Marlin Young-ae (2)
I felt guilty hearing that, for some reason. However, this situation was more important than Kim Ye-ri’s words. The only problem here was how Marlin Young-ae had chosen to treat me.
“It’s been a long time; it’s a pleasure to meet you, Marlin Young-ae.”
“The same is true for me. Lee Kiyoung.”
“I didn’t know that you would come to meet me in advance.”
“Actually, after receiving a letter saying that you would come here once, I waited only for the day Lee Kiyoung would be coming.”
“What?”
It took about 15 days from the time I sent the letter about maybe coming here. I felt a little disconcerted about how she had chosen to react.
‘She’s a little weird, too…’
[Checking the unique characteristic of player Marlin Young-ae.]
[The Obsessed Girl]
[She gets really obsessed about something she’s interested in.]
‘Fuck…
It would be better for me to keep my distance in the future, considering her disposition. Back then, I didn’t think there would be any problem with her, but I ended up being mistaken.
I didn’t know what was with her, but she was definitely not normal. I also found no other advantage to her than the fact that she was the Castle Rock lord’s daughter, but I still had to play my cards right.
‘This will get me a headache.’
I didn’t want to gain a new Jung Hayan.
“I have always been waiting for news from Lindel. I knew you would come here someday.”
“Right…”
“I’ve been keeping tabs on Lindel’s press.”
“Ah… Right…”
“You don’t know how happy I was to see a carriage coming from afar this morning. Ah, that reminds me… Where are my manners? Hello, everyone that came to Castle Rock. I am Marlin Young-ae, but you can call me Marlin.”
“Nice to meet you, Marlin Young-ae.”
“This is Kim Hyunsung, our Blue Guild Master. Say hello to everyone else, Marlin Young-ae. Have you ever met Hayan?”
“Yes. It’s also good to meet you. I heard a lot about you, Blue Guild Master.”
“I have heard of Marlin Young-ae often too. It’s only for a short time, but thank you very much for your willingness to take care of us during our stay.”
‘Ah, it’s not good to talk like that…’
It wasn’t a good idea to inform Young-ae about that, given her tendency to misunderstand the situation. Already, Jung Hayan’s expression was slowly worsening.
As I thought about whether or not to make excuses, a different voice piped up from a distance.
“Whoo… Whoo… Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung!”
“Archbishop Judah! You were in the Castle Rock Temple.”
This was also another acquaintance I had made back in the Empire. Though all we did was drink a cup of tea together, the Pope’s members tended to be a little tight.
“If you had contacted me in advance, I would have come to meet you. Hohoho.”
“Hahaha. I can’t keep a busy guy waiting. If I knew that Archbishop Judah would come, I would have brought a gift. I didn’t even know that you would be in Castle Rock.”
“Haha. It looks like I didn’t tell you. The gift is… Ahem. I am already grateful for the thought alone.”
“So. How is Cardinal Basel?”
“Haha. He is still the same. He is so busy with serving Goddess Benigore…”
“I see. Hyunsung-ssi. Come here for a minute… I told you, right? This is Kim Hyunsung, the Guild Master of my guild, Blue. And this is Sun Hee-young, the priest of our guild. She has been working hard enough in the service to be called the Saint of the Forsaken. She is one of the few priests who are preaching the will of God at Lindel.”
“Oooh. So this is Kim Hyunsung. And this is the priest Sun Hee-young…”
“Yes.”
“I heard a lot about you, Kim Hyunsung. How many times have I heard of you being impartial, just, and strong? I can see why Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung praised you so much. Your eyes are very deep.”
“That’s such big praise, Archbishop Judah. I’m Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master.”
“Bishop Victoria! Come over here and say hello to Priest Sun Hee-young!”
“Yes, Archbishop Judah!”
“We are blessed to have such a priest among the free people.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
They greeted each other instantly, and because of the noisy atmosphere, we were able to get rid of Marlin. People who had made acquaintances with Jung Hayan in the past rushed to greet her, but she didn’t seem very interested in greeting them. Instead, she clung onto me tightly.
Kim Hyunsung, on the other hand, was the busiest among everyone else. He looked a little embarrassed with everyone who had come to greet him. However, he knew that he could make some useful connections here, which in turn would lead him to newer connections.
Just the simple task of my talking about Kim Hyunsung to everyone in the Empire had guaranteed that he would receive a positive atmosphere.
This was really no big deal, but this could also be called a talent.
Our old members didn’t look that confused, yet Cho Hyejin looked as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation.
‘It’s understandable.’
Blue was a guild with a high potential. Externally, it was allied with the Red Mercenary, Black Swan, and Yozora Guild, and it dominated the potion market. Though we were just a medium-sized guild, we were in a good position altogether.
Of course, we had the money, but we still had to be careful, lest we lost value in a place where power reigned. Considering this, it was surprising to be treated in this manner.
Even if Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano visited Castle Rock together, the Archbishops wouldn’t bother greeting them. However, they did so for our sake. It was only normal to feel disbelief.
‘Hyejin, take care of this, please.’
“It’s better not to be outside; we should go inside first.”
“Hohoho. Let’s do that. Marlin Young-ae, it was so nice to hear that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung was coming, so this old man ended up taking away your time.”
“It’s not like that. We are happy that you welcomed us. Archbishop.”
“It seems like our Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung’s still very sweet with his words. Haha. Then let’s go inside quickly, as Marlin Young-ae said. First of all, you must stay at Yeongju Fortress and rest, then stop by at the church.”
“Yes, of course, Archbishop Judah.”
“The believers will be happy. Haha.”
At this, the huge gate before us opened, and the interior of Castle Rock showed itself to us.
Although the nation we lived in was diverse, I could see that most of the citizens here were Asians with black hair.
“You don’t know how surprised I was to have you visit Castle Rock like this, Lee Kiyoung.”
“I didn’t know we would be reunited so soon, Young-ae. Isn’t it right? Hayan?”
“Yes. Oppa!”
“Ah…
Little by little, Hayan began to brighten up with my constant attention. On the contrary, Marlin Young-ae began to feel a little depressed.
Kim Hyunsung, however, was busy talking with Archbishop Judah. The rest of our party members busied themselves with looking around Castle Rock’s amazing infrastructures.
However, what was more interesting to me than our party members were the players that had settled within Castle Rock.
Seeing that they harbored the same expression as Cho Hyejin made me smile a little bit.
“Pfft.”
What they were thinking was obvious.
They were probably wondering what kind of people were coming in now for them to be personally greeted by the Archbishop of the temple, as well as the Castle Rock Knights. Seeing them straining to see who we were was truly amusing.
‘Tut-tut.
However, the closer we headed towards Yeongju Tower, the more I realized that only one person among us was garnering the most attention.
‘Cho Hyejin.
Cho Hyejin made sure not to appear affected by the constant stares, but her discomfort was evident to me.
So, it was true that she left Castle Rock on bad terms.
As I continued to watch Hyejin, I saw her inconspicuously looking through the crowds, thinking of seeing a familiar face. I didn’t know why she, who did the right thing, looked as if she was a sinner. However, it was interesting to see her uncaring façade.
“Marlin Young-ae.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung?”
“Do you remember Cho Hyejin? The one I talked about last time…”
“Ahhh! I see. I heard a lot from you from my father, Hyejin.”
“Right…”
“A few years ago, I was at the academy, so we never met. I heard you were active in Castle Rock. You did a very impressive job…”
“That… It’s not impressive. Just like other free people do…”
“Thanks to free people like Cho Hyejin and Lee Kiyoung, our Holy Empire can develop further. On behalf of the nation, I would like to say thank you.”
When Marlin, a person of royal birth in the Castle Rock estate, stuck to Cho Hyejin and chatted with her, it felt like the gazes had gone back to focusing on her.
Things were getting a little more fun.
Some of the onlookers stood out.
They had looks of distaste on their faces, yet the guild insignia on their chests told me what guild they came from.
‘Little Rock
I was sure of it.
Among all the guilds located in Castle Rock, they were the largest. And…
‘They were who Cho Hyejin reported in the past.’
While passing by, our eyes continued to meet. To be precise, I was conscious of them, and I was only looking at them once, but whether they knew it or not, they kept looking at us heading to Yeongju Tower.
‘Should I talk with them?’
I indeed wanted to have a conversation at least once. I wondered exactly what happened and what position they were taking.
“Marlin Young-ae.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim?”
“I have a little question, but… How is the relationship between Castle Rock and the free people here?”
“I think it’s a little friendly. We invited them to Yeongju Tower to spend time together… Our Castle Rock is also being helped by the free people settled here. As well as reducing the number of monsters, we are grateful that they share our knights’ work.”
“I see.”
“It’s not as good as the Free City of Lindel, but in Castle Rock, we have a lot of benefits for free people, and we have various policies set in place. They are indeed concerned with the citizens’ welfare – not only the permanent residents but also the free residents.”
“Oooooh.”
“Do you have any more questions?”
“No, Young-ae, rather than that… It’s sudden, but I want to ask you for a favor.”
“Yes?”
“In fact, the reason we came to Castle Rock was to sign contracts with some of the guilds here. If we can sell the potions distributed by our guild to Castle Rock, we’ll be able to help each other.”
“I see.”
“If it’s okay, I would like you to set the bridge free.”
“Yes! Of course! It’s Lee Kiyoung’s request, after all…”
‘So the contract part is resolved….
All that’s left was to meet them. As I kept writing the screenplay in my head, I heard a voice.
“Marlin Young-ae.”
It was the first time I heard his voice. The guy looked a little taller than I did.
‘What, this guy suddenly…’
In an instant, I figured out who he was.
Cho Hyejin’s rapidly darkening expression was a dead giveaway