Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Trust of the Former Supporter (1)
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In short, convincing Ballian was impossible.
Instead.
"Give those digital scraps to the orphanage. They'll be super grateful for it."
"...Just this?"
"Quit doubting and send it already, you dog bastard!"
"I'm not a dog beastkin, though? Why are you calling me a dog bastard?"
"!!?"
Ballian had gone and earned himself some curses. Mirni was on the verge of drawing her claws, ready to settle things once and for all.
Ignoring the situation that was one second away from total chaos, Yuseong headed out to the terrace.
"Those crazy bastards, seriously..."
They were utterly ridiculous.
The Original Cigarette he'd been smoking in Midgard tasted especially harsh today, so Yuseong chewed on an apple wood stick instead.
A stick made from apple wood. The faint aroma cleared his head a bit as he held it in his mouth.
"...I'm sorry, child."
"...And why'd you show up?"
Yuseong grumbled curtly at the goddess, whom he hadn't sensed at all—proving she really was a goddess.
"I just wanted to apologize."
"Apologize for what?"
"I've been thinking lately. You were living a peaceful life, child, but because of me, that peace was shattered. It makes me feel so sorry... so guilty..."
"...You only realized that now?"
"......"
For anyone else, an apology from a goddess might have felt overwhelming, but to Yuseong? Not even a little.
If anything, it just felt absurd—like getting pelted with stones, then years later receiving an apology.
"You'd better brace yourself. If that thing you promised turns out even a little shoddy compared to what I expect, then...!!"
"......"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Io could easily guess what he meant.
It was clear she'd face punishment so harsh that even being tied up and scolded would seem like child's play!
"...That's too much."
No matter how much she'd messed up, wasn't it a bit unfair for a goddess like her to be spoken to so coldly? Io aired her tiny grievance, but it fell on deaf ears, drawing only a scoff from Yuseong.
"Too much? Go freeze to death! You're the one whose conscience brought those assholes here...!"
"......"
She had no comeback for that.
"B-But that kid this time didn't do anything wrong..."
Like a timid act of defiance, Io tried to push back.
Ballian hadn't done a single thing wrong this time.
He might be a bit simple and stubborn(?), but he hadn't really wronged Yuseong in any major way.
"I know you're annoyed by him, child, but aside from that, he hasn't..."
Io trailed off, carefully watching Yuseong's reaction to see if he'd snap.
But...
"Just annoying, huh... Yeah, you're right."
"Hm?!"
Io blinked in surprise at how readily he agreed.
How was he admitting it so easily!?
However.
"But here's the thing."
What if it wasn't just annoying?
"...?"
Io tilted her head at what came next.
What did he mean by that?
Yuseong exuded a weary yet razor-sharp aura the whole time.
It wasn't directed at Io—it felt aimed at some unknown target!
"...I'm gonna ask you a few things from now on. If I get pissed midway, don't take it personally. It won't be aimed at you."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see."
"...?"
...Sometimes this kid was harder to read than the gods themselves. Io stared at him quietly.
At those eyes, somehow profound yet burning like flames.
"...I don't get it."
Why did they like this imaginary money that wasn't even tangible?
Ballian voiced his doubts like some old fogey more stuck-up than the elders these days.
As if saying, Real goods are best—why don't they get that?
Sylvia and Mirni, having given up on explaining, just sighed and shook their heads in exhaustion.
"Just live like that, you idiot."
"Will do."
"......"
Ballian promptly sent chunks of his stock profits straight to the orphanage.
The Director Nun, receiving it, gasped.
"B-Ballian-nim! Wh-What is this...!?"
"Hm, sorry I couldn't send actual goods. They said you'd like this more, so I sent it along. If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
"N-No, that's not it...!"
"...?"
The Director Nun kept mumbling "A year's living expenses..." over and over. She didn't look particularly happy.
"Hm, guess I need to earn more money diligently."
Convinced cash was king after all, Ballian headed back to the construction site.
"Money earned through honest sweat is the best!"
He beamed contentedly every time a wad of cash came his way after a job.
And then.
"Alright, Luke. I won the bet, so teach me now."
"......"
"Hurry up."
"......Just go die, you bastard."
"...?"
The barbarian was showing off his innate talent for driving people to rage-induced illness.
The Blonde Hero despaired anew hearing of Ballian's exploits(?), but this guy was just as ridiculous.
"Did you sell a thousand cups of coffee a day or something? Why do you have so much money?"
"Huh? It's just tips."
"Tips? You got tips in Korea?"
"...Isn't that what you do?"
"...???"
Proving there wasn't a single normal one among them, he'd raked in an absurd fortune from tips from local college girls and women in under a month—far beyond what cafe part-time work could yield.
Cafe sales were one thing, but his talent for selling merch like crazy even landed him a gig as a promo model for a franchise cafe, which only fueled Mirni's fury at the sight.
"Some of us busted our asses to become models, and this rotten-core, shiny-shell bastard gets picked...!"
"...Is that something you should say?"
"What about me?"
"......"
Shamelessness had its limits!
Sylvia was speechless at this rotten-core picking on others.
"It's a sight watching rotten eggs like you tear into each other."
"......"
"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"......"
"You're ignoring me!!"
"...My prerogative."
"!!"
...Oblivious that sniping each other was just spitting in their own faces, the rotten eggs kept at it endlessly.
"I'm heading out."
Ignoring their mutual spitting contest, Ballian hurriedly prepared to leave.
"Where to?"
"Meeting some friends."
"Friends... Oh, you mean those children?"
"Hm!"
Ballian had been swamped the past month, unable to visit the orphanage kids.
It was regrettable and lonely, but for their sake, what could he do?
Still, human hearts yearned to meet directly. And finally, today!
He could see his friends.
"Gotta hurry."
"What time's the meetup?"
"In an hour."
"...And you're leaving now?"
"Yes."
"......Jeez."
Since when were you so diligent...?
Ballian had been chronically late even during the war.
Usually excuses like spending time with women or eating ran long—enough to earn the hatred of countless commanders.
No matter how critical the mission, his desires came first.
For such a guy to try this hard just to meet some kids felt utterly awkward and unfamiliar.
'He misses them that much...?'
It was pitiful, in a way.
His longing for the children ran that deep.
"...Have a good time."
"Hm!"
Ballian bobbed his head vigorously at Sylvia's words and stepped outside.
[Ah, Ballian-nim. Wait a moment.]
"...Something wrong?"
[Just wait. Ah, here it is.]
"......"
Ballian watched a vehicle pull up to the front gate.
A familiar one.
As the door lowered, revealing a face, Ballian's eyes widened in shock.
"Get in."
"......You mean me?"
"Who else?"
"......"
"What?"
"Is the world ending tomorrow or something?"
"......"
"Or did I catch some terminal illness?"
"......"
...Ballian had finally earned himself a beating. He kicked things off with a solid 30 minutes of punches a full hour before his appointment.
"Luke, is something really up?"
"...You wanna get beat like that bastard?"
"N-No, that's not..."
"Your behavior's so weird, Luke-nim, we're just worried..."
"Shut up and get out?"
"......"
The "Four Members" invoked their right to silence upon hearing "get out."
Shocked when Yuseong said he'd drive Ballian, they piled into the car anyway—who knows what got into them—clinging to his pant legs and insisting on tagging along. Left with no choice, Yuseong ferried them all to Ballian's meetup spot.
'What's he thinking?'
'It's not like a meteor's falling...'
'He didn't hit his head, right?'
'Intriguing.'
'...Is he sick somewhere?'
Yuseong's temple throbbed as if he could hear their thoughts, but rather than snap, he just stared outside.
More precisely, at Ballian.
His intense seriousness left them still puzzled.
Was something wrong with Ballian?
"Ah, there they are."
Mirni spotted Ballian's "friends"—the kids—rushing toward the playground.
Tiny compared to him, barely reaching his knees.
They shrieked with joy at the sight of him.
"Uncle! How've you been?"
"Why haven't you come to the playground lately?"
"Yeah! Soyoung missed you, Uncle!"
"Sorry. Been busy with work lately."
Ballian broke into a beaming smile at the sight of them.
A gentle smile you wouldn't believe came from him.
"...That bastard's actually become human."
Mirni shook her head in disbelief, marveling at how having kids could transform someone so drastically.
'If I had kids... would I get it too?'
Mirni glanced subtly at Yuseong.
If he became a dad...
'Would he soften up?'
She giggled at the thought—it didn't suit him at all.
For him, of all people, to turn gentle... somehow...
"—Mirni."
"!!"
"Didn't you hear me?"
"I-I wasn't thinking anything! I just..."
"Quit babbling. Answer when called. Don't act crazy."
"...Tch, meanie."
"Cut the crap."
"......Why'd you call?"
Mirni pouted openly, lips pursed. Normally, curses would fly here without surprise, but Yuseong said something else instead.
"You sense anything from those kids?"
"...Sense what?"
"Anything. Even small stuff. Anything at all?"
"...Why?"
"Don't ask. Just answer."
"W-Wait a sec..."
Mirni focused on the children.
She didn't get why he was asking, but since he was, she instinctively scanned and probed them.
'What am I supposed to sense? They're just normal kids—nothing weird.'
Perfectly ordinary children, like any you'd see anywhere.
Mirni tilted her head...
......Hm?
"......"
"...What'd you notice?"
"......L-Luke...?"
Mirni's face had gone stark white.
Like she'd seen something shocking—or a ghost!
Lips trembling, she asked slowly.
"I-I know it's a weird question, but..."
"......"
"C-Could it be... th-this world is..."
"—Possible to live without a heartbeat?"
......Mirni's ears couldn't detect even a whisper of "life" from the children's bodies.
As if...
They were just corpses moving around.
"Yeah... that's it, huh."
Yuseong's reaction was flat upon hearing it.
As if he'd expected as much.
But contrary to his calm, he irritably chewed—no, gnashed—the wood stick.
Infuriatingly so.
Crack!
He finally snapped the stick in two and pinched his brow.
......He wanted a cigarette. Badly.