Dungeon Raiding Is Politics (4)
Taking care of the common people isn’t difficult.
It’s no different from what the big shots on Earth do. Take a quick stroll through the market, make yourself seem approachable, and that’s the end of it.
Of course, my situation was a little different.
I couldn’t exactly claim to stand above them.
Even so, that didn’t mean it was useless.
I talked to people whenever we had a short break, and whenever we set up camp, I made sure to look after them properly. During the expedition, I also made sure to show a serious side of myself.
Besides, the Mado Guild had already developed a strangely favorable impression of Jung Hayan, and the Red Mercenary party members also seemed to like me.
Just a little bit of conversation here and there was enough to work.
Of course, apart from Jung Hayan, it was also essential to manage the Mado Guild party members.
The more good will I could gather on my side, the better.
“Hahaha. It’s nearly as efficient as holy magic, isn’t it, Kiyoung?”
“You flatter me. I’m almost embarrassed in case the priests overhear you.”
“Honestly, your magical firepower doesn’t seem all that inferior either. How….”
“I’m glad to hear that from the Mado Guild.”
“No, no. I’m not just making polite conversation. To be honest, it feels almost no different from an ordinary mage.”
“It does have a few drawbacks, like taking a little longer to chant spells or needing a refined magic circle, but if you have a decent catalyst, you can use very efficient magic.”
“Efficient, you say….”
“You can complete a spell with solid firepower even using only a small amount of mana.”
“Aaaah.”
“Of course, it isn’t without drawbacks. The catalyst cost for casting spells is fairly steep.”
“Do you happen to know how much it costs?”
“About 30 gold. We mainly use essence of mana.”
“Ah! Essence of mana.”
“Yes. The cost of essence needed to use low-grade magic comes to 30 gold.”
I could see the surprise on his face.
More than that, he looked a little fed up.
At that point, it was probably only natural to react that way, considering it was basically the same as 30 gold disappearing every time you cast a spell.
Of course, ordinary-grade essence of mana was piled up in our storage. Cha Heera had given us a lot of it as gifts, and there was still plenty left.
“I suppose I can’t call that efficient after all. Then does rare-grade essence of mana disappear after a single use as well?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a little disappointing.”
“If there were an essence that could draw out mana endlessly, I suppose that would deserve to be called the Philosopher’s Stone.”
“The Philosopher’s Stone. Ahhh… the Philosopher’s Stone….”
That sort of subject was exactly the kind of thing mages went crazy over.
“Can it be made?”
“It’s only mentioned briefly in the books I’m studying as well. Research hasn’t even properly begun yet. I’m still not qualified enough to study it thoroughly. Still, someday, I’ll definitely create one.”
The Philosopher’s Stone, my ass.
“Um… if research does begin….”
“Yes. Of course I’ll invite you. This is fate, after all.”
People who become mages are usually that kind of person.
If they’re curious about alchemy as a field, of course they’d want to talk to me.
With that, I’d become pretty close to the last member of the Mado Guild as well.
Anyway, the expedition’s dungeon conquest was proceeding smoothly, and our party was also blending into the others splendidly.
I didn’t know whether Kim Hyunsung realized what I was thinking or not, but there were definitely things he was gaining from all this.
In Park Deokgu’s case, he had joined the tanker community and was squeezing out all kinds of useful tricks, and Kim Yeri had also adapted quite well.
She still didn’t feel like she was pulling her weight, but the little girl with twin braids was silently and stubbornly drawing her bow without saying a word.
Sun Heeyoung, with her excellent raw stats, had no trouble adapting at all, and I wasn’t looking especially bad either.
That was probably because I was firing magic alongside Jung Hayan; it didn’t stand out very much.
As for our fox, Kim Hyunsung, he gave the impression of being strangely restrained.
He wasn’t the type to hide his power, so it was more accurate to say he simply didn’t have many opportunities to act rather than that he was holding back.
That was how smoothly the expedition was progressing.
“Then I’ll go take care of something for a moment.”
“Yes. It looks like we’ll be staying here tonight. If you have time, could you go over that conversation from earlier once more? The Philosopher’s Stone… what exactly is it… in detail….”
“Of course.”
I slipped away from the expedition party to take care of my business, and when I reached the safe point—
There it is.
—Jeong Yura had quietly come up to me.
I’d expected her to make a move soon, but she was a little faster than I thought.
“I thought you came here to gain experience. Did you sneak in just to socialize?”
She asked so directly that it caught me a little off guard.
Did it bother her that much?
Maybe I did look that way.
I’d been darting around during every break, busy with nothing but working the crowd and shaping public opinion.
If she thought I was the same kind of person as her, it wouldn’t be strange for her to feel politically threatened.
Not long after the conquest began, I’d already succeeded in making a good impression on everyone.
“Hahaha. I think there’s a bit of an edge to your words, Yura.”
“I’m saying this because you’re going too far.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Isn’t building camaraderie for teamwork only natural? We didn’t have much time to spend together beforehand.”
“I’m saying you’re taking it too far.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“You’re even ruining the proper tension. It’s not a good thing to act too comfortable.”
“I thought I was keeping myself well within the bounds of not interfering with the dungeon conquest… and in fact, isn’t it going very smoothly? Even the warrior on our side who made a mistake at the start has adapted remarkably well, and everyone else is also tackling the conquest in high spirits. I honestly don’t see the problem.”
Fair enough.
“Hey. Kiyoung.”
“Yes, Yura?”
“You probably don’t know this yet since you’ve only just entered this place, but… a dungeon is a location where you never know what kind of threat might appear and when. Even if it’s only a break, don’t you realize that you’re really disturbing the atmosphere?”
“No. I don’t.”
“On the contrary, I think I’m helping the party. The atmosphere has actually gotten better than it was at first. Just because you’re frowning, Yura, doesn’t mean everyone has to frown too, does it? Of course, I understand that we need to stay alert to a certain degree. I did think you were being serious during the expedition… but I honestly don’t understand exactly what’s bothering you.”
As I smiled faintly, her reddened face came into view.
What I was saying was completely reasonable.
But because I kept wearing this expression, almost as if I were teasing her, she reacted quickly enough to make it entertaining.
Whether I knew it or not, I seemed to have a face specially suited for provoking people.
“I’m not worried about influence within the party or anything like that…. And you’re definitely not greedy for the items that might come out of the dungeon conquest rewards…. So I really don’t understand why you’re so desperate to swallow us whole. Of course, if a rare-grade item came out, you’d naturally want to get your hands on it and lean in a little… but surely Jeong Yura, who’s being backed by the Black Swan Guild, wouldn’t be so petty as to covet something like that.”
I was pretty sure her heart was stabbing at itself right about now.
“It’s possible that even a heroic-grade item might come out, but still. Isn’t this a little cheap, all for the sake of snatching one decent piece of equipment? If it were me, I’d have just given it up. I don’t know why you’re making such a big political fuss over this… ah, if I’ve misunderstood, then I’m truly sorry.”
Her face had turned beet red.
I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t lose my head if a heroic-grade weapon suddenly appeared, but pretending to be above material greed was extremely easy.
“Did I perhaps hit the mark….”
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m a joke?”
“No. Absolutely not. There’s no way you’d be a joke. You’re Jeong Yura of the Black Swan, after all. But….”
“…….”
“Why are you talking down to me, huh?”
She looked utterly speechless.
She seemed taken aback by my sudden change in tone. There was no one else here to hear us, and no one else to see.
“I am, after all, an official guild member registered to a proper party in the Blue Guild. You can’t just come at me like this, Jeong Yura.”
“Hah… so you’re Chae Heera’s kept man? I guess you really don’t know your place. You think even here the Mercenary Queen can protect you?”
“What you just said sounds like a threat that you’re planning to do something to me, Jeong Yura. You should be careful with your words. And the one I trust isn’t Heera noona.”
“What?”
I took a shallow breath.
She looked like she was waiting for whatever I was about to say next, but of course I had no intention of getting into some pointless scrap here.
Wasting my image on a meaningless quarrel was something I had to avoid as much as possible.
Instead, I raised my voice a little and said to her,
“I’m sorry!”
“What?”
I spoke loudly enough for the expedition party, a little farther away, to hear me.
“You… what kind of crap are you pull—”
“I’m truly sorry!”
When I apologized again, louder and with every bit of sincerity I could muster, her face twisted in utter confusion.
Of course she’d make that expression.
My voice had come out at a completely absurd time.
But she seemed to understand, more or less, why I’d suddenly offered such a heartfelt apology.
I could see the color drain from her face.
Once the pure truth was laid bare, everyone wore expressions of complete disbelief.
Choi Younggi of the Red Mercenary group and the Mado Guild, and even Kim Hyunsung, were looking at her with somewhat heavy eyes.
“I-I’m….”
Just as she was about to apologize once more—
“There’s no need to apologize, Kiyoung.”
—the one who cut her off was my lovely little brother, Kim Hyunsung.
What, is he angry?