00399 3. Second Request – Rescue: Frozen Forest (5/5) ——————————— —————————————=
“Kyaung…” . Wow… .”
… Was the shock of being spanked too great? The baby unicorn was trying hard not to fall out of my arms, and I was quickly put in a difficult position. Aside from crying, it was because if it was even slightly startled, it would throw its legs around.
After some time has passed.
In the end I decided to go in with the baby unicorn. Since he was still young, there wasn’t that much pressure, and it was definitely rude to keep Han So-young waiting.
“You should never act arbitrarily. got it?”
“Kyuu.”
Still, just in case, I quickly climbed the stairs after receiving a firm resolution.
Eventually, I pushed open the door and entered, and there was Han So-young sitting on the sofa, tilting a teacup, and a man I had never seen waiting for me. Perhaps he is the guest Ansol was talking about.
I was momentarily distracted by the lustful lips that were biting the teacup, but then I came to my senses and opened my mouth.
“You’ve waited a long time. Istantel Low Road.”
Soyoung Han looked at me once and nodded lightly. Her neck moves slightly as she passes over the tea.
“no. I came here suddenly… . uh.”
And as soon as it seemed like he was saying hello, he suddenly stopped talking.
‘hmm?’
When I looked closely to see why, I could see that her eyes were focused on my chest.
It was that moment.
“What?”
At that time, the baby unicorn, which had been burying its head indefinitely, suddenly stuck its head out. He is a very curious guy, so he seems to get interested when he sees new people.
After gently stroking the head of the guy who was tilting his head, I quietly opened my mouth.
“Now, say hello.”
“What?”
“He is a good person.”
“Kkyun.”
Then the baby unicorn squeaked and lowered its head. At the same time, her gentle hand that was putting down the teacup stopped midway.
As she gazes at the scene with a happy heart, her eyes suddenly shake so violently that she can see them. I tilted my head and sat down on the remaining sofa, and only then did Soyoung Han’s eyes turn to me.
Eventually, her lips parted.
“Unicorn… . Is it?”
“yes. Although he is still only an infant… . ah. “Is this your first time?”
“I’ve heard a lot. “But this is my first time seeing it.”
The table was set out with simple refreshments along with herbal tea. The baby unicorn moves around and sniffs, probably because it’s hungry after crying a lot. But after giving him a little pinch to tell him to stay still, I glanced at the man next to me.
At first glance, his behavior seemed quite unusual. The reason why is because he has been showing signs of anxiety ever since I came in. no. The emotion that just passed through my eyes… . Is it fear?
After looking at him for a moment, I immediately spoke.
“What brings you here today?”
“yes. It’s no different… . ah. “Before that, if you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?”
As she nodded her head in approval, her face instantly became tinged with slight tension. As she always maintains a poker face, just like her true name, ‘Steel-Blooded Queen’, her reactions before and now were quite surprising.
“As I came, I saw the Hamill Clan flag hanging at the entrance… .”
‘aha.’
At that moment, I could immediately understand Soyoung Han’s reaction.
The reason the flag is hung is simple.
After confessing my secret to my brother, the Mercenaries and the Hamill Clan recently formed an alliance. The level of the alliance was an ‘offensive and defense alliance’ (meaning both attack and defense), and could be considered the highest level of alliance excluding mergers.
In that sense, a small emblem symbolizing the Hamill Clan was hung at the entrance, but it seemed like there was a misunderstanding there. The Mercenary’s emblem had not even been decided yet, so if anyone interested saw it, they would definitely think it was strange.
“We recently formed an attack/defense alliance with the Hamill Clan. And we couldn’t hang the flag because we hadn’t yet decided on a symbol that symbolized Mercenary. That’s all.”
“If only that… .”
“It’s not a merger, it’s not a dependency. So Mercenary will never leave Monica.”
I opened my mouth as if to say something, and I felt like Soyoung Han’s face brightened a little.
“okay. What a relief. And I’m sorry for asking you something pointless.”
“no. There was also a mistake on our part. Anyway, I’m glad the misunderstanding has been resolved.”
One way or another, it seems that Soyoung Han didn’t want to miss us. And since I also had no intention of leaving Monica for a while, I was even grateful that she told me in advance.
Anyway, thinking of getting to the point now, I opened my mouth to the sack of barley I had been lying on.
“But who is the person next to you?”
Then she nodded with a knowing look on her face, and then turned her head and spoke.
“ah. Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced you until now. Mr. Song Seung-gyu?”
“… … .”
“User Song Seung-gyu?”
“… ah! yes yes.”
As expected, a strange reaction. So, the moment I checked the user information with my third eye, I could feel strength entering my eyes. So I reflexively fumbled with my waist and groaned deeply at the realization that I had left my sword behind.
‘… No. It would be better to wait and see for now.’
Eventually, the man named Song Seung-gyu looked at me closely and opened his mouth in a stuttering voice.
“Oh, hello. cow… . My name is Song Seung-gyu. “I am a user who led a small caravan not long ago.”
Just because it was a while ago doesn’t mean it is anymore. I could feel the scent of a request in the air, so I decided to focus on the words for now. Of course, I didn’t forget to monitor his every move.
“Nice to meet you. “This is Kim Soo-hyun, Lord of the Mercenary Clan.”
“Speaking of Mercenary Road… . if.”
“?”
“You were active in the previous war… . “Is it him?”
It’s him. It was a word with a lot of meaning.
Anyway, I nodded in agreement, and he looked back at Han So-young with a much relieved face.
Han So-young immediately opened her mouth.
“Merchantry Lord. “The reason I came to see you so suddenly today is because I have a favor to ask you.”
“Please?”
“yes. ah. Should I say it was a request? Have you ever heard of a frozen forest?”
very. And of course I knew it well, so I nodded slightly.
Afterwards, Han So-young looked at Song Seung-gyu again, and he quietly closed his eyes, as if trying to recall something.
Finally, his lips slowly opened.
“therefore… . It was probably two months ago. “My caravan comrades and I, who participated in the war against the Allied Forces, participated in the siege operation that followed, and were ordered to scout the outskirts of the frozen forest a few days before the disbandment order was issued.”
“yes.”
“so… .”
*
… After the official disbandment order was issued, we returned to the city. And after a few days of maintenance, we immediately went on an expedition. I was worried that someone might discover me before the siege was dismantled, so I wanted to arrive as quickly as possible.
yes. Two weeks later, we were able to arrive at the ice tower in the center of the ‘Frozen Forest’ that we had seen in advance. Of course, it is not a tower made entirely of ice; ancient Hull looked like that because the tower was covered in ice.
… It didn’t look that good. When I looked up close, the ice walls were broken and rusted here and there, making it a truly ugly place. But it was huge. It was very wide, but it was also very tall. Is it almost as tall as a 15th floor apartment?
Anyway, it wasn’t a shape I really wanted to approach… . You know. What meaning do the ruins have to users? We were very excited about exploring this place and what we would gain, so we went inside right away.
There was nothing special on the first floor. no. The higher I climbed, the more I noticed nothing unusual. Not a single monster came out, let alone treasure.
My colleagues and I were very disappointed. Still, there were still floors left, so I consoled my colleagues. Let’s go up a little further. There are still places left, so let’s go to the end.
… At that time, I never dreamed that it would become a problem.
I don’t remember exactly what floor it was on. However, one thing I noticed when I opened the door and went up the floor was that it was significantly different from the floors I had been on until then.
What can I say… . maze? Yes, it was a maze. There is ice everywhere, and the road is a very complex maze of ice.
We entered the maze to somehow find the stairs leading up, and after much trouble, we were finally able to find the door. And then I should have known.
That one of your colleagues is missing.
At first, I thought I had lost my way, so I went back down the road, but there was no trace of my companion. No, there was no trace and we got lost in the maze.
What was really crazy and crazy was that when I realized that I was so lost, two people were missing again.
yes. The caravan, which started with 11 people including mercenaries, was soon reduced to 8 people, and after wandering around for an additional hour, it was reduced to 5 people. It was only then that I realized that something was wrong.
I decided to retreat immediately after hearing my colleague’s suggestion to retreat, but even that wasn’t feasible. They already… . We were in a situation where we were eaten by the maze. No matter how hard we searched, we couldn’t find an exit, and as time passed, we fell into a severe state of panic.
Then, I finally came to the door again, and it was the door to the upper floor that I had found earlier. And the moment we saw the door, we all froze.
Why? There was writing on the door that wasn’t there before. Among the remaining colleagues, there was an expert in archaic language interpretation, so he interpreted it for me.
You’re looking for a way out.
Then open this door.
I thought for a moment and eventually decided to open the door. Some of my remaining colleagues tried to dissuade me, but I thought it would be better to clash once than to continue wandering like this. So, after making some preparations, I immediately opened the door.
… The room was dark. And above all, the scenery had changed once again. Just a dark and spacious room? It just felt that way.
How long did it take to walk like that?
We stopped again in front of a blocked wall. And there was another long message written on the dark wall.
Did you really open the door?
thank you.
The moment I heard that, I felt something was wrong. And at that time, one of my colleagues screamed and ran towards the door, which made my thoughts even more complicated. At that moment, I was wondering what to do.
At that time, the colleague who interpreted it opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
Then never look back again.
At first I wondered what they were talking about, but at that moment, as an archer, I could feel it.
The fact that something is approaching quickly outside the door we entered. And when a colleague said not to look back, he read the writing on the wall.
It was then.
A scream, presumed to be from a colleague who had run away first, was heard outside the door, and at the same time, the door that had been closed was wide open.
*
“… So what happened?”
At my question, Song Seung-gyu shook his head excitedly and cupped his face with both hands. Soon, a hoarse voice came out through the cracks in his hands.
“I do not know. The moment I saw that the door was open, my eyes turned white. “I just remember running around the room like crazy trying to avoid something I didn’t know what it was, and then somehow running out the door.”
“And?”
“and… . I do not know. I occasionally remember running around like crazy… . I don’t know how he escaped. “When I finally came to my senses, I was outside the tower.”
“okay.”
Looking at him who still didn’t show his face, I calmly crossed my legs.
Eventually, he lowered his hand to show his face and continued speaking with his eyes shining brightly.
“please. I don’t think it’s very likely that he’s alive, but… . Still, they are colleagues who have been together for several years. “I want to at least confirm whether he is alive or dead.”
“sudden… . “So you’re saying you’re going to request a rescue.”
I was going to say it was a confirmation request, but changed my mind and corrected it to rescue.
For a moment, I thought it was really ironic.
The ‘Frozen Forest’ was definitely a ruin in my memory, but it was not a place I had planned to explore. Because it was a place that would be revealed later in Istantel Row. So rather than touching it for no reason, I was going to just leave it to reveal itself.
Han So-young must have sensed my gaze and quietly opened her mouth.
“Originally, it was something we had to handle, but… . Currently, Istantel Row is focusing all its efforts on urban redevelopment. “It is true that we are currently short on capacity, so we would like to seek help from a mercantile company.”
Although her eloquence was good, it was not possible to completely trust Han So-young’s words. It is true that she is busy, but she has numerous subordinate clans under her. Among them, it’s a task that can be easily left to her, but the reason she came to see me… .
‘I didn’t hug it because I saw the flag, but I had already gotten the information long before. So, if it’s not after checking the facts, they’re probably trying to pay attention.’
As soon as I thought about it, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Still, they seemed to show goodwill, but it appears that a complete trust relationship has not yet been established. Well, maybe this is normal.
Crunch, rustle. Crunch, rustle.
When I suddenly heard a sound, I lowered my head and saw a baby unicorn enjoying the refreshments provided on the table. I let out a short sigh and nodded once.
“All right. “I will handle this request with the Mercantile Clan.”
Song Seung-gyu lowered his head so low that his face could not be seen and shouted in a loud voice.
“thank you!”
The sound must have been quite loud, so the baby unicorn, who was eagerly devouring the refreshments, suddenly raised her head and looked at him.
“Kyuun, kyun!”
Then he rushed at me with a lot of powder on his mouth. Her whole body was shaking like an aspen, as if she was startled by something.
‘… … .’
Soon, I smiled at the white teeth that were eerily exposed in the reflection on the table.
“What. “It’s a request.”
There is so much to gain there too.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
“Merchantry Lord. “By the way, have you not seen the post-mortem examination?”
“yes? no. “I didn’t see it.”
“hmm. okay.”
(Han So-young with hawk eyes.)
“Why, why do you look at it that way?”
“hmm.”
“?”
“all right. “If you see it, could you please contact me?”
“I understand. (Weren’t we together?)”
P.S. Since the 4th to 5th episodes have been completed, many parts will be omitted in the future. In the next episode, we will arrive at the frozen forest right away, except for the introductory part.
fantasy,
