episode_0073

A week had passed.

Time passed quietly, contrary to Jeong Yu-shin’s worries.

Jeong Yu-shin visited Edel’s house, bringing food from the inn as a get-well gift.

A quiet living room.

Jeong Yu-shin and Edel sat facing each other with an old table between them. Luna was nowhere to be seen.

Jeong Yu-shin carefully opened his mouth.

“So… are you alright?”

“Y-yes, yes.”

Edel’s face flushed. Her body trembled slightly, so it seemed she hadn’t fully recovered her health yet.

Still, Edel’s body was gradually improving, as Mion had diagnosed.

A little bit of flesh began to fill out her skinny body.

Her warm, yellow fox ears and tail gradually became fuller and began to shine.

It was right to say she looked like a frail, beautiful woman.

“Here is today’s meal. Is there anything you need?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Jeong Yu-shin looked around.

It was a shabby house, but because Edel had been cleaning it little by little, it felt like someone lived there.

“…”

An awkward silence passed between Edel and Jeong Yu-shin.

Warm tea was steaming on the table.

He didn’t know the name of the tea Edel had brought, but it smelled good.

Jeong Yu-shin took a sip of the tea and widened his eyes.

“This is really good tea.”

It tasted like black tea mixed with lemon and ginger?

Edel smiled softly.

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

In fact, the tea Jeong Yu-shin drank was special.

This was because Edel’s experience as a herbal medicine expert for a long time was contained in the tea.

Jeong Yu-shin cleared his throat once.

“Well… actually. I came to see if you were okay because you seemed to be in a lot of pain last time.”

“Ah! Yes.”

Edel’s face turned bright red.

Mion had visited a few days before Jeong Yu-shin’s visit.

* * *

“Ms. Edel, how is your body?”

Mion asked.

“Thanks to your concern, I’ve gotten a lot better. But, High Priest, I have something to ask you.”

Mion smiled gently at Edel’s question and nodded.

“Yes. Please, tell me anything.”

“That’s…”

Edel hesitated and carefully told her about her experience.

“At the end, I suddenly felt like I was being electrocuted… a sense of pleasure. Or maybe closer to a sense of liberation. It’s difficult to explain in words. What do you think?”

Edel asked Mion for her opinion with a flushed face.

Mion listened for a while, then seemed to think about something for a moment before opening her mouth.

“This is just my guess. Mana sclerosis is a rare disease, so there aren’t many prognoses.”

Mion continued.

“I think it’s a mechanism similar to mana adaptation, what people call leveling up. When you level up, your mana and physical abilities improve, so you feel a sense of omnipotence close to pleasure. In Edel’s case, I think she felt dozens of times more pleasure than leveling up in the process of her body, which had been blocked by mana, returning to normal. I’m not sure.”

Edel thought carefully.

“Then why didn’t I feel pleasure from the beginning?”

“Isn’t it because you only feel omnipotence when the body’s transformation is nearing its end?”

Edel nodded at Mion’s answer.

“That’s right. I thought Sca had a ‘special’ imprint. Ah! That’s not to say I’m not grateful. It’s true that Sca saved my life. I was just curious…”

Edel realized her mistake at the end and was embarrassed.

“…”

Cold sweat dripped down Mion’s forehead.

Certainly.

Sca’s mana was a small amount, but it was strangely pure.

It was the first time she had encountered Barbaroi mana. Nevertheless, Sca’s mana was qualitatively different from that of ordinary people.

It was like the mana of a newborn baby?

Mion stopped her train of thought.

She had come to visit the sick, not to deduce things. Moreover, it was rude to Edel, who was sitting in front of her.

Mion smiled and got up from her seat.

“Ms. Edel, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. Thank you for stopping by.”

Edel bowed deeply.

* * *

“Are you okay?”

Jeong Yu-shin’s worried voice was heard.

Edel came out of her reverie.

“Yes.”

Jeong Yu-shin drank the remaining tea and got up from his seat.

“Please rest comfortably, and if you need anything, please tell me anytime.”

“Thank you. Sca. If you need any help with herbs, please consult me.”

“Okay then.”

Jeong Yu-shin nodded and left Edel’s house.

He walked along the quiet street at noon and returned to Darmon’s inn.

The inn was crowded with people.

Most of them were merchants from the Lionel Kingdom.

Since he was busy dealing with explorers in the morning and evening, lunchtime was the only time he had to eat properly.

Jeong Yu-shin watched Tarman and Pug Nose running around busily, then went to the counter and sat down.

The wind coming in through the window was mixed with sticky humidity.

Jeong Yu-shin closed his eyes and folded his arms.

As he was thinking about this and that, he heard the merchants’ conversation.

“Hey, did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“Someone said they saw the fifth prince’s nanny in this city?”

“Isn’t that just a rumor? How could the fifth prince’s nanny walk all that way?”

“Someone said they saw her in the eastern district?”

“That’s hard to believe. Even if it’s true, aren’t there people living there who have turned into monsters? There’s no reason for the fifth prince’s nanny to go to that dangerous place.”

“But what if the fifth prince is there?”

“Shh! Are you trying to get into trouble? The atmosphere in the city has been ominous these past few days. It’s a time to be careful about what you say.”

“…Sorry. I’ll just drink.”

The merchants’ conversation soon went in another direction.

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyebrows twitched.

‘Damn it.’

Is Oswald calling for him?

He leaned quietly on the chair and waited until evening.

How long had he waited?

The sun set and explorers began to gather in the inn’s restaurant.

The party was scheduled to meet today.

They should be coming soon.

Thump!

The door opened and the party members entered the inn.

Jeong Yu-shin opened his closed eyes.

Soline, Gallaheim, Pyrion.

“Did anything happen to you all?”

Jeong Yu-shin asked the approaching party members.

“We rested well as usual.”

“We rested well for the first time in a while.”

Jeong Yu-shin got up from his seat and led the party to a table near the counter.

“Tarman! Please prepare something to eat!”

“Yes!”

Tarman ran to the kitchen.

“We have something to talk about today, so let’s hold off on the drinks.”

Jeong Yu-shin said as he sat down at the table.

The party members, noticing the unusual atmosphere, nodded.

Tarman soon came with dinner on a tray.

The dinner menu was baguette bread and tomato stew with plenty of chickpeas, chicken, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

The party members swallowed their saliva.

“The smell is amazing.”

“There’s a lot too. I’m glad I didn’t eat dinner.”

The party members each said a word and began to eat their food ravenously.

Jeong Yu-shin looked at the party members and picked up his spoon.

After the meal, fruit juice was served instead of alcohol as a refreshment.

The party members sipped their juice and chatted about what they had been doing during their break.

Jeong Yu-shin was curious.

“Gallaheim, how have you been spending the past week?”

Gallaheim shrugged his shoulders.

“I went to the library and read books, and I went to the smithy to check my weapons. Self-improvement is in vogue in the maze city these days. It was a pretty fulfilling time.”

Hmm.

Jeong Yu-shin stared at Gallaheim’s nose mask.

“What…?”

Gallaheim fiddled with his mask.

“Let’s talk honestly. As party members. Without hiding anything.”

“Hey! Aren’t we people who have exchanged lives? Trust me!”

“Let’s take off the mask first.”

As Jeong Yu-shin’s hand slowly approached, Gallaheim was horrified and pulled his body back.

“D, don’t do it!”

Soline laughed at the sight.

“Sca, aren’t you tormenting Gallaheim too much? How have you been spending the past week?”

Jeong Yu-shin shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve been busy.”

He woke up every morning and practiced wielding his sword.

When he had time, he sometimes went to visit Edel.

When Pug Nose had a day off, he even worked as a waiter himself.

In the evening, he, Anne, and Tarman put their heads together and discussed the operation of the inn.

It was a fulfilling time. And it was a time that couldn’t be contained in one word.

Soline smiled and opened her mouth.

“Great. I went to see the blacksmith street in the west that Guild Leader Sheean recommended. There were various weapons and tools because it’s a maze city, and it was fun to see them.”

Jeong Yu-shin and the party members spent time talking about this and that.

They didn’t talk about the fifth prince’s nanny.

As time passed and it became late at night, the guests left the inn one by one.

He let Anne and Tarman go home.

Pug Nose packed up some food and went to Edel’s house.

Only Jeong Yu-shin’s party was left in the inn.

Jeong Yu-shin folded his arms.

It was time for a full-fledged meeting.

They needed to decide on the future direction of the party.

“There are rumors about the fifth prince in the city.”

Pyrion, who had been quietly closing his mouth at Jeong Yu-shin’s words, finally opened his mouth.

“That’s right. To be exact, it’s a rumor about the fifth prince’s nanny.”

“Regardless of everything else, I don’t want to be involved with the fifth prince. It’s too dangerous for our party to handle. That’s my honest feeling.”

The party members all nodded at Jeong Yu-shin’s words.

Soline opened her mouth with a serious expression.

“I don’t want to admit it, but the initiative is currently with Oswald.”

“The problem is that we don’t know what Oswald is thinking.”

Jeong Yu-shin added.

“That’s right.”

Soline agreed.

“Sca, are you going to look for the fifth prince’s nanny?”

Pyrion asked.

Jeong Yu-shin folded his arms and pondered.

What should he do?

Oswald said he would take the fifth prince’s nanny as a ‘hostage’.

But for him, the fifth prince’s nanny was just a ‘bomb’ of no value.

Oswald isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t have used the word hostage for no reason. It was clear that he had something up his sleeve.

Currently.

The fifth prince was nowhere to be seen.

Assassins from who knows where were aiming for the fifth prince’s nanny.

In addition, merchants suddenly gathered from the Lionel Kingdom.

Clues were given, but it was difficult to find a connection.

More information was needed.

Not just wild rumors, but direct and practical information.

‘After all, if you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into the tiger’s den?’

Jeong Yu-shin made a decision.

He should meet Oswald.

He looked around at the party members and opened his mouth.

“It’s too early to make a conclusion yet. I’ll have to go to Oswald’s clan in the eastern district.”

Soline’s expression hardened.

“Are you going alone? Let’s go together.”

“That’s right. You never know what might happen?”

Jeong Yu-shin shook his head.

“No, I’ll have to go alone.”

“Why? Do you not trust us?”

A hint of self-reproach could be seen on Soline’s stiff face.

“No, let’s say we all go together. If it’s a trap, everyone will be in danger. It’s inefficient.”

“Why are you trying to carry the heavy burden alone?”

Jeong Yu-shin chuckled.

“Because I’m the leader of this party. And I’m not carrying it alone. I’ll ask for help if I need it. And.”

He added, looking at the party members.

“Don’t be too gloomy. I don’t want to die either. If Oswald was trying to harm us, he would have already done it. I think it’s safe.”

The party members’ expressions didn’t ease, but they seemed to be somewhat convinced.

In particular, Gallaheim was nodding vigorously.

“Well! Go back now and let’s see each other tomorrow. Gallaheim, let’s have a talk.”

“Me? Why me?”

Gallaheim stared blankly at Jeong Yu-shin.

“It’s nothing, I just have something to ask.”

Soline and Pyrion got up from their seats.

“Okay. If it seems dangerous, be sure to contact me. I’ll run to you.”

“Okay. Rest well.”

Jeong Yu-shin saw the party members off to the outside of the inn and returned to his seat.

“So, what do you want to ask?”

Gallaheim asked.

Jeong Yu-shin tapped the table and brought up the subject.

“Gallaheim, from what I heard you say in the maze, you seem to know a little bit about the eastern district? Let’s be honest. Where did you really go? Don’t tell me any of that library or self-improvement nonsense. Really.”

“It’s… it’s true. I went to the library!”

As Gallaheim was trying to protest hard.

Squeak.

The inn door opened and Pug Nose came in.

“Sca.”

“How’s Edel?”

“She’s much better.”

“I see. Contact Aldaine. Tell him I’m going to the eastern district.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“You could die?”

Pug Nose smiled.

“I don’t think I’ll die.”

“Okay.”

“But who is this person?”

Pug Nose asked, looking at Gallaheim.

“Our companion.”

Jeong Yu-shin smiled and put his arm around Gallaheim’s shoulder.

Jeong Yu-shin’s strong arm held Gallaheim’s shoulder tightly.

The color drained from Gallaheim’s face.

“H, he said he was going alone!”

Jeong Yu-shin smiled and whispered.

“I changed my mind. Let’s go together. To the eastern district.”