Dinner with a Guardian
I was stunned. “So that’s what you meant when you said something was coming?”
“Yeah. Looks like it’s headed for our guild.”
I wondered if she’d been a former Guardian rather than a former alchemist. Her senses were incredible.
Just as Seoha had predicted, the carriage stopped right in front of the Necromancer Guild. She stood up reflexively and went out to greet the guest. Perfect guild guide behavior.
“Welco—” Seoha’s voice cut off mid-sentence.
Curious, I turned to see what was happening. And there she was—someone I knew.
“Oppa!”
Or maybe someone I didn’t. Her long violet hair was tied up elegantly, and she wore a pristine lilac dress. It was unmistakably Roa.
I thought my eyes were playing tricks. No matter how many times I looked, it was her. Roa walked up to me with a smile—a sweet one that reminded me of violets.
“Uh…” My brain short-circuited for a second.
I’d seen Roa’s face so often I was sick of it. But something felt different. This wasn’t the Roa I knew. Maybe it was the absence of that hooded robe she always wore. Come to think of it, maybe the robe was her true form.
“What brings you here?” I asked.
Roa beamed. “I promised I’d treat you to a meal once we returned to Runen, remember?”
We had talked about it on the way back. She’d said she owed me and wanted to buy me dinner. I wasn’t the type to turn down a free meal, so I’d happily agreed.
“I thought you might be free today, so I came by… Are you busy?”
Not even slightly. And even if I had been, I would’ve gone anyway. The way she was dressed made it clear she’d come with a plan.
“Nope. Not busy at all. We’re doing dinner, right?”
“Well… I did make a reservation.” Roa scratched her head awkwardly. “It has a dress code…”
“…”
What the hell did a dress have to do with anything? A dress code. In plain terms, it meant clothing requirements—if you didn’t meet them, you weren’t getting in. But who needed a dress code just to eat? How expensive was this place?
“Oppa, do you have any formal attire?”
“I don’t.”
Roa gave a small laugh. The smile said she’d expected as much. It secretly annoyed me.
“Then we can rent something. I know a good shop. If you’re not busy, shall we go now?”
She waited quietly for my answer. That’s when I realized it—Roa had planned everything from the start before coming to find me. Thorough as always, even with the little things.
I glanced at my nearly empty bowl of noodles. If I ditched it now, Seoha would be stuck cleaning up after me.
That’s when Seoha, who had been slurping her own noodles, looked up at me. Her eyes had a very sly glint. Or maybe cunning was the better word.
“Hajun’s all grown up. Dumping lunch cleanup on me.”
“…Where did you learn to talk like that?”
“Back in my alchemist days.”
Seoha giggled. “Don’t worry about things here. Go have fun.”
“You sure it’s okay?”
“Ask one more time and I’ll make sure it’s not. So go while I’m still being nice.”
Seoha smiled brightly and waved at Roa. Roa waved back just as cheerfully.
“Make sure you don’t bring Hajun back too late!”
“Understood!”
“…”
Leaving Seoha behind, I climbed into the carriage and headed out into the streets.
Roa had excellent fashion sense.
“Hmm… Could you show me something in a brighter tone?”
“How about this?”
“That’s nice. Don’t you have anything without the tailcoat?”
The clothing rental shop was clearly one Roa knew well. She treated me like a mannequin, enthusiastically swapping outfits on me. They all looked about the same to me, but Roa remained meticulous until the end.
“What do you think?”
I had no idea what to say. They all looked fine to my eyes.
“It’s good.”
“Then we’ll go with this one.”
Roa’s face was incredibly bright. Almost like she smiled this much all the time. Maybe it was because she wasn’t wearing the hood she usually treated like a second skin.
Watching her gave me a strange feeling. Why would someone so smart and kind be doing dangerous work like dungeon exploration? It didn’t seem like money was the reason.
“The bill…”
“I’ll pay for this.”
She even tried to cover the clothes. But no matter how I thought about it, since I was the one wearing them, I should pay.
“How much?”
“Two hundred and fifty rons.”
“…”
A night at an inn cost around a hundred rons. Two hundred and fifty to rent one outfit? Were they insane?
I finished the payment with some reluctance. “Feels like a waste of money.”
“Does it?”
Thinking about burning two hundred and fifty rons on clothes I’d return after dinner put me in a sour mood. Was two hundred and fifty rons some dog’s name? Dig in the dirt for a hundred days and you still wouldn’t find a single coin.
“This won’t do, Roa.”
“Yes?”
“Is there somewhere we can go hang out?”
It was too much of a waste. Since I’d already rented the clothes, I might as well show them off somewhere crowded.
Roa let out a bright laugh. “What kind of place would you like?”
“Somewhere with lots of people. The more the better.”
“Then shall we start at the fountain in the square?”
“Let’s go.”
We’d enjoy ourselves until dinner.
After falling into this roguelike world, it was the first time I’d toured the city so leisurely.
Looking back, every single day had been a struggle. Once I obtained the Necromancer class, I had to work as an explorer, but things never went smoothly. With insufficient skill and experience, I couldn’t take high-paying requests. I ended up stuck with errands—delivering packages, gathering herbs—and only earned part-time wages.
Now that I’d reached level 4, I could accept jobs worth several thousand rons. To think a day like this would come, where I could indulge in such luxury. The feeling was strangely new.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
After wandering the city for a while and as the sun began to set, we entered the restaurant Roa had reserved. I’d expected it, but it was still ridiculous. Five hundred rons per person for the course meal. The payment I’d received for escorting Maya all the way to Oricil had only been thirteen hundred rons… The price was insane.
“It’s good.”
I said the words, but I wasn’t really in a position to taste anything properly. I had definitely told her, “Next time it’s on me.” Which meant after this meal, I had to treat Roa next. There was no way I could repay a five-hundred-ron course with five-ron fish noodle soup. I needed to offer something of similar value.
Damn it. Why had I said I’d treat her next time? I should’ve just eaten for free and kept quiet.
“This is the best place in Runen, from what I know.”
Roa cut her meat with elegant precision and smiled sweetly. It was incredibly cute. No—that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Have you tried other places?”
“No. There aren’t many restaurants in Runen.”
“…”
Not many restaurants…? Then what about all the places I remembered…?
“Roa. What does your father do?”
“He just relaxes at home.”
“His occupation?”
“He’s simply a lord.”
Roa spoke of this incredibly significant fact as if it were nothing. Shouldn’t she brag about it a little? Or was I the strange one?
“Then why do you work as an explorer?”
“My father is a sponsor of the Guardian Order.”
Roa explained it simply. Far to the southeast of Runen lay the Shieta Islands, a region of many isles, and the person who ruled them was Roa’s father.
Hearing the story brought back the Dungeon Overseer setting. Riane Island—the headquarters of the Guardian Order of Balance and Harmony, birthplace of the first Guardians, and home to the Twilight Tower they worshipped. The original Guardians had come from the Shieta Islands. In other words, they were islanders who had crossed over to the continent.
“As a member of the Van Rae family, I’m obligated to serve as a Guardian.”
“Can’t you just stay at the guild?”
“It’s allowed. My older brother and sister handled paperwork there. I somehow ended up starting explorer activities instead.”
I roughly understood. The reason Roa worked as an explorer was a form of noblesse oblige. Just as British royalty were required to enlist in the military, Roa of the Van Rae family—the Guardian Guild’s biggest sponsor—had become a Guardian to fulfill her noble duties.
Van Rae Roa. Calling her that felt strangely unfamiliar. She really was a daughter from a prestigious house.
Roa elegantly dabbed the oil from her lips, then spoke in a calm voice.
“I’ve answered your question, Oppa. Now may I ask one?”
“Hmm. Sure. What are you curious about?”
“Why are you searching for the Crown of the Forgotten?”
The reason I sought the Crown of the Forgotten? There was only one. To escape this world. Did any other explanation matter?
“Because I have a wish I need granted.”
“A wish…”
Roa’s hand froze mid-cut. She seemed lost in deep thought.
“When I look at you, Oppa, I have so many thoughts.”
Her voice was low, like she was talking to herself. It felt like it didn’t matter whether I heard or not. Maybe she had already slipped into her own world.
“You’re still young, yet you’ve studied so much. You possess knowledge I don’t, and no matter what happens, you always find a way.”
“That’s…”
Knowledge I’d gained from a thousand hours of gameplay. But how could I possibly tell her the truth?
“Every time I see you, I feel inadequate. I received all kinds of education to become a Guardian too. When I first took the Ant Cave request, I had confidence. I thought everything would unfold exactly as I’d planned.”
I knew the feeling. Before starting anything, everyone makes their own plans—sloppy or meticulous. They try to solve problems their own way.
But most things in this world don’t go according to plan. That’s why we make mistakes. Why we fail. No one can prevent every unexpected accident.
“I nearly died several times. There were many moments I thought it was over. But you, Oppa, always found an unexpected answer. Methods I could never have imagined.”
The important thing was not giving up. No matter how terrible the situation or how close death loomed, if you calmly retraced what you could do, an answer would appear. It was one of the reasons I loved roguelike games. Even if you had no idea how to clear it at first, once you grew used to thinking your way through, you could beat it somehow.
“Please answer just one thing.”
Roa’s expression was deadly serious.
“Is there a connection between searching for the Crown of the Forgotten and the reason you became a Necromancer?”
“There is.”
I answered honestly. The reason I chose Necromancer? Because it’s strong in the late game…
Roa nodded slowly.
“It must be difficult to answer right away.”
“Yeah. It’s not the kind of reason I can just tell people.”
“I understand.”
Roa gave an elegant bow of her head. “I’m sorry for asking something so personal.”
“It’s fine.”
Personal? I was just relieved I hadn’t had to talk about the game. Roa didn’t press further into my personal history. Instead, she began chatting about ordinary things like always.
The Guardian class didn’t come with any special high-education trait. But as nobility, Roa knew a great deal. Thanks to that, conversation with her was genuinely enjoyable. It was nice when words flowed so naturally.
After the horrendously expensive meal, Roa escorted me back to the guild.
“Today was fun.”
“I had fun too. It’s nice to relax like this once in a while.”
We both laughed at the same time.
“Get some rest. And if there’s a request you need me for, please call.”
“Will do.”
Roa left. Alone, I returned to my room in the guild. As I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, a thought suddenly struck me.
It had been quite a while since I fell into this roguelike world. I’d raised my level to a decent point. Now when I completed requests, I earned a good amount of money. My life was gradually becoming more stable. I could probably survive just fine without forcing myself to fight high-level monsters.
In a situation like this… did I really need to keep searching for the Crown of the Forgotten? What if I just raised my rank to Silver and settled down in this world?
…Now that I was comfortable, all sorts of thoughts were surfacing. Back when I worried about tomorrow’s meals and ran errands, even having these worries would have been a luxury. I’d really come a long way.
Hajun.
I shook my head, chasing away the idle thoughts. Whether I settled here or found the Crown of the Forgotten and returned to my original world, one fact remained unchanged: I still had to enter dungeons. I was an explorer. I took new requests and cleared dungeons. That was all there was to it.
Tomorrow, as soon as dawn broke, I should stop by the exploration party.