episode_0470

Is my complexion really that bad?

Even when I touched my face, all I could feel was rough skin that was hard to manage.

With worries pouring in from all sides, my already uneasy stomach felt even worse.

“Yes, let’s start with the treatment. We might be in big trouble if we don’t.”

“If that’s the case, let’s rest a bit and regain our strength before going back. If those guys have any shame, they’ll understand this much.”

“Can you get up? Come on, I’ll support you, just hold my hand.”

I knew I needed to just leave things alone, but with everyone around fussing over me, I couldn’t just sit still.

I was well aware that going inside right now was as good as suicide.

I had thought about getting treatment before leaving.

Furthermore, in order to go back in, the boat needed to be repaired.

“Can we get it done within two days?”

The problem was that there was nowhere near the city where we could get help.

After fleeing to escape the ominous typhoon, there was hardly a soul in sight once we left the city.

“Excuse me.”

“!!”

“Hey, there’s a person here?”

There’s someone around here?

“Hello.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m a top official. You came from the shelter, right?”

“The shelter? Ah, you’re from the top?”

“Yes, that’s right. Since we’re top people, you don’t have to be too wary. It seems like you came out after braving the typhoon, so I thought you might need help.”

“Of course I need it! I need clothes to change into, and I’m so hungry from exerting too much energy.”

“I can prepare that for you right away. And it seems like someone needs treatment, can I help with that as well?”

If they were top people, I could trust them.

Nobles also relaxed their guard upon hearing they were top people.

“Anyway, it’s a top with a caring side. It’s strange how you show up when help is needed as if you’ve been waiting.”

“Thank you, but it’s a bit suspicious.”

Nobles found it suspicious when top people appeared just when they were needed, but I decided not to dwell on such matters.

“If it’s the boss, it wouldn’t be strange to send those people away. They’re just like that by nature.”

He was someone who took care of children meticulously.

Although it felt awkward to be on his list of care after receiving counseling, it wouldn’t be strange for him to send top people ahead to prepare for any unforeseen events.

“I would like to request treatment. And can we get the boat fixed?”

“Of course.”

When I mentioned the areas where help was needed, the top official naturally responded that it was possible.

With their help, it seemed entirely possible to return within two days.

※ ※ ※

“Are they coming back?”

“I knew it. They’re not coming back after all!”

“We’re going to be trapped and die like this. We’re all going to die…”

“Calm down! Even if it takes some time, they will come back. And even if that person doesn’t come back, it’s not a problem. We have plenty of food, and now we can use the third floor comfortably, right?”

After they disappeared.

Honestly, it wasn’t all bad.

Without the nobles, we could live without being on edge.

And being able to use the third floor made the environment better.

“If the typhoon never ends! You guys are pretending to be relaxed, but it’s actually scary!”

The top officials had already heard all the talk about what might happen from above, and they were receiving a lot of money for managing the shelter.

They were well aware that the typhoon would eventually end.

But what if the scheduled time passed and the typhoon didn’t disappear?

“Why did I believe that I would disappear here just because someone said so?”

It was undeniable that there was greed for money.

But there was also trust.

Having worked in the top for a while, I truly believed that the top lord was someone trustworthy.

That’s why I could readily step up to such a situation.

“It’s much harder than I thought to endure this.”

Just waiting in the shelter until the abnormal phenomenon disappeared and escaping with the refugees was all there was to it.

I expected shelter life to be boring, but I accepted it because I could earn a lot of money.

The problem was that shelter life was harder than I expected.

“Easy money is impossible after all.”

I thought I was getting a lot of money, but now it seemed like the boss had valued it just right.

“I won’t do it again.”

Even if I endured it once with evil and force, I didn’t think I could do it twice.

Although the boss had prepared a lot, there were still many shortcomings.

And when the first floor was locked, the threat of the typhoon began to feel real, and my faith began to waver.

How shallow human faith is.

I was disappointed in myself for doubting even after receiving the boss’s grace.

“I haven’t been anxious. You’re mistaken.”

If we show our anxiety, it will only cause more chaos among the commoners.

I cut off their words coldly enough to make them feel calm.

“The typhoon will disappear, and he promised to come back, so it will be kept. Stop being pessimistic and preserve your strength. The rations we provide for free are not meant for you to use meaninglessly.”

All the rations in the shelter are the boss’s money.

It was pathetic to see those who received them for free and complained while living safely in the shelter.

“We, we just want to survive.”

The commoner who was protesting loudly seemed to understand the warning in my voice and flinched.

I gave him another warning with a stern look.

“Go back to your seat.”

I planned to keep an eye on the commoner who was clouding the already unpleasant atmosphere in the shelter.

He might think he’s raising his voice for the refugees in the shelter, but in reality, he’s just a troublemaker causing a disturbance.

“Damn it!”

I muttered as I watched the commoner walk away and then turned to my colleague standing next to me.

“There’s no change in complaining like that, I don’t understand why he’s doing it.”

“Yeah. All he knows is to talk big without doing anything.”

“If you need a solution, you should think of it yourself and come up with it, not keep complaining to us.”

“I’m a commoner too, but because of guys like him, people say commoners are ignorant and stupid.”

The employees nodded in agreement.

Seeing the commoners expressing their anxiety and complaints made me feel uncomfortable.

If he’s so sure he won’t come back, I hope that troublemaker’s nose will be flattened.

I hoped Gabriel the soldier would come back soon.

“Hey, why is the window open when water is coming in?”

“Let’s breathe a little. It’s stuffy when it’s all sealed up. You have to open it when the wind is calm to withstand it.”

In fact, I opened the window because I wanted to see if Gabriel the soldier was coming.

It took quite a while to open the window because it could break due to the typhoon wind if not sealed tightly.

Swoosh-

Finally, the door opened and cool air came in.

Of course.

“Ugh!”

Along with that, raindrops came in without hesitation.

“I don’t see the point. It just makes me more anxious for no reason.”

My colleague went to another place, leaving me alone to gaze out the window.

Even though my face was soaked, the value of sacrificing that to see outside was worth it.

“Something’s a bit off, isn’t it?”

The view of the city submerged in water was still endlessly grim.

But was it because I looked outside so often?

I could quickly notice subtle changes.

“Others may not know, but my eyes can’t be deceived.”

I decided to wait a little longer because I didn’t want to rush into things.

And if what I felt was real…

“Is this the end as Lord Sangdan said?”

Yes, Lord Sangdan wouldn’t lie!

Darn it! What a fool!

There’s no one I can trust.

Dare to doubt Lord Sangdan? How dare you?

“Hehehe!”

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m going crazy.”

I didn’t realize how suspicious it looked to be giggling while looking outside.

‘Finally, it’s an escape!!’

The employees of Sangdan also felt the same about the shelter being suffocating.

And the joyous smile of being able to escape soon spread as a fact.

※ ※ ※

I heard that Gabrielle went out and came back from Sangdan.

She had some injuries and received temporary treatment because there were no medical experts at the time.

‘I told her to be careful and not get hurt…’

No matter how exceptional Gabrielle’s abilities were, they paled in the face of natural disasters.

“By the way, I don’t know if Gabrielle knew and solved it, or if she was caught.”

It was said that among the nobles left in the city where Gabrielle was, there was someone who could control water and wind.

Since that noble escaped together this time, the typhoon would gradually lose its power and disappear.

Even if it was solved unexpectedly, Gabrielle could easily speculate on the cause.

‘It’s not the time to worry about Gabrielle.’

It was a situation where I had to worry about something other than Gabrielle’s well-being.

Especially this guy in front of me.

“Why can’t I qualify for sponsorship?”

“I’m sponsoring personally. So the target is up to me.”

“So, can you change their minds by giving them something? Our child is not someone who can be easily swayed.”

Parents’ selfish desires.

I was still being harassed by people who came looking for me after hearing rumors.

Parents who were sensitive to their children’s problems were inevitable, and I was in the midst of a war with these pushy parents.

Compared to when students come to talk, the current situation is much more serious and persistent.

‘I could understand and brush off when the kids came to me. But parents, really?’

Most students couldn’t cross the line because they had friends around them.

But parents?

They were willing to do anything for their children, so shamelessly they were pressuring me to sponsor them, holding their heads up high.