Ch.8429. The Sacred Fire of Parma (1)

Yuri was momentarily speechless.

A disturbing gaze, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have, was directed at her. But Seong Arin quickly changed her expression and smiled.

“Do you have some business with me?”

That’s what Arin said with a smile. As a woman, Yuri could instinctively tell.

‘Seong Arin is wary of me.’

Seong Arin. A junior two years below her at Eins. They had worked together in the student council, but Yuri didn’t actually have much of a relationship with her.

No, her instinctive female intuition had always been cautious of Arin’s friendly behavior toward Minsu.

Ever since she became aware of her feelings for Minsu. Even during their Eins days, she had always been concerned about Arin. Of course, now that she’s working at Flame, it’s even more so.

‘Her mouth is smiling, but her eyes aren’t smiling at all.’

And naturally, the reason would be because of Minsu. Since joining Flame, Arin had never hidden her feelings for him from others.

That’s why the Operations Team, the Finance Team, and employees from other departments—all the regular staff at Flame thought that Seong Arin and Lee Minsu were dating.

Though they verbally denied being in that kind of relationship, the employees all seemed to think the two were just being shy and keeping it quiet.

‘I’ve overheard employees gossiping about them being… an office couple.’

Since the regular employees had already acknowledged Minsu and Arin as a couple, the thought made her heart freeze over once again.

‘That damn woman wagging her tail at Minsu.’

And in that moment, she couldn’t help the anger that surged within her. Like a girlfriend, Arin was always by Minsu’s side.

She knew that Arin had nursed Minsu when he was seriously injured.

But now that she had firmly established her feelings for Minsu, even Arin’s smallest actions bothered her greatly.

‘Calm down first. Still, Arin is an important person in our guild.’

A priest of the White Cross Society is an extremely valuable talent. On Earth, besides the White Cross Society, there are also Buddhism and various indigenous religions in each country.

Naturally, priests of each religion can create holy power based on their faith.

But Ayel’s power is different. The holy power of Ayel, the god of the White Cross Society, is incomparably superior to any other holy power.

Still, when it came time to give her final approval for employment, honestly, she didn’t like it.

But since both the field team and the directors were strongly in favor of accepting her, there was no justification to oppose it.

Yuri calmed herself down. And as if nothing was wrong, she calmly answered Arin’s question.

“I don’t have any business with you, Arin. I just need to talk to Minsu.”

“Oh my. The thing is, Senior Minsu hasn’t returned to the hotel yet. When he comes back, I’ll personally relay the message to him.”

Arin said with a bright smile. Her tone particularly emphasized the word “personally.”

“Since the senior and I are sharing a room, I’ll be able to deliver the Guild Leader’s message to him right away.”

At those words, Yuri felt something snap inside her.

They were here on a business trip under Flame’s name.

This wasn’t some university club MT. And even if it were an MT, it would be absurd for an unmarried man and woman to share a room.

She simply couldn’t hold back from saying something to Arin standing before her. Yuri crossed her arms and said:

“The operations team at Flame has always done a good job, but this is strange. Our guild isn’t short on capital these days, so we could have easily provided separate rooms. It’s absolutely unacceptable for grown adults of opposite genders to share a room. I’ll arrange another room for you right now…”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I was the one who specifically requested to share a room.”

“What did you say?”

That statement was simply unbearable. Yuri’s voice rose.

“Seong Arin. The guild is not an academy! This business trip is an extension of work. We’re here to do a job! It’s not some outing for you to indulge your personal desires!”

In that moment, Yuri shouted so loudly that even she was surprised. But once her emotions erupted, they only intensified.

“You and Minsu aren’t even dating! Yet you arbitrarily arrange to share a room. This is a workplace! Not a place for romantic games!”

Arin didn’t respond to those words. Yuri is the Guild Leader, and Arin is a guild member.

So right now, Yuri could say whatever she wanted to her. With that mindset, Yuri shouted even more.

“And it’s truly shameless! Coming and going as you please in a young man’s room. According to the moral standards of the Slavian Kingdom, this would be absolutely unacceptable! Even if Korean women are said to be more open-minded…”

And so she inadvertently spoke about something she shouldn’t have—the two people’s private lives.

Still, she had recently visited Minsu’s home to check on his condition and directly encountered Arin there, so it wasn’t completely unfounded.

But Arin’s expression didn’t change at all. She just smiled sweetly and said:

“Hmm, is that so? So, Guild Leader, you’re saying that I can’t distinguish between public and private matters, and that I’m trying to play at office romance. That I shouldn’t do that. Is that what you’re saying?”

“You understand well! Well, I don’t really want to scold you harshly for your mistake. But at least in the workplace, personal feelings should…”

“Oh my. How strange that the Guild Leader would say such a thing.”

Arin put her hands behind her back and smiled. But her pink eyes had grown cold.

***

“What do you mean by that?”

It was as if she was saying, “Do you have the right to say such things?” To Yuri, who was about to argue, Arin continued with a smile:

“This room is somewhat separated from the other rooms, isn’t it?”

“So what?”

“You and the Operations Team Leader are in VIP rooms more than ten floors above. This is just a regular room.”

She caught the meaning of those words. Arin continued:

“With such differences in position and room location, isn’t it strange for the Guild Leader to come here personally? Especially since Senior Minsu is just a regular employee who has barely finished his internship. Why would you go to such lengths?”

“That, that’s because I needed to ask about an urgent matter…”

“Really? What could be so urgent that the Guild Leader would rush here? Would you tell me? Then I’ll make sure to call him as soon as Senior Minsu returns.”

Yuri was momentarily at a loss for words. As Arin said, even for urgent matters, it was unusual for the Guild Leader to come personally.

And the reason Yuri came all the way here was, of course, largely personal. She wanted to see Minsu’s face as soon as possible.

So when Minsu didn’t return and couldn’t be reached, she became anxious. Of course, she couldn’t tell Arin her true feelings.

‘I’m the Guild Leader. I can’t let an employee know I have personal feelings.’

In many ways, she felt she had no justification. But Yuri couldn’t back down.

“Be that as it may, it’s still inappropriate for male and female employees to share a room! Flame is not some small neighborhood guild. If strange rumors of sexual misconduct were to spread, it would damage the company’s image, and I cannot allow that!”

But Arin remained composed even at those words.

“Sexual misconduct? What are you talking about? I’m just nursing Senior Minsu, who hasn’t been feeling well lately. You know that nuns of the White Cross Society have formal medical qualifications, don’t you, Guild Leader?”

Yuri was left speechless at that.

“Even so…”

“Or perhaps the Guild Leader is thinking something else? That under the pretext of nursing, there might be… something happening between a man and a woman?”

“That, that couldn’t be!”

Struck at her core, Yuri immediately denied it on the spot. Arin was right. Just imagining the two of them rolling around in the same bed…

Yuri felt as if her heart was being pierced by shattered ice—a terrible feeling.

“Is that so? Then it shouldn’t be a problem. What I’m doing is merely an extension of my duties—the work of a healer treating a guild member. There’s no way I would do anything inappropriate during work, right?”

Yuri was left speechless at those words.

Not long ago, she had shared a kiss with Minsu in the Guild Leader’s office. She was the one who had done something inappropriate.

Meanwhile, as Arin said, she was the one nursing Minsu’s unwell body recently.

So even with her cool rationality, she knew that she was the one without justification right now.

‘But… I’m angry. Just angry. Just imagining Arin by Minsu’s side… I hate it… I hate that Arin.’

During their Eins days, Minsu always came to her. She thought she was the one who belonged by his side.

But now, clearly, the one who could proudly stand by his side was Arin. Minsu had clearly stated that he wasn’t dating Arin.

But Yuri wasn’t a fool either. She obviously knew that those two weren’t just in an ordinary relationship.

For a moment, she felt a cold rage rising as if her head was turning white. But this was a hotel in a famous tourist spot.

People were passing by in the corridor, so as the Guild Leader, she knew it was time to retreat.

“…… I understand then. But when Minsu returns, please tell him to contact me.”

“Yes, Guild Leader. I’ll make sure to do that.”

Until the end, Arin showed no sign of dislike and answered with a smile. Feeling an inexplicable sense of defeat, Yuri suppressed her anger again.

And at that moment, as Yuri turned to leave, Arin spoke softly:

“Senior Yuri. May I say one more thing?”

Yuri stopped in her tracks. She heard Arin’s voice from behind her.

“Please take good care of Flame in the future. No, please make Flame into a major corporate guild. As the Guild Leader.”

And Yuri couldn’t respond to her subsequent words.

“That’s the only atonement you can make for ruining Senior Minsu’s body.”

The tragedy of Eins. It was Yuri who had trapped Minsu with the Eternal Barrier. Yuri didn’t respond to those words and quietly left the place.

***

I spent the night at the hotel that Flame had booked as accommodation. And from early morning, I hurriedly left the hotel.

The business trip work was all finished yesterday. And last night with Arin, surprisingly, nothing happened.

Arin didn’t touch me further except for healing through holy power. She only told me that Yuri had been looking for me.

‘So that means Yuri knew I was sharing a room with Arin…’

But Yuri didn’t say much either. I responded to her message, but she was the same as usual.

And today, a day later, Arin said she was going shopping.

Today was actually a good opportunity to spend time in Adersk, a famous tourist destination.

And in any major city in the world, people with Hunter licenses receive VIP treatment. Arin, as a nun affiliated with the Cross Society, already has an A-class Hunter license.

‘Even at famous department stores, VIP treatment is guaranteed.’

Especially hunters officially registered with the Association are no different from the upper class of society. It’s no wonder that so many people aspire to the life of a hunter.

However, it’s a profession that puts one’s life on the line, even as it earns money beyond what ordinary people can imagine. That’s why hunters tend to be quite extravagant in relieving stress.

Naturally, there are no better customers for department stores. And many male hunters enjoy quite promiscuous private lives.

‘But that has nothing to do with me.’

Actually, there’s a considerable amount of money in my account. Although I spent over a billion of my own money buying the Wind Cutter, several times that amount had been deposited into my account as compensation for the last cooperative mission.

Major corporate guilds like Manseong take a substantial commission, but Flame, being a small guild, took very little.

Of course, I planned to use all that money to deal with the Red Lake.

If I had the time and money to spend on extravagance or women like other hunters, I should use it to track down the Red Lake, even if just a little.

‘Information not provided by the Association is very expensive. But I have to buy it even if I have to use my own money. So I always need to save money…’

I stopped briefly at a traffic light.

The Far Eastern Diocese. The Parma Icon entrusted to me by the Archbishop. I borrowed a car from the Far Eastern Diocese to go to where that icon was located.

The car was manual. So I placed my hand on the gear lever, which I had temporarily set to neutral. And over that hand,

Soso placed her hand.

“I have something I want to ask you.”

Soso’s voice was trembling.

“What is it?”

“Why did you choose me as your partner instead of Yuri or Arin… can you answer that?”

There was a strange expectation mixed in her voice.