Episode 716: Alps (1)

The human race was defeated.

Of course, I didn’t mean a complete defeat. Temporarily entering a truce was a more fitting expression.

It was literally a temporary truce. It was unclear why the attack of the demons in angel masks had slowly declined, but those beyond the north remained silent and stood their ground.

The Continental Protection and Management Committee announced externally that our persistent’s resistance protected the continent for soldiers’ morale, but I thought everyone would know that the announcement wasn’t true.

The Vice Guild Master went missing, and the Guild master died.

Although I couldn’t confirm the scene myself, I could infer how terrible the Guild Master’s last appearance was through the reactions of other guild seniors. The guild’s atmosphere was dark and overwhelmed with strange emotions that were hard to express.

That was also a secret for some guild members. The only people who knew about it were I and Cho Hyejin, the secretary of the Guild Master. Team leader Kim Mi-young, senior Chang-ryul, senior Ahyoung, and Park Li-ahn.

It was widely known why all guild members weren’t informed of the truth.

Questions remained about whether I was caught between those who shared that secret, but I thought it was probably due to a lack of help.

It was a short battle, but I could see at a glance that everyone was tired. No other words were needed. I wanted to borrow even the hands of new guild members who weren’t reliable.

The person in the most serious condition was Jung Hayan.

‘She’s gone through a lot.’

She had maintained the spell all over the north for days.

It was said that she had infinite magic and superhuman magic recovery that couldn’t be understood by the common sense of the general public. Still, she naturally suffered from exhaustion.

I had also experienced magic exhaustion.

It was an unimaginable sense of loss and lethargy, pain that seemed to tear the soul apart itself, and an experience that I would never want to experience again.

Thinking about continuing to experience such a phenomenon made my body tremble without realizing it.

“Huuuu…”

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“Waaaang! Waaaang!”

“You think we should get going? Yes, that’s right. I have a lot of work to do today. Jung Hayan will be waiting.”

I took steps with a trembling heart. I, a new guild member, had been given a quest. It was to check and take care of Jung Hayan, who was constantly locked in the room.

I thought I couldn’t help feeling nervous even though I had been there several times already. When I first joined the guild, she was a kind person who welcomed me…

‘I don’t have to be scared.’

I was, of course, mentally limited.

When I knocked on the door with a little nervousness, I heard a voice similar to the sound of scratching nails on a blackboard.

“…”

“O-Oppa?”

“Yes… Yes… oh, no. Jung Hayan, I’m Alps.”

I felt too afraid to look straight ahead.

After a little silence, her hand came out from under the door. It was a hand that has been drained of moisture to the point where I thought it might be a mummy’s hand.

It was one of the phenomena that occurred when her magic was exhausted to the limit.

“Can… Can I come in for a second?”

“…”

“…”

“Oh, what do I do? Ah… yes. Okay, Sora. Yeah, come in. Be careful. Come in carefully. Don’t step on Sora, don’t step on her.”

“Okay.”

As I slowly opened the door and entered, the first thing I could see was Han Sora, who was hardened into a tree.

I had already seen it before, but it was a very terrible sight.

I couldn’t really see Jung Hayan, who was sitting next to her.

There was no way to check on her because she was wearing a hood covering her entire body.

One thing for sure was that it didn’t seem normal. Even her breathing seemed difficult. Her hair, which turned white, fell on the floor and seemed to be shorter than before. She even looked bent.

“D-Did you bring the magic recovery potion?”

“No, the Vice Guild Master said… He said you should drink only one bottle of the magic potion a day. It’s not good for your health if you take too much. You had a bottle this morning. Right now… I have to tidy up the room and a few things to take care of.”

“D-Did he say that he’ll come visit?”

“I told him that you looked tired, that you’ve been sleeping all day.”

“Oh, really? That’s a relief.”

“First, Whitey, Whitey… Can you take care of it, if it’s okay?”

“…”

The white dog silently settled next to Jung Hayan.

‘It’s gonna help.’

It would be helpful because I had the characteristics of being stable not only in terms of physical strength and magic but also in terms of psychology.

I knew that the closer the distance, the more helpful it was, but Jung Hayan didn’t seem to react.

‘I hope she’s alright.’

When Whitey wagged his tail desperately, she was seen slowly bringing her hand over Whitey’s head.

“Oh, oh, what is Oppa doing?”

“He’s still very busy. He’s tired from the meetings…”

“Well, yes… I don’t know when they’re going to start a war again.”

“I can’t tell you because it’s a secret. He said it was likely to start again soon. Our friend said he was thinking of another way and that they’re considering a preemptive strike. First of all, it would be better for Jung Hayan to take a good rest without paying attention to other parts. That’s the most important thing…”

“Uh… yeah. Sora also said that I need some rest.”

“You two have a very good relationship.”

“R-Right?”

“Yes, I can tell by the way Sora looks at Jung Hayan. It’s the same now.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What a relief. Hehe.”

“I also have friends like that back home.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, we’re far apart now, but we used to be really close together. They are friends who have been like sisters to me. We fought a lot and got hurt a lot, but they’re still very old friends. When I see Jung Hayan and Han Sora, I think of them too. Oh, you should eat.”

“Eat? I don’t want to eat…”

“But you still have to eat. Han Sora says you need to eat some, too.”

“Ahh… Yes… I need to eat something.”

“…”

“How’s it going out there?”

“It seems that the demons can’t easily access the fog that the summoner has laid. I haven’t heard exactly what’s going on yet. Shall we ask him? Oh, the Mercenary Queen woke up yesterday. I thought she’d be in serious condition because of the big wound, but I heard that she could move her body with ease. I don’t think Park Deokgu was hurt much in this Suseong exhibition either. It’s the same as before.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, the damage wasn’t great. There was a place that collapsed, but… As a result, the demons didn’t cross the line, so they believe the first battle was won. It’s probably hard for the demons to approach. You can relax and focus on getting back in shape.”

“Uh, yeah… even Sora thinks I’m too tired.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. Everyone is worried about your health. I hope Jung Hayan will be healthy soon.”

“Thank you…”

“I think the whitey wants that, too.”

“Waaaang!”

“Uh… yeah, thank you.”

‘I think she’s feeling a lot better.’

I couldn’t help but think of the past few days as a shining moment. At first, I was so cornered that maybe she couldn’t even hold a conversation.

I didn’t know how hard it was to stop them from continuing to head to war. It was a great result, just being able to have such a normal conversation.

As I constantly talked to her and watched her clean up the messy room and eat, I saw her nodding. It wasn’t hard to find a topic of conversation. Even if I didn’t say it first, Jung Hayan was talking to me.

“Hehe, so… We decided to move in together. Oh, Oppa said it was okay.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Uh… yes. I-I’m sorry, but… Sora is being a little stubborn…”

“If it really happens, please invite me.”

“Yes, invite you… I’ll invite you because we’re in the same guild.”

“I’m really glad you said that.”

“Waaaang!”

Soon, as time passed, Jung Hayan was starting to fall asleep.

It was, after all, still the middle of the day, but it wasn’t weird at all. Her body was demanding sleep to recover. Rather, it was a natural course of action.

“Would you like to sleep?”

“Uh-huh…”

“Should I prepare a bed for you?”

“No, I… here… I’m… going to bed here.”

“Then I’ll just cover you with a blanket.”

“Y-yeah…”

“…”

After covering Jung Hayan’s body half-lying on the tree with a blanket, I began to head outside silently.

The white dog, who had been wary, was also seen moving with me. After a slight pat on the head…

“Cho Hyejin.”

“I’m going to report this, right?”

“Waaang.”

When I knocked on the door of an office not too far away, I heard a voice saying, ‘Wait a minute.’ Not long after, the door burst open. Seeing that the window was open, it seemed like there was a customer who came first.

Of course, I thought it was none of my business. It wasn’t a matter of my concern because that wasn’t my place.

“…”

“…”

She was the same as usual. I could see her with the same hair tied up all the time.

Maybe she noticed that I was nervous, so she smiled and immediately opened her mouth.

She spoke in a serious and soft voice, a voice that seemed to be considerate of me. “How is she?”

“I think she has recovered a lot. I don’t think her magic has recovered yet, but… I think she’s much more stable than before… To begin with, I don’t think you have to worry anymore. Her magic recovery is very fast, so I think she’ll recover soon… She especially stable.”

“Thank you for all of your hard work.”

“No, it’s… It’s something I can do…”

“Not everyone can do this. You don’t have to lower yourself like that. You’re a person of great ability.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

“Today’s schedule is…”

“Yes.”

It was a steady posture.

“Are you alright?’

She was a spear-like human. Cho Hyejin, who had a strong and unbreakable belief, was that kind of person.

‘You… are you okay?’

It was amazing how calm she was. I could see her trying not to connect the pressure and emotions that weighed on her at work.

I could understand why she was sitting in an important position in the Blue Guild, which was the center of the continent, but…

For some reason, it seemed like she would collapse at any moment. In extreme terms, she looked worse than Jung Hayan.

‘You need help.’

I couldn’t figure out how to help, so I had no choice but to feel worried.

“Of course.”

“Yes, I’ll report back if there’s anything unusual.”

“Thank you.”

Even after the door of the office closed, I couldn’t walk away easily.

Not much time had passed.

There was a steady sob from within it.

It was close to screaming. Her voice was filled with sadness.