During my first visit, the city looked grand, but my second visit didn’t give me as much excitement. The city was still sparkling, and the scenery was wonderful while on the griffon. Honestly, I couldn’t really pay attention to the city because I kept on recalling the scene where that foolish Park Deok-Gu ran away.

‘That fool is just making people upset…’

However, I was able to stop worrying about him. His actions did annoy me, but I understood better than anyone that since I arrived in the city, my business here was the priority. Obviously, the very first thing I had to do upon arriving at the castle was to manage the connections I had neglected all this time. It was only my second time around, but I was already used to landing the griffon, and as soon as I landed, I heard a familiar voice calling out to me. I instantly knew who it was, as there was no one else who liked me the most at the castle.

“Father Basel!” I called out.

“Brother Lee Ki-Young! You’ve lost weight since the last time I saw you. I heard what happened at Castle Rock,” he responded.

“Hahaha. It’s all thanks to the Goddess of Benigoa. Sister Jayna! Sister Helena! It has been a while,” I greeted.

“Brother Lee Ki-Young, it has been a while...”

“Oh, let’s start with the introductions. This is Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung, the guild master of the Blue Guild, and he’s one of the players who received a recommendation for the eight seats,” I introduced.

“Ahhhh. I’ve heard a lot about you, Brother Kim Hyun-Sung,” Father Basel said, nodding.

“I’ve heard a lot about you as well, Father Basel. My name is Kim Hyun-Sung. I look forward to working with you,” he greeted.

Father Basel, Sister Jayna, and Sister Helena greeted Kim Hyun-Sung and me at the griffon landing field, and we had a short conversation over tea.

I didn’t think Cha Hee-Ra was already here. Since the official announcement of the eight seats was going to take place later, it didn’t matter if she wasn’t here right now. But, still, she really didn’t show her face anywhere. It was really like Cha Hee-Ra to do such a thing.

‘Maybe she’s still embarrassed…’

When that thought popped into my head, I thought that maybe she had long arrived at the royal castle, but she ran away after being ordained. After all, I heard that a few people had arrived and had already left. The Red Mercenary Guild was busy preparing for the arrival of the new recruits, so I was sure they didn’t have much free time.

While talking with the members of the Vatican, what I found interesting was that it was Father Basel who supported me for the eight seats. I found it intriguing, as I thought the Vatican wouldn’t like me to take one of the eight seats. They were probably certain that I was closer to the Vatican than the royal castle, and if that was what Father Basel thought, it was understandable for him to forcefully give me one of the seats. The honorary bishop of the Vatican being selected as one of the eight strongest players in the empire would be a good marketing tool, after all.

Sister Jayna, Sister Helena, and I had a short but exciting prayer service, and after that, I met with the nobles I hadn’t seen in a long time. The only thing Victor Hart and I did was exchange greetings, but I did end up chatting with Lady Caitlyn and Lady Marilyn, who had arrived at the castle before me. I thought Lady Marilyn was up to something since she didn’t come out to say goodbye to me at Castle Rock, but I had never imagined that she had prepared all this. Lady Marilyn led the majority of the conversations, and she mostly talked about my heroic deeds during Castle Rock’s defense war to the other noblewomen. She even included stories about the Blue Guild, which made me think of that fool again, and it annoyed me.

It was obvious, but I was able to realize just how interested the public was in Dialugia.

‘It’s a good thing I didn’t bring her with me.’

It wouldn’t matter if they promoted dragons during the official announcement. Dialugia was pretty busy right now, and if I brought Smartie here with me, then she would most likely get involved in some strange incident.

Like me, Kim Hyun-Sung was busy. Since this was his first time at the royal castle, he was busy meeting the people with connections to Jung Ha-Yan and me. However, unlike me, who spent time with the nobles and the members of the Vatican peacefully, he would either drink with the higher-ups of the castle or spar with them.

The people who didn’t want the Vatican supporting me after being chosen by a dragon questioned Kim Hyun-Sung’s capabilities, but I guess his conversation about the sword with Victor Hart and the members of the castle really helped increase his reputation.

I knew I would be busy once I arrived here, but I was busier than I thought. Kim Hyun-Sung’s face turned pale because I was sure he was more tired than I was. It had been a little over two days since we arrived at the city, and unlike Jung Ha-Yan who was recharging, Kim Hyun-Sung was exhausted.

‘I feel the same way…’

There were a lot of things I had to think about. Like the Blue Guild’s future, my job, and the business with Kim Hyun-Sung. However, there was only one I was concerned about the most. I was sure he and I had different opinions, but Kim Hyun-Sung was probably thinking about the same thing, as we were in the same situation. The tutorial dungeon was going to open soon, so he must be thinking about the talented people he knew in his past coming out of the tutorial dungeon. Kim Hyun-Sung had to think about the people that would play a big part in the future, and he had to think about the new position he would get. I didn’t know what would happen in the future, but he knew. There would be a lot of situations and discussions where we would have to come to an agreement. Of course, it included dragging our exhausted bodies and working till late at night. Naturally, we both avoided having deep conversations, but it didn’t get in the way of having conversations like this, as we were friends and comrades who trusted each other.

“Whew… it has been a long day…” Kim Hyun-Sung let out a sigh.

“It will probably be busier tomorrow since we need to prepare for the inauguration ceremony. I think we’re going to be the last ones. Ahem. Anyway, there are a few more people you need to meet, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I told him.

“...”

“You need to meet Father Andurin and the influential noblewomen…” I continued.

“Ah…”

He seemed like he wanted me to stop. He didn’t mind meeting Father Andurin, but I guess he felt uncomfortable meeting the noblewomen. I smiled when I saw his expression.

“Ahem. If you feel uncomfortable, then I’ll meet with the noblewomen,” I offered.

“You don’t have to…” he mumbled.

“It’s fine. I have some free time anyway,” I replied.

“Th-Thank you…”

It had been a while since Kim Hyun-Sung sincerely thanked me for something, and after looking at Jung Ha-Yan, who had fallen asleep, Kim Hyun-Sung continued talking, “It’s been a year...”

“Time passed a lot faster than I thought. We’ve been so busy that a year has already passed. Honestly, you have no idea how surprised I was when you mentioned preparing for the new recruits.” I confessed.

“Hahaha. So you’re forgetful as well,” he remarked.

“I’m only human. It’s honestly pretty tiring to handle the issues going on right now,” I said.

“That’s not true. I… I don’t think you’re just human at all, Mr. Ki-Young,” he complimented me.

“I was just lucky. If I didn’t meet you back then, I wouldn’t have been able to escape the tutorial dungeon, and I’m sure it would have been the same for you,” I told him.

“This is a bit of a serious topic, but you’ve been a big help recently, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung suddenly said.

I felt proud when he said that. The mood between us wasn’t that bad, as we did have a few drinks at the dinner we had been invited to earlier. There were things we both wanted to say to each other, and it was frustrating that we had a hard time talking about it, but at very least, we seemed peaceful.

“You know…”

Kim Hyun-Sung started talking.

“Tell me that I’m doing a good job, too…”

Jung Ha-Yan talked in her sleep, which made Kim Hyun-Sung laugh. He continued talking, but this time, he sounded pretty serious.

“I just thought of something.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s about the current state of the Blue Guild,” he replied.

“I see. Is there a problem related to expanding the number of members…”

“That’s right. I’m sure we’ll need more time, but I feel like we need to reorganize the guild system and the current parties,” he answered.

“Hm…”

“When the new recruits arrive, I think it’ll be inefficient to only have one party under the Blue Guild. I’m still planning it out, but I’m thinking about creating a second party and letting Mr. Deok-Gu and Miss Jung-Yeon take charge of them.” Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.

“Ahhh…”

I had no choice but to remain quiet, but it wasn’t like I had anything to say about it, as it seemed like he and I were thinking about the same thing. Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t say it outright, but he thought that maybe Park Deok-Gu was having a hard time keeping up with his party.

‘I wonder if there’s a decent tank from the new recruits.’

It was possible. If we had a vanguard who would become a key member in the future, then it would be more efficient to recruit them as a party member. It was a bit surprising, but I didn’t think Kim Hyun-Sung was looking down on Park Deok-Gu.

‘That bastard! Let’s just abandon him since he’s weak!’

He wasn’t saying this out loud. Kim Hyun-Sung understood Park Deok-Gu’s limits, and it was a reasonable choice to train him as a clan’s executive member instead of keeping him as a party member. He wanted Park Deok-Gu to become a party leader, and he wanted to watch him grow while gaining experience. I was sure Park Deok-Gu’s dignity and position would increase within the guild, but in the end, he would be further apart from Kim Hyun-Sung’s party. Honestly, if Lee Sang-Hee returned to the battlefield, then she could become a key member of Kim Hyun-Sung’s party, and he wouldn’t need to be so critical of Park Deok-Gu.

‘Especially about his safety.’

Kim Hyun-Sung’s party would continue to grow, and the party would visit new places in the future, which meant Park Deok-Gu would continuously have to face new dangers. Objectively speaking, he could only block one or two attacks with his stats, and in the worst-case scenario, he could die outright.

‘Unlike me who’s in the rear.’

However, keeping him in Kim Hyun-Sung’s party by moving him to the rear wouldn’t be beneficial for his growth. I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung had considered all of this, and the reason why he brought this up was that he wanted my opinion, as I was the closest to Park Deok-Gu.

‘When considering Park Deok-Gu’s growth, safety and growing him as an executive member of the guild, Kim Hyun-Sung’s offer may be a better option, but…’

For some reason, it felt kind of cruel leaving the guy behind.

‘Shit…’

I wasn’t the only one who knew about Park Deok-Gu’s limits. Kim Hyun-Sung had to know Park Deok-Gu’s limits better than me, as he watched the latter closely and even fought with him on a few battlefields.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I said.

“Great...”

“If I’m not misunderstanding you then… you’re probably talking about Deok-Gu… am I right?” I asked.

“That’s right. I’m curious about what you think of him. For this issue… I believe your decision is more important than mine, so that’s why I told you first. I think… I think that you know better than I do and if you consider the fact that things will become even more dangerous in the future…” he explained.

“Well…”

The answer was already in my head, but I felt like I couldn’t say it.

‘This is annoying… shit…’

It was nice that he asked for my opinion, but I couldn’t help but hate Kim Hyun-Sung, as it felt like he was telling me to make the cruel decision. As such, I couldn’t give him an answer. Ultimately, I had no choice but to reply with a reasonable answer.

“I…”