Chapter 79: New Face
Chapter 79: New Face
Vivian blended in well with our group. At least, that’s how it looked on the surface. Her uniquely dazed behavior, the contract, and her actions so far had at least managed to lower the others’ guard. However, while the rest of them, who had gone through thick and thin together since the Rite of Passage, were completely at ease with one another, Vivian wasn't quite there yet.
In fact, it might have been more accurate to say she was being bullied. During morning training, when everyone else practiced Sensing, she could sometimes be seen crouched in a corner, wiping away tears. Then, if I called her, she would hide any sign that she had been crying and scamper over. It always pained me to see the fresh tear tracks on her cheeks when she looked at me.
I had a rough idea of the cause, but I planned to leave it be for now. They say women have their own world, and I felt that if I needlessly interfered and started telling them what to do, it would only make the others view Vivian in a worse light.
Still, my only comfort was seeing Ahn Sol occasionally give Vivian a pitying, sympathetic look. At the same time, Yoojung would always watch Vivian with a strange, subtle gaze. And whenever she did, Vivian would instinctively lower her head.
Yoojung was exceptionally clever. You could say she was perceptive down to the smallest detail. During our private lessons, she seemed to have noticed that I was subconsciously a little more attentive to Ahn Hyun. So, whenever it was just the two of us and Ahn Hyun, she was always friendly, but when it was just her, Sol, and Vivian, she seemed to play the part of the group’s queen bee. Vivian, in particular, was the perfect target for Yoojung’s schemes. Watching her make full use of the contract she’d shown us before, I could only smile bitterly.
Still, I didn’t forget to say a word to her.
“You should be careful.”
“Hm? About what, Oppa?”
Seeing Yoojung tilt her head with an expression that said, It wasn’t me. I don’t know anything, I whispered pointedly.
“Vivian is an incredibly skilled mage. Right now, she’s just recovering her intellect and has a childish side, so she’s putting up with it, but… what are you going to do later?”
“There’s the contract.”
The moment she said it, Yoojung slapped a hand over her mouth with an “Oops” expression. I chuckled for a moment before continuing.
“Right now, Vivian is no different from a child. It’s a recovery, yes, but there’s a chance her personality could form anew depending on her environment. You have the contract, but since you’re not the one who wrote it, you can’t be absolutely sure it’s foolproof. Most importantly, don’t forget that Vivian has free will. Once she fully recovers her intellect…”
“Hoho. Oppa, really. You make me sound so mean. This is all a necessary process.”
“Who said you were? I’m just saying it because I’m worried. Anyway, keep it up.”
I patted Yoojung’s shoulder. Her eyes were smiling, but her mouth wasn’t smiling at all. She was probably running my words through her mind at lightning speed. Being a fundamentally smart kid, she would have fully understood the warning I was trying to give.
And as it happened, that very day, when we went outside the city to fight monsters, Vivian proved my point. After heading out to the plains, we ran into a pack of goblins, and she unleashed her skills without restraint. And she did it by activating her special ability right in front of Yoojung.
“Come, Aranea! Web of Death that rules the 32nd Legion!”
I had been curious about what the title Ruler of the 66th Beast Legion meant, but seeing Vivian get serious reminded me of a certain Class.
〈Come, Agnis! Ruler of Flame who commands the 24th Legion!〉
A Secret Class I had seen during my first run: Spirit Summoner. During the Atlanta Recapture Battle, the sight of a Spirit Summoner calling forth an entire legion of spirits to confront the armies of a great demon of Hell had been magnificent. Although Secret and Rare Classes differed in rank, the Chimera Alchemist seemed similar in that it summoned and strengthened chimeras of its own creation or magical beasts from another world.
Putting that aside, the Chimera Alchemist’s power was certainly formidable. As if venting all the stress from Yoojung’s hazing(?), Vivian massacred the monsters with a murderous look during battle. After wiping them out single-handedly, she returned to her usual dazed expression and giggled. I saw Yoojung swallow hard.
I let out an involuntary sound of admiration as I watched her use magic circles, a part of Alchemical Magic, for summoning.
I had worried about how useful she would be later because her Orthodox Magic rank was low relative to her Magic Power Stat, while her Alchemical Magic rank—less useful in direct combat—was high. As if mocking those concerns, she erased them in a single stroke. The title Ruler of the 66th Beast Legion alone gave her the makings of a one-woman army. On top of that, she was a versatile Mage who could support both the party and her summons with Orthodox Magic.
From then on, Yoojung’s bullying seemed to lessen a bit. Seeing her act friendly from time to time and even chat with Vivian, I was amazed by her cleverness. The clueless Vivian simply nodded eagerly, happy about Yoojung’s change in attitude.
The kids were growing day by day. And I couldn’t afford to stand still either. Since I was the one making all the major and minor decisions, and since the others, even Vivian, trusted and followed me, I had an obligation to always show them more than what they saw and expected.
*
It was early evening. After finishing our battle outside the city, the group had returned to the inn, dragging their weary bodies. Everyone was gathered around a table in the first-floor lobby after cleaning the monster blood off their equipment and quickly washing up.
“Ugh. So annoying.”
While waiting for the food she’d ordered, Yoojung grumbled, dropping her head onto the table.
“What’s so annoying?”
When Ahn Hyun asked back, Yoojung just crooked a finger and pointed at the surrounding tables one by one.
“It’s not like we’re celebrities. Every time we sit here, they keep sneaking glances at us. It’s so annoying. If they have something to say, they should just come over and say it.”
At Yoojung’s thorny voice, Ahn Hyun grunted and nodded his head.
“Hmm. Well, our Sol is a little pretty.”
“Oh, stop it, Oppa. Don’t say things like that.”
Ahn Sol shot Ahn Hyun a gentle glare as she chided him. Ahn Hyun just let out a silly laugh, as if he found even that lovely. Since this was hardly the first or second time I’d seen this spectacle, I saw Yoojung let out a deep sigh and close her eyes.
From my perspective, we were definitely a group that drew attention. However, it was hard to see that attention in a positive light. Until recently, we had been wearing beginner outfits from the User Academy, but after disappearing for a short while, we had returned looking quite decent.
Any User with a head on their shoulders could probably figure out that we had hit the jackpot on a single expedition. Of course, considering that 80% of the stares were from male Users, it was true that there were some ulterior motives mixed in. After all, Yoojung, Sol, and Vivian were all beauties who each radiated a unique charm.
“You’ve all worked hard. Your food is ready.”
After a little more waiting, Ko Yeonju approached our table carrying food. As she arrived, Ahn Hyun, who had been sitting crookedly, straightened his posture. Seeing this, Ko Yeonju gave a gentle, smiling glance as if she found it cute, then began to place the dishes on the table with a demure attitude. It was a very different demeanor from before.
“Looks like it’ll be another busy night for you.”
“From the owner’s perspective, good business is always welcome. This is the time of day when there are at least a few Users around anyway… huh?”
Ko Yeonju replied in a soft voice as I glanced around. Just then, I saw Ahn Hyun, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, shoot up from his seat.
“Allow me to help.”
With a solemn face and a deliberately lowered voice, Ahn Hyun began to help carry the food Ko Yeonju had brought. Ko Yeonju’s gaze shifted to me, but I just shook my head with a blank expression. I saw her let out a small sigh.
“You’re quite the gentleman. Thank you.”
“Ahem. It’s nothing. Of course I should help.”
“It would be nice if a certain someone would do this for me too…”
I deliberately ignored her words, took out a cigarette, and lit it. If it were just the two of us late at night, I was more than willing to play along with these games, but not in front of everyone. Besides, her eyes were currently full of mischief. I intended to back out early to avoid getting caught up in anything unnecessary. But that was just my wishful thinking.
When I turned my head, Ko Yeonju smiled enigmatically, came around to my front, and forced me to meet her gaze. Just as I furrowed my brow and was about to open my mouth, she got as close to me as possible and crouched down.
“……”
If I had simply pulled down my pants, it might have looked exactly like that. Wondering what this disgraceful scene was supposed to be in front of everyone, I tried to push my chair back, but she quickly reached out with both hands and held it in place. Then Ko Yeonju stuck her head between my legs and whispered in a tiny voice.
“Two Users came looking for you this afternoon.”
“…Yes.”
“They were looking for Kim Soohyun. I told them you’d be back around evening, and they said they understood and left. They were the mages you’ve seen before. Remember them?”
“Excuse me. What are you doing? Oppa. What are you doing?”
Hearing Yoojung’s voice, I took a deep breath and nodded. Ko Yeonju smiled faintly and stood up from her crouched position. Ahn Hyun was looking at me with envy, while the girls, led by Yoojung, had ambiguous expressions on their faces. Feeling unfairly accused, I opened my mouth with a sarcastic tone.
“You could have told me that in a more normal position, you know.”
“Oh my. I was just so tired I had to sit for a moment. Were you perhaps imagining something strange?”
“Let’s not even talk about it. Thanks for the food.”
Ko Yeonju giggled at my response, then turned and walked back toward the kitchen. I could hear Yoojung’s voice follow her, shouting, “What’s with her? She’s so annoying! You think so too, right? Right?!” and Vivian’s reluctant agreement.
In any case, the food had arrived, and Ko Yeonju’s cooking was excellent. Vivian, who seemed to be starving, quickly picked up her fork, but with a swift flick of her wrist, Yoojung smacked it out of her hand. The fork clattered onto the table. As Vivian stared blankly, her mouth agape, Yoojung’s sharp voice followed.
“What did I tell you?”
“Hnnng…”
“I told you not to even pick up your utensils before Oppa starts eating.”
“S-Sorry. I was just so hungry…”
“Enough with the excuses. Were you right or wrong?”
“I was wrong. Sniffle.”
“Ugh. Crying again. I’ll let it slide this time. Don’t do it again.”
Watching her pick on Vivian again, I clicked my tongue and picked up my spoon. Only then did Yoojung nod her head as if giving permission, and Vivian cautiously picked up her fork again. But she looked so pitiful with her head hung low that I scooped up a generous portion of the most delicious part of the meat and placed it on her plate. Vivian’s innocent eyes turned to me.
“Vivian. You worked hard today. Eat a lot, and let’s do our best again tomorrow.”
At my warm words of comfort, Vivian’s face instantly brightened, and she nodded her head vigorously.
“Okay!”
“Vivian?”
When Yoojung interjected again, Vivian immediately corrected herself.
“Th-Thank you…”
As Sol watched the scene with envy, Ahn Hyun did the same as me and put food on Sol’s plate. However, with a calm expression, Sol returned the food Ahn Hyun had given her right back to where it came from.
After watching Ahn Hyun’s dejection, I swallowed the food I was chewing and spoke again.
“Just let her be when we’re eating. This isn’t the army. Why are you so eager to pick on her?”
“Hmph. You don’t know anything, Oppa. It’s always ‘Sol is so pretty~ so pretty~.’ Now it’s ‘Vivian is so good~ so good~.’”
I sighed at Yoojung, who scoffed and sharply turned her head away. Vivian giggled with a triumphant look on her face and ate the meat I had given her.
For a while, the group focused on their meal again. Ahn Hyun, who had been picking at his food with a gloomy face, kept looking toward the kitchen as if Ko Yeonju’s face was lingering in his mind. But in the middle of it, something seemed to occur to him, and he turned his gaze back to me and asked.
“Hyung, hyung.”
“What.”
“You seemed pretty close with the lady innkeeper earlier. What were you talking about?”
The ‘lady innkeeper,’ huh. A small laugh escaped my lips seeing Ahn Hyun use such an unnecessarily formal and ill-fitting title. When I told them in a casual tone that the Users we’d seen before had come looking for us in the afternoon, the noisy table instantly fell silent, as if everyone was interested. Seriously, whenever a topic they’re curious about comes up, they get quiet as a mouse. It would be nice if they were always like this.
These days, the kids were walking all over me. They had realized that while I didn’t tolerate a single mistake on the battlefield, I let them relax to a certain extent once we were back in the city. Because of that, they had adopted a method of keeping their mouths shut when we were outside, but the moment we entered the city, they would start goofing off to their hearts’ content.
“Then they might come again today. I liked that unni. The guy seemed a little slow, so I didn’t like him.”
“She might be younger than you.”
“What?”
As Yoojung seethed, Ahn Hyun smirked at her before turning his gaze back to me. Ahn Sol gave an awkward smile, and Vivian was outwardly trying to calm Yoojung down. But I could see a thin, faint smile playing on her lips.
Just as I was about to pick up my food again, I heard Ahn Hyun call my name once more.