Chapter 39: The Hero’s Party and the Sinner of the Past.

“The Heavenly King?”

“Well, you can’t help the emotions, but I think that’ll get better with time. The hardest part is being an elf, and your wife probably knows that too. Those things are usually forgotten over time.”

The elf has children both in Korea and in the other world.

It means they lived earnestly as both male and female to the extent of seeing children with both genders.

However, now those two memories coexist, and the elf has returned after severing ties with the other world.

With time, the wife’s feelings toward her husband will probably soften.

Of course, it’ll be awkward since her husband has become an elf.

“So, do you have any other ideas?”

“Well, the things from the other world can’t be helped, but the main reason your wife is sensitive and angry is the debt and money issue.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

In the end, all problems in the world are tied to money.

If it weren’t for the money issue, the elf’s wife might not have taken out her anger on the elf.

Even the anger she’s feeling now will die down soon.

So, the answer is clear.

It’s definitely related to the Heavenly King, right?

The money issue.

The broker is probably connected to her as well.

You don’t even need to listen carefully to get the picture.

The elf’s wife made some kind of deal with the Heavenly King to solve the debt issue, but it turned out to be illegal, and she got caught in the Heavenly King’s trap.

“Looks like it’s connected to the Heavenly King.”

“So, should we take down the Heavenly King?”

“Exactly.”

At my words, Battle mage shook her head.

“No, but the Heavenly King is a guild, right? If we attack without saying anything, it’ll ruin our lives, right? We’ll be criminals. I get that you’re angry, but the Heavenly King is officially registered. Unless we’ve been directly harmed, becoming criminals is just around the corner.”

What do you take me for?

“What do you take me for? I’ve never committed a crime even once.”

“As expected, you’re a saint. So, what’s your plan?”

“If we don’t get caught, it’s not a crime.”

In the end, a crime only becomes one if someone catches you and you get taken away.

If we wipe out the Heavenly King, who’s going to say anything?

Just eliminate all the evidence and witnesses.

“Did you live like this in the other world too?”

“That’s a minor issue. So, what are you going to do?”

The question is whether we crush them or not.

Of course, if they don’t move.

I’ll just move alone.

“Are you really going to take them down?”

“Of course.”

“You’re really something else.”

Such high praise.

“I’ll take that as a compliment?”

“If you really have no way to repay the debt for the rest of your life, then you’re not wrong. Hmm.”

“Even I think this is a bit much. If the Heavenly King justly made the elf take on the debt, it’s dangerous.”

Yeah, I guess.

“How about this: if we talk to the master of the Heavenly King and find out it was unfair, we wipe them out. If it turns out the debt was fair, we help the elf earn money.”

And in the background, I’ll arrange for the Heavenly King to be wiped out in some mysterious incident.

That’s about the extent of it.

I’ll just crack the heads of these nuisances.

Offering dozens, hundreds of lives to the goddess!

-I’m full. Enough, already.

As expected, the fallen goddess doesn’t say no.

-What else should I hide? I need to keep some cards up my sleeve to maintain my value.

So, let’s keep our goddess well-fed.

With the souls of people.

Even if she’s a god from another world, she should still get a taste of the souls from this world.

“You don’t have to go that far.”

“Don’t like Nintendo?”

“Oh, thanks.”

Yeah.

People should know how to accept gifts like that.

The elf, who had resolved to take down the Heavenly King just for a Nintendo, had an imposing presence, like a general going into battle.

In other words, useless.

*

After finishing the guild work, Lee Si-yeon ran into a man on her way home.

“Hey, long time no see.”

“Kim Hyung-jin?”

It was Kim Hyung-jin.

In high school, he was the guy she dated after betraying her boyfriend, Park Si-woo.

After the Great Cataclysm, when Park Si-woo disappeared, she regretted it deeply, broke up with Kim Hyung-jin, and grew stronger to find Park Si-woo.

But the result was what it is now.

She never found his body, nor did he turn into a monster.

Fifteen years later, Park Si-woo returned as a returnee.

Not as the man Park Si-woo, but as the saintess Karina.

Even just standing next to her, it felt like the smell of blood was in the air, as if death was near—Karina, the fallen saintess.

Already feeling unsettled because of that, seeing the trash she once chose to date show up made her feel even more irritated.

“I heard you’re back in Korea. You’ve gotten sexier since I last saw you. How about we grab a drink?”

His sleazy attitude hadn’t changed at all.

Unlike her, now famous as the top hunter in a major guild, Kim Hyung-jin remained stuck in a mid-level guild, relying solely on his awakened abilities.

The exact kind of man that the saintess Karina despised.

A scumbag like that is the perfect example of how even trash can become a hunter.

‘Not that I have any room to talk.’

She knew she had no right to judge, since after all, she had betrayed Park Si-woo herself.

“I don’t want to talk to you, so get lost.”

“We had something good, didn’t we? Why act like this now? That’s disappointing.”

As Kim Hyung-jin said that, he subtly tried to place his hand on Lee Si-yeon’s shoulder, but she sharply slapped it away.

“I told you not to touch me, didn’t I?”

“Hah, just because you’re doing well now, you’re acting all high and mighty? You used to whine under me. Or are you on your period?”

“We broke up ages ago, didn’t we? Why are you bringing up old stuff?”

She was beyond fed up.

“So, I’m saying let’s try to have a good relationship again.”

“Why do you keep trying to touch me? Are you insane?”

“You damn bitch. You think you’re too good for me now, huh? You’re probably still angry at me because of Park Si-woo, aren’t you?”

Hearing Park Si-woo’s name coming out of his mouth made her want to kill him.

Should she just finish him off now?

After all, there was no one around here.

No, there was no need to dirty her hands.

A little scare would do the job.

“Shut your mouth.”

“In the end, it was you who dumped Park Si-woo and came to me. You chose me because you fell for my looks and sweet words. Don’t act like you’re better than me.”

“!!”

Lee Si-yeon glared at Kim Hyung-jin.

She couldn’t deny it.

After all, she was the one who had left Park Si-woo.

“Let’s be real. You’re worse than me. After spending so much time together, you came to me and even joined in on tormenting Park Si-woo. Doesn’t it seem strange, even to you, that you’re only blaming me? Poor Park Si-woo. To him, I’m probably just a passing scumbag who he’ll forget eventually, but to you, you’re nothing more than a piece of trash.”

“!!”

Frustrated that he wasn’t getting what he wanted, he started to provoke her more.

“No, no, wait. Actually, Park Si-woo should thank me.”

“What?”

Thank him?

She and Park Si-woo should be feeling sorry, not grateful.

What kind of nonsense was this?

“I helped him by showing him what an easy slut like you really was. He dodged a bullet, thanks to me. Sure, he’s dead now, but if he’d stayed with you, he’d have worked his ass off after marriage, while you’d be out cheating with other guys, not just me, but anyone. He should be grateful he got rid of you. Oh, wait… he’s dead, right?”

Thwack!

Lee Si-yeon’s fist collided with Kim Hyung-jin, slamming him into the wall.

“If you run that mouth again, I swear I’ll kill you! Do I look like some weak woman who’s going to fall for your disgusting powers? And by the way, Park Si-woo is alive! He’s back in Korea! If you come at me again like the piece of trash you are, I’ll freeze your body and dump you in the Pacific Ocean!”

“Urgh!”

With her emotions in overdrive, she tossed Kim Hyung-jin aside and headed home.

As Kim Hyung-jin lay on the ground, he eventually managed to pick himself up, grumbling.

He had tried to make some easy money, but it looked like he’d only get himself killed if he kept pushing.

But then…

“Did she say Park Si-woo is back?”

“Back? Does that mean he’s a returnee? Wait a minute, wasn’t there a famous returnee saintess being talked about on the forums recently?”

Kim Hyung-jin pulled out his phone and searched for pictures of the returnee saintess that had been all over the forums.

“Is that… Park Si-woo? Heh heh heh. She’s gotten cuter. Wouldn’t mind having her. Lee Si-yeon’s face will be priceless when I get my hands on this one.”

With his abilities, handling one girl wasn’t hard at all.

No matter how strong a woman was, she would fall eventually.

His character flaws had prevented him from rising too high, but he knew he could always manipulate women into doing whatever he wanted.

When they did, money practically printed itself.

Kim Hyung-jin’s lips curled into a twisted grin.

*

Paekdu Plateau.

365 days a year, buried under endless snowstorms, isolated from any human presence, lay the rooftop of the Korean Peninsula.

There, some strangers from another world had arrived.

They were the remnants of a hero’s party that had come from another world.

A party that had failed to kill the Demon King.

A party from which the saintess, who had slain the Demon King, had defected.

One of the heroes, walking through snow that almost reached his knees, suddenly stopped.

“Something’s off.”

“What is it?”

The mage, Maria, who had been following behind and melting the snow with fire magic, asked.

The hero plucked a piece of cloth from a frozen tree branch.

“We’ve overlooked something important.”

“What’s that?”

“Look.”

The hero showed the piece of cloth to Erin and Maria.

“Why does this scrap of cloth matter?”

“I tied it here a few days ago before we set out. But here we are again.”

“Oh.”

They finally realized.

They had been walking in circles this entire time.

The hero let out a long sigh.

Now that he thought about it, the frequent snowstorms had made it hard to see clearly, but recalling it now, he had seen Mount Paekdu several times.

“We must have passed the high mountain where we fought the black dragon a few times as well.”

“So, we’ve been going in circles?”

“Exactly.”

“We need to get out of here fast! Look at me, I’ve turned into a white elf!”

Erin, the elf, whose skin had already turned pale from the cold, complained in frustration.

“Well, it’s better than your grape-colored skin, isn’t it?”

“Oh, true. But first, we need to escape.”

The color of their skin didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was getting out of here.

“Oh.”

“Come to think of it, I doubt even Karina would live in a place like this. We must have fallen into some other part of the world where Karina resides.”

A delayed realization.

Until now, they’d been so caught up in hunting monsters in the blizzards that they hadn’t had the time to think about where they were.

Now that they had a moment of peace, it was clear—this was not a place fit for humans to live.

So where exactly was Karina?