154 – I Told You We’re Not Enemies – 4

The next day dawned.

Because Biche had gone around spreading the rumor far and wide, all the party members already knew that Gi-jun was going on a date with her.

Having inevitably grown closer to his party members due to recent events, Gi-jun knew all too well what they would think of him leisurely going out to play with Biche, who had suddenly appeared from the outside.

As such, he had resolved to prepare only breakfast for the party members and quietly slip out of the lodging… but there was a variable that no one could have imagined, and that was Biche herself.

“The soup looks delicious!”

“No, hey.”

Emerging in simple attire, she let out a cheer upon seeing Gi-jun laying out the dishes he had made in the lodging’s kitchen on the living room table of the suite, before pulling out a chair and sitting down.

“I want soup too… Oh, Jun?”

“Jun-nim…?”

“Are we having breakfast? But today is Oppa’s date… huh?”

“……”

As if they had been waiting for those sounds, the door to the women’s room opened, and the members who should have passed out from drinking the alcohol Gi-jun had poured at yesterday’s party came streaming out one after another.

Following that, the door to the men’s room opened, and the rest of the members also…

“Hyeong…”

“Ah.”

Gi-jun let out a short exclamation as he faced Eun-shin, who was looking at him with an indescribable expression.

“On a day like today, when he must be busy enough thinking about himself, he even prepared breakfast for us? Jun really is so diligent…”

There was warm chicken soup, mashed potatoes made with cheese, an omelet cooked fluffy with finely chopped vegetables and bacon mixed into eggs, and even ratatouille made by throwing various vegetables into yesterday’s leftover snacks and stir-frying them with tomato sauce.

Tilla shook her head as she examined the table laden with soft, warm dishes that were easy on the stomach, prepared for the members who had drunk alcohol yesterday.

“Come on, don’t just stand there, everyone sit down and eat.”

Biche, who became boundlessly gentle in front of Gi-jun’s cooking, tapped the table and smiled broadly.

Although dumbfounded by how she was acting generous on Gi-jun’s behalf as if she had cooked the food herself, the others sat around the table for the time being.

He had wondered where the boiling sound was coming from since the cooking was already done, but it was coming from Gi-jun’s own chest.

This woman did not even know how he felt… and her attire was just a plain tunic she had hastily obtained when returning to Cor yesterday.

She looked like someone who had perhaps even forgotten that they were supposed to go on a date today, but recalling the conversation he had shared with her yesterday, that was likely not the case.

He wanted to believe that.

“Yeah, let’s eat.”

Was Gi-jun the only one who had felt sad because he wanted to meet but couldn’t?

He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t.

It would only expose his true feelings.

Burying his complicated feelings in the blue sky, Gi-jun seated everyone at the table.

Thus began the somewhat awkward breakfast, joined by the Lumen party, Ye-min’s party, and even Biche.

Even as they ate, the group’s eyes darted back and forth between Gi-jun and Biche the entire time.

“Beatrice… is that what I should call you? Weren’t you going on a date with Jun today?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

As expected, the only one brave enough to open her mouth first at a time like this was Tilla.

When Biche, who respected Tilla the most among Gi-jun’s party members, stopped eating her bread soaked in tomato sauce and obediently nodded, Tilla continued, as if she knew it.

“I thought both of you would be gone when I woke up.”

“I was planning to leave early, but he prepared food. Ignoring that and just leaving is out of the question.”

“I see. I wondered how Jun seduced a noble lady like you, but it was with his cooking skills.”

Tilla, who herself had been somewhat drawn to the warmth of the soup Jun had cooked, ended up nodding in agreement.

After all, wasn’t the chicken soup she loved sitting right there on the breakfast table today?

If Jun proposed to her, promising to cook chicken soup every morning, Tilla was confident she would nod without a moment’s hesitation.

“Se—Seduce?!”

However, Biche, who was not yet accustomed to Tilla’s direct way of speaking, reacted with particular sensitivity to her words.

“Don’t talk nonsense. How could this dimwit seduce me? You all seem to have misunderstood because of the word ‘date,’ but we aren’t in any particular relationship. If anything, it’s a teacher-student relationship. I taught him with all my heart and soul, and he showed the results of it this time, right? So, as a reward, I decided to spend a day with him? Something like that? Do you understand now? Is the misunderstanding cleared up?”

“I thought she was Eminem.”

Ji-hye, who was eating her omelet, quietly voiced her admiration at the rap Biche had just showcased.

The Earthlings who knew who Eminem was scowled as they desperately conjured sad thoughts to keep from bursting into laughter.

The only saving grace was that Biche did not know who Eminem was.

Tilla, who was still maintaining her seriousness just like Biche, let out a thoughtful hum.

“Then there won’t be any problem if I date Jun.”

“That cannot be. I told you it is a teacher-student relationship, did I not? I cannot tolerate some subpar person getting in the way of my disciple’s future.”

Cutting her off flatly, Biche added, “However…”

“Since you are quite strong and are rather helpful to Jun—I will allow you to harbor feelings for him. After all, I did raise him so well.”

—If it means she contributed to growing the contractor’s Charm, that might not be entirely wrong—mmph!

Lucy, who had been bound for needlessly provoking Biche, sent Gi-jun a pleading look, but he decided to ignore her just this once.

To be honest, he felt that having Lucy around would only get in the way of the date, so he secretly wished she would remain bound all day.

“Right, I’m glad I built up my strength. Though that is also all thanks to Jun.”

“But if you really want to date him, you must defeat me in skill first. I cannot permit it before then!”

Believing that to be a valid excuse, Biche declared it with a confident expression.

Everyone present instantly conjured the word ‘simpleton’ in their minds, but they barely managed to hold it in.

“So that is how it is. Well, I understand your point. I also get why Jun has been strangely putting up walls against us all this time… Actually, I feel relieved.”

A smile played on Tilla’s lips.

She had already figured it out completely.

The fact that even if the two went on a date today, there was no way they would make enough progress to warrant her worry.

Just how much of an airhead and a coward Biche was!

Having finished her meal, Tilla stood up from her seat, walked over to Gi-jun, and hugged him lightly as she spoke.

“Then enjoy your date, Jun. And next time, we’re having an even better date. Got it?”

As Tilla coolly left after saying her piece, an atmosphere developed where the others felt they should also just let the two go.

“Jjun! Let’s go then!”

“Well… I will be going.”

—W—Wait a minute. You’re leaving me tied up like this?! Contractor!

In the end, the two left the lodging, sent off by all the party members.

Ye-min, who seemed the most likely to throw a fit, had already sorted out her feelings yesterday and was watching the scene with an infinitely calm expression.

Realizing that her switch had not failed to be triggered, but rather that it had already been triggered and something had already begun, the members of Ye-min’s party could only look at her with anxious expressions.

Meanwhile, unlike Tilla, Lora, who could not dare to challenge Biche in either justification or strength, could only bite her lip as she watched their retreating figures.

“Miss Lora.”

Gin spoke to Lora tentatively.

“Could you spare a moment for me? I would like to talk with you.”

“……”

While Ji-hye clenched both her fists in support at the sight of Gin finally gathering his courage, Eun-shin watched Ji-hye from behind with an indescribable expression.

Blinking as if she had not expected it in the slightest, Lora soon shrugged and replied.

“Yes, you do not need to ask for permission for such a thing. But if it is something important, I think it would be proper to speak with our party leader, Jun-nim, first.”

“Ahaha…”

At a reaction that would never occur if she viewed him as a romantic interest, Gin could only let out an awkward laugh.

But since he had already known that fact, he was not hurt by it now.

“It’s because it is something I want to say to you, Miss Lora.”

“I see… All right. Although I am like this now, I too was once a priestess. If it can put your mind at ease, Gin, I will listen to what you have to say.”

At this point, one might have wondered if Lora was teasing Gin, but her eyes were infinitely serious.

Surprisingly, Lora’s attitude toward Gin had softened considerably compared to before.

Before invading Valahia, or immediately after entering it, when she was extremely on edge, she had never smiled at anyone except Gi-jun.

But now, having accepted her identity by drinking Gi-jun’s blood and throwing away her complex agonies and impulses, she was in a much lighter state of mind.

Although it could not compare to when she served as a priestess in Turis, she still seemed to have recovered quite a bit of her former gentleness.

“Shall we move to another spot?”

“Please.”

“O—Oh…!”

Ji-hye became highly excited seeing the two of them walk away together.

However, Eun-shin, who knew better than anyone else here that the situation would not change much just from them talking alone, could only let out a faint sigh.

“Since it is just us left, let’s talk about that.”

Looking around, Ye-min confirmed that only her own party members were left and declared.

“You all know we decided to create a guild after obtaining the King’s approval, right? So… until the guild stabilizes, I think it will be difficult for us to join Jun-i Oppa’s party.”

“Min-i, are you really okay with that?”

Watching Ye-min add that she had to go out to work soon today as well, Ji-hye pressed a hand to her forehead.

The members who had been with Ye-min knew the depth of her feelings for Gi-jun best.

She was likely already uncomfortable after seeing a powerful competitor who had suddenly dropped from the sky, yet she was choosing to live apart from Gi-jun, whom she had finally met.

“There is no other way. This is for the best.”

Ye-min spoke in a calm voice.

“It is a really good opportunity… and I don’t want to let Oppa down. To be honest, I’m afraid of how Oppa will react when he realizes I have changed.”

Just as the image of Gi-jun in Ye-min’s memory remained stuck in the first round of the tutorial, so was the image of Ye-min in Gi-jun’s memory.

Ye-min had no desire to step forward in front of everyone anymore—but Gi-jun still expected such a role from her.

Because Gi-jun had admired her and resolved to change to resemble her even a little, he probably could not have imagined that Ye-min, whom he had deemed complete, would change.

Ye-min was certainly excellent at reading people’s psychology.

But because of that, she was all the more terrified of how Gi-jun would react when she strayed from the image of herself that he desired.

“You really live a tiring life. You sure make romance difficult.”

Mok-su remarked bluntly.

The fact that he had used the word ‘romance’ rather than ‘unrequited love’ was proof of his kindness.

Ji-hye and Eun-shin both winced at those words, barely holding back their comments.

“Ji-hye, help me.”

Ye-min said.

Ji-hye, who had somewhat expected those words to come out, let out a heavy sigh and replied.

“Seriously, you only call my name properly when you want help. If you call me Hye-ji again, I am leaving for the Magic Kingdom.”

“Thanks!”

Ye-min suddenly hugged Ji-hye and rubbed her cheek against hers.

As Ji-hye tried to push her away in annoyance, Mok-su scratched his head and spoke from the side.

“Then I will stay too. If you two are pulling out, it’s not like I could play a big role even if I joined that fellow Jun’s party anyway.”

“Uncle, of course you should stay!”

Ji-hye, who had barely managed to push Ye-min away, glared at him, but Mok-su only chuckled, whether he understood the meaning of her glare or not.

However, Eun-shin, left alone in that situation, thought the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Sure enough, Ye-min wore an apologetic expression as she cast her gaze toward him.

“And Shin… could you join Jun-i Oppa’s party?”

“I expected as much… To fill in for Hye Nuna?”

“That too, but with your abilities, you will definitely be a help to Oppa.”

Since Gi-jun had gone to the trouble of obtaining the Piercing Awl as a Grand Quest reward to increase the party size by two, they needed to hand over at least one person to save face, even if they couldn’t join themselves, especially since they were pulling Ji-hye out.

Moreover, Eun-shin possessed a unique ability that no one else could dare to mimic.

Although his species rank was still only Rare, considering the tactical advantages only he could bring in various situations, he was a top-tier talent desired anywhere.

These were the reasons they could put forward on the surface.

Ye-min additionally confessed her true feelings.

“And… I don’t want Oppa to go too far in that direction. Hold him back sometimes, and remind him that he has another place to return to.”

“That is heavy, Nuna! Super heavy!”

“Can I ask this favor of you?”

It was worth emphasizing repeatedly that Ye-min’s Charm reached the Legendary grade.

When she made a request with a serious look in her eyes, most people could not refuse, and Eun-shin, who had known her for decades, was no exception.

“Sigh…”

Ultimately, Eun-shin let out a massive sigh and nodded.

He had been separated from Ji-hye all this time and had finally reunited with her, only for them to hold onto Ji-hye and kick him out instead.

Ye-min also felt sorry because she knew Eun-shin’s feelings, but she was not the type to withdraw her request because of that.

“Thanks, Shin-a.”

“If it is Shin instead of me, Oppa will probably like it more. He blatantly favors Shin.”

“That is because there is no younger brother who is as obedient and honest as Shin.”

“Uncle, hearing that right now does not make me happy at all.”

Eun-shin, whose feelings were complicated by Ji-hye’s attitude of having no regrets unlike him, grumbled, which was rare for him, at Mok-su’s words.

At that, Ye-min wore an apologetic expression once more and spoke as if to soothe him.

“I’ll keep an eye on things so nothing happens, Shin-a.”

“No, I am not worried about that.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

When Ji-hye tilted her head and asked, Ye-min narrowed her eyes and replied.

“Hye… doesn’t need to know.”

“You were about to say Hye-ji just now, weren’t you!”

* * *

“I plan to leave the party.”

Lora blinked at the words Gin suddenly blurted out.

“Have you already spoken with Jun-nim?”

“I… spoke of it once in the past. That once we finished hunting the vampires, I would leave to search for the werewolves.”

“And Jun-nim?”

“He said it would not be too late to think it over slowly and decide then.”

Saying that, Gin looked at Lora with a strange light in his eyes.

Lora did not catch the meaning.

“But your mind has not changed even now.”

“Yes. …I have various lingering regrets, but that is all the more reason why I felt I must leave.”

“Is that so…”

Lora was one of the few people who knew what had happened to Gin.

Moreover, since she herself had been in a similar situation until recently… if there was anyone who could understand his desire for revenge against the werewolves most deeply, it would be her and no one else.

And because of that, that she herself could be Gin’s lingering regret.

Unfortunately, she did not realize it.

She had always been blindly single-minded whether she liked it or not, and the ecstatic blood-drinking experience she had recently undergone left her completely unable to conceive of any other possibility besides Gi-jun.

“Then do as you wish.”

Lora closed her eyes slowly and opened them as she spoke.

“Even if you achieve revenge, it is not as satisfying as you would think, and before you know it, the target fades, making you prone to hurting yourself instead. Even so, doing it was better than not doing it.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes, since I have experienced it, I can say this with even more confidence.”

A small smile played on Lora’s lips.

She was recalling her own case.

Of course, hers was an extremely unique situation—and it would not be wrong to say she had been saved by the intruder, Gi-jun.

“I do not know what will happen, but it will be better than nothing happening at all.”

“…Thank you for the encouragement, Miss Lora.”

“Are you planning to leave without telling Jun-nim?”

“Because I think he would stop me. And if he tries to hold me back, I feel like I would be unable to leave and would just cling to him.”

“Ahaha, if it’s Jun-nim, he would definitely hold you back. I understand.”

Letting out a pure laugh, Lora drew the holy sign unique to the Order of Ishtar and blessed him.

“Please accept it if you do not mind a blessing from a priestess who has become a vampire. I hope that you do not die and manage to achieve your deep desire.”

“If it is a blessing from you, Miss Lora, I would gladly receive it.”

“Then you can shake my hand as well, right?”

Lora suddenly reached out her hand.

Gin stared at her outstretched hand in surprise, and when she started to pull it back, he hastily reached out his own hand to hold it.

It was a pale, cold, but infinitely delicate hand of a girl.

“It was not that I did not want to, but I was just too surprised.”

“I am relieved. I still have some paranoia left.”

Letting out a sigh of relief as if she had really considered the possibility that Gin might avoid her, Lora whispered softly.

“I remember how you cared for me and tried to be considerate of me. At the time, I was foolish and only rejected you… but thank you. You are a truly good person.”

“A good person…”

Repeating her words in a voice that sounded like a sigh, Gin shook her hand a couple of times, released it, and spoke.

“Miss Lora, you are a truly good person too. …And a beautiful person as well.”

“Hmm?”

Lora, who did not hear the last part, tilted her head, but by then, Gin had already opened the window and placed his foot on the windowsill.

“Then I will take my leave now. I think it is best to go without anyone knowing.”

“Wait, really like this—”

Gin hopped over the windowsill and disappeared.

Only then, Lora realized that Gin had a sub-space pouch hanging from his waist.

He had packed all of his belongings, intending to leave at the first opportunity from the very start.

Staring quietly at the spot where he had stood, Lora soon drew the holy sign once more and blessed his future.

Hoping that he would not die in vain.

She prayed that he could meet someone who was to him what Gi-jun was to her.