“Thank you for your kindness, Vice Guild Master.”
“For now, you will be heading to the Free City of Lindel. If you stay in our guild, I will definitely send you back to your hometown later on.”
“Ah! It’s only for a short time, but thank you so much for taking care of us…”
“Now, I don’t want to forgive them.”
“How?”
‘Hayan, you must know it, right?’
“A-Ah, but in case…”
“Ah. Of course, it doesn’t mean I don’t intend to punish them. They have to be handled by the law. I have believed in that so far, and I still think like that, but…”
“Yes. Though it was only a short time… I must’ve grown attached to them.”
This was because the news that I had obtained five elven slaves would come to Yuno Kasugano.
“You will definitely be able to go back home. I promise.”
“Sniff…”
Monster wave (1)
“You know what I’m talking about. We need to take care of this quickly before a new victim emerges.”
“I’m telling you that it won’t end by just pushing them away. Crime doesn’t go away, anyway.”
This was a case where if they have no luck, they would again be caught by a doctor while trying to lead a normal life. It would be better to return them as fast as possible.
I’m looking forward to working with you, Hyejin.’
“Then let’s go get something to eat.”
As I mulled this over, the elves looked at me warily. They must still be worried about whether they were being sold elsewhere, but they would understand me as soon as they arrived in Lindel safely.
“I wouldn’t have saved you from monsters in exchange for a huge loss. As soon as you go to Lindel, you will receive a new ID, and you will be acting as a Blue guest. As long as you do not go outside the city, you are free to go out, and no humans will harm you. Of course, if you are afraid to go outside, you can only stay within the Guild House.”
‘That’s right… Of course, you’d think so, too.’
“Well, it’s embarrassing to call me a benefactor. Rather, I feel sorry that I can save only you. On behalf of all human beings, I apologize.”
These conversations were annoying to handle, but they were helpful enough. It was not about being stubborn. It was a process of constantly exchanging values we each had.
“You should thank Cho Hyejin here rather than me, he was the one who wanted to save you.”
“I’m not.”
“Then, let’s get on.”
“Yes. We will keep this in mind, dear benefactor.”
“Are you relieved?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”
“Have you grown attached to them in the meantime?”
“Yes. If I see another elf, I will try to help them as much as I can.”
“As a human being, you did everything. Not only did you save them, but you’ll also hide them in a luxury inn and take responsibility for them in Blue, so I think you did more than that.”
“About what?”
The question is, how could I, who had no power, push all of this away?
“I don’t think they did something wrong, but… It was a bit confusing because they were very different from what I imagined. No, I doubt that the people knew are even involved in that.”
Even after Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom expand and become huge, she, as my friend, will be the brake on the other side whenever I want.
“Thank you.”
Of course, I wasn’t being nice just with the elves. I had conversations with Cho Hyejin several times and succeeded in getting closer to his to some extent.
“The environment changes humans. Neither my friends on Earth nor Hyejin’s friends would think we have committed murder. Well, it was self-defense, but your hands are indeed dirty. They just throw away one of their possessions to go up. Even if they don’t know that the elves or monsters they’ve caught are being used for that purpose, the sins they commit will not disappear.”
It seemed a little difficult to make me look more favorable to his than a certain level because he was not included in what the system categorized as scandalous or crazy women.
I much rather preferred this kind of relationship, anyway. Aside from that, I was sure I wasn’t his ideal type of guy at all.
We still had a long way to go, but at least the worst was over. The proof was that, even though we kept hanging out together like this, he no longer felt any other discomfort.
Of course, this was a little more advantageous to me. I didn’t want Cho Hyejin to block me and become a wall.
“No. I intend to push it all at once. I will push away all of them without leaving a weed.”
“So… Have you thought about it?”
Of course, I also had a lot of thoughts about his words. My relationship with Cho Hyejin was a little different from my relationship with Li Jihye.
The reality of having to return 120,000 gold worth of elves to their hometown for free felt heartbreaking, but right now, this is better.
“I’m not sure about that.”
For her, who still called me Master, that would lead to inevitable conclusions. I had to make sure I sent them out as soon as possible because he had just sent a letter, making a fuss about coming to Castle Rock herself.
In short, he was someone I could control.
“You don’t know if you’ll be able to handle it well. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“It’s embarrassing, but it is. Even if you inform the others about this, there is no guarantee that we will not get the same outcome as before.”
I could see Cho Hyejin looking at me quietly. I didn’t respond, but the answer was fixed.
Though he was not overly friendly with me, we had progressed enough to address each other’s concerns. Even the smallest change helped.
While we continued to walk, Cho Hyejin continuously participated in the conversation. This was good. It was an opportunity to let his know that one’s way of life was diverse.
It would be someone who had been tracking my location from start to finish.
“R-Really? Just in case…”
his standpoint on this had changed as well, which was only natural.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
he hadn’t changed as extremely as Sun Hee-young or Jung Hayan, but he was slowly starting to understand me. Of course, I was also in a situation where I had to understand her. Cho Hyejin might’ve thought about becoming closer, but I felt like he had decided to draw a line.
“Vice Guild Master is right. It is not the right thing to do; it is only right to be punished. I’m talking about that method. It looks like the Vice Guild Master has a plan in mind, but…”
“Why wouldn’t we have? They, including the Little Rock, wielded their power and achieved its corresponding results. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is still my favorite proverb. If you commit a crime, you are punished. That’s all. Having many thoughts is good, but drowning in them is not. Think it over. What do you want to do, Hyejin?”
“I’ve also been thinking about it, but I started thinking about whether it was right for an individual to punish another individual. Do we really have the right to punish them?”
“To be precise, it was you who showed kindness. Anyway, if you save the elves, you might get something in return.”
his fed up expression was highly evident in my eyes. To be fair, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t a bad idea overall. There was nothing bad about having elves feeling indebted to us, as their gratitude for us was immense. I didn’t know when that would happen, but it was good to have them in our debt, just in case.
As the elves got into the carriage, they bid me goodbye. Cho Hyejin fussed over them one last time before he stepped back. She seemed a little bit relieved.
If he could, he would kill all the guys in that disgusting place.
“I’m telling you just in case, but it would be better not to get out of the wagon until you arrive. It’s not dangerous inside the wagon with the guild insignia, but outside it will be.”
he unknowingly accepted some of my values, like the one where money could solve most problems, and thus had been influenced little by little after that.
Cho Hyejin was completely different from Li Jihye. he was a person who could hinder my efficiency, but he certainly made me think a lot. A different type of synergy emerges whenever one’s opinions and values differ from another’s.
Black Swan’s Li Jihye and I were called soul mates by the system because we had almost the same way of behavior and values. Of course, there was a synergy effect that came out of it. It was almost certain that our efficiency will more than double.
As the elves cried together, Cho Hyejin busied herself with comforting them. It looked like a beautiful scene overall.
“It’s better than just looking and do nothing. After pushing away the existing one, I will build a tower on top of it once again. The same is true for Lindel and Castle Rock.”
‘It’s enough just by being friends.’
In comparison to a car, he was a brake and a black box. he was someone who could block accidents in advance and take care of me even after an accident.
“Thank you.”
“What?”
To really move the way I want, I had to decide who would be the person on the other side.
he and I would last long.
“Are you abandoning your compassion for your precious colleagues from the tutorial?”
“Since society doesn’t solve it, the individual should move. That is the first step of a revolution.”
“Perhaps Hyejin is right. If you move blindly without having the right evidence, it will certainly be the same.”
They weren’t useful anyway. Although their stats weren’t bad, their talent levels would not be enough to nurture them into adventurers. They were meant to be normal villagers.
“It is impossible to create a perfect society. I haven’t been living for many years, but I do think that. Wherever humans live, sin always follows. Even if the Little Rock and that place disappear, a second Little Rock and amphitheater will eventually be created. If you destroy them, a third Little Rock and amphitheater will be created. There is demand, so there is also a supply.”
“You’re saying…”
“I will control the ills of society.”
“That’s a scandalous idea…”
‘This is called harmony.’
“You don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t have used this complicated method in the first place if I was just going to harm or defile you.”
“Yes. I like solving things personally.”
“Are you thinking of buying the whole place?”
I couldn’t even imagine that he would tell me to buy it. Laughter burst out of me.
The most important thing was that I had gotten through to her.
Of course, this would also work in my favor.
After I finished speaking, I noticed Cho Hyejin was looking at me with an expression of mixed feelings. Perhaps he was thinking about everything I had done and said.
Perhaps he even thought about not stopping me. It was because the sight he saw was very shocking for his to stop me simply with humanity, he might even be wishing to act by my side.
“I do not know. How would it be?”
Although Cho Hyejin seemed to be feeling doubts, it was not impossible if the situation helped.
‘The monster wave will also happen soon…’
Unfortunately, I did not know the location of that place. After all, Cho Hyejin and I had been blindfolded all the way to the black market, so we did not know where it was.
However, I knew exactly who did.
“I also think the same as you, Vice Guild Master.”
“Ah…”
Being stalked by the Archmage was more helpful than one would think