The Trap Beneath the Garden

Joyeon was still the careless supporting character. (1)

Traveling back in time, the fountain square café terrace was crowded with men. "Mmm~ Arty and Lara were right. The priestess really is pretty. Thanks to Arty, there are even more people now?"

Joyeon observed Lily from afar, still lingering on the café terrace with the crowd, and spoke. "Haa~ Joyeon, isn't that a bit rude? Who knows what the priestess is thinking."

"But something's definitely different from when we saw her during the day. Not a huge change, but... the atmosphere? Her posture? What is it?"

Joyeon alternated his gaze between Lily, who was keeping people at bay, and Arty beside her. Sensing something off, he leaned in close to Arty's face. "Arty. Are you feeling unwell? Why do you look like that?"

"Huh? No? Is my expression weird right now?"

"Yeah. You look like you're in a bad mood."

"Hmm-- I don't really know. Maybe I drank too much?"

"Should we stop wandering around and head back to rest?"

"No. I'm fine now. My stomach just felt a bit off for a moment."

"Well, that's a relief..."

Click.

Joyeon, who had been worrying about Arty, unconsciously glanced near his feet at the familiar sound of insects. "House? What is it? Where are you?"

"Master, over there."

"Over there?"

Tiasia called out to Joyeon and pointed with her finger. There sat one of House's baby roaches, looking like it could exist anywhere in the world.

"House? What are you doing there?"

"Huh? Offering what?"

"Ah, that must be it."

"That? Does Lara know what it is?"

"Yes. It's something that will help Master. It seems a bit large for the baby roaches to carry without drawing attention, so they're calling for you. I'll go get it."

"No, no. If they're calling me, I should go myself."

Joyeon immediately headed toward the alley where the baby roach waited. Naturally, Arty and Tiasia followed him.

Confirming Joyeon's approach, the baby roach began weaving through the alleys as if guiding him.

****

"What the heck. How far are we going?"

"Um... House says most of the routes to Master are blocked by thugs and the like, making it difficult to move the acquired items."

"What exactly are these acquired items?"

"That's..."

Click!

"Ah, we've arrived."

Upon reaching a corner of the alley, they found three baby roaches guarding a bottle filled with blue liquid—an item Joyeon had seen once before.

"This is... a mana potion. That's an incredibly expensive item. Where did this come from?"

Click!

"Don't tell me you stole it?"

At Joyeon's question, the baby roaches shook their bodies vigorously.

"That can't be it. We never taught them to do such things."

"...So they didn't do anything bad?"

Click.

"...Well, I'll gratefully accept it then."

Joyeon casually picked up the mana potion the roaches had been guarding.

At the same time, a notification window appeared, and Joyeon was suddenly overcome by a wave of exhaustion.

"Huh? Urgh...?"

"Oh dear, be careful, Master."

Tiasia quickly supported the staggering Joyeon. He immediately recognized the dizziness as mana depletion—something he hadn't felt in a while.

"Ugh~ Come to think of it, I don't have a mana reactor... House? Whose body are you restoring?"

Click.

"Hmm~ Yeah, there are tons of baby roaches wandering around right now. So that's why you brought me a mana potion."

The mana consumption for body restoration continued for a while. Just as Joyeon was considering using the mana potion's power, a notification confirmed that the follower's body restoration was complete.

"...Restoration's done, right?"

"Then let's save this for later. It's not like we'll need mana in the city anyway."

"Mana potions are extremely valuable items, after all. It would be wise to save it for an important moment."

After exchanging a few words with Tiasia and storing the mana potion in his inventory, Joyeon once again realized how wonderful the mana reactor granted by the gods truly was.

'If I meet them again, I should at least thank them for using it well.'

"Let's head back. Unlike outside, there's not much to see here."

"Yes, Master."

Joyeon and his group turned back the way they came, intending to exit the alley. However, the sound of a child's crying nearby caught both Joyeon and Arty's attention.

"...A kid crying?"

"Could they be lost?"

"Let's go check."

The group changed direction toward the crying and soon found a very young girl, around five years old, walking alone through the alley.

"...We can't just leave her after seeing this, right?"

"Of course not. She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠must have lost her mother and wandered into the alley, then got lost. Let's help her. We can take her to the guard post."

Nodding at Arty's words, Joyeon approached the crying child with her.

"Little one? Is something wrong?"

"Huu?! Sob...!"

Startled by Arty's voice, the child turned around. To show she wasn't a bad person, Arty wore the brightest smile she had never shown since entering the city.

"There now~ We're not scary people~ Big sister and big brother are good people~"

Arty's smile, enough to captivate even the young girl, was more than sufficient to convince her that Arty wasn't a bad person.

"M-Mommy... Daddy..."

"Did you lose your mommy and daddy? Where? While wandering outside?"

Nod nod.

"I see~ Shall we go find Mommy and Daddy together with big sister?"

..... Nod.

Fortunately, the young girl listened well to Arty. Holding the girl's hand tightly, Arty returned to Joyeon and Tiasia, briefly introduced them, and began walking out of the alley.

****

"Thanks to the Bishop and the Priestess, finding her parents was easy."

"Yeah. We got lucky. Who would've thought we'd run into her parents right away by going where Priestess Lily said?"

"It felt like Priestess already knew where the girl's parents were."

After meeting Lily and Bishop Kilhug in the alley and finding the girl's parents according to Lily's advice, Joyeon and his group wandered through Neveiria, which had grown almost completely dark. Still, being a large city, the magically created streetlights prevented any eerie atmosphere.

"...By the way, Arty, are you okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your complexion looks bad again."

"Uh, uh. I'm fine. Today is just weird."

Every time she met Lily Cubus, Arty felt an unfamiliar sense of defeat due to her title—something she had never experienced before—and she couldn't quite understand why. Joyeon couldn't help but worry as he watched Arty's complexion worsen without reason.

"Shall we head back to the lodging now?"

"No~ I'm fine. I want to walk around a bit more with Joyeon."

"Really?"

"I'm~ really fine. You said there was a place you wanted to visit when you came to the city. We haven't been there yet, so let's go."

"Huh? Where was it...? Oh, right. I wanted to go to the Magic Tower."

The Magic Tower—a building that, like the guild, was bound to exist in any major city of the magic world. As someone from the modern world, Joyeon was naturally fascinated by magic. Trusting Arty's words that it was okay to wander more, Joyeon asked House for directions and headed toward the Magic Tower.

****

"J-Joyeon... I'm really fi—"

"Don't say it. I'm worried, so no. Let's just rest at the lodging."

After arriving at the Magic Tower and excitedly looking around, Joyeon met Lily again inside. Seeing Arty's complexion worsen rapidly once more, he decided enough was enough. He grabbed her hand and headed straight for the lodging.

"Joyeon~ I told you I'm really fine now. We can look around a bit more~"

Though Arty kept insisting she was fine, Joyeon no longer reacted to her words. Instead, he gripped her hand tighter and quickened his pace.

Once they truly returned to their lodging room, Joyeon placed his hand on Arty's forehead to check if she had a fever.

"No fever... Wait, it feels like it's rising?"

"Master, there is no need to worry about this fever."

"What kind of fever doesn't need worrying about?"

"You needn't worry. Isn't that right, Arty?"

"Mm-hmm~ I'm fine. I really don't feel anything now."

Even as Arty continued to say she was fine, worry was evident on Joyeon's face. Deeply moved by his genuine concern, Arty hid her blushing face and crouched in a corner of the bed, pulling Joyeon's mana reactor out of her pocket dimension.

"D-Don't worry! I'll just stay here and finish making Joyeon's items."

"...You're really okay?"

"I~ really am. So why don't you go play outside a bit more? You don't have to stay here because of me."

"No, that's a bit..."

"It is fine. I will protect Arty, Master."

"...Hmm~"

As Joyeon hesitated, reluctant to go back out, Tiasia approached and whispered to him.

"Arty is embarrassed because Master is worrying too much. Perhaps giving her some time alone would be good."

"Is that it? There's no need to be embarrassed."

"It would be fine to just get some fresh air briefly. I will keep Arty safe."

"...Alright. If you say so..."

Following Arty and Tiasia's words, Joyeon left the lodging to give her some time alone.

****

'Hmm~ Going back to the Magic Tower is a hassle~ What should I do?'

Having come out without any particular purpose, Joyeon scratched his head, unable to decide on a direction. Then the followers who had been quietly resting in their graves spoke up.

-Master! How about buying a gift for Lady Arty, whom you're worried about?

'A gift? What do you mean, May?'

-I mean it literally? You're still worried about Lady Arty, aren't you? I think it would be good to buy something to restore her energy or a sweet dessert and return to the room!

'Yeah? Would she like something like that?'

-I think the same, Master.

-There is no woman who dislikes a gift prepared with her in mind, Master.

-It is important not to miss such opportunities.

The other followers also agreed with May's suggestion.

'A gift, huh... But I don't have any money from the magic world.'

-Regarding that, may I make a suggestion?

At Joyeon's concern, Jack spoke up as if he had been waiting.

'Suggestion? Let's hear it.'

-Yesterday, when you visited the guild, I saw Kelts Pitra on the wanted poster board on the wall. I didn't mention it thinking the information fee from Rion might disappear, but if you report to the guild that you eliminated all of Kelts Pitra, you should receive a corresponding reward.

'Ooh... That's right. There was that method. Sounds good? Let's go right away.'

Accepting both May's and Jack's suggestions, Joyeon headed for the guild first.

****

"...Could you repeat that?"

"Kelts Pitra. I took care of all of them."

"......"

Coming to the guild alone, Joyeon followed Jack's guidance to the wanted poster board, tore off the wanted notice for Kelts Pitra, and went to speak with the receptionist.

"So... You're saying you killed the entire bandit group Kelts Pitra, which had over sixty members?"

"That's what I'm saying. It wasn't that long ago. About three weeks?"

"...Then do you have any proof?"

"I don't have proof, but I'm not a psycho who takes photos after killing people. I heard there's a way to verify it here?"

"Then, will you use the 'Orb of Discernment'?"

"What's that?"

"The Orb of Discernment is an item that determines whether the words of the person it touches are true or false. If your claim of completing the bandit subjugation is true, the usage fee will be deducted from the reward. If false, you will pay the fee and receive penalties applied within the guild."

"Oh, so it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an orb that can use appraisal magic. I'll use it."

"Would you like an explanation of the penalties?"

"No. I have no intention of lying anyway."

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

The receptionist rummaged under the desk and pulled out a transparent orb the size of a human head.

"Please place your hand here and make your declaration."

Joyeon followed the receptionist's instructions and placed his hand on the orb.

"Aha~ So this prevents any funny business. I promise. I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to~"

"Then, I will begin the questions. What are you reporting to the guild?"

"A report on the annihilation of the Kelts Pitra bandit group."

"...Then the next question. Is the Kelts Pitra bandit group you are reporting the same one wanted in the Kingdom of Shun?"

"Yes. The one with leader Kunt and executives Delpiari and Geron."

"What exactly does annihilating the Kelts Pitra bandit group mean?"

"I killed them all. Total extermination with no survivors."

The receptionist broke into a slight cold sweat as Joyeon spoke as if it were nothing.

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

"Was it you who annihilated Kelts Pitra?"

"Huh? Me...?"

Joyeon momentarily hesitated on how to answer. It was true that he had ordered their deaths, but it was actually Pon and the other wartrolls who had killed them.

-Master, we are your followers. Your weapons and shields. Naturally, weapons kill enemies according to their master's will.

-Those who died by Pon's hand naturally died by Master's hand. There is no need to overthink it.

Understanding Joyeon's dilemma, Ron and Karl spoke to him. Thinking it made sense, Joyeon nodded and answered.

"Yes, I killed them all."

And as if his hesitation had been meaningless, the orb immediately responded.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠receptionist, judging there was no more room for doubt, retrieved the orb from under Joyeon's hand.

"Thank you for your hard work... Please wait a moment."

The receptionist left the desk and entered what appeared to be an office. Shortly after, returning with a small money pouch and a document, the receptionist slightly opened the pouch in front of Joyeon to show its contents.

"Kelts Pitra bandit group with a total of 67 members. 10 gold coins per person. Among them, leader Kunt and executive Delpiari receive 100 gold coins and 50 gold coins respectively. After deducting 5 gold coins for using the Orb of Discernment, the total is 835 gold coins."

"Oh..."

He accepted it as given, but he couldn't quite grasp how much he had actually received.

'Is this a lot?'

-It's an appropriate amount.

-When I was working as a maid, my monthly salary was 30 gold coins.

-A knight's monthly salary is 50 gold coins.

'30... 50... So if I think of 1 gold coin as about 100,000 won, then 835 gold coins would be... 83.5 million won?!'

Joyeon was surprised to receive more money than expected so easily, but thinking it was payment for killing 67 people, it didn't seem like much after all.

'...Well, getting this much for cleaning up trash is pretty good. Let's think positively.'

"Thank you. Can I go now?"

"Please wait a moment. You need to sign here regarding capturing the wanted criminals..."

"There's even that?"

"Yes. We also need to process the wanted notices posted in other guilds, and if you capture more wanted criminals in the future, you can receive simpler and additional rewards through identity verification."

"Hmm, I just need to write my name?"

"Yes."

Without worrying thanks to his followers who had nothing particular to say, Joyeon scribbled his name on the document.

"Ju... Joy... eon. Is it Mr. Ju Joyeon?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Thank you. You've worked hard. Everything is finished."

"Yeah~ Thank you~"

Joyeon tucked the heavy money pouch into his coat and headed toward the guild's main entrance, happily pondering what to buy for Arty, when he encountered Lily once again at the door.

****

"What should I buy?"

-Something sweet and delicious!

-A potion might be good too.

-Since you have quite a bit of money, how about a magic-enchanted artifact?

-Honestly, I think Lady Arty would like anything Master gives her.

After a brief greeting with Lily and leaving the guild, Joyeon, now free from money worries, listened to his followers' opinions while pondering what to buy for Arty.

"Lara's been working hard too, so I want to get something for her as well."

-Tiasia would probably be satisfied with just Master's praise?

-She'd probably die of happiness if you just patted her head.

"Is it really that much...?"

Questioning May and Jack's words, Joyeon wandered through the city and somehow ended up passing near the Curia Temple. There, he spotted a sign he hadn't seen during the day.

"Oh, they're reopening the garden. I was disappointed last time when they said it was damaged and couldn't be seen."

-Master, if you offer your faith to the Curia God, they will reward you with a flower.

"A flower as a gift... Isn't that a bit cringy? Would she like that?"

-I am 100% certain she will like it.

"If Jack says so... But what does offering faith mean?"

-It would be a donation. About 10 silver coins should suffice.

"...Should I go in?"

-It would also serve as a preliminary visit if you want to come with Arty later.

Thinking about which flower would suit Arty, Joyeon entered the temple.

****

After finishing his night pilgrimage and greeting Lily once more, Joyeon wandered alone through the garden filled with beautiful blooming flowers.

"There are so many kinds of flowers... Which one would suit Arty?"

-Most colors that match hair color tend to look good.

"Then light pink? Let's see... Among the light pink flowers, a pretty one..."

-It seems to be over there.

"Where. Oh, there it is."

Admiring the colorful and diverse flowers, Joyeon gradually ventured deeper into the garden.

"Hmm~ You get one flower? That's too little. I think a bouquet is needed. Can't I buy them?"

-It would be best to inquire directly with the Order about that.

"I guess so. Should I ask the priestess? That's what connections are for, right?"

-I think that's not a bad idea.

"Alright. It's too late today, so I'll come back tomorrow with Arty, and after that, separately ask the priestess..."

Crack...!

"...Huh? What souㄴd.."

Crunch!

"U-Uwaaak?!"

-Master?!

The ground where Joyeon stood suddenly collapsed. It wasn't just a hole. It was a massive pit, like a trap for catching beasts, opening its maw toward him and swallowing him whole.

"Uwaaaak~!!"

Flailing in midair in the bottomless depths, Joyeon screamed. If he fell like this, with his ordinary body, death was certain.

Instead of Joyeon, who couldn't respond properly, Red Bones emerged on its own, replacing his incantation. Seeing Joyeon flailing unsightly, Red Bones clicked its tongue with a truly displeased expression and began chanting.

-["An apple falling to the ground is causality, and twisting it is the beginning of magic."]

Red Bones' rapid incantation finished before Joyeon hit the ground. And the moment the floor came into view—

-["Reverse Gravity"]

Joyeon's body, plummeting at tremendous speed, completely stopped in midair for a moment before falling again.

Thud!

"Urgh!"

The impact of hitting the ground forced the air from Joyeon's lungs, and he began rolling down the slanted space like a slide.

-...Idiot. Figure it out yourself now.

Disgusted by Joyeon's pathetic and unseemly behavior, Red Bones judged there was no need to help further and disappeared just as it had appeared.

And as Joyeon continued rolling across the floor—

Crunch!!

At the end of the empty cavity, he broke through a crudely blocked thin wall with his body and stopped.

Somehow regaining his senses, Joyeon groaned, twisting his body in pain all over.

"Kuaa... It hurts~! What the heck? Where is this?"

Then, an unfamiliar male voice came from beside Joyeon.

"Ha?! Impossible...! Breaking through a closed passage and coming in...!"

Looking toward the sound, Joyeon saw Richard, whom he was meeting for the first time, looking shocked. Beside him, Priestess Lily Cubus, with an already resigned expression, was looking down at Joyeon.

"Huh? Oh? Priestess, hello. I didn't expect to meet you again. Where are we?"

Unable to read the atmosphere, Joyeon waved his hand cheerfully upon seeing Lily.