Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Chapter 22: Party Play (7)
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“Wow.”
The sound slipped out of my mouth before I knew it.
‘What’s with all these people?’
Judging by the numbers, it looked like almost every priest from the Vicheta Temple had turned out.
Even though I knew this had been arranged in advance, I still froze in surprise.
Of course, that only lasted a moment. Leaving the players returning in a steady stream via the teleportation magic circle behind me, I approached them.
I abruptly held something out to the one draped in a cape—the mark of a high priest.
An item that would have a massive impact on the mission rankings.
‘Gillon’s Staff.’
A sacred relic of the Palaeo Order, abandoned for years after the Cairo Kingdom’s territory became polluted.
This plain wooden staff, unremarkable at first glance, was priceless beyond measure.
“Ahh, finally……!”
The high priest took the staff with trembling hands, his eyes growing misty.
Whether from the relic’s return to the order after so long, his感動 was plain to see.
“Thank you so much. Truly, thank you all. You’ve worked hard. To express our gratitude, we’ve prepared a feast at the temple…….”
The high priest personally thanked every player who had labored on this mission.
Meanwhile, I stood beside him, gazing at Gillon’s Staff with a complicated look.
‘One of the first twelve apostles chosen by Palaeo himself used this, right?’
I’d heard that the order’s tradition was to pass the twelve relics down in sequence to the next apostles.
When there were more apostles than relics, the earlier ones would hand them to later ones after death.
In the reverse case, the relic would be kept at the temple in the region of its origin.
In short, these were artifacts steeped in the history of the Seven Gods and the order.
As for why something so important had been left behind in a polluted zone.
- They forgot to grab it back then.
Recalling what Jordan had told me when we first set the order’s mission left me speechless.
The priests and paladins at Timar Castle had been so focused on gathering food for the followers during their evacuation that they’d overlooked the relic.
‘Prioritizing the followers isn’t wrong. Well, it is…… kinda.’
When I first heard the story, I’d struggled to keep a straight face.
But regardless of the circumstances, we’d recovered the relic and now handed it over publicly.
‘This should be enough showmanship.’
We’d claimed everything we could from the order’s mission as planned.
“Come on, come on, let’s head over.”
So I decided to decline the invitation to the feast.
“Sorry, but I need to get back to Havon.”
Other players would share accounts of the feast even if I skipped it.
With the two-day external schedule finally wrapped up, it was time to head home.
‘I still need to discuss that bunker we found in the polluted zone with Jordan.’
It was also the day I’d arranged to meet Yang Tae-ho, so I was eager to return.
Back in Havon, I headed straight to the Palaeo Temple.
By the time I finished my business there, three or four hours had flown by.
Having returned to Havon that morning, it was nearly noon before I finally made it back to the Bennet estate.
Rubbing my neck and shoulders out of habit, I mentally reviewed the battle from the 4-star polluted zone.
‘Shaking off a siege isn’t easy.’
There were regrets, but overall, I was more satisfied.
Compared to my first high-level evolved beast encounter, handling multiple ones alone had become much smoother.
If I scored my performance, I’d give it twenty points higher than before.
Purely subjective, of course.
Unlike me, someone else was probably loaded up with nagging, ready to fire.
I could even guess her repertoire.
- Even at your best, you’re not fit to kiss my feet.
- There’s a limit to what you can do alone.
Recalling Shamel’s voice, which now played almost on autopilot in my head, furrowed my brow.
‘Who doesn’t know that?’
I knew it better than anyone, which was why I’d worked to lower other players’ death rates and bolster the order’s forces.
But Shamel didn’t consider any of that—she nagged first and asked questions never.
It felt like she just wanted to nag.
The thought of hearing her scolding slowed my steps without me realizing.
But since it was the day to meet Yang Tae-ho, I couldn’t dawdle forever.
‘Might as well get it over with.’
If I was going to get chewed out anyway, better sooner than later.
Clicking my tongue, I arrived at the Bennet estate—and immediately sensed someone approaching fast.
I didn’t dodge. I knew exactly who it was.
“Kay!”
“Ugh.”
She slammed into my chest at full speed with a thud that echoed.
It was Beltta, who treated the Bennet estate like her own home.
Back around Dongpae, her kid-strength often sent us tumbling.
Now, I could handle it somehow. I’d even adapted to her surprise charges.
Rubbing my sore gut, I pressed down firmly on Beltta’s head.
“You again?”
“Yeah! Came this morning!”
Hanging off my waist with a goofy grin, she clambered up my body and perched on my shoulder.
Nothing new there. When I was at the estate, giving her piggyback rides had become routine.
With Beltta on my shoulder, I scanned the surroundings warily. No telling where Shamel might pop out.
If she started nagging, I’d need to rack my brain for counterarguments.
‘Took about a day to clear this mission.’
Twelve players died in the process.
Compared to the total Palaeo casualties so far, not an insignificant number.
But stripping away bias and looking purely at the numbers?
‘Most were Dongpae players, and only twelve dead in a 4-star zone? Honestly, that’s leagues ahead.’
The hellish training’s effects were crystal clear.
I’d bet my life that other orders’ players tackling a 4-star polluted zone right after Dongpae would drop in the hundreds.
Just one month of training made the difference stark between those taught proper weapon use and those not.
‘That’s good enough.’
I’d contributed plenty to the results, so wasn’t that sufficient?
I wasn’t a babysitter chasing after every player.
‘Please, no nagging this time.’
I stayed on edge because of Shamel.
Beltta, clutching fistfuls of my hair, asked in an innocent voice.
“Why?”
“Worried that old hag might jump out.”
I had no desire to take another smack to the back of the head like last time.
As I scanned cautiously, Beltta chirped brightly.
“Granny? Granny’s out.”
I clenched my fist without thinking and asked.
“You don’t know where?”
“I do, I do! Beltta knows! I heard!”
“Where?”
“Kmol!”
Beltta thrust her chin up proudly, answering with utter confidence.
Kmol—the resistance headquarters, effectively Perel’s provisional capital.
If she’d gone that far, it meant something major.
Might not wrap up in a day or two.
‘Stay gone as long as possible.’
Easing up at the news of Shamel’s absence, I asked lightly.
“What about Rashar, then?”
Chentler had said she wouldn’t be going out for a while.
As expected.
“In the paper room.”
Beltta called Rashar’s office the paper room.
Probably because of all the papers there.
Reaching the third floor where Rashar lived, I paused. Beltta’s grip on my hair tightened.
“Going to the paper room?”
“Nah.”
Rashar was avoiding me, so it’d be a waste of time.
She was probably deep in work anyway—no point disturbing her.
‘Timing’s everything in these situations.’
Her avoidance signaled she didn’t want to talk.
Pushing it would only make things worse.
I stared down the hall toward her office, then climbed the stairs again.
Beltta’s voice bubbled with excitement.
“Hehe, gonna play with me then?”
She knew neither Rashar nor I would play if we went in there.
I’d spent less time with her lately—hunting, training, outings.
My schedule was clear now, plenty of time before Yang Tae-ho arrived.
“What do you wanna do?”
She bobbed her head eagerly, her voice pitching higher.
“Mister, mister games!”
My room came into view just then, and Beltta shot off like a bullet.
She dashed the remaining distance nimbly, then hopped up to grab the doorknob.
For a kid barely reaching my thigh, it was inevitable she’d need her own effort to open it.
Watching her thrilled back, I couldn’t help but smile.
I followed her into the room.
As I unpacked from the storage box, Beltta burst out of the dressing room, arms full.
“Beltta got ’em!”
Glancing between the bathroom and her, I swallowed a sigh and headed to the sofa.
I wanted a shower, but couldn’t ignore her beaming excitement.
“C’mere.”
She bounded over with a radiant grin, dumping toys all over the table.
Gifts from An Gi-jun via the gifting function.
Beltta snatched up a plastic drum and a paper bag first.
Shaking the bag rattled cheap plastics inside.
And what were they for?
“Mister, help me put ’em in—matchy-eye mister.”
Toys for the whack-a-mole game.
Beltta’s favorite luck-based game. I’d grown to enjoy it somewhat too.
She’d jump in shock every time the mole popped up, which was cute.
‘Fun to watch, at least.’
As I sat on the sofa, she climbed onto my lap naturally, grabbing a handful of toy knives.
“I’ll go first!”
“Do what you want.”
No sooner said than she jammed the knives mercilessly into the wooden drum.
Two rounds of whack-a-mole, one Jenga, three Slap Jack later.
A knock announced my awaited guest.
“Come in.”
Temoira faction tank from the God of Patience’s camp, Yang Tae-ho.
He stood behind the servant, looking dazed.
‘Didn’t expect to miss this face after just two days.’
Maybe because he was my first recruited party member? I was happier than anticipated, lips curling unwittingly.
Yang Tae-ho spotted me and whispered to the servant who’d escorted him.
“Excuse me, ma’am, think we got the wrong place? I’m here for Kay?”
First time seeing me without the magic tool, so it made sense.
Leaving the flustered Yang Tae-ho, I dismissed the servant first.
“You can go.”
“We’ve prepared the guest room right next door for you.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Huh? Huh? Hey now!”
Yang Tae-ho glanced between the departing servant and me, floundering.
I let out a light chuckle, then donned my magic tool.
“You’re in the right place.”
“Uh, uh……!”
“Come on in.”
Only after seeing my familiar face did he awkwardly step inside.
“Whew, using the magic tool, eh? Heard you was Eastern, but lookin’ all white-folks weird……?”
The moment I shut the door, his words trailed off, body stiffening.
“Y-you, y-you……!”
His outstretched finger trembled violently.
Wondering what, I followed it—to Beltta lounging on the sofa armrest, tail fully extended.
After stammering repeatedly, Yang Tae-ho suddenly backpedaled.
He grabbed my shoulder urgently.
“T-that ain’t a beastkin kid? A kitten one at that?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Lord almighty, gonna lose my mind here!”
I wondered why he’d ask the obvious.
“Those beastkin kits got us real touchy!”
His Honam dialect wasn’t familiar at first—initially pale-faced, I didn’t catch it right.
But his next words made his point clear.
“You hear ’bout that ruckus in Breche? Place got turned upside down?!”
He meant beastkin were hypersensitive to kids’ safety.
Spot on, actually. Beastkin were extremely protective of their kin, especially immature young.
Hence the massive hunt in Breche recently.
They’d tracked a slave-trading ring there for ages.
Heard four hundred combat-capable beastkin had surrounded Breche Castle.
‘Blocked teleportation, rooted out all involved in two days. Around a hundred dead?’
Practically an assault on the castle, yet the order’s forces and nobles didn’t protest.
Anyone who’d seen Horpe that day, covered head to toe in blood demanding catnip, wouldn’t dream of complaining.
Even I, just glimpsing it through him, had felt the pressure—hard to breathe under that gaze.
‘Yang Tae-ho witnessed the carnage up close, though.’
No wonder he was terrified, more shaken than me.
I had no intention of letting the misunderstanding fester.