Chapter 532: Mirror Lake (2) |
“Why are we going there all of a sudden? Don’t we have work that has to be done? We need to continue the joint training as well,” I said.
“The restoration project is already ongoing, and there’s still time until the training begins. It hasn’t been that long since the battle ended, so we need time to reorganize.
”Just think of this excursion as a mini vacation. If we restart the training so soon, the atmosphere won’t be like before, so it’s great to take a small break. Yes, that’s right!” Park Deok-Gu replied.
“But still, a dungeon or—”
“We already went to a dungeon while you were still unconscious! And you’re just recovering, so don’t even talk to me about going to a dungeon. Hyun-Sung was actually worried that you might head to Lindel right after waking up,” he said.
“That’s true, but…”
“The denizens will definitely not want to hear about how we’re already making you work, even though you’re still recovering. I’m sure they want to hear that you’ve been eating and resting at a nice place.
”Things have been pretty chaotic because of that side effect, so we need to let them know that you’re having fun. You also have to know just how important you… have become to the continent,” he explained.
“Wait…”
“When did you go there?” I asked.
“Well, a few times a long time ago… I visited a few times to do a field survey, but that’s not important. By the way, will you be joining us, Miss Oscar? I’m sure the others will like it if you join,” he asked.
“No, someone needs to protect the Democratic Country, and I’m also very busy…” Oscar replied.
“Is there anything I can help you out with?” I asked.
“No, I think it’s best if you go with them, Father Lee Ki-Young. You’ve been working nonstop, so it’s about time you slow down and catch your breath. It only seemed like yesterday when you said you’d go on a picnic with everyone in the guild… Isn’t this your first time going together with them?” she asked.
“Yes, I think…” I answered.
“Then, do it!” Park Deok-Gu chimed in. “Hyun-Sung will be really happy as well! To be honest, he’s a really shy individual, so he seemed like he was having a hard time making that suggestion.
”I brought it up when he was deep in his thoughts, and he seemed really happy about it. I don’t even need to mention Ha-Yan noonim, right? It’s about time you take the next step with her. I’ll give you my support, so don’t you worry about it.”
“It’s nothing like that…”
“I know you care about her, but she’s an adult now. Protecting her or cherishing her are really old-school ideas. If you like her, you can tell her with words or with your body. That’s my suggestion as the love doctor,” he continued.
‘I don’t think she’ll want to protect me…’
“B-But don’t you think she’ll feel a bit embarrassed if the two of you suddenly get closer to each other? Father Lee Ki-Young, you might startle Miss Ha-Yan, so I think it’s best if you approach her slowly. A woman knows a woman’s heart the best, after all…” Oscar suggested.
“That’s not true. My intuition as the love doctor is telling me that Ha-Yan noonim has been waiting for hyung-nim to approach her. She may have been thinking about every possible scenario that may happen during the trip. I’m sure of it. Yeah!” he shouted.
‘How is he so sure of it?’
Park Deok-Gu had obtained the attribute Morale Shout during the recent crisis, but I had a feeling there was a different meaning behind it. His confident expression told me that he was confident, and I avoided his gaze because his eyes seemed like they could see through me.
‘A picnic this time?’
It was highly likely that Kim Hyun-Sung had been agonizing over it. Even though he had promised that we would go to Mirror Lake while we were talking in his consciousness, I couldn’t remember agreeing to it.
The current state of affairs made it impossible to take a vacation, and I was sure that he was aware of that, which was why he had been agonizing over it.
And that was probably when this pig suddenly talked to him about it...
Outsiders wouldn’t understand why we were going there, but I had a feeling that he had used his Morale Shout to endorse a guild trip to Mirror Lake.
Kim Hyun-Sung probably declined, but…
‘He’s thinking about me.’
The goddesses had already forgiven me, but I had been showing them that I was still feeling guilty deep inside. I had been meeting many people recently, but I would sometimes show them a bitter look while staring out the window.
It was an act to show everyone that I was still being burdened by the sins that I had committed, but our lovely regressor definitely thought that a short vacation would help me mentally.
It made even more sense considering the probability of another Doom Reset.
Kim Hyun-Sung considered my mental health more important than anything else, and taking a breather would definitely help not just me but the guild members as well. They weren’t expressing it, but I was sure that they were mentally exhausted as well.
They definitely had fun imprisoning me, but it was probably not as effective if we went out there and had fun as a group.
‘It doesn’t sound like a bad idea.’
However, Park Deok-Gu’s manner of speech bothered me. If it weren’t for that, then I would have agreed to his suggestion right away. I thought about many possible answers, but nodding here seemed to be the best answer.
‘I’m sure nothing will happen.’
I also had to make sure that Kim Hyun-Sung and I would have time to spend by ourselves. If we went outside, then it would be easier for me to do something like that.
“Anyway, are you going? Honestly, I’d like it if you went with us. Actually, even if you decline, I’m going to drag you with me! You can’t decline, so keep that in mind!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.
“No, you don’t have to drag me there, Deok-Gu. I’ve always said that I wanted to go there, but I never really managed to visit the place, so it won’t be so bad for me to actually go there this time,” I told him.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Yes! Let’s gooo!” he cheered.
‘Damn, this pig actually looks happy about it.’
He was acting as if they had prepared a surprise party for me there. He even ran up to me and lifted me up. He had to have been aware that I had already fully recovered because he carried me around.
“Are you really going with us?!” he asked again.
“Yes, I really am going with you,” I replied.
“I was really nervous that you’d say you weren’t going this time as well. I knew you it; I knew you’d go this time,” he said.
“Was I really looking forward to going there?” I questioned.
“I think I already asked you seven or eight times by now. However, every time I ask you to go there, you’re either busy or too invested in something… Are you really not going, Miss Oscar?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine, really,” Oscar answered.
“Well… it is kind of bad for you to go on vacation right now. I feel bad…” he said.
“No, please don’t think that way. We’ll have time to go on a vacation in the future,” she assured him.
“Well, I’m glad you think so…” he commented.
“So, when are we leaving? If we need to prepare—” I started.
“Right now!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.
“What?”
“We can leave right now. Everything is ready,” he replied.
‘This pig’s really convincing…’
Amazing. I could have declined the invitation, so I wasn’t sure why he prepared everything beforehand, knowing the risk. However, I became certain that it was the reason he cheered and was so happy when he heard that I would go with them.
“You can just leave with us with the clothes on your back. We have prepared a large carriage, and it has everything we need. You just have to follow me during the trip,” he said.
“...”
“Let’s go,” he continued.
“The guild members are the only ones who will go, right?” I questioned.
“I asked the Mercenary Queen and the shaman, but they were too busy. However, I think they don’t feel comfortable going with us because the guild members are also going on this trip.
”Honestly, the city will be at a loss if the Mercenary Queen leaves Lindel and the same thing for the shaman, and I think that’s the main reason. Anyway, let’s hurry up. I’ll buy you a souvenir on the way back, so stay safe, Miss Oscar,” Park Deok-Gu said.
It seemed that the theme of this trip was a picnic, so it wasn’t strange that Cha Hee-Ra and Kasugano Yuno didn’t want to participate.
Lindel was already chaotic, but if the Red Mercenary Guild disappeared along with the Blue Guild, then the chaos would definitely be exacerbated.
After saying goodbye to Aris and walking around the Vatican with Park Deok-Gu, I heard people telling us to have a safe trip. I walked out after acknowledging them, and then I saw Cha Hee-Ra talking to Jung Ha-Yan.
“Uh…”
I rubbed my eyes, but they were still Cha Hee-Ra and Jung Ha-Yan. They wore serious expressions, and they were definitely having a conversation. It seemed like they were asking each other about their well-being. However, it was an unbelievable sight. Still, I nodded because it was better than them being at odds with each other.
Wait, perhaps…
‘Perhaps they grew closer because of the recent crisis?’
It was highly likely that it was the case. In addition, there were times when Jung Ha-Yan was kind toward Cha Hee-Ra. I could also still remember how Cha Hee-Ra saved me during that evil old man’s reign of terror.
She had acknowledged me back then, and I was sure that this was a similar situation to that.
Jung Ha-Yan thought that she could handle the crisis by herself, but everything went wrong, and Cha Hee-Ra made a cold but reasonable decision.
While Kim Hyun-Sung and Jung Ha-Yan were shell-shocked, she stood in the front line and showed her courage by driving out a powerful demon.
Jung Ha-Yan assisted, and Kim Hyun-Sung finished them off, but Cha Hee-Ra’s contributions couldn’t be underestimated at all. After all, if it hadn’t been for her decision-making and selflessness, we wouldn’t have been able to survive that crisis.
‘Even though she’s not a member of our party…’
She was worthy of my applause.
Aside from the fireball she cast at the final phase of the crisis, Jung Ha-Yan hadn’t really done that much, so it wasn’t strange that she wanted to look around and see for herself the city’s current status.
It was impossible to predict the continent’s future, so I figured that Jung Ha-Yan had acknowledged Cha Hee-Ra as a woman that was vital for our future. I was confident in my assumption because I could see through Jung Ha-Yan’s thoughts.
I continued walking, and we soon passed the main gate. The guild members could finally see me. Park Deok-Gu shouted, and Cha Hee-Ra approached me. She probably came here to tell me to have a safe trip.
“Are you feeling better, darling?”
“Yeah, I think I’ve gotten better… Are you really not going with us, noona?” I asked.
“I’d like to really play with you, but I can’t hold you back when you’re going out to play with your co-workers. I wanted to be shameless and join, but that guild master of yours was hinting at me not to go. Seriously… he’s so ridiculous. I had to tell him right then and there that I didn’t want to go. Anyway, I came here to tell you to have a safe trip,” Cha Hee-Ra said.
“That’s unfortunate. How about Yuno?” I asked.
“She’s really busy, and she has become quite influential over the Federation. She actually asked me to deliver you a letter when I met her last time, so I brought it with me today,” she replied.
“Ah, thanks, noona,” I said.
‘Hee-Ra noona is pretty popular…’
I knew she was close to Kasugano Yuno, but I didn’t expect that they were this close.
Now that I thought about it, I could remember that Elena, Lee Ji-Hye, and her had gone out a few times… I could even remember seeing her at a cafe with Sun Hee-Young.
It could be just me, but I felt great to see her getting along with the guild members.
I opened my arms, and she hugged me tighter than I thought.
And that was when I heard her whisper into my ear…
“Buy me a souvenir, and once your trip is over, you’re mine for three days, okay?”
‘Hee-Ra noona, that’s a bit…’
“Don’t make me repeat myself. Don’t get hurt, and…” she trailed off.
‘I don’t want to get hurt either, noona.’
“I’m telling you this just in case, but even if something happens, don’t wear that mask no matter what. Do you understand? Stick to Jung Ha-Yan as much as possible,” she advised.
‘I can’t believe I’m hearing that from her…’
“That won’t happen. The others will be there as well, so I won’t be in any danger…” I assured her.
“I’m saying it just in case. I’m sure you know that I have something similar to that mask as well. You can’t really compare the danger level between the two, but there are always consequences for using that kind of power.
”And don’t even think that you can control it… I know it’s weird that I’m talking to you about that here, but—ugh, I’m nagging you again. Anyway, we’ll have a lengthy chat—a three-day chat about it—once you return. I love you, darling,” she confessed.
“Yeah…”
“I love you,” she repeated.
“I… love you, too, noona,” I mumbled. I felt like I had no choice but to respond that way, but it wasn’t that bad because I managed to confirm that the Doom Reset bait was working.