episode_0081

‘Yujin is definitely an aristocrat.’

Mina, standing in front of a large full-body mirror and completely naked, both top and bottom, was savoring the feelings she had while watching Yujin leave as the sun set, with a subtle expression.

‘I had forgotten that feeling after working as a blacksmith in the mercenary residential district for quite some time. But after learning that Yujin became an expert at 21, I was reminded of that aristocratic feeling.’

Mina wandered around the city after escaping the underground city.

She even had the experience of being captured by slave traders in the process, so

she inadvertently had more opportunities to see aristocrats from afar in those days.

That feeling, as if they were from a completely different world from herself,

had been forgotten for nearly 10 years, but it was revived when she saw Yujin.

That must mean that, unlike Jeanne, Yujin had not been able to erase the colors of aristocracy.

‘I like Yujin, who is an aristocrat…?’

Of course, Mina has no way of knowing the extent of Yujin’s aristocracy.

But what does it matter? Whether he is the son of a Grand Duke or a Baron, he is just a star in the sky to Mina from the underground city.

Perhaps it was because of the influence of recognizing Yujin Schneider as such a star in the sky,

that Mina’s appearance, alone in this dark room thinking of Yujin,

was more of a self-deprecating murmur than a hopeful question.

Yujin Schneider, whom she had thought was just a mercenary from an ordinary commoner background,

was a being standing in a position she could not reach.

‘I didn’t know that my scarred body looked so pathetic and insignificant…’

It can be said that Mina’s state of mind is filled with a great sense of inferiority.

And what is fueling Mina’s feelings is her own naked body in the mirror.

Her body has large and small scars here and there.

Scars from her time in the underground city,

scars from wandering around here and there after coming out of there, scars from working as a blacksmith, and so on.

After earning money, Mina could have actually gone to a capable nun and had those scars treated.

But she didn’t bother to do so.

They were the traces of her hard work,

and she was able to live silently with her head buried, using them as motivation.

So, from Mina’s point of view, they had been inwardly precious scars.

But now that she has raised her head and looked at the brilliant sky, those scars have begun to prick Mina’s heart.

As much as the numerous scars in the mirror, Yujin and she feel like they are far, far apart.

‘The smooth and glossy skin of aristocratic women…compared to that body, my body is…’

When Mina came to the Pangea mercenary residential district, she took on an evening part-time job to earn money with the dream of taking over the blacksmith shop.

The part-time job was mainly serving aristocratic women.

Unlike herself, their skin had no scars, was as smooth as silk, and what bloomed from them was not the smell of sweat, but fragrance.

Just standing next to them and looking at their appearance made her feel ecstatic, as they were not only noble but also overflowing with beauty.

‘Not only is my body soaked in the smell of iron, but it’s also so rough…’

In other words, the aristocratic Yujin is ultimately someone who will marry such women and spend his daily life.

Now that she knows that Yujin is an aristocrat and such thoughts fill her head, Mina feels an unprecedented sense of misery and inferiority.

Swish…!

Mina, whose heart is swept by such cold winds, eventually turned around.

She probably wants to see her back.

‘A woman with such a back. I’m not suitable for Yujin as a woman.’

And on that back, there were whip scar marks.

It was truly a symbol of the difference in status.

Scars made by tying her to a tree and whipping her,

and even scars from being cut by a knife while escaping from slave traders in between.

The scars on her back, which came into Mina’s eyes with blurred focus due to the permeating powerlessness,

seemed to be reflected like whip scars being engraved in her heart at this moment.

**********

“Come to think of it, Mina seems to fit Yujin’s ideal type quite well? A woman who is feminine and full of maternal love, I don’t think I’ve seen many women who fit that like Mina recently. As the commercial district grows, that feeling is almost disappearing even among commoner women.”

However, Sophia, a dopamine addict, was diligently fueling the budding romance between Yujin and Mina, who had caught her attention.

‘Hmm…I can just brush off Sophia’s other words, but what she’s saying now is true. Of course, I can’t use the word ‘most’ since I know the Grand Duchess and Charlotte, but Mina’s feminine power is tremendously attractive, that’s a true fact.’

Yujin had been waving his hands and firmly defending himself against Sophia’s fueling, but

he couldn’t disagree with the words that she fits his ideal type.

For example, if Marianne and Charlotte’s feminine power and motherly love have a sacred feeling and warmth,

Mina possesses the folksiness and amiability of pure mothers in the countryside.

Yujin Ingo does not discriminate when it comes to motherly love, so

it was truly meaningless to argue about which was superior.

“I also acknowledge that Mina is feminine and has great maternal love.”

At that moment, Thomas also joined in agreement with Sophia’s words.

“It’s an uncomfortable truth, but people who grew up in underdeveloped areas tend to treat those from similar difficult villages like they’re nothing. The way they manage slaves is also based on that. But seeing Mina treat the children in the slums well and doing volunteer work makes even me, who tries not to forget my ties with my hometown friends, feel ashamed. Mina is truly genuine.”

Mina is a role model for Thomas, who is from a poor neighborhood.

She doesn’t hide her origins, but rather tries to prevent them from experiencing the same pain as she did, Mina is like a saint from the underground city.

“That’s right! Even though she’s so busy, she definitely goes to volunteer work and does relief work directly once a month, she’s a really amazing older sister! She already asked me to get relief supplies for next month and even gave me the money!”

Marie also joined in.

Mina obtains the supplies needed for slum relief activities through Marie,

the reason being that she wanted to give Marie, who is from the same poor neighborhood, a generous allowance.

The Red Fox Mercenary Company members’ praises for Mina, which poured out like that, were considerable.

“……”

However, Jeanne, who had always thought so highly of Mina and praised her, remained silent and just listened quietly.

‘Ah…why am I so jealous?’

Because she’s jealous.

‘These feelings are so childish. I can’t accept these feelings. Mina is a good person who I’m planning to work with on a bigger plan later. And…I’m already someone who had sex with Yujin a few hours ago.’

She’s jealous, but it’s too hard to admit and accept it.

‘Ha…should I just reveal that Yujin and I are dating? No, then our mercenary company’s rules…and I already told Han that we’re not dating…’

The fundamental basis for that,

is none other than the shackles she has put in place.

It was definitely a necessary measure for Yujin’s life and for the operation of the mercenary company.

However, from the mental defensive aspect of the woman Jeanne, a structure was unfolded in which she could only be helplessly beaten.

The female Jeanne is really going crazy.

In the midst of all this, something happened that really rubbed salt in the wound.

“Volunteer work next month? I was going to go with you. I went back and forth to the Black Hair Blacksmith a few times and became friends with Margaret, a child from the slums, and the other children there. So I promised to go.”

When Marie’s specific story about volunteer work came out, Yujin mentioned the promise he had made with Margaret a few hours ago as if it were natural.

His intention was to use this timing to make his schedule known to his colleagues in advance.

“Yujin Assault Captain is so cool! People believe those strange rumors that there’s an epidemic there and don’t want to go! You really don’t have any preconceptions!”

“Wow! As expected of our Assault Captain! I think I’ll respect you even more!”

Then Marie and Thomas were moved and responded enthusiastically.

Honestly, isn’t the mercenary society one that doesn’t delve into each other’s origins as if it were an unwritten rule?

For the two of them, it was probably because they felt how sincerely Yujin was treating them, who were also from poor neighborhoods.

“Wow…honestly, those were just words I said half jokingly, but it seems like they’re in a pretty deep relationship?”

Sophia was also surprised.

She had only approached it from the perspective of a man and woman’s physical labor to satisfy her dopamine,

but Yujin’s actions seem so pure that her teasing is awkward.

As even Sophia was changing her attitude like that, it seemed that the relationship between Yujin and Mina was blossoming deeply.

‘Damn it, I don’t know, I’m so jealous.’

The tug-of-war between the mercenary leader Jeanne and the female Jeanne began to come to a rapid conclusion in favor of the female Jeanne.

‘Hmm…did I fall asleep for a while?’

Due to the Black Hair Blacksmith matter, the internal solidarity of the Red Fox Mercenary Company was further deepened,

and the drinking and feasting continued for a while afterwards.

In the midst of all this, Yujin, who was a little drunk, fell asleep for a while and woke up to Ivan’s loud laughter.

‘Huh? Jeanne’s not here, where did she go?’

After waking up from his sleep, Yujin’s first target was naturally his beloved woman, Jeanne, whom he checked on.

He looked for her, but she wasn’t in the center seat on the sofa, which was the leader’s seat, and she didn’t seem to be in the bathroom either.

“Thomas, I just woke up from a nap, do you know where the leader went?”

“It seems like she went out about 20 minutes ago and hasn’t come back yet? She drank a lot, so I think she’s getting some fresh air nearby to sober up.”

So Yujin immediately inquired about Jeanne through Thomas.

‘She didn’t seem like she was going to drink a lot, did she pour it in while I was sleeping?’

Yujin then went outside the De Gaulle Mercenary Tavern and slowly began to look for Jeanne around there,

knowing that she usually drank a lot when she was excited.

‘Oh, there she is!’

Before long, Yujin found Jeanne.

The place where Jeanne was getting some fresh air was next to the De Gaulle Mercenary Tavern, near a stable where rum boxes were piled up.

“What are you doing, Jeanne? Getting some fresh air?”

Yujin, who approached her with a playful tone, immediately spoke to her.

Swish…

Then Jeanne, who was leaning against the stable’s wooden wall, looked at Yujin with an indifferent expression.

‘Huh? She doesn’t seem drunk? Jeanne looks fine.’

Thanks to that, Yujin, who saw Jeanne’s face properly, was able to clearly confirm her expression, which was somewhat dark under the moonlight.

“Getting some air. Because of a certain person, I’m a little fired up.”

As expected, Jeanne, who is far from being a fox, flared up and revealed her thorns as soon as she saw Yujin’s face.

‘Huh? It sounds like she’s talking about me?’

Yujin also immediately caught those thorns.

“Go inside. I’ll get some more air and go in.”

Jeanne looked forward again and said with a slight sigh.

Smile…!

At that moment, Yujin’s lips, which had subtly turned up,

“Are you perhaps jealous, Jeanne?”

He immediately touched Jeanne’s Achilles’ heel.