Chapter 43 – 06. Cohabitation With Retired Warrior Maman
“Is this…”
Siu muttered as he looked at the three-story mansion in front of him.
A building that looks pretty old. However, it was a well-maintained and quaint mansion. The decorations that seemed to reflect the taste of the residents were also sparsely noticeable. There was a strong feeling that nothing more was being managed.
The distance we walked in after the private land sign was quite long. However, there was a sense of narrowness to see it as a place owned by only four SS-class warriors on the continent. Basically, SS-class heroes are treated like royalty.
‘Han So-yeong, the hero here… I’m very nervous.’
The name SS-class warrior came to Siwoo with great pressure.
In the first round, even the S-class was in a situation where I couldn’t carelessly look at it. Maybe that’s why the highest grade with two S’s came heavier.
He knocked on the door with sweaty hands.
“Excuse me.”
After a while, the door opened and a middle-aged woman came out.
“Who are you.”
A woman with a scar on one side of her cheek.
From what I had heard from Princess Helena, she was the butler and housekeeper in charge of her mansion. After she was favored by her warrior Han So-yeong, he followed her and was a faithful confidant who worked solely for her Han So-young.
“This time, it is said that he is a candidate for the Han Si-wu warrior who was dispatched from the warrior training school.
“…Come on in.”
The butler took Siu inside with a disapproving expression.
The butler, who prioritized Han So-yeong over the empire or the continent, did not like the fact that the empire sent people periodically. The owner was so generous that if it wasn’t for that, he would have been kicked out.
And the Glazer imperial family used that as an excuse to take Siu to the entrance of the estate and go back. Thanks to this, he walked alone through the garden to the front door of the mansion.
The reason was that Princess Helena was so good at negotiating that there were many rewards for Siwoo to succeed in her mission. Even if he didn’t think that he would be able to convince Han So-yeong, he didn’t even help in case of an emergency.
“Then excuse me.”
Siu cautiously stepped into the mansion.
The view inside was similar to the outside.
Decorations and paintings that seem to have been filled with someone’s taste. However, there were several empty seats. There were also signs that decorations hadn’t been added since a certain point. In modern terms, it hasn’t been updated.
‘It’s my husband’s or son’s taste.’
I left it as it was because the dead family liked it, but I didn’t know what to put in it so it would look good, so I just left it as it is.
‘Perhaps…’
“The owner is on the third floor. I will guide you.”
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
Siwoo followed the butler up the stairs to the third floor.
As he looked around, the butler glanced at him, as if his behavior was bothering him.
And Siwoo put her words into her mouth that she probably wanted.
“These are the works of Morgocz, an artist from 200 years ago.”
“…!! Oh, do you know?”
Except for the slight frown between his eyebrows at the word empire, the butler’s eyes widened as he had maintained an expressionless expression the entire time.
You probably hardly ever see it. Not only the work of Morgocz, but even those who know his name. It may be that he is quite an old man, but his work has never been popular from his time until now.
“It’s just a little knowledgeable.”
Siwoo answered calmly while looking around the corridor on the third floor.
Not humble, but actually barely knew. I just happened to know that one of the party members from the first round was a woman who only collected works by lesser-known artists like Morgocz.
“…Amazing.”
The butler’s face, who did not know that, showed a little anticipation.
Soon the footsteps of the two stopped.
“Master. The Empire’s warrior candidate, whom I mentioned two days ago, has visited.”
‘I don’t belong to the Empire…’
It was not a good timing to make corrections, so Siwoo decided to tell me later.
“… Ask them to come in.”
The voice heard from the other side of the door sounded elegant and pure, but at the same time he was weak, like someone who had been starving for several days. Since there is a butler who seems to be in the best condition of the owner’s health, that won’t happen, but it must mean that he is tired.
“They ask you to come in.”
“All right.”
The first thing I saw when I entered the room was long, dark blue hair.
Beauty seemed to flow from the back of her sitting by the window. The neatly arranged hair that covered her back convinced her that she must be a beauty.
“…”
Apart from that, her shoulders, visible through her hair, were drooping. But that didn’t kill Han So-yeong’s dignity. Rather, she aroused feelings of pity and only added to her pathetic beauty.
“Ah, hello. My name is Han Si-woo, a candidate for the 98th class of warriors.”
“…Han, Siwoo?”
Unexpectedly, she responded to Siu’s name.
‘What?’
“Ah… Yes, this is Han Si-woo.”
Han So-young, who had been looking out of her window with her back to him, slowly turned her body around.
Eyes that look alluring as if they were studded with black jewels. But her half-dead eyes gave off an eerie feeling. A chilly, cold energy flowed out and froze the air.
“Han Siu?”
“No, that’s right.”
Siwoo stuttered at the sight of her asking the question again.
Cold sweat runs down your back. However, even that was likely to dry up again due to the heavy and cool energy that Han So-young radiated. Siwoo was so nervous.
“…How old are you?”
“I’m 24 this year.”
“Twenty-four… Yeah, that’s right. There’s no way they’ll even be the same age…”
Han So-young muttered as she shook her head.
“…?”
It was a small voice, but he heard the age part clearly.
I wondered if she was thinking of her son, who had died three years ago, but that couldn’t be the case. Han So-young’s husband was an otherworldly person, and for her convenience, he was named Imperial.
The son’s name he had heard was not Siwoo either.
‘Then who were you thinking of?’
It was a curious thing.
“Did you come to ask me to return to active duty?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll refuse this time. I have no intention of returning to active duty.”
Seeing Han So-young speak so sadly, Si-woo nodded.
She may not understand her grief at the loss of her two family members to the disease, but she did not know that it was difficult. But she didn’t want to back down either, because she knew that this was important.
Siwoo threw a prepared comment.
“Can’t you give me a chance to convince Han So-young?”
He knew the reaction when he said this. From before, she allowed the imperial officials who came to persuade her to stay in her mansion for up to a week. Of course, that was all there was to it.
“You can do as you please. As you have heard and know, I will allow you to preside for up to a week.”
“Thank you, Han So-young.”
“You have nothing to thank.”
“In return, may I fill in the ornaments in the vacant seats in the mansion?”
At those words, Han So-yeong let out a sigh and shook her head.
It was an annoying phrase I hadn’t heard in a long time. There were several aristocrats who would show off their knowledge and fill the mansion with ornaments for three years, but all of them were full of people who did not even know who the artworks were, which was her husband’s hobby.
During the first year, many of them noticed and kept their mouths shut, but there were a few foolish nobles from time to time. The young man in front of him, who seemed to be from the same town, was no different.
“It is necessary…”
“It’s surprising that there are people who like Morgez’s art.”
“…No… Yes? What did you just say?”
Han So-young doubted her own ears.
She is an artist that no aristocrat in any empire has ever known. But how could a man who was neither a citizen of the Empire nor a person from this world know about Morgotsu? Moreover, she said that Siwoo is not even a warrior, but a candidate.
Seeing the surprised retired warrior, Siwoo smiled.
“Because I like books. I happened to see a book related to it.”
“…How long has it been since you were summoned here?”
“It’s probably been a little over a month now.”
“…”
What is the probability of accidentally reading a book related to Morgocz within a month?
She did not know much about the artist Morgocz. She only knew a little because her husband liked it. Maybe that’s why she felt even more strange.
‘Have you studied beforehand? But how do you know…’
“What should I do?”
Siu urged her on her answer.
Han So-young moved her lips in the midst of the confusion.
Artists and Morgocz were not at all interested in such things. But these art objects were one of her husband’s few hobbies. And he always wanted to decorate this mansion with his art.
“…Okay. I’ll allow it. But if you can’t properly explain why you’re putting a piece of art there…”
The retired former SS-class warrior’s eyes flashed fiercely.
“…You better be prepared.”
“Of course.”
Although he gave a savage warning, Siwoo smiled brightly at her permission.
Han So-young’s face he was looking at was clearly softer than before. He threatened savagely, but he was slightly excited at the thought that perhaps in eight years one of her husband’s wishes might come true.
Siu unknowingly clenched his fists.
‘I was really lucky.’
It’s not clear, but the name Han Si-woo itself seemed to be positive to Han So-young. Here’s to Morgocz’s artwork. Although he accepted the mission, he was at a loss, but he seemed to be able to see a way.
‘For the first time, I’m grateful to that woman.’
She was a female colleague from the first episode who liked an unpopular artist.
At his party, it was Siwoo who listened to her stories about her artists who constantly chatted to catch her because of her undeserved skills.
She refrained from knowing that she was not Siwoo and there were few warriors who would listen to her, but she was quite annoying.
No matter how Morgocz was a person from 200 years ago and an unpopular artist who was completely out of fashion, the reason why the imperial nobles didn’t know everything was simple.
It was because he was a criminal exiled from the Empire.
There was no way that the Glaser Empire and its nobles, who were proud of being the strongest nation, would like the artist they expelled. For this reason, there are almost no data about him in the Empire, and his works were not treated as art.
“Then I’ll just leave.”
“Yes, yes.”
Still, she seemed to be far from getting close with her, so when she said that she would leave, Han So-young coolly gave her permission and turned her body halfway. She was glad she didn’t look out of her window again, but she still felt a little regretful.
“…”
Siwoo, who was about to turn her steps, stopped.
As her tension eased, his eyes were shining directly into Han So-young’s face.
‘And…’
She was so beautiful that she wondered why she hadn’t known about it before.
At 39 years old, she is beautiful. She looked incredible for a married woman who had one child who would be in her 40s in less than six months. She stood out with a clean and sophisticated figure that touched a man’s heartstrings.
Her slightly parted crimson lips seemed to indicate her soft character. Even so, she held herself upright, revealing the resoluteness that would come out in an emergency. She has nothing that doesn’t look beautiful.
It was a look that fit the expression of Gyeonggukji color. Even the haggardness of her grief over three years was not enough to obscure her beauty.
“…?”
Han So-young tilted her head at Si-woo’s gaze as she stared at her.
“Why is that? Do you have something left to say?”
Siu was flustered in embarrassment and lowered his head.
“Ah, that, I’m sorry. It’s so beautiful that I didn’t know…”
“Yes?
Han So-yeong burst out laughing as if that statement was absurd.
If her butler saw her like this, she would be amazed. As far as her butler knew, she hadn’t even smiled in nearly three years. It was a really long laugh.
“You’re an interesting person. It’s okay. Get out.”
“Yes, I understand. That… Excuse me.”
Han So-young burst into laughter once again as he bowed her waist and backed away from her, then bumped his back against her door. This time she was so funny it was a burst of laughter.
Siwoo left and was left alone in the room.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen sincere expressions rather than mere words of praise to buy my heart…”
Even if her son is alive, she thinks of a young man six years older than him, and Han So-young paints a small smile on her lips.
