Chapter 967: Side Story – The Unfilled Empty Seat (2)

If we’re just talking about the results, the Sky Blue Shield, with Jung No-eul replacing Hye-eun, was still running smoothly.

First of all, since Hye-eun’s position itself was Shield Master, the main reason was that there was no need to coordinate closely with the other party members even before.

As Jung No-eul was replacing Hye-eun’s position, she could sufficiently blend into the Sky Blue Shield just by properly fulfilling the role of ‘Shield’ in that spot.

Of course, if you ask whether she couldn’t properly fulfill the role of a damage dealer, the essence of a magic swordsman, just because of that, that wasn’t exactly the case either.

Jung No-eul would minimize the number of monsters using her swordsmanship in the early part of the battle, and from the point where it became difficult to handle them with her own abilities, she became a shield focusing on defense.

Although right now the only remaining spot is for a tanker and she’s being utilized as one, she possessed potential to the extent that she could be utilized anytime if she were utilized as a dealer.

In the first place, the reason she came to take on the tanker role in the party with Sung Chae-eun was because the hunter who originally played the tanker role retired, and instead of joining another party, she chose to be with Sung Chae-eun, naturally transitioning from dealer to tanker.

‘Certainly, looking at it this way, the recruitment itself seems like a good choice.’

Although it felt like I was handed her over because the President said she was difficult to handle, at least by my standards, placing Jung No-eul in the right spot wasn’t that difficult.

…although that clingy behavior, as if wanting my approval every time she did something, was a bit burdensome.

“H-how was I, Taekyung-ssi…? D-did I just cut down ten ice golems at once with my dark magic sword…! Chae-eun used to praise me, saying I did well whenever I do this….”

“Yes. That was excellent, No-eul-ssi.”

“Ehehe, eukheut, hehehe….”

“…….”

“…….”

“……”

Seeing me stroke Jung No-eul’s head along with the praise, the gazes of the Sky Blue Shield party members felt a little sharp.

“……Hmph.”

“I had a sliver of hope, but it’s just as I thought. Well, since it’s Sung Taekyung, I guess it can’t be helped….”

Furthermore, it didn’t take long for Cha Yuri and Han Min-ah to notice my relationship with Jung No-eul.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After it was decided that Jung No-eul would temporarily take the tanker position of the Sky Blue Shield, I felt somewhat relieved with the thought that one of the immediate problems had been resolved.

Of course, my guild is just a newly formed one, so there were countless things that needed to be done.

I had to think about the means to carefully select and recruit only those who wouldn’t speak ill of the ‘welfare’ I provide to our guild members in the future, and I also had to fill the vacant position of school nurse at my alma mater with another recovery-type hunter, which opened up when I recruited Teacher Miyeon as our guild’s healer.

And the visit to Vatican City, which was included in Lulusia’s contract, still remained; there was also a matter requiring a visit to Areum’s workshop, plus the Min-ah’s three sisters’ heat period was a regular monthly schedule that needed resolving.

‘I was busy originally, but now that I’ve become guild leader, I truly feel unbelievably busy….’

At times like this, it would be better if I had a secretary to at least organize my schedule, but unfortunately, my current secretary position remains vacant even after half a year has passed since founding the guild.

It wasn’t that there was no particular need or that it was left vacant for that reason; naturally, this position was already reserved because someone else had claimed it.

‘It would be great if Eunbyul were here at times like this.’

Since I couldn’t receive updates about Eunbyul’s secret operation via Kakaotalk due to security threats, I was only hearing news related to the Geumhyang Group through occasional stories seen on TV.

There was the story that Geum Taeyang, the former chairman of the Geumhyang Group, effectively gifted his shares to Geum Dallae (No. 2), and afterwards, Geum Dallae forcibly merged one of the Geumhyang Group’s companies with Geumhyang Chemical, making someone of unknown identity the largest shareholder of the Geumhyang Group.

As I knew the identity of that ‘someone’, I had gradually started to relax, thinking Eunbyul’s side of things was almost resolved. However, even a month after hearing that news, she had not yet returned to her position as my secretary and maid.

In effect, aside from the appearance she made at our guild’s founding ceremony, Eunbyul had been completely unable to perform the role of my secretary for the half year since the guild was founded.

‘Particularly, even now, the guild isn’t completely unable to function just because Eunbyul isn’t here, but….’

Still, I couldn’t deny that schedule management would become much easier if Eunbyul were here, so I could only wait for her to return as soon as possible.

While spending the morning hours assisting Jung No-eul on her first expedition with the Sky Blue Shield and handling the backlog of morning tasks, a sound of three uniform knocks from outside the door tickled my ears.

-tok, tok, tok.

“Ah, come in.”

The answer reflexively came out upon hearing the knock on the door of the guild representative’s office.

I was thinking whether an office staff member wouldn’t appear with today’s approval documents again today, but unexpectedly, what appeared along with the documents was the face of a person I hadn’t anticipated at all.

-kkiiik.

“Have you been well, Master?”

“……Huh?”

Shiny short black bob, the white headdress that had become like her symbol.

Golden eyes looking at me, and a face that seemed expressionless yet held a strange smile.

And as soon as I saw the black and white maid dress enveloping her entire body, I couldn’t help but speak the name of the secretary and maid who had returned to her ‘main job’ after a long time.

“…Eunbyul?”

“I apologize for the delayed return, Master.”

The runaway maid has returned.

Having become the owner of the Geumhyang Group.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Eunbyul’s return, after half a year, was extremely joyous news for me, incomparable to anything else.

Firstly, the greatest joy came from seeing her face again after half a year, which I saw every day. This was followed by relief that Eunbyul had finished what she needed to do and returned safely.

I had been secretly worried, in case she experienced danger again related to the Geumhyang Group.

“The tasks at Geumhyang? Is it all finished now?”

“If you ask whether I succeeded in placing Geum Dallae as a figurehead president and obtaining the actual operational control of Geumhyang, that is correct. However, a lot of time was consumed in that process, so I couldn’t perform Master’s maid duties. Therefore, even if I had ten mouths, I couldn’t apologize enough.”

“There wasn’t any danger, right? If perhaps that bitch No. 1 did something reckless to you….”

“Geum Jangmi is already like a wreck and imprisoned under Geum Dallae’s surveillance, so she cannot use her strength. The wounds she received when she was tortured were treated by you previously, Master, so no trace remains, but the aftereffects remaining in her memory probably won’t be erased.”

“What about No. 2? Isn’t she showing signs of betraying again?”

“Since you previously told me to treat her like Master, she has been acting thoroughly like my confidant. Geum Dallae’s role was also significant in the process of obtaining the shares of Geumhyang Chemical this time. Of course, to prepare for betrayal, I have left urethral catheters in both Geum Jangmi and Geum Dallae, so currently, both of them are effectively in my grasp.”

“Right, hearing that is a relief.”

Hearing Eunbyul’s story, it seemed there weren’t any particular dangerous incidents or moments where she was almost endangered by betrayal again during that time.

Of course, we communicated every day via an overseas messenger instead of Kakaotalk and had video calls once every three days, but still, anxiety couldn’t help but remain in a corner of my heart.

I also had to prepare for the possibility of her being imprisoned like last time, in a situation where she couldn’t do anything.

In that state, the news that Geum Jangmi (No. 1), who was the mastermind of the imprisonment, is now a wreck, and Geum Dallae (No. 2) has already become Eunbyul’s complete slave, was enough to bring relief to my heart.

“You dyed your hair black again.”

“Yes. For a maid, flashy hair could damage Master’s dignity.”

“Even your old pink hair wasn’t that bad. That was your hair from the time of ‘Attention-Seeking Hunter Geum Nari’.”

“…I would appreciate it if you forgot about my embarrassing past. At that time, it was a period when I needed to escape the influence of Geum Jangmi and Geum Dallae and somehow gather people around me.”

Conversely speaking, it must mean that my current personality is a bit closer to Eunbyul’s original personality.

A personality that likes serving others from a place where she doesn’t stand out.

If Geum Jangmi and Geum Dallae had known this beforehand and utilized it, she would have become their strong ally. Instead, needlessly turning their youngest sister into an enemy led to this outcome, which was just regrettable.

Even so, I don’t particularly pity them, though.