Chapter 224: Completion Ceremony (2)
I could understand why Han Sora was trembling. If I were her, I would not want to get involved with Blue anymore at this point. She might even want to move out of Lindel and into another city.
If she were smart, this would be her best plan. What Jung Hayan had done to her had been very traumatic. Fortunately or unfortunately, Jung Hayan wasn’t here, but I thought there was a high probability that she wouldn’t want to be entangled with me.
However, what she thought had nothing to do with me.
What was a little more important was that she had chosen black wizard as a class.
‘Warlock.’
There was no reason to ask why.
[Warlock (Rare): This is a ranged class that can use black magic. Black magic is a new level of magic that completely overturns the existing magical common sense. Because of the concept of borrowing power from the devil, some religious groups feel strong resistance to black magic, but its destructive power can be overwhelmingly higher than that of other occupations. Acquired basic black magic knowledge. Magic power will increase by 4.]
‘Look at her…’
Her magic power circuit had been destroyed, so this class was what she could at least choose.
Unlike wizards that forcefully demand affinity for magic, black wizards were one of the classes that were less influenced by magical power.
I also remembered taking a lot of time to decide between a black wizard and an alchemist.
At the time, Park Deokgu recommended the warlock class, and Kim Hyunsung recommended changing to an alchemist.
I thought the former would be better, but what made me come this far was choosing to be an alchemist with the heroic-grade item called Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy.
However, there was something that came to mind at times.
‘What if I had chosen to be a warlock instead of an alchemist?’
Of course, being an alchemist was not all bad. I think I had been excessively well treated, and my achievements were excellent. In addition to obtaining a unique legendary-grade class, my lack of force had also been partially filled.
Nevertheless…
‘Warlock wouldn’t have been bad, either.’
I sometimes wondered about this. If I had chosen to be a warlock, it would have been inconvenient to move around the Holy Empire, but that area was unknown to me.
I was both curious and interested.
While thinking about these things, Han Sora spoke. Of course, she looked very embarrassed.
“Is it… me… y-you’re calling?”
“Yes. Please get off the carriage for a moment, Han Sora-ssi.”
“Ah…”
She did look anxious. From her expression, I knew she had not taken the warlock class to take revenge. No matter how well she must’ve done, the idea that she could harm Jung Hayan was impossible.
‘I guess that’s fortunate.’
The two were already at different levels, and the gap would never close.
She knew this better than anyone else.
I nodded and spoke to the coachman waiting for departure.
Still wearing a bandage all over her body, she got off the wagon and looked at me anxiously.
“You can go first. The Blue Guild will take her to Lindel.”
“Yes. Okay, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“I think it would be better for trainee Han Sora to come with us in our carriage. Follow me.”
“…”
“We could talk a bit. Oh, I forgot that your legs were a little uncomfortable. You can walk slowly.”
“…”
An awkward atmosphere ensued as she followed me to my guild carriage.
“Instructor Lee Kiyoung…”
“Yes?”
“Did I do anything wrong? Er… If I have made any mistakes, I-I’ll apologize. So…”
“Ohh… It’s not that, so don’t worry. To be honest, I’ve already forgotten about that. You don’t have to worry. And I think it would be okay to call me Kiyoung-ssi, not Instructor Lee Kiyoung… or you can call me Blue Vice Guild Master, or well, whatever title is fine.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m not an instructor anymore.”
“No. Not that…”
“Oh… You mean that. That’s exactly what I meant. I think you have already received enough punishment, and you’ve already apologized.”
“Then, why…”
“I don’t know. Why did I call you? And right after the completion ceremony was over.”
“…”
“You’ll be able to guess easily.”
“Perhaps… kill…”
“Let’s go to Blue together.”
“What?”
“I said, let’s go to Blue together. The treatment won’t be bad. We’ll give you a good salary, and we’ll make the down payment as much as the others. Of course, not as much as Yoo Ahyoung or Lee Chang-ryul, but compared to other guilds, you will not be disappointed.”
“What?”
“You can check the welfare content and other parts while reading the catalog, and the contract term…”
“Ah…”
“The contract period is for life. Actually, this is not common, and, indeed, this is not permitted under imperial law, but well, if you don’t open your mouth, no one will know.”
“Well, I…”
“There are some things that you’ll have to do. First, since you have knowledge of basic alchemy, you will be seated as a vice chief in the alchemy lab… Oh! You’re going to take the backline of the new second party of Blue, so you should keep that in mind.”
“My… magic power… And the l-legs….”
“The legs don’t really matter. It’s not agility that I ask of for the rear, anyway. The problem is about magic power. A broken magic power circuit will take a while, but let’s see if there’ll be a way to fix it. Of course, the aftereffects will remain, but it doesn’t really matter to you whether the power circuit is alive or not.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… I am…”
“Han Sora-ssi. Let’s not lie. Don’t worry about how I know or what did I do to know. Just nod your head. Anyway, rather than wandering off alone… It would be a little safer to be next to me. You should know by now what influence and power I wield.”
“…”
“I mean, if you do not want to receive sudden visits from Heretic Inquisitors that the Empire boasts about, then just quietly sign the contract. Blue cares about talent. It doesn’t really matter about the secrets or disabilities you have.”
At this, Han Sora stayed quiet. Of course, I saw her face turning really pale. I didn’t know what she is thinking, but I’m sure she was fully aware that the situation was already twisted.
Rejection was not an option. I knew she had taken my threat to heart.
‘It’s because she is smart.’
“And Hayan…”
“Hic.”
Seeing her hiccupping as soon as I spit out Hayan’s name was amusing. I knew she wouldn’t want to come to Blue because of Jung Hayan rather than me.
“You don’t have to worry. She won’t ever touch you first unless you pull crap on her first. Oh! I just have this one paper. Please, sign up first.”
“I’m sorry. I-I was wrong. I’m sorry. Hic. Please, don’t… do this.”
“No, aren’t there the salary and the down payment below? This is good for you, too.”
“Let me live. I beg you… Everything else is fine. Just please… please…”
“Gosh… Didn’t I say she wouldn’t kill you?”
“I beg you, please. Please, I don’t want to go. Please…”
“I will add a little more down payment.”
“I didn’t mean that… please… Instructor, I was stupid. So…”
“I’m not really trying to harass you. Please, just sign up.”
The way she grabbed my pants was indeed a spectacle. I knew and understood why she refused me, but I also felt like she was exaggerating.
‘But she’s going to be really useful…’
Cha Hee-ra was right. She had enough surviving will, and she was desperate, too.
If I think about it, I think she was a talent I could have more expectations for compared to Lee Chang-ryul or Yoo Ahyoung.
‘She’s going to be the backliner.’
Seeing Han Sora signing her name on the contract with her trembling hands made me feel proud, for some reason. In time, Yoo Ahyoung and Lee Chang-ryul, who had been where the Blue flag was, also began to approach us.
I thought Kim Hyunsung would guide them, but it was unexpectedly a guild employee who guided them.
‘Manager Kim Mi-young?’
It had been a long time since I had seen her.
“Manager Kim Mi-young, it’s been a long time.”
“Yes. Vice Guild Master. It does look like it’s been a while.”
“What about Hyunsung-ssi?”
“The Guild Master said that he has a business meeting with Park Yeon-joo of the Black Swan. He said he was sorry and asked me to guide them instead.”
“Hmm…”
It looked like she really fell for him.
Perhaps Kim Hyunsung thought this would be an awkward situation, too.
‘She’s not the type of person who he can just ignore.’
What was a little strange was that Sun Hee-young wasn’t here, either. Upon realizing this, Kim Mi-young spoke once more.
“Hee-young-ssi also decided to come in the Black Swan’s carriage.”
“Oh! So, it really was a business meeting.”
“Yes. Of course, he said he was coming to Lindel by this evening. He asked me to tell you that they were going to eat together as a welcome meal.”
“Okay.”
“More than that, who’s…”
“It’s a bit too sudden, but I recruited someone else. I’m sorry to bother the administration team, but I think she’s a necessary talent for the second party.”
“Oh…”
Manager Kim Mi-young’s gaze at Han Sora strayed towards her one eye and leg. Of course, what was most evident was her anxious expression.
However, I knew she would trust in my judgment the most.
“Yes. As soon as we get there, we will go through the enrollment procedure and report it to the guild association. The contract…”
“Since she just signed the contract, please check and add 10% more than what has been written. Now that I think about it, it feels like it was a little cheap. Come to think of it, you and Chang-ryul-ssi were at the attack team together in the tutorial, right?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master. But…”
“Since we have considered many things, you can trust and follow us. Although your body is not really well, you’ll do your job well enough.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
Since he was wearing a red mask, I couldn’t confirm what kind of expression Lee Chang-ryul was making, but he didn’t look to be in a bad mood.
Of course, it was Yoo Ahyoung who looked to be in a better mood.
I was worried because my gaze was taken away by Han Sora for a while, but it seemed that things had worked out better than I thought.
“Come to think of it, Ahyoung-ssi… has the thing with Kim Ki-cheol been solved? I should have helped… I’m sorry. Something suddenly happened.”
“No. You didn’t have to help.”
“I’m glad, then…”
“I feel relieved enough. Manager Kim Mi-young also helped… Of course, there are still more things I want to do… Can I tell you that later?”
“Of course.”
‘I think she really got the hang of this…’
I didn’t know how Manager Kim Mi-young helped her or what she wanted to do in the future, but it was a little scary to think that her mind was still on revenge.
‘It’s not bad, though.’
Overall, I felt like I had gotten myself a decent party in this round, which I was sure I would feel a little dissatisfied in.
Yoo Ahyoung, Lee Chang-ryul, and Han Sora—a well-balanced party would be completed in a short while if I put the experienced Ahn Ki-mo in there.
However, when I put everyone together, I realized each individual had something missing from them. In fact, I was worried about leaving them to Ahn Ki-mo, but I knew he was a clergyman capable of being a front-liner and a back-liner.
They were capable enough, yet there was room for more growth in the future.
‘I guess I can raise them properly…’
Of course, many problems must be solved for them to blend into the guild. As I mulled over my thoughts, I could see a wagon coming in this way.
What was a little unexpected was the presence of one person in the carriage.
“Oppa!”
I saw Jung Hayan waving with a bright expression. This was definitely not a good time.
Sure enough, Han Sora began to tremble.
“Argh… Ahhhhhhhhh… Argh!”
What was more problematic was the fact that she had peed herself once more.
‘Is she still like this?’
It appeared that it was only me who had thought that she was gradually getting better. Her situation seemed worse than what I had initially thought.
Seeing Jung Hayan waving with a bright expression, I felt goosebumps behind my back.
‘You… What the hell have you done…’
“I… I’m sorry…”