Free City of Lindel
I didn’t particularly think I should save them.
When you consider the money and time it takes to raise a proper combat force, it was only natural that Blue, which had no interest in small elite units, wouldn’t like them.
If Blue hadn’t recruited our party, they might have had a chance too. But Blue had already paid a very steep price to bring in Kim Hyunsung’s party.
Now that the other Tutorial Dungeons were only just opening, their prospects were relatively low.
They understood perfectly well that investing in people like this was a stupid thing to do.
They’re not exactly incompetent, though...
“Then.”
As the leadership immediately bowed their heads and turned away, the people left behind looked a little stunned.
“K-Kim Hyunsung!”
In the end, someone shouted out.
“……”
“W-we... We should come with you too... Please take us with you too.”
It was a fairly absurd statement.
Of course I knew who it was. One of the people who had been at the Shelter with us.
I didn’t even remember their name properly.
One of the ones who had eagerly taken the food Kim Hyunsung handed out, one of the ones who had insulted Jung Hayan.
One of the ones who had quietly turned away at the suggestion of going out to hunt, and one of the ones who had been clinging closest to Jung Jinho when that bastard, who was now already dead, first came to the Shelter.
You couldn’t have a thicker face than that.
It wasn’t enough that he’d been given a safe Shelter to rest in during the Tutorial; we’d even gone so far as to supply precious food.
And after all that, he was asking us to take responsibility for his life now that the lessons were over.
The instructors looked stunned too.
In a way, it was truly impressive.
Just speaking like that from the position of a helpless weakling was admirable.
I knew I couldn’t have said something like that in his place.
I didn’t bother opening my mouth.
It wasn’t directed at me anyway, and the choice belonged entirely to Kim Hyunsung.
He’s not that much of a pushover, is he?
Even if he was a sucker, he wasn’t that much of one.
No, actually, I was a little worried.
From the beginning, the fact that he’d gathered survivors in the Tutorial Dungeon and then set up a Shelter for them was not exactly the kind of thing a normal person would think of.
“You should... be responsible for us until the end...”
What the hell is he talking about?
He probably didn’t even know what he was saying himself.
Desperation makes people strong, but sometimes it also makes them stupid.
Lee Sanghee was silently watching Kim Hyunsung.
She seemed to be asking whether this had been a bond formed in the Tutorial Dungeon or not.
“We, we should come too...”
And so, with their courage supposedly bolstered, a few more lunatics began to appear one by one. It was almost enough to make me laugh.
Seeing losers who had chosen nothing for themselves now begging to be saved from hell was honestly astonishing.
“You won’t just abandon us like this, will you?”
“Kim Hyunsung!”
“Kim Hyunsung, take us with you...”
Kim Hyunsung slowly walked toward them.
I was a little uneasy, but seeing the bastard biting his lip made it clear he wasn’t exactly in a good mood.
That was a perfectly reasonable reaction.
In a situation like that, even a monk would have gotten angry.
Sure enough, Kim Hyunsung lowered his head slightly and spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I think my connection with all of you ends here.”
Hah.
For a split second, I almost burst out laughing.
It was more satisfying than I’d expected.
“I think it would be better for you to live your own lives in a new environment rather than traveling with me. It was a short time, but it was enjoyable.”
“T-that’s not...”
“The city will probably be safe.”
“What kind of irresponsible thing is tha-”
It wasn’t clear what exactly was irresponsible about it.
It might have seemed a little arrogant of me to step in, but I had no choice but to speak first.
“We have no obligation to be responsible for you.”
“Huh?”
“The city will be safe. It may not be comfortable, but at the very least, your lives won’t be in danger.”
“But still...”
“Let me say it again. Neither I nor Kim Hyunsung has any duty to take care of you. We are strangers.”
“……”
Even after such a thorough explanation, they still wore expressions that said they didn’t understand.
They looked offended.
It was as if they thought it was unfair that we stood over there while they were left here.
Idiots.
If you don’t sacrifice anything, you don’t get anything.
He’d probably never realize that in his entire life.
He’d come at us with the look of someone ready to cling to our pant legs, so I lifted the corner of my mouth slightly and held out the pouch of gold coins in my arms.
“It’s not much to call a final gift, but I hope it helps a little.”
The man snatched up the pouch I’d handed him in a hurry, and his expression was priceless.
Looking as if he’d somehow been betrayed, he nevertheless seemed to know that whatever was inside that somewhat heavy pouch was valuable, so he shoved it into his chest.
It really wasn’t much money at all.
And yet, in an instant, everyone else’s eyes were drawn to him.
“Th-thank you.”
“I hope you survive. If our paths cross again...”
“Yes...”
It seemed he still didn’t understand that there was nothing to gain without sacrifice.
I had no idea whether he’d be able to protect either the gold coins or his own body once he got into the city, but honestly, that wasn’t my problem.
I’d only tossed him a few coins with the feeling of peeling off a leech.
Even Lee Jihye, who seemed to realize why I’d blatantly thrown him the pouch, was looking at him as if he were an idiot.
I’d found it a little strange that Lee Jihye wasn’t attaching herself to me here, but since she was quietly watching the situation, it seemed she did have something in mind after all.
Lee Jihye...
Maybe she’d been contacted by another guild.
She had a similar temperament to mine, so she might have used her tongue and built herself up that way.
What a waste...
She was burdensome if I kept her, and if I threw her away, she was a little too good to waste.
More than anything, what was notable was her attitude.
The way she acted as if she had no regrets at all for herself was somehow oddly appealing.
I don’t need to be with you.
That was the feeling she gave off.
I already knew through Mind's Eye that she didn’t actually have anything to her name.
Still, I thought she was better than most riffraff.
Looking at Lee Jihye, I slowly opened my mouth.
“Let’s... meet again.”
“Yes... yes.”
I hadn’t said it to the man, but it seemed my words pleased her.
Lee Jihye, who was meeting my eyes, gave a slight nod.
I didn’t know whether she would end up applying to Blue or not, but we would probably meet again someday.
I turned away at once, and Lee Sanghee and Kim Hyunsung both nodded back.
Before I even took a step, a voice came from behind me.
“Kiyoung, you really are so warmhearted. Of course, the basic livelihood support funds you get from the guild don’t look bad either, but...”
“This isn’t anything much. We did go through the Tutorial Dungeon together, after all. So, are we heading to Lindel now?”
“Yes. We’ve already mostly finished packing up. Honestly, I’d like a little more time, but there’s a lot to prepare in several ways.”
“Ah. What about the trainees...”
“They’ll be heading straight to the Free City with us. Let’s get moving first.”
“Understood.”
The instructors and the ordinary members of the Blue Guild moved busily about.
It felt like life in front of the Tutorial Dungeon was ending here.
We hadn’t grown attached to the place, but life in a completely new city was naturally something to look forward to.
Cha Heera’s gift was piled high, leaving me with a ridiculous amount of luggage, so several guild members were also clinging to it.
“Hyung.”
“Brother!”
Of course, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were also getting ready to leave.
Jung Hayan, who looked a little gaunt, came up beside me, and Park Deokgu also spoke up with a hint of regret.
“Didn’t know we’d be headin’ out this soon, but well, looks like there’s somethin’ urgent. Shame, really...”
“What is...”
“This, here!”
A small rowboat tied to a rope.
It didn’t look fully finished yet, but I could never have imagined that he’d actually bring all the way here something he’d been making by the lake.
I wasn’t even sure if he had unexpected talent for handiwork, but it did look surprisingly well made, which was a bonus.
Why did you make it so well?
“……”
“If we’d had a little more time, I was thinking we could’ve gone boating at the shelter nearby, but I figured it’d be a waste not to bring it along for now.”
“You’ve already got a lot of luggage...”
“If we load it here, there won’t be any problem. It’ll even help with training our stamina, I reckon. If Hyung gets tired while walkin’, couldn’t you and the missus ride in it while I pull?”
“It’s not that far. There’s no need to go that far.”
For some reason, I didn’t want to ride it right now.
“I heard there isn’t even a lake near the Free City...”
“Ugh.”
“We should definitely ride it together later... O-oppa.”
“Sure.”
When I gently patted Jung Hayan’s head, she smiled as though she liked it.
She seemed to be in better shape than I’d expected, which was a relief.
I wasn’t completely sure, but it looked like she and Park Deokgu had talked quite a bit about me.
I could vaguely tell that bastard had played a big role in keeping Jung Hayan’s mental state together.
“Looks like we’re departing now.”
“Yes, Kim Hyunsung.”
The small but not tiny Blue Guild slowly began to move.
It was annoying that we had to walk quite a long way, but it was also enjoyable.
For the first time in a while, I could spend some quiet time with Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan.
“So... I tried a new spell today...”
“Mm. Mm-hm.”
“I saw it myself, and it really seemed amazing... When the lady cast the spell, the lake suddenly split in two, didn’t it? There was an old story some neighborhood auntie used to tell, about some fellow called Moses, or maybe a parrot or somethin’, who split the sea. It really felt like I was seeing that with my own eyes.”
“It was probably Moses.”
“A-ah! Right, Moses, that must’ve been him. You’re really smart, sir. Anyway, what I’m sayin’ is...”
Park Deokgu had become quite chatty, and Kim Hyunsung wore a pleased expression.
Jung Hayan walked while gripping my hand tightly.
She seemed to be nodding off, as if she really hadn’t slept at all, but even so, she kept her hand locked around mine and moved her feet forward.
Along the way, the Blue Guild’s executives took turns explaining various things, and we enjoyed what might have been our last chance for rest to the fullest.
After walking for quite some time, what finally came into view was a tall clock tower.
I glanced sideways and Kim Hyunsung’s expression came into my sight.
For me, it was the beginning. For him, it was the beginning too.
There was a complex look hanging over his face.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Still, it was only natural that he would have a lot on his mind.
What had happened in the past, what would happen in the future, and everything concerning Blue and our party.
He was calmly sorting out his thoughts.
Jung Hayan, meanwhile, looked as if she were gazing at a newlywed home.
Thinking of this as the place where the two of us would live in the future, she had the corners of her mouth lifted high.
“That’s...”
The place where Earthlings within the Holy Empire rooted themselves and lived.
“Lindel...”
The Free City of Lindel.
“World, Park Deokgu is here!”
“Pffft!”