Chapter 23 – Anxiety (3)
I looked over the montages of her that she pulled out. None of the montages she handed over were male. Most were young women.
“What is this?”
“These are the missing people requested by the guild in the villages around Kalita.”
“Okay. But all the missing persons are women… Did a mass abduction happen?”
“A mass abduction, how can you say such a scary thing…!”
“…”
“…Of the missing people, only the women were taken out.”
“Yes.”
I went through the montages once more and put them together neatly. Handed it back to Orr.
“I’m sorry if I asked you to find someone.”
She turned her body away from her.
“Wait a minute! Just a little bit, just a little bit! Please listen!”
Orga desperately grabbed me as I was about to leave.
“All right. What if it’s just a story…”
“Thank you! Then I will explain.”
Ahem. Orla cleared her throat and started talking.
“Yooseong, do you know how goblins are born?”
“They will be born by breeding.”
“That’s right. Born by breeding But you know what? That female goblins do not exist!”
“Oh, I see.”
“…Your reaction is weaker than I thought. I thought you’d be a little surprised.”
“Yeah, what…”
It was an obvious setting that I had seen a lot somewhere, so I wasn’t particularly surprised. The words that followed were roughly predictable.
“The story is that the goblins in the ruined castle kidnapped the women depicted here. That’s why I’m asking you to visit the ruined castle often.”
“Not all, though.”
Orga nodded her head. I looked over the montages I had neatly put together.
“What are the numbers written here?”
“It’s a reward. You can get it if you find the missing person and bring him to the guild.”
“Okay.”
The rewards listed in the montage ranged from 30 coppers to 100, 300, and 500 coppers. I looked a little more carefully at the montage with the higher payout.
“By the way. The women in the villages around Kalita are also territories who pay taxes after all. Are you forming a subjugation party or…”
While watching the montage, I asked Orr what I was curious about. She replied with her wry smile.
“In fact, the monsters living in the ruined castle have already been subdued several times.”
“Yes? Then the goblins who live now…”
“These are the new guys. Even after subjugation, new monsters continue to establish themselves, so at some point…”
It’s a story about giving up.
It must be because the results are not commensurate with the cost of organizing the subjugation party. I understood to some extent, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Young Ji-min.
It is also dangerous outside the city.
* * *
The 5th room on the 2nd floor of the Blue Wolf Head Inn.
Seris and Kara faced each other. Kara said with a worried expression.
“Are you really okay, sister?”
“Are you okay, what?”
“Unnie, you seem to be blaming yourself for not being able to kill a goblin lately. You didn’t say a word today while watching Yooseong oppa.”
At Kara’s words, Celis opened her eyes wide, and she smiled benevolently. I never thought the day would come when I would live and live and worry about Kara.
She was strange, but not in a bad mood. Rather, she loved and appreciated her little sister.
“Thank you for your concern. But you are mistaken. Has your sister never noticed Yoosung?”
Seris gently stroked Kara’s hair. However, she trembled at Kara’s words that followed.
“But Yooseong oppa was also worried.”
“…Yoosung?”
A benevolent smile loosened, and the corners of her eyes trembled slightly. Kara did not miss that small change. She grabbed her sister’s hand and asked earnestly.
“Sister, by any chance… Did something happen with Yoosung?”
“No, nothing happened. I’m just a little tired.”
“Do not lie. Something happened.”
“Because it is not.”
Kara looked at her Seris and met her eyes with hers. She said as she held Cerith’s hand tightly.
“Did your brother confess?”
“Kara!”
Seris shouted out loud. Kara was startled and pulled her body behind her. Then, this time Seris grabbed Kara’s hand.
“Mi, I’m sorry, were you surprised? I shouldn’t have shouted, but my sister was embarrassed too… I’m sorry…”
Seris, who shouted, was rather restless.
“Uh, ok, it’s okay. So you’re saying you didn’t confess or confess?”
“It never really happened.”
“I see.”
Thank god. Kara murmured very quietly. She made a slightly relieved face.
“Kara?”
“Nothing. More than that, sister, I’ve been thinking about it…”
Kara hesitated without speaking. Why are you taking so much time to say something? Seris waited for Kara to speak.
“T-sister doesn’t seem to fit an adventurer..?”
“…Huh?”
“My sister is so kind that she can’t even kill a goblin, right? I can see that you are having a hard time with it.”
“Kara, that’s…”
“Then why don’t you quit being an adventurer right now?”
“…What?”
Kara’s words shocked Seris. The other day she declared that she would be independent, but now she tells her to quit her adventurer. Is it because I want to be separated from my sister that much?
Shocked or not, Cara continued to speak her mind.
“What about my sister, she didn’t become an adventurer because she wanted to be, right? She just said that me and her brother do it, so it feels like I happened to do it… Rather than struggling with something that doesn’t suit her disposition, though…”
“Kara.”
“…Huh?”
“My sister will continue to be an adventurer. She has no intention of quitting.”
Seris said firmly.
Kara couldn’t say anything more about that firm attitude. She just nodded.
“Yes. Okay.”
“Since I have to go early tomorrow morning too, unnie will go to bed first.”
“Okay. Good night sister.”
“Kara, you too.”
Seris lay down on the bed.
The night went on, but she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
* * *
– Let’s take it slow. Because there is no hurry
-Are you okay. Maybe someday.
-Are you hurt?
The words that Yuseong comforted Seris every time he failed to kill a goblin.
They were kind words.
Whenever Ceris heard those kind words, her heart warmed, but she was also afraid.
I’m afraid those kind words will turn cold someday.
‘Why is Yoosung helping us…’
Come to think of it, Yoosung was friendly from the moment he met them. Not only that, but even at her risk she saved them.
How heartbreaking it was to see the blood dripping from his torn clothes in the mountains around the village.
At the time of Alvis, how sorry I felt when I saw her trembling hands in the meteor.
If Seris tried to pay off any of the debts, he always waved his hand. He said he did it because he wanted to do it.
His unconditional favor.
It put her at ease, but it also made her uneasy.
‘Because Yoosung is not a family member…’
Seris had already experienced unconditional favor once before. Right from her adoptive parents. Although she was happy then, she was never anxious.
The difference between her adoptive parents and Yoosung was whether they were family or not.
‘I don’t know anything about Yoosung.’
All she knows about him is the name Han Yoo-seong. I don’t know anything about his past, likes or dislikes.
Even if you ask, they won’t tell you.
It felt like putting up a wall, intensifying Seris’ anxiety.
‘It would be better if Yoosung likes me like Kara said…’
But she knows
The fact that Yoosung doesn’t see himself as the opposite sex.
Sometimes he had to stare at her through her eyes.
However, his gaze was essentially different from that of Lian and other villagers. He wasn’t sticky and most of all he wasn’t obnoxious.
“Ugh… What should I do…”
How should Yoosung act so that he will stay with them without leaving them?
Seris pondered as she covered her face with a pillow. But nothing came to her mind. She turned her head. She could see her chain armor shimmering in the moonlight.
A whopping 20 silver armor that Yuseong gave to her for her dangerous role.
Looking at the armor, she made up her mind.
“Tomorrow definitely..!”
Let’s start by killing the goblins.
* * *
“Good morning!”
Seris said in a fighting voice. It was a completely different attitude from yesterday, when she was stuck in the inn with her shoulders drooping.
But she couldn’t be relieved. She’s like that every morning. If I can’t kill the goblin again, I’m sure the grass will die.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes! After a good night’s sleep, I think I can do it today!”
“Yes, I can definitely do it today. But what’s wrong with Kara’s expression? Did you not sleep well?”
Kara, who was standing next to Seris, had a slightly puzzled expression. When I asked, she smiled brightly as if she had never done that before.
“No, I slept well! Then let’s go catch the goblins today!”
We headed for the ruined castle like any other day. Arriving near the abandoned castle, I thought about where to settle down today.
Even a goblin would be in danger of noticing if you stayed on either side. I had to go to a different place than yesterday.
‘I waited for the scarred goblin yesterday, so I’ll have to go to the bare-headed goblin today.’
In order to hunt the bald goblins, I had to turn right from the gate. They went through the forest and found a place where the bushes were thick and hid.
In terms of feeling, it must have been about 5 hours. The goblins did not appear.
“It doesn’t seem to come out too much these days…”
Kara, who was watching, complained.
“It’s because we’ve killed too many in the meantime.”
The number of goblins we caught in one week exceeded forty. At this point, even the stupidest goblins would be reluctant to go outside.
‘Should I stop hunting goblins soon…’
The reason he started hunting goblins in an abandoned castle was to prove his skills. And that’s been enough through the past week.
Because the receptionist said it was okay to do this. On the contrary, I was surprised that I did not know how to do it like this.
Even so, the reason she was doing this here and now was just to increase Sister Seris’ experience. I also get karma.
‘I wanted to finish it after Seris killed the goblins, if possible.’
There’s nothing you can do about hiding like this. The first killing of Seris had to be postponed until later.
‘What kind of request should I receive?’
If possible, I should get the one that can get a lot of karma.
Currently my remaining karma is 133
The price of the skill I want to buy is 200 karma.
67 Karma is not enough.
To fill that karma, he had to kill about 40 goblins by himself.
A sigh comes out of nowhere. Still, there is hope.
‘Right now, the speed of earning karma is slow, but it will get better once you get back on track.’
After you get stronger, you can collect karma by robbing goblin dens. Until then, it’s just a little hardship.
“Uh? It’s finally here!”
Kara’s voice was raised a little, perhaps because she was happy to see her for the first time in 5 hours. I stood next to Kara’s and stared at the goblin she found.
“Let’s see. Huh?”
Kara found five goblins in total. They were sitting in a circle and chatting.
‘Five is a bit too much.’
Normally we only dealt with two or three. Because it was less dangerous.
But just ignoring it, the bag in the center of the goblins sitting in a circle bothered me. The sack kept moving as if something was struggling inside.
-Town! Eup!!
A woman’s voice came from the side of the sack.
“Uh…? Yoosung, is that…?”
“…It’s Bossam”
