Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Boastful Guild (1)
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"Yujun, where's the ring?"
The atmosphere turned chilling in an instant.
Yena's warm breeze enveloped me, but unfortunately, it was the scariest thing right now.
"Yena, let me go first... then we can talk..."
"I'm not mad~ Just tell me where it is."
If she wasn't mad, she wouldn't have bound me with wind magic in the first place.
The problem was, I had no idea what had set her off.
It wasn't like Yena had given me the Ring of Protection, nor had I promised to give it to her.
I'd simply provided appropriate gear to a saintess in a dangerous situation, just like I did for Hyeji.
I couldn't figure out what part of it had upset her, so I didn't know how to handle it.
"Th-the saintess... Veronica Estelle is in danger right now, so I lent it to her."
"Lent it?"
"Yeah, we even signed a contract to return it right after the S-Rank Gate raid..."
"..."
The wind binding me began to fade away slowly.
'What? That was easier than I thought...'
It must have been some minor misunderstanding.
It cleared up much faster and simpler than I'd worried.
"But why are you being so nice to the saintess?"
"Huh?"
"She's not even in our guild, and we haven't really gotten any help from her. Do you two have some connection I don't know about? In just the past month...?"
The month since leaving the orphanage.
It had felt short to me, flying by in a flash.
But for Yena, who'd been cut off from the outside world training all that time, there was a ton of new info to process.
Especially since we'd relied only on each other at the orphanage, she seemed wary of my connections she didn't know about.
"That's..."
"The saintess is in Italy, so you couldn't have met her. Unless... you've summoned her with that ability before?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet...?"
Ah...
Now I got where Yena was coming from.
Strictly speaking, my only connection to the saintess was selling her the D-Rank Light Staff.
And even that was just a transaction, nothing special.
So lending her an A-Rank item—one I planned to use myself, no less—had thrown her for a loop.
"Yena. How do you think we should run Boastful Guild going forward?"
"...Out of nowhere?"
To clear up the misunderstanding and prevent more like it, we needed to talk properly about guild operations.
"We always said if we awakened, we'd join the same guild. And if possible, make our own."
"Yeah."
"But I already did it. I rushed because conditions were right, but mostly for our safety."
I couldn't hide my abilities forever.
Living with Yena would only draw more attention.
So I needed people to protect me, and forming a guild was the way to contract them officially.
Pulling Yena from Twilight Guild and luckily meeting Kim Hyeji next door had solved it for now.
It'd be great if we could just live happily ever after, selling gear with my abilities in safety.
But I still wasn't out of danger.
No, nowhere in the world was 100% safe.
"The S-Rank Gate in Seoul. Let's raid it."
The S-Rank Gate right in the heart of Seoul.
I had no obligation to clear it, but honestly, who else could?
The World Hunter Association's minimum for S-Rank Gates was a party of six S-Rank Awakeners.
No country had cleared one yet. Waiting wouldn't bring Korea's turn anytime soon.
So unless I gathered six S-Rank Awakeners myself, there was no solution.
"It's not certain, but the saintess... I think we can bring her into our guild."
I explained everything I knew about the saintess's situation to Yena.
Before, I'd only mentioned she didn't want the S-Rank Gate raid but was forced to follow the Holy Nation's Guild Master.
I hadn't gone into detail about her relationship with the Holy Nation.
"That bad...?"
Now, to prove recruitment was possible, I explained how she was treated in the Holy Nation and how low the raid's success odds were.
"Doesn't she have some plan for raiding it?"
"She might, but the World Hunter Association and other guilds are all advising against it."
"I see..."
Yena really had no interest in the Gallery; she only knew the Holy Nation planned an S-Rank raid.
She'd assumed they were fully prepared and confident.
After my explanation, she nodded like she got it, then looked back at me.
"So... you hope the Holy Nation fails the raid?"
"I don't hope that... I just think it's likely."
"Then if they succeed, you'll congratulate them?"
"...Yeah."
"Really~? You're not secretly praying they fail~?"
"N-no way."
As if I'd be that petty...
...
If we recruit her, I could always raid Italy's S-Rank Gate someday.
"Anyway, we need to keep recruiting high-rank Awakeners. And my strongest suit is supporting them with gear."
"Hmm..."
"Of course, nothing's given away until they're fully recruited. Strictly loans. Then Awakeners who taste my gear will beg to join us, heh heh..."
"That's sleazy."
"It's all for world peace."
Doing noble work means I need some luxuries for stress relief.
"So you get it now?"
"Hmm, sure~..."
"Healers are super rare, even if not high-rank. We must snag the saintess when we can~"
"Got it, got it~"
"Phew... You really understand?"
"Yes~ Now lie down. Time for bed."
Yena smiled gently, patting the spot beside her.
"Yeah... Good."
Relieved, I naturally followed.
Smooth—
Slipping under the covers she'd lifted, fatigue and drowsiness I'd ignored hit me hard.
'Can't... breathe...'
Buried in her embrace like I was crushed, I fell into deep sleep.
"Ah..."
I woke without knowing when I'd fallen asleep.
...
Flash—
'She went back to her room.'
I remembered right before sleep.
'How did that happen...'
I'd been uncomfortably smothered in her arms, yet passed out like that.
Made no sense.
For a second, I wondered if she'd used her ability, but she'd gone back to her own bed.
Nothing suspicious, and it was the deepest, sweetest sleep in ages. I wanted to ask for tonight too.
"Ah, gotta get ready..."
Today was the day to visit the Korean Hunter Association for official guild founding.
Had I sleep-talked? I pulled up my slightly slipped panties and headed to the bathroom.
"Whew~"
Fresh from a good sleep and shower.
I half-dried my hair roughly and headed straight to Yena's room.
Creeak—
'Still sleeping.'
I'd slept like a rock because of her, but she'd tossed and turned.
Not much repayment, but I should wake her.
We needed to get up soon to not be late.
"Yena, wake up."
"Mmm... Five more minutes..."
"It's past 11 already. Get ready or we'll be late."
"Just five..."
Normally she'd whine and get up, but today she stayed buried.
She must be really tired.
"Okay. Sleep more, and fly over on your own?"
She didn't need to rush anyway.
Just fly in five minutes before.
"I'll take Hyeji, meet at the Hunter Association..."
Flash!—
"Or just wake up?"
Yena suddenly flung off the covers and sat up.
Her sleepy eyes stared blankly at me, then she grinned and flopped onto my lap, hugging my waist.
"What the—"
"...Just five real minutes..."
Smooth—
"Haa... What'd you do last night to be this hard to wake."
"Hee hee..."
Such a peaceful vibe.
Stroking her sleeping head, I dozed off too.
"I told you I'd be late."
"It's fine~ I can fly~"
"What about Hyeji?"
"She can fly with us~"
...Me and Hyeji both hugged while flying?
Hard to picture, but no other options now, so I went with it.
We arrived at Hyeji's door in Yena's arms.
"Why're you so late!"
We linked up with Hyeji, who'd been ready and waiting.
"Sorry, overslept."
"Both of you?"
"Yeah... Yena, how we flying?"
Not sure the best hold for Yena's comfort, so we waited.
"Uh, um...?"
Suddenly, me and Hyeji floated up.
"Wheeee!! We're flying!!!"
Hyeji expressed pure joy flying.
Even flailing wildly, we flew steady.
Me too.
"Yena, you could always fly like this?"
"Hee hee.."
I thought she could only levitate objects, but nope.
Thanks to her, we arrived at the Hunter Association on time.
Yena's amazing.
So amazing...