Today was my day off.
As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I did was move my right shoulder.
I lifted it, rotated it, and put some strength into it. Considering it had been grazed by an arrow, it wasn’t bad.
‘...Is holy power just the strongest or what?’
I stretched out long and sat up.
There were no commissions, but training was an exception.
Even with my eyes closed, I felt like I could see Garen’s face.
“Haa... I have to go...”
I let out a small sigh and got up.
✧ ✧ ✧
In the middle of the training ground, where the morning sunlight slanted down, Garen stood still with a wooden sword in hand.
Just as I was about to grip my wooden sword with my right hand, Garen’s gaze landed on my shoulder.
“You’re injured?”
“Yes. Got scratched a bit in a goblin den yesterday.”
Garen only nodded once, then immediately looked at my hand.
“Hold it with your left.”
“Pardon?”
I stared down at the wooden sword in confusion.
“My left hand?”
“Yes.”
His words ended there.
I’m originally left-handed. Writing, chopsticks, everything started with my left hand. But strangely, when it came to using my body, the right side felt more comfortable. Throwing and swinging were all done with my right.
Then I went to the military and held a gun, and my left side felt comfortable again.
Well, that’s just the kind of body I have. So I held a sword with my right hand.
While I hesitated, Garen looked me up and down.
“For an ordinary person, your body is too perfect.”
That remark bothered me in a strange way.
When I awakened the Dimensional Archive and pressed the physical optimization function, my body changed... so it was probably because of that.
“Eek, that kind of compliment is a bit... embarrassing.”
“It is the truth.”
Ignoring my words, Garen jerked his chin.
“Right or left, it only matters that you get used to it.”
I gripped the wooden sword with my left hand. Even the sensation against my finger joints was different.
Garen added briefly.
“Make it your strength.”
At those words, my heart gave a slight thump.
‘Ambidextrous... Does that mean I can use dual swords too...!’
Right then, the wooden sword came flying.
Thwack!
“Argh!”
“Take your stance.”
“Huh? No, you should at least give me time to get ready!”
“Cut the nonsense.”
Feet, sword tip, wrist, shoulder, center of balance.
Garen didn’t care about my injury at all. If anything, he was even harsher.
“Feet.”
“Lower.”
“You’re leaning left. Again.”
“Lower. Again.”
“Again.”
Every time I went in, criticism came flying.
It felt unfamiliar, but not impossible. My body was following along faster than I’d expected.
And that gave me certainty. The certainty that if I did it a few more times, I’d improve.
‘Heavenly Demon Physique... This is busted.’
Just when I started wondering when it would end, Garen lowered his wooden sword.
“Enough.”
I was half-dead. My left arm was trembling, and my right shoulder was throbbing even more than before training.
“Hoo... Cough!... Isn’t this a bit much?”
With the same perfectly fine expression as always, Garen handed me a water bottle.
“An injury is not an excuse.”
“...”
“Do not collapse just because you are hurt.”
I gulped down water and slowly exhaled my rough breaths.
“Hoo... So you’re telling me to become a testosterone man.”
Garen didn’t even pretend to hear me.
“Thank you again today, hyungnim.”
Then I put away the wooden sword.
Even though it was my day off, and I was injured on top of that, I still finished training.
Somehow, I felt like I was turning into a testosterone man, but I didn’t hate it.
✧ ✧ ✧
As soon as training ended, I ran to the bathhouse. It had been worth bringing a change of clothes.
After roughly washing up and coming out, that peculiar floating sense of free time that came with a day off arrived.
‘Normally, I’d already be inside the forest by now...’
There was nothing.
I stood for a moment in front of the bathhouse.
Pfft.
A laugh slipped out.
‘What am I doing, seriously?’
Before I knew it, my feet were facing the guild.
It wasn’t as if I had no business there.
Well, I did.
Probably.
✧ ✧ ✧
The guild was quiet.
At the sound of someone entering, Luce lifted her head, and when she saw me, her eyes widened a little.
“Oh, Siyun?”
“Good morning... no, good late morning.”
“Pfft, yes. Good late morning, Siyun.”
Luce accepted it with a small laugh.
“Are you resting today?”
“Yep, it’s my day off.”
I casually rested an arm on the reception counter.
Luce closed the ledger and looked at me. Her expression was much brighter than yesterday.
Maybe she had noticed that I’d come on purpose.
Luce’s eyes touched my right shoulder.
“Is your shoulder all right?”
“It’s much better. I think it’s thanks to you, Luce.”
The corners of Luce’s mouth rose slightly.
“That’s a relief. Truly.”
The conversation paused for a moment. It wasn’t a bad silence.
For no reason, I picked up a quill and then put it back down.
Then my gaze briefly caught on the wooden plaque beside the ledger.
[Seonggwan Calendar, Year 1113, June 12]
At that moment, a translucent window appeared at the edge of my vision.
[Local time system recognition complete.]
[Local date and time synchronization complete.]
Seonggwan Calendar, Year 1113, June 12, 10:43:17
It seemed the Dimensional Archive had recognized this place’s time system.
I ignored the window and looked at Luce.
“Do you change this wooden plaque every day?”
“Yes. Otherwise, the ledgers get mixed up.”
I leaned slightly toward Luce.
“But you’re always here whenever I come... When do you rest?”
“I rest too. Sometimes.”
“Come on, you’re always here... I thought you practically lived here.”
“That’s too much.”
Luce laughed softly and closed the ledger.
“Normally, I work six days and rest one. But we’ve been busy lately, so I’ve been coming in every day.”
“You really have it rough.”
“Still, I’m off tomorrow.”
I added my words as if disappointed.
“Ah, then that’s a problem.”
“What is?”
“Won’t you be bored?”
“Me, or you, Siyun?”
At that, I was briefly at a loss for words, then laughed.
“Obviously you, Luce. You’ll be bored without me.”
Luce narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at me.
“I wonder~?”
“Eek, what kind of reaction is that?”
In the end, Luce burst into laughter. For some reason, that made me feel good.
“Siyun, please really rest today.”
“Yep, I came here to rest, after all~”
“Really?”
“Heh, probably. Mm... I’ve been here too long while you’re working, haven’t I?”
“Well, yes, you have.”
I smiled and stepped away from the reception counter.
Just as I was about to move my feet, Luce spoke.
“Still... I was glad you came.”
The foot I had been about to lift hesitated.
For no reason, I scratched the back of my neck and waved.
“Me too.”
Afraid my smile would show, I quickly left the guild.
‘...This is fun.’
For no reason at all, my mood improved.
✧ ✧ ✧
When I returned to the Healing Sanctuary, Ren and Riena had prepared lunch.
Bread, soup, boiled vegetables.
It was the same as usual, but strangely, it felt more comforting.
After eating, I helped Riena with the laundry.
With the two of us working at the sunny wash area, it was over quickly.
Normally at this hour, I would have been slitting goblin throats in the forest, but right now I was shaking out wet cloth under the sunlight.
Well, it wasn’t bad.
On the way out, I stopped by Roy’s room for a moment.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Yep. You look much better.”
“Well, I can walk around the corridor now.”
“That’s a huge step forward.”
I pulled over the chair beside him and sat down with a smile.
“Then you’ll be able to return to the party soon, won’t you?”
“Don’t rush it.”
“Heh, all right. Roy hyung.”
The corners of Roy’s mouth lifted slightly.
“It’s your day off, so eat well and don’t get hurt.”
“Yep.”
It was a short conversation. But it was enough.
As I left Roy’s room, I ran right into Kaya in the hallway.
“Oh, Kaya. Sleep well?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Well, I slept fine.”
Kaya was in comfortable clothes, and she had a thin book in one hand. She really looked like she was on a day off.
“Are you actually resting? It looks like you’ve been going all over the place.”
“This is resting. I’m taking a walk.”
Kaya laughed softly.
“You went to morning training, didn’t you?”
“That’s separate.”
“You really...”
“Turns out an injury isn’t even an excuse to Garen hyungnim.”
Kaya looked at my shoulder, and her eyebrows lifted slightly.
“At least for today, don’t overdo it.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”
A little later, Marie appeared too. Seeing her without a single weapon on her felt strangely unfamiliar.
“What are you doing here?”
“Resting.”
“But you went to training.”
“That’s... just routine.”
“You’re really pitiful~”
“Hey now, don’t talk like it has nothing to do with you.”
“At least I don’t get beaten up by Garen.”
I couldn’t refute that. That only made it more unfair.
As the three of us walked side by side, I brought it up.
“I was thinking of going to look at some equipment...”
“Let’s go together. I have something to buy too.”
After a beat, Marie shrugged.
“I’ll just browse.”
✧ ✧ ✧
After looking around the village for a bit, Kaya turned toward the blacksmith.
The moment we opened the door, a stifling wave of heat rushed out.
The smell of heated metal and charcoal stung my nose, and the sound of hammering echoed low.
As soon as I entered, the blacksmith looked at my iron sword before he looked at my face.
“You’re that outsider?”
“Yes. I’m Baek Siyun.”
“What are you here for?”
“To have my iron sword maintained.”
Instead of answering, he held out his hand first.
“Hand it over.”
I unfastened the iron sword at my waist and placed it in the blacksmith’s hand.
The moment the blacksmith received the sword, he narrowed one eye and inspected the blade, handle, and scabbard in order.
He wasn’t just looking. They were eyes that read every trace the sword had walked through.
“Where did you get this sword?”
“It’s a sword from the guild storage.”
“...Not bad.”
For no reason, I gave a slight shrug.
“I haven’t used it carelessly.”
He drew the iron sword from its scabbard. He held the blade up to the light, scraped it with his fingernail, and pressed the handle with his thumb. Every movement was practiced.
“The edge is dull, and the inside of the scabbard is worn.”
“That’s why I came.”
Only then did the blacksmith’s eyes turn toward me.
“How did you know?”
“Well... I figured it out as I kept using it. The edge doesn’t cut well, and it feels like it catches when I draw it from the scabbard... It just feels different.”
A short silence flowed by.
His gaze lowered to the sword again.
“Not many men know that.”
His words were blunt, but the temperature had changed ever so slightly.
I smiled faintly.
“I care about it. It’s my first sword.”
He looked at my hands.
My palms, my knuckles, the location of my calluses.
After briefly scanning them, he touched the mouth of the scabbard with his fingertips.
“Did you oil it?”
“Well... sometimes.”
“Sometimes isn’t enough.”
The blacksmith cut me off briefly and jerked his chin toward the workbench.
“Sit.”
I glanced once at Kaya and Marie’s faces, then quietly sat down.
Just then, a young man poked his head out from inside. Burn scars on the backs of his hands, an old apron dusted with metal filings, and a face steeped in the smell of the forge.
“Toby.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Whetstone, oil, awl.”
“Yes, sir!”
Toby ran to the shelf and gathered the items. His hands were quick, and his body knew where everything was.
Looking at the iron sword, Toby slipped in a comment.
“The edge is better than I expected.”
“Watch.”
“...Yes, sir.”
Even though he had been scolded a little, Toby stealthily smiled. For some reason, it was funny.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
The sound of the whetstone settled into a steady rhythm.
In the middle of it, he reflected the sword to check the angle, then set it to the whetstone again. His hand did not waver even once.
Just watching him somehow inspired trust.
A little while later, he picked up the scabbard too. After looking inside, he inserted a thin tool to smooth out the worn areas, then added a bit of leather to the mouth.
“What good is it if only the blade is alive?”
“Pardon?”
“If the scabbard dies, the blade dies with it.”
My head nodded on its own. He was right.
The blacksmith moved his hands for quite a while longer, then held out the sword.
“Look.”
I received the sword and drew it slowly, carefully.
Shrrk.
It was different.
Even the sensation of it sliding out was different. The line of the blade catching the light had changed too, and for no reason, my fingertips tingled.
“Wow...”
An exclamation escaped me without my realizing it.
As if it were nothing special, the blacksmith said,
“I only sharpened the edge. It’s just a cheap sword anyway.”
“Still, it’s nice.”
“...What is?”
“Even if it’s a cheap sword, you made it so it can be used properly.”
He gave a short snort.
“Hmph. You’ve got a way with words.”
I sheathed the sword and fastened it at my waist. My hand naturally brushed the end of the hilt.
The blacksmith looked at my hand and said,
“You’re not the sort who uses a sword carelessly.”
“Well, it’s mine. I tend to take care of anything that belongs to me.”
“...”
At first, he had looked at me with eyes full of suspicion, but now the texture of his gaze had changed ever so slightly.
As he tidied up the workbench, the blacksmith abruptly said,
“Bram Cordel.”
I hesitated for a moment, then smiled.
“Ah, yes. I’ll be in your care, Mr. Bram.”
“No need for that.”
“I need it, though.”
Bram glanced at me.
“I feel like I’ll be relying on you often from now on.”
Bram touched the bridge of his nose once, then simply turned his head away.
“Check your equipment often. If you don’t maintain it, even a lump of iron dies quickly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I picked out one whetstone, a bottle of oil, and two leather straps.
Kaya chose bandages and a bundle of medicinal herbs. Mari was looking around the weapons section when her feet stopped in front of a dagger. It had a dark brown leather grip and a short, sturdy blade.
“You like that one?”
“No.”
“You were looking at it for a while.”
“I was just looking.”
‘You totally like it.’
Kaya finished paying and went outside, and Mari followed after her.
I chuckled and turned toward the shelf.
I picked up the dagger Mari had been staring at.
“Will you be paying?”
“Yep.”
“This dagger too?”
“Yes, that too.”
Toby placed the items on the workbench one by one and spoke quickly.
“Maintenance for the iron sword, a whetstone, oil, two leather straps, and one dagger comes to... three silver coins and eight copper coi—”
“Forget the maintenance fee.”
Bram cut him off.
I froze for a moment.
“...Pardon?”
“I’m not taking it.”
A laugh slipped out of me.
“Come on, how does that make sense?”
Bram waved his hand, cutting me off.
“If I said it’s fine, then it’s fine.”
“Come on...”
As my words trailed off, I moved my hand quickly.
“It was three silver coins and eight copper coins, right?”
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Bram’s eyebrow rose ever so slightly.
“Thank you, Mr. Bram! I’ll come again!”
With those words, I practically ran outside.
Then I thrust the dagger straight toward Mari.
“Take it. It’s yours.”
“...What?”
Mari reflexively took it. Then her eyes widened.
“Why did you buy this?”
“You were looking at it for ages earlier.”
“...I don’t even like it.”
She said that, but the dagger didn’t leave her hand.
Beside us, Kaya laughed quietly.
“Let’s go.”
After walking a little, Kaya glanced at me.
“Siyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Mr. Bram is... on the fussy side. How did you manage that?”
“Ah, that?”
I shrugged.
“Well... I figured most of the equipment in this village must have passed through Mr. Bram’s hands.”
“So?”
“For someone like that, wouldn’t he like people who properly cherish the things he’s worked on?”
A brief silence flowed between us.
Kaya looked unexpectedly surprised.
“...You thought that far?”
“I just took a rough look and thought that was probably the case.”
Mari passed by my side and muttered under her breath.
“You’re annoyingly good at noticing things like that.”
I glanced at the dagger in Mari’s hand.
“Looks like you like it.”
Kaya said with a small laugh.
“You really are sharp in the strangest places.”
“Am I? Haha!”
I tapped the iron sword at my waist. It sat there with a reassuring weight.
A broad grin slipped onto my face.
The three of us wandered around Bresen’s streets a little longer.
The faces of the people, now much more relaxed, caught my eye.
The village on a day off had a strangely romantic air to it.
✧ ✧ ✧
We had dinner at the Sunset Hearth.
No one talked much, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Eating, drinking water, exchanging a few short words—that time felt strangely peaceful.
When we came out, the sky had already grown dark.
It felt like I hadn’t done anything, and yet the day had passed in the blink of an eye.
When I entered the room and sat on the bed, my body slowly relaxed.
A day off wasn’t bad. No, if I was honest, it was actually pretty nice.
‘Starting tomorrow, I’ll probably be running myself ragged again.’
I chuckled and collapsed just like that.
The day off was over in no time.
But... I didn’t dislike it.