00387 has changed. It hasn’t changed. ————————————————– ———————-=
After briefly saying goodbye to my brother, I went straight into the warp gate with my clan members.
And finally, I was able to move to the southern city of Monica.
It was indeed the first time I had seen Monica in a long time, but nothing in particular had changed. However, the clan members all showed an awkward look. Everyone must have felt familiar yet unfamiliar with the panoramic view of the city they had not seen in a long time.
Eventually, after looking around for a moment, I went straight to the Mercenary House.
The clan members did not say a single word the entire time they were leaving. In that uncomfortable silence, for some reason, I didn’t feel like anyone was watching me.
As I endured the occasional stares pouring down my back, I quietly sighed.
‘Perhaps if Shin Sang-yong had come back alive… .’
What was it really like? Still, since I went through the war, I might not have said “haha” or “hoho”, but at least I would have felt much better than I do now.
It was a time when there was such an uncomfortable silence. At that moment, I felt someone sneakily approaching next to me.
When I slowly turned my head to check, I could see Jeong Ha-yeon with her arms half outstretched. As soon as she saw me, she paused for a moment, then lowered her hand and opened her mouth.
“Su-hyun. “I contacted Mercantile House in advance.”
“okay.”
“… yes. By now, everyone is probably out and waiting. and… .”
“?”
Jeong Ha-yeon’s voice was still clear, but it was completely submerged. Even though she felt a little awkward, I waited for her to continue.
“I kept the story brief.”
It’s a story.
Even though I was surprised that Ha-yeon Jeong paid attention to even the smallest details, I nodded my head half-heartedly. She bowed her head, then slowed her steps and retreated. It’s hard to see it as a big deal, but it’s something to worry about anyway.
Suddenly, desperately thinking about the beginning of the year, which I had recently forgotten, I began to walk busily.
Perhaps because I was concentrating on walking, it didn’t take long to reach the Mercantile House. As soon as I got close enough to be clearly seen with the naked eye, I could see that the front door was wide open, just as Jeong Ha-yeon had said. Inside, familiar users were there to greet us.
Employees standing in a row to the left and right of the main gate. And the old man and Baek Han-gyeol were excluded from this participation selection. Of course, there was a baby unicorn.
“Kyuu!”
As soon as the baby unicorn saw me, it started running towards me. At the same time, it seems quite excited to be constantly wagging its tail. The moment I reached out my hand without thinking to receive it, I stopped reaching out for a moment.
The hand visible below was still covered in blood. The blood wasn’t dripping like in Barbara, but most of it had dried and hardened.
I thought about it for a while, and eventually withdrew my outstretched hand. At the same time, he bit his leg and opened his mouth.
“no.”
“Kkyun, kkyak?!”
The baby unicorn, which was running at me regardless of whether there was blood or not, suddenly stopped running when I stopped it. Soon, he hurriedly looked up at me and blinked rapidly. As his eyes demanded an explanation, I spoke softly.
“Do not come. Bloody… .”
“Kyu…” ?”
A moment of silence passed.
It was then.
“Kyuuu… .”
The eyes that had been staring intently began to brighten in an instant. At the same time, I let out a short breath as I saw the tail droop.
And just like that, the baby unicorn passed by. It’s not that I don’t know how you feel, but there’s no need to bury your blood for no reason.
So, I was finally able to enter the Mercantile House.
“You came back.”
“Uh, welcome.”
“Hey, hey!”
“Joe, be quiet!”
When we finally entered the front door, the employees all bowed and greeted us as if they had been waiting. However, perhaps because I am a non-combat user by nature, there were some who let out weak screams when they saw me.
But I didn’t care. I simply nodded my head in response, then made eye contact with the two people approaching me.
“Tongue, brother. ah… . Okay, Clan Lord. hurry… . Please come.”
“Congratulations on your return. Clan Lord.”
Baek Han-gyeol’s reaction was not much different from that of his employees. I keep glancing at him while I’m talking, so it seems like this side of me feels quite unfamiliar.
In contrast, the old man welcomed me in a relatively calm manner.
“haha. “It really feels like it’s been a while since I last saw you.”
“It was intense.”
“That’s right. hmm… . I roughly heard the story from Ha-yeon Jeong. User Shin Sang-yong… .”
“… yes. Unfortunately, that’s what happened.”
“Clan Lord… . Thank you for your hard work. And I’m sorry this old man couldn’t be of help.”
Seeing the old man click his tongue, I nodded once or twice and immediately shook it left and right.
“no. There is no need for you to apologize. “Because I took revenge.”
“Tsk. While I was here, there wasn’t a single day that I felt at ease. ah. I heard the news briefly… . Is the war completely over now?”
“yes. The Allied Forces of the Western Continent and the Vagabonds were defeated in the East. Although some escaped with their lives, a siege will soon be formed. In any case, you can view this as a victory for the Northern Continent.”
“haha. Still, the results are good news. “That’s a good thing.”
When I say the word “victory,” the faces of people around me brighten. When I see that, I feel bitter for no reason. It was something that could not be helped. Users who have not experienced war will not know what ‘process’ the participating users went through to win.
Then, a thought occurred to me, and I glanced back. I can see the clan members coming in one by one, still with dark faces.
That moment. The words I had said to my clan members here and now before departure suddenly flashed through my head.
‘No one knows how long the war will last. It may be very short-lived, but it may also take longer than expected.’
‘But no matter how many months it takes, there’s only one thing I want right now. When the war was over and we gathered here again. I hope to see everyone healthy and healthy.’
As I turned around, I let out a weak sigh.
“… under.”
Although it was clearly a very faint sound, the clan members raised their heads for a moment.
And with all the sudden attention pouring in, I opened my mouth without realizing it.
“The war is over.”
“… … .”
These words literally came out reflexively.
“And we…” . “I returned to the clan house safely.”
“… … .”
The clan members responded with silence.
I also said this out of reflex, so I couldn’t really find anything to say.
I thought about it for a while, but I thought that since I had said it, it would be better to finish it somehow.
“and… . Although one person did not return… .”
“Well… !”
It was then.
Suddenly, I heard someone sobbing.
After pausing for a moment, I continued speaking softly.
“Those who returned safely. Thank you all for your hard work.”
“Ugh!”
“Huh… .”
“Ugh… .”
At the same time, I was able to see a scene where Ahn Hyeon, Yu-jeong Lee, and An Sol burst into tears at the same time.
Eventually, I stared at them as they sat down.
Although I was a little embarrassed, part of me still understood it.
The kids were still in year 0. Even though I’ve been through a lot of things in the meantime, when I look at it in the world called ‘Hole Plain’, it’s still like a pure white sheet of paper.
These children have experienced so many things at once by participating in this war.
A war rife with murder that I have never experienced before.
The pain of having to open my eyes and lose an acquaintance in the same place.
Finally, the tension that was relieved for a moment when they heard that the war was finally over, etc.
All of that will come together in a complex way, filling the children’s inner selves.
“Ah, Ahn Hyeon. The Clan Lord is speaking. wake up.”
“Yoojeong. wake up. huh? “Do you want to keep doing this?”
“Miss Sol. wake up. “If this happens, even the clan lord will be upset.”
As I was watching the clan members carefully comforting the children, I suddenly had a thought and looked at Go Yeon-ju. Come to think of it, she was still holding Shin Sang-yong’s body.
“High user performance.”
“all right.”
And as soon as he was called, Go Yeon-ju responded immediately. Did he already predict this when he gave the order to collect Shin Sang-yong’s body? For some reason, I felt like that was the case, so I stared at her, feeling sorry for her.
“then… . I’ll be back. “It won’t be too late.”
“please.”
Go Yeon-ju showed a slight smile as if he was okay, and carefully put down Shin Sang-yong. And she immediately turned around and started running out the front door. The direction she was running towards was exactly towards her shopping district.
“Tongue, brother. Oh no. “Clan Lord.”
At that time, I turned to the side at the sudden sound of a voice. Then, I could see Baek Han-gyeol closing his eyes with a hesitant look on his face.
“Ma, it was very difficult, right? I prepared a meal… . Oh no. First of all, after washing… .”
“The meal… . I am OK.”
“… still.”
“Everyone is probably in a difficult state mentally right now. It would be better not to force it too much, just for today. So, it would be better for only the clan members who want to eat, and the rest should just go to the bathroom or dormitory.”
Baek Han-gyeol must have understood what he meant, as he lowered his head with a more regretful expression.
Eventually, I raised my voice even higher to conclude what I had not yet finished.
“There is no need to talk at length. That is all. I’ll end it here. And today… . We recommend that you get a good rest. Then disperse.”
It was only after giving the formal order to disperse that I was finally able to catch my breath.
However, clan members leaving their positions were rare. Some people stood in place and looked up at the sky, some were still looking at me, and some showed no signs of stopping their tears around Shin Sang-yong’s body.
In that situation, I turned to myself. And walked. The various sounds flowing into my ears gradually begin to fade away.
After walking into the main building, I started climbing the stairs. And the moment I reached the fourth floor and pushed open the door to my dorm, I lay down on the white bed that I could see.
*
“shit.”
When I opened my eyes with a low curse, darkness filled the room. I looked around, as was my habit, and then let out a soft sigh.
I returned to the clan house late in the afternoon, and it seemed like dawn had already arrived.
‘I need to sleep.’
With the thought that I had to sleep first, I forced my eyes to close in the darkness. After that, the beast demon was just about to come.
A slight feeling of dizziness struck my head once again. It felt familiar now.
“… Shit.”
I eventually opened my eyes again.
In fact, I had been repeating the same process ever since I entered the room and lay down. When I tried to fall into a deep sleep, I always felt a slight sense of dizziness. As a result, I wake up, barely try to fall asleep, and then wake up again.
It felt really dirty. Your body demands sleep, but you can’t sleep.
‘If this continues, won’t we go back to the old days…? .’
I smiled bitterly.
It felt like my body wasn’t my own right now. It wasn’t just because of fatigue. My mind was complicated by the thoughts that came to me spontaneously, but in comparison, my unwillingness to think about anything was making my heart feel empty.
Amid such conflicting emotions, I was wandering around like a lost lamb.
It was that moment.
Suddenly, Shin Sang-yong appears in the air before my eyes, and then quickly disappears.
‘… … .’
In the end, I asked myself some questions.
Is it because of Shin Sang-yong’s death that I’m trembling in this predicament?
‘no.’
Clearly, Shin Sang-yong’s death is sad. However, I have experienced enough deaths of people I know in the first episode. As such, the word death was a very familiar word to me.
So, do you feel guilty about making the wrong decision as a clan lord?
‘no.’
In any case, I saved my clan members, achieved my goal, and made sure to reap the benefits that came with it.
then? or not?
‘… … .’
I asked myself, but I couldn’t answer.
With self-answers that did not return, only self-questioning echoed inside.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
I hung up quite vaguely, but I felt like I should get ready to leave right away. Today’s class is 9 o’clock… .
Forgive me for being late. _(__)_
P.S. Thank you very much to everyone who took the CSAT. 🙂
fantasy,
