episode_0087

Meanwhile, the Mechanic Guild was in chaos.

– Changgi, who left a message saying, “I’m slowly descending,” ten days ago and hasn’t returned.

– Bridget confessing under Ian’s pressure, “I killed Unni.”

– While the guild executives were unsure if they knew the situation, the atmosphere was grim.

It had already been over ten days, now the eleventh day.

Eventually, while the guild members were distracted, Bridget disappeared.

After confessing, she took advantage of the moment when everyone was lost in their thoughts and ran away.

“Argh!! That darn rude lady! Who does she think she is calling me rude!? She shouldn’t curse at Madam! She has so much pent-up anger herself and yet she calls Madam rude! Saying she killed Unni and then running away, what does she expect us to doooo!!”

Thanks to her, Ian was furious too.

Being the current rank 1, he was furious at the outcome despite putting his own work on hold to help.

The Mechanic Guild members who watched this situation unfold reported.

“It seems our lady has reached the top.”

“It doesn’t seem to be the 15th floor, she must have gone somewhere else…”

“It hasn’t been long, we’ll find her soon, don’t worry.”

Everyone was exhausted.

The usually straightforward leader was now tangled up in worries when it came to her daughter.

She was a truly annoying lady, but the guild master was worried about her appearance.

“What should we do? What if she went to some strange floor and got caught up in trouble, or worse, tried to commit suicide! Ugh!”

“Our lady is not the type to do something like that.”

“From my perspective, the current situation is a mess too! Why did we let Changgi handle Bridget going to the 15th floor! But then she just sent her off on her own, and if she gets caught by the Dark Web bastards and they put a bounty on her! Why are those bastards getting involved in this! They just want to destroy the Mechanic Guild and take over! Kidnapping a child is crossing the line!”

“Rank 1.”

“Even if Bridget said she killed Unni and disappeared. Changgi is too slow to respond. Looking at the recent messages, she just sent one saying, ‘How will this turn out?’ and there’s been no contact today. What are we supposed to do! We need more explanation!”

“Rank 1.”

“I want to rest too! If I go back, the guild-related work will pile up! Look, my hair is starting to get frizzy! The dye is fading, and my black hair is starting to show!! I want to relax all week, go to the salon, buy clothes, and enjoy myself!”

“Rank 1.”

“Why! Can’t you see I’m just rambling!?”

“Well, we just received a message. It seems that Scavenger has returned?”

“…Huh?”

Eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yes. They said he’s back. They met him while preparing to go up the tower… He should be coming up soon.”

As soon as the conversation ended, the guild home was bustling.

The commotion that started on the 1st floor reached the office on the 2nd floor, and before long, the familiar freckled face appeared.

“Why is the atmosphere like this? Is this a funeral home?”

“Changgi!!”

First, she hugged him.

She thought she would hit him when they met, but her body was honest.

Instead of hitting him, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest and kicking her legs in a frenzy.

“Why did you come now! You barely contacted me! You could have at least left a text message!!”

“I didn’t contact you often because Leia is sensitive. She usually turns off her phone when she’s with the kid. I still sent texts occasionally, was the gap really that long?”

“I know I received your texts! I know, but there’s something frustrating about it!”

Ian, who was whining incessantly.

He quickly scanned the room in the heavy atmosphere.

“What’s going on? Why is the atmosphere like this? Where’s Sister?”

“Well─”

He explained what had happened in the past 12 days.

– Despite taking on a request through the Guild, the attacks continued.

– Despite searching the dark web for the request that was posted, it was not picked up.

– There was a split opinion within the Mechanic Guild on whether to send people and to respect Leia’s opinion.

– While pondering how to respond to this, Bridgette, worried that Leia might get hurt, started drinking and became a drunkard.

Having repeated this for 11 days, it was inevitable that stress would build up.

“If you don’t like it, just leave it and do your own thing. You’re really something, too.”

Ian hugged him slightly and ruffled his hair, observing the reactions around him.

Ian, dressed as a witch, and the heavily armored warriors who looked completely out of place, were looking at him with tired faces.

“Who are these people?”

“They’re the officers here. They’re busy running around trying to find the ones who requested the attack on Leia, as I mentioned earlier.”

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

They nodded their heads in return.

“Meanwhile, look at what our auntie did.”

“…Sigh.”

Numerous bottles of alcohol rolling around.

He was surprised that there was no separate trash can for this.

“When our sister gets angry, she tends to solve it with alcohol.”

“It’s really not a good habit.”

“She should only have caused an accident once or twice.”

“So we take turns standing guard to make sure she doesn’t cause an accident.”

They replied sullenly, and he praised the officers who were standing on duty.

“How was it over there? Did you resolve things with Leia!?”

“Uh… I’m not sure if the people here heard it. Did you hear about what our aunt did from Leia?”

“The fact that the old lady killed her sister?”

“You heard it too?”

The room temperature dropped instantly.

But Ian was the only one feeling depressed, and the officers exchanged awkward glances.

While they were pondering how to explain it, Ian choked up based on what Bridgette had told him.

“I understand now why she’s acting like that. From Leia’s perspective, Jita is an enemy. She grew up in the arms of the person who killed her mother, so it’s natural for her to want to leave. So even though they barely reunited that day, she pushed her away so coldly.”

“…….”

“It wouldn’t be strange for her to hate her even if she had a fit. So Jita probably doesn’t want to receive more hatred and is just leaving everything behind.”

Ian poured out his heart about these struggles, but he was still puzzled.

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

“Should we say that you’re wrong about this?”

The atmosphere was awkward.

Even the Guild officers looked uncomfortable.

Feeling like he might have misunderstood something, Ian asked them in reverse.

“Did you only hear up to that point?”

“No? Jita killed her sister. She’s a terrible person who did such a thing. And if she can’t bring herself to send a search party because Leia doesn’t want it anymore….”

“She killed her sister. Did the story end there?”

“Yeah. She said that and cried. It was really unbelievable.”

There were several makeshift beds in the office.

Bridgette had been sitting here all day worrying about her child, and the guild members were worried about their guild leader.

“Wow, Sister Huh is truly an amazing person. She knows she doesn’t want to hide her mistakes, but shouldn’t say it like that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hiding something you don’t want to hide and explaining it accurately are different. I don’t know why mother and daughter are acting like this when they can easily resolve any misunderstandings.”

As Chang-gi straightened his back and relaxed the atmosphere, Ian felt a sense of relief, and the gathered executives awkwardly avoided eye contact.

“You all knew, didn’t you?”

“Well, sort of.”

“I couldn’t say everything because I didn’t know everything.”

“Even if you know, please explain to her later.”

Everyone nodded at Chang-gi’s words.

Ian, still confused, had to answer the question with a puzzled expression.

“Where did Lady Jang go?”

“She went to the tower. I’m not sure which floor she went to.”

“Oh my. Did she leave in the middle of the conversation because she was embarrassed? How funny. The child acts too much like an adult, and the parents act too much like children. I don’t know why their actions and thoughts have changed so much.”

Although he mocked as he pleased, no one denied it.

In reality, Lea acted like an adult, and Bridget acted like a child.

“So, let’s wait until we hear from her… whether to go back and rest, or take a nap here, it’s such a ridiculous dilemma,” Jung-kang sighed.

“Don’t just brush it off. What about Lea? Did you convince her?”

“It’s not so much that I convinced her, but we’re at the negotiation stage now… She finally opened up, so we need to meet with her together to clear up any misunderstandings.”

“What misunderstandings? Why are the executives reacting this way because they know something? This is entirely Mrs. Jita’s fault. I couldn’t even think about leaving the child alone, but I can’t say anything in her defense.”

“Well, Lea also has misunderstandings. So, I came down here to resolve that.”

Thinking back, it was laughable, but it was no joke.

This time, Chang-gi didn’t argue.

Not only did they find the missing child, but they also had to deal with the stubborn hunter. The guild was in a mess.

“-But, am I a detective now? Do I have to find the parents this time, not the child?”

“I’m sorry. Let’s just… between us, let’s just wait a bit.”

“When do you think you’ll find them?”

“They just left, so they’ll be found soon. Really. Just wait a little longer.”

“Tsk.”

Ian couldn’t believe it and was about to take out a cigarette due to stress…

Creak.

The door opened slightly.

“…? Who is it? I must have said not to let anyone in today except those involved-”

Beyond the slightly opened door, a red-haired head appeared.

“Huh?”

His words faltered, and his mouth twitched.

For a moment, he thought it was Bridget, but her hair was positioned too low.

She couldn’t be in that position unless she bent her waist and entered.

So, unknowingly, he felt relieved.

“Hello.”

“Lea!”

When the problematic niece came down herself, the situation changed.

Without disappointing their expectations, the girl nodded her head.

Except for the horns like a mountain goat, she was the Lea they knew.

Ian’s face lit up with joy at this achievement, and the executives also brightened up, but-

“-Ian, ma’am?”

“Hey, come on! I’m not an old lady!”

With a scream from her, the long-awaited reunion atmosphere crumbled.