"What's wrong with this crazy bastard…?"
Putting aside the fact that it's my first time seeing his face.
Why does he faint and act like a lunatic the moment he sees someone's face, ruining the mood?
"Hey. What's up with this guy?"
At my question, Gu Jeol-yeop carefully answers.
"…He is the Alliance martial artist who was left alone in the plains area I just mentioned."
At Gu Jeol-yeop's words, I scowled deeply.
This makes it three already this month.
It meant there were already three Alliance martial artists Gu Jeol-yeop had brought back from scouting.
Recalling that, I spoke to Gu Jeol-yeop as if I was dumbfounded.
"If you're going out to pick something up, why not pick up some money instead of uselessly bringing back people all the time?"
"…"
"Since when did you awkwardly start sticking nicknames on people? This guy's gotten even weirder."
Was it Yeolhyeopgeom or Hyeobyeolgeom?
I heard that some nonsensical nickname like that got attached to Gu Jeol-yeop.
If you interpret the meaning, it means a knight who radiates heat from his sword.
Just hearing it gave me goosebumps. What kind of name is that?
'And yet he's going around smiling like he's satisfied with it.'
Gu Jeol-yeop himself was walking around smiling as if he was satisfied even with such a nickname.
Perhaps because he couldn't understand my harsh words.
Gu Jeol-yeop asks me back.
"…But, I couldn't just leave someone in crisis to fend for themselves."
"Then I told you to think a bit before bringing them back."
"It wasn't a situation where—" "If it wasn't the situation for it, you shouldn't have brought them."
" "
Gu Jeol-yeop frowned slightly as if he didn't like what I said.
Well, saving someone in danger is morally the right thing to do.
From another person's perspective, it was certainly a good deed by Gu Jeol-yeop as a person.
"You fuck, don't you remember last time when you brought just anyone and they turned out to be a spy sent by the Alliance?"
From my position, it wasn't.
"Hey."
"…Yes."
"I told you, embracing and acting out chivalry is all good. But I told you not to bite off more than you can chew if you can't handle the responsibility."
Gu Jeol-yeop has a kind disposition.
He was also a guy who spouted romantic nonsense about dreaming of becoming a knight.
However.
That's fine once or twice.
"You're seriously insanely weak. If something happens here, you know you'll die without being able to do anything, right?"
"…Ugh."
Perhaps the words pierced him like a dagger.
Gu Jeol-yeop staggered for a moment.
"If you saw him in the plains, you could have just tossed him somewhere and left, why drag him all the way here."
"He was… a person whose body was injured…."
"If you bring someone back just because they're injured, can we treat them here or something? Anyone looking would think we have a medical clinic."
"That is…."
"You're the one who was careless during a hunt last time, got bitten by a Qingdu Snake, and was bedridden for nearly half a month, so who are you to worry about whom?"
Cough… ugh….
Dreaming of becoming a knight is fine.
I understand the desire to become a hero, too.
The problem is that he acts recklessly to his heart's content and then can't clean up the aftermath properly.
Looking at the staggering Gu Jeol-yeop, I examined the guy who was lying comfortably on the floor, having fainted.
'An Alliance low-rank sword squad member, huh.'
Judging by the clothes he was wearing and his level, that seemed to be the case.
"Hmm…?"
Looking him over here and there, I suddenly stared intently at his face, and…
It felt like a face I'd seen somewhere before.
"Who is it?"
My memory was hazy for him to be someone I knew.
It meant that even if we had met, he wasn't a very important person.
"Who is this guy?"
"Bi… Bi…. What was it again?"
"Yeolhyeopgeom Dae-hyeop, are you now forgetting even the information?"
"Ah...!"
"Aren't you impressive. Really, do you want to die?"
Because I had been grappling with a demonic beast until just before.
I slightly loosened my heated-up body.
Seeing that, Gu Jeol-yeop flinched and stepped back.
"…First Young Master, why are you loosening up your body?"
"You already saw my face, so it seems like you know why?"
"No, I do not know."
Even as he said that, I could see inner qi gathering in Gu Jeol-yeop's legs.
Look at this bastard?
"Oh ho?"
Is he now scheming to run away?
He's grown a lot. Our Jeol-yeop.
Huuuk.
Wrapping a slight heat around my body, I took a step closer.
Seeing Gu Jeol-yeop about to take off, I tried to increase my speed, but—
Grab.
A cold hand grabbed my wrist.
Looking at the owner of the pale hand,
Moyong Hee-ah looked at me with her sky-blue eyes and spoke.
"…It's mealtime. Young Master."
I thought about shaking her off, but…
Feeling the coldness on the wrist she was holding, I eventually clicked my tongue once and turned my body away.
"I'll clean this up and follow. Go on ahead."
"How long will it take?"
"It won't take long."
At my words, Moyong Hee-ah nodded and walked back the way she came.
And Gu Jeol-yeop, who had been watching the situation, stealthily followed behind her.
"Hey."
"Yes…?"
"You have to take that guy with you."
With an 'oops' expression, Gu Jeol-yeop hoisted the collapsed Alliance human onto his back and followed after Moyong Hee-ah.
That dense bastard felt like he was getting stupider in proportion to how slow his skills were.
"Anyone looking would think he hurt his head or something…."
Hmm….
Did I hit his head often?
As the past year of how I spent time with Gu Jeol-yeop flashed by, it was hard to say no.
My conscience, small as a rat's dropping, pricked me, making me unable to say it wasn't so.
"…Let's finish this quickly and go eat."
Moyong Hee-ah and Gu Jeol-yeop.
And after roughly sending off that nameless bastard as well.
I looked at the demonic beasts piled up in the back.
If left like this, demonic beasts hiding far away, or
those tearing through dimensions would swarm in, smelling the blood.
As I said, I had to process them before leaving.
I lightly loosened my fingers.
With this as the starting point,
The once-clear sky gradually darkened in an instant.
The deeply settling darkness oppressed the surroundings,
And the turbid qi mixed in the air vanished in an instant.
Wriggle—!
Activating the Demonic Path Heaven Absorbing Art, I felt the movement of qi from inside my dantian.
The movement was so vivid
That it resembled stretching.
The world had already become pitch black.
It wasn't actually that the sky had turned dark.
It was merely that darkness had fallen over my eyes viewing the world.
Looking at the hill piled high with demonic beast corpses,
I whispered very softly.
"It's food. Eat."
Did it hear my words?
[Grrr…]
The cry of a beast could be heard from somewhere.
After finishing the cleanup and returning to the barracks, several personnel were already gathered.
Not only the martial artists who had gone out to stand guard,
Gu Jeol-yeop, who had brought the personnel earlier.
And the current vice-unit leader of the Five Swords Unit and the other personnel were sitting in a line centered around the table.
"I said we'd eat first. Why is everyone gathered?"
Lifting the tent flap of the barracks slightly,
As I stepped inside, everyone who discovered me stood up and bowed to me.
I quickly made a hand gesture signaling them to sit back down.
Why do they all do such annoying things.
The vice-unit leader stood up and answered my question.
"I thought handling the work first was the priority."
"That thing?"
At the vice-unit leader's words, I pointed with my hand to the person lying dead-like in one corner.
"Why? Is there something strange about him again?"
"…We're still confirming, but fortunately, it doesn't seem like last time."
Again, like last time.
At those two words, Gu Jeol-yeop, who was sitting crumpled up at the very back, flinched and continuously cleared his throat.
Of course he'd be cautious.
"Where's Noona?"
"The Unit Leader went to check the gate."
I nodded at the vice-unit leader's words.
'It must have opened again.'
Lately, it felt like the frequency of the Demonic Realm Gate opening on the frontlines had increased somewhat.
The difference in frequency compared to the past was so large that it was certain.
"What should we do?"
At the vice-unit leader's question, I tilted my head.
Since the Unit Leader, Gu Hui-bi, was absent, command had temporarily fallen to me.
Ridiculously enough.
"Why do you ask one by one. Just handle it yourself, Vice-Unit Leader."
"How could I do that. It is an order from the Family Head, not the Unit Leader…. I dare not do so."
"Tsk…."
It was all because I clenched my teeth and cleaned up the mess when an accident occurred in the Five Swords Unit half a year ago.
At the time, I moved because it seemed like they'd all die if I left them alone.
Thanks to that, I ended up in this annoying position.
"…Send a letter to the Alliance first as usual. Check according to procedure, and if there doesn't seem to be anything particularly wrong, toss them out of the forest. Then they'll figure it out on their own."
"Like last time, if the Alliance doesn't have people waiting at the entrance of the plains, what should we do?"
"They have to figure that out themselves. It's not our job to worry about that."
"Understood."
"Ask him about the rest."
"Yes?"
As I pointed my chin toward the corner, the vice-unit leader sent me a peculiar look.
A look asking why I would ask someone who's sleeping?
I had no worries about that.
"He woke up a long time ago."
Sure enough.
Whether he heard my words or not, the guy pretending to sleep was seen shaking slightly.
"…Ah…. Ahh, I slept well…."
Did he realize all eyes were on him?
The sight of him slyly getting up was ridiculous.
'Looking at him, he's definitely a bit lacking in the head.'
Where did Jeol-yeop pick up another bastard like that.
Just looking at it gave me a headache.
"Ha... haha…! Hello."
Seeing him give an awkward greeting, I let out a deep sigh and stood up from my seat.
"Is there more?"
"Ah… well, Unit Leader…."
"I was going to go meet her anyway. You don't need to say that."
"Understood. Please rest comfortably."
He was asking me to go meet Gu Hui-bi as she finished her work and returned.
I wondered why I had to go meet her,
But I was already planning to do so.
'Even if it's not to see Gu Hui-bi.'
....
...
...
Anyway, it's a similar story, so it's all the same.
After tossing the remaining work for them to handle on their own,
I slipped out of the barracks and headed somewhere else.
As I walked, I could see smoke rising slightly in the distance.
"Young Master."
As I approached, Hong-wa greeted me with quick steps as if she had been waiting.
"Why did you make so much again?"
"…That, Miss Moyong said…. that Young Master moved around a lot."
Did Moyong Hee-ah say that?
Even so, why did she have them prepare so much food starting from lunch?
"Why go to such lengths and bother the kids."
"Ah, it's no bother. Most of it was prepared by the Moyong Family."
"Again?"
I had to let out a hollow laugh at Hong-wa's words.
I didn't know why they kept making ours when they should just worry about their own food.
As soon as I harbored that doubt,
Moyong Hee-ah walked over from behind Hong-wa and spoke.
"Since we're at it, I thought it would be nice to eat together, so I prepared it. Please accept it graciously."
"It's not like this is the first or second time we've eaten together."
"You worked hard today."
It wasn't like today was the only day I worked hard.
I tried to add something else,
But however you look at it, them preparing it was something to be grateful for, so I decided to let it slide.
Most of all, not to mention the Gu family's sword squad members,
Even the servants were having an easier time.
If there was something slightly reluctant about it,
'Given her personality, she wouldn't have done it without a reason.'
Given Moyong Hee-ah's personality, she wasn't the type to do something like this without a reason or any compensation.
On top of that, she subtly pretended to be affectionate, speaking softly to those around her,
Perhaps because, unlike her noble bloodline, she stepped up and worked hard herself.
News was coming in that Moyong Hee-ah's standing was particularly improving among the subordinates.
'…It does seem like there's a fair bit of intentionality to it, though.'
To me, it seemed like her actions were brimming with some sort of motive,
But since she seemed to be trying to keep things amicable,
I was just letting it slide appropriately.
"Oh right, I also prepared dumplings."
"…Where?"
Maybe it was because I looked for them too obviously without realizing.
Seeing my reaction, Moyong Hee-ah let out a snort and smiled softly.
Over the past year, Moyong Hee-ah had started smiling a bit more.
She smiled in the past, too, but
It wasn't the creaking smile like she was wearing a mask.
She had started making natural smiles much more often.
That didn't look too bad to me.
As I was taking a slight glance at such a Moyong Hee-ah,
"Gu Gongja-nim."
"Ugh…"
"If you don't mind…. Do you have some time after you finish your meal?"
Moyong Hee-ah covered her mouth with her sleeve and asked me in a slightly cloying voice.
What…. What's with that dripping voice?
Since it was a question, I picked up one of the dumplings placed on the plate and answered while eating.
"I have to go out and meet someone later."
"Pardon?"
"It seems my Noona is on duty today."
Did she not like my answer?
Moyong Hee-ah's expression had grown completely cold, unlike before.
"…Gu Gongja-nim."
Her voice was also full of frost, just like when we first met.
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to meet Geom-bong? Or are you going to meet Geommu-hui?"
"Why ask something so obvious."
It was a question so obvious it was laughable.
"Why would I go out to meet our family's resident crazy bitch because she's pretty? Obviously… hey, where are you going?"
"You have absolutely zero sense, seriously."
"Hey! Leave the dumplings!"
"Get your own!"
Moyong Hee-ah fumed and disappeared, taking the whole plate of dumplings with her.
…I hadn't finished eating them yet.
Looking at the dumplings that disappeared with her furious face,
I swallowed the remaining dumpling in my hand.
Since there was only a bite left.
It was quite a shame.