Monster wave (1)
“For now, you will be heading to the Free City of Lindel. If you stay in our guild, I will definitely send you back to your hometown later on.”
“R-Really? Just in case…”
“You don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t have used this complicated method in the first place if I was just going to harm or defile you.”
“Ah…”
“I wouldn’t have saved you from monsters in exchange for a huge loss. As soon as you go to Lindel, you will receive a new ID, and you will be acting as a Blue guest. As long as you do not go outside the city, you are free to go out, and no humans will harm you. Of course, if you are afraid to go outside, you can only stay within the Guild House.”
“Thank you.”
“You should thank Cho Hyejin here rather than me. She was the one who wanted to save you.”
“Ah! It’s only for a short time, but thank you so much for taking care of us…”
“You will definitely be able to go back home. I promise.”
“Sniff…”
As the elves cried together, Cho Hyejin busied herself with comforting them. It looked like a beautiful scene overall.
The reality of having to return 120,000 gold worth of elves to their hometown for free felt heartbreaking, but right now, this is better.
They weren’t useful anyway. Although their stats weren’t bad, their talent levels would not be enough to nurture them into adventurers. They were meant to be normal villagers.
This was a case where if they have no luck, they would again be caught by a hunter while trying to lead a normal life. It would be better to return them as fast as possible.
This was because the news that I had obtained five elven slaves would come to Yuno Kasugano.
For her, who still called me Master, that would lead to inevitable conclusions. I had to make sure I sent them out as soon as possible because she had just sent a letter, making a fuss about coming to Castle Rock herself.
As I mulled this over, the elves looked at me warily. They must still be worried about whether they were being sold elsewhere, but they would understand me as soon as they arrived in Lindel safely.
“I’m telling you just in case, but it would be better not to get out of the wagon until you arrive. It’s not dangerous inside the wagon with the guild insignia, but outside it will be.”
“Yes. We will keep this in mind, dear benefactor.”
“Well, it’s embarrassing to call me a benefactor. Rather, I feel sorry that I can save only you. On behalf of all human beings, I apologize.”
“A-Ah, but in case…”
“Yes. If I see another elf, I will try to help them as much as I can.”
“Thank you.”
“Then, let’s get on.”
As the elves got into the carriage, they bid me goodbye. Cho Hyejin fussed over them one last time before she stepped back. She seemed a little bit relieved.
“Are you relieved?”
“I’m not.”
“Have you grown attached to them in the meantime?”
“Yes. Though it was only a short time… I must’ve grown attached to them.”
“As a human being, you did everything. Not only did you save them, but you’ll also hide them in a luxury inn and take responsibility for them in Blue, so I think you did more than that.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Vice Guild Master.”
“To be precise, it was you who showed kindness. Anyway, if you save the elves, you might get something in return.”
“…”
Her fed up expression was highly evident in my eyes. To be fair, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t a bad idea overall. There was nothing bad about having elves feeling indebted to us, as their gratitude for us was immense. I didn’t know when that would happen, but it was good to have them in our debt, just in case.
“Then let’s go get something to eat.”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”
Of course, I wasn’t being nice just with the elves. I had conversations with Cho Hyejin several times and succeeded in getting closer to her to some extent.
She hadn’t changed as extremely as Sun Hee-young or Jung Hayan, but she was slowly starting to understand me. Of course, I was also in a situation where I had to understand her. Cho Hyejin might’ve thought about becoming closer, but I felt like she had decided to draw a line.
It seemed a little difficult to make me look more favorable to her than a certain level because she was not included in what the system categorized as dangerous or crazy women.
The most important thing was that I had gotten through to her.
We still had a long way to go, but at least the worst was over. The proof was that, even though we kept hanging out together like this, she no longer felt any other discomfort.
‘It’s enough just by being friends.’
I much rather preferred this kind of relationship, anyway. Aside from that, I was sure I wasn’t her ideal type of guy at all.
“So… Have you thought about it?”
“About what?”
“You know what I’m talking about. We need to take care of this quickly before a new victim emerges.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“What?”
“Ah. Of course, it doesn’t mean I don’t intend to punish them. They have to be handled by the law. I have believed in that so far, and I still think like that, but…”
“You don’t know if you’ll be able to handle it well. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“It’s embarrassing, but it is. Even if you inform the others about this, there is no guarantee that we will not get the same outcome as before.”
“Perhaps Hyejin is right. If you move blindly without having the right evidence, it will certainly be the same.”
Though she was not overly friendly with me, we had progressed enough to address each other’s concerns. Even the smallest change helped.
While we continued to walk, Cho Hyejin continuously participated in the conversation. This was good. It was an opportunity to let her know that one’s way of life was diverse.
“Are you abandoning your compassion for your precious colleagues from the tutorial?”
“Now, I don’t want to forgive them.”
Her standpoint on this had changed as well, which was only natural.
“I don’t think they did something wrong, but… It was a bit confusing because they were very different from what I imagined. No, I doubt that the people I knew are even involved in that.”
“The environment changes humans. Neither my friends on Earth nor Hyejin’s friends would think we have committed murder. Well, it was self-defense, but your hands are indeed dirty. They just throw away one of their possessions to go up. Even if they don’t know that the elves or monsters they’ve caught are being used for that purpose, the sins they commit will not disappear.”
“Vice Guild Master is right. It is not the right thing to do; it is only right to be punished. I’m talking about that method. It looks like the Vice Guild Master has a plan in mind, but…”
“Yes. I like solving things personally.”
“I’ve also been thinking about it, but I started thinking about whether it was right for an individual to punish another individual. Do we really have the right to punish them?”
“Why wouldn’t we have? They, including the Little Rock, wielded their power and achieved its corresponding results. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is still my favorite proverb. If you commit a crime, you are punished. That’s all. Having many thoughts is good, but drowning in them is not. Think it over. What do you want to do, Hyejin?”
I could see Cho Hyejin looking at me quietly. I didn’t respond, but the answer was fixed.
‘That’s right… Of course, you’d think so, too.’
If she could, she would kill all the guys in that disgusting place.
These conversations were annoying to handle, but they were helpful enough. It was not about being stubborn. It was a process of constantly exchanging values we each had.
She unknowingly accepted some of my values, like the one where money could solve most problems, and thus had been influenced little by little after that.
Of course, I also had a lot of thoughts about her words. My relationship with Cho Hyejin was a little different from my relationship with Lee Jihye.
Black Swan’s Lee Jihye and I were called soul mates by the system because we had almost the same way of behavior and values. Of course, there was a synergy effect that came out of it. It was almost certain that our efficiency will more than double.
Cho Hyejin was completely different from Lee Jihye. She was a person who could hinder my efficiency, but she certainly made me think a lot. A different type of synergy emerges whenever one’s opinions and values differ from another’s.
‘This is called harmony.’
Of course, this was a little more advantageous to me. I didn’t want Cho Hyejin to block me and become a wall.
In comparison to a car, she was a brake and a black box. She was someone who could block accidents in advance and take care of me even after an accident.
In short, she was someone I could control.
Even after Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom expand and become huge, she, as my friend, will be the brake on the other side whenever I want.
To really move the way I want, I had to decide who would be the person on the other side.
‘I’m looking forward to working with you, Hyejin.’
She and I would last long.
“I also think the same as you, Vice Guild Master.”
“Since society doesn’t solve it, the individual should move. That is the first step of a revolution.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I’m telling you that it won’t end by just pushing them away. Crime doesn’t go away, anyway.”
“What…”
“It is impossible to create a perfect society. I haven’t been living for many years, but I do think that. Wherever humans live, sin always follows. Even if the Little Rock and that place disappear, a second Little Rock and amphitheater will eventually be created. If you destroy them, a third Little Rock and amphitheater will be created. There is demand, so there is also a supply.”
“You’re saying…”
“I will control the ills of society.”
“That’s a dangerous idea…”
“It’s better than just looking and do nothing. After pushing away the existing one, I will build a tower on top of it once again. The same is true for Lindel and Castle Rock.”
“How?”
“I do not know. How would it be?”
“Are you thinking of buying the whole place?”
I couldn’t even imagine that she would tell me to buy it. Laughter burst out of me.
“No. I intend to push it all at once. I will push away all of them without leaving a weed.”
Of course, this would also work in my favor.
After I finished speaking, I noticed Cho Hyejin was looking at me with an expression of mixed feelings. Perhaps she was thinking about everything I had done and said.
Perhaps she even thought about not stopping me. It was because the sight she saw was very shocking for her to stop me simply with humanity. She might even be wishing to act by my side.
The question is, how could I, who had no power, push all of this away?
Although Cho Hyejin seemed to be feeling doubts, it was not impossible if the situation helped.
‘The monster wave will also happen soon…’
Unfortunately, I did not know the location of that place. After all, Cho Hyejin and I had been blindfolded all the way to the black market, so we did not know where it was.
However, I knew exactly who did.
It would be someone who had been tracking my location from start to finish.
‘Hayan, you must know it, right?’
Being stalked by the Archmage was more helpful than one would think.