor, Yoo Ah-Young’s weapons were being displayed, and I could see many adventurers around the potion shop next to it.
It seemed that I had to use a different entrance to enter the Guild House. I slowly turned to head toward the other entrance, but I paused upon seeing a familiar face.
“Sub Guild Master.”
“Ah, Miss Hye-Jin,” I greeted.
“You should have told us that you were coming. I would have come out and welcomed you… Did you just arrive today?” Jo Hye-Jin asked.
“Yes, I was just looking around. But…” I trailed off.
The person waiting in front of the large building was Kim Hyun-Sung’s adjutant and my only friend. The way she walked around in front of the large building with her ponytail bobbing up and down made it obvious that there was something on her mind.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
“No, not really,” she replied.
“So, why are you outside…” I asked.
“I was waiting for the guild master,” she answered.
“Mr. Hyun-Sung?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you two go out together?” I questioned.
“Well… I didn’t hear the details, but I heard he was looking for someone. He said that he’s going to look for them on his own,” she answered.
‘I knew it.’
I knew where he was headed.
I looked at Jo Hye-Jin and saw that she was nervous.
“Um, Sub Guild Master. I apologize for this, but…” Jo Hye-Jin paused.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Did you… know?” she asked.
“Know what?” I questioned.
I couldn’t help but clear my throat because she looked like she had lost everything.
“I-I think the guild master is dating someone,” she answered.
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