The Falcon Gang (2)
After taking down the boss, I was so spent that I simply collapsed inside the barrier of Curtana that was still shielding Hyeonseok and Yeonseo.
When I came to, a chill had settled over me, so I instinctively hugged the nearest source of warmth and tried to drift back under.
That was when a voice cut through the haze.
"Hmm~ Even in your sleep you're clinging for dear life. What a little vixen you are."
My eyes flew open. Hyeonseok's face was right there in front of me. I yelped and scrambled away so fast I nearly left my own skin behind.
"Wha—! N-no! Hnn… haah, haah…"
"Shame. A little longer and it would've been really entertaining."
I looked up. Yeonseo was already on her feet, arms folded, watching the two of us with the air of someone whose body had fully recovered.
"When did you wake up? Are you okay?"
"Just now—right before you decided to use Hyeonseok as a body pillow. I was still half-asleep, but that sure woke me up. Heehee."
She covered her mouth and laughed. I immediately shaped a blade of flame with Holy Fire and prepared to send it flying.
"Stop… teasing me…!"
"All right, all right, ease up. More importantly—what kind of skill is that?"
"This? Nothing special. I just reshaped the holy power into the form of a flame."
"Come on, it doesn't even have a name? Surely it has a name."
I had no idea what she was talking about. Did a little parlor trick like this really need a name? I wasn't the type who named skills in the first place.
"I don't bother naming things like this. There's no need, is there?"
"You were the one who asked me to show you my skills earlier."
"Yeah, because yours are cool! The designs on those statues alone are amazing."
"Hmm~ From where I'm standing, Charlotte's skills look pretty good too."
"Fine. If it bothers you that much, you can name it later."
"Really?! Great. I'm looking forward to it."
…Yeah, I was already starting to regret that offer. But the words were out, and the way her eyes sparkled made it impossible to take them back.
"What time is it? How long were we out?"
"Let's see… around seven in the evening? We were under for a while, huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'?! More importantly—how do we claim the rewards? I've never done this before, so I just left everything alone."
Yeonseo scanned the area, then pointed.
"Ah! Take your device over to that stele."
"Really? Then we should wake Hyeonseok first, right?"
"Yeah, we should."
We roused Hyeonseok, sheathed Curtana, and walked over to the stele.
"Haaawn… Sorry. I went down first."
He yawned and apologized. If anyone should be apologizing, it was me.
"Don't worry about it. You were trying to protect me."
"Exactly. Our little vixen's knight in shining armor took a hit for her, so it's fine."
"If you're fine with it, then good. But Yeonseo—why are you suddenly like this with me?"
Hyeonseok's face had gone faintly pink as he glared at her. I raised my voice.
"What?! Knight?! Don't say weird things!"
"Hmm~ Says the girl who was clinging to him just a minute a—"
I slapped a hand over Yeonseo's mouth and spun around. Thankfully Hyeonseok seemed completely lost.
"Seriously… stop saying unnecessary things…!"
"Yes, yes, Your Highness~"
"Hey…!"
Hyeonseok watched us bicker and broke into a grin.
"Pfft. You two really have gotten close, huh?"
"Well… when you fight side by side with your lives on the line, friendship just happens, right?"
"Charlotte, that sounds exactly like something a little kid would say. Haha."
Seeing him laugh made me feel a little embarrassed—maybe it did sound childish. But I knew from experience in the other world that when people entrust their lives to one another in battle, bonds form even where none existed before. Back then, a handful of big names from rival factions had been forced to fight together just to survive; afterward they ended up traveling together and covering each other's backs. So no, it wasn't purely a child's way of thinking. That was my story and I was sticking to it.
"Ahem. So I just hold the device up to this thing? And then where do the rewards appear?"
I cleared my throat and asked before pressing the device to the stele.
"That's right. And the rewards will drop right in front of you."
Yeonseo guided my hand forward until the device touched the stone.
"Wait—you should've said that first!"
Light flared. A hologram unfolded from the device, displaying the reward information.
Unlocking of the Magic Stone Generator has been completed.
A strange box floated in front of me. The moment I touched it, it settled solidly into my hands.
"Um… what is this?"
I pointed at the box. Yeonseo stepped closer and examined it.
"Hmm. A box of this grade usually holds an artifact or something similar."
"Whoa, for real?! Let's open it!"
Inside were about ten cross-shaped brooches. I picked one up, and information about it flooded into my mind.
"Ah, so that's what it is. Not the greatest thing ever, but useful enough."
"Charlotte, what is it?"
Hyeonseok came over, curiosity plain on both his face and Yeonseo's.
"It's a brooch that can store my holy power. The moment I pour power into it and hand it over, it becomes a bound artifact. As long as the stored holy power remains, the first time the wearer takes a serious injury, the power inside bursts out and heals them. After that it disappears—single-use item."
"That's pretty good, isn't it?" Hyeonseok said, sounding positive.
Yeonseo just shrugged. "Eh, it's decent. My turn next, then?"
Same reaction as always. Unless something genuinely interested her—or she was teasing me—she barely paid attention.
After that, Yeonseo and Hyeonseok claimed their own rewards.
Yeonseo received a Magic Stone Polaroid—something that would keep working as long as you fed it magic stones. To my surprise, she seemed to love it. She kept snapping pictures of me, of Hyeonseok, and of herself, laughing the whole time.
"You really like it, huh?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Before the world turned into this, I used to love taking photos. Especially of animals."
I hadn't expected that at all. And the way she was smiling so brightly—I felt like I was seeing it for the first time.
"What's wrong, little vixen? Jealous?"
"What?! Don't be ridiculous. I just thought you looked pretty when you smile like that."
Yeonseo's face went scarlet.
"You really are an unconscious little fox… trying to bewitch people without even knowing it."
Muttering nonsense, she turned her head away and marched off into the distance.
What on earth is she talking about…?
As for Hyeonseok—
"Hmm… can I even carry this…?"
"Too heavy after all?"
"No, the weight's fine. It's just so big that lugging it around is going to be a pain."
A massive backpack sat in front of him. When we pulled the contents free, it turned out to be a tent—not an ordinary one, but a curious tent laced with some kind of magic.
"Looks like something straight out of a fantasy wizard novel," Yeonseo remarked.
She was right. Once we set it up and opened the flap, we found all sorts of tools and even beds inside. It looked excellent.
"Maybe if you press somewhere it shrinks?"
"Maybe? But I have no idea where."
Hyeonseok and I poked and prodded the backpack until our hands met on the logo. That must have been the spot—because the whole thing shrank until it fit easily in one hand.
"Oh, so that was it. Thanks, Charlotte."
"Huh? No, you were the one who found the right place."
We looked at each other and, for a moment, both doubled over laughing.
We had cleared the tower and claimed our rewards. There was no reason to linger, so we activated the stele and stepped outside.
A good deal of time had passed; night had fully fallen. The difference was that clearing the tower had halted the desolation and started the land regenerating. Trees that had been nothing but withered husks now unfurled soft green leaves in greeting, and a cool but pleasant night breeze stirred the new grass and foliage, refreshing us completely.
So this is what it looks like after you clear a tower. It was hard, but watching a wasteland come back to life like this feels good.
While I was admiring the changed forest, worry for Uncle Dusik back at the settlement crept in.
"Shall we head back? I'm worried about Uncle Dusik too."
I looked at the two of them as I spoke. Yeonseo thought for a second.
"Charlotte. You couldn't use it earlier, but can you use the artifact that bandit guy gave you now?"
"What do you mean, 'couldn't use it earlier'?"
Hyeonseok looked between us, clearly lost, but Yeonseo brushed past his question.
"You just couldn't use it for a bit earlier. How about now, Charlotte?"
"It seems fine now. Want me to use it?"
"Pitching the tent Hyeonseok got and camping here would be nice too—atmosphere and all. But this isn't the time. We still have to go find that tomboy who ran off on her own, remember?"
"So you want me to use it right away and get us back?"
"Pretty much. And Hyeonseok may look fine, but moving around is still hard for him. Right?"
"Huh? No, I'm okay—"
Yeonseo slipped behind him and gave his back a light smack.
"Even like this?"
"Hnnngh… S-sorry."
He had seemed his usual self, but he was clearly still hurting.
"If Hyeonseok's like that, you're probably the same, Yeonseo."
She avoided my eyes, whistling softly and looking anywhere else.
"All right. Let's get back quickly, rest, and see if the uncles have found anything out."
With that, we used the artifact Uncle Dusik had given us and transferred straight to the Mokdong Settlement.
At that same moment, inside the room of Kang Hancheol, leader of the Mokdong Settlement, Ho Dunsik and Kang Hancheol were staring at a letter, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
We have your daughter in our custody. We expect you to meet the demands we have stated.
If you do not, we cannot guarantee what will become of her.
Only two lines, written on the paper that had arrived together with the identification token Ara always carried to prove she belonged to the Mokdong Settlement.