Chapter 696: Daily Life
Chapter 696: Daily Life
In any case, I gratefully accepted Sara’s kindness, quickly washed up, changed my clothes, and dashed toward the Guild like the wind.
At this point, just walking along the road would have made me late, but that was fine.
I was a man who had not only become an Assassin but had even advanced the class.
Behold. This light footwork. This incredible leaping ability that lets me bound over rooftops.
I can do this. If I run in a straight line to the Guild at this speed, I can make it on time!
Leveraging my absurdly high stats and the unique movements of an Assassin, I rapidly closed the distance to the Guild.
And in the end, what happened was…
“S-Sir Saint…? Um, that is… are you in a hurry for something important?”
I got caught by a guard.
No, to be precise, I wasn't exactly caught.
There was no way a mere guard could possibly keep up with my movements and catch me.
I simply saw a guard shouting at me from below to come down, and I complied obediently.
It made sense.
If you’re running across someone else’s roof, you’re going to cause a commotion.
I had tried my best to be considerate of the people living in the houses, using my assassin’s agility to run as lightly as possible, but it seems that only made things worse.
After all, using an assassin’s movements meant moving stealthily.
A man running swiftly and stealthily across rooftops in broad daylight.
Yeah. I’d stop me, too.
“…No. I apologize.”
Having come down as soon as the guard called out to me, I apologized with a remorseful expression.
I’ve been feeling it keenly these days, but my personality has really mellowed out.
In the past, I would have shot him a look that said, Is that a dog barking? before ignoring him and carrying on.
But now, if I did something like that, it would tarnish the reputation of my girls.
Besides, it would be one thing if I were still a nobody like before, but my status has risen considerably.
If I act recklessly from this position, I’ll just become another piece of trash who throws his power around.
I’m not saying I’m not trash, but I’m not that type of trash.
I’m a piece of trash with my own convictions and philosophy, thank you very much.
“Ah, no! Please, raise your head. I know that you are always busy, Sir Saint, carrying out the mission given to you by the Goddess. However, actions like the one you just took make it difficult to identify you, and it can cause people to feel anxious, so… if you could refrain from it, we would be grateful.”
The guard before me wore a truly complicated expression, one that screamed of his bewilderment at having caught some lunatic rampaging across the rooftops in broad daylight, only to find out it was the famous Saint.
“Yes. I’ll be more careful.”
“Ah, no… I mean. Yes, yessir. We would appreciate it if you would be more careful in the future.”
When I bowed my head and apologized, the flustered guard became visibly agitated, bowing his head to me over and over so pitifully that I felt sorry for him.
“May I be excused, then?”
“Yes! I’m sorry for stopping you when you’re so busy!”
“Not at all. Keep up the good work.”
I offered a word of encouragement to the diligently working guard and, this time, walked toward the Guild at a brisk pace, making sure not to get caught again.
Late, I’m so late. Though, of course, I brought this on myself.
Thinking about it, if I weren’t the Saint, it wouldn’t have been strange at all to be dragged away as a suspicious person. I need to be more careful about my actions from now on.
Of course, I wouldn’t get caught by a guard just for running through the town, but having been stopped once made me needlessly cautious. I couldn’t bring myself to run, so I just walked as fast as I could.
Anyway, because of all that, despite Sara’s kindness, I arrived at the Guild just as the lunch hour was about to end.
If I’d known this would happen, I should have just run along the road.
Even though the rooftop-running was the cause, being stopped by the guard made me too hesitant to run, so I ended up being even later than expected by only walking quickly.
Perhaps I should consider it a blessing in disguise, though. As I looked toward the entrance, rushing to get inside, I saw Rachel heading into the Guild at that very moment.
She seemed to be returning to work after having lunch with her colleagues. Dressed in her receptionist uniform, Rachel was chatting with a few other women, also in uniform, as they entered the Guild.
But the fact that she was heading back into the Guild meant that her lunch break was already over.
I’m screwed. I’m completely late.
Even as one part of my brain was rapidly assessing the situation, my body was already charging toward Rachel.
“Rachel!”
“Hm? Oh, my. Guwon. Welcome.”
Despite me rushing up from behind and calling her name so suddenly, Rachel showed no sign of surprise, turning around naturally and offering me a smile.
It might have been different back when I’d only just met her, but for the me of today, it was a reaction I couldn’t help but find strange.
Something’s off. This isn’t the usual Rachel.
There’s no way Rachel, who is endlessly vulnerable to the unexpected, would react like this.
My eyes widened as I stared intently at her.
Come to think of it, her face is a little red, isn’t it?
Her ears weren’t fully visible, tucked away by her neatly tied hair, but I had a feeling that the hair around where her long, elven ears would be was twitching ever so slightly.
And looking closely like this…
For some reason, the women with Rachel were also smiling knowingly.
“Um… Guwon? Is something the matter?”
Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed that I had suddenly appeared, called her name, and was now just staring at her face, Rachel spoke in a slightly awkward tone.
“Ah, yes. Um… do you have a moment?”
“Pardon? Well, you see, that is…”
Putting aside the strange feeling I got from Rachel for a moment, I hurriedly stated my business.
But, as expected, her lunch break seemed to be over. She wore a slightly troubled expression, hesitating over how to respond.
“It’s fine, isn’t it? Lunch isn’t officially over yet.”
“Hey, hey! But still…!”
“We’ll cover for you if you’re a little late.”
But just then, one of Rachel’s colleagues extended a helping hand.
Nice assist! You nameless receptionist, you!
“It’ll only take a moment.”
“Well, then…”
And just like that, I managed to secure a little time to talk with Rachel.
*
“I’m sorry for coming to find you just as your lunch break is ending. I should have come sooner.”
After heading to a nearby tea shop with her, the first thing I did was apologize.
For some reason, I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing today, and it’s not even past noon.
Still, I knew how hard Rachel worked to avoid being called spoiled for being the Guild Master’s daughter, yet I had selfishly insisted on talking and dragged her here. I had to apologize.
“No, it’s fine. Seeing how you rushed over, you must have had your own unavoidable circumstances, right? It’s okay. This big sister isn’t so lacking in understanding.”
But looking at me, Rachel forgave me with a light wink, her voice full of its characteristic composure as she emphasized her position as the “big sister.”
“Huh?”
“Yes?”
Hearing her words, however, the sense of unease I’d been feeling since earlier only grew stronger.
Seeing my suspicious look, Rachel tilted her head cutely as if to ask what was wrong.
It seemed she hadn’t noticed her own slip of the tongue.
“Rachel? How did you know I rushed all the way here…?”
“Wha-?! Ah, th-that is! You’re sweating a little, and you came up from behind me in such a hurry just now, so of course…”
“Did you happen to see me coming?”
Come to think of it, her face was red from the moment I saw her.
What if that was because she’d spotted me coming to the Guild and had rushed back in a hurry?
What if her ears were twitching because she was concentrating on when I would approach?
And the knowing smiles from her colleagues… they seemed to be directed more at Rachel than at me.
“N-N-N-No! Of course not! Do I look like I did? You’re so funny, Guwon.”
When I lightly tested the waters, Rachel waved her hands back and forth in denial, then began fanning her face frantically. Only as she finished her sentence did she manage to squeeze out a composed tone.
And as if fanning herself wasn’t enough to cool her down, she even loosened the necktie around her neck.
With that, her bountiful chest revealed itself slightly through the gap between her top buttons.
So Rachel leaves the top buttons of her shirt undone. No, I mean, with a chest that large, it must feel constricting. And with a wide necktie on, it’s usually covered and hidden from view, but still.
A receptionist whose cleavage is immediately visible if you just lift her necktie a little. That’s just too sexy!
It was an outfit that couldn’t help but ignite a man’s fantasies.
“Hehe. So, Guwon. Did you have something you wanted to say to me?”
Gasp! Wh-When did she?!
While I was captivated by her cleavage, she must have regained her composure. When I came to my senses, she had returned to the usual, relaxed Rachel who treats me like a kid.
No way. To think I was so distracted that she had time to completely recover her composure.
Just how long was I staring at her chest?
Anyway, something to say.
Right. I definitely came here because I had something to say.
I had learned about her past through Diana.
I came to apologize for digging into her past, and to give her my assurance that I would never disappear in the dungeon. Not like that pet dog she had lost in the dungeon.
But at this hour… her colleague said there was a little time left, but it couldn’t be that long.
This could be one of the most important conversations in my relationship with her.
I felt that rushing through such a talk because I was pressed for time wouldn’t be right.
“No, not really. I just wanted to see your face.”
Therefore, when Rachel asked if I had something to say, I just shook my head lightly.
I’ll save the serious talk for after I get back. For today, let’s just give meaning to the fact that I got to spend a little time alone with her before heading into the dungeon.
“Wha-?! Ah, heh, hehe. For someone who says that, aren’t you a little late?”
She seemed quite pleased by the fact that I had rushed over just to see her face. Her face flushed red as the corners of her mouth relaxed slightly.
Her usual work persona is that of a perfect career woman, so the gap in moments like these is just too cute.
Of course, she quickly forced her lips back into a smile and replied playfully.
“I’m sorry. I had something I had to do.”
“I-I’m kidding. I know that much.”
But when I took her joke a little too seriously, she looked flustered again.
Hey, no matter how much of a jokester I usually am, I can’t just respond to something like this with another joke.
Whatever her true intentions were, the superficial reason she hadn’t become completely mine yet was her lack of faith that I could love everyone equally.
If I were to joke about why I was late to see her, it could give the impression that I think of our relationship as a joke, right?
Believe it or not, I know how to read the room and restrain myself when I really shouldn’t be joking.
Well, it seemed Rachel was flustered because my serious response was unexpected.
Pretending to be composed, then getting flustered, then pretending to be composed again, then getting flustered again.
Today, she seemed far busier than usual.
Come to think of it, I never finished what I was saying earlier because I got distracted by her chest.
“Rachel. Did you, by any chance, come looking for me during your lunch break today?”
“Pardon? Ah, no? What are you talking about? Hehe. You saw me just a moment ago, didn’t you? I had lunch with my colleagues at that new cafe that just opened…”
Grumble…
“…and enjoyed a relaxing piece of cake!”
R-Rachel… you really did come looking for me.
Then does that mean what you said earlier about me being late was from the heart?
You were genuinely going to come find me yourself because I hadn’t shown up in a few days.
Well, I did expose the whole Alicia affair that she was supposed to keep secret, so she must have been curious about what happened after. Yes.
Though I haven’t even seen Alicia’s face, so there’s no “after” to speak of.
In any case, out of respect for her tearful effort to push through her lie while ignoring the sound coming from her own stomach, I decided not to press her any further.
Though I was a little curious.
If she had run into me while looking for me and then rushed back to the Guild to act composed, when exactly did she see me?
Could it have been when I was running on the rooftops?
Surely she didn’t see me when I was being held up and apologizing to the guard?
Well, more important than that right now…
“Rachel. Should we order something besides tea?”
“Yes.”
First, let’s quiet that noise coming from her stomach.