I was worried, but I dealt with Jung Ha-Yan appropriately. I wanted to angrily ask her what the hell she was doing, but that was out of the question. Jung Ha-Yan tried to test Cha Hee-Ra, while Cha Hee-Ra had overreacted. They were both at fault, but if I took Cha Hee-Ra’s side, it could cause other issues.

After scolding her for her behavior, I pointed out that she seemed to have become a bit more respectful to Cha Hee-Ra, and she even expressed that she wasn’t uncomfortable with her. Obviously, I gave her lip service by thanking her for caring about me or that I understood her feelings. Jung Ha-Yan cried at first, but after giving her a carrot, she seemed to be feeling better, and although things didn’t work out the way she wanted, she was satisfied with how things had ended.

‘Shit...’

Jung Ha-Yan was still free to think of whatever she wanted, and even though she nodded at my stern warning, I couldn’t help but be suspicious about how long it would last. The whip may put her in despair, but the carrot made her recover just as fast.

No matter how much I thought about it, the previous incidents were previews of the disaster that would take place in the future, and for some reason, I couldn’t help but keep thinking that way. Seeing that she had challenged Cha Hee-Ra right after gaining power, she would obviously do that more often to others. It felt like I was watching a speeding runaway locomotive, and if I left her alone, she would blow up someday, even though she was quiet right now.

Magic was an area I had a hard time understanding from the beginning. Even ordinary mages would have a difficult time understanding magic, so when a mage like Jung Ha-Yan was on a roll, it was difficult to imagine what she would be capable of doing, and I guarantee that she would use spells beyond my imagination.

‘It’ll be difficult, but…’

Despite that, I cared for Jung Ha-Yan a lot, and in some ways, this was an equivalent trade. If the price of dealing with Jung Ha-Yan were to take care of her mental health, I would say I got the better end of the deal. The issue was that it was getting unusually dangerous, but when thinking about the future, it should be quite bearable.

Of course, I had to take care of Cha Hee-Ra as well, but she was easier to handle. Out of all the people I knew, she was the easiest to talk to when she wasn’t crazy.

From my point of view, it would be best if the two remained this way without any conflict, but things wouldn’t work out that easily. There was a strange atmosphere even when we had all gotten inside the carriage. Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t picking a fight with Cha Hee-Ra, but everyone could tell there was a strange air between them.

“I’m telling you, Ha-Yan noonim seems like she’s on edge!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.

“Is that right?” I asked.

“Yes. I told you this several times. I know you’re busy, and you haven’t been able to do much, but even the soft-hearted noonim gets stressed out!” he continued.

“...”

“The way I see it, it’s now time for a refresher. That mercenary noonim also seemed like she was on edge, but the look in Ha-Yan noonim’s eyes looked a bit threatening. It’s kind of hard for me to describe it, but… I was honestly kind of scared, too. I feel bad for saying this, but I wanted to run away from that place,” he described.

When I glanced over at Han Sora, I noticed her trembling.

“The eyes of the Love Doctor Park Deok-Gu are reliable. You can trust me. To be honest, you and Ha-Yan noonim seem to be getting along, but the progress of your relationship is too slow, and since you’re so popular, you have women coming at you like this! And like this! Ahem. Even if the continent’s view of love is open, a person like her, who can’t even kill an ant, will get really stressed by something like that. I’m sure of it! Don’t you agree?” Park Deok-Gu asked Han Sora.

“Yes… I agree…” Han Sora answered.

I was curious about where he got the information that Jung Ha-Yan couldn’t even kill an ant, but I didn’t have the energy to argue with him. Han Sora, Jung Ha-Yan’s biggest victim, looked at Park Deok-Gu as if she was asking, “What kind of bullshit are you talking about?”

Since he was her superior, Han Sora simply nodded at his words. However, she looked as if she was preparing for whatever was coming while keeping her mouth shut.

“I think you two should go on a trip. You should visit that Baron Nabbot or whatever; no, he’s Senator Nabbot now! Didn’t he say there was a mirror lake in his territory or something? You should visit and go on a boat ride and enjoy dinner together until there’s no more carriage heading back to Lindel…” Park Deok-Gu suggested.

“The Mirror Lake is in the opposite direction, and who cares about the carriage when I have a griffon?” I pointed out.

“Don’t you know that’s all an excuse? That’s what you’re supposed to do in a relationship. Ahem. I can’t really tell you much, but… that’s how everyone acts in a relationship,” he added.

“I’m sure we’ll visit one day—”

“But not right now, right?” Park Deok-Gu asked, interrupting me.

“We can take a break at Laios, and they’ll be taking care of us anyway. We’ll be pretty busy afterward, but we’re lucky enough that we get to rest. Anyway, I’ll take your suggestion and go out with Ha-Yan or something,” I told him.

Kasugano Yuno was also heading toward Laios, and aside from Lee Ji-Hye of the Black Swan Guild, the people with deep connections with me were all here. The incident I had with Yuno bothered me, so I wouldn’t bring that up.

‘Shit…’

At that time, I just said nothing happened and overlooked it. I actually got angry and overcame the incident with it, but for Jung Ha-Yan, I was sure that incident was still in her mind. There was no guarantee that she wouldn’t start a fight with Kasugano Yuno like what she had done with Cha Hee-Ra.

‘Yuno is different from Cha Hee-Ra…’

Kasugano Yuno was strong enough to be one of the Eight Seats, but she was a support-type character and based on combat power, she wouldn’t be able to handle Jung Ha-Yan.

‘She won’t pull something crazy like what she did at the shrine...’

After Jung Ha-Yan’s regression incident, I was sure she wouldn’t have those crazy thoughts again, but since something could still happen, I had to consider spending time with her alone.

While I was deep in my thoughts, I heard Park Deok-Gu’s voice and seeing that he didn’t change the topic, he had to have felt pretty sensitive about this incident. However, it didn’t seem like he was worried about the same thing as me.

“By the way… what are you going to do about that mercenary noonim and Ha-Yan noonim? To be honest, I’m going to be on Ha-Yan noonim’s side no matter what, but I feel pretty uncomfortable. The atmosphere between them is scarier than an actual fight. How about setting up something so that they can talk…”

‘That’s someone seeking death would do…’

“I heard that there have been several recent incidents like this on the continent. This type of war of nerves is happening because of the whole polyandry and polygamy issue. I drank with a friend once, and I heard he had two wives,” Park Deok-Gu continued.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“I’m sure you know him… it’s Galoshik,” Park Deok-Gu answered.

“Of course, I know him. He’s pretty useful… How did you get in contact with him?” I questioned.

I was actually going to reach out to Galoshik, but knowing that he was close to Park Deok-Gu, there was no need for me to step up anymore.

“I gave love advice, of course! Anyway, since he’s operating a clan and is competent himself, he ended up having two wives, but the two don’t get along. They would glare at each other whenever they met, talk behind their backs, raise their voices, and fight, so he ended up in a predicament,” Park Deok-Gu replied.

‘That’s nothing… It’s better than me.’

I wasn’t sure whether Park Deok-Gu understood my feelings or not, but he continued talking while giving examples. It was a pretty lengthy story, so I wasn’t really listening.

“Ahem… Anyway, that’s what happened. You need to stay on your toes during situations like this, hyung-nim. It’s best if the person in the middle adjusts and balances things out. There’s a saying that the balance of power must be maintained...”

“I have never heard of that,” I commented.

“All I’m saying is that your role in situations like this is the most important. Setting up something so that those two can get along will be beneficial to all of us. Obviously, taking care of Ha-Yan noonim first is important. If you’re going to keep making connections, it’s better to improve your relationships little by little from now on. I guarantee that if you don’t do this, you’ll be in big danger,” he warned.

I was sure he said it without much thought, but I took him seriously when he mentioned the potential danger. After all, Park Deok-Gu was right.

‘I have to do something…’

If I kept on making connections, I may end up getting on a boat that would really benefit me. I had the urge to stage an act once again, so I wanted to call Kim Ye-Ri and Ahn Ki-Mo, but they weren’t in this carriage, and they weren’t in Laios either.

‘We’re almost there...’

Now that I thought about it, it felt like we had been riding the carriage for a long time. I looked around while talking to Park Deok-Gu and Han Sora, and I saw the scenery changing at a pretty fast pace. I was just guessing, but the scenery was a lot more exotic and different from the democratic country, and they all stood out for me.

‘The neutral nation.’

This was the only neutral nation on the continent. Even though they didn’t possess strong national power like the democratic country or the Republic, they were one of the countries with immense potential. Since they were located in the south, they had a variety of warm food, and since they were close to the ocean, they were a tourist destination for many foreigners from the democratic country and the Republic.

Even though we didn’t come here for a vacation or to take care of Jung Ha-Yan, Park Deok-Gu was right—I had to do something.

“The scenery is amazing… Don’t you agree, hyung-nim? Is it your first time seeing scenery like this, Sora?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“Yes, it’s definitely my first time…” Han Sora replied.

“Anyway, this is your chance, hyung-nim. Places like this make people become more open-minded! I’m sure noonim is preparing her mind as well,” he added.

I would have to look into exactly what she was preparing herself for, but if possible, I didn’t want her to prepare her mind. Obviously, all these were just my wish.

The moving carriage came to a stop, and when the door opened, I heard a slightly childish voice.

“Welcome to Laios, Father Lee Ki-Young and Mercenary Queen of Lindel.”

We had arrived in the neutral nation, Laios.