Chapter 419: 9. A Mercenary's Quiet Life (2/2)
Chapter 419: 9. A Mercenary's Quiet Life (2/2)
Before the war, the Mercenary Clan had thirteen members.
Shin Sangyong.
But during the war, one of them died.
Nam Daeun, Woo Jungmin, Seon Yuun, Won Hyesoo, Park Hyunwoo, Cha Sorim, Sasha Felix.
And after the war, seven new members were accepted.
In a short time, our numbers had grown by nearly seventy percent of the original count. This meant the Mercenary Clan now had a total of nineteen members. (I intentionally excluded the baby unicorn.)
Of course, compared to large clans with hundreds of members, this was a laughably small number. But I didn’t place much importance on numbers. That was because Mercenary was a clan that pursued quality over quantity.
There was a saying: one well-nurtured User was better than ten mediocre ones. It meant it was far better to accept a User with potential and focus on supporting them than to fill our ranks with riffraff. Or to accept a User who had already sprouted and blossomed.
In that sense, the Mercenary Clan, though small in number, was a gathering of extraordinary individuals. We had a User who had already reached the Ten Strong, others with Secret and Rare Classes, and even some with the potential to join the Ten Strong in the future. Our current squad was so brilliant and star-studded that anyone would be left gaping.
I, too, had no major complaints about the current squad. But having no major complaints implied I had some minor ones. My dissatisfaction wasn’t with the skill level of our members, but with their attitude.
The clan members don't feel like clan members.
This thought began to form during the recent meeting to decide what to do with Cha Sorim. The original members expressed their opinions relatively freely, but the newer ones hesitated. It was as if they were walking on eggshells.
I knew why. Most of the new members were indebted to me in some way. Since Mercenary was accommodating their circumstances, it was impossible for them not to be cautious.
However, it would be problematic if this situation continued. There was a high chance the clan’s internal dynamics could become very strange. They needed to be able to voice their opinions to some extent to live smoothly as clan members.
The reason for my sudden concern was that this was a problem I couldn’t solve directly. Relationships between people were built through personal effort, not because someone ordered them to be.
But I can't just sit back and do nothing.
Slurp. I soothed the bitter taste in my mouth with a sip of tea and stretched with all my might. The sun was already high in the sky. The sunlight streaming through the window warmed the chill in the room ever so slightly.
What Mercenary needed right then was unity. Reducing the distance between the original members and the new ones was the first priority. It was difficult to interfere directly, but I could help indirectly. In other words, I could create situations where they could show off their abilities or give them opportunities to become closer.
The only things that come to mind are expeditions or a festival. Or maybe assigning them joint missions.
There were probably many ways, but not many came to mind right now. I smiled bitterly.
“Ko Yeonju is an expert at this kind of thing… Maybe I should contact her later.”
“Ko Yeonju? Who's that?”
“Slurp. A Mercenary Clan member. She's away on business right now.”
I took another sip of tea and replied calmly to the empty air. The voice had come out of nowhere, but I had sensed a presence for a while now.
“I see… Still, that's impressive. You knew I was here?”
The presence was, as expected, Sasha Felix. Watching the vampire suddenly materialize from thin air, I spoke softly.
“Shouldn't you say something else first?”
“My apologies.”
Sasha obediently bowed his head. I nodded and continued.
“This office is strictly for my personal use. Next time you need something, knock properly before entering.”
“I will keep that in mind. Please understand, I am not yet accustomed to the human world. Ah. Are there any other rules I should be aware of? For instance, my manner of speech… yo.”
I laughed inwardly. His awkward attempt at adding ‘yo’ was quite funny.
“Your speech… you don't need to change it. Just distinguish between private and public settings. You can manage that, right?”
Sasha tilted her head. She then started sniffing the air, her nostrils flaring like a puppy's.
I spoke quietly.
“Right, anyway. What brings you here?”
“Ah. I came to give my greetings.”
“Greetings?”
“Greetings of gratitude. And I also have something to apologize for.”
“…That's rather sudden. Hmm?”
Lifting my hand slightly, I felt the teacup in my fingers was now empty. I set it aside and immediately continued.
“If you're talking about the theft incident, you don't need to apologize.”
“I-Is that so? Haha. You're quite straightforward.”
“And your master has already thanked me enough, so that's not necessary either.”
“Uh, uh. Um. Ummm.”
Sasha stammered. Now that I'd told her it wasn't necessary, she seemed to have nothing left to say. But seeing her still hesitating, it was clear she had other business.
After a moment of hesitation, Sasha finally spoke cautiously.
“A-Actually, there's something I'd like to ask of you…”
“…So that was your real purpose. Fine, anyway. Spit it out.”
“Understood. But before I do, I shall properly reveal my identity. I assure you, you are worthy of hearing who I am.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I'm moved to tears.”
“Haha. No need for tears. In any case, I am the direct heir of the once gloriously radiant Felix family, and my name is…”
Grrrrowl.
At that moment, a rumbling sound echoed from Sasha's stomach. The vampire hastily looked down, then stared at me, flustered. He was completely taken aback by the sudden attack of hunger.
“Heh. ‘Grrrrowl,’ is it? What a peculiar name. Very unique.”
“N-No! My name is not Grrrrowl!”
GRRROWL!
He shouted indignantly, but his stomach betrayed its master once more. And even louder this time.
“Alright, Grrrrowl. Go on.”
“Gah!”
Sasha looked furious. I chuckled, stood up, and walked straight to the door. The vampire remained standing, turning only his head to watch me.
“Where are you going? My story is not yet finished!”
“Let's go.”
“H-Huh?”
“To the dining hall. I'm hungry too. You can tell me while we eat.”
Sasha blinked with a blank expression. Then, he reluctantly nodded and turned around. As I slowly walked out the door, I could hear him clearing his throat behind me.
He was a more talkative vampire than I’d expected. Sasha chattered nonstop on the way to the dining hall, mostly boasting about what a valuable vampire he was.
As someone who preferred simple summaries, most of it went in one ear and out the other. After all, I had already confirmed Sasha’s identity with Third Eye. I gave him some noncommittal replies as I walked down the stairs.
When we reached the first floor, his ceaseless chatter came to a halt. I could hear him catching his breath; he seemed a little tired.
The moment I stepped into the lobby, I saw some familiar faces and paused. Vivian and Nam Daeun were sitting together amicably on the circular sofa, engrossed in something. Not only that, but they would occasionally look at each other and share a deep smile.
“Clan Lord. What are you doing? I am hungry.”
“Just a moment.”
After asking the whining vampire to wait, I quietly watched the two of them. Just then, Nam Daeun let out a light laugh. The smile on her lips showed she was genuinely happy. The sight of them together was so pleasant it blew away all my earlier worries in an instant.
Suddenly, I remembered what Nam Daeun had said to me when she first joined.
‘I want to make a fresh start in Mercenary.’
Recalling that moment, I felt a sense of warmth and gratitude.
As I’d said before, improving relationships with others required taking the initiative yourself.
Nam Daeun had said she wanted to make a fresh start and would try her best, but I had been secretly worried. Before the war, she had been deeply hurt and pained by her memories of the Vagabonds.
But to be able to smile so brightly after just a few months was proof of how hard she had truly tried, wasn’t it? I knew how difficult it was to take off the mask others put on you and step out on your own, so I wanted to applaud her for the person I was seeing now.
“Oh, don't even get me started. He secretly likes this kind of thing. For real.”
“What? Him? N-No way.”
“I'm telling you, it's true! Gosh. Hey. This is a secret, but… he secretly touched my butt once. Ah, or should I say smacked?”
“Oh my. Oh my, oh my. Really, unni?”
And so, feeling pleased, I approached them. Hearing my footsteps, the two of them looked up, startled.
“Vivian. User Nam Daeun.”
“O-Oh? K-Kim Soohyun?”
“Clan Lord?!”
The way their voices rose at the end suggested they were quite surprised. They glanced at each other once before quickly looking back at me.
Gulp!
For some reason, both women's throats moved at the same time. What were they doing that made them gulp like that?
Vivian instantly hid something behind her back and gave an awkward laugh.
“Ho, hoho. Anyway, what are you doing here? You're always cooped up in your office.”
“Food. I was going to have lunch with Sasha. Ah. What about you two?”
I asked, thinking we could eat together if they hadn't yet, but they both shook their heads vigorously.
“No, we're fine. We already ate.”
“Ahaha. Lunch was really delicious today. I hope you enjoy your meal too, Clan Lord-nim.”
For a moment, I felt my eyes narrow. I had a strong feeling that something was suspicious.
“So, what were you two up to? You looked like you were having a lot of fun.”
“U-Uh? Anyway, Kim Soohyun!”
The moment I tilted my head to get a better look and continued speaking, Vivian shot up and blocked my view. Then she buried herself in my chest and hugged my arm. What's gotten into her all of a sudden?
“Kim Soohyun, Kim Soohyun! Come to think of it, a lot of new members have joined the clan recently, right?”
“Right. What about it?”
“Well, we were just talking about the new members. How about we throw a festival tonight to celebrate and get to know each other better? Huh? It's a great idea, right?”
“A festival, huh.”
I was momentarily puzzled by the unexpected suggestion. It wasn't the idea of a festival that was surprising, but the fact that it came from Vivian.
Was she the type to like festivals?
No. Vivian was interested in festivals, but only for the food. She was definitely not the type to suggest one herself.
“Wow. A festival. That sounds fun. I'd like to join too.”
Nam Daeun, who had shifted her seat at some point, chimed in.
I scratched my head for a moment, then shook it.
“It's a good idea, but tonight's impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because Ko Yeonju isn't here. She's out working in another city by herself. How do you think she'd feel if we held a festival without her?”
“Ah~. Right. Sorry. I didn't think of that. Yohohoho. Th-Then… are there any other plans?”
Vivian laughed awkwardly. I shrugged as I looked at her. I'd been feeling like the conversation was going in circles for a while now. Seeing her force a change of topic, it seemed my presence wasn't welcome.
Let's just drop it.
So I decided it was best to leave. Sticking around any longer would just make me look like I was hitting on them, and I didn’t want to disturb their time together. Besides, I couldn't just keep Sasha standing there.
“Plans… will probably come up soon. I'll make an announcement when the time comes, so always be ready.”
“Oho. I'm really looking forward to that.”
“Anyway, I'm heading to the dining hall now. Can you let go of me?”
Vivian quickly let go and sat back down. She let out a faint sigh, her face full of relief.
“Well then.”
Just as I was about to slowly walk away, I turned back.
“Ah. Come to think of it… I have something to say to the Sword Empress as well.”
At that, the two women, who had been nudging each other's shoulders, stared at me with wide eyes.
I watched Nam Daeun for a moment before speaking in a serious voice.
“Nam Daeun? Seeing you like this with Vivian was really nice. I hope I can see it more often in the future.”
It was a little cheesy, but I meant it as a form of encouragement.
“Yes?”
The moment I said it, Nam Daeun asked back in a puzzled tone. Her eyes trembled slightly, as if she were a bit flustered. I raised my eyebrows, wondering what was wrong.
“I-I'm sorry.”
Nam Daeun suddenly bowed her head deeply. Then she continued in a barely audible voice. Now it was my turn to be confused.
“Huh? What are you sorry for?”
“Ah, ahaha. It's nothing. I understand what you mean. I'll be especially careful not to show this side of myself again.”
Answering with a deeply hurt expression, the Sword Empress then ran off like the wind and vanished from my sight.
As I stood there blinking blankly, I heard Vivian getting up. I reflexively turned my head and saw her, cheeks puffed out in a pout, unlike just a moment ago.
I quickly spoke.
“Vivian? What's wrong with Nam Daeun all of a sudden?”
Vivian didn't answer right away. Instead, she stuck out her lower lip, glared at me, and then spoke sullenly.
“Kim Soohyun. You're so mean.”
“W-What? What did I…”
“Forget it! Of course, I know Ko Yeonju is working hard… but you didn't have to be so sarcastic about it, did you? We're trying our best too… Sob!”
“N-No… V-Vivian?”
Vivian spun around sharply and walked off in the direction Nam Daeun had disappeared.
Watching her disappear into the distance, I finally realized I had misspoken. Mentioning Ko Yeonju was the mistake. I had spoken sincerely, but they had interpreted it as, “Ko Yeonju is working hard, while you two are just lazing about. You should know when to stop.”
Damn it. This is why I shouldn't say things I don't normally say.
My usual habit of keeping the clan members on a tight leash must have contributed to it as well. A wave of belated regret washed over me, and I bit my lip hard.
“Oho. On the surface, it's a compliment, but it can also be taken as sarcasm depending on how you think about it. I have learned something valuable, Clan Lord.”
Whether he knew what I was feeling or not, Sasha nodded enthusiastically. Hearing her unintentional confirmation of my failure, I let out a quiet sigh.
Remembering Nam Daeun's smiling face from before, my shoulders slumped for some reason.
I was… just…
I just wanted to say it was nice to see… that her smile was pretty, and that I hoped to see it more often…