5. Signora (9)
It was evening when Lumine returned to the lodgings. As dusk came, Mond was dyed with the colors of the sunset. The streets, which had been quiet until recently, were gradually becoming more lively after the official announcement by the Knights of Pevonius that the Wind Demon Dragon incident had been resolved.
In particular, the event that took place in the morning was enough to inspire the people of Mond. The top operated by Siwoo set off on its first commercial trip. Although the road had not yet been restored, the fact that regular upbound traffic had begun meant that Mond was regaining its former appearance.
Thanks to the cooperation between the Knights of Pebonius and the cathedral, the first ascension to the top took on a symbolic meaning. This was a journey that should not have failed. Siwoo’s determination could be seen just by appointing his beloved colleague, Fissul, as the head of commercial affairs.
Of course, Siwoo wanted to take responsibility for the commercial trip himself, but he could not. Not long ago, he was the one attacked by the Wooin Dan. He desperately opposed Lumine, Mona, and even Fissle. Above all, doesn’t Siwoo have work to do in Mond?
Lumine did not know much about what Siu was doing. However, she understood that Wooin Dan was plotting something against Mond, and that the only person who could stop it was Siu right now. So, Siwoo decided to do what Siwoo had to do, and Lumine decided to do what Lumine had to do.
Lumine was recently collecting information about the ‘Abyss Church’. The ‘Abyss Church’ is a group of monsters, and it was they who recently manipulated the Chuchu tribe into attacking Mond Castle. It was the Abyss Church that even attempted to contaminate the Wind Demon Dragon and use it as their own limbs. It was no exaggeration to say that these people were the enemies of humanity.
Lumine was chasing the Abyss Church with the help of Mond’s ‘dark hero’, Dairuk, who was active while hiding his identity. In the process, the Wojindan who dared to threaten Siwoo’s safety were also destroyed, but Lumine’s goal was to stop the Abyss Church’s plan.
…… That was probably the case. Recently, whenever she thought of Siwoo with a bandage on his arm, Lumine suffered from uncontrollable anger, and because of that, she felt like she was only chasing the Wooindan, but that was it anyway. At least Lumine decided to think so.
But when Lumine arrived at the accommodation, the situation in the restaurant was strange.
Mona was as usual. While she was reading a book on astrology, she seemed to be writing a manuscript, taking notes. Mona had to stay at the hostel all day for her top-related work. Even after that, she often stayed at the hostel and she would take care of her work. I think it was more efficient to handle top-related work with Siwoo.
But the problem was Siwoo. Siwoo was sipping his drink without saying anything. The liquid in the glass was flowing down Si-woo’s esophagus in an instant.
“…… “Wow, this damned life.”
At the same time, Si-Woo was staring into space as if in despair. He looked quite tired. The first commercial flight would have departed today, so there wouldn’t have been much work to do.
Lumine looked at Siu for a moment with her eyes wide open, then turned her attention to the person most likely to be able to explain the situation.
Mona, a beauty with dark blue hair wearing a cone hat, put down the book she was reading at Lumine’s questioning gaze. Mona’s gaze briefly turned to Siwoo, who was filling her glass again.
Mona sighed and sighed. She said, shrugging her shoulders.
“I don’t know, I…” But it’s a little better now. “Just a moment ago, she was staring into space and screaming and making a fuss.”
At those words, Lumine’s partner, Paimon, flew over to check Siu’s appearance. After looking here and there, Paimon seemed to have come to a conclusion and returned to Lumine’s side.
“Um… “It doesn’t just happen for a day or two that Siwoo does something strange, right?”
In the end, it meant that even Paymon did not know. But since what Paimon said was not wrong, Lumine nodded to him with her eyes closed. Clearly, it wasn’t just a day or two that Siwoo started doing strange things. Rather, it seemed to me that he was showing his normal self too much recently.
However, Siwoo’s condition seemed to be more serious than expected. He sighed, gritted his teeth, and seemed to be holding back his sadness. He was so ugly in so many ways that I couldn’t just leave him like this.
Of course, Lumine liked Siwoo’s appearance like that, but she tried to hide her feelings. Because I was embarrassed.
“…… Hey, Siwoo?”
Siwoo’s gaze slightly turned at the sound of Lumine’s voice. Then Siwoo said, “Ah,” And stood up. The slightly stumbling form seemed to have had quite a bit of alcohol.
Siwoo smiled. It was a weak smile. It meant that they were welcoming Lumine in their own way.
“Lumine, you’re back… “Are you hurt anywhere today?”
It was a question so gentle that you wouldn’t think he was a person who had shown a disgraceful attitude until just now. Lumine’s heart pounded for no reason at the sound of that voice, but since she had a question to ask, she decided to keep Siwoo’s warm voice engraved in her head for now.
“Yeah, that’s right, but… “Siwoo, is something going on?”
Siwoo frowned slightly at those words. Siwoo seemed to be contemplating what to say. Si-woo, who continued to think while tilting his head, eventually sat down again and took a drink.
Lumine noticed something in her that Siwoo was having unspeakable troubles. ‘The worries that Shiwoo can’t tell me’, Lumine continued to think like that when she suddenly felt a girl’s name pass by. That arrogant b*tch.
At that moment, the shadow disappeared from Lumine’s eyes. Lumine asked back in an extremely cold voice.
“…… “By any chance, it’s not because of Piseul, is it?”
I felt like the temperature around me dropped by a few degrees when I heard that voice. At least Siwoo felt that way. Siwoo seemed to come to his senses even while he was drunk, and immediately denied what he said.
“No! No, it’s not because of Fissle… Of course I’m worried, but Fissle is a trustworthy colleague. What does she say instead…….”
Siwoo scratched his head, feeling frustrated himself. He seemed quite annoyed because he couldn’t think of the right vocabulary. Then Siwoo soon opened his mouth in an uncertain voice.
“So, Lumine, let’s say you have 80 chances.”
“Yes.”
Lumine nodded her head in an instant. Si-woo’s gaze darkened.
“…… “You understood correctly, right?”
“Yes, they said I have 80 chances. “That’s what Siwoo said, so I guess so.”
Lumine answered without hesitation. She puffed out her chest as if she was a little proud. Siwoo instinctively moved his gaze to her chest, but soon came to his senses and looked away. Siwoo cleared his throat and said, “Hmm.”
So cute, Lumine swallowed the laughter that burst out inside her.
“Ah, anyway… So 70 of these 80 opportunities were lost? And I have to pick something with, um, very low probability within 10 times. “This is a kind of gambling.”
Lumine tilted her head. I roughly accepted the content, but I still couldn’t figure out what Siwoo was doing.
Could it be that Siwoo likes gambling? Then, how should I manage my money after marriage? I thought I could just leave it all to Siwoo. Lumine’s brows narrowed slightly. It was because her mind became complicated. Among them, her placenta was just an illusion.
Siwoo didn’t know if he knew Lumine’s feelings, but with her sigh, he confessed her inner feelings.
“Now that I have failed 70 times and there are only 10 left, I am losing confidence. She feels like scrapping the plan she had in mind and saving the rest in case she might need it someday… Um, do you know what I mean?”
Lumine was silent for a moment after listening to Siwoo’s words to the end. Actually, I had no idea what Siwoo was talking about. However, since some of what Siu said was always the same, Lumine did not bother to delve into the meaning of what he said. Anyway, Siwoo, like Lumine, was a person who fell from another world. He didn’t even know if there was common sense unique to that world.
So, Lumine decided to only talk about things she could understand. Only then did Lumine’s lips separate.
“Hmm, so Siwoo has already blown 70 out of 80 chances, right?”
“…… Yes.”
As Siwoo answered that way, his expression became noticeably depressed. In the end, Siwoo picked up his glass and took a sip. Rumi found that cute and almost burst into laughter, but Siwoo felt even more upset, so she held back.
“Then, shouldn’t we see the end?”
Hearing Lumine’s words, a look of concern appeared in Siwoo’s eyes. It meant that Siwoo was upset. Perhaps Siwoo was hoping for that answer. Someone’s advice to support a judgment that no one can be sure of.
Siwoo opened his mouth with a voice that seemed like he was still hesitant.
“I see…… ?”
“Yes. “I don’t know how precious those 10 opportunities are, but if you’ve already tried 70 times, I think it’s okay to try 10 more times.”
Siwoo was silent at Lumine’s words. He was silent, silent, then silent. Finally he seemed to have made up his mind and raised his whale. The burning eyes were staring into space.
“…… Good.”
And in the next moment, Siwoo closed his eyes tightly. Lumine looked at Siwoo with puzzled eyes. The same thing happened to Mona and Paimon, who were eavesdropping on the conversation between Siu and Lumine. I don’t know what it was, but Siwoo seemed to be challenging something in him.
After some time passed, Siwoo slightly opened his eyes. And soon Siwoo’s eyes opened wide.
On the screen visible only to Siwoo’s eyes, a golden glow remained. Siwoo confirmed the results with trembling eyes.
And the next moment.
“Lumine!!!”
Siwoo jumped up and held Lumine in his arms. “Oh,” Lumine could only say in a daze. Lumine was unable to come to her senses due to the sudden situation.
Siwoo took a spin while holding Lumine in his arms. Because Lumine’s body was so thin, Siwoo’s strength was enough to lift it. And Siwoo, who had been hugging Lumine for a while and making her laugh, held on to Lumine’s hand even as she fell away from her.
“That’s it, that’s enough! Now all you have to do is throw the bait. Thanks for your advice, thank you!”
Then Siwoo began to climb the stairs as if he was running. This was right after he muttered, ‘This is not the time.’ It was a movement like the wind. It was an abrupt exit, fitting for a sudden emotional change.
In the end, the only things left in the restaurant are the liquor bottle and glass that Si-woo left behind, and the three women who have not yet figured out the situation. Among them, the first to react was none other than Lumine.
“Uh, uh, uh… ….”
Lumine, with a blank face, stuttered like a broken robot, and then she shouted in an urgent voice.
“Uh, what did you do, Paimon?! What did I say that made Siwoo hug me, huh?! You were so shocked that your memory disappeared…….”
Lumine’s voice trembled. Her gaze fell to the floor. Only her violently shaking eyes told me that she was desperately trying to recall the memories of her moments before.
Paymon, who was watching the scene, just shook his head with a look of disgust. Mona’s reaction was no different. Mona, who was watching Siwoo and Lumine do what she did, soon snorted and decided to finish writing her column about her astrology.
It was a strange thing. Mona, these days, when she sees Lumine and Siwoo doing things, she feels uncomfortable for no reason. For her part, she had no idea why.
Mona thought as she played with her pen. Don’t you think it’s strange that she shows off like that but can’t make any progress? If it were me…….
Then Mona’s pen stopped suddenly. What were you thinking now? ‘If it were me’?
“I guess I’m crazy… ….”
Mona then looked around her. Who would have noticed that, but Mona couldn’t bear it without doing so because of her shame. Mona’s face began to heat up.
“No, probably not…” It’s simply an illusion. Yeah, I think I heard that story in a column I saw a while ago…….”
The quiet restaurant was filled with the sounds of the two women muttering. Paimon just sighed. Siwoo, who could be said to be the cause, was so excited that he was cheering in the room.
That night, Siwoo ultimately won against Gacha.
**
The next morning, the headquarters of the Knights of Pebonius.
It’s been a while since I visited the Knights. It was a meeting about a road restoration project led by the Knights of Pebonius. In the meantime, I was so busy that the Knights of Pebonius deliberately sent knights to be considerate of me, but not anymore.
It was a national-scale project. Of course, there was a lot to discuss about it, and I had just been called to the meeting as a reference. Since my boss’s role in the road restoration project was not small, it was something that could not be helped.
Something was different about the Knights of Pebonius who visited after a long time. That was mainly the attitude of the Knights Templar toward me. After the Chuchu invasion of Mond Castle, I became very close with the knights, but I never expected them to treat me with this much respect. The members of the Knights Templar all called me ‘Supply Officer’ and expressed their closeness to me.
The emotions were endless. Baek Si-woo, who until a few months ago was treated as an unknown stranger in Mond, is no longer there. Now, there was only one person left named ‘Siu’ who was recognized not only by the Knights of Pevonius but also by the citizens of Mond.
As I was walking forward with such a proud heart, an unexpected encounter was waiting for me at the Knights headquarters.
A red hat suddenly rose up from under my vision. Even though it was just the hat, I felt doubtful and looked down.
There was a little boy wearing a red hat and a red dress looking at me. She has red eyes and light golden hair. And even pure white and soft skin.
She was a cute girl. I felt like I had seen her somewhere before. As soon as her little one made eye contact with me, she jumped up and down with joy.
“Oh, it’s my brother!”
‘Oppa’. I closed my eyes for a moment because the sound seemed to touch the other side of my memory. And then I remembered it.
A long time ago, when I was running a street vendor, the little boy who told me that Director Jin had called me. That’s the name, yes.
I slightly bent her knees and made eye contact with the little child. And she said with a faint smile.
“It’s been a while, Klee.”
“hehehe, I remembered!”
Clée smiled innocently, probably happy that I remembered her. She was a pure and cute child. I burst out laughing a little at that sight.
“By the way, what is going on at the Knights headquarters? “Where have your parents gone?”
“Huh? “Klee’s parents left her in care three years ago?”
At those words, the smile disappeared from my face in an instant. I felt like I was going to burst into a cold sweat right away.
But I decided to laugh at Klee’s innocent reaction. It was a stiff smile, but I forced the corners of my mouth to twist.
“Ah, ah. I see! Yeah, that’s not strange at all. Yes, of course.”
“Ugh, your brother is a strange person…” But Klee will understand. Because Klee is no longer a kid!”
And then Klee smiled again. It was fortunate that he was an innocent child. I sighed in relief at the thought that the crisis had been overcome.
However, my shocked heart had not yet calmed down. I asked Klee with a smile that had not yet eased my stiffness.
“But Klee, what’s going on with the Knights?”
“Oppa, you are asking the obvious! “Clé is a Templar, so he is in the Templars.”
I burst out laughing at those words. It was extremely cute to see a little boy with a school bag the size of his body say that on his back.
I stroked Klee’s head. It seemed that Klee admired the Knights Templar. That innocence was dazzling.
“Yes, yes. I guess so. So what business do you have for me?”
“Wow, it’s true…” ….”
Clée looked at me with slightly dissatisfied eyes, but her expression relaxed again when I asked about her business. She asked in an innocent voice.
“You know, you’re close with Director Jin, right?”
“Hmm, maybe that’s the case…… ?”
I answered that somewhat hesitantly. I think we were close, but I couldn’t tell how close we were. But for Klee, that answer seemed sufficient.
Clée’s face turned bright red. Klee said excitedly.
“Then, brother, can you please tell Director Jin…” … ? “Klee is not a child anymore, so she can go out and play at night.”
I burst out laughing at those words. When I asked him what favor he was asking, it was a concern appropriate for his age. I want to go out and have fun at night.
But since that was a matter that had to be entirely up to the caregiver’s judgment, I decided not to argue about it. However, there was only one thing I could promise with Klee.
“Okay, I’ll say it first. Instead, I don’t know what decision Director Jin will make?”
In response to her answer, Klee raised her short arms to the sky. A smile appeared on her face.
“Hurray! “If Klee can go out at night, I will give you one of Klee’s precious treasures!”
It was a ‘treasure’, an idea that a small child could do. At least it’s a toy.
Still, it was probably a precious item to Klee. I asked to keep her innocence.
“It’s a treasure, I’m looking forward to it. “Can you tell me what kind of item it is?”
“Oh, that’s right. It is a bomb whose detonation structure has been reset by adjusting the amount of gunpowder. Although the explosion range is a little narrow, the explosive power is…….”
It was around this time that words that should not be heard began to come out of Klee’s mouth. A clear and clear voice came from far away.
A woman with her golden hair tied behind her and a sword at her waist. The woman with those beautiful blue eyes was Director Jin.
“Klee!”
“Ugh, ugh! “It’s Director Jin!”
As soon as she heard Director Jin’s shout, Klee immediately hid her body behind me. Klee started shaking her body. He seemed nervous.
Jin looked at her Clere with her questioning gaze, and then she lowered her head to me with an apologetic look on her face.
“I’m sorry, Siwoo. Klee is still young… “She wasn’t rude, was she?”
“…… “Oh, I didn’t!”
The answer to Director Jin’s question came from behind my knees. It was Clay hiding behind me.
“I didn’t set off a barrel bomb, nor did I throw a bomb into the lake and make the fish explode! And we didn’t set the mountain on fire, and then again, and again…….”
I thought I heard something scary, but I looked at Director Jin with slightly shaking eyes. Director Jin sighed as if there was nothing he could do.
Director Jin covered his face with his hands. It seemed like parenting was a difficult task for her too.
“Clé… Would you like to stay in your room for a moment? “I have to have an important meeting from now on.”
“Ooh, I understand… ….”
At Director Jin’s words, Klee slumped her shoulders as if she felt downcast. Director Jin, who was watching Klee taking her helpless steps, added one word.
“Instead, after the meeting, let’s go for a walk for the first time in a while.”
“Really?!”
Director Jin nodded his head at Klee’s bright gaze. Klee then got excited and ran somewhere. She was truly a little child whose identity was unknown.
I just remained silent, feeling dazed. I just asked Director Jin with a glance.
‘What is that kid?’
Director Jin had a look on his face that made it difficult to explain. The little child she couldn’t figure out was Klee, so it would have been difficult for her to even explain. There was an awkward atmosphere for a moment.
It wasn’t me or Director Jin who broke the silence. Applause was heard. The sound of clap, clap, clap. I remembered the name of a knight who once appeared with such a sound.
When I turned my gaze, there was a person exactly as I expected. Navy blue hair, bronzed skin, and even strong muscles.
His name was ‘Keia’, and he was the cavalry commander of the Knights of Pebonius.
“It’s been a while, Siwoo. No, should I call you ‘Siwoo, owner of Siwoo Sangdan’ today?”
Then, Kea held out his hand. I seemed to grab his hand, then pulled it slightly. And whispered into Keia’s ear.
“…… “It’s all good, but how can the damned name ‘Siwoo Sangdan’ be bad?”
“Um, what’s wrong? “I think it’s the best name since ‘Siouvid.'”
At the same time, Keia smiled knowingly. My body trembled. It was clear that Keia was making fun of me.
The background to the birth of the name ‘Siwoo Sangdan’ was as follows. A member of the Knights of Pebonius came to my lodgings and was supposed to collect the upper registration documents from me, but due to the aftermath of staying up the night before, I couldn’t wake up even then.
So, I thought about it all night, and in the end, the name of the merchant that I had left blank was decided to be ‘Siwoo Merchant’s Association’ by Paymon, who happened to be greeting the knights. It was truly the worst naming sense. Because of that, I was in danger of having the ridiculous name ‘Siwoo Sangdanju Siwoo’ written on my business card.
It was Director Jin’s voice that woke me up from my trembling body, unable to refute it. As always, Director Jin advised me in a clear and clear voice.
“We have to have a meeting first, so should we go into the director’s office? “The attendees of today’s meeting, including Lisa, are gathered there.”
Kaya nodded her head obediently as if she agreed with what he said. That was the purpose of my visit to the Knights today, so I also left without saying a word. It was a car that had already given up on the name ‘Siwoo Sangdan’ anyway.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to me. Okay, I didn’t come here just for a meeting. Besides that, there was another purpose.
From Noble mtl dot com
I took something out of my ‘backpack’. A heavy feeling passed through my hands. I caught Director Jin and Keia as they were heading to the conference room.
“…… Wait a minute.”
Director Jin and Keia paused. The moment their eyes turned to me, I held out what I had prepared.
Platinum colored cross guard and light green sword body. The support connected to the cross guard, which runs up the center of the sword body, shows that this sword is quite large. And above all, the subtle power of the wind element.
It was a great sword. One of the ‘Sky Series’, the name is ‘Pride of the Sky’.
No matter who looked at it, it was an unusual weapon. Leader Jin and Keia’s gaze instantly focused on ‘Pride of the Sky’. Any warrior could not help but be impressed by this sword.
Director Jin remained silent for a moment, then absentmindedly touched his lips. Her gaze was fixed on the ‘Pride of the Sky’ as if she were mesmerized.
“That was written by an honorary knight…” ….”
“Yes, it is the same type of sword. Likewise, it contains the ‘power of God.'”
Keia, who was watching the sword for a moment, soon shifted her gaze to me. It was meant to tell the reason why ‘Pride in the Sky’ was suddenly brought up.
I was thinking of doing that even if I didn’t have to. I smiled.
“…… “Could you tell me some rumors?”
Then I thought of a certain woman. She is a beautiful and alluring woman with white blonde hair. The sight of her back that left me with scars for the first time.
“I want to sell this sword at a reasonable price to a place that knows its value.”
Wooindan was obsessed with the ‘power of God’. To the point where I collect everything related to him.
Yes, this was bait.
Bait for a big fish called ‘Signora’.