Tangled Threads (3)

The moment the Administrator's one-sided announcement finished, I had the butler summon Han Sora and Park Seeun to the office.

Minji too, of course. Lately, with the resident count climbing, she seemed more anxious than usual and kept seeking out her mother. So we often let her sleep nearby or snack on cookies at our side. She looked utterly at ease that way.

"She feels safe because you're here, Jeong Hoon. This child has almost never had a reliable father figure at her side. Not even before all of this started..."

There was a bitterness buried in Kim Seyeon's matter-of-fact explanation, but I didn't press it. Instead, something faintly bitter lingered on my tongue.

Forced to grow up too fast, and still craving a father's love... that's so like a kid, I thought.

Anyway, after enjoying a hot shower and a light, warm breakfast in the cafeteria — the National Assembly Building had a surprisingly large one — we returned to the office. The door swung open, and two voices greeted us from inside.

"G-good morning, Oppa! Seyeon unnie! And..."

"Good morning. Did you three stay up all night in here?"

Han Sora and Park Seeun. And on the sofa, Seo Minji was playing with her toys. The moment she spotted us, she hopped down and bowed her little head deeply in our direction.

A dad-smile rose unbidden in my chest. Why was I suddenly feeling so paternal? She wasn't even my kid. Honestly...

"Good morning. Sorry we couldn't make it back to the lodgings yesterday."

"O-oh, no! The butler explained everything. You three were up until dawn, passionately—"

As Han Sora spoke with the air of someone who understood completely, Yun Mina couldn't hold back any longer.

"Violently... you three never stopped doing what only consenting adults can do at night. Isn't that right, Orabeoni? Seyeon unnie?"

"Violently never stopped doing what only consenting adults can do at night...! Wait, no! Hey! Hey! Yun Mina, you—!"

Han Sora had parroted Yun Mina's words without thinking, then finally realized she'd walked straight into the trap and blew up. In an instant, the scene turned into something out of an old American cartoon — the cat chasing in a rage while the mouse fled, taunting all the way.

"Settle down, Sora. Mina, you know this isn't the time for jokes either."

"O-Oppa... you just wait. Seriously...!"

"Got it, Orabeoniii~ Oh, and it's fine if I stick to your side all day today, right? If I drift even a little, that scary short-haired girl is going to beat me up."

"Th-that little—"

"I said this isn't the time for jokes..."

I really needed to arrange a proper bonding session for those two.

In bed, of course... no, not that.

We held regular officer meetings every morning. Naturally, for the time being, "officers" meant just us. If we met new people, grew close, or someone earned major merit down the line, that might change — but for now, I had no intention of expanding the roster.

After all, every current officer was someone with a high chance of forming a... deeper connection with me.

On that note, men were an automatic cut. I didn't care what Lawful Good had to say about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it. Men were cut. Period. Cut!

"I trust you all heard the Administrator's noisy announcement."

"O-of course, Oppa!"

"You mean that annoying bastard's voice? If it hadn't been actually important, I'd have covered my ears."

"Seeun, Orabeoni already tried that earlier — didn't work. That bastard is pure evil, confirmed."

"Ugh, just thinking about it makes my ears hurt again...!"

At Yun Mina's whisper, Park Seeun openly scrunched up her face in pure disgust.

Fair enough. Last time the Administrator ran his mouth, Seeun had been the one cursing him out loud. If it weren't for this damn Lawful Good alignment, I'd have unloaded a full bowl of choice insults myself.

"Two locations in Seoul are being updated — one in Gangbuk, one in Gangnam. I believe our top priority should be clearing the Gangnam dungeon."

"I-I figured you'd say that, Oppa."

"I'm in favor, but... hmm..."

Contrary to expectations, Han Sora and Park Seeun weren't simply nodding along.

For the record, even though I ruled as lord, I never made a habit of crushing people under raw authority. I wasn't used to that kind of posture, and honestly — a guy running a tiny territory with fewer than a hundred people, strutting around like some noble over vast lands? Ridiculous.

So when we gathered like this, the atmosphere stayed quite free. As long as everyone kept to the schedule, that is.

Anyone who showed up late on purpose, skipped, or acted so rudely it made people frown would face immediate penalties... or so Kim Seyeon had insisted.

"T-tomorrow, when the dungeon appears... everyone here will join the raid, right? Except Minji, of course."

"That's right, Sora."

"Th-then... the residents in the territory... who protects them?"

She'd hit the bullseye dead-on, Sora.

Frankly speaking, the five of us gathered here were the undisputed core combat strength of our territory. No one else here outleveled us or carried better gear.

Which meant the territory's defense rested almost entirely in our five pairs of hands.

So if all five of us left under the pretext of a dungeon raid? The place would be left essentially defenseless.

Ordinary zombies might not be a problem — but the enemy was the vampires staining Gangbuk in darkness. If they decided to strike in earnest, we had zero chance of holding.

If anything, it was strange that they hadn't attacked at all these past few days, despite how on-edge we'd been while handling everything else.

"Come on, Sora-sunbae. It's not like the residents would just roll over and die without us. What about the people who came in recently? Already forgot? Most of them are combat classes!"

Yun Mina's point was valid too.

On April 27th, the ten survivors who'd ridden the truck down to Gangnam with Jung Yun and barely escaped with their lives all had classes suited for fighting monsters. Five Warriors, two Archers, two Mages, and one Cleric. Jung Yun herself — class: Lord — was the odd one out. Probably that bastard Han Daegeon had given her special treatment because she was his pinky-finger girl.

"But... they said it themselves. They were basically just backup and never actually fought. And their levels... you checked. They were pathetic."

If Yun Mina's argument was reasonable, Park Seeun's cut to the bone. Seriously — people who'd driven a truck out of that hellscape in Gangbuk, and their average level was only six or seven? Believable?

The highest-leveled escapee was a Warrior–Barbarian at a measly eight. Once again, it drove home for me and the other three from XX-gu in Gyeonggi (Sora, Seeun, Seyeon) just how agonizing and difficult leveling was for everyone else.

Honestly, I mostly wanted to call someone out. That Han Daegeon bastard — fine, I'll give him credit for leadership in gathering people... but what the hell was he doing not leveling his own companions? And then he goes off to raid the Gangbuk boss mob?

Did that idiot dump everything into the guns he looted from the police station? Did he even serve in the military? Having a lot of guns doesn't mean you win. Crazy bastard, seriously...

"...In that case, we train them hard, get them stronger, and then we leave."

"Ah, like what we did back in XX-gu?"

Kim Seyeon read my intent perfectly.

"Exactly. Though the monster population around here has dropped dramatically... if we use the quest system, they can gain experience even from light hunting or other tasks."

"Oh! Could we make something like physical training into a quest? If that works, we could raise their levels without anything complicated. Right, Orabeoni?"

As Park Seeun and Yun Mina said, we had a versatile quest system. With Gangnam's monsters nearly wiped out and mass hunting impossible, that system could do heavy lifting. The hard limits were a drawback, but still.

"..."

Huh? Sora's expression... she looked ready to shoot down the whole idea on the spot. Nah. No way that timid Sora would raise a flag against me and Kim Seyeon—

"I-I... I don't think that's a very good idea... so I'd like to... oppose it."

—She would!?

Sora had just raised a flag against our opinion?

Naturally, every eye locked onto her.

Me, Kim Seyeon, Park Seeun, Yun Mina — all staring the same direction. At Sora, head bowed, having just voiced her dissent.

"S-Sora? What did you just say?"

Kim Seyeon was the first to find her voice.

Her face said she never in a million years expected Sora to push back like this.

Han Sora had shown a lack of confidence before, or fretted over herself and others. But she had never outright said something was "not good" and that she "opposed" it. Even with that Kim Su-whatever bastard and their ugly history, she'd only managed to talk about it after we'd coaxed her endlessly...

"Did you come up with a better idea, Sora?"

In the end, I stepped in. The others were still too stunned by the sheer force of Han Sora's sudden assertiveness. Yun Mina just watched in silence (looking thoroughly entertained).

I didn't just toss the words out. I carefully shifted to sit beside her, laid my hand over both of hers where they rested neatly on her knees, and met her eyes.

The only flaw was that I had to bend quite a bit at the waist, since she still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had her head down.

"Th-thaaat..."

"Take your time."

I had patience. Well — more precisely, Lawful Good had overflowing patience.

Internally I was pretty damn frustrated. It felt a bit like a new hire who'd poured their heart into a proposal only to get it shot down in one blow by the boss. Not that I'd ever actually held a job!

"Th-those people who came on the truck... they used to be... c-colleagues of that Han Daegeon guy who was connected to Mina, right? So... right now they're sticking with us just to survive... they don't have strength or a base, so they're loyal for now... b-but if... if their levels go up and they grow a lot... w-wouldn't they start getting other ideas...? Like that old saying... ah! B-black-haired beasts shouldn't be taken in! That kind of famous quote...!"

"You mean a proverb, right, Sora-sunbae?"

"Sh-shut up!"

...Sora had given her honest opinion, but my takeaway was this:

Sorry. Thanks to the awkward delivery, I only understood about half of that.

So I quietly looked over at Kim Seyeon, packing my eyes with a plea: please, like before, give me the translated version.

Fortunately, Kim Seyeon — a woman who'd actually lived in society — was quick on the uptake.

"So... you're saying the truck survivors might betray us later, so we should hold off on raising them. Is that right, Sora?"

"Y-yes! That's it! W-we can't fully trust them... a-and more than anything! We have Minji too! We can't just hand Minji over to half-hearted people like that!"

Ooh — at Han Sora's words, Kim Seyeon's expression melted completely. Mentioning her own flesh and blood had clearly moved her.

For the record, I'd already given the butler and Hermit of the Thief Guild strict orders: protect Seo Minji above even me, at maximum priority, even if the territory itself was torn apart. Even if every one of us left our posts, even if powerful monsters attacked — as long as Seo Minji stayed in the designated place, she wouldn't be found.

That was all under the assumption I didn't die, of course. If I died... well, it'd all be over anyway.

"Thank you for thinking of Minji, Sora."

"O-oh, it's nothing, Seyeon unnie. Hehehe..."

Through all of this, Seo Minji — playing alone in the office — was completely absorbed in scribbling on a picture book. Even when we said her name, she didn't react in the slightest. Incredible concentration...

"Then... if we don't raise those people and just defend the territory ourselves, how do we handle the dungeon raid? I don't think you're saying we should give up. Right, Sora?"

Expressing gratitude while still fishing for more information — what excellent technique!

Working adults really were different. Thank you, Teacher Kim Seyeon!

"Y-yes! I-I'm absolutely not saying we give up! Just... if we need someone to guard the territory without us..."

Han Sora hesitated a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again, and raised her voice.

"Th-then... the gumiho we have a connection with... n-no! Seo Hyejin! Calling Seo Hyejin's group would be good! W-we're really close with them... a-and their skills are... trustworthy."

"Oh my, now that you mention it...!"

"Sora unnie, that's..."

"Hmm...?"

Sora's suggestion was... definitely...

"A solid proposal, Sora."

"Yeah, unnie! If it's Hyejin unnie's guild... we can definitely trust them."

"I've never met them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠myself... but if Seyeon unnie and Seeun say so, they must be reliable, right?"

My interest was thoroughly piqued.

Right — Seo Hyejin's guild, Hope's Wings. They'd already walked through countless life-or-death situations with us, so they were battle-hardened and highly likely to answer our call.

"Th-the only problem was... h-how to contact them, how to deliver the proposal... b-but that should all be solved tomorrow. Y-you heard earlier, right? G-guild-unit... message system activates starting tomorrow... With that... we could exchange messages and call them over here. Probably..."

Watching Han Sora recite the update contents with perfect recall, something swelled grandly in my chest again.

A sense of kinship as a fellow gaming otaku, and genuine pride in how much she'd grown — those feelings led me to this choice.

"Let's do that, Sora. I'll follow your suggestion. What about the rest of you?"

I asked just in case, but it didn't mean much. Their reactions weren't any different from before.

"Of course I'm in favor! I've been wanting to see Hyejin and the others again anyway!"

"Me too!"

"Hmm, could you tell me who these people are first? I'm curious. I'll decide after I hear it."

Yun Mina hadn't opposed — she'd chosen to reserve judgment.

Fine. Once I explained things to Yun Mina—

"Ah, j-just one more thing...!"

Han Sora still seemed to have something left to say.

"Th-thaaat... th-there's one thing I'm worried about..."

When I asked what worried her, Han Sora fidgeted with my hand resting over hers and slowly opened her mouth.

"O-Oppa... your system is completely different from ours... s-so can you even contact... the gumi— Seo Hyejin's guild? Th-they said it's only possible at the guild unit level. I-I was wondering whether your territory even counts as a 'guild'..."

That, too, was an extremely sharp observation.

And the next day.

May 2nd.

Standing in the middle of the office, I experienced firsthand — in the most unpleasant way possible — that Han Sora's concern had become reality.

"Haaah..."

I could only let out a sigh thick with rage and hollow despair.

I was so pissed. If I could, I'd march straight into wherever that Administrator bastard was holed up, fold his spine in half, and shove him into a CD case.

Ah — kids these days don't know what a CD case is, do they? Fine. Just lock him in a "room of truth" and beat him until he screams that he's sorry. Bastard!

"This is a real problem."

"Wow, Oppa can't use it? That's so cheap. That Administrator bastard!"

"I suppose this is how that oh-so-superior 'Administrator' keeps the balance. But if that's the case, why give out a weird system in the first place?"

Kim Seyeon voiced her dismay, Park Seeun her outrage, and Yun Mina just went straight to sarcasm. None of it helped our bleak prospects, but it did take a little of the edge off.

"D-don't worry, Jeong Hoon oppa! W-we can just ask someone who can make a guild!"

And once again, Han Sora took a completely different stance from the other three.

But someone who can make a guild? Who among us— there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shouldn't be a Lord class...

Wait... hold on... no way...?

"Hold on, Sora... are you talking about Jung Yun right now? Are you saying we should ask Jung Yun to found a guild?"

Kim Seyeon stared at Sora in open shock as she asked, and Sora nodded.

"Ehh, Sora unnie... really?"

"Huh..."

Park Seeun and Yun Mina both wore expressions of pure disbelief.

Jung Yun. Another survivor from the truck — and she'd been something like Han Daegeon's lover. Though after he sold everyone out to save his own skin at the end, they were closer to mortal enemies than lovers now.

Plus she was a beauty. Not that it mattered much... it mattered a great deal, actually!

Right. Her class was Lord. I'd barely seen her these past few days and had completely forgotten. I never in my wildest dreams expected Han Sora to recommend her.

"Can you tell me why you're recommending her, Sora?"

Just like yesterday, I asked Han Sora in a low, even voice. Doing everything I could so she wouldn't feel pressured and could speak honestly.

Fortunately, Han Sora nodded without any resistance.

"Y-yes! I-I'm sure of it...! She'll do what we ask! A-and... she won't betray us. No — she won't have any choice but to stick with us... th-there's no other option for her!"

A short while later, after summoning Jung Yun to the office, we once again watched Han Sora's prophecy(?) come true.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I never even thought about rebellion! I absolutely will not found a guild! I won't entertain even a speck of the idea ever again! Please, just spare my life! Please don't exile me! Please...!"

"What...?"

"W-why are you suddenly like this, Jung Yun?!"

I was too baffled to form a proper sentence, and Kim Seyeon looked utterly flustered.

Park Seeun shook her head and muttered, "She's completely lost it," while Yun Mina wore the same delighted expression as yesterday, thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.

And beside me, Han Sora curved a little smile at the corner of her lips and spoke.

"S-see? I told you she'd never betray us..."

What on earth happened with this woman, Jung Yun...

No — wait. Had Han Sora... done something?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm just a commoner with no sense, so I failed to conduct myself properly! I have never once considered treason! All I want is a warm place to sleep and meals! Please, just once, just once forgive me...!"

"Please calm yourself first, Jung Yun. We did not summon you to punish you for founding a guild... rather, we called you precisely to ask you to found one."

"I'm sorry! I'll do anything, just please forgive— ah? Y-yes... yeees...?"

Jung Yun, who had been bowing her head over and over begging for mercy, froze mid-motion. Confusion settled over her nearly tearful face as her gaze turned toward me.

A beauty really was a beauty. I carefully decided to start by interrogating why she was suddenly acting like this, and opened my mouth.

"I said we called you to request that you found a guild. And yet you speak as though that very act is a crime. We have been too busy lately to pay much attention... but did something happen? Why do you call yourself a sinner and bow your head like this?"

"Th-that is..."

The circumstances Jung Yun cautiously laid out brought a single word floating up in my mind: discipline.