Chapter 107
“The Divine Master is a precious person of the Holy City, so it’s proper for her to stay in a safe place.”
That’s true, but if he was going to mention it, shouldn’t he have done so right after I escaped from Niflheim? It’s been a while since I returned to the temple.
“Until now, I believed the temple could protect the Divine Master, so I stepped back, but last night’s incident has changed my thinking. It would be better for you to stay at my castle than at the temple.”
“Wait, Admiral.”
Hexion stepped forward and firmly grasped Kaint’s wrist. The veins on his large hand bulged prominently. Kaint’s hand, which had been holding mine, flinched, and veins also appeared on the back of his hand.
Kaint, who had consciously opened his hand to avoid pressing mine, glared at Hexion.
“Do you not know etiquette?”
“I saw no need for etiquette toward a dishonorable person trying to interfere with lovers who have promised to be together for life.”
“If a man promises marriage yet wears a mask and ultimately hides his true nature, one must interfere for the sake of the woman.”
I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. Though I could hear what they were saying, I couldn’t comprehend how it all connected—though it didn’t seem to be a language mode error.
Could this be what they call ‘men’s talk’?
“Hexion, let go of his hand.”
“Shin Joo. Are you abandoning me and choosing the Admiral?”
Hexion looked at me with a wounded expression. For a moment, I tried to recall if I had said something hurtful to him, but nothing came to mind.
“That’s not it, so let go of his hand first.”
“I’ll let go when the Admiral releases Shin Joo’s hand.”
“Hexion. I believe I told you not to make me repeat myself.”
I don’t understand why he’s suddenly acting this way, but if I’m going to intervene, I should probably start with Hexion.
“…Understood.”
Hexion, who had clenched his jaw so tightly that tendons stood out, exhaled a trembling breath and released Kaint’s wrist.
He had gripped it so strongly that the well-pressed cuff of the uniform was completely wrinkled. That button seems to have cracked.
“Admiral, are you alright?”
“I think you should be more concerned about yourself than me.”
“Are we speaking the same language?”
It’s not a language mode error, so why can’t I understand what Kaint is saying?
“Divine Master. It would be better if you didn’t trust your guardian knight so much.”
“I’ve heard that from various people, but I didn’t expect to hear it from you too, Admiral.”
I released Kaint’s hand and checked his affection window.
[Kaint]’s current affection level: 62
After hearing so many ocean sounds last night, his affection has risen significantly. If it rises just a bit more, he won’t push me away even if I kiss him first. Once you get past the hurdle with this man, it’s easy.
‘So has his affection for me turned into jealousy toward Hexion?’
Venom slandered Hexion out of jealousy, telling me not to trust him. I dismissed it then because it came from a supporting character, but such words aren’t appropriate for Kaint, who seems like a person molded from refined restraint and dedication. From my perspective, this is truly character breakdown.
“Hexion does act unexpectedly at times, but he does it for my sake. I don’t appreciate the misunderstanding.”
“Divine Master. The greater the trust, the greater the shock of betrayal.”
I’ve heard that before too. Recycling the same lines—I don’t know who the scriptwriter for this game is, but they certainly lack sincerity.
“Admiral. Don’t slander Hexion.”
My dog doesn’t bite… well, actually he does. He bites often. Come to think of it, he might bite anyone if provoked.
But he bites others, not his owner.
How loyal my golden wolf is!
“I’d prefer if you didn’t speak ill of my precious guardian knight. You’d be hurt too if I spoke badly of your trusted subordinates or beloved family, wouldn’t you?”
“…Were you hurt?”
The tension left Kaint’s brow, and his sharp gaze softened. If anything, he looked like the one who was hurt.
‘I would have been angry if some passing extra had slandered Hexion.’
I wasn’t angry because it was Kaint who said it. In the previous playthrough, he even treated Hexion as a traitor. This must be what people call ‘poor compatibility.’
“I apologize, Divine Master.”
Kaint apologized immediately. Indeed, he was a man who never stood on pride in such matters.
“But it would be better if you were more careful. I say this sincerely, so I hope you won’t dismiss it.”
Having only conquered half—I mean, having only completed half the conquest, with two more to go, being careful might trigger a bad ending.
Still, since he’s saying this out of concern for me, I should respond appropriately.
“Thank you for your concern, Admiral. I’ll pray for the people of the Holy City to live comfortably, so please continue to protect the city’s seas.”
“I will visit you often.”
“What?”
“Since you won’t leave the temple, I have no choice but to stay by your side to protect you.”
Not protecting the sea as instructed?
Well, according to the story, there won’t be a war for a while!
“Protecting the Holy City’s sea means nothing if I lose you.”
Am I in danger right now? Is this the introduction to a war that only I don’t know about?
Kaint stepped back from me and bowed respectfully.
“I will protect you.”
The moment I heard those words, my heart stirred greatly. I urgently grabbed Kaint’s collar.
“Divine Master?”
He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
‘Why did I grab him?’
I don’t know. Unable to control my hand that had moved on its own, I blurted out whatever came to mind.
“Admiral. Hexion is my guardian knight.”
“I know. I’m saying I’ll protect you… including him.”
“Then make peace with Hexion. It makes me anxious to see you two on bad terms.”
“…!”
Kaint’s brow furrowed. His long eyelashes lowered and then rose with a faint breath, and his sharp golden eyes turned toward Hexion.
“I apologize for my sharp words.”
“As the Divine Master’s foremost guardian knight, I must be magnanimous enough to accept your apology.”
As I was about to cut off Hexion’s unnecessarily long speech, a fanfare suddenly rang out.
‘Huh?’
A blue gauge filled to the brim was sparkling above Kaint’s head.
[Kaint]’s mission completion: ■■■■■■■■■■ (100%)
Quest Success!
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the surprise quest [When a big mountain appears, the existing mountain looks smaller].
Ah, right. I forgot about the quest to make the three men become friends with each other.
Hexion and Marvis filled their completion gauges while drinking, but Kaint’s gauge wasn’t fully filled because he stopped drinking. Was it filled by that reconciliation greeting just now?
It was practically like receiving a bow, but the system seems to be results-oriented since it recognized it.
Kaint’s siblings kept turning back and waving at me as they left the temple. I waved back until they were completely out of sight.
“They’re no longer visible.”
“Yes. I’m glad the children seemed satisfied. Thank you for your hard work too, Hexion.”
“I only did what was proper as Shin Joo’s foremost guardian knight and the lover who has promised to be with her for life.”
The title Hexion uses to refer to himself keeps getting longer. If this were a novel, he’d be criticized for trying to increase the word count.
Still, thanks to the two of them reconciling, we cleared the quest, which is fortunate…
As a success reward, 1 status ailment (random) will be granted.
…or not.
I forgot about the reward status.
‘This isn’t a reward! Are you kidding me?’
I thought the mission completion rate was rising too easily, but it was actually to gain momentum to push me into a minefield?
I already have the troublesome ‘Demon Contract’ status ailment making it difficult to manage reputation, so I’d rather not have more status ailments added here.
Can’t I sell status ailments? I’ve sold my conscience, so let me sell status ailments too! Come on, I’ll pay a brokerage fee!
Player (Shin Joo-ah) has sold [1 status ailment (random)].
Acquired 10 gold.
25 gold has been deducted as a brokerage fee.
Current funds: 9,985G
What? Really? I can sell status ailments?
Then what about the ‘Demon Contract’?
Currently applied status ailments cannot be sold.
Damn it. I can’t sell this one.
Still, it’s better than having another one stacked on top. If I can get rid of a status ailment for a total loss of just 15 gold, it’s a profitable deal.
I closed the quest completion confirmation window with a sigh of relief.
A small window was floating between Hexion and me.
[Hexion] has purchased the [1 status ailment (random)] that you sold.
The sigh of relief I had just exhaled felt like it turned into a gust of wind and struck the top of my head.
What did it just say? What did Hexion purchase?
As I stared at Hexion with wide eyes, I saw a bright red roulette spinning beside his face, followed by an explosion of fireworks.
[Status Ailment: Sunfish] has been applied.
The intensity of the status ailment is adjusted according to the expiration date of the currently activated bomb.
If the person judges that they have lost ‘Shin Joo’s favor,’ they will be unable to endure the extreme sense of loss and commit suicide.
They say a carelessly thrown stone can kill a frog, but now I might die crushed under the boomerang of a recklessly sold status ailment.
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