199 – Who Is the Enemy – 6

Ouka.

She was the shrine maiden who communicated with Gi-jun as the representative of the two hundred shrine maidens after Kurenai’s death, and she was also the older sister of Sakura, the last shrine maiden to go missing before the Lumen party entered the barrier.

Sakura was originally scheduled to be the next representative of their civilization, and as her biological older sister, Ouka also possessed enough ability to capably represent the shrine maidens.

In addition, she possessed an appearance that instantly grabbed people’s attention with her beautiful pink hair and eyes—but because she chose to say only things that could easily be misunderstood, Gi-jun was currently receiving sharp glares from his party members!

“Geez, Jun, you really move fast. If you were that lonely at night, it would have been nice if you had consulted me.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. I’m innocent.”

Gi-jun confidently replied to the jealous remark that flew from Tilla, who represented everyone.

“In the first place, I can’t even enter the subspace without you, Tilla.”

“Come to think of it, that’s true. Oh dear, it’s just that she acted so plausibly that I…”

“I apologize if you misunderstood.”

Ouka bowed her head with a serene expression, seemingly not recognizing in the slightest the commotion her single word had caused, and continued speaking.

“It was merely because I felt the need to express, in a more firm manner, the mindset of us shrine maidens who have come to serve Lord Gi-jun.”

“Our mindset as slaves, that is,” at Ouka’s addition, Ye-min’s face turned serious as she grabbed and pulled one of Gi-jun’s arms.

“Mindset as slaves…? Oppa, these people are a little strange in the head. It would be best not to get too close to them.”

“It is common for a civilization defeated in a civilization war to fall into slavery, so there is no need to be so serious. Of course, it is rare for all survivors of a civilization to enter under a single person’s command, though.”

Tilla kindly explained to Ye-min while still keeping her guard up against Ouka.

“It is already unfair enough to be dragged to a place overflowing with life-threatening dangers against our will, but to become slaves if we lose? There is a limit to how absurd things can be.”

“You knew it already, didn’t you? Since you must have heard the explanation.”

“There’s a reason all civilizations act desperately to protect their own civilization representative,” Tilla concluded, but at those words, Gi-jun and Ye-min showed expressions filled with mixed emotions.

For right now, the humans of Earth were too busy taking care of themselves, so they were in no position to worry about protecting their civilization representative.

The Earthlings gathered around Ye-min could be considered the relatively outstanding ones, at least.

“The plight of those who have become slaves after losing a civilization war is at a level that cannot possibly be described as merely miserable. However, since we have come to follow Lord Jun, who liberated us from hell—it couldn’t be any better.”

“Still…”

Ye-min looked at Ouka with an uncomfortable expression.

Perhaps Ye-min, who still retained the sensibilities of a modern Earthling, had received a severe shock just from the fact that young and beautiful women had become slaves.

Gently patting Ye-min’s arm that was holding onto him, Gi-jun spoke.

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to do anything inappropriate to them. I have no intention of ignoring their human rights either, and I will only receive their help within my capabilities.”

“Huh? No, I’m not doubting you, Oppa.”

“Please do not say such hurtful words.”

Ouka cast her eyes down and wore a regretful expression.

“We have already made up our minds to dedicate everything to Lord Jun. We can offer whatever you need, so why do you reject us? If you say it is because we lack charm as women, then we have no choice but…”

No, by now, even Gi-jun realized it.

Ouka was audaciously provoking Gi-jun.

After all, since he was someone who could command all two hundred of them at will, she must have wanted to grasp his true intentions even a little more.

Perhaps this was her own way of testing him, but he had no intention of playing along.

“If you want to call yourself a slave that much, just do what I tell you to. Stop testing the waters uselessly. I have no intention of changing my mind in the future either.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Only then did Ouka step back with a satisfied smile, but she did not forget to add one last thing.

“However, I hope you know that there was no falsehood in what I just said. At least for me, I am ready to serve you at any time…”

“Tilla, let’s go out now.”

“Yeah, I think that would be better too.”

The problem was not anything else, but rather that the shrine maidens gathered behind Ouka were casting gazes similar to hers at Gi-jun in unison.

He knew they had a blind side since they were originally shrine maidens who served a god, but… it was to the extent that he wondered if the object of their faith had been replaced by Gi-jun.

“They are dangerous! Those women, extremely!”

As soon as they stepped out of the subspace, Ye-min shouted.

“If you keep staying with them, they will even make Jun-i Oppa strange! I’m sure of it!”

Strange?

Was Gi-jun going to bury himself among two hundred shrine maidens and host an all-night festival of debauchery?

…Although it was incredibly tempting, he stopped imagining it because he felt he would truly become ruined if he did.

If Gi-jun’s life were a game, it would surely be an extra bad ending disguised as a happy ending.

“Honestly, I do think it would turn out that way if we just threw Jun in among those women, but rest assured. I won’t leave Jun’s side.”

Tilla said those words as if she wanted to reassure Ye-min in her own way, but to Ye-min, she was still an enemy all the same.

“Ugh… You aren’t in a deep relationship with Jun-i Oppa either…!”

“What about you then?”

Lora tilted her head and cut in to speak.

“You were simply part of the same party once, weren’t you…? And that was in a tutorial channel with very different conditions from Leta.”

“Ugh? But…”

Gi-jun could not help but smile bitterly at the bond built over more than ten years being reduced to that single sentence—but since it was the truth, Ye-min only opened and closed her mouth, unable to say anything more.

However, Lora, who had already struck Ye-min hard in the solar plexus, did not stop there and continued her combo attack.

“Not only does Lord Jun always make the right choices, but even if the results go awry, he is someone who takes responsibility for his actions. Gathering those shrine maidens was also possible because Lord Jun achieved a great accomplishment, and he merely made the choice that would be most helpful for their future. Furthermore, whatever the true nature of those shrine maidens may be, it is an obvious fact that they will be of great help to Lord Jun in the future. Therefore, I wish you would stop making remarks that seem to tarnish Lord Jun’s achievements any further, and by extension, remarks that make his hard work go to waste.”

“I wasn’t trying to say that Oppa did something wrong.”

“Then that is fine. In the future, I hope you will act after carefully considering Lord Jun’s position and will. He is not someone for us to judge rashly and force our will upon.”

Having been hit too painfully in succession, Ye-min could not even breathe properly.

Because Gi-jun knew that Lora had been fidgeting with her hilt earlier, debating whether to cut down Ouka or not, he could only wear a dumbfounded expression.

In short, those who had become Gi-jun’s slaves, Ye-min who was his former party member, and Lora and Tilla who were his current party members, were all simply fighting a war of nerves, subtly hostile toward one another.

“Fufu, no matter how much you like Jun, don’t treat others so fiercely, Lora. Since they are from the same civilization, they must have shared values.”

“Still…”

“That’s enough.”

The one who wrapped up the situation was, as expected, Tilla.

Tilla, who gave a light flick on the head to Lora—who was glaring sharply at Ye-min as if she still wasn’t satisfied even after letting out a torrent of words—turned to Jun and spoke.

“Since we’ve exchanged enough greetings, let’s rest now, Jun. Come to think of it, I think you mentioned hosting a party?”

“Ah, right.”

Gi-jun pulled Lora, who looked on the verge of tears, close and patted her head, wearing an awkward smile.

“We should have a party. Once all the party members gather, that is.”

* * *

The next day, the carpenter returned safely from the dungeon.

Those who accompanied him were the party led by Choi Kang, and coincidentally, since their level was similar to the carpenter’s, they would often form a temporary party to operate when Ye-min and Ji-hye were busy.

Even though he had never mentioned hosting a party, Lectus, the Crown Prince of Gratia, even came to visit on his own that evening.

“It has been a while, Jun.”

“Oh, Lectus. You came at the right time.”

“You came at the right time? Is it all right to say such a bold thing to a rival who is competing for Miss Ye-min?”

Gi-jun glanced at Lectus’s left arm, which was covered in silver, and snorted as he spoke.

“Stop talking nonsense. Putting aside that Min-i and I aren’t in that kind of relationship, you still can’t handle Min-i.”

“Of course, it is true that I still fall short of Miss Ye-min, but…!”

Gi-jun, who had been spinning the pizza dough stylishly, stretched it with one hand and spoke to Lectus.

“Actually, there is a special entry fee for the party.”

“If I can enjoy the party with Miss Ye-min, I would even pull out the central pillar of the royal palace.”

“I don’t need something like that, so could you bring another Piercing Awl instead of that?”

Wanting that as a party entry fee was naturally a joke, but Lectus also understood what Gi-jun wanted to say.

In other words, it meant that he currently needed a Piercing Awl.

“You seem to misunderstand because I obtained it easily, but Piercing Awls do not hang everywhere like stalactites in a cave.”

“Is that so?”

He hadn’t expected much in the first place, but…

Gi-jun knitted his brow as he spread his homemade tomato sauce over the completed dough.

As he grilled the king crab and lobster, which were still fresh from being stored in his inventory, and de-shelled the meat to use as toppings, he pondered what on earth he should do.

Using the Piercing Awl he had received for resolving the last Grand Quest, he could lead up to seven people, including himself, without any experience penalty if it was a party he led.

The problem was that once Ye-min’s party joined, the full party members would total eight, even excluding Nabinya.

‘Me, Tilla, Lora, Min-i, Ji-hye, Shin, Brother Su, and then Renka.’

Yes, the problem was Renka, who had suddenly popped out and joined the party.

The existence of Renka, who, before he knew it, was clinging to Eun-shin as if it were only natural and trying to move with him, when he had no plans of recruiting party members at all.

Yet it wasn’t as if he could force her away, and above all, she, who had sucked dry the essence of the holy relic and directly received authority from Persephone, was a powerhouse whose abilities were not lacking in the slightest even when compared to the other members of the Lumen party.

Although he could not know in what way she would display that ability, she would surely be a great help.

‘I feel bad saying this, but while the evil spirit who similarly obtained Persephone’s authority is convenient because she isn’t even treated as a party member, Renka came out alive and well, so…’

In any case, he could not leave Renka out.

Nor could he leave out anyone else on the grounds that their abilities were lacking.

…At the very least, he needed to have a serious conversation with the carpenter.

“Can’t you just leave Miss Ye-min behind? No matter how long it takes, I shall protect her during that time.”

When Gi-jun mentioned that the party limit was eight, Lectus made a gallant expression and declared so.

Gi-jun narrowed his eyes and glared at him, but soon sighed and shredded cheese, sprinkling it gently over the pizza.

“Forget it, I’d rather just divide the party in two.”

“If you want to take Miss Ye-min out of Cor that badly, take me with you as well! I shall accompany you anywhere!”

“I’m going to the Magic Kingdom.”

“…Uh, you’re going there at this time?”

At Gi-jun’s words, Lectus wore a reluctant expression.

Had the fact that the Magic Kingdom was in an uproar due to black magic actually reached even the royal palace of Gratia?

While Gi-jun opened his eyes wide in surprise, the words Lectus uttered were on a completely different topic.

“Soon, the Magic Tower Master selection tournament—the Conclave—will be held. Can you really go there?”