Chapter 261: Clan (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 261: Clan (5)
The last time we spoke of it, I told Missha that I considered her a valuable teammate, pushing her away with cowardly words. I had thought that was the right thing to do, and in fact, it was. At the time, I had still been burning with the desire to return. Not to mention... I didn't even have the right to cross that line, because I was an evil spirit. No matter how many sweet nothings I whispered through Bjorn Yandel's lips, I figured it would only ever mean deceiving the other person.
"W-What does that mean? That you don't just considerrr me a teammate...?" she asked with wide eyes.
I answered without hesitation. "You should know what I mean by that."
It was something I had realized after visiting the community this time around. More than Hansu Lee's dark room, I considered this, this place where I was now, my home.
"You didn't even say it properrrly..." Missha slowly shifted her eyes from the wall, which she had been staring at to avoid my gaze, to me. "So how can I know...?"
Perhaps this was what Baekho was wary of. The moment you formed a deep connection with an NPC, your desire to stay in this place became stronger. But, so what?
"Missha Karlstein, I like you."
I didn't care about returning anymore. The fact that it became difficult to make rational decisions when romantic feelings got in the way was also a factor, but it was already too late for me anyway. I considered my teammates, including Missha, to be precious, and I couldn't prioritize myself above them.
This was a trace of the legacy Dwalkie had left behind. What else could I do after he left us the way he had? I could never think of these people as NPCs.
So, what was Missha's answer? I felt nervous for the first time in a while, but I didn't express this outwardly in order to avoid influencing the results. There was a long beat of silence.
"Bjorn." Soon, Missha parted her lips and cut through the quiet. Before I knew it, she was out from under the blanket and standing in front of me. "...Let's go out."
Missha grabbed my hand and led me out of the house. I didn't ask where we were going. The time was early morning, when people were just starting to wake up and start their days. Without even bothering to put on coats, Missha and I left the house and found a room at an inn thirty yards away, where we pressed our bodies together.
"Bjorn, gently—! It hurrrts when you squeeze too tight..."
Concerned about causing her pain, I forced my rough barbarian body to move carefully and conscientiously. "Are you really sure about this...?"
"...Anything for you." The hug Missha gave me was clumsy yet warm. That was how the two of us spent our time until evening, sharing in each other's heat.
So that's where her tail goes.
That day, I got to learn with my own two eyes the answer to a question that had always been on my mind. But as the saying went, happiness was fleeting.
"Bjorn."
"Get some more rest. Don't worry about Ainar and Erwen. I'm sure they're fine—"
"That's not it. I have something to say."
"...Huh?"
Before I could even tilt my head in confusion to ask what she meant, Missha sat up on the bed and looked at me. When she spoke again, she sounded resolute. "I think... it's best for us to just stay teammates."
She rejected me.
***
It felt like she was in a dream.
"Missha Karlstein, I like you."
The moment she heard those words, her heart began to pound like crazy and the whole world seemed brighter. That was why.
"...Let's go out."
Missha had taken Bjorn and practically run out of the house with him because she was anxious. It felt like if she took her eyes off of him for even a moment, she was going to wake up from this dream.
"Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn...!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."
That was how they'd passed those dream-like hours. The two exchanged body heat and in the moments in between, they talked. They talked about everything from the moment they met until now, laying bare their thoughts and feelings. It was a time for them to share with one another.
Did I fall asleep for a little bit?
A dream was a dream because you had to wake up one day. Missha slowly opened her eyes. She could see a dark sky out the window and the man she had wanted so badly sleeping next to her. The profound happiness that filled her at the sight was short-lived. The world was dyed the color of reality and she sobered up.
As I thought, Bjorn...
He was an evil spirit. Unable to say it even in the privacy of her own head, Missha let the sentence go unfinished because it broke her heart just thinking about it.
"Ugh..."
She felt choked up. She'd had her doubts, but she became sure about his identity today. That was because after hearing about the duties of the barbarian tribe from Kharon, she had asked Ainar some questions. Only barbarians could give birth to barbarians. This was something she had known from the start.
"Be in a relationship? Haha, isn't that obvious? Of course we can. As far as I know, there are quite a few barbarians who are!"
Barbarians were still people, after all. The longer they lived in the city, and the longer they adventured with people other than their fellow countrymen from the holy land, the more their values gradually began to change.
"According to the chieftain, any warrior is bound to change after living in the city for a few years, even if just a little. I think he called it 'urbanization.'"
Because they were kind, their personalities meshed well with others. Affection accumulated from spending a long time together. There were definitely barbarians in the city who were attracted to people romantically, regardless of their race, but they all had something in common.
"But I heard it's difficult to find someone, because most of them don't understand our duty."
Even those barbarians inevitably wanted to have children. Ainar explained that duty was an intrinsic part of their race, imprinted on their souls. And so, Missha had tried to be understanding. That was the reason she had headed up to her room without saying anything, even though she had waited there all night, unable to sleep thanks to the pain in her heart.
"Missha, nothing happened last night at the holy land, and I don't want you to misunderstand that."
However, she had instead been told not to misinterpret the situation.
"Because I don't just consider you my teammate anymore."
She'd even gotten to hear something like that from Bjorn. At the time, she had been so lost in her happiness that she couldn't even think of them, but when she woke up again, everything was full of contradictions. Of course, she believed him when he said that nothing happened in the holy land.
"Missha Karlstein, I like you."
The moment she heard those words, her heart began to pound like crazy and the whole world seemed brighter. That was why.
"...Let's go out."
Missha had taken Bjorn and practically run out of the house with him because she was anxious. It felt like if she took her eyes off of him for even a moment, she was going to wake up from this dream.
"Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn...!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."
That was how they'd passed those dream-like hours. The two exchanged body heat and in the moments in between, they talked. They talked about everything from the moment they met until now, laying bare their thoughts and feelings. It was a time for them to share with one another.
Did I fall asleep for a little bit?
A dream was a dream because you had to wake up one day. Missha slowly opened her eyes. She could see a dark sky out the window and the man she had wanted so badly sleeping next to her. The profound happiness that filled her at the sight was short-lived. The world was dyed the color of reality and she sobered up.
As I thought, Bjorn...
He was an evil spirit. Unable to say it even in the privacy of her own head, Missha let the sentence go unfinished because it broke her heart just thinking about it.
"Ugh..."
She felt choked up. She'd had her doubts, but she became sure about his identity today. That was because after hearing about the duties of the barbarian tribe from Kharon, she had asked Ainar some questions. Only barbarians could give birth to barbarians. This was something she had known from the start.
"Be in a relationship? Haha, isn't that obvious? Of course we can. As far as I know, there are quite a few barbarians who are!"
Barbarians were still people, after all. The longer they lived in the city, and the longer they adventured with people other than their fellow countrymen from the holy land, the more their values gradually began to change.
"According to the chieftain, any warrior is bound to change after living in the city for a few years, even if just a little. I think he called it 'urbanization.'"
Because they were kind, their personalities meshed well with others. Affection accumulated from spending a long time together. There were definitely barbarians in the city who were attracted to people romantically, regardless of their race, but they all had something in common.
"But I heard it's difficult to find someone, because most of them don't understand our duty."
Even those barbarians inevitably wanted to have children. Ainar explained that duty was an intrinsic part of their race, imprinted on their souls. And so, Missha had tried to be understanding. That was the reason she had headed up to her room without saying anything, even though she had waited there all night, unable to sleep thanks to the pain in her heart.
"Missha, nothing happened last night at the holy land, and I don't want you to misunderstand that."
However, she had instead been told not to misinterpret the situation.
"Because I don't just consider you my teammate anymore."
She'd even gotten to hear something like that from Bjorn. At the time, she had been so lost in her happiness that she couldn't even think of them, but when she woke up again, everything was full of contradictions. Of course, she believed him when he said that nothing happened in the holy land.
But if that's true, why did Kharon lie?
Why did Bjorn tell Kharon that he was going to fulfill his duties? Thinking about it now, the answer was obvious.
Because he had to.
The only barbarians who hadn't yet fulfilled their duties were the ones at the start of their careers who hadn't established themselves. It was strange for a warrior who even had the nickname Giant to avoid his duties, which was why Bjorn had used Kharon. Kharon's words yesterday were proof of that.
"Bjorn is fulfilling his duties with the female warriors of the tribe, so don't even think about interfering!"
Without even needing to be coerced, Kharon had given her the full story. If Bjorn really wanted to keep that a secret, there was no way Kharon would have done that—he would've made Kharon make an oath. Considering how thorough he always was, this could only be interpreted as intentional. Bjorn had wanted Kharon to spread rumors in the barbarian community that Bjorn Yandel was fulfilling his duties.
Even still, the reason why he had to go to the trouble of changing his appearance...
Missha dropped her head.
Because... he likes me...
Bjorn wanted to be seen as a barbarian who fulfilled his duties to his countrymen but for that same information to not reach her ears. If she hadn't stopped by that pub out of a gut feeling that night, she would've also thought that Bjorn had just been out drinking all night. Anyone she asked would've said the same.
Now I...
Now faced with the truth, her hands and feet trembled. Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit, but that hadn't affected her feelings for him in the slightest. This was natural. The person she had fallen in love with was not Bjorn Yandel, but the man who had saved her and had been by her side throughout many adventures.
So... what do I do now?
The fact that he was an evil spirit was not important. Even if everyone pointed fingers and said that it was wrong, she just had to do what she wanted to do, just like he'd taught her. But even still, there were logistical problems that remained.
If we do this, he will be caught someday...
Love made it hard to make logical decisions. Missha knew that better than anyone. And in truth, Bjorn had made the wrong decision. Rather than pretending to fulfill his duties, actually fulfilling them for real would have been much more advantageous when it came to concealing his identity. And there was just one reason he hadn't done so.
Yeah, because of me...
So Missha made up her mind. If this relationship continued, Bjorn would one day make a bigger mistake.
I'll shoulder this alone...
This was the best course of action. Although even just imagining it made her heart ache, she was great at enduring hardships like these. Before she met the man she knew as Bjorn Yandel, she had lived her whole life that way.
"Bjorn." She called her sleeping lover's name to wake him.
"Get some more rest. Don't worry about Ainar and Erwen. I'm sure they're fine—"
"That's not it. I have something to say." She forced a smile even though it hurt, and spoke even though the only thing that lay down this road was pain. "I think... it's best for us to just stay teammates."
Surely, for this man, she could do this.
***
"Y-You come in a little laterrr. I-I-I'll make an excuse to the others... Okay?"
But if that's true, why did Kharon lie?
Why did Bjorn tell Kharon that he was going to fulfill his duties? Thinking about it now, the answer was obvious.
Because he had to.
The only barbarians who hadn't yet fulfilled their duties were the ones at the start of their careers who hadn't established themselves. It was strange for a warrior who even had the nickname Giant to avoid his duties, which was why Bjorn had used Kharon. Kharon's words yesterday were proof of that.
"Bjorn is fulfilling his duties with the female warriors of the tribe, so don't even think about interfering!"
Without even needing to be coerced, Kharon had given her the full story. If Bjorn really wanted to keep that a secret, there was no way Kharon would have done that—he would've made Kharon make an oath. Considering how thorough he always was, this could only be interpreted as intentional. Bjorn had wanted Kharon to spread rumors in the barbarian community that Bjorn Yandel was fulfilling his duties.
Even still, the reason why he had to go to the trouble of changing his appearance...
Missha dropped her head.
Because... he likes me...
Bjorn wanted to be seen as a barbarian who fulfilled his duties to his countrymen but for that same information to not reach her ears. If she hadn't stopped by that pub out of a gut feeling that night, she would've also thought that Bjorn had just been out drinking all night. Anyone she asked would've said the same.
Now I...
Now faced with the truth, her hands and feet trembled. Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit, but that hadn't affected her feelings for him in the slightest. This was natural. The person she had fallen in love with was not Bjorn Yandel, but the man who had saved her and had been by her side throughout many adventures.
So... what do I do now?
The fact that he was an evil spirit was not important. Even if everyone pointed fingers and said that it was wrong, she just had to do what she wanted to do, just like he'd taught her. But even still, there were logistical problems that remained.
If we do this, he will be caught someday...
Love made it hard to make logical decisions. Missha knew that better than anyone. And in truth, Bjorn had made the wrong decision. Rather than pretending to fulfill his duties, actually fulfilling them for real would have been much more advantageous when it came to concealing his identity. And there was just one reason he hadn't done so.
Yeah, because of me...
So Missha made up her mind. If this relationship continued, Bjorn would one day make a bigger mistake.
I'll shoulder this alone...
This was the best course of action. Although even just imagining it made her heart ache, she was great at enduring hardships like these. Before she met the man she knew as Bjorn Yandel, she had lived her whole life that way.
"Bjorn." She called her sleeping lover's name to wake him.
"Get some more rest. Don't worry about Ainar and Erwen. I'm sure they're fine—"
"That's not it. I have something to say." She forced a smile even though it hurt, and spoke even though the only thing that lay down this road was pain. "I think... it's best for us to just stay teammates."
Surely, for this man, she could do this.
***
"Y-You come in a little laterrr. I-I-I'll make an excuse to the others... Okay?"
Before I could understand what the hell was happening here, before I could get a full rundown of the situation, Missha left.
I froze on the spot, as still as a stone—Barbarian Statue Mode.
"I was rejected...?"
My head felt numb. What did I do wrong? Did I make a mistake today? I racked my brain for some time, but the only things that came to mind were made-up worst-case scenarios. Yeah, what was the use in working myself up? If I had a question, I just had to ask. And if I did something wrong, I just had to fix it.
"Oh, you're herrre? Come eat." When I finally got home, Missha greeted me as if nothing had happened. Erwen and Ainar, for their part, thought I only got home just now.
"You're here, Mister?"
"Bjorn, out all night and only coming back now? Take me with you next time you drink!"
For now, we all got together and ate. I wanted to ask Missha what she meant earlier, but I couldn't ask her here.
"Th-then, I'm tired so I'm going to rrrest now!" As soon as the meal was over, Missha fled to her room.
"Erwen, Missha is acting weird today, isn't she? She's walking weirdly too."
"Hm, I don't know why she's acting like that, either. Something doesn't feel right, though..."
As the two questioned Missha's behavior, I chimed in that she must have been sick and quickly followed her upstairs to "check on her."
"B-Bjorn...?!"
Finally, we were alone again. I asked her to tell me if I did something wrong and why she wanted to stay as teammates, and her answer was the same as before.
"L-Let's just pretend nothing happened today. I think that would be best." It was a stubborn refusal to offer a proper explanation. Determining that now was not the time, I decided to back off and wait for the right moment to ask again. But...
"Oh, sorrry! I have somewhere to go now!"
"Ainar! Laundrrry! Let's go hang the laundry!"
"...I'm tired today."
After that, Missha continued to avoid situations where the two of us might end up alone like a plague, and if I somehow managed to corner her and press her for an answer, she always gave the same one. After a few days, I gave up too.
"...I see. Then let's just pretend that day didn't happen."
Even I couldn't keep being so tenacious when the other team was acting like that. That would only be coercion. And to be honest, backing off was a subconscious defense mechanism.
Wow, I want to smoke.
I couldn't even remember the last time I'd felt so out of it. Even when I'd stepped on those goblin traps and had to crawl through Crystal Cave, or when those pillars of fire exploded in the square, it hadn't been this bad.
Yeah, just focus on what you have to do.
I couldn't continue being so distraught forever, so I wiped the incident with Missha from my mind as much as possible and focused on my work. Thankfully, there were other things to occupy my time.
"Mister, did you hear the rumors?"
"That the outside world is fine?"
"Yes. It's all anyone talks about these days."
Information about the world beyond the castle walls that had first been revealed in the community started spreading throughout the entire city. Well, it was still just being treated as a rumor for now, but as more time passed, it was bound to grow bigger.
I wonder how the palace will react.
Contrary to my expectations, the palace had yet to respond. I had to keep a closer eye on the situation—while still doing my own work, of course.
"Anyway, you know about today, right?"
"Meeting at the District Seven headquarters at 3 p.m. today, right?"
"Yeah."
As soon as I finished lunch, I headed to the Adventurers' Guild early and prepped the paperwork in advance. These were the various documents required to create a clan. That was because Raven and Mr. Bear, who had said they wanted to think about it some more, finally decided to join my clan.
"Raven?"
As I was filling in the paperwork, Raven showed up before the designated time. "This is an important matter. I didn't want to leave it all to you." She tried to make it sound like she didn't trust me, but in truth what she really meant was that she came over early to help me. "How far have you gotten? Let me see."
Raven proceeded to take a few of the papers and scribble on them with the pen, quickly jotting down the essentials. She was three times faster than I was and made fewer mistakes too.
"These rules are too ambiguous. These things have to be clear-cut. The same goes for the conditions for leaving the clan. You can make exceptions, but you have to clearly state who you'll be making those exceptions for."
"I-I see...?"
"Show me the paperwork you've already done. I have the feeling I'll have to fix everything, anyway."
"Here."
Anyway, with Raven's help, we were almost done with the paperwork by the time our other teammates arrived.
"This is my first time forming a clan myself so this all feels new. Did you do all this, Raven?"
"Yes. You all just need to sign here. But if you want to read through the documents before that, go ahead."
"Haha, it's all right. I'm sure you did a good job filling it out."
Starting with Mr. Bear, the remaining members of our team signed the paper and once we submitted it, our application for creating a clan was complete. It'd probably be officially registered in the guild by tomorrow.
Then that solves that problem...
The structure of a clan would go beyond uniting us as a group—it would carry us to new heights.
"Did everyone clear their schedules?"
In that spirit, we left the guild and headed to a tavern. There were still only six of us, but this was our first meeting as a clan instead of a team. Ordering a few dishes and some drinks, we took time to share our plans for the future. Hmm, it'd probably be more accurate to call it 'announcing' rather than 'sharing,' though.
"We will be entering the labyrinth this time."
Now that we'd officially created a clan, it was time for us to charge forward again.
Before I could understand what the hell was happening here, before I could get a full rundown of the situation, Missha left.
I froze on the spot, as still as a stone—Barbarian Statue Mode.
"I was rejected...?"
My head felt numb. What did I do wrong? Did I make a mistake today? I racked my brain for some time, but the only things that came to mind were made-up worst-case scenarios. Yeah, what was the use in working myself up? If I had a question, I just had to ask. And if I did something wrong, I just had to fix it.
"Oh, you're herrre? Come eat." When I finally got home, Missha greeted me as if nothing had happened. Erwen and Ainar, for their part, thought I only got home just now.
"You're here, Mister?"
"Bjorn, out all night and only coming back now? Take me with you next time you drink!"
For now, we all got together and ate. I wanted to ask Missha what she meant earlier, but I couldn't ask her here.
"Th-then, I'm tired so I'm going to rrrest now!" As soon as the meal was over, Missha fled to her room.
"Erwen, Missha is acting weird today, isn't she? She's walking weirdly too."
"Hm, I don't know why she's acting like that, either. Something doesn't feel right, though..."
As the two questioned Missha's behavior, I chimed in that she must have been sick and quickly followed her upstairs to "check on her."
"B-Bjorn...?!"
Finally, we were alone again. I asked her to tell me if I did something wrong and why she wanted to stay as teammates, and her answer was the same as before.
"L-Let's just pretend nothing happened today. I think that would be best." It was a stubborn refusal to offer a proper explanation. Determining that now was not the time, I decided to back off and wait for the right moment to ask again. But...
"Oh, sorrry! I have somewhere to go now!"
"Ainar! Laundrrry! Let's go hang the laundry!"
"...I'm tired today."
After that, Missha continued to avoid situations where the two of us might end up alone like a plague, and if I somehow managed to corner her and press her for an answer, she always gave the same one. After a few days, I gave up too.
"...I see. Then let's just pretend that day didn't happen."
Even I couldn't keep being so tenacious when the other team was acting like that. That would only be coercion. And to be honest, backing off was a subconscious defense mechanism.
Wow, I want to smoke.
I couldn't even remember the last time I'd felt so out of it. Even when I'd stepped on those goblin traps and had to crawl through Crystal Cave, or when those pillars of fire exploded in the square, it hadn't been this bad.
Yeah, just focus on what you have to do.
I couldn't continue being so distraught forever, so I wiped the incident with Missha from my mind as much as possible and focused on my work. Thankfully, there were other things to occupy my time.
"Mister, did you hear the rumors?"
"That the outside world is fine?"
"Yes. It's all anyone talks about these days."
Information about the world beyond the castle walls that had first been revealed in the community started spreading throughout the entire city. Well, it was still just being treated as a rumor for now, but as more time passed, it was bound to grow bigger.
I wonder how the palace will react.
Contrary to my expectations, the palace had yet to respond. I had to keep a closer eye on the situation—while still doing my own work, of course.
"Anyway, you know about today, right?"
"Meeting at the District Seven headquarters at 3 p.m. today, right?"
"Yeah."
As soon as I finished lunch, I headed to the Adventurers' Guild early and prepped the paperwork in advance. These were the various documents required to create a clan. That was because Raven and Mr. Bear, who had said they wanted to think about it some more, finally decided to join my clan.
"Raven?"
As I was filling in the paperwork, Raven showed up before the designated time. "This is an important matter. I didn't want to leave it all to you." She tried to make it sound like she didn't trust me, but in truth what she really meant was that she came over early to help me. "How far have you gotten? Let me see."
Raven proceeded to take a few of the papers and scribble on them with the pen, quickly jotting down the essentials. She was three times faster than I was and made fewer mistakes too.
"These rules are too ambiguous. These things have to be clear-cut. The same goes for the conditions for leaving the clan. You can make exceptions, but you have to clearly state who you'll be making those exceptions for."
"I-I see...?"
"Show me the paperwork you've already done. I have the feeling I'll have to fix everything, anyway."
"Here."
Anyway, with Raven's help, we were almost done with the paperwork by the time our other teammates arrived.
"This is my first time forming a clan myself so this all feels new. Did you do all this, Raven?"
"Yes. You all just need to sign here. But if you want to read through the documents before that, go ahead."
"Haha, it's all right. I'm sure you did a good job filling it out."
Starting with Mr. Bear, the remaining members of our team signed the paper and once we submitted it, our application for creating a clan was complete. It'd probably be officially registered in the guild by tomorrow.
Then that solves that problem...
The structure of a clan would go beyond uniting us as a group—it would carry us to new heights.
"Did everyone clear their schedules?"
In that spirit, we left the guild and headed to a tavern. There were still only six of us, but this was our first meeting as a clan instead of a team. Ordering a few dishes and some drinks, we took time to share our plans for the future. Hmm, it'd probably be more accurate to call it 'announcing' rather than 'sharing,' though.
"We will be entering the labyrinth this time."
Now that we'd officially created a clan, it was time for us to charge forward again.