Homeward Bound (3)

It felt horribly unfair.

I’m not even sure that was the right way to put it, but it was exactly like coming home from a business trip and finding your beloved wife fooling around with some other guy.

Though if I’d had both hands full of gifts, maybe the situation would have been a little more understandable.

Damn it, I busted my ass for this...

I had given him a griffon, for crying out loud.

Of course, if it was Kim Hyunsung, he probably would have been able to get one on his own within a few years anyway, but that didn’t change the fact that I’d brought it forward for him.

There weren’t many people on the continent who had one. Its value was beyond words.

And naturally, that wasn’t the only thing I’d brought back.

The griffon was the main course, sure, but I’d prepared plenty of other gifts besides that.

At the moment, everything the Red Mercenary Guild members were carrying would have filled a small room and then some.

Items, materials, all sorts of resources.

Things that could all have become my personal property, but which I’d decided to hand over with a nod for our regressor’s sake.

Watching him smile so brightly at someone I hadn’t shown that smile to in a long time made it perfectly understandable that my desire to hand over the griffon had vanished in an instant.

This bastard...

Kim Hyunsung, who was looking toward me, came into view as he waved.

He looked happy to see me, smiling as he did so, but I’d already seen a sincere smile directed at someone else.

Still, the sensible thing to do was wave back first.

“Kiyoung.”

“Ah. Hyunsung.”

He didn’t come sprinting up like Park Deokgu, but after a slightly brisk walk he pulled me into a tight embrace, and somehow that made my mood soften a little.

Even so, the doll standing next to him kept needling me for some reason.

“I heard you’d returned with the griffon, so I came out in advance. I’m glad I did.”

“You didn’t need to go this far.”

“No. It’s only natural. You must have suffered a great deal, Kiyoung. I’d already heard that you’d been caught up in all sorts of trouble, but... you really handled it well.”

“Haha.”

“What happened to Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild?”

“As you’ve heard, he was executed. There were so many charges stacked against him that there was probably no room for escape. Honestly, I would have preferred to spare him the death penalty myself, but Cardinal Basel was absolutely uncompromising.”

“I see.”

“There must have been circumstances I wasn’t fully aware of. Beyond the blasphemy against the goddess, there seemed to be other issues as well, but exactly what they were...”

He didn’t sound particularly bitter.

If anything, he seemed relieved that Ito Souta was dead.

Judging by Kim Hyunsung’s reaction, there was no way around the conclusion that Ito Souta hadn’t played a particularly positive role in the future.

Well, that figures.

Maybe it was only natural.

He was the type to do things purely because he thought he was all that, and he had even launched a preemptive attack on Lindel.

Sure, he probably hadn’t schemed to topple the Holy Empire by posing as a demon worshipper the way I’d shown Cardinal Basel, but at the very least, the man of the future must have left Kim Hyunsung with a bad impression.

Good riddance.

It was one of those cases where a cow backs into a ditch and catches a mouse.

I casually asked Kim Hyunsung about Ito Souta, and he answered right away.

“Have you heard of Ito Souta before?”

“Yes. I’ve heard enough conversations about other cities that his name came up from time to time. I knew he wasn’t a particularly decent man. That rumor was already spreading openly before this incident, so I suppose it’s fair to say he got what was coming to him. You shouldn’t feel guilty about it, Kiyoung.”

I don’t do guilt, Hyunsung.

Sure, he might have stabbed the Holy Empire in the back and maybe even helped spark the war with Lindel and Celia, but the important thing was that his death made the regressor’s future a little more beautiful.

Whatever sort of shit he’d done in the first timeline was no longer a relevant issue.

“How have you been, Hyunsung?”

“As always. I had to stabilize the guild first. In fact, by the time I heard the bad news, most of the things you entrusted to me were already finished.... If you hadn’t sent that letter saying you didn’t need to come to the Holy Empire, I would certainly have headed there.”

“Haha. There was nothing for you to worry about. Things actually went rather smoothly. You may not have heard, but I also received a position from the papal office this time.”

“Pardon?”

“Of course, it’s a title that guarantees free citizen status. Cardinal Basel took a liking to me, you see. I was honored with the rather excessive post of honorary bishop.”

“Ah. I see.”

“You probably haven’t heard the details. I’m told it’s been a very long time since anyone outside the papal office was granted a title. To be precise, it’s been 254 years. The rank itself is equivalent to that of an archbishop, and it comes with plenty of benefits, so... it’ll be useful to our guild as well.”

“Ah!”

Apparently, in the first timeline, there had been no one who obtained the status of honorary bishop.

Or maybe Kim Hyunsung simply hadn’t paid much attention to that side of things.

But the moment he heard that the rank was equivalent to an archbishop, his face began to brighten.

It was only natural.

Besides the benefits of commanding inquisitors and the Holy Knight Order, there were plenty of other advantages tied to the temple.

That’s right, you idiot. I’m useful, all right.

“I never expected anything like this at all... this is beyond what I imagined. You worked hard.”

Think that’s the end of it?

It was only natural that I started thinking about opening the gift wrap.

Kim Hyunsung hurriedly spoke up right then.

He looked as though he wanted to boast about something, and I could already guess what he was about to say.

He was probably going to introduce the person standing beside him.

To him, it must have been a kind of achievement, so I could understand why he wanted to show her off, but it still made me inexplicably bitter.

“We’ve changed a little ourselves, actually. You may have already heard from Deokgu, but while you were away, we recruited a new member.”

“Ah... this must be her.”

“Yes. This is Cho Hyejin, who’s joined Blue.”

The person standing next to Kim Hyunsung was a woman holding a long spear. She was fairly tall, and her hair, tied back and swept behind her head, oddly reminded me of an old martial artist.

If I had to describe her as giving off a soldier or knightly sort of vibe, that would fit.

Her features were sharp, but she somehow looked like the type with a stiff, uncompromising personality.

Probably because she is.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“I’m Cho Hyejin. I’ve heard a lot about you. Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung.”

“Ah, Cho Hyejin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lee Kiyoung.”

“Yes. You seem exactly as I was told. I look forward to working with you.”

Of course I checked her with the Mind’s Eye. Her information came pouring into me at once.

Nothing especially flashy, my ass...

Lindel was home to countless people, but this was the first time I’d seen someone with abilities and potential like this.

Ignoring people like Cha Heera, I’d never even seen anyone with this much promise.

Of course, she didn’t have any stats beyond Legendary grade, but there was no denying how insanely balanced she was.

Just like the overall evaluation had said.

Even at a glance, I could tell she was strong.

All her stats were either Heroic or lower, but because of that very balance, and because she was apparently capable in administration too, she was almost a cheat code.

“It seems like this is your first time... in Lindel, though of course I haven’t seen everyone in this vast place...”

“Ah, yes. You’re right, Kiyoung. Cho Hyejin here was active in Castle Rock, not Lindel. Due to unavoidable circumstances, she left her previous guild and came to Lindel, where she made her connection with Blue.”

“Castle Rock, was it?”

“Yes. Castle Rock.”

Castle Rock wasn’t a free city where free citizens had settled.

It was territory inside the Holy Empire.

I’d heard that a few free citizens had settled there because the surrounding area was packed with decent hunting grounds and dungeons.

Considering that it lay farther south and closer to the Monster Forest, it certainly wasn’t a bad place to establish yourself.

Of course.

There were definitely disadvantages too.

For one, since it wasn’t a free city, the taxes were higher, and there were quite a few other restrictions as well.

Free citizens were somewhat exempt from imperial law, but that only applied within Lindel. If you were settling in a city ruled by nobles, there were absolutely things you had to give up as a free citizen.

“I see.”

Come to think of it...

Wasn’t Lady Marlin from Castle Rock?

I was pretty sure that was right.

Well, whether that woman had come from Castle Rock or from Lunchbox Town was none of my business, really.

What mattered was that Kim Hyunsung seemed to know Cho Hyejin from the first timeline already, and that he trusted her quite a bit in real life too.

Her title was Castle Rock’s Stubborn Woman, and her disposition was a rigid, rule-bound idealist.

She didn’t look like someone who’d fit me at all. She practically screamed inflexible. There was no way I could get along with a person like that, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not when I was the sort of guy who lived by the motto that principles can go to hell.

Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, that tactless bastard was busy overflowing with praise for her.

For some reason, I was getting anxious.

No way this one and I are gonna click...

That wasn’t just a guess. I was certain.

Sure, it was only based on her disposition, but I’d bet money that this kind of person would never suit me.

“Actually, some of the tasks you entrusted to us were also helped along by Hyejin.”

“Ah... I see. There must have been quite a lot, so thank you very much.”

“Not at all. I only did what needed to be done. I simply processed things according to the documents you organized.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

“She’s truly capable and kind. I’m sure if you talk with her, you’ll understand what I mean.”

“I see.”

“She also has considerable combat ability. I wanted to appoint her to an important post in the guild immediately, but I decided to hold off since I thought it was something that needed your approval.”

“Ah...”

At least I could be thankful for that.

Honestly, I didn’t think this was something I had any reason to reject, but at the very least it meant Kim Hyunsung had respected me.

Even so...

“No. The proposal is still too much for me.”

Refusing it on the other side was, if nothing else, a little more beautiful.

“Rather than standing around like this, let’s head back to the guild house quickly. Yeri and Heeyoung will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come as soon as they finish their work too.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Master.”

At a glance, Kim Hyunsung was clearly excited at the thought of introducing a new friend to his old one.

He probably had his own hopes for the synergy between the two of us, but I could already predict what was going to happen next.

With a true loyal retainer suddenly appearing, I somehow felt like I’d be pushed back into the role of the schemer.

For me, who wanted to remain the closest person by the regressor’s side, this was, if anything, a crisis.

Hyunsung, I’m trusting you, man.