episode_0029

[Temporary Hero: Vivian]

Vivian received her certificate back from Taylor.

Taylor, who had been watching until just now, smiled happily.

“Congratulations. I heard that you worked hard, and it’s a good thing.”

“Hehe, thank you. The cane that Taylor gave me was also very helpful.”

“I’m glad I found my owner.”

Vivian looked down at the certificate in her hand with pride once more and put it in her pocket.

It felt burdensome because many people recognized the attire, but thanks to Katy’s security, it wasn’t a hassle.

Even if it meant taking on that burden, I wanted to express my gratitude to Taylor.

“Your name is already all over the place?”

“Ah, so… . I didn’t know it would spread so quickly… .”

“How do you feel about becoming a celebrity in an instant?”

“Umm… . It doesn’t feel real yet, but honestly, it’s kind of nice… .”

Vivian answered, scratching her cheek.

Although I felt burdened by other people’s opinions, I didn’t necessarily dislike it.

Most of the eyes were filled with admiration and recognition, and there was also a trustworthy Kati by her side.

Above all, the current reality was what I had longed for.

Being recognized for one’s abilities and becoming the object of envy from others.

Doing more in the future to create a world where more people can live in peace.

Now that I was faced with that possibility, it was too much of a luxury to feel burdened by the looks in people’s eyes.

“ Things will get better soon.”

“I hope so. Still, won’t it stay like this for a while?”

Although he defeated an unprecedented monster called ‘King Slime’ in the difficult situation of a temporary test.

There was no guarantee that the current level of recognition would be maintained until the official warrior exam was taken in the future.

Vivian didn’t have such high hopes either.

However, Taylor shook her head as if she was convinced.

“If the Ian I knew, he would never stay still now.”

“… ?”

“If there is something he can take, he is the kind of person who takes as much as he can.”

Vivian didn’t know what it meant, but it was a good story, so Vivian smiled and nodded.

*

Vivian left the clothing store and walked side by side with Kati.

Vivian, a wizard wearing a white robe and a cone hat.

A passerby glanced and recognized her.

Although it was embarrassing, Vivian tolerated and accepted the gaze.

In particular, I felt less scared thanks to Katy next to me.

“Kathi. Thank you for coming out with us.”

Even though Ian ordered it, Vivian was still grateful to Katy.

Instead of answering, Kati just nodded.

As we were returning to the training center side by side, we saw a small, familiar silhouette among the crowd over there.

Vivian looked at them in confusion.

They too were shaking their bodies as if they had something to say to Vivian.

However, it seemed like he couldn’t approach him easily because of Katy who was next to him.

When she got closer, Vivian recognized the boy in the middle.

“… Humphrey?”

Behind Humphrey were two women who were slightly taller than him.

Even so, she was a very young girl.

Vivian recognized them too.

“Daisy? Laura… ?”

Before Emma, there was Humphrey, a boy who was sold while being trained.

And the two girls Vivian sent away from the orphanage, Daisy and Laura.

They were right in front now.

The three children were happy to see them, but they couldn’t come closer because of Katy next to them.

Cati, who had a general sense of the situation, held back his momentum and took a couple of steps back.

“Sister Vivian-!”

Then the three children were hugged at the same time.

Vivian didn’t even care about getting her robes dirty, she knelt down and hugged the children in her arms.

“Hey, guys, are you here… No, ha… .”

Vivian was speechless.

Kati, who was watching the situation, remembered the boy’s name.

Humphrey.

That was the name Felix had signed with.

Vivian asked the crying children.

“Do you guys have a place to stay?”

The children shook their heads at the same time.

Vivian thought for a moment.

He has grown incomparably compared to before and his abilities are outstanding.

‘But, I didn’t do it entirely on my own… .’

Honestly, Ian’s role is very large.

The price for the delivered magic stone has not yet been received.

‘It’s too shameless to ask Ian to take care of these children with only my relationship and sympathy… .’

With a feeling of selfish helplessness weighing on my shoulders.

Kati spoke briefly.

“Let me ask you.”

The meaning was immediately understandable.

“… Thank you.”

While Katy was communicating telepathically with her arms crossed, the three children looked anxiously at Vivian and Katy alternately.

I couldn’t tell you that it would be okay.

Even if Ian refuses, there is nothing we can do about it.

Katy’s answer came quickly.

“You gave permission. First, they ask you to come to the training center.”

Only then did Vivian breathe a sigh of relief.

In my heart, I once again thanked Ian for his consideration.

“Guys, let’s go to a place where we can rest first.”

Vivian led with the children, and Kati followed.

As we walked together, the kids asked various questions.

“Where are we going?”

“Yes, it’s a safe and comfortable place.”

“Sister, are you playing a wizard again? I heard a lot about you! What happened?”

“A very good person helped me. He prepared the place where I am going now.”

The children’s eyes lit up and they seemed to be imagining that good person.

Kati, who followed, nodded in satisfaction as she looked at Vivian’s praise and the children’s expectations.

‘Umm… .’

[What, what else is going on?]

Without realizing it, I ended up sending a satisfied voice through telepathy.

‘… no.’

*

Daisy, facing Ian, whispered to Vivian.

“I don’t think he’s a good person… .”

Laura and Humphrey also nodded shallowly at those words.

Clearly, his impression was about halfway across the planet away from ‘good’.

It was clear that if people like that were good people, there would be no bad people in the world.

“Guys… ! Well, you can’t do that… !”

Ian, who had been forcing himself to smile, stood up.

The children cowered in fear.

Looking at that, Ian felt confused and sighed.

“He will be in the next room, so please feed him briefly, wash him, and then bring him in. I have something to ask.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

Ian took out some preserved food that he could eat right away and left.

Vivian, who remained in the room, scolded the children as if comforting them, and then fed them food first.

***

“Is my impression that dirty?”

Mercy suddenly responded to the muttered words.

“Didn’t you already know this?”

“… I knew, I knew.”

But these days, I often see young children who were not even in my family.

I feel a bit skeptical… .

When negotiating or being hostile to someone, you have a face that greatly benefits you.

“I’m fine.”

Kati blurted out.

“… okay. Thank you.”

“I’m fine too, what are you worried about?”

“It’s been a few years since you two and I have seen each other, so if things don’t work out, isn’t that more of a problem?”

I put aside unnecessary worries and wrote a letter to Amos.

“What are you trying to do?”

“To increase my work.”

I handed the finished letter to Katy.

“Amos, do you remember?”

“Yes.”

“Bring it. Show me that and they will come.”

“Okay.”

Kati left the room immediately.

Not long after, Vivian came in with the children in a huff.

“Ian… !”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, Humphrey, Humphrey… !”

When I tried to calm him down and listen to his story, the boy named Humphrey said he couldn’t speak.

I don’t know how to write, so I can’t express myself in writing.

Daisy and Laura say that Humphrey appears to be speechless due to shock.

This looks a little familiar somehow.

“Humphrey? Come here.”

“… … .”

“You’re not a bad person… !”

Humphrey approached Vivian cautiously.

I held the chin and looked inside, and sure enough, there was a seal of silence engraved on it.

“It’s a bit hot.”

A simple magic trick.

I erased the seal by pressing my tongue with my thumb.

“… iced coffee? Uh, huh?”

Startled by his own voice, Humphrey immediately burst into tears.

“Black, ugh-!”

Daisy and Laura also looked surprised and wiped away their tears.

While Vivian comforted the three, I first looked at the boy named Humphrey.

A boy so young that he can’t even be called a teenager yet.

I don’t think I was even 10 years old.

Mercy, perhaps guessing his age, sighed deeply from behind.

Now everyone seems genuine.

“Humphrey?”

“Yes… .”

“Let’s sit in the front.”

Humphrey sat in the front seat, shivering.

I’m about to ask you something, but I feel like I’m going to faint if I say anything.

“… Mercy, switch with me.”

In the end, I had Mercy take his place.

“Nice to meet you! My name is Mercy! Have you ever seen an elf?”

Humphrey whined.

“Really? Now, look. Elves have pointy ears like me. Isn’t it amazing?”

Big, pointy ears are not a characteristic that elves want to show to humans.

But Mercy had no qualms about that.

“Out of all the elves you’ll meet in the future, I’m probably the most beautiful, so take a good look today!”

After lightening the mood with a silly joke, Mercy carefully got to the point.

Very naturally, as if asking about everyday things.

Humphrey was absorbed in the conversation as if he were possessed by something and came up with an answer.

When Felix’s name came up and the things that happened to him were listed, Vivian’s expression turned cold.

Daisy and Laura, who had been listening together, lowered their heads.

Abuse and violence under the guise of training to awaken to an impossible superhuman.

I feel like I’m still alive.

Humphrey did not cry even as he poured out those harsh memories.

The eyes had already adapted to the pain.

Mercy was more bitter than Humphrey.

“… okay. It must have been a lot of trouble. You will be safe from now on, so it would be better to forget what happened so far.”

Next, Daisy and Laura.

The two weren’t abused or anything like that.

It is said that he left Arke village and came to the capital, where there were many people, and survived by hunting.

Then I found Humphrey abandoned on the side of the road.

The three of us learned Vivian’s name from a bulletin board we recently saw.

He said he was surprised to see that the name of the wizard who caught the king slime was Vivian.

When the conversation ended, Mercy looked up at me.

“Are you done?”

“Enough.”

While Vivian quietly hugs the children.

‘master. ‘It’s in front of the door.’

[come in.]

Katy and Amos came in through the slowly opened door.

Amos broke out in a cold sweat and counted the people in the room.

Mercy stood up, and I sat down.

“I have something important to tell you. Please sit down.”

“Yes, yes… . Well, what you’re saying is, to me, something… .”

“When will the article come out?”

“The scribes are currently working on it, so the first printing of the first edition will come out in two days.”

“Two days… . If you’re working, don’t you have time to edit?”

“Well, that’s all, if it’s a scoop.”

It’s a scoop.

I think what I’ve prepared is enough scoop.

I spoke softly only to Amos so that Vivian and the children could not hear.

“Do you know that Felix tried to turn ordinary people into superhumans?”

“I heard it through rumors, yes… .”

“What if the rumor is true, the victim and survivor is nearby, and there is vivid testimony?”

“… Yes, yes?”

“And the various violent or criminal acts that Felix has committed so far. For example, when the temporary test was over, he couldn’t accept being rejected and tried to stab another manager. What about this?”

Amos rolled his eyes, seeming to understand the thread of the conversation.

“I almost became the victim.”

“Neck, big… !”

Amos, who was about to say something, chewed his tongue.

“Sin, sorry… . Oh, I see. That’s when Felix tried to stab him… Yes.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Yes… . Not in detail, but.”

I took out a bundle of documents from my arms and showed them to him.

Amos’s expression became even more astonished as he checked the titles one by one.

“What do you think of this scoop?”

The astonishment soon turned into evil glee.

“My mouth is watering. However, that survivor… .”

With a gesture of his chin, he pointed to the boy in Vivian’s arms.

“This is a boy named Humphrey.”

Amos nodded and licked his lips, as if something was starting to come together in his head.

*

Vivian and the children were sent back to the next room, and Mercy and I gave detailed testimony ourselves.

The documents to be used as evidence were given to Amos.

Since Mercy had made a copy in advance, there was no need to worry about it being destroyed.

Amos, who had been nervous as he watched, ran excitedly as if he had never been like that before.

***

two days later.

“… … .”

Felix read the monthly magazine early in the morning.

“What the fuck… .”

He crumpled the newspaper, ready to tear it up, then threw it on the floor.

-bang!

Felix left the department’s office and walked towards somewhere.

Even if it wasn’t because of his angry gait, it was enough for the guild officials to look at him.

Others were also holding the monthly magazine that came out today.

“So I installed it… .”

“I heard that Mari will fall over one day. I would be happy to know.”

“What is it that makes Ji so angry?”

Felix continued walking, ignoring the scornful and disgusting looks.

The place he found was the third floor of Building C of the training center.

This was where Ian and Vivian stayed.

Felix opened the door to room 302 with a breaking force.

It was suspicious that it wasn’t locked, but there was no time to doubt it.

“Vivian… !”

The one who greeted him with a growl was not Vivian, but Ian.

Ian was sitting at the table.

“You… , you bastard… !”

“Let’s sit down first.”

It was as if he had been waiting.

Felix stood right in front of Ian and looked down menacingly.

“Where is Vivian… . How dare you spread false information like this? Are you out of your mind?!”

“You will soon find out who is sane.”

“Huh… . What kind of bravado do you have for someone who was kicked out for being incompetent? You still think you’re the manager of the first party, huh?”

Felix’s hands were shaking as if he was going to strangle Ian at any moment.

Ian didn’t mind seeing that.

He just put his hand in his bosom.

Felix stepped back, wondering if he was taking out a weapon.

But what he took out was something completely different.

The first thing that came out was high-quality parchment with both sides completely processed with magic.

The second thing that came out was a shiny gold coin.

“Well, what should we do… .”

Felix quietly looked down at the two items Ian had put down.

Immediately after realizing its identity.

Felix literally stopped breathing.

An imperial edict promising treatment equivalent to that of the royal family, given only to those who have made great contributions to the empire.

Apostle’s gold coin that can only be given to 7 people in Seonghwagyo.

And, the third is a black, softly shining seal.

The identity of Ian indicated by the three items was very clear.

There was no particular intention behind Ian showing his seal in front of the chief of Arke Village.

It was just to let you know, ‘You are officially screwed.’

He didn’t care whether he recognized him or not.

However, he had multiple intentions in bringing out three items to prove himself at this point.

Find out.

“Would you like to sit down now?”

If you found out, just figure it out.

-thud!

Felix had no choice but to sit down.

His knees hit the floor roughly, and Felix lowered his posture.

His body, kneeling, was trembling.