185 – Rest (9)
“Seohyun. How have you been?”
Colin, who came to her mansion, was shaking her hand with a smile.
After taking a vacation for the first time in a long time, she came to my mansion alone.
Immediately, Kayla prepared refreshments and tea and served them.
“How are you, Kayla?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I am enjoying a peaceful daily life.”
Unlike usual, Kayla had taken off her robe and was wearing plain clothes.
Because of the children, Colin wears a robe at the mansion, but Colin already knows Kayla’s identity.
There was no need to bother hiding her identity, at least in my room.
“I always wanted to repay Seohyun, but I never had the chance.”
“What is the reward? “We also received a lot of help.”
I couldn’t help but notice how much Colin was responsible for as Julia’s close associate.
From tasks related to requests and settlement that come to us, to information collection and material management.
He was in charge of everything from ordinary chores to important missions.
“It’s all thanks to you all. Please save me and take me to the capital. “You helped me get a job here.”
She held out the flower basket she was holding in both hands to me.
A basket filled with beautifully colorful flowers.
There was not a single withered flower.
“These are all flowers I personally selected and collected.”
“Really? “It must have been hard to save this much.”
“Yes. “Actually, I wanted to try flower arrangement.”
Her hometown is a snowy mountainous region, so flowers are said to be very rare.
She says that’s why she makes time to study flowers even though she’s busy with work.
And she gave me the first flower basket she made as a gift.
I guess I should display it well, at least for Colin’s sake.
“…”
Meanwhile, Kayla was looking at her flower basket with a subtle expression.
For some reason, his complexion didn’t look that good.
Still, she managed to keep her expression as if nothing had happened.
I had already been caught.
‘You don’t really like flowers…?’
That couldn’t have been possible. It seemed like he wasn’t particularly interested in flowers.
But if it was a gift from Colin, there was no way I would hate it.
Although I was puzzled, I decided to move on.
“Oh, and there was something Yulia wanted me to tell you.”
“Really? “What are you talking about?”
“It is said that a large-scale advance of the Knights is scheduled for 15 days. And they say that Seohyun and her colleagues should also join us.”
Has it finally come? In fact, it is quite early in terms of timing.
Anyway, in the story line, this is an event that must happen at least once.
Large-scale air raid operation into the Demon World. The outcome of the war will change greatly depending on whether this operation succeeds or fails.
“Is there any news from the Spirit King or Makiela?”
“I expect that the Spirit King will probably participate in the fierce battle in the center. “I’m not sure about Machiela.”
If we leave out Makiella, who is not supposed to be on the front line in the first place.
In the end, the biggest obstacle was the union of the Spirit King, spirits, and fairies.
“I guess we should stick together properly for once.”
There is a reason why you must meet the Spirit King.
Tyria, who was quietly listening to her conversation, kept her mouth shut and had a serious expression on her face.
You may have already made up your mind, but when the situation arises, you will feel uneasy.
No matter what decision Tyria makes, we must do our best to protect her.
“And there are rumors going around at the request center.”
“What kind of rumor is it?”
“…It’s a ghost story about Seohyun whose origin is unknown.”
Colin said it as best as he could, but she could barely tell.
A party of one man and four women. No matter how I looked at it, there was no way it would look good.
We don’t have to go to the request center, so it’s okay if you don’t listen.
Colleen, who worked at the referral center every day, had no choice but to know even if she didn’t want to hear it.
She’d like to tell her not to worry, but Colin already knows.
When I stroked her head as encouragement, her smile returned as if she was feeling better.
‘It somehow became a habit.’
Although she knows that stroking someone’s head is not an ordinary behavior.
Since there were only people around me who wanted to pat my head, I got used to it.
It was natural for Erina and Kayla to always be thirsty for skinship.
And Serica was also showing a positive reaction.
The same goes for Colin. She was much younger than me, so she naturally accepted my touch.
‘I shouldn’t do this to Tyria.’
She glanced at Tyria and saw that her face was blushing with an embarrassed expression on her face.
Does this seem like a shameful behavior to her?
It seemed like there was a need to restrain her skinship a bit in front of Tyria.
“I know how kind and just Seohyun is. And other people don’t know anything.”
“Thank you. Colin.”
His tone was filled with annoyance as he had been plagued by malicious rumors and gossip.
I poured her tea to help her calm down, and she politely took it and put it to her mouth.
“Haa…”
Maybe it’s because of the warm tea inside, but Colin is a little calmer.
After that, she told her story about what happened at the request center.
First of all, it is said that immediately after Julia received her noble title, an uproar broke out at her request office.
Those who follow Yulia and those who follow Carlson.
Fortunately, an armed conflict did not occur.
It is said to be in a state where it is not properly controlled, as if it is divided into two branches.
“Meanwhile, I heard Mr. Carlson wasn’t even doing his work properly.”
“The power is gradually decreasing.”
“I guess Yulia has a way of attracting people.”
I also acknowledge Julia for that part.
If she thought she was on her side, she definitely took responsibility and took care of it.
She was a bit harsh when it came to people not on her side.
“And Schnella is also very talented. “I think the position of request director will probably go to Julia.”
“Thank goodness. “I’ll have to give you a gift later.”
There were so many gifts I received from Julia.
It wasn’t a bad idea to give her a gift for her in return for once.
While the conversation continued, Kayla carefully joined the conversation.
“Colin. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Yes. Ask anything.”
“It seems like the atmosphere on the streets has changed a lot recently.”
When Colin heard those words, her face hardened and she slowly nodded her head.
Unlike Erina and I, who stayed alone in the mansion for two weeks.
Kayla and other colleagues used to wander the streets.
“People’s expressions have darkened and seem to have lost their vitality.”
“I was a little surprised because the atmosphere was darker than I expected.”
Then Colleen sighed and began to tell us the reason.
“It is said that after Helen Village was attacked, the kingdom’s economic activities suffered a major blow.”
Helen Village is one of the largest and most important villages in the kingdom.
In particular, it was an important base as it was a strategic point connected to all roads in the kingdom.
‘This may be why Ragnar targeted Helen Village.’
As a result, the surprise operation was a failure due to us.
The village of Helen was hit hard and economic activity was paralyzed.
“Because of this, prices within the capital have risen significantly.”
Of course, there was no way the public sentiment in the kingdom would improve, and people were becoming increasingly dissatisfied.
In the meantime, they even held a festival for us, so people’s complaints must have continued.
“There was a reason why people booed me.”
“…But there was absolutely no reason for Seohyun to be treated like that.”
Colin was still angry, his voice filled with anger.
Even though I felt bad at the time, I don’t really feel anything now.
“Don’t worry about Seohyun. “It’s a problem we need to solve.”
“Yes. Our top priority is to subdue the demon lord.”
Kayla was right. Our final goal is the Demon King.
Defeat him and get a happy ending.
And we will stop Erina’s plot and save Yeriel.
We will prevent the system from collapsing and create a peaceful daily life.
But will peace really come even after everything is over?
‘It might not be as easy as I thought.’
I had a feeling that while living in this world, conflicts and threats would not disappear.
Still, it would have been nice if I could be with my colleagues.
***
“…Ha.”
A quiet alley where no one pays attention.
Kayla, covered in a robe, was secretly sighing.
From Noble mtl dot com
Three weeks have passed since I returned to the capital.
Whenever I had time, I walked around the streets looking for gifts.
She still couldn’t find the insignificant item.
Of course, I knew that Seohyun’s expectations were not that high.
Since he doesn’t usually have material desires, he will be happy no matter what gift he prepares.
‘But I…’
At least, isn’t it different from other people?
I couldn’t make a decision easily because I felt like I had to get a more meaningful gift than others.
In particular, looking at the dagger that Tyria gave me as a gift and Colin’s flower basket, I felt increasingly cornered.
‘Should I give a gift I made myself?’
But she didn’t have any special dexterity.
Would she be lucky if she didn’t get embarrassed for making a sloppy gift?
At a time when decisions are taking longer and worries are increasing.
I was about to return to the mansion without much success today.
“…”
Suddenly, my steps stopped in front of a store.
And as she looked at the items on display beyond the window, a conflict arose in Kayla’s mind.