Chapter 49
The Arrow That Left the Protest (8)
A unique house built between the roots of a massive tree.
“Shall I knock…?”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
Hanromi knocked on the door with a hand as lifeless as her tone, struggling a little.
We had come to the same place.
No, it was absurd that Hanromi and I were even in a situation categorized as “we.”
What was this woman even doing here, ignoring the scenario she was supposed to follow?
Still, I couldn’t show hostility to Hanromi while pretending to be an ordinary human of the Ganasia Continent.
After all, if I had to describe our relationship, Hanromi and I were more like prison comrades.
“Stay calm.”
I reminded myself: I could try to clear the scenario, but I shouldn’t get entangled with the攻略 team.
I waited patiently, but there was no sign of life from inside the house.
“They were here just a moment ago… but I guess they’re not now.”
Clara shrugged.
It was a relief that it wasn’t just Hanromi and me alone.
Clara, who had gone to meet the tortoise beastman, must have been caught by acquaintances amidst the chaos.
Honestly, even I would have insisted on checking on a friend who had fled with a human for love.
Of course, I had also been held up for a while explaining to Hanromi why I had become an adult male—without letting her know.
Still, it was frustrating that after all this effort, they weren’t home.
“They mostly seemed to be in the backyard around sunset. Shall we take a look?”
…Perhaps this was our chance.
Clara stepped lightly to the right.
Behind the massive tree was a modest vegetable garden.
A garden filled with all sorts of plants I had never seen in my life.
The fence surrounding it was haphazard and rickety.
And in the middle of the garden stood the beastman we were looking for.
“Grandpa Gilliard! It’s me, Clara!”
“You’ve come quickly, Clara.”
Wow, that’s really a tortoise.
Gilliard, the tortoise beastman, was about waist-high on me.
But his massive shell on the back gave him a surprisingly imposing presence.
His aged face was deeply lined with wrinkles.
Walking with a staff, he moved slowly and cautiously.
Gilliard closed the creaking gate and looked warmly at Clara.
“Are these the humans you mentioned earlier?”
“Ah, no. This one is the human I mentioned, and this one is someone I don’t know.”
The first was me, the latter Hanromi.
Gilliard ignored Hanromi and grabbed my hand.
“You saved Clara, didn’t you? Thank you. I’ve been caring for her like a granddaughter.”
His smile was so gentle that I bowed my head respectfully.
It was the first time a beastman had been this kind toward me since I arrived here.
Gilliard’s thick fingers tapped lightly on the back of my hand.
“I happen to have tea for three cups ready. It’s good for fatigue recovery, which you’ll need.”
My whole body had stiffened from climbing up and down ladders with trembling legs.
Just the thought of relieving my fatigue with a warm cup of tea made me happy.
“Um… I’m here too…?”
Ah, right. I had brought something along.
“And who are you?”
At the sharp question, Hanromi blinked slowly.
“I… am Hanromi.”
He hadn’t asked her name, though.
Gilliard clicked his tongue lightly and shook his head.
Unlike the young beastmen in the trees who had experienced Hanromi’s volatile temperament and got furious, this seasoned tortoise beastman seemed to sense it immediately.
Ignoring Hanromi, Gilliard looked back at me with a warm smile.
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, I’m…”
I hesitated mid-word.
With Hanromi standing right beside me, I didn’t feel comfortable revealing my administrator name openly.
But Clara next to me already knew my name as “Ihae.”
Giving another name would also feel weird since my face was unmistakably East Asian, and I couldn’t just pick a Western name.
Hoping Hanromi wouldn’t care about the Friendly Market administrator, I quietly answered.
“My first name is Hae, and my last name is Ri. Just call me Hae.”
At least it was a slight adjustment.
Though my name seemed to be getting shorter, I smiled shamelessly.
“Hae, huh? A bright name for the daytime. You’ve been looking for me desperately. Why?”
I froze.
‘Damn it!’
I hadn’t come here with Hanromi.
I wanted to ask Gilliard about the Ancient Oath.
It was, after all, explicitly mentioned in the scenario.
The攻略 team must already know that one person hadn’t entered, and by now, they’d be looking desperately for the missing member.
And here I was, about to ask about the ancient oath?
It was only a matter of time before Hanromi noticed my identity.
After entering the 51st floor, I had improvised flimsy excuses countless times, my broken brain searching quickly for solutions.
“Hey, where are you going?!”
Clara shouted sharply.
Hanromi, who had been standing still, started moving in an unexpected direction.
She headed toward the vegetable garden where Gilliard had just been standing.
“Who’s that human? Are they with you, Hae?”
“No, I’ve only met them today here… but they seem to be looking for blending herbs?”
“…Blending herbs?”
“Yes, plants that help herbs mix properly.”
“Oh, do you mean Gromia herbs?”
Gilliard, who had just mentioned an unfamiliar name, looked at Hanromi disapprovingly.
Meanwhile, Hanromi, barefoot, walked across the grass, arriving at the fence and staring endlessly into the garden.
“They’re a human who makes medicine.”
“Seems so.”
If she had made a medicine that could instantly heal Onak’s major wound, Gilliard might have greeted her happily.
But I had no intention of helping Hanromi, so I stayed silent.
Yet Gilliard seemed slightly eased just knowing she was a medicine-maker.
“You there.”
“Me…?”
“Have you ever given medicine to a beastman? Have you healed us?”
“Just now. Someone called the war leader got hurt, so I gave medicine and treated them…”
Even without me saying anything, Hanromi was proving her harmlessness.
Her light-hearted attitude made her appear even more upright.
I could’ve said it myself.
‘Now I look petty for no reason.’
No one would know, but I felt like I was the one at a disadvantage.
Gilliard stared at Hanromi for a long while.
Finally, as if making a decision, he asked softly.
“Why do you need Gromia herbs?”
“Among all the blending herbs I’ve found so far, only this one raises the blending rate… Any other herbs always fail…”
Hanromi, who had been focused on the Gromia herb, looked up.
She stared straight at Gilliard.
“I need it to make medicine.”
For the first time, she spoke clearly, without prolonging her words.
For some reason, a cool breeze seemed to pass between Gilliard and Hanromi.
Gilliard, who had been standing silently, slowly spoke.
“I will give you the Gromia herb.”
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Hanromi’s otherwise expressionless face—barely noticeable unless you looked carefully.
What exactly is she planning to make with that herb?
Even prioritizing the scenario secondarily…
As I stared at Hanromi’s inscrutable face, Gilliard spoke again.
“But everything comes at a cost. Beastmen with the duty of record-keeping must follow that rule.”
Of course. She was asking for a herb no one had ever seen during the climb to the 51st floor.
I was certain Hanromi would pay whatever Gilliard demanded.
She was already rummaging through her inventory with hands extended into the air.
“That rule applies to you as well, Hae.”
“Me?”
I widened my eyes, staring at Gilliard.
Still looking at me warmly, Gilliard nodded.
“Yes, even answering questions comes at a cost.”
I hadn’t even said I wanted to ask anything.
‘Is this what experience looks like?’
“Well, it’s not a big demand. Just…”
Hanromi, still searching her inventory, and I focused on Gilliard’s words.
The cost expected by a beastman and a human might differ.
Gilliard, after thinking for a while, chuckled lightly.
Then, casually, he added,
“Clear the barnacles off my shell.”
…What?
The Real Jackpot!
The tortoise beastman’s shell is detachable!
When he asked me to clean the barnacles, I worried I’d need tools on his raised shell—but thankfully, I didn’t.
“The barnacles aren’t off yet…”
“Ah, I know…”
I replied curtly and started hammering in the direction Hanromi indicated.
Using the chisel and hammer for too long made my hands hurt.
Something I hadn’t wanted to know.
Still, it was an efficient trade: I could ask about the Ancient Oath without spending gold.
I glanced at Hanromi, who was diligently hammering on the opposite side.
Because of her pale complexion, the redness of her palms was clearly visible.
Thinking about it, this is a surreal moment.
Cleaning the shell of a tortoise beastman with Hanromi, guild master of one of South Korea’s top seven guilds—Aegis… I never imagined this.
Even boasting to Aegis’ obedient citizens would probably just get a scoff.
“We’re almost done…”
Hanromi muttered softly. I looked up.
After silently hammering for two hours, we could finally start counting the barnacles remaining on the shell.
“Yeah.”
I replied briefly and began tackling the barnacles at the far end.
Wait a minute.
Where will Hanromi go after this?
This wasn’t a random thought. Her whereabouts were important because the攻略 team would be in her path, and I needed to avoid them.
I asked quietly without looking away from the hammer.
“Where will you go after getting the Gromia herb?”
“Me…? I don’t know…”
Great. If she doesn’t know, what am I supposed to do?
“I guess I’ll find out in time…”
I needed to know now to plan my next move.
I couldn’t openly reveal my identity—it was maddening.
At that moment, the hammering stopped. Hanromi straightened up, staring at the air.
Her busy eyes moved left and right, clearly reading something.
“Uh… Someone’s looking for me.”
“Really? Then go, I guess.”
“I should…”
Hanromi exhaled shortly and continued hammering slowly.
No need to ask where she was going.
I was looking at the same window she was.
[■ Babel System > Shared Message for Scenario Participants]
Hanromi. Ι Seo Jae-hyuk (Dimension-Earth Ι Region-South Korea)
Come to Provelo immediately. Ι Seo Jae-hyuk (Dimension-Earth Ι Region-South Korea)
