Homeward Bound (4)
Even on the way back to the guild house, there was plenty to talk about.
Most of it was catching up on what everyone had been doing, how they’d been getting by, and all the stories that had piled up in the meantime, but it was still the kind of conversation that made the time feel good.
At first Jung Hayan seemed to study Cho Hyejin with obvious caution, but after quickly realizing there was no real point of contact between them, she lost interest just as fast.
She only seemed to think, So a new person’s come in.
That was so like Jung Hayan it almost made me smile.
Park Deokgu, however, was another matter. He didn’t seem to be looking at her that way to the extent of staring at me, but he was sending Cho Hyejin an unmistakably positive look.
Apparently he’d grown close to her while I was away, because the way he was sticking to her so familiarly was almost absurd.
Of course, the conversation itself wasn’t bad.
“Hey, Ms. Hyejin.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think of our hyung?”
“He seems wiser than I was told. In fact, while I was carrying out my duties, I kept wondering who it was that had organized everything so well… and I think he’s exactly as I imagined.”
“If Kiyoung hadn’t been around, it would probably have taken much longer for the guild to get settled.”
“Yes, Master. Truly… I had thought this wasn’t the sort of workload one person could handle alone….”
“You’re making me blush. It wasn’t done by my strength alone. It was possible because of everyone else’s help. Blue still has many capable people.”
Something along those lines.
Seeing Kim Hyunsung looking so happy after all this time, and Park Deokgu chattering away, really did make it feel like I was coming home.
That was, of course, if I ignored the fact that one person I’d never expected had been added to the mix.
My chest hurt a little, but I could understand why Kim Hyunsung was in such a good mood.
Cho Hyejin was still growing. She hadn’t even fully bloomed yet. And even at this level, her talent was already obvious. If you looked only at her potential, there was plenty of room for her to become even stronger in the future.
If her trait, Diligent One, was anything to go by, she might someday grow into someone at guild-master level.
Assuming he knew her well from the first turn, it was only natural that he’d take a liking to her.
What mattered here was the position I should take.
Should I push her away, or accept her?
The rational answer was obviously the latter. Simply having someone like her around would help the guild.
If I thought about Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom growing larger and larger from here on out, then there would absolutely be a use for a capable person like this.
She was skilled in both civil and military matters, and her combat ability and latent potential were beyond imagination.
There was no reason not to accept her.
The problem was that my own influence would become relatively smaller. From the standpoint of someone who had monopolized Kim Hyunsung’s affection up to now, it wasn’t exactly pleasant to see a rival appear.
It’s oddly hard to imagine Kim Hyunsung going crazy over a woman, though….
Probably not. Still, if people from the first turn like Cho Hyejin kept coming in, I couldn’t help worrying that our Hyunsung might neglect the original party.
For someone like me and Deokgu, whose combat ability was comparatively lower, that could leave us floating in the air with nothing beneath our feet.
On the other hand, if I looked at it differently, a division of power was necessary. Power concentrating too heavily on my side was something I should avoid.
Still, I couldn’t help thinking the timing was a little too early. The emergence of a force that could keep me in check wouldn’t be too late even after Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom had settled down a bit. Right now was the time for rapid growth; there was no room to worry about principles or propriety.
And of course, the idea that Cho Hyejin would challenge me was pure fantasy on my part.
It was just the sort of thing I did, always imagining the worst and running through every possible scenario, but Kim Hyunsung’s smile, one I had never seen before, kept bothering me for no real reason.
For now, I’ll just do what I’ve always done.
It helped to think ahead sometimes, but not always. For now, an unbelievably powerful ally had joined our side, and the right thing was to be happy about it.
As I kept walking, the Blue Guild house gradually came into view.
I’d expected some sort of welcome, but even from here it looked busier than I could have imagined.
People were already outside, and guild staff were busily preparing something.
What is this?
It took me only a moment to realize it was a party. My mood improved for no good reason at all. Sun Heeyoung, Kim Yeri, and even Lee Sanghee, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, ran over one after another to greet me.
“You’re back safe….”
“Yeri, it’s been a while too.”
The little one didn’t say much, but she looked at me quietly and offered her greeting anyway.
“Kiyoung! You’re finally here.”
“Yes. Heeyoung. It’s been a while.”
Sun Heeyoung greeted me with a little more brightness than usual.
“Welcome back. Vice Guild Master.”
“Thank you, Lee Sanghee.”
Even Lee Sanghee, greeting me in her role as the guild’s advisor, came forward. Kim Miyoung also greeted me neatly, and Park Jungki from the administration team was smiling as if he was in a good mood too.
From the general reaction, it seemed they’d finally gotten through the busy period and had some room to breathe.
After greeting me, everyone started saying something to Jung Hayan too, and the atmosphere turned noisy in an instant.
Meanwhile, more and more food kept being brought into the guild courtyard. There was no need to say who had prepared all this.
He must have given the order the moment he confirmed the griffon with his own eyes.
Hyunsung….
That bastard really does understand the art of pushing and pulling. Of course, not all of my annoyance had disappeared, but who could possibly stay unhappy while being welcomed with a party?
It really did feel like coming home. As if he knew exactly what my expression was saying, Kim Hyunsung let out a faint smile and spoke.
“Welcome back once again, Kiyoung.”
“Welcome back, Vice Guild Master.”
“You’ve done well.”
And just like that, the small party began. Naturally, it was a party everyone in the guild could enjoy.
They would, of course, be the ones to handle the preparations and the cleanup, but at least for this moment, they all looked happy.
Quite a few people were already pleasantly drunk, and it had become a loud, cheerful festival.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d really been able to relax since coming to Blue.
Jung Hayan was still glued to my side, sipping juice, while Park Deokgu wandered around everywhere stuffing his face.
As expected, Hwang Jeongyeon was seated right beside him. Maybe they’d grown a little closer, because the two of them were flitting around together like a pair of lovers.
As time passed, it was only natural that one drunken person after another would start appearing. The guild staff were no exception.
“Ugh…. Do you know how hard it’s been? Honestly, I was almost mad enough to resent the Vice Guild Master.”
“You’ve worked hard, Miyoung. Ah! I should probably call you Team Leader Kim Miyoung now.”
“Pardon?”
“To be honest, I’ve just been putting it off. No one knows better than I do how hard Team Leader Kim Miyoung has worked. We can finish the salary negotiation tomorrow.”
“Ahh!”
“You’ll be able to work with much better treatment from now on. I’ll also see that the support for the children can be increased a little.”
“Aah! Th-thank you. Thank you.”
I didn’t forget to take care of the administration team, who had suffered through all that time.
Among them, Team Leader Kim Miyoung was quickly promoted at warp speed. Seeing Park Jungki looking on with obvious envy, I figured I should probably take care of him as well.
“It’s only natural. Ah, but more than that, I heard you got a lot of help from Cho Hyejin.”
“Yes. She was a little rigid, but… she’s a good person.”
Her reputation’s good.
Apparently she was quite well loved. As the conversation continued, a loud voice suddenly rose from the side.
“Hyung! Try this! Hyung!”
“You should try some too, Hayan.”
It was Sun Heeyoung and Park Deokgu approaching us. Seeing the small plate in their hands, it was probably something they’d brought over because it tasted good.
“It’s really delicious, Kiyoung. Way better than what they sell at the restaurant nearby….”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“You should try some too, Hayan.”
“Y-yes. Th-thank you.”
“I’m telling you, it’s incredible. I was shocked! Seriously!”
What he was holding was a simple stew. It was a little different from the fancy dishes that had been brought out until now.
It was rough enough that I could hardly believe the chef in charge of Blue’s kitchen had made it.
The thick-cut beef looked tasty enough, but I could confidently say it wasn’t beyond the level of something you’d eat quickly on an expedition.
I couldn’t understand why he was making such a fuss.
“Hurry up and try it! Come on, hurry!”
“All right.”
Unable to withstand Park Deokgu’s relentless pressure, I took a spoonful, and the moment I tasted it, I realized something was different.
“Huh?”
A distinct, unfamiliar flavor quietly raised its head and stood up.
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
I didn’t answer Park Deokgu’s question, but my expression probably did the work for me. My eyes would have been wide open by then.
“Who made this?”
“Our guild master hyung and Lee Sanghee made it. They went over to the makeshift kitchen and whipped it up, and would you look at that! It melts in your mouth, doesn’t it? It melts like the best cut of beef!”
“Huh?”
“It melts, I’m telling you. Melts!”
“It really is good. Really.”
“How is it, sis?”
“It’s, it’s delicious…. Deokgu-oppa. This is… really delicious.”
There was an unmistakable note of defeat in Jung Hayan’s voice.
“Sis, you can cook too, can’t you?”
“Huh? Me? Ah… well… yes! I have learned a little….”
The expression and the body language both screamed that she wasn’t at all confident. She reluctantly made her way toward the makeshift kitchen, but her face looked just like Ito Souta’s when he walked into a statue’s jaws.
The look of a criminal climbing the steps to the guillotine.
It seemed best not to touch anything Jung Hayan made today.
Everyone was paired off in little groups, enjoying the party in their own way. What stood out to me was Cho Hyejin, who had claimed a spot by herself.
She was quietly chewing on her food. I thought it might be a good idea to talk to her a little, so I drifted over.
I was curious not just about her general personality, but about what kind of person she really was. Conveniently, Jung Hayan was in the middle of her own endless quest, so this was the perfect timing.
After asking Team Leader Kim Miyoung for permission with a face that clearly said she’d like to keep talking, I walked over and found Cho Hyejin looking back at me.
“How do you find Blue?”
“It seems like a good place. I had a rough idea from the rumors I’d heard, but it’s even better than I expected.”
“I see.”
“Especially now that the Vice Guild Master has joined us, the mood seems even better.”
“It isn’t like this all the time. This is the first time I’ve really had a chance to enjoy something like this myself….”
“I can see how much the members of this guild trust their guild master and vice guild master.”
“Ah….”
“I’ve also had companions from the tutorial, but after coming to the continent, seeing people split apart over all sorts of interests and petty incidents, I can say that all of you in Blue are truly admirable.”
Unlike her calm, almost unruffled manner as she ate, the words coming out of her mouth were rather sentimental.
I wondered if she was drunk, but she certainly didn’t seem unpleasant.
For some reason, I felt like I understood how the party she’d first joined had ended, and why she’d left Castle Rock to come all the way here.
That’s just how life is, I guess.
“Especially Hyunsung. He really seems to trust you, Kiyoung. Even while he was coming to meet you, he kept talking about you.”
“Ah.”
“I’d thought he wasn’t the type to smile much, so that was a little unexpected.”
From my perspective, Cho Hyejin’s words were even more unexpected. I realized at once that it had all been a misunderstanding.
When I looked over at Kim Hyunsung, who was still cooking with Lee Sanghee, the corners of my mouth lifted without meaning to.
Hyung believed in you, you bastard!
It was the moment I realized my loyalty toward the regressor had been properly rewarded.
Needless to say, Kim Hyunsung trusted me.
Just as much as he had in the first turn.