episode_0291

“Don’t needlessly draw attention to yourself.”

It’s an unprecedented piece of unsolicited advice—or rather, a profound saying—that permeates human history.

I burned with passion and showcased my abilities.

The result?

What I got back wasn’t fair evaluation and treatment, but the birth of an all-purpose slave who voluntarily lowered their status.

It’s a common story among us.

Of course, I was no exception.

“They say you can open sub-spaces, don’t they?”

“Ah, yes. Although they’re small.”

“Why don’t you join our party as a porter?”

“But I’m trying to hunt.”

“I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”

“No…”

“Ten copper coins a day. How’s that?”

“You son of a bitch.”

“So you’re that rumored adventurer these days. Your hair is truly black… And, they say you have the ability to store things invisibly, don’t you?”

“So what?”

“Work with us on something.”

“Work? What kind of work?”

“It’s simple. Just secretly deliver this to the neighboring kingdom, and…”

“Do you want to die?”

“I’ll bestow upon you a noble title.”

“…It’s a great honor, but that’s too much…”

“Listen. I highly value your special ability. If you use your ability under me to transfer these funds to the Marquis…”

“Get lost.”

“How intriguing. Truly intriguing. The ability itself isn’t rare, but its performance is exceptional. In my entire life, I’ve never seen talent like yours! Is it a genetic factor? The influence of mana? No, perhaps…”

“…”

“I have a proposal for you…”

“I’m not interested, and I don’t need it.”

“I’d like to research you a bit.”

“…Do what?”

“The magic tower will support everything. Of course, you’ll have some scars, but it won’t hurt…”

“You son of a bitch. I’ll send you to the embrace of mana.”

Because of a minor incident where I was trying to make a living over there and got slightly caught, I went through all sorts of absurd situations.

They’d try to exploit me, put a leash on me, or use me however they pleased.

It was lucky if they treated me like a convenient ATM.

Thanks to that, I was stressed enough to lose my hair for a while, and it was only after causing quite a ruckus that I was able to regain some peace.

Even now, they are utterly frustrating memories that I can’t just laugh off.

So I tried to keep a low profile.

At least, that’s what I thought.

But…

‘…The cat’s out of the bag.’

Hiding it? My ass.

Somehow, things always ended up that way.

Sometimes I even showed it openly, so…

Dong-woo and Hyung probably noticed, didn’t they?

I had already clearly displayed my physical abilities.

So, I had the naive thought that perhaps I could confide in someone I could trust.

It happened quite often.

Keeping such a low profile and hiding my abilities to that extent was too frustrating and annoying.

So I made up my mind and found Hyung.

“What do you think?”

I wanted to see his reaction.

I also had a vague expectation that Hyung would be surprised but accept it well.

If it’s Hyung, who is thoughtful and calm…

“So that’s how it works.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s really amazing. It’s like magic, isn’t it?”

“Uh…”

This isn’t it.

I thought he wouldn’t be *too* surprised.

But this is bland to the point of being indifferent.

I felt awkward with a reaction like a spectator watching some old-fashioned trick show.

Hiss-

Gulp gulp-

Hyung, whose eyes only widened slightly, leisurely opened the can and took a refreshing gulp.

“Kwah~ Ah, good. Aren’t you drinking?”

“I, I should.”

“The beer is nice and cold. Very good.”

It seems he liked the cold beer.

Hyung, with his eyes crinkling, munched on the jerky without hesitation.

Something… something…

“What? Not the reaction you expected?”

“No… well…”

Hehehe~

Hyung took another big gulp of beer, let out an exclamation of pleasure, and even shed a tear.

“Of course, after all the things we’ve seen together, how could I not have known?”

Oh dear… I knew it.

“I suspected it ever since we fought in Sagajeong before.”

It was back then, wasn’t it?

“You suddenly pulled a sword out of thin air, how could anyone not be surprised by that?”

“…I didn’t know you were watching the fight.”

“My little brother was fighting for his life alone; how could I look away?”

At his slightly chiding words, I quietly drank my beer.

The deciding factor was definitely the minigun rampage.

He chuckled and confessed that he and Dong-woo were truly surprised then.

“Dong-woo told me.”

“What did he say?”

“He said let’s just quietly pretend we don’t know.”

“Ah.”

“And since you didn’t seem to want to talk about it, I didn’t think of bringing it up.”

…I’ve been making a fool of myself all this time.

“When you carried me and ran to the rooftop, you know.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I thought then, ‘He’ll tell me his secret someday.’ But I expected it to take a long time; it was faster than I thought.”

“…Really?”

Hyung subtly nodded his head.

And he continued, chuckling.

“Do you know something?”

“About what?”

“That you’re a terrible actor.”

??

“Oh my, you big faker. Hehehe~”

He said it was hard to hold back from ignoring my awkward actions when I pretended to have found things outside.

“If even Dong-woo says that, then…”

“Hoo-wee…”

I was the one who gathered up the courage, so why am I feeling so embarrassed?

I shivered involuntarily from embarrassment.

Hyung, watching me like this, wore a calm smile.

“That’s it, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“It was frustrating and annoying to hide, wasn’t it?”

“…”

Puhuhuhu~ Even if you don’t think so, you’re surprisingly easy to read.

By this point, I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head.

To have a man’s resolve mocked like this.

Unable to soothe this embarrassing feeling, I emptied the rest of my beer in one go.

“…Still, thank you.”

Hyung also emptied the rest of his beer in one go and said softly.

“Telling me this means you trust me that much, doesn’t it?”

“…”

What’s he saying, it’s embarrassing.

Still, Hyung was right.

While I’ve grown fond of them, the thought that Hyung, Dong-woo, and the family could be trusted was etched into my brain.

Across both worlds, the kind of human relationships I have now were hard to come by.

Because it was difficult to meet people like this, I also had my cautious side.

It might have been light at first, but now… it’s not.

“You’re not just going to tell me, are you?”

“Originally, I was thinking of telling Dong-woo first.”

“Dong-woo is certainly good at keeping secrets.”

Hyung praised Dong-woo, who truly understood the weight of a promise.

“What about others?”

“Uh… Heize knows.”

“…You…”

I hurriedly replied to Hyung, who was narrowing his eyes.

“It’s not like that. I couldn’t help it because we were catching variants in our shelter.”

“Ah. Was it then?”

“Yes. It was too dangerous, so I had no choice.”

At the mention of Heize bravely holding off variants with just a pistol, Hyung clicked his tongue in amazement.

And he suggested, with a somewhat serious expression.

“Then, why don’t you tell them clearly while you’re at it? At least to the companions who came with us today.”

…Not a bad idea.

“Of course, if you can trust them.”

Even as he spoke, he subtly observed my reaction.

“Hmm. That would be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll call them over.”

Hyung shot up from his seat.

“Now?”

“Yeah, now. When you do something like this, you should do it all at once! You’re surprisingly slow sometimes.”

“Wow…”

“Hehe- Just a moment. I’ll call the kids.”

Hyung, whose footsteps seemed a little lighter, left the room and soon returned with three people.

The three, who entered the room with puzzled expressions, were…

“That’s cheap. You two are drinking by yourselves.”

“Oppa…”

“Hyungs, I’m disappointed.”

Seeing the crumpled cans on the floor, the three looked at me with cold, disappointed eyes.

At this, I chuckled softly and lightly tapped the floor.

“I called you because I have something to say. Everyone, sit down.”

“Tch.”

Seeing Heize and Shia, who showed a sulky reaction but immediately clung to my side, made me chuckle.

“Oppa. What do you have to say?”

“Before that, let’s each have a beer.”

“Huh? Where’s the beer…”

Whoosh-

“Ah?”

“Huh?”

“Woah…”

The three’s eyes widened as they saw the space opening in mid-air.

But that was it.

They were only slightly more surprised than Jihyeok Hyung, but there was no dramatic reaction.

“Oh my. It’s amazing.”

“It’s kind of cute. Roundish.”

“Ohh… Hyung-nim, is this magic?”

“…”

Even as they took the beer, I couldn’t help but ask about their reaction, which was merely like seeing something unusual.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“I’ve seen it once, so it’s fine. It’s still amazing though.”

Heize, I can understand, but…

“What about Hyunwoo?”

“Actually, I caught a glimpse of it from behind when I first saw you. Hehe.”

So he did see it back then.

“But why didn’t you say anything?”

“Uh… I somehow felt like I shouldn’t say anything then. So even though I saw it, I pretended I didn’t.”

“…Really?”

“…Because back then, Hyung-nim felt scary…”

Oh… he’s quite perceptive…

“I had more or less figured it out.”

“You did?”

“Before, when we were leaving school. I saw a bow suddenly pop out and it was amazing.”

…It seems she’d been suspicious since Yeongdeungpo Girls’ High School.

Shia said something unexpected to me, who was awkwardly smiling.

“Lawrence Unnie hasn’t been here long so she might not know, but all the women in our house know.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“All the women?”

I was surprised, but Hyung also truly didn’t know, so he asked Shia again.

But Shia smiled brightly and said something.

“Oppa. Do you know that sometimes you’re quite naive?”

“Me?”

Sigh.

“This one dares to sigh…?”

“No, what is it then?”

“The first one to notice was Grandma.”

“Grandma? How did Grandma?”

To me, who was blinking, Shia chuckled and explained the whole story.

“You know Grandma is very meticulous about food ingredient management, right?”

“I know that well.”

She’s so meticulous that even Grandpa couldn’t say a peep when she organized the refrigerator.

“She clearly used ingredients, but they were filled back up to the brim, so she thought it was really strange. To the point where she wondered if there was a goblin in the house~.”

“Ah.”

“And no one brought them in from outside either.”

That was understandable, assuming I had filled them up just in case I went far away, but…

“She decisively found out because of the expiration dates.”

“Expiration dates?”

“The dates were long past, but every single item was fresh, so Grandma was surprised.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t think of that.

“Grandma checks every single ingredient with her own eyes, so she knew right away.”

“Then perhaps…”

Shia smiled beautifully and opened her mouth.

“From the very first day you entered our shelter.”

“Whoa.”

“Wow… Grandma is amazing.”

Hyung and I were genuinely impressed.

But the admiration was brief.

Shia’s words meant that.

“So I’ve been putting on a show all by myself.”

Hmph~

“But why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well… Because Oppa seemed to want to keep it hidden?”

“Um…”

“I told you. You’re easy to read, remember?”

Hyung chided me, saying “I told you so.”

Seeing him drink beer with an annoying smile, I felt like flicking his forehead.

“Grandma said that since Oppa seemed to have his reasons, we shouldn’t pry and just pretend not to know.”

“Oh… Hmm…”

“She told us to be grateful for Oppa’s generosity and made us keep quiet. Everyone agreed.”

“So that’s how it was…”

Grandma…

I am overwhelmed by your profound consideration.

“…Grandma.”

“Hmm?”

“She tells us many things.”

“She did?”

“Yes. She said if we waited quietly, a day would come when Oppa would trust us. And then, we would naturally know everything.”

“…”

“Oppa.”

Shia put down her beer and looked at me with a direct gaze.

“Do you trust me now too?”

To Shia, who asked cautiously, I was about to say—

“Hey. Girl-”

Heize poked her head out and sent Shia a refreshing smile.

“Han trusts, so secret let go.”

“You mean, ‘reveal’.”

“Turn, turl? Reveal.”

“That’s right.”

“Ung. So I trust too?”

Pfft…

“…No?”

Just as Heize’s lips began to droop and Shia’s eyes started to waver.

Swish swish swish-

“Eek?”

“Ack?”

I raised both my hands and mercilessly ruffled the tops of both girls’ heads.

“I trust you. So relax your expressions.”

“Oppa…”

Hmph~

Perhaps pleased with the clear answer, both of them drew comfortable smiles.

But…

“…Go back to your room.”

Hyung displayed an openly displeased expression, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

Watching his strangely distorted face, a peculiar sense of satisfaction welled up deep within my chest.

This definitely wasn’t because of the rescued girls’ contrasting reactions.

“…Just give me more beer.”

“Here you go. Heheh.”

Hyung’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he tilted his head back and drank refreshingly, as if sulking.

Hyung, who had savored the refreshing taste of the beer, spoke to me, who was savoring the shimmering of black and blonde hair.

“Did you make up your mind because of Chairman Kim’s words?”

??

“About the generator, you know. You were worrying about that, weren’t you?”

Anyway, that old man is really perceptive…

“That’s part of it, but the reason you mentioned is the biggest.”

Hehehe. Really? So what are you going to do? Is there somewhere you can get one?

“Hmm…”

??

Hmph-

“…You don’t mean…?”

I silently drank my beer.

“You have a generator too?”

Perhaps it was because Hyung’s eyes finally widened.

Somehow, the beer felt even more refreshing.

About 25% more.