episode_0068

Jeong Yushin screamed inwardly with his eyes closed.

‘What the hell is it?’

Could it be a female virgin corruption engraving?

All sorts of thoughts swirled in his head.

He wanted to pretend to just wake up, surprise Mion once, and then have a pleasant conversation together.

The situation took a strange turn.

“Ehehe.”

Mion’s cute laughter rang in his ear.

A soft hand swept across Jeong Yushin’s forehead once.

Lick.

He felt the sensation of a soft tongue on his forehead.

Jeong Yushin’s body froze like ice.

“Then… tomorrow too.”

Along with Mion’s murmur, the Mommy scent faded away.

Rustle. Rustle.

Squeak.

The door closed, and Jeong Yushin opened his eyes wide.

“Ah… no, what the heck is it, really?”

Jeong Yushin muttered, looking at the ceiling.

The heart of Jeong Yushin, a 23-year-old single man who had always longed for the sweet romance fantasy narratives, was filled with confusion.

It didn’t appear in any medium: dramas, books, anecdotes, YouTube.

The meaning of a woman sucking on a man’s cheek.

‘Is it a green light? Is it a red light?’

If it was a light peck on the cheek, he would have thought it was a sign of affection.

Cheek sucking?

“···Did I misunderstand this world?”

Jeong Yushin raised his stiff hand and rubbed his cheek.

“Squeak?”

A white mouse, Rin, groggily opened its eyes, yawned, and made eye contact with Jeong Yushin.

“Come down a bit.”

“Squeak.”

Rin licked Jeong Yushin’s cheek.

“Haa.”

Jeong Yushin sighed and closed his eyes again.

He lay blankly for about an hour before getting out of bed.

He couldn’t sleep anymore because his mind was troubled.

Standing on the floor, he stretched his body here and there, checking his condition.

His body was cleanly healed without a single scar.

‘Good.’

Jeong Yushin changed his clothes and left the room.

When he went down to the first floor, he saw bustling guests.

“Sir Ska!”

Tarman, a large man with a shaved head, called out Jeong Yushin’s name loudly.

Jeong Yushin smiled and waved his hand once.

Tarman ran up and hugged Jeong Yushin.

Jeong Yushin’s brow furrowed.

‘This is a bit…’

A man hugging a man, it’s a bit much.

“Let go.”

“Yes!”

“Sir Ska!”

Snub-nose also came up and opened his arms.

“Don’t do it. People will misunderstand, won’t they?”

Jeong Yushin said, stepping back. In fact, some of the guests were watching with interested eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Snub-nose apologized, bowing his head.

“It’s okay. Is Anne in the kitchen?”

“Yes.”

Tarman replied.

Jeong Yushin nodded and went into the kitchen.

Anne was working hard cooking. Despite running the kitchen alone, she was skillfully handling orders without a single mistake. She’s truly a talented person.

Anne, who was working mindlessly, turned her head and made eye contact with Jeong Yushin.

“I’m here.”

Jeong Yushin said.

“You’ve arrived.”

Anne’s eyes turned slightly red.

Jeong Yushin smiled, went over, tapped Anne’s shoulder once, and said.

“It must be hard, you’re working so hard.”

“No. It’s nothing compared to Sir Ska’s hardship. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”

Jeong Yushin smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

“Sorry to bother you when you’re busy. Let’s talk later.”

“Yes!”

Jeong Yushin received Anne’s greeting and came back to the inn’s hall.

‘There’s really a lot.’

There shouldn’t be people around lunchtime, but it was gradually increasing.

He had no idea what was going on.

Snub-nose and Tarman were carrying food as fast as their feet could move.

He almost talked to them, but stopped.

There were many things he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to bother them.

He’ll just have to wait a little longer.

Jeong Yushin casually went to the counter chair and sat down. It was soft and comfortable.

Comfort that couldn’t even be compared to the dungeon’s hard and humid floor.

He realized his return.

“Squeak Squeak!”

Looking down, Rin was pulling on his leg.

He grabbed the back of its neck with his hand and placed it on his lap.

Rin wasn’t satisfied with that and wriggled up to his stomach.

Jeong Yushin leaned back on the chair.

Rin leaned on Jeong Yushin’s stomach.

Jeong Yushin closed his eyes and listened to the bustling sounds of the inn before dozing off.

“···Sir Ska.”

Someone called his name. When he opened his eyes, Snub-nose was looking down at him.

“Meal is ready.”

“Okay.”

Jeong Yushin stretched and looked around.

Rin was nowhere to be seen.

The inn, past its peak time, was deserted because all the people had left.

He went to the table where Anne and Tarman were and sat down.

“Here it is.”

Anne handed him a bowl of porridge.

Oat porridge with vegetables and chicken.

Jeong Yushin looked down at the porridge and asked.

“Was I unconscious for a long time?”

“Yes. It’s been about a week.”

Snub-nose replied.

“It’s been that long? But considering that, my body seems to be in surprisingly good condition?”

“Priestess Mion came every day and cast a ‘Vitality’ recovery spell.”

So that’s what it was.

‘Could it be that the cheek sucking was a vitality recovery spell?’

Does such an engraving exist?

He suppressed the questions that arose in his mind.

“Okay. Anyway. Has everything been alright?”

“Yes. Everyone’s been doing well.”

Not only Snub-nose but also Anne and Tarman smiled together.

Jeong Yushin smiled back and used a spoon to scoop up the porridge and bring it to his mouth.

It was savory and flavorful, perhaps because they used a rich chicken broth. It was so savory that it made his mouth water even more.

The soft chicken and vegetables mixed with the oats, adding to the chewing texture.

Jeong Yushin’s eyes widened.

“It’s really delicious.”

Tarman smiled contentedly.

Jeong Yushin tilted his head.

“Tarman, did you make it?”

“No. Anne made it.”

“Why are you making such a proud expression?”

“That…that’s…”

Tarman stammered with a flushed face.

“Tarman helped a lot.”

Anne stepped in and replied.

“I see. Thank you.”

Jeong Yushin ate as slowly as possible. It was to give his stomach, which hadn’t been active for a long time, time to adjust.

There was another reason as well.

It was a different level of emotion from the jerky or biscuits he had eaten in the dungeon. He wanted to keep that feeling for as long as possible.

A little later.

Jeong Yushin, who had scraped the porridge bowl clean, bowed his head slightly.

“Thank you. You saved me.”

Tarman and Anne waved their hands.

“Oh, no. Thank you for eating it.”

Jeong Yushin smiled and opened his mouth.

“Okay. You two go and rest. Snub-nose, stay behind. Let’s talk.”

“Yes.”

Tarman and Anne stuck close together and went into the kitchen.

He had been guessing, but now that the two of them were being lovey-dovey, he could clearly feel it.

Jeong Yushin turned his gaze from the kitchen and looked at Snub-nose.

“What’s it like dating a childhood friend?”

“I don’t know.”

Snub-nose scratched his head and continued.

“Isn’t that a world that guys like us can’t understand?”

‘Guys like us?’

Jeong Yushin’s brow furrowed.

“Why are you lumping me in with you?”

“Isn’t that the truth? Tarman and Anne are explorers, but they’ve half-retired, and their world is a bit different from ours, isn’t it? A life where you risk your life for a single sword.”

‘Since when was it such a romantic world?’

Jeong Yushin clicked his tongue inwardly, crossed his arms, and opened his mouth.

“Did Lord Aldaine look for me?”

“He came to see you once after hearing the news that Sir Ska was unconscious.”

“What did he say?”

“He said to come work if I was bored.”

I see.

“Do you know about Oswald?”

“Yeeeess?!!!”

Snub-nose suddenly shouted.

Snub-nose’s eyes were wide as if they would pop out.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Jeong Yushin moved his body back.

He was burdened by Snub-nose being so surprised.

“Do you know him? Or not?”

“A…as far as it’s known, he’s an executive of the Shadow Clowns.”

“In more detail.”

Snub-nose suddenly raised his head and looked around, then whispered softly.

“It’s difficult to talk about it here.”

“Is it some great secret? Then where will you tell me?”

“I don’t think it’s something to hide that much, but just in case, you should rather go to Lord Aldaine’s office and talk.”

Hmm. Is it that serious?

“I understand for now.”

“…”

Snub-nose’s eyes were sparkling with half worry and half anticipation.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No. Are you going now?”

“Wait a minute, where did my party go?”

“After moving Sir Ska from the shelter to this place, they came to visit for a few days and are resting for a while.”

“What did they say?”

“There was nothing in particular. They did ask if they could gather at this inn soon since the compensation was settled.”

“Okay.”

It was a relief that everyone was safe for now.

He was even more relieved that they didn’t go around talking about the nanny and Oswald as he had asked.

“One last thing.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think about…a woman kissing you on the cheek?”

“I don’t know, but logically speaking, I think it’s right to consider it a sign of affection.”

“Right? Then what about having your cheek sucked on?”

“Yes…?”

Snub-nose’s eyes were filled with confusion.

“Uh…uh…”

Snub-nose began to suffer from acute aphasia.

“No. Let’s go for now. To the monster dismantling site.”

“···Yes.”

* * *

Walking down the street, basking in the midday sun.

He entered Aldaine’s office at the monster dismantling site with Snub-nose.

“You’ve come? It’s been a while. Sit down.”

Aldaine said, raising his head from struggling with a stack of documents.

“Yes.”

Snub-nose stood next to Aldaine, and Jeong Yushin sat in the chair opposite Aldaine.

“So, what did you come here for?”

“Do you know about a guy named Oswald?”

“I know him.”

“Tell me about him.”

“You tell me first. Let me hear a bit. What happened in the dungeon.”

Snub-nose’s eyes sparkled.

It was as if a young boy was looking forward to a heroic tale.

Aldaine didn’t show it as much as Snub-nose, but he seemed curious.

Jeong Yushin scratched his head and opened his mouth.

“Okay. Let’s see. So…”

About 30 minutes passed.

“···That’s how it happened, and after killing all those assassins, I had a bit of an argument with that Oswald guy, and it ended. After that, I lost consciousness, so I don’t remember anything at all.”

Jeong Yushin’s story ended.

He couldn’t tell everything that happened in the dungeon in detail, so he summarized and organized it and conveyed only the necessary parts.

“Heo…”

Snub-nose opened his mouth wide and couldn’t continue speaking.

“…”

Aldaine rubbed his eyes silently and finally opened his mouth.

“No. Ska, does that make any sense? You were hit by bolts like that and still managed to slaughter all the assassins? And if that wasn’t enough, you picked a fight with that Oswald guy? But you still lived? How did you do it, you crazy bastard?”

Jeong Yushin shrugged his shoulders.

“I just did it, and it worked.”

“…”

Aldaine and Snub-nose stared blankly at Jeong Yushin.

Aldaine raised his head and looked at the ceiling for a moment before holding his head.

“Uh…where did I get to? Snub-nose, where did I get to in the story?”

“You haven’t said anything yet.”

“Right. Oswald is an executive of the Shadow Clowns. He’s a mid-rank explorer, but it’s difficult to see him as a typical mid-rank. That’s because his engraving ability is special.”

Certainly.

Veil of Darkness is a stealth engraving.

Deadly Back Strike is an engraving that inflicts fatal wounds when attacking from behind.

Each one was a good engraving on its own, but it was not difficult to predict that they would be even more terrifying when combined.

Jeong Yushin nodded his head.

Aldaine continued to speak.

“He has an eye for talent and is skilled. I heard his personality is a bit strange. You could say he’s fickle? He treats human lives like flies. But he’s also good at the work he’s given.”

“Your evaluation is a bit all over the place?”

Jeong Yushin asked.

“Because he’s a bit out of his mind.”

Jeong Yushin nodded at Aldaine’s answer and opened his mouth.

“His eyes were glistening, he seemed a bit crazy.”

“…”

Aldaine and Snub-nose closed their mouths and stared intently at Jeong Yushin.

Jeong Yushin tilted his head.

“Why are you doing that? Please continue.”

“Uh…in short, he’s more of a good killer than a strong guy. More of an assassin than a warrior. Frankly speaking, it’s extremely unusual that Oswald saved you. It’s hard to believe that he even gave you magic stones and made you an recruitment offer.”

“But it actually happened, didn’t it?”

“···No, it did, but. Hmm. Does this make sense?”

Aldaine’s face gradually frowned.

Snub-nose quickly stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“Sir Ska, what are you going to do about the 5th Prince’s nanny?”

“···I still don’t know. Assassins are wandering around the dungeon city, so it’s also a problem to just go to Oswald’s clan and bring the nanny. It’s also questionable whether they will hand over the nanny willingly. Frankly speaking, there’s no reason to bring the nanny.”

Aldaine interjected.

“Ska, the situation is unusual, so watch the situation and decide. Don’t go into the dungeon for the time being and stay in the city.”

“I’ll think about it. Then.”

Jeong Yushin finished speaking and got up from his seat.

Squeak.

Thump.

After Jeong Yushin left, silence filled the office.

“What the hell is Ska up to?”

Aldaine grumbled.

“Isn’t it a relief that he came back alive?”

At Snub-nose’s answer, a vein popped out on Aldaine’s forehead.

“Snub-nose, don’t keep making me speechless. It’s making me angry.”

“Yes.”

* * *

He was able to return to Darmong’s Inn around the time when the sun was beginning to set.

That was because quite a bit of time had passed while they were having various conversations at the monster dismantling site.

When he entered the inn, he felt a hot heat.

People were gathered in one corner of the inn’s hall.

Clap clap clap clap!!!

Applause?

“Hap!!! Yat!!!”

He could also hear shouts.

What the hell is going on again?

Jeong Yushin pushed through the people and went to the corner.

And he saw it.

A small fox beastkin was putting on a performance with three soft slimes.

People were smiling contentedly and clapping their hands.

Jeong Yushin stroked his chest.

Oh my. I thought something happened.

It wasn’t a big deal.

It was just a simple performance.

He had allowed the fox beastkin to come and perform occasionally during the last chef interview. It wasn’t that surprising.

The fox beastkin, who was working hard to move the slimes, discovered Jeong Yushin and smiled brightly.

Jeong Yushin also smiled back.

The fox beastkin wriggled and got off the chair, ran over, and shouted.

“Daddy!!!”

All eyes in the inn were focused on Jeong Yushin.

Jeong Yushin’s expression stiffened.

“Huh…?”