Chapter 302: A Vagabond’s Tears
Chapter 302: A Vagabond’s Tears
The moment I stepped out of the Warp Gate, I headed straight for the “Grandpa’s Jewelry Shop.” It was getting late, but more importantly, Ahn Sol’s words kept bothering me. I figured it would be best to take care of what I needed to and head right back to Monica.
Contrary to my anxious state, the streets of Mule were almost excessively peaceful—so much so that my own tension felt ridiculous. But my personal philosophy was that you could never be too prepared, so I didn't stop scanning my surroundings even as we entered the shopping district lined with buildings.
About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at our destination. Pushing open the worn, scratched wooden door, I saw the same sharp-featured old man from before, engrossed in some kind of record. He was so focused, he didn't seem to notice I had entered.
“Sir.”
“Hm? Oh…?”
The old man, who had just looked up from his records with a deep sigh, calmly turned his gaze toward me at the sound of my voice. Our eyes met, and after three seconds, his widened into circles.
“Y-You?”
“It’s been a while. I trust you have been in good health and spirits.”
“…That peculiar greeting of yours is still the same, I see.”
“Haha. I’m glad you remember. It’s not something I use often.”
“I-I see. Anyway, you must be busy these days. What brings you all the way out here? There’s nothing to see… ahem.”
Despite his words, he was already getting up to offer me a chair himself. I let out a small laugh and led the clan members to the seats.
“Still, it’s good to see you’re alive.”
“Yes. I had a promise to keep, and I also had to visit another city, so I stopped by on the way.”
“Goodness. To come all this way for such a trivial promise… It must have been a bit uncomfortable for you to come here.”
“Ah. You knew?”
By ‘uncomfortable,’ he must have been referring to the clash with the Representative Clans. When I asked, surprised, the old man nodded as if it were nothing.
“It was quite the commotion at the time. A sword fight with the Representative Clans isn’t exactly a common occurrence, is it?”
“I see. By any chance, did you know anyone involved back then…?”
“Nope. In any case, it’s a relief it was later ruled as self-defense. You went through a lot.”
The old man changed the subject with a dismissive attitude. I nodded once or twice. It didn’t matter much now that I’d been found innocent, but it was still a sensitive topic to dwell on. The old man must have known that, which was likely why he’d steered the conversation away.
A brief silence fell. I subconsciously glanced down at the display case, where the records the old man had been reading were neatly arranged.
“What were you reading, by the way? You were so absorbed you didn’t even notice us come in.”
“Hm? Th-These? They’re nothing! D-Don’t look.”
The old man hastily gathered the records, but my eyes had already scanned a good portion of them. Every single one of the records on the display case was about the Mercenary Clan.
“Ahem! Ahem-hem!”
“……”
I felt a laugh about to burst out. The old man had quickly covered the records, but the back of his neck was bright red, a clear sign he knew I’d seen them. I controlled my breathing to suppress my laughter and spoke quietly.
“This might be a bit sudden, but it would have been great if you had just come with us back then.”
“Wh-What are you talking about? I think you’ve misunderstood. I was just reading out of boredom.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Y-Yes. I haven’t had many customers lately, so…”
“That’s not what I meant. I was just saying, purely and simply, that it would have been nice if you had come with us.”
Lacking my patience, I heard quiet chuckles from my sides.
“Good grief. You’ve only gotten more glib since I last saw you. You used to be so straightforward and spirited.”
“I was joking.”
One little joke and I was suddenly a young man with no spirit.
In any case, the atmosphere was flowing smoothly. That was enough friendly banter for a reunion. It was time to get down to business.
“Kim Hanbyul.”
At my gesture, Kim Hanbyul immediately stood up and approached, stopping a short distance away. When I reached out and took her arm, I felt her flinch. Gently pulling her closer to my side, I turned to the old man.
“Sir. This is the Jewel Mage. Hanbyul, please introduce yourself.”
“Ah, hello…”
Though she stuttered a little, Kim Hanbyul bowed her head politely. The old man nodded a couple of times, pushed up his glasses, and offered a faint smile.
“Ho. To think this fine-looking young lady is a Jewel Mage. Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you… By the way, you did well to get her away from the Golden Lion Clan. Quite impressive.”
“Oh. You knew about that, too?”
“Hmph!”
The old man snorted forcefully, shooting me a sharp glare.
*
The crimson-stained sky was slowly being encroached upon by darkness from the edges. The sun was ready to set in the west, and a dim twilight was settling over the land. Soon, evening would arrive, a time to prepare for the pitch-black night.
The streets of the shopping district, bustling with people just a while ago, had now become sparse. After all, there were only three types of places that became active in the evening: inns for sleeping, pubs for drinking, or brothels for sex. Not all the buildings in the shopping district had gone dark, but it was true that foot traffic had dwindled compared to those other areas.
“Soohyun. What are you thinking so hard about?”
I turned my head at the sudden voice and saw Ko Yeonju, who was leaning against the wall of the jewelry shop just like me.
Ko Yeonju and I had stepped outside for a moment. It wouldn't have been a problem to stay inside, but it was a considerate gesture from the old man to give Kim Hanbyul a chance to speak with him more comfortably.
Of course, I had my own objective as well: to speak with Ko Yeonju alone. That left the question of what to do with Ahn Sol, but thankfully, I was able to leave her inside on the condition that she would quietly admire the jewels that filled the shop.
“Just had a few things on my mind.”
“I see… So, how did you get to know that old man?”
“I met him back when I was active in Mule. He was very kind to me.”
“I guess so. He has a cute side, despite his appearance. Hoho. Oh, by the way, I was so surprised. I had no idea there was a Rare Class like Gem Appraiser.”
“Really?”
After I revealed that Kim Hanbyul was a Jewel Mage, the old man had immediately revealed his own class. Of course, I already knew, so I just feigned mild surprise. But the other clan members, even Ko Yeonju, seemed quite shocked that a seemingly non-combat profession could be a Rare Class.
But I didn’t think the angels had created the Gem Appraiser class for no reason. Surely they had designated it as a Rare Class because it was useful for something, right?
It was just a hunch, but I felt it would be a great match for the Jewel Mage class. And even if it wasn’t, recruiting the old man was a definite gain for the clan’s future management.
In any case, while the possibility was high, his recruitment wasn’t yet confirmed. Besides, the clan was still small, so thinking about management already was counting my chickens before they hatched.
After organizing my thoughts, I glanced to my side and saw Ko Yeonju looking down, fidgeting with her feet. I watched her for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“Ko Yeonju.”
“Yes~?”
Ko Yeonju answered with a pretty smile. A pair of pale ash-gray eyes looked up at me, and as I gazed into them, their corners soon curved gently. There wasn’t a trace of resentment toward me. If I were a woman and someone had treated me that brutally, I would certainly have felt upset. Ko Yeonju had even cried.
Despite that, she hadn’t shown a hint of resentment since waking up this morning. Perhaps that was why I felt even more sorry.
“I’m sorry.”
“Soohyun…?”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t in my right mind at dawn today. For that, I am truly sorry.”
“……”
Ko Yeonju looked puzzled for a brief moment. Then, a faint smile spread across her face as she slowly closed the distance between us. After a quick glance at the door, she stretched out her arms and threw them around me in a tight hug.
“I was wondering what this was about. I got enough apologies this morning. You don’t have to feel sorry anymore.”
“I was so surprised when I saw you crying… Did it hurt that much?”
At that moment, Ko Yeonju let out a small laugh. She buried her face in my chest for a while, her shoulders trembling slightly, then lifted her head, muttering, “I swear, being dense must be genetic.”
“I wasn’t crying because it hurt.”
“……”
“How should I put it… The truth is, the whole time, I was thinking about our first night together. Your eyes back then and your eyes at dawn today were so, so different. I just felt sad and scared for no reason. And the moment it was over, this wave of sorrow just burst out of me. That’s why I cried. Well, honestly, I didn’t expect to lose control of my bladder. Hoho. I guess that makes me a bedwetter now, doesn’t it? You’ll keep it a secret, right? Oh, should I go get some salt?”
Ko Yeonju spoke one thing after another with a sorrowful look in her eyes, but then she broke into a bright, tinkling laugh. By ending with a joke, it seemed she wanted to just leave it at that. But I slowly hugged her back.
“Ko Yeonju. I am truly sorry. I mean it. Back then…”
“And I’m telling you, I’m really okay. I know what’s in your heart.”
“I was… Mmph.”
“That’s enough of that talk. Do you really want to see me at a complete loss for what to do? You keep bringing it up, and it’s embarrassing. And if we’re getting technical, I was the one who provoked you first.”
I just wanted to convey my sincere feelings, but Ko Yeonju covered my mouth with one hand and poked my chest with the other. Then, she gently took my hand and led me gracefully toward the shop door.
“If you feel that bad, just treat me better than Hayeon~. Anyway, let’s go back inside.”
“What? But we’re still talking…”
“We’re done talking. Actually, I’ve been listening in for a while.”
Bang!
Just then, as we approached the door, it swung wide open, and Kim Hanbyul poked her head out.
“Oppa. Is the talk over…?”
Seeing us standing right in front of the door, she let the end of her sentence trail off with a curious inflection.
*
A man emerged from the edge of the forest. He scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze before giving a light wave of his hand.
Rustle! Shhh-shhh!
Presently, what looked to be hundreds of Users stealthily appeared from the woods.
The man turned his gaze to the Users standing behind him. His eyes were filled with pride as he looked at them.
“Kim Gapsoo, Baek Seoyeon.”
The man quietly called two names. A burly, muscular man and a woman in tight-fitting tights slowly walked forward.
“We received a message from the main force yesterday. I’m sure you’ve already been notified, but the operation is to be carried out before tonight is over. You’ve all relayed this clearly to your respective units, correct?”
“It is done.”
“Yup~.”
Nodding at their crisp replies, the man turned his gaze to the burly man, Kim Gapsoo.
“Kim Gapsoo. What’s the status of our people inside?”
“They’re all lying low near the North Gate and the Warp Gate. The moment the North Gate is breached, the two groups will open the gate from inside and seize the Warp Gate, respectively.”
“Good. I will lead the first unit and strike the North Gate. Once it’s breached, I’ll wreak havoc inside. The moment the gate is down, you will begin your assault on the West Gate. And the Warp Gate… you’ve relayed the plan clearly, I trust?”
“Yes. It has been relayed clearly. You don’t need to worry.”
The man then turned his gaze to the woman.
“Seoyeon. To be honest, I’m still not convinced I should be entrusting this mission to you.”
“Oh, that hurts. Is it because you don’t trust my skills?”
“It’s not about your skills. You’re too soft-hearted. Not like a Vagabond should be.”
“But my methods are just as effective, aren’t they? Don’t you worry, just leave it to me. I’ll break through the East Gate and reach the Warp Gate before Hyeon or Gapsoo.”
The woman called Seoyeon twirled a dagger with confidence and gave a slight nod. Kim Gapsoo’s expression soured for a moment, but he quickly schooled his features after glancing at the man called Hyeon.
“Remember this. This is war. In war, people die. If you run wild without a plan like last time…”
“Don’t you worry~.”
“…Understood. And as I said before, we leave the South Gate. If I had my way, I’d slaughter every last one of them, but I suppose we should leave them one escape route. Just as they did for us.”
Hyeon stopped talking and turned around. Then, in a voice as cold as a blade, he spoke.
“Kim Gapsoo. Baek Seoyeon. Take your units and move to your target locations immediately. I will give a clear signal, so be warned: do not, under any circumstances, act before you receive it.”
The moment he finished speaking, Kim Gapsoo and Baek Seoyeon shot off to the left and right like lightning. Simultaneously, the thousands of presences that had been felt within the forest also split, following them.
The war for revenge was about to begin.