121 – Legitimate Visit (1)
Elena, who had barged in before Hyeon-woo could even think, stood before him with a very confused expression.
On his desk right now was a ring placed inside a small box.
A proposal ring reflecting everything like a mirror.
The moment Elena saw it, she felt an overwhelming surge of indescribable emotions.
“…”
Of course, Kim Hyunwoo said nothing.
Elena doesn’t know who the proposal ring is intended for.
Yet, precisely because of that, Elena felt a deep sense of despair.
At least, in her opinion, it wasn’t difficult for Elena to surmise that Kim Hyunwoo wouldn’t use that item for himself.
Certainly, the relationship between Elena and Kim Hyunwoo wasn’t that bad.
In fact, among the heroes currently in Lartania, Kim Hyunwoo was the one spending the most time with Elena.
Apart from her training hours, Elena was mostly assisting Kim Hyunwoo with his administration or reporting.
However, despite that, the distance between Elena and Kim Hyunwoo hadn’t become so close, which made Elena feel the surging emotions within her.
Of course, she knew that such behavior was wrong.
But, when she saw the sign, Elena couldn’t help but feel an uncontrollable impulse to leap forward.
However.
“Is that outside? Don’t mind that. The ring isn’t meant for the ring itself, but for the merchant who will bring this ring.”
In response to Kim Hyunwoo’s continued words, Elena unknowingly asked, “Merchant…?”
“…Yes.”
“…What’s that about?”
Elena made a puzzled expression of not understanding.
She knew it was strange for her to be curious about this, but curiosity had already led her to ask questions.
“So, what happened was-“
Kim Hyunwoo explained to Elena why he had bought the proposal ring from a decent merchant.
Of course, he couldn’t talk about the details of the quest, so he mentioned buying the ring to meet a decent merchant.
“-That’s how it is. There aren’t many ways to meet a decent merchant.”
“I see.”
With an awkward smile, Kim Hyunwoo’s words made Elena nod as if she finally understood, speaking a bit shyly, “I’m sorry, it was so sudden seeing something like that, I got a bit flustered and hurried to ask.”
“That could be…,” Kim Hyunwoo replied, sighing in understanding as he glanced sideways at Elena while she spoke.
Watching his reaction, Elena briefly turned her gaze to a small box and continued, “But… can I ask one more thing?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Well, even though you said you bought it to meet a decent merchant, in the end, you did buy the proposal ring, didn’t you?”
Nodding at Elena’s question, recalling what he said, Kim Hyunwoo replied, “…Well, ultimately, that’s true.”
“So, are you planning to use the proposal ring…?”
Slightly raising her eyebrows, Elena asked, and after a moment of contemplation, Kim Hyunwoo responded, “Well, since I bought it, I should use it, right? Besides, this ring was quite pricey.”
Even if it was the cheapest among what the decent merchant was selling, it was still a waste considering it contained as many as ten red stones.
“So… who do you plan to use it on?”
Elena asked in response to Kim Hyun-woo’s words.
In fact, Elena had been pondering whether she should ask the question she had in mind a while ago.
The thought that she should stop asking questions at this point kept sprouting in her mind.
However, unlike her rationality, her emotions blurted out the words in her mind, leaving Elena with a belated realization, yet Kim Hyun-woo casually continued the conversation as if he didn’t sense anything unusual.
“Well… I haven’t decided yet.”
“Uh, really?”
“Still… I plan to use it within about half a year.”
“What!? H-Half a year?”
“…Huh? Why are you so surprised?”
“No, it’s just… the person who… occupies your heart, isn’t… it, right?”
Nodding at Elena’s question, including thoughts of heroes within the Larutania domain, Kim Hyun-woo replied.
“Well, there isn’t, right?”
“Then how do you plan to use it…?”
In response to Elena’s question, Kim Hyun-woo pondered.
‘Actually, I don’t really want to use the Proposal Ring just because our hearts align.’
He knew that the Proposal Ring could become a significant power within the Larutania domain depending on its usage.
And he could actually use it right now.
‘Since Elena’s affection level is at level 4, if I develop the relationship well, I could use the Proposal Ring…’
Kim Hyun-woo glanced at Elena.
A serious expression, wondering what on earth she was so concerned about.
Seeing that, Kim Hyun-woo sighed briefly with a thought, ‘As expected.’
He had stopped recruiting heroes after Lani due to the fact that none of the heroes who visited his tavern after her had captured his heart.
Of course, it was possible to select and discard heroes as needed, but Kim Hyun-woo’s preference was not to recruit heroes in that manner. He believed in selecting heroes to nurture rather than in such a disposable manner, and the endless wait had led to this result.
Thus, in the current situation where there was only one hero, Kim Hyun-woo could safely say that there would be no adverse effects of using the Proposal Ring on Elena if he were to propose to her effectively.
However, the reason Kim Hyun-woo firmly refrained from using the ring was due to the circumstances.
‘…In the end, the main point is that we must stop those who intrude into the Middle Realm, including the demons, so ultimately, it is essential to recruit other heroes besides Elena.’
No matter how strong Elena might become in the future, in any world, numbers always held absolute superiority.
And to strengthen the heroes recruited in this way, it was imperative to raise their affection levels unconditionally. From his perspective of having to raise the affection levels of various heroes, using the Proposal Ring was out of the question.
Ultimately, the Proposal Ring would only restrict Kim Hyun-woo’s actions and stir discord among the heroes.
Yet, if he were to give a Proposal Ring to every hero whose affection level he raised, he knew well the kind of situation that would ensue.
Moreover, this Proposal Ring had an expiration date.
Of course, he knew about the setting of Arteil that bound lords and heroes with a special power, but even so, he had included the setting that the ‘special power’ would dissipate if not used after half a year, essentially making the Proposal Ring an item with an expiration date.
In other words, Kim Hyun-woo had to use this ring within half a year.
‘…Well, let’s just give it a try as it is.’
So, Kim Hyun-woo, holding the ring, shrugged his shoulders slightly and asked.
“Oh, by the way, is the carriage still outside?”
“Huh? Oh, the carriage? Yes, it should still be there.”
Kim Hyun-woo covered his eyes with a shy expression, looking at Elena, who answered with a slight delay, wondering what was on her mind.
“…It feels like there will be.”
“…Shall we clear it up?”
“Yeah, leave the carriage in the warehouse at Yeongju Castle and dispose of the sign.”
With a deep sigh, Kim Hyunwoo covered his eyes, and as if understanding his response, Elena nodded before leaving the study.
“…Half a year…”
Unknowingly, Elena muttered to herself.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well-“
“I have something to check on.”
As soon as she left the study, Elena couldn’t help but notice Shardra and Liva waiting as if they had been expecting her.
The fact that Liva and Shardra here had overheard the conversation with Kim Hyunwoo.
And.
“Half a year-“
“Half a year…”
“Half a year…”
All the individuals present here had a unified goal.
Therefore, when Elena, Liva, and Shardra began to engage in a subtle mental battle, outside the territory of Lartania,
“Half a year?”
“Half a year…”
Lyn and Merilda gazed down at the territory with an expression mixed exactly half with gloom and hope.
More precisely, they were staring intently at the ring still left untouched by Kim Hyunwoo on the desk in the Yeongju Castle study.
Half a year.
It could be long or short, depending on perspective.
But Lyn and Merilda didn’t attach any particular meaning to the period of half a year.
For Lyn and Merilda, there were only two important things at the moment.
One was that Kim Hyunwoo had bought an engagement ring.
The other was that Lyn and Merilda genuinely wanted to become the owners of that ring.
Therefore, Lyn and Merilda were not pondering over the concept of half a year but were seeking the quickest way to achieve their set goal.
In the first place, they never had any other choice.
Hence.
“Lorelle.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Is everything prepared as we discussed last time?”
“Yes.”
“Then, let’s proceed immediately.”
“I will prepare as instructed.”
“Kiral.”
“Why so serious, Chief?”
“Do you remember what we talked about last time?”
“…Ah, was it the proposal from Ryu?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot com“…That?”
“Let’s do it.”
“…Alright.”
Merilda and Lynn made up their minds.
…While looking at the ring.
That dragon must be feeling pretty panicked right now, by the time she gets out it would’ve been a year
Some months have passed since that one-year duration was mentioned, so she won’t necessarily be stuck in her cave still when it presumably gets used for something.