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Chapter 211: The Unboxing Surprise

“Ugh, home….”

A groan escaped my lips. Just a few hours ago, the two energetic kids were now sound asleep, leaning against each other’s shoulders.

“Heh, I guess they really were tired?”

Even though these kids seemed to have infinite stamina cheats, if they spend most of their journey traveling, this is what happens. Of course, that didn’t mean Yeon-woo was free from the mental exhaustion.

Especially with the added weight of responsibility. While a moment’s sleep would be so easy, the position of being a guardian made it impossible to close my eyes. It felt like I had to keep them open, as if it was a compulsion to watch over them even when they were asleep.

“How much longer must humanity progress to be free of the constraints of distance….”

I muttered idly. Honestly, I was quite free even now.

Although I was no longer able to use airplanes, thanks to the transport Gates and the monster trains scattered here and there, traveling back and forth from Korea to Sicily had been reduced to about a week.

Through the train window, Harmony City began to come into view. They say home is where the heart is, and that couldn’t be truer. After living there for about half a year, I now felt more nostalgic for Harmony City than the orphanage.

“If Nea comes out to greet us, wouldn’t that be awesome…?”

I never considered myself to be showy, but if Nea were to be at the monster train station waiting for me, I’d feel an overwhelming urge to brag. Ah! This beautiful girl is my girlfriend! I’d want to shout it out without even realizing it.

But asking her to come greet me felt off, so Yeon-woo just hoped for a telepathic connection with Nea.

A moment later, the monster train arrived at the Harmony City station. Instead of waking the kids up, Yeon-woo scooped them up into his arms and stepped outside the train.

As I heard the conductor’s farewell, something golden caught my eye without even having to search for it.

What’s this, a telepathic connection?

Thinking so, I raised my hand to greet her, but ironically, my arms were sealed by the limp kids.

Feeling a pang of disappointment, just as I was about to step towards Nea, I noticed something was off in the atmosphere and hid behind the crowd to watch her discreetly.

‘What’s with that expression…?’

Her face clearly indicated she was not in a good mood. Did I do something wrong? I didn’t think so. Maybe she was just feeling off because we hadn’t seen each other in a while?

Numerous question marks swirled in my head, but I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. What should I do? After a moment of contemplation, Yeon-woo decided it was better to confront her directly.

‘Though I’m not sure, hiding here and getting caught would be even worse…!’

As the only thing I knew about romance was from reading, I had some degree of intuition. Nea looked upset, but I felt I hadn’t done anything wrong, so it might be better to approach her confidently.

Swallowing my nervousness, I took big steps away from the crowd.

“Did you come to greet me?”

As my voice rang out, I felt a few gazes turn in this direction. Considering they were teenagers and adult women, that made sense. It was still platonic love, after all!

Truthfully, I had hoped her gloomy expression was out of concern for me, but when I saw her turn her head sharply with that same grim face upon hearing my voice, my heart sank.

‘What did I do wrong?’

Fortunately, Nea voiced the answer for me. With a snobby expression, Nea looked as if she was about to burst into laughter but held it in with great effort.

“…Yeon-woo, you sure have a lot of admirers, huh?”

“What’s with the sudden comment?”

*

“Thank you for your hard work, Aaron.”

“Just call me casually.”

Having completed another round through the Gate without incident, Aaron Chester parted ways with his team after a light meal. Back home, Aaron clicked his pocket watch out from his pocket.

‘Did I gather most of the opinions from the new Hunters?’

Packing up and submitting reports was a bother, but things were certainly flowing in the right direction.

In reality, by gathering opinions under the name of the Hunters and submitting a couple of petitions, I confirmed that the ongoing activities had been halted.

But that didn’t mean everything could just come to a stop, as private sanctions against Choi Yeon-woo continued unabated.

Did the Guild Master know that taking such actions would eventually become a hassle? Such things should be done behind the scenes; if they became known, criticism would narrow the Guild’s stance even further.

‘…Well, he’s not the type to worry about those things.’

He was your typical elite who thought he could do anything, emboldened by a sense of superiority. I was so curious to know how the general public would react if they found out.

I had a feeling he used to care about those matters, but now… maybe he had grown senile with age?

In any case, the situation was manageable. My options had widened. I was recognized by the Guild Master and supported by junior Hunters, feeling implicitly designated as a future leader.

Given that I had already received an invitation to join the executive meetings, it seemed quite certain.

As I recalled the previous meeting in my mind, Aaron suddenly slammed his fist onto the bed. The bed rocked so hard it felt like the springs might break, and Aaron muttered with a furious expression.

“…Ugh, those crazy bastards.”

This Guild was already like a host to cancer cells deep within its bones. While I’d heard jokes about how the Guild Master’s tendencies led to such a vibe, I never thought it was true.

“What? You say we need to exclude those without Mana from this world?”

Even nodding to get through that moment felt humiliating. No, just being a part of this Guild seemed like a disgrace. What kind of mad talk was that? Executive meetings shouldn’t be for discussing such ideas.

Still, this made it clear what I needed to do. A guild like this should not exist. Choi Yeon-woo mentioned weakening their powers, but that alone wouldn’t suffice.

“I guess we have to lose everything to realize what’s important.”

With a cold voice, Aaron muttered that.

*

“…Um, isn’t this all my fault?”

That was the only thing that came out of Yeon-woo’s mouth after hearing the series of stories. It was the honest thought behind it. Nea, cradling the sleeping Tae-oh in her arms, puffed her cheeks out in response.

“It’s not your fault. It’s unacceptable to lure in young girls and say such things!”

“No, I wasn’t trying to entice anyone…. I couldn’t just leave them to die…. It’s just because they are kids; they’ll find better people, right?”

“There’s no one better than you, Yeon-woo!”

“Uh-huh, is that really the case?”

Though I had become a bit goofy from Nea’s sharp remarks, thinking rationally, was this not a typical foolish couple situation? Regaining my composure, I lowered my voice and said to Nea.

“You’re the only one for me. I’m sorry for In-hwa, but we can only ask her to give up.”

“Ugh….”

This time, it was Nea who clutched her chest at Yeon-woo’s words. Is this what a relationship does to them both? Are they both going to end up as corpses clinging to each other one day?

“Ugh…. What noisy parents….”

“Oh my, you’re awake?”

Amid our trivial bickering, Shar rubbed her eyes and mumbled sleepily. That was quite a powerful way of speaking, though….

“It’s not a big deal…. Just liking someone. Yawn.”

“Um, that’s true, but….”

“It’s not uncommon for dragons to have harem relationships.”

“…But….”

I thought this was quite an inappropriate topic for a kid who had just woken up to interject, but with a yawn, Shar pressed the assault on Nea.

Well, it’s nice to help, but I’m not having a harem…. Saying it like that makes it sound like I’m lecherous.

Unable to find a rebuttal to Shar’s words, Nea squeezed her voice out with a frown.

“I wish you’d only look at me….”

“Eek.”

“Though Shar loves mommy and daddy, it’s a bit embarrassing at times.”

With Shar’s ruthlessly cold statement, the four of us headed toward Harmony City. I had forgotten for a moment due to the unexpected meeting with Nea, but the fatigue was indeed piling up.

Upon returning to the dorm, something caught my eye: a box with a rather luxurious wood grain.

“What’s this? Did something arrive at our house?”

“There wasn’t anything until this morning, so it must have come in between.”

“Shar, do you want to walk? Or does Nea want to carry you?”

“I want to be held by mommy….”

“Okay, come here.”

“Thanks! What’s inside?”

As I lifted the box, the ten swords engraved on the bottom caught my sight. The familiar pattern nearly knocked me senseless.

“A box signed by the Swordsmith…? Why is this at our house…?”

Just as that thought crossed my mind, something resembling a guess flickered into my mind. When you think about it, the one who introduced the blacksmith was Yuri. The man who was more sincere about swords than anyone else.

Anyone who claims that a blacksmith he knows well must not be just an ordinary blacksmith.

Of course, I had considered that possibility. He would probably be someone skillful enough to be called a Divine Craftsman, or something along those lines, but—

“An Order Made by the Swordsmith…?”

This was something that couldn’t be easily compared to a one-of-a-kind Doppleganger weapon in terms of value.

“Mom, shouldn’t I be more wary of weapons than In-hwa unnie?”

“Maybe….”

Seeing Yeon-woo’s silly face, the two women engaged in that conversation.

A little later.

“Damn it, thank you so much, Master…!”

“It seems you’re happier than when I taught you swordsmanship; you’re making this old man feel like he’s going to die.”

Seeing Yeon-woo bowing with the wooden box in his hands toward Yuri, she chuckled as if she were incredulous.

“Meeting you, Master, must be the greatest fortune in this foolish disciple’s life. Please accept my humble bow.”

“Okay, okay. You’ve expressed your joy well enough; now stand up. Don’t you see your fiancée looking at you?”

With Nea’s cold gaze, Yuri beckoned Yeon-woo. As if he had been waiting for those words, Yeon-woo shot up and placed the box carefully on the table.

“Now I’m going to unbox it~”

It was hard to believe this was the same kid who had just been bowing with a serious expression; his demeanor turned light-hearted as he waved his palms.

Seeing as Yuri came to see his face after hearing it should arrive soon, he certainly didn’t expect this kind of scene.

“Alright, let’s see what you asked to be made. Open it up.”

As Yeon-woo swallowed hard, he slowly lifted the lid of the box.

(To be continued)

 

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