Astrania-1337

The moment training ended, every ache in my body came roaring back at once.

Until then, adrenaline and dopamine had been flooding my system so hard I barely felt the pain. The second the high wore off, though, it all came crashing in.

The backs of my hands stung. My wrists throbbed. My thighs and sides burned like someone had worked me over with a club. Even the shoulder I'd rolled on after getting shoved by the shield felt tight and sore. I'd managed fine on the training ground — but the second it was over, every corner of my body started complaining on a delay.

"Hold on."

Right before we stepped into the guild, Kaya caught my arm.

"What is it?"

"Come here. Let me look at where you got hit."

I followed her without really thinking. Kaya took my hand first and examined the back of it — the side that had caught the shield and wooden stick more times than I could count. Then wrist, shoulder, side, thigh, pressing each in turn. She found the genuinely bad spots with uncanny precision.

"Ah— wait, wait. That one's bruised."

"I know. That's why I'm checking whether anything's broken."

A faint light gathered at Kaya's fingertips — a very soft gold. Wherever it touched, the searing pain eased by degrees. The bruises didn't vanish in a flash, but the angry red heat settled into something more like a dull mark, and the throbbing dropped down a whole notch.

I blinked.

"What… is this?"

Kaya answered without taking her hands away.

"Basic healing arts of the Luenn Church."

"Whoa… this is basically all-purpose, right?"

"Not quite. This doesn't erase wounds so much as settle them so they don't get worse. For someone as badly hurt as Roy, this alone isn't enough. Even just keeping him from dying is a struggle."

"…Got it."

By the time she finished speaking, the burn across the back of my hand had eased enough to notice. I wasn't fully healed, but at least I felt like I could hold a spoon without flinching.

Mari had been standing beside us with her arms crossed, listening. She snorted.

"You didn't even know that?"

"Huh?"

"Are you sure you're not from a completely different world?"

My heart dropped for a second.

How the hell did she figure that out?

I worked hard not to let my face slip and fired back.

"You're surprisingly pure, huh~ Must be a big fan of fairy tales."

Mari's expression crumpled on the spot.

"What?"

"Just figured you'd never met someone this clueless before~"

"Wow…"

Mari took a step forward.

"Kaya, this guy didn't get hit enough by Garen. Mind if I just punch him once?"

"No."

"Why not!"

"I just treated him. Don't do anything stupid."

Mari clicked her tongue. I smiled a little. Either way, the pain in my hands and wrists was clearly better.

We headed straight into the guild.

There were a few more people than earlier. It was still that awkward pre-lunch stretch, so it wasn't packed to the walls, but there were folks at the reception desk now, and more adventurers standing in front of the quest board. And those eyes — the moment I walked in, they drifted toward me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"That's the guy? The one Garen checked out himself?"

"He didn't run?"

"He's way better-looking than I expected."

"Temporary transfer into Roy's party, right?"

I pretended not to hear and followed behind Kaya.

This is exactly that gym-newbie vibe where everyone casually scopes you out the second you walk in.

The young woman seated at the reception desk straightened up the moment she saw us.

Her light brown hair was tied neatly halfway up, and clear brown eyes were the first thing that caught you. Her skin was on the fair side, and her whole impression was that of a polished office beauty. True to a guild receptionist, her clothes were tidy and her hands moved fast and precise.

"Kaya, Mari. I heard about yesterday. How's Roy?"

"He's receiving treatment at the healing sanctuary."

"Ah… that's a relief."

Her gaze shifted to me.

And for just a moment, our eyes met.

It was nothing, really — but it was the kind of look that made you take a beat too long to look away. Like she was just confirming an outsider… and yet it lingered a little longer than that.

"Is this the outsider?"

"Yeah. We need to process a temporary transfer."

Kaya said.

"Baek… Siyun, is that right?"

She rolled my name once in her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mouth like she was tasting it, then wrote it carefully into the ledger.

"That's an unusual name. I'll remember it."

"Remember it?"

"You're already hard enough to miss."

At that, Mari snorted softly beside me.

"I'm Luce Hound."

She said it with a light smile.

I nodded a half-second late.

"Baek Siyun."

"I already knew, but hearing it in person makes it stick better, doesn't it?"

Luce said that and flipped to the next page of the ledger. Her tone was bright; her hands were quick.

"For now, this won't be a full registration — just a temporary transfer. No special mark or token, but you'll have access to the guild's basic facilities."

"Yes, thank you."

Luce finished organizing the papers, slid them away, and spoke again.

"If there's anything you don't know, just come to the desk."

Mari cut in right from the side.

"Luce, you're taking pretty good care of him, huh?"

"I do this much for everyone."

"Doesn't seem like it."

Mari narrowed her eyes slightly at Luce.

Luce smiled, small, and her eyes flicked toward me once more.

I smiled back.

Kaya took me on a short walkthrough of the guild's interior from there.

Quest board. Item settlement counter. Rest area. Equipment storage. The corridor connecting to the training grounds.

Her explanations were short and exact. Mari kept tossing comments in from the side the whole time.

"You don't need that yet at your level."

"That door's a storage room. Don't open it for no reason."

"If you get lost and start crying, it'd be hilarious."

Along the way, more glances trailed after us. This time the women adventurers were a little more obvious about it.

"Who's that guy?"

"Black hair."

"He got attached to Roy's party, right?"

"His face is pretty good."

"Body looks solid too."

"Should we try talking to him later?"

I never thought looking decent would get tiring in another world.

Being an idol is exhausting~

I was only rolling that thought around in my head when Mari snapped at me.

"Stop looking around at useless stuff."

"I'm not the one looking — they're looking first."

"Both of you, quiet."

Kaya cut us off.

In the brief gap that opened, I pulled up the Archive in the air.

Time was definitely moving. The dimension list could refresh with something new before the day was out. Fresh dimensions would pop up, and a whole string of insane names would scroll by again.

But… strangely, my heart didn't budge.

For saving dimensions, it might've been smarter to sample at least one more right now. Didn't matter. It might even be a loss — but after twenty-four hours, it would refresh again anyway.

I had no desire to leave a world I actually liked sitting idle just so I could shove myself into another deranged dimension and get my mental state shredded.

I'm not looking~

For the time being, I was staying right here.

Maybe a month? If I get starving for modern food or shorts, I can pop back to the one-room for a bit. Worlds I leave are frozen anyway.

That was enough.

It was right after that when the training marks started to really bother me. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sweat had cooled, and dirt and blood were caked together across the backs of my hands.

"So, uh… is there somewhere I can wash up?"

Mari narrowed her eyes at that.

"Finally want to look like a person, huh?"

"Well… yeah?"

Kaya spoke up.

"There's a public bathhouse behind the guild."

"You can use the towels they keep there."

Luce added helpfully.

"…Pay me back later."

Mari said that and pressed a silver coin into my palm.

I looked down at it, then grinned right away.

"Yes! Thanks!"

And following Kaya's directions, I went into the bathhouse.

It was bigger than I expected.

Stepping into the stone building behind the guild, warm steam rolled over my face. Water kept flowing in along channels, and thanks to some kind of mana device set into the wall, it was properly hot. The floor was well-finished stone, and the soaking pool was decently wide.

And… there was something like soap.

More precisely, a crude cleansing bar made from ash and hardened oil — and next to it, faintly scented herb powder and a simple cleanser. Not fully modern, but it lathered, and the smell was better than I thought it'd be.

"Hell yeah."

I muttered it under my breath as I stripped.

Damn~ No living expenses to worry about? Astrania's welfare is insane.

Towels were stacked neatly on one side of the bathhouse, and a small counter next to them sold spare clothes and something resembling undergarments.

I paid one silver for the bath first. I shook out the remaining copper coins into my palm, counted them, and picked up the most ordinary linen shirt and pants I could find — then realized I was a little short.

In the end I had them put the difference on the tab, bundled my modern clothes into a rough cloth wrap, and hung them to the side.

When the hot water hit the backs of my hands and my shoulder, the training marks stung and throbbed. Still felt good, though.

Wash. Scrub. Soak. Wash again.

Every time I swept water down my body, I felt cleaner. The soap was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rough, but it worked, and the herb smell was surprisingly fine.

By the time I stepped out fully washed, I actually felt alive again.

Ahhh~!

Kaya and Mari, reunited with me afterward, looked a lot more put-together themselves.

Kaya's short ash-brown hair made her neat impression even sharper, and Mari had only half-dried her reddish-brown hair, yet somehow she stood out even more. Fresh from washing, both of them looked clearer than before.

…They're both pretty.

Walking side by side with the two of them, more glances snagged on us from the guild side.

"He got even better-looking after washing up."

"Hmm~"

Uh… thank you?

Hunger hit right after that.

"So is there anything to eat around here?"

Kaya answered immediately.

"Let's go eat first."

"Not the guild cafeteria."

"Huh?"

"There's a decent place in town."

Mari said.

"If we're putting it on credit anyway, better to eat properly."

Agreed on that one.

The place Kaya took us to was a restaurant with a real name even in a frontier settlement — Sunset Hearth.

The second we opened the door, a thick smell of meat rolled out, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the scent of freshly baked bread hit all at once. After a short wait we sat down, and food came out almost right away.

Rich meat stew.

Steaming fresh bread.

A little grilled meat.

Pickled vegetables.

I lifted a spoon, took one bite, and stopped.

"Whoa…"

The stew was deep, the bread was hot, and the meat was salted just right. Paired with the pickles, the balance was better than I'd expected. I only managed to speak again after a few mindless bites.

"This is way better than I thought."

"Than you thought?"

Mari shot me a look.

"No, I didn't mean it like that…"

"Don't get too attached. It's on credit."

"Still tastes good."

"Only possible because you're a temporary party member."

Kaya said.

"The bath fee and the meal will come out of your share later."

"Sounds good~"

"What's good about that."

Short practical talk flowed naturally while we ate.

"Roy won't be moving for a while."

Kaya said.

"So for now it's the three of us working together?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa! I'm employed!"

"Don't get the wrong idea."

Mari said.

"It's not official. It's surveillance — checking whether you're actually a decent human being."

"Still, I already feel this sense of belonging."

"You look way too happy about it."

Kaya tore a piece of bread and continued.

"Big commissions are out of the question. For now it'll just be clearing goblins on the outskirts, or checking around the settlement."

"Lighter than I expected."

"Lighter, huh."

Mari scooped up a spoonful of stew and muttered.

"We're all putting our lives on the line, and you're the only one treating it like it's nothing?"

"Hey~ You all survived because of me."

"You—!"

I laughed at Mari's fuming face, dipped bread into the stew, and quietly lifted my head. Outside the restaurant, the lunch light was slowly settling down.

People's voices, the clink of dishes, the rattle of carts outside — it all mixed together.

Strangely, my heart felt a little lighter.

Really… this is good.