Chapter 954. Mood (5) (Illustration)
It looked like a king had arrived. Obviously, the control tower was important, but I thought this was a bit excessive. There weren't any religious events and we weren’t visiting another nation. We were going on an expedition to clear a dungeon, so an entire strike squad as my guards wasn't exactly ideal.
The experience and size of the guards surrounding the palanquin were double the strike squad that had entered the dungeon first, so it wasn't strange for people to say that I was heading to the dungeon to have a picnic rather than conquer it.
The palanquin was unnecessarily luxurious, and it was surrounded by holy knights and members of the Blue Guild.
There were a total of four people carrying the palanquin, and they were sweating a lot.
They were mediocre adventurers when it came to stats, but they were pretty skillful.
The palanquin was so comfortable that I wondered whether they were professionals at carrying a palanquin. The interior of the palanquin was fancy as well. It had been expanded using a variety of spells, so there was a bed, sofa, table, and of course, there was a small kitchen. The inside was big enough to accommodate four people, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with the people carrying such a heavy palanquin.
‘These guys...’
They looked really nervous. It was like they were threatened that their entire family would get wiped out if they ended up making a mistake and dropping the palanquin.
The dungeon was cold, but they were sweating a lot, so anyone could see that there was something wrong here.
‘I feel bad...’
I felt bad about them, as I was feeling really comfortable.
Just then, I heard someone sipping their tea.
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, would you like to have another cup?” Kasugano Yuno asked.
“I’d appreciate that, Miss Yuno,” I replied.
“I’m so happy to see you after such a long time.”
Hearing her say that while pouring me another cup of tea made me think that it really had been a long time since I saw her.
We had been messaging each other, but we were working in different regions, so we hadn't really been able to meet each other. Kasugano Yuno was the actual ruler of Celia, so she had many affairs to handle every day.
“I can’t remember the last time I was on break...” Kasugano Yuno remarked.
‘We’re not on break right now, though. We’re going on an expedition.’
“Do you remember? In the Dark World...” Kasugano Yuno trailed off.
I honestly couldn't remember what she was talking about, but I nodded to make her happy.
“It’s been a while since we went on an expedition together... Being with you is so surreal that it feels like a dream, Master—I mean, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. This moment is so precious to me...” Kasugano Yuno said.
“...”
“Ah! C-Come to think of it, Mr. Lee Ki-Young...” Kasugano Yuno paused.
“Yes?”
“I heard that silver-haired child doesn’t have a guardian yet,” Kasugano Yuno said.
'Hyun-Sung is the guardian now...'
“I heard that Thro is rejecting his guardian... Would it be okay if I talked to him?” Kasugano Yuno asked.
“T-T-Thro’s guardian is Hyun-Sung oppa... r-right, Sora?” Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.
“T-Thro needs to learn swordsmanship, so H-Hyun-Sung oppa has to be his guardian. B-Besides swordsmanship, h-he’s learning other things, too, so his guardian has to be Hyun-Sung oppa,” Jung Ha-Yan added.
She was right.
Now that I thought about it, there was a time when she was desperately trying to get rid of her, but it no longer seemed to be the case.
Jung Ha-Yan's self-esteem was exponentially higher than when I first met her, so she no longer seemed interested in Kasugano Yuno. In her eyes, Kasugano Yuno was just a foreigner who'd visit Lindel sometimes.
We would barely meet, so Jung Ha-Yan's reaction was understandable.
Moreover, Kasugano Yuno wasn't a guardian of one of those Outer Gods, so Jung Ha-Yan definitely felt that she was in a different position from the former.
What was also amusing was that Kasugano Yuno didn’t seem to be interested in Jung Ha-Yan, either.
There wasn’t a special reason for it. Kasugano Yuno simply remembered Jung Ha-Yan as nothing more than a chess piece in her first life. Kasugano Yuno didn't make it obvious, as she wasn't that kind of person, but I noticed she'd sometimes look at Jung Ha-Yan as if the latter was pitiful.
“Miss Jung Ha-Yan, you should mention Sera as well,” Han Sora told her.
“Ah, right. O-Oppa, I-I’ve been thinking about many things. It’s regarding Sera’s education...” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“Okay.”
“T-They say that a social life is important,” Jung Ha-Yan added.
'Really? I’m glad you know that.'
“O-Of course, I know that Sera is getting along with his other friends, b-but I think it would be good if he went to school... I-I think he’s kind of lacking in the social department..." Jung Ha-Yan suggested.
“Let’s take our time thinking about it. I think it’s best if we ask Sera’s opinion after the expedition,” I suggested.
Kasugano Yuno quietly left. For some reason, I pitied her, so I felt uncomfortable to see her leave just like that.
And that was when I heard knocking on the window...
‘What a relief.’
“Mr. Ki-Young?”
“Yes, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I answered.
“Is everything okay in there?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” I replied.
“I’m sure it’s stuffy and tiresome being in there... How about we take a short break?” Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.
'Can you not say that out loud? What will the people around us think about our conversation? I’m just drinking tea in here, so who do you think is more tired?
'Is it these people walking underground or someone like me who's been doing nothing but drink tea since the start of the expedition?
'In addition, the people carrying this palanquin are drenched in sweat, so why are you even saying that?'
“...”
“You look really tired. We’ll take a quick break,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
‘Ah, they'll start talking behind my back again. I know you’re just going to set up camp.’
I was sure that no one wanted to take a break here, as there were many things they had to do each time a break was announced.
“We’ll take a break,” Kim Hyun-Sung announced.
“Yes, sir.”
The officers nodded, but they didn’t look happy.
As expected, I heard the adventurers sighing among themselves.
“Damn it...”
“This is so fuckin’ annoying.”
“We can’t even complain. What the hell are we doing here? Are we here to clear the dungeon, or are we here on a picnic? We haven’t even entered the dungeon yet...”
“Let’s set up camp. Hurry up and move!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
‘Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have come here.’
These people were first-class adventurers. They were people with a lot of influence in their own guilds or organizations, so it felt pretty awkward to order them around. The good thing was that they were pretty obedient, and the youngest members of their team were already busy setting up camp.
The members of the mercenary group known as the Halberds of Execution were hammering nails into the ground while a famous mage with the title—Mage of Scorching Heat—was busy with the bonfire.
The way everyone was moving busily was pretty absurd, and I could hear sighs everywhere.
“Damn it... this is why I didn’t want to be in this strike squad...”
Despite saying that, he still joined the strike squad.
“There are too many rocks on the ground,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“We’ll take care of them,” an adventurer said.
With that one comment, everyone got moving, pushing away the rocks on the ground.
'Did they imagine that I might trip on a rock and fall to the ground? Well, the rocks have to be cleared, as it's uncomfortable to sit on rocks.'
“Please maintain strict hygiene,” Kim Hyun-Sung ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
“Please wait a moment, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
Only the people tasked with carrying the palanquin were happy. Their limits were being tested physically until now, so they all sprawled out on the ground once the palanquin was on the ground. It felt like they were staring at the palanquin in a daze.
“I’m heading out,” I said.
‘How is this even possible?’
I was astonished to see that they managed to set up camp in such a short period of time.
I looked around and saw people looking at me with resentment, which was within my expectations. They had probably realized that I was the reason behind all this. Their gaze was telling me that they wouldn't have to suffer like this if I had just stayed put outside.
For now, I had to act like I wasn’t feeling well because if I did that, they’d be less dissatisfied with the current situation.
The long journey had exhausted Father Lee Ki-Young, but he had forced himself to participate in the raid despite being ill.
He was truly a saint.
“Mr. Ki-Young, are you okay? I knew it... you’re not feeling well...” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“I’m fine. Everyone is tired... so I’ll try to hold out as much as I can,” I replied.
I smiled weakly as if I were going to collapse at any moment. As always, my plan was to emphasize my perseverance. I also needed to encourage the guild members while visiting the resting members of the strike squad.
I was worried about Kim Hyun-Sung following me, but Jung Ha-Yan ran up to me and ended up taking Kim Hyun-Sung away with her.
I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but it seemed serious.
I walked away with Kasugano Yuno standing behind me, and I saw the strike squad members resting comfortably.
“Do you mind if I join you?” I asked.
“Ah! M-Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”
I shook their hands like a politician and smiled at them while making eye contact.
'I’m Lee Ki-Young, Candidate Number One. Please don’t forget about me.'
“You’ve all come here for the continent's sake, so I really don’t know how to thank you..." I muttered.
“We’re just doing our jobs, Father Lee Ki-Young. I-I don’t know how to respond...”
“Thank you. Thank you, Father Lee Ki-Young.”
“If you feel uncomfortable or if you have any suggestions during the expedition... feel free to let me know,” I told them.
“We're not uncomfortable at all.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said.
I also needed to comfort the people carrying the palanquin. They looked like they had gotten a tan, and it proved to me that they had been carrying the palanquin all this while.
I grabbed their hands and stared deeply at them.
“Father Lee Ki-Young?”
“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble,” I said.
“Why are you...”
It was because the Saint of Light was fair to everyone, even to those outsiders...
“It would’ve been nice if I could walk by myself... This is all I can offer,” I told them.
I offered them a chest filled with a luxurious potion set.
I was sure there was a fatigue recovery potion in there. The entire set was really expensive, after all.
“You don’t need to do this, Father Lee Ki-Young... We—”
“I know very well... how exhausted all of you are. Please take it,” I interrupted them.
“But...”
“Please think of it as me expressing my gratitude,” I added.
“In that case... we’ll gladly accept.”
“Also... I’d like to invite you to dinner tonight... Do you have time?” I asked.
“...”
“You don’t have to feel burdened. It’s just dinner,” I said.
“Well, in that case...”
As expected, Kasugano Yuno walked up to me and chimed in, “Mr. Lee Ki-Young, you have plans today.”
'Yeah, I know. I just said it just to be polite.'
“I see. That’s unfortunate. We’ll have to get together another time,” I told them.
“You don’t have to worry about us. Your offer is more than enough.”
“No, I’d like to treat you... I’ll let you know when I’m available,” I said.
“O-Okay! We’ll be looking forward to it.”
They looked pretty energetic when they responded, so I expected them to be that energetic once they were carrying the palanquin once again.
My words of encouragement were pretty effective. Instead of glaring at me like earlier, they seemed happy about the fact that I was taking care of them. Their stats were lacking compared to other adventurers on this expedition, so I was sure they were happy when I offered them dinner.
After all, that was an offer one couldn’t even buy with money.
‘Should I just hire them as a staff?’
It'd make things comfortable, but...
“I look forward to working with you all,” I said.
“We should be the ones saying that, Father Lee Ki-Young. We’ll make sure to keep you safe,” they said.
'Yeah, blondie. I’m glad you said that.'
I was in the middle of talking to the strike squad members when Floretta, my new adjutant, ran toward me and said, “I have something to report, Commander. The sixth strike squad encountered a hidden boss monster.
"They managed to reorganize and attack the hidden boss monster, but it was ineffective. They suffered great losses, but there weren’t many casualties. However, Mr. Elias...”
‘Did he die?’
“He was seriously injured,” Floretta added.
‘Damn it. Stay calm.’
“I-I see...”
'But... is Hye-Jin okay?'