by Geli Cake
'I'm hungry…'
Growl.
I hadn't eaten anything for half a day and had been sitting in the same spot, so I was starving.
No one came looking for me. And the Haylan I knew was someone who never went back on his decisions once he made up his mind. Judging by his affection points, which had been steadily decreasing all week, even if I went back and begged, I'd just be kicked out again.
'I should go back for now.'
I was hungry. It would be a bit awkward returning to the mercenary group, but that would only be temporary.
They would all welcome me back, right? I'd tell them about seeing the snow piling up. I wanted to soak in a hot bath until my body was thoroughly cooked, devour the food they prepared for me, and fall asleep until sunset. I was confident I could sleep until noon the next day, as long as no one woke me up.
'I'll write a letter afterward.'
Once I had rested enough and organized my thoughts, I thought I'd be able to talk to him properly.
I had been a bit exhausted lately. But my resilience was one of my few strengths, and thanks to that, I recovered quickly after just a few days of rest.
I'd ask Odin for help then. I'd write a letter to Haylan.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
"I got kicked out."
On the train back to Asileth, I came up with numerous scenarios in my head. The mercenaries still thought I was working as an apprentice mage under Odin.
Should I say I was on vacation? Or that I had made a mistake at work? After much deliberation, I decided to lie subtly, as I always did.
"...."
"...."
The guys just stared at me in silence after hearing my story, then burst out laughing simultaneously. And they even pooled their money and gave it to one person.
"Huh?"
"We made a bet. On when you'd come back."
"Someone even bet on two days!"
What were they talking about? It takes a day to get there and a day to get back. Who was that inconsiderate bastard? I was determined to find the culprit.
"Who was it?"
"I'm never telling you it was Ryzen."
What?
I immediately glared at Ryzen, but he just mouthed "So?" at me, completely unaffected of my glare.
Seriously, these people made bets on me…? I couldn't hide my bewilderment and snapped at them angrily, and the Captain slightly nudged me from the doorway, saying,
"Stop loitering around the entrance and come inside."
"...!"
I had no allies here. I had finally returned home, but I was still in a pitiful position, being teased constantly.
After a good night's sleep in my familiar room, my exhaustion seemed to wash away. So the next day, I immediately wrote letters.
I briefly summarized the events to Odin and told him I could no longer stay at the mansion. I couldn't figure out what to write to Haylan, so I just wrote the introduction and put down my pen.
After dinner, I sent the letters via express mail. The next day, a reply arrived via the same transportation magic as before. I only knew because a letter folded into the shape of a paper airplane was tapping against the windowsill.
「To Mr. Chahyun,
I understand the situation. Thank you for your hard work.
There are some details I'd like to hear directly from you, would you be available to meet briefly?
I'll visit you soon. 」
Why send such a trivial message via magic…? I thought of Odin, who must be swimming in money, and decided it was wise to stay on his good side.
A few days later, a letter shaped like a paper crane tapped on the windowsill. It was Odin again.
「5 p.m., Mei's Magic Shop.」
I decided to respect Odin. Judging by the time, he must be nearby, but if it were me, I would have delivered it personally. Anyway, rich people spending their money lavishly was good for the economy, so I gave him a thumbs-up.
A little before 5 p.m., I visited the magic shop and was led to the back of the store by Mei.
"I'll be outside, so you two can talk."
Mei locked me and Odin in the room with the adult merchandise display. I coughed awkwardly, conscious of the prosthetic penises and other adult items all around us.
"Why did you want to meet here?"
"What did you tell the mercenaries?"
"I told them the truth."
"...."
I only said I was kicked out, and they teased me relentlessly for it. But for some reason, Odin sighed deeply as if relieved after hearing my story.
'What's that about?'
Anyway, he said he was glad he chose this place as our meeting spot. He seemed to have been discussing business with Mei.
"The reason I wanted to meet you was because of what you wrote in your letter…"
He took out the letter I sent and read it aloud. The part he pointed out was where I mentioned Haylan had grown taller.
"Actually, I received a similar message from… Snow last month. She also mentioned that Haylan had grown. I thought she was joking at the time."
Because Snow is always joking. He said. Then Odin took out the reports I had sent over the past three months from his bag, and I exclaimed in surprise.
"I already wrote about it in my first report!"
Haylan first grew taller when I had been at the mansion for only a week. Odin stared at me for a moment, then confessed,
"…Actually, I didn't read the reports because I wasn't curious about him. I apologize."
"...."
After telling me to write and submit reports… But since the pay was generous, I didn't mind.
"So is it true? I skimmed through the reports later and saw that you mentioned he had grown again recently."
"Yes, he looks about ten years old now."
Odin wasn't particularly surprised by my words. However, I could feel him looking at me suspiciously.
What? Why ask if he's not going to believe me anyway? I grumbled inwardly and said,
"It's true. Can't you just go see for yourself?"
What am I, a carrier pigeon? Stop bickering over whether you're on good terms or not with me stuck in the middle—just act like adults and reconcile already. I suppressed the urge to snap at him, pushing my social skills to the absolute limit.
By the way, even if he asked me why Haylan was growing, I wouldn't know. I had no idea why he was growing either.
'If I had known, I wouldn't have mistaken Lena for a ghost…'
I never imagined Lena and that little kid were the same person. That's why Lena wasn't mentioned at all in the reports I sent to Odin. I was writing a "Friend Report" about Haylan, not a diary entry.
'I hope Haylan is doing well.'
The last expression I saw on Haylan's face kept bothering me, and I couldn't stop thinking about him. Thinking back, it didn't seem like we parted on good terms.
"There's another problem."
Odin nodded, seemingly grateful that I had brought up something he had forgotten.
"It seems Haylan is planning to move again. I received a message from Joe."
"The head butler?"
"He said that the place they're moving to is…"
Odin trailed off mid-sentence. He glanced at me with a hesitant expression, and I listened, wondering what it was, only to become just as dumbfounded as him when he continued,
"Asileth."
Here?
…Don't tell me that's because of me? I tried to come up with plausible reasons for Haylan to move here, trying not to let my ego inflate.
'I have no idea.'
But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find a single convincing reason. Not even a nearby city, but all the way down south to my city… why?
Even though the game had long deviated from the original story…
'Wasn't he supposed to avoid attracting attention?'
That's why the setting of the game was specifically that mansion. It was in a location where people wouldn't accidentally stumble upon it, minimizing contact with the outside world.
Flip.
[Main Story Progress: 30%]
"...?"
The progress bar suddenly increased on my way out after meeting Odin. I figured it was because I had heard news about Haylan, the protagonist.
[Main Quest: Hide-and-Seek
You feel a gaze watching you from somewhere.
Reward: 1 Quest Point]
'A gaze?'
As soon as the new quest appeared, I looked around, but there was nothing unusual. The familiar faces of merchants and travelers. I couldn't find the person I was looking for among the scenes of their everyday lives. I didn't feel any strange gazes either.
'Is it just part of the quest description…?'
I tilted my head and continued walking towards the mercenary group, completely unaware that someone was actually watching me from somewhere.