chapter 31
lofty cliffs.
Some might call the orphaned and unapproachable lady the flower on the cliff, but Guardia was different.
She is not a flower, but a glacial cliff itself.
Even if the sun rises brilliantly and catches the eye, it is a cliff where no one can step.
As Guardia walked in her academy uniform and brushed her silvery-blue hair, the splendor that seemed to break the light circled around the tip and then disappeared.
“Senior Guardia. Where are you going?”
However, that cool elegance only set a thorn in the man.
A girl with soft brown hair and brown eyes approached and hugged Guardia’s arm and smiled. Guardia’s red lips gently drew an arc.
“Verbut, I was on my way to the private practice room.”
A smile I probably wouldn’t have seen if the person approaching me was a man.
At that smile, the girl called Verbut rubbed her soft, rosy cheeks against her shoulder and let out a laugh.
“Can I go too? I have something to tell you.”
like a pure sheep.
Guardia nodded lightly and invited Verbut into her practice room.
“It’s a clean practice room whenever you come, senior.”
Watching Verbut burst into laughter like a small bird chirping, Gadia brewed a cup of black tea as she was accustomed to and put it on a table set on one side of the practice room.
“Okay, what were you trying to say?”
“Senior Guardia. Seniors often think that this world is absurd… Won’t you?”
Guardia sighed and grumbled at the words that seemed to raise one eyebrow, but without a change in tone, Guardia opened her mouth.
“What do you mean by all of a sudden?”
“I am studying religion these days, and I have a thought. Why are we born and suffer? Why is this world absurd? Why do fights break out because each person has different standards and different ideas?”
Verbüte, who had been talking softly, took a sip of black tea, put her rosy lips into a white cup, swallowed it, and looked at Guardia with a smile.
“It’s a religion with a bit of a dangerous idea. What would happen if the lowly, not our aristocrats, stood up for that absurdity?”
“But what if even such a reverse mind is absurd? What if it is the logic of this world that those who are inferior should push and devote themselves more, instead of trying to bring down or hinder those who are better?”
What do you think, senior? At the sweetly whispered voice, Guardia’s eyes captured a face as innocent as that of a Verbuite sheep.
‘If she is foolish and possessed by a strange minority church.’
If so, it was the right thing for Gadia, her senior, to guide her on the right path.
“It is interesting to hear. Yes, so what is the order?”
At Guardia’s words, Verbut covered her mouth with both hands and laughed lightly.
* * *
After handing over the magic crystal obtained by catching the troll to the dungeon entrance manager who said there was no way the troll came out from the lower floor, we, no. I headed to the inn where I left my horse with a tired body.
“Let’s eat something delicious, warm up in hot water and rest.”
It’s a fairly expensive inn, and since the top floor was rented out, it’s like a normal house, with rooms divided around the living room, so there’s a bathtub that fits.
I thought of turning on the hot water to keep myself cool, and I took steps that sped up on my own, but someone was crying in front of the inn.
“Huh! really… Really! They said they were carrying my luggage!”
“But guests. That was just the guest’s claim, and since you came in as a party in the first place, our inn cannot compensate for the theft.”
Her gray hair is tied together and wags like a tail whenever she jumps.
Is he the same height as Luna? The still young girl clung to the inn guard, washing her face with tears, but the guard pushed her hand away with a cold face.
‘I have to go in anyway.’
There’s a fuss at the entrance, so what’s the point of pushing in?
“but… but… I am!”
I heard that he was a beginner adventurer, but he had a party with two siblings and had a lot of money.
So I had no money, no ID, and all I had was the clothes I was wearing, but I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday.
‘Well, if that’s enough, reporting it won’t be of much use.’
There is a fingerprint, there is something. If you went to another city for a while or went into a labyrinth, you wouldn’t be able to find it. It wouldn’t have been a tracking spell.
‘Thanks to that, only Kane’s eyes got dirty… … .’
I thought if I stayed here longer, Kane would only dwell on the past, so as I was about to push her in, I looked at the girl again at the strange touch I felt.
At first glance, he doesn’t have a big weapon, he’s small, but he doesn’t have muscles, and he’s so flimsy, but he probably doesn’t have a job like a thief.
Unable to withstand the growing doubts, I opened the trait window.
[Arya von Tateria―Sorrowful Novice Adventurer]
Representative Traits: [Spirit (A)] [Mana (B)]
Hidden Traits: [Accounting (A)] [Patience (C)]
halon.
shout my name
Because one of my juniors is going to go soon.
after the guard enters.
I smiled broadly and approached the crying girl and spoke to her in a kind tone.
“hey. I unintentionally waited to go in and heard it, but the circumstances are pitiful. Did you eat?”
In the back of my sweet voice, something like ‘There’s something else’ or ‘Muh, I’m scared…’ ‘, but I ignored it and looked at the girl.
“Bar, rice?”
When the first man started talking to him, the girl who was very nervous answered the word rice twice as much.
growl-
“mind… that’s right. ship… Aren’t you hungry?”
I was talking with my hands behind my back and slightly bent, so when I wiggled my hands behind my back to ask for support, Luna came up to me and put fish in.
Seeing as if the girl’s vigilance was loosened by that, she glanced at Luna and my face, then caught Kane’s eyes as she approached my hand movements that were constantly pattering and urging.
“I’m hungry.”
When she said something stern and stern, I laughed and went into the dorm with her.
When I came in with her, who had been crying outside for a long time, so to speak, the so-called truth, at first I thought that the guards were attached to me this time, so I tried to restrain them, but I said it was okay, ordered a meal and went up to the top, and the girl looked around as if she was looking for someone.
“also… There is none.”
“I heard about the situation. They’re bad people, right? So what’s your name? I am Adelian.”
“Ah, my name is Aria… It’s not, it’s Ari.”
Well, you’re not very good at lying.
I smiled pretending not to hear the back story and opened my mouth.
“Yes, Aria. The meal will take some time to come. What would you like to do?”
“It’s not Arya, it’s Ari… … .”
“Arya… I’ll wash up with you… … .”
Luna saw Aria and said that she could wear clothes with her, so I waved her hand as she grabbed her.
“What a plan.”
After they disappeared, I turned my head and met eyes with a slightly meaningful smile that I had practiced at Kane’s low words.
“what?”
“Now these actions.”
“I also have a feeling of pity for others. What and what and what?”
Talking moderately, I also walked into the bathroom attached to the individually given room.
‘As expected, money is good.’
It sounds like a word that has become so socially entrenched.
Reflecting, I soaked myself in hot water, breathed blankly, and started to turn my brain.
‘I have to coax them first.’
It wouldn’t be bad for Arya either. I don’t have a house or a temple, but I feed them, put them to sleep, give them money, and teach them how to do things.
‘That’s good enough.’
If you stick to Halon for about a year, Halon is good, Aria is good, I like me too.
I washed my hair while happily thinking about it, brushed my hair lightly, and sat down in front of a generously set table.
“looks delicious… … .”
Are you really hungry because you haven’t eaten since yesterday?
I looked at the aria that looked like I was going to drool, then smiled kindly and took the bread first.
“Shall we talk while we eat?”
“Okay, I’ll eat well!”
The order of using a fork and knife, a little hasty hand movements, but eating neatly, not a slouched posture, but a posture that seems uncomfortable at first glance.
‘I don’t know who they were, but they don’t have eyes to see.’
It must have been fortunate that Arya’s personality was naive and not evil.
‘Well, I’m helping right now because I have a reason.’
I don’t know where it is, but now I’m Halon’s junior.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“that is… Hey, some money… … .”
I shoved it into my mouth and met Arya’s purple eyes, who gulped and swallowed me.
“Okay, no money? If Aria is good, I can find a job for her.”
It’s not fun if you lend it, I pretended not to know and threw the words to the other side and Aria made a puzzled face.
“I can lend you… … .”
“okay. Don’t worry, I don’t think Arya is shameless enough to ask someone she’s never met to lend her money.”
“… … .”
“It’s not too difficult, it’s a secondary job like filing paperwork. After helping for a short time, you’ll have enough money to travel again. how is it?”
At least 5 years, or 10 years is a shorter period than the old Halon. cancer.
Arya, who hesitated at my words, lowered her head and opened her mouth in a crawling voice.
“thought… I will try.”
And behind Aria, who bowed her head, Luna and Kane, who looked understanding as if they were trying to do this, were looking at Aria with sad eyes.
* * *
Early if it’s still early.
Kane got up first and said he would run around and leave, and Luna and Aria are still sleeping, so the dorm is quiet.
I tiptoe up and walk out so as not to wake them up.
‘As expected, it’s full of people even in the morning because of the large floating population.’
Regardless of time, it always feels like a lot.
I came out alone without Luna or Cain and walked to the inn where I went out to eat separately yesterday.
“Hey, see you again today? Are you going out for a while?”
Lucky for you.
I met Ruby, who was stretching in the front yard of the inn, wearing only light clothes, and smiled lightly.
“Iknow, right. Well, I came out for a short walk and was on my way in, but this is how we meet.”
Ruby smiles at my words as if I stayed here for a day.
“How was the labyrinth yesterday?”
A thick rose scent spread from Ruby as she walked away wiping her sweat.
I lowered my eyebrows and opened my mouth as if to complain.
“It’s definitely difficult because I don’t have any experience, and I can’t get a feel for it. Do you have any know-how?”
As if I can’t afford it right now without measuring or weighing it, Ruby puts on an expression of pity for me when I say something that seems to sound like the main point from her point of view.
“Oops… know-how? Well, actually more than that. After all, when you’re a beginner, it’s best to have a party with people who are more experienced than you.”
“It’s a party… What floor does Ruby usually go down to?”
Speak as politely as possible.
Anyway, thanks to my arrogance trait, it must feel like I’m sneakily raising a spoon because the kid who used to run amok is in a hurry.
Still, Ruby looked at me with a rather friendly face and smiled.
“What is our party, from the lower level to the middle level? But it’s true. this time… … .”
She strides forward and whispers in my ear as if telling a secret story.
“Rumors about a new dungeon… Have you ever heard of it?”
“I’ve heard of it. They say it’s forbidden.”
“Yes, but I know a way to sneak in. The difficulty is low, but the rewards are so good, there are rumors that the association banned entry to keep it to themselves. I think it would be easier to help in a place like that than in a complex labyrinth. how is it?”
Hearing those words whispered under my breath, I moved my eyes as if I had nowhere to look and smiled awkwardly.
“Can I sneak into the Association? Then if you get caught… … .”
“How are you? What did the association do? Besides, they said they only sealed it off and didn’t manage it. Besides, that way you can touch some money and get your name known.”
I nodded my head as if Ruby’s words were decisive.
“great.”
At my words, Ruby smiled brightly and raised her head, and her gorgeous dark red hair swayed.
“okay? Then, let’s meet at the central tower at this time tomorrow. Are all the other kids coming? Like that boy.”
I nodded and opened the trait window at her words with a dizzying eye smile.
We smiled in different ways and locked our eyes.