I felt like I got caught, but this situation was more important than what Kim Ye-Ri had just said. Lady Marilyn was the issue because she was acting as if we were a long-distance couple who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. I gently pulled her away since she was still hugging me and I immediately heard her talking after I spoke.

“It’s nice to see you again, Lady Marilyn.”

“Me too, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

“I didn’t think you’d come out here to greet me,” I said.

“A-After I received your letter that you would visit someday, I’ve been waiting for you to come,” she said, stuttering.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

It took about 15 days for a letter to arrive here from Lindel, so I felt a bit flustered when she said that she had been waiting for me.

‘She’s kind of strange too…’

[Checking Imperial Citizen Marilyn Castlerock’s Unique Habit.]

[Obsessive Girl]

[She becomes wildly obsessed with things she’s interested in.]

‘Shit…’

It would be best to keep my distance for the time being. Marilyn Castlerock’s nature was an innocent noblewoman and at the time, I thought it wouldn’t be a big issue if I got closer to her, but after looking at the details, I noticed something a bit different. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I was certain she wasn’t normal and since being the daughter of Castle Rock’s lord was her only strength, it was best to keep my distance from her.

‘Things could get complicated...’

I didn’t want to create another Jung Ha-Yan.

“I had always been waiting to hear news from Lindel in the tall castle. I knew you would come to visit one day,” Lady Marilyn said.

“I see…”

“I even receive newsletters from Lindel and read them,” she added.

“Oh… I see…”

‘...’

“You have no idea how happy I was to see a carriage coming from afar this morning. Oh! I haven’t introduced myself to the others. Hello, visitors of Castle Rock. I’m Marilyn Castlerock of Castle Rock, but you can call me Marilyn,” she said, introducing herself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Marilyn.”

“This is Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung and he’s the Blue Guild’s guild master. Feel free to greet the other members. You’ve met Miss Ha-Yan before, am I right Lady Marilyn?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s nice to see you again, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. I’ve heard a lot about you too, guild master,” she said to Kim Hyun-Sung after greeting Jung Ha-Yan.

“I’ve heard about you as well, Lady Marilyn. It’ll be short, but we’ll be in your care while we’re here,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘That’s bullshit… Don’t say you’ve heard about someone even if you’re trying to be polite.’

It was true that I talked about Kim Hyun-Sung back when I was at the castle, but I had never talked about Lady Marilyn to him. I thought it wasn’t a good idea to tell someone that you heard about them. Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan didn’t look so good so I thought about giving her an excuse, but I heard someone’s voice. They must’ve run over because they were trying to catch their breath when they arrived.

“Hoo… hoo… Honorary bishop, Lee Ki-Young!”

“Father Judas! So you were at the Castle Rock shrine,” I said with a smile.

I met him at the Vatican as well and even though we only drank tea together, my family at the Vatican was rather tight-knit.

“I would’ve come to greet you if you notified me ahead of time. Hahaha,” he said while boisterously laughing.

“Hahaha. I can’t make you wait when I know you’re busy. I would’ve brought a gift if I knew you were coming, Father Judas. I never imagined you would be at Castle Rock,” I told him.

“Haha. I guess I haven’t told you. A gift… ahem. It’s the thought that matters, he said.

“How is Father Basel doing?” I asked.

“Haha. He’s the same as always. He has been busy serving the Benigoa goddess…” he replied.

“I see. Mr. Hyun-Sung, could you come here… I’ve told you before, right? This is Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung and he’s the guild master of the Blue Guild. This is Miss Sun Hee-Young; she’s the guild’s priestess and she does so much volunteering work that she’s known as the saint of the slums. She’s one of the few priestesses that preaches the goddess’s will in Lindel,” I introduced the others.

“Oooh, so you’re the guild master I’ve heard about. And you’re the priestess, Sun Hee-Young…” he repeated.

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung. I’ve been told many times that you’re fair, righteous, and powerful. I can see why Brother Lee Ki-Young complimented you so much. You have such a deep gaze,” Father Judas remarked.

“I’m flattered, Father Judas. My name is Kim Hyun-Sung and I’m the guild master of the Blue Guild,” Kim Hyun-Sung said, introducing himself once more.

“Sister Victoria! Come here and meet priestess Sun Hee-Young!” he yelled.

“Yes, Father Judas,” Victoria answered.

“Having a priestess like you among the free city citizens is truly a blessing,” Father Judas complimented.

“Hahahaha.”

Because of the introduction and the loud atmosphere, I was able to pull Marilyn away. The people who knew Jung Ha-Yan rushed over and greeted her, but Jung Ha-Yan didn’t seem all that interested in them. It seemed like all she wanted to do was stay next to me.

Kim Hyun-Sung was the busiest out of all of us and he seemed flustered because of all the people suddenly greeting him. You could connect with them and make more connections through them. Creating a positive image of Kim Hyun-Sung in the castle and the Vatican was all I had to do.

‘This is what your hyung can do…’

It wasn’t much, but it was still considered a skill and even though the original party members weren’t confused by it, Jo Hye-Jin seemed like she didn’t know what to do.

‘It’s understandable…’

The Blue Guild had a lot of potential because we managed to form an alliance with the Red Mercenary Guild, the Black Swan Guild, and the Yozora Guild. We even managed to monopolize the potion market. However, the Blue Guild was still considered a mid-sized guild. Even though we were financially stable, power was the most important thing here and we couldn’t really do much about that. Even so, we were receiving this kind of treatment, so it was understandable for Jo Hye-Jin to be surprised. Even if Cha Hee-Ra and Kasugano Yuno came here together, the archbishop wouldn’t come out and greet them like this. It was natural for her to respond that way since the key figures within the city had come outside just to greet us upon our arrival.

‘Hye-Jin, behave yourself.’

“We should go inside; it’s not good to keep standing outside.” Lady Marilyn suggested.

“Hahaha. Yes, let’s do that, Lady Marilyn. This old man wasted your time because I was happy that Brother Lee Ki-Young was visiting,” Father Judas said.

“That’s not true. I’m glad you welcomed me like this, Father Judas,” I told him.

“You’re still the sweet talker I remember, Brother Lee Ki-Young. Haha. Please hurry inside. You can rest at the lord’s castle and make sure to visit the shrine,” he said.

“Of course, Father Judas...”

“I’m sure the followers will be happy, haha,” he laughed once more.

The knights made a path and we slowly headed toward the city. The large gate opened and we saw Castle Rock from the inside. Even though the percentage of imperial citizens was higher here, the free city citizens settled down in the majority of the areas so there were many Asians with black hair.

“You have no idea how surprised I was that you suddenly visited Castle Rock, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” Lady Marilyn commented.

“I didn’t think we’d meet again so soon, Lady Marilyn. Don’t you agree, Ha-Yan?” I asked.

“I agree, Oppa!” she answered in a rather enthusiastic way.

“Oh…”

I guess Jung Ha-Yan started to feel better when I took care of her because she was smiling. Meanwhile, Marilyn looked discouraged. Kim Hyun-Sung was stuck talking to Father Judas and the remaining party members were looking around Castle Rock with interest. However, the players that lived in Castle Rock were more interesting than our party members. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that the other players had the same expression Jo Hye-Jin had earlier.

“Pffft!”

It was obvious what they were thinking. They were curious about who we were because not only were we accompanied by the knights, but even the archbishop of the shrine was with us. I was sure this was unusual for them as well and when they looked over here thinking that a special guest had arrived, I couldn’t help but pity them.

‘Tsk.’

The people must’ve thought we were free city citizens just like them because their surprise only lasted for a moment and the closer we got to the castle, the more people started looking at us.

‘Jo Hye-Jin.’

From the citizens’ point of view, she had no choice but to leave Castle Rock, but she suddenly returned home in glory. Jo Hye-Jin must be pretty burdened by their gazes because she didn’t look around, but it was obvious that she was wary of Castle Rock’s citizens. She was also worried that someone might recognize her and I was certain that she left on bad terms. I wasn’t sure why she seemed like a criminal when she only did the right thing, but seeing her pretending to be okay was amusing.

“Lady Marilyn.”

“Yes, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

“You remember Miss Jo Hye-Jin, right? I told you about her last time…” I said.

“Ohh! I see. I’ve heard a lot about you from my father, Miss Hye-Jin,” Marilyn said.

“I see…”

“I was at the academy a few years ago so I wasn’t able to see you, but I heard you lived in Castle Rock and did something impressive…” she said.

“It… wasn’t that impressive. I just did what other free citizens would’ve done…” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“It’s all thanks to people like you and Mr. Lee Ki-Young that the Holy Empire is progressing. I want to thank both of you on behalf of the imperial citizens,” she complimented.

Jo Hye-Jin must’ve felt like all eyes were on her when Marilyn kept talking to her because she was known as the precious child of Castle Rock. The situation was getting more fun and out of them, a few people caught my attention. There were people who clicked their tongues or frowned and the guild badge on their chests showed which guilds they were affiliated with.

‘Small Stone Guild.’

I was certain of it. Out of all the guilds in Castle Rock, it was known as a rather large guild and…

‘The people our Jo Hye-Jin reported.’

Our eyes met even as we passed each other. It was more like I was looking at them, but they must’ve realized it because they also stared at us as we headed toward the castle.

‘What should I talk about?’

It was true that I wanted to have a conversation. I really wanted to know exactly what happened, the kind of incidents that took place, and their opinions on those incidents.

“Lady Marilyn,” I called out.

“Yes, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?”

“There’s something I’m curious about… what kind of relationship does Castle Rock have with the free city citizens that are staying here?” I asked.

“I believe we’re friendly toward them. We spend time with the people by inviting them to the castle and we even receive help from the citizens that live here. Not only did they help in reducing the number of monsters, but they helped the knights as well so we’re thankful for them,” she explained.

“I see,” I said.

“It may not be as much as Lindel, but we’re trying to make things convenient for the citizens here and we have been implementing policies for that. We’ve been thinking about the benefits for not just the permanent residents, but for the free city citizens as well,” Marilyn added.

“Ooohhh.”

“Any other questions?” she asked.

“No, that’s all, but I would like to ask you for a favor, Lady Marilyn.”

“Yes?”

“To be honest, another reason why I came to Castle Rock was that I wanted to sign a contract with a few of the guilds here. If we can sell the potions our guild is distributing to Castle Rock, then I think it’ll help both sides,” I explained.

“I see…” she said, nodding.

“If you’re okay with it, I’d like it if you could introduce me to some people.” I requested.

“Yes, of course! I’d be happy to help you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young…” she answered.

‘This should take care of the contract…’

The only thing left to do was to slowly meet those people and when I was making the plan in my head, I heard someone’s voice.

“Lady Marilyn.”

It was my first time hearing this man’s voice. I saw him and he was a bit tall.

‘Who’s this guy?’

When Jo Hye-Jin’s expression turned dark, I immediately discovered the man’s identity.