Chapter 950. Mood (1)
I had never really gotten used to wearing a full uniform.
During the tragic kidnapping incident, I had a dirty blanket over my head most of the time.
I had been wearing loose clothing these days, so this outfit felt awkward for me.
I fixed my outfit and walked slowly outside.
I saw priests and Holy Knights walking over toward me. I was sure they had a lot to say to me. They looked at each other, and it was probably because they had no idea how to deliver the shocking news to me.
Eventually, a priest closed his eyes and stammered, “F-Father Lee Ki-Young.”
“I know, Father Pes,” I said.
“Ah...”
“I would like for you to investigate this incident closely and gather as much detail as possible. I heard how there's a high chance that they're the ones behind this,” I requested.
“Yes, sir,” Father Pes answered.
“The Blue Guild will also do what we can,” I added.
‘I was feeling kind of confident there.’
Even I thought that I was being kind of bold.
Of course, I had no intention of doing this, but it wasn’t a bad setup at all.
They thought I would be grieving, be sad, or act really shocked, but I got up from my seat instead.
I made them think that something different would happen, as the incident had taken a different turn.
I was sure my outfit helped with that as well because I was expressing that my mindset had changed a bit. This outfit made me look more charismatic than the priest outfit.
People had been looking at me with sympathy or pity; the majority of them were worried about whether I’d be able to overcome the pain or not, but the Holy Knights and priests nearby didn’t look at me that way anymore.
They treated me as a determined saint who had overcome his wounds; they were looking at me as the hero of the continent responsible for maintaining the continent’s equilibrium.
‘Kim Hyun-Sung isn’t the only hero.’
There was a great conspiracy around the Vatican.
There were still anomalies happening throughout the continent, and the priests were nervous because they couldn't hear Goddess Benigoa’s voice for some reason.
Some looked at me with worried gazes, thinking that I stood up because of Templar Gen, but it wasn’t enough to affect the overall situation. It really wasn't bad, as they were simply worried about the weak honorary cardinal.
The guild members were the problem.
Lee Chang-Ryeol had an idea as to what was going on, so he stayed quiet for now, but most of the members looked worried. Jo Hye-Jin, Park Deok-Gu, and Kim Ye-Ri looked worried, along with Sun Hee-Young and Elena.
The priests were worried as well.
Of course, I could understand why they were worried. It hadn't been that long since the incident, after all.
In that sense, Ahn Ki-Mo wasn’t all that different from them.
He was a berserker crazy about blood, but in the end, he was a holy knight as well.
Blacksmith Yoo Ah-Young and Great Mage Hwang Jung-Yeon were worried as well.
Alps holding onto Shiro, and the new guild member Belier were there as well, even though they looked quite awkward.
I also saw Jung Ha-Yan, who looked quite uncomfortable, and Han Sora, who was nervous about Jung Ha-Yan's reaction.
The guild members were here, so I was kind of happy, but I was kind of worried about their reaction. The majority of them were worried about me, while the others were trying to read the room.
It was such a shocking incident, and they were now face-to-face with the sub guild master covered in wounds.
I had been claiming that Gen was innocent, but they had been shouting that he was guilty. In the end, we entered a state of lull during the trials. I was the one who refused to meet them, but they were the ones uncomfortable, as they had seen me covered in wounds at the time.
“The mood is pretty serious,” Chang-Ryeol said, breaking the silence.
“...”
“...”
‘I can’t even make a joke.’
“It’s been a while, sir.”
‘I’ll make sure to take care of you.’
He was a loyal member who had turned a blind eye to the incident.
Actually, he did more than just turn a blind eye. At the time, Lee Chang-Ryeol had appointed himself as my guard, and the fact that he had failed to protect me had ruined his reputation.
The Blue Guild as a whole didn’t scold him since the guild wasn’t the type to put the blame on others, but it was highly likely that Kim Hyun-Sung or Jo Hye-Jin had scolded him. They could have punished him or deducted his pay.
Everyone here knew that Lee Chang-Ryeol was competent, so negligence was the only explanation as to why he ended up losing me and had even failed to track me down.
‘That’s right, Chang-Ryeol. You were always on my side.’
Just as I expected, Jung Ha-Yan was glaring at Lee Chang-Ryeol, and it was understandable, as blaming others had always been her way to cope and stabilize her mental state.
“You’re here, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I greeted.
“I’m sorry for being late,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
However, even Kim Hyun-Sung frowned upon seeing Lee Chang-Ryeol.
‘Our Chang-Ryeol is innocent... What should I do? Looks like he went through a lot more than I thought.’
“I don’t remember lifting Mr. Chang-Ryeol’s punishment,” Kim Hyun-Sung remarked.
‘You don't even let him attend meetings anymore?’
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“I-I summoned him, so please don’t scold him,” I told him.
“I understand how you feel, but rules are rules, Mr. Ki-Young. Due to many reasons, such as negligence, Mr. Chang-Ryeol is no longer an official guild member. Thus, he cannot attend our meetings, Mr. Ki-Young. If we were at war, he would be hanged for his negligence,” Kim Hyun-Sung argued.
‘Why is he talking about hanging someone?’
The situation was more serious than I thought.
Yoo Ah-Young stood up quietly and cried while staring at Lee Chang-Ryeol.
Yoo Ah-Young's reaction gave me an idea about just how much Lee Chang-Ryeol had suffered in the meantime.
“It’s not his fault, Mr. Hyun-Sung. My behavior is the problem here...” I told him.
“There’s nothing wrong with your behavior,” Kim Hyun-Sung denied.
'No, there is. It’s a big problem.'
“Please withdraw his punishment; at least, punish him only after all this. Of course, the guild has rules, and I don't want to destroy them due to this special incident, but the Blue Guild really needs Mr. Chang-Ryeol’s power right now,” I requested.
'I can go on forever about how important rangers are when raiding a dungeon.'
“But...”
“Please, I beg you,” I said.
“Whoo...”
“I also ask that others don’t scold Mr. Chang-Ryeol too much. It’s my fault, not his fault. I thought nothing bad was going to happen, so I ignored those who were trying to keep me safe,” I explained.
“I-It’s not your fault, hyung-nim,” Park Deok-Gu chimed in.
“It’s also my fault that Mr. Chang-Ryeol didn’t fully cooperate. It’s not solely his fault...” I said.
“It’s my fault, sir,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.
‘No, it’s not your fault. You just need to gain their trust again through this expedition. Don’t worry too much, Ah-Young. And I won’t forget your kindness and for keeping quiet about it, Chang-Ryeol.
'So, what are you going to do, Kim Hyun-Sung? Are you really going to let your emotions control you?’
“Mr. Chang-Ryeol isn’t the only one who’s at fault, so I should be punished along with him,” I suggested.
‘You’re not actually going to change the topic, are you?’
“...”
“Whoo...”
‘That’s what I’m talking about.’
“I’ll withdraw his punishment,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“I will follow your orders, Master. Thank you for giving me a chance.”
It seemed that Kim Hyun-Sung was really hurting, as he didn’t even respond to Lee Chang-Ryeol’s words. It appeared that he only withdrew Lee Chang-Ryeol's punishment because of my desperate words.
I wasn’t sure whether it was because of the mood earlier or not, but the atmosphere was still heavy. People were looking at each other awkwardly, and the silence was suffocating, unlike during our previous meetings when the mood was always boisterous.
The members didn’t chat with each other, and all I could hear was the sound of everyone gulping a mouthful of their own saliva instead of laughing with each other.
‘This isn’t right...’
I glanced over at Park Deok-Gu.
“H-Hyung-nim...” Park Deok-Gu stuttered.
‘No, not that. I don’t need people to sympathize with me.’
“Sniff!”
‘Don’t cry, damn it. Don’t cry.’
“Sob... Sob...!”
‘Jung Ha-Yan looks like she's about to cry because you’re crying.’
“S-Sub guild master...”
‘Elena looks like she's about to cry because Ha-Yan is crying.’
“...”
‘Even Jo Hye-Jin looks like she's about to cry because Elena is crying.’
I looked around to see whether there was anyone who could resolve this situation or not, but I couldn't see anyone like that. They started crying one after another, and in just under one minute, half of the guild members were already crying.
I looked at a certain guild member.
Fortunately, he was quick-witted, so I hoped he'd quickly realize what I wanted him to do.
‘Ahn Ki-Mo. Please...’
“Everyone... please calm down. I know something unpleasant has happened this morning, but the sub guild master has regained his health, so can't today be considered a good day as well?
"It’s been a while since we gathered like this, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to see everyone being so sad,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.
‘Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.’
“H-He’s right,” Park Deok-Gu chimed in.
‘Nice.’
“I-I’m sure this isn’t what hyung-nim wants. All right! Stop crying, noonim! You, too, Elena noonim. Stop crying,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“Mister Ki-Mo is right,” Kim Ye-Ri commented.
“Now, let’s all show our lively side!” Ahn Ki-Mo yelled.
It was such a bizarre sight seeing them trying to act all lively and happy when they were actually sad.
“I think we should start with a cup of tea,” I suggested.
We were sitting at a large, round table, but I started chatting with Kim Hyun-Sung, who was sitting beside me. We were actually busy, but it was better than going on an expedition in such a heavy mood.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I laughed at his ridiculous words...
‘At least he’s happy.’
“Come to think of it, Whitefall—”
“I heard it as well. I’m glad they’re getting along,” I interrupted.
We also talked about the griffons.
I took a sip of my tea and turned to Ha-Yan. Naturally, I nagged the pig as well.
Eventually, I turned to Belier and asked her about how her life in the guild was.
“Miss Alps has been taking good care of me, so I have no issues adapting, sir!” Belier answered.
“Belier is really interested in the history of the continent, and she’s been holing up in the guild’s hall of records since she joined the guild,” Alps said.
"Really?” I asked.
“I didn’t... do that,” Belier mumbled.
“She’s been up late almost every night since then. There were times when she’d stay up until dawn... The 27th Legion Summoning, the Resurrection Day... I’m sure she's been looking up many things that are hard for anyone to read...” Alps added.
‘That’s true. I don’t even want to read about the Song Soo-Kyung incident again. The script was really brutal.’
“I wasn’t a guild member at the time, and I-I just wanted to understand the Blue Guild more... The incidents that the guild had gone through are incidents only I didn’t get to experience, and I want to sympathize with the pain you experienced
"I-I-I... want to grow stronger... and contribute more to the Blue Guild...” Belier explained.
“Bel... you’re such a sincere person... If there are hundreds of you, I’d agree to accept all of them into the guild,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“How commendable. I didn’t think you were that kind of person,” Sun Hee-Young remarked.
“Hey, you should try to get to know the new guild member, Hee-Young noonim. You’re being too distant,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“...”
‘That’s it.’
It didn’t take long for the atmosphere to return to normal as everyone started talking about random things...
“Hey, Bel. Are you sure you don’t have other intentions?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“No! No! No!!! That’s not true!!!” Belier denied.
“Hyung-nim’s handsome face... Wait, w-why are you yelling?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Ah? Ah... t-that’s because Miss Jung Ha-Yan is here as well. I was simply... admiring him...” Belier muttered.
“Stop teasing. Her. Mister Deok-Gu. What if. She leaves. The Guild?” Kim Ye-Ri said.
“Ah! I-I’m sorry. I took... the joke too far...” Park Deok-Gu said.
Everyone started catching up with each other.
“Hey, Elena noonim. How are things at the Elf Kingdom?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“My brother is currently...”
“I see. I’m glad he’s doing well,” he said.
“Ah, and he said... he wanted to hear Miss Jo Hye-Jin’s answer this time no matter what,” Elena added.
Kim Hyun-Sung was surprised.
“What kind of answer does Mr. Elias need to hear from Hye-Jin noonim...” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“It’s nothing,” Jo Hye-Jin answered.
“Did he confess his feelings again?” Park Deok-Gu questioned.
“...”
“Really?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“That’s not important right now,” Jo Hye-Jin retorted.
'How can you say it’s not important? You should at least try to make Kim Hyun-Sung jealous so that he’ll start getting worried. You’re really... slow.'
Absolute Evil Elena added, “It’s been a while since my brother had formally proposed to Miss Jo Hye-Jin. The elders are against it, but my brother has been adamant about it.
"She has already rejected him twice, so if she rejects him this time, it’ll be the third rejection. Personally, I’d like it if Miss Jo Hye-Jin became a part of our family, but... my older brother is really lacking, so I understand the rejection.”
I was kind of surprised by the random news concerning the pure-hearted Elias.
‘Kim Hyun-Sung, you better watch out, man.'