159 – To the Home of Fire – 2

“I thought our numbers would increase a lot, but conversely, it has become rather sparse.”

The next morning after the farewell party, on the way out after bidding farewell to Ye-min’s party.

Looking around the party, where those who were supposed to leave had left and a new person had been added, Tilla muttered with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

“Because not only Mr. Gin, but Ji-hye… Unni also dropped out.”

“Nyaa….”

Although the party leader Gi-jun, his Cait Sith Nabinya, the Flame Human Tilla, and the priest Lora remained the same, Gin, in the end, unable to resolve the knot in his heart, had left to find the werewolves—and the members of Ye-min’s party, who were originally scheduled to join, could not follow because they were busy stabilizing the guild established by Ye-min.

“If I had paid a bit more attention to Gin, he might have stayed…. But still, we have a new member here.”

And the one who joined the party in their stead was Eun-shin, who was the youngest of the party.

At the sight of Gi-jun speaking while sending a glance toward Eun-shin, who was standing blankly and trying to blend into the party’s atmosphere, the other members were startled and jumped in place.

“Nyat?!”

“Ah.”

“Come to think of it… he was here.”

“Yes, please take good care of me….”

If not for this gesture, the party members would not have noticed Eun-shin’s presence.

After engraving Eun-shin’s presence on the party members like that, Gi-jun opened his mouth and spoke.

“Establishing a guild with the support of the nation at this point is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Someday, the opportunity for Min-i’s group to join the party will come as well.”

“It won’t take that long, Hyeong. Because Min-i Nuna is grinding her teeth.”

“No need to go that far.”

Although he said that, Gi-jun thought that, with this guild creation as a turning point, he might not be able to work in the same party as Ye-min again.

Was it not so? After all, it was a rule that numbers were strength wherever one went.

As long as the guild grew properly, Ye-min would have no need to take the ‘risk’ of leaving the guild to operate on a party level.

Although he was grateful that she thought of him so much due to their past connection—reality was not so easy as to move solely on such feelings.

“I know what you are thinking, Hyeong, but it probably won’t be like that. You are completely misunderstanding Min-i Nuna’s heart.”

Eun-shin spoke, narrowing his eyes.

As Tilla and Lora nodded along in unison, Gi-jun ended up laughing.

“No, setting Shin aside, I have known Min-i longer than Tilla or Lora, so isn’t it strange for you guys to take her side?”

“These ladies aren’t strange at all, Hyeong. You are the strangest one.”

Starting with Eun-shin, Tilla and Lora also criticized him with one mind.

“Even when he was with Beatrice, he didn’t seem this dense, but this man is really in big trouble.”

“Because people tend to perceive the world according to their own preconceived notions. Since there is already a set answer in their mind, perhaps they reject the possibilities presented by others in the realm of instinct without even considering them.”

Indeed, it was a remark worthy of Lora, who had not even considered the possibility that Gin liked her, despite him seeking her out one last time before leaving the party.

At the stubborn attitude of the three, Gi-jun ultimately shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, Min-i is also human. She might be thinking of the completed tutorial party with my existence added to it as her own goal…. Anyway, that’s enough of that matter, so let’s head out now. The Lord of Turis must be waiting in front of the gate.”

“This is not just at the level of preconceived notions…. Eun-shin? What on earth happened between Jun and Ye-min?”

“Well, there were indeed various things…. Ah, please just call me by my name. It’s a bit awkward when you include my surname.”

“Right. I was thinking that it is a cool name, Shin.”

“I look forward to working with you, Shin.”

“…This is why partnering with foreigners is hard.”

Gi-jun knew from experience that a half-day was sufficient to travel from Cor to Turis at full speed in a sky carriage pulled by a griffin.

However, Lora, recalling the hellish scene of that time, had strongly opposed it, saying that they could not do such a thing on a path where the Lord of Turis was also accompanying them.

Among the countless conveniences granted to Gi-jun as a reward for this Grand Quest, there was one that allowed not only Gi-jun but also his party to use the teleport gates for free, so they willingly decided to enjoy that benefit this time.

“It is an honor to meet the Hero of Gratia. If you have time, please visit Hyeon as well. Lady Yul-yeong, one of the Seven Sages, wishes to meet you by all means.”

However, the dispatched mage of the Magic Kingdom who managed Cor’s teleport gate unexpectedly spoke such words upon seeing Gi-jun.

Although Gi-jun thought that the one she was waiting for would be Ji-hye rather than himself, he nodded roughly.

Ji-hye’s talent, not only creating original magic but also handling blood magic without being a vampire, was certainly unrivaled, so she would surely be able to achieve great success whenever she went to the Magic Kingdom.

Of course, the Lord of Turis, Monoceros, was surprised as much as he knew how high a position the Seven Sages held in the Magic Kingdom, and asked him.

“Have you also built a relationship with the Seven Sages?”

“Ah, did you not know? It’s a bit much to call it a relationship, but we have met before.”

“Is that person also a woman?”

Eun-shin, who was listening to the conversation between the two, suddenly asked such a question.

Gi-jun nodded casually.

“That’s right, she’s a woman.”

“No, Hyeong, just how many women did you charm?”

Eun-shin was astonished at those words.

Knowing that he was misunderstanding, Gi-jun hastily decided to correct that misunderstanding.

“No, the one she is targeting is not me, but Ji-hye.”

“She is targeting Hye Nuna?!”

However, Eun-shin fell into an even greater misunderstanding at those words.

“Ah— right, yes. Just think of it that way. Let’s go now.”

Although it was an absurd misunderstanding, Gi-jun just nodded and jumped into the gate, thinking that misunderstanding that way might make Eun-shin more daring.

Actually, it was also bothersome to explain everything in detail.

“Humans are really amazing to think of interacting so casually after doing such things, nya. If it were me, if I ever met a woman like that again, I would draw stripes on her face and turn her into a watermelon, nya.”

“If things go wrong, I’ll count on you then, Nabinya.”

After moderately patting the head of Nabinya, who hung onto Gi-jun’s waist and bared her claws, he raised his head to find that they were already in Turis.

Unika—a beauty with an impressive, neatly cut white bob who had been waiting for them since who knew when—stood outside the gate and bowed upon spotting Gi-jun coming out from inside.

“I have been waiting, Lord Jun. Congratulations on achieving the Grand Quest. Although I had no doubt you would return victorious… seeing you safe like this in person puts my mind at ease.”

Unika raised her head and locked her gaze on him again, wearing an expression of genuine relief.

“Hyeong….”

Since there was no excuse this time, Gi-jun decided to endure Eun-shin’s gaze as well.

Of course, it was not that he had a particularly deep relationship with her, but it was true that she had offered to cut off her horn for him…!

“I am nominally the Lord, yet it seems I don’t even enter your sight.”

“Ah, I apologize for not recognizing you. I will hand over the Lord’s authority I held as deputy immediately.”

Responding with a refreshing smile as if she had been waiting for the Lord’s reaction, Unika guided the party to the Lord’s castle.

Though one could not know for sure, the work of the deputy Lord must have been quite arduous, as Unika’s steps guiding them were so light they seemed ready to fly at any moment.

Unika, who guided the party to the parlor, tickled the neck of Nabinya sitting on Gi-jun’s lap and spoke with a bright smile.

“Could you please wait for just a moment? Once the handover is finished, we can depart immediately.”

“Hmm? Do you intend to leave this very day? We haven’t met in a long time, yet you won’t even spend a day catching up.”

“I would love to do so as well, but…”

Unika calmly replied to the Lord who asked in bewilderment.

“Considering the value that the Lumen party holds, it is not good to make them waste their time idly here. Especially since we are in a position to request an escort from them.”

“To me, it just looks like you want to leave Turis as quickly as possible.”

“It is a misunderstanding. Having been born a noble of Gratia, I do not make decisions mixed with self-interest.”

“I suppose it isn’t mixed, since the decision itself is pure self-interest.”

“That is a funny joke. Now, this way.”

Smiling at the Lord’s direct remark, Unika forcefully dragged him toward the Lord’s office.

Gi-jun, who watched the scene, uttered a word.

“The work of the deputy Lord must have been really hard.”

“That must be their own way of interacting as father and daughter. They look happy, so I’m envious.”

“Ah— indeed.”

“Yes, indeed.”

At the sight of Tilla speaking with a warm smile, everyone nodded as if by agreement and fell silent.

Until Unika, who had finished the handover, returned in comfortable travel clothes, an uncomfortable silence continued to dominate the room….

* * *

Leaving Turis, Unika headed south and guided the party.

Since they had departed from Cor in the early morning, it was not yet noon, but because it happened to be raining and the sky was filled with dark clouds, the surroundings were dim.

Of course, they did not get hit by the falling rain.

Because Gi-jun was wearing Persona — Ignis, he could evaporate all the raindrops falling on him with only the heat rising from his body, and the other members avoided the rain with a simple barrier Tilla created by utilizing Rodim.

“Uralta is the most popular region for high-level Summoned in Gratia, but ironically, it is located in the most difficult-to-reach hidden area in Gratia.”

Against the backdrop of the sound of pattering rain, Unika’s calm voice echoed in the ears of the party members.

“This is because Uralta’s volcano constantly exhibits volcanic activity—and each time, it emits powerful waves of mana, which not only renders the teleport gates inoperable but also forms a natural barrier in the area. Therefore, Uralta is originally a place that is difficult to even find without a skilled guide from Gratia.”

“Meaning?”

“It means there are many guides in Turis who show the way to Uralta. It is one of Turis’s main sources of income.”

And showing that she, of course, also knew the way to Uralta well as a native of Turis, Unika shrugged her shoulders.

However, Gi-jun thought as he heard those words.

That, though one could not know for sure, there was a high probability that the barrier formed around Uralta would not work on him.

Although he did not bother to speak of that fact, since the sight of Unika being proud that she could guide them was cute.

“Come to think of it, Unika, Glittertoss said something about accepting your proposal, so what was that about?”

“Ah, I suggested that he also move along with my appointment to the administrator position of Uralta.”

“So that was what he meant when he said we should meet in Uralta…. But why? I know Uralta is an artisans’ street, but Glittertoss was settled in Turis, wasn’t he?”

“Although bringing a skilled artisan like Glittertoss to Uralta also leads to my own performance record, the fundamental reason is that Glittertoss is originally from Uralta.”

Somehow, he had felt it would be like that ever since he heard that there was an artisans’ street.

Moreover, having also sensed a strange atmosphere from Glittertoss when he discussed Uralta, Gi-jun was not that surprised.

“His leaving Uralta and coming to Turis was a very grateful thing for Turis, but honestly speaking, it is a loss for a talent of his caliber to stay in Turis. Since we have already contracted with him to continue supplying the goods that were delivered to the Lord’s castle through a fairy merchant, there is no problem wherever he moves.”

Of course, the fairy merchant mentioned here referred to Viv.

That fellow Viv, after signing an exclusive contract with Gi-jun, had been raking in profits by significantly expanding her clientele to the Lord of Turis and the royal family of Gratia.

“I feel like there is another reason?”

“That is of course because of Lord Jun. Since Lord Jun is going to Uralta, shouldn’t Glittertoss also go to Uralta to continue receiving Lord Jun’s commissions?”

“Is there perhaps a reason why Glittertoss left Uralta?”

“That is exactly it.”

Unika raised her head and pretended to look somewhere beyond.

Beyond the horizon, it seemed that faint smoke was rising.

Although he might have mistaken it for dark clouds.

“Glittertoss must be expecting that Lord Jun will resolve that reason for him.”

“…Unika, did you sell me out to Glittertoss without my knowledge?”

“I merely explained to him what would naturally happen once Lord Jun arrived in Uralta, but if you still do not like it, you may demand compensation from me as much as you want. I am ready to offer you anything.”

At Unika, who spoke with sparkling eyes as if she were rather hoping for exactly that, Gi-jun had no choice but to declare complete defeat.

He realized anew that nobles were indeed not to be underestimated.