“Those guys deserve retribution…”

“They got what they deserved.”

“I saw a lot of shitty people while living here, but I’ve never seen anyone like him. They said that he planned that attack in order to kill a new guild member… I feel bad for the innocent people, but think about how shocked the guild members were.”

“Did you hear? The guild member that was attacked was the Mercenary Queen’s lover. A friend of mine that’s part of the Red Mercenary Guild said that the atmosphere in the guild is bad…”

“If that’s true, then shouldn’t we be relieved that war didn’t break out? Oh! There he is… Hey, Mr. Kim! Did you read the newspaper today?”

“If you’re talking about the pro-Japanese member in the Blue Guild, then, of course, I read it. Thanks to that, I was able to sleep comfortably last night.”

“Is your shop okay?”

“Besides the insurance, the Blue Guild compensated me, so I don’t think I’ll have issues restoring my shop, but honestly, the Blue Guild didn’t have to do that. People like me will gladly accept it, but I do feel bad about it. I thought that they were going to give me a small amount just so I would ignore the situation, but they gave me a good amount so I won’t have any trouble setting up a new shop. Hahaha.”

“He sure looks like he’s feeling better. Maybe you should buy us a drink.”

I heard a lot of different voices and the majority of them were either cursing Lee Seol-Ho or were worried about the Blue Guild.

The restoration cost of the city was the biggest problem. Thanks to the expansion of the media, the guilds and clans that were trying to create a good public image donated, and if it wasn’t for them, I was sure that the Blue Guild wouldn’t be able to handle the restoration on their own. The guild was indebted to the Black Swan Guild and the Red Mercenary Guild once again.

As I looked at the buildings that were intact while walking around, I saw provocative newspaper titles. 

[Lee Seol-Ho, the Traitor of the Blue Guild, Found Dead at Ramadel Mountain near Celia.]

[Why Did He Make That Kind of Decision? - Kim Sung-Kyeon’s War of Words]

[The Japanese Guild That Lee Seol-Ho Colluded With. The Impact on the Future Relationship Between the Free City of Celia and Lindel]

Everything was happening as I expected.

After the most hated person of the Black Swan Guild incident, Lindel had been in a boring state and since this incident caused such a massive uproar, the media would naturally want a piece of the action.

Everyone in Lindel was talking about it and there were a lot of people in pubs and the plaza that expressed their opinion about this incident. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 90 percent of the conversation was about this incident because this was relatable to the guild members that were part of a large guild, the executives, and the ordinary adventurers who only lived for today.

While walking, I turned my eyes and noticed the article in the newspaper that was in my hand.

[The Blue Guild is Facing a Great Ordeal. What’s Their Next Move?]

[After the terrorist attack that happened within the city, it has been days since people tried to track down the criminals, and the search party of the Red Mercenary Guild found dozens of bodies near the Ramadel Mountain. They believe that the identities of the bodies are Lee Seol-Ho, the criminal, and the executives of the Blue Guild that followed him.

According to the identification results, the Blue Guild confirmed that they are indeed the bodies of Lee Seol-Ho and his followers. Thus, the official search ended on the 15th.

Considering the fact that the bodies were badly mangled and that it was impossible to recognize them, it’s possible that they were tortured cruelly by a torture expert.

The members of the Red Mercenary Guild pegged the guild from Celia to be responsible for their deaths and believed that the reason behind it was to either get rid of the evidence, or they were simply taking out their anger for messing up the plan.

Lee Sang-Hee, the Blue Guild’s sub guild master, has yet to make an official appearance as everyone’s attention within Lindel is on the Blue Guild. As one of the guilds that used to represent the free city of Lindel, it seems impossible to make a comeback after losing their guild master, Joo Seung-Joon, and the other party members.

Even though they still have a good relationship with the Red Mercenary Guild and the Black Swan Guild, many mid-sized guilds have been sending offers to the parties of the Blue Guild. Many recruiters within Lindel are looking forward to seeing what kind of decision the executives of the Blue Guild will make.

While many experts are concerned about whether the Blue Guild is going to disappear like this, Cha Hee-Ra (28), the Mercenary Queen, expressed that she’ll always be an ally to the Blue Guild no matter what kind of decision they make and will do her best to support them. Lee Ji-Hye, the representative of the Black Swan Guild, also expressed that the Blue Guild is going to rise up again and dismissed many of the rumors that have been going around.

I’m not exactly sure what kind of actions the Blue Guild will take after experiencing so many hardships, but considering the things that the guild has shown us so far, I believe they’ll overcome this ordeal as well. - Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong, Lindel Daily Report]

‘Not bad.’

It was a well-written article. What I liked the most was their positive opinion toward the Blue Guild and even though it was inevitable for the press to talk about the incident, unlike the other press who stated that the guild was a sinking ship, Lindel Daily was the most reliable one.

‘The same thing can be said about Kim Sung-Kyeong…’

Seeing how he continuously wrote positive articles about us, I guess he wasn’t planning on changing sides. I wasn’t sure if he had a keen sense or was just loyal, but I thought that it would be best to take care of him later.

While I was nodding, I heard the voice that I heard all day last night. It was Sun Hee-Young.

“What are you reading?”

“It’s an article. I was getting sleepy just walking around and not thinking about anything. You don’t seem all that tired, Miss Hee-Young,” I said.

“I actually feel a bit refreshed. I finally got the time to do some volunteer work for God. Just by looking at the reaction of the citizens living here, I realized just how rewarding our time together had been and I felt good being able to do these things again,” she explained.

“I didn’t do anything. You were the one that worked hard, Miss Hee-Young,” I told her.

“You prepared many things. You stayed with me and… if I had been by myself, I wouldn’t have been able to work this hard,” she said.

‘That’s not true.’

In fact, I thought that it wouldn’t matter whether I was there or not. It had been a bit quiet lately, but I guess our priest felt most rewarded when she was volunteering and she looked extremely satisfied regarding the Lee Seol-Ho incident. I did get the feeling that she didn’t like that old man from the start, but I never imagined that she was actually that angry toward him. Sun Hee-Young held a bigger grudge than I thought.

‘Lazy thoughts and a lazy mind are what makes you the evil of society. You’re just as useless as the vagrants in the slums. People like you are ruining society and that’s why there are always people who need help. Repent. Of course, what I want aren’t words of repentance.’

‘Ahhhhhh!’

When I recalled what happened yesterday, I honestly didn’t feel good about it and it was to the point that I felt proud of myself for not looking away. I almost vomited, but after suppressing whatever was climbing up inside me, I was able to look at Sun Hee-Young.

“Thank you very much for what you said to me back then,” she said.

“What did I say?” I asked.

“You said let’s make a beautiful Lindel together,” she answered.

“Right, I did.”

“Of course, I felt anxious back then, but seeing these results makes me a little bit happy. It’s been a while since we worked together and… anyway, it has been a good day,” she said happily.

No matter how you looked at it, Sun Hee-Young acted like a priest and for some reason, I felt like we were getting closer. Rather than saying that it was planned, it was more like she was showing me her natural reaction because our relationship had improved.

‘Not you too, please.’

Having a co-worker relationship with Sun Hee-Young was the best because I was already getting stressed by the women that were around me. I understood her feelings because I was her only ally and the best comrade that helped her open her eyes. Of course, I didn’t think that she had romantic feelings for me yet, but if my relationship with her deepened, then my life would become even more exhausting.

Even if I showed that I had a deep connection with Jung Ha-Yan, polygamy was taken for granted in this world anyway. Just by looking around now, I could see men with several women and vice versa, so it wasn’t something that people frowned upon like back on Earth. Actually, even if a person had a lover or a wife, it was rare to gather so many lovers so quickly, so if Sun Hee-Young wanted to become closer to me, then I was sure that she wouldn’t take Jung Ha-Yan or Cha Hee-Ra into consideration.

‘I need to block it before it happens.’

While maintaining a certain distance…

“How about we get something to eat before heading back? It’s been a while since we’re out, so maybe some breakfast…” Sun Hee-Young suggested.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I said.

Maintaining a certain distance was a bit difficult, but I was certain that eating a meal together was fine.

After entering a restaurant with a terrace and ordering food after taking a seat, Sun Hee-Young immediately spoke. “What do you think about yesterday, Mr. Ki-Young?”

“It was a rewarding volunteer work,” I answered.

“You’re right, it was volunteer work. Hehe. It was very rewarding, too. It’s great that I had someone to share this with,” she said.

“You’re right.”

“I’ve been thinking about this every day, but I’m really thankful, Mr. Ki-Young. I may not be good at expressing myself, but you helped me realize that I was wrong,” she told me.

“Haha...”

I didn’t like how this was going, so I thought that quickly changing the subject was the right thing to do.

“By the way, how is Ha-Yan doing?” I asked.

“She’s still recovering. Her body has fully recovered and it’s all thanks to the priests of the Red Mercenary Guild. The reason why she hasn’t woken up yet is that her body feels exhausted, so you don’t have to worry so much,” she explained.

“I see, that’s a relief.”

“What are you planning on doing from now on, Mr. Ki-Young?” she asked.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“I’m asking whether you’re going to remain at the Blue Guild because it seems like you haven’t been getting involved with the guild lately…” she answered.

“Oh.”

I had an idea what she was talking about.

Recently, I hadn’t been able to focus on the Blue Guild, actually, it would be better to say that I wasn’t focusing on the guild. The guild was in an unstable position both externally and internally, so this wasn’t the best time to exert influence on the guild, but the reason why I hadn’t been doing it was because of Kim Hyun-Sung.

‘It’s better if only one person has the power.’

From my perspective, I had basically set everything up for him and all he had to do was take it. Lee Sang-Hee basically retired from her position and Hwang Jung-Yeon wasn’t interested in obtaining power, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Kim Hyun-Sung was already in the process of obtaining power. When thinking back to when Kim Hyun-Sung joined the guild, he managed the guild as a regent and not as a guild master, but when considering his skills, I was sure that many people would have faith and support him. If I were to offer my help to the Blue Guild right now, it could backfire, so even if Kim Hyun-Sung ended up obtaining that power, I still contributed the most in helping him get there, so I would get a lot of benefits anyway.

‘There’s no need to be pitiful and ask him to take care of me.’

I thought that taking a step back and making him feel troubled would put me in a more advantageous position since I was a competent person who was absolutely necessary for Kim Hyun-Sung’s kingdom.

“I’ve been a bit busy lately. Mr. Hyun-Sung has been staying with Miss Lee Sang-Hee and even though people are saying that the guild is going through a crisis, I don’t think that’s true,” I answered.

“I see.”

“This is actually a great opportunity for us to create a proper guild since we have gotten rid of the stagnant waters,” I added.

“Oh! I-I see. I’d expect nothing less from you, Mr. Ki-Young. I didn’t even think about that…” she said.

“Hahaha…”

“Then I should wait on taking a break. I-I’m a bit embarrassed to tell you this, but I hoped for a brief moment that we would have more time to volunteer together. Oh! B-But please don’t misunderstand. I don’t have any romantic feelings for you… since we have the same hobby… if we do it together every day… you see…” Sun Hee-Young said.

“Oh, I think I understand what you’re trying to say,” I told her.

For some reason, her face turned red.

‘Oh…’

I noticed what she was thinking. I thought that she was imagining us building a house of service, living there, and living a life of service.

‘I won’t be happy with that.’

If someone did build a house like that, it would be a house you see in horror movies, not a loving house.

Sun Hee-Young just had a twisted mind and not a twisted affection. Her way of thinking was different from Jung Ha-Yan, who wanted to lock me up and stay with me forever. Since she was a priest that worked for God, I was sure that she wouldn’t come up with unique ideas like that.

‘But I don’t think she’s normal…’

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to live the life that you’re thinking of, but there are other important matters and I think Mr. Hyun-Sung will be able to clean up the guild’s internal mess sooner or later. I’ve experienced many things and we took care of a big incident last night, so consider it as a reward for yourself,” I told her.

“Basically, you’re saying that you’re taking a break. Hehe. Thanks to you, we spent a lot of time together. Oh! B-But I don’t mean anything by that,” Sun Hee-Young quickly explained.

“Yes, I understand,” I told her.

Obviously, I wasn’t planning on living in Sun Hee-Young’s house that was overflowing with love, affection, and a life of service because my biggest problem was figuring out Kim Hyun-Sung’s big picture. He may be inexperienced with politics, but he was still Kim Hyun-Sung. When I saw that he was constantly with Lee Sang-Hee to take care of and comfort her every day made me think that he had a plan of his own.

‘He’s pretty crafty.’

If I were him, I also would have thought that winning her favor was the first thing that had to be done. I couldn’t say that I contributed a lot, but if he didn’t succeed despite the situation that I had set up for him, then he wasn’t worthy of being the regressor. As such, I was certain that he would show some results soon.

‘I wonder what our Hyun-Sung is doing.’

I flinched because I recalled a joke that Lee Ji-Hye had made a long time ago, but I was still a bit curious as to what our lovely Hyun-Sung was thinking about.