Missha took a moment to respond. «A favor...?»
His voice was no longer safe and direct, like when he told him to leave his room. She tried to hide it, but there was a tremor of fear in her. He couldn't help it, not after witnessing all the absurd extremes that Baekho Lee would go to, witnessing how much power he really possessed.
«Yes, a favor». There was no way someone like him would ask for a simple favor. «We've gotten pretty close after spending all this time together, don't you think? You can do at least that for me, right?»
It was a threat. He definitely had something up his sleeve in case she refused. Possibilities flooded his mind, without intending to.
«...I don't want to».
But in the end, she flatly refused.
«But you haven't even heard what the favor is».
«Whatever you want, I won't help you». His shoulders trembled as he gathered the courage to look Baekho in the eyes.
He couldn't contain the exclamation that jumped out of his tongue. «Wow... How can someone change so quickly?». He found himself intrigued by the sight. So few knew what true fear was, and even fewer were able to overcome it. What could have pushed Missha to muster up so much courage and overcome her fear of him? There could only be one answer. «Is Hansu really that amazing? How hard has Big Brother tried to win you over?».
He let out a surprised laugh. Missha couldn't say exactly what had changed, but her next breath was easier than the last as the heaviness of the air dissipated.
«Yes, no, now I understand. They always say that love blinds. I wonder if Hansu knows... Huh? What, do you have something to say?».
«...Who is Hans?»
«What...?» Baekho blinked at Missha confused. Then, something clicked in his mind, and another burst of laughter came out of him before he could stop it. «Pfft! Bahaha! Hahaha... Ah, it's true. Yes, I should have realized. I had completely forgotten».
Missha took a step back, obviously upset by Baekho Lee's manners.
He took a minute to calm down and then answered her question. «Hansu Lee is his real name. Okay?»
She did not recognize his condescending tone. He simply repeated the name to memorize it. «...Hans Lee.»
«Not Hans. It's Hansu».
Despite having improved his pronunciation quite a bit over the years, it was difficult for him to pronounce the name, perhaps because the syllables were completely unknown to him. «Hansu Lee.»
«Oh, that's better.»
«Hansu Lee». So that's the real one... from Bjorn.»
Missha clasped her hands and closed her eyes as if praying. Baekho watched her silently, very interested in what she was doing. But he didn't wait long, of course. His basic rule had always been to waste time only when everything that needed to be done was done.
«Are you really not going to do me a favor?»
«... Why should I?»
«Um, oh, I don't know...» He shrugged. He acted playfully and naively most of the time, but that didn't mean he couldn't lie or intimidate when the situation required it. «Maybe because Bjorn Yandel will die if you don't?».
That, however, was an indisputable truth.
***
After the Round Table, I immediately logged out and went to sleep. Spending twelve hours there always left me exhausted, and since I had to get up early, I decided to log out earlier as well.
«Lord! Wake up!»
«...Five more minutes.»
«Stop complaining and get up», another voice said. «All that's left to do now is move our things.»
«...Now?»
When I opened my eyes and looked at the time, it was already 11 am. I sighed. I was really thinking of getting up early today...
«Give me a minute. I'll hurry up to pick up things from my room».
«Don't bother wasting your time on that. Just go and wash».
«Yeah. There's nothing heavy in your room, so we'll do it for you, sir».
I shouldn't make them do this kind of thing for me. However, instead of arguing, I went to wash my face and then quickly came back to help them clean my room. When we left, there were four large cars parked in front, ready to load our luggage.
Hit!
I lifted the barbaric bed frame onto the carriage, and with that, we were finally ready to leave.
«Shall we leave, Your Honor?»
«Yeah. Thanks for the help.»
The riders we hired quickly drove away with carts full of luggage, leaving us behind in a now empty house.
«...It feels so strange». Erwen looked at the empty room, with a depressed air. I didn't know why. We had made quite a few memories here, some good and some bad.
«Anyway, you won't go out anymore».
Back then, I had no idea how I was going to deal with Erwen's obsession. Luckily, he managed to calm down, although he now had attacks with more serious negative effects than ever.
I guess his mental toughness outweighs his stats.
I was still worried about Erwen, but if I had to identify the source of my deepest concerns, it wasn't her.
...When is Baekho Lee going to return Missha? What if he can't find us because we're moving? That would be bad...
«What are you doing? Let's get going. We don't have much time, so we'll have to unpack everything as soon as we get there».
After taking another quick look at the empty house to make sure we didn't leave anything behind, we finally left. We all got into a carriage that I rented for that day, and the coachman was none other than our navigator, Auyen. It seemed like he wasn't just good at ruling ships.
«...You are also a professional when it comes to handling horses».
«I worked as a coachman until I came of age. Thanks to that, I know the city quite well, although I'm not nearly as talented as you».
«You don't need to flatter me like that».
It occurred to me then that dragging Auyen with us was a blessing in disguise. With him, I didn't need to hire a coachman in the future, and since there was a small stable in our new house, I could have him take care of the horses there.
It wasn't a bad idea, really.
It sounded pretty good to me, so I mentioned it to Amelia. Luckily, he immediately agreed with me.
«Everyone needs their own place on any team. As long as Auyen agrees, I don't care».
«Rockrock, what do you think? You must have heard everything we've been saying».
«It would be an honor! Leave it to me! I will do my best to live up to your expectations, Captain!» Instead of being an empty compliment, Auyen seemed really happy. Well, that must sound a lot better than being locked in a room all day. I should iron out the details later.
«We are here, Captain.» Thanks to Auyen's gentle driving, he had begun to doze. Before I knew it, we had reached our destination, Kommelby Boulevard, in the market district. A three-story building awaited us, just ten minutes from the Alminus Central Stock Exchange.
«...It is in much better condition than I expected».
«Yeah. When you told me the rent, I thought it would be an old, dilapidated building».
Since the building was Melbeth's property, our clan was able to get it at a reasonable price, courtesy of my agreement with them. The building was intended to serve as the home of the Anabada clan. Since we didn't have any office workers yet, I decided that we would live there for the moment, at least until Casa Yandel was properly established.
«Come on, let's put our luggage inside. Everyone stares at us».
Citizens and adventurers passing by looked at us, apparently to see if the rumors that we were moving here were true. Or were they looking at us because it was the first time they had seen a nobleman carrying his own luggage?
I sighed.
In any case, we were able to move all our things inside before the day was over. Since it would be difficult to install bedrooms on the first floor, we decided to use it as a living room. Amelia and Erwen would be on the second floor, while Auyen and I would be on the third. Oh, and at Amelia's request, we made sure Auyen had a window in her room.
«Living in a room on Kommelby Boulevard... To think I would see a day like this...».
I didn't expect his reaction. I figured he'd be glad to have a window, considering he'd been stuck in a basement for so long, but I didn't expect him to cry.
«Where did you live before?» asked.
«I grew up and lived on the outskirts of Ravigion».
«The slums near the castle wall?».
«Yes...»
But he was a navigator. He should have been able to earn decent money, especially since he belonged to a clan that plundered others. Out of curiosity, I asked him why he had continued living there, and Auyen explained that the clan had treated him like a slave and had never paid him.
«So why did you stay with them?».
«You may not know it, but there are many clans like that. As soon as you fall into their trap, you can never escape...»
They caught people like Auyen through contracts and then chained them further using the crimes they committed in the maze as blackmail, making it impossible for them to escape. However, strangely, I didn't feel sorry for him. The ones I felt sorry for were the innocent adventurers who were killed and looted by him.
«Keep it up. I will take care of you».
«Of course, sir! You can count on me!»
Despite his enthusiastic response, I didn't believe him. I spent the next hour lecturing him on how to live a good and honest life. «I tell you all this for your own good, so don't forget it. The best type of man is the one who is hard-working and honest, like me. You understood?»
«...Yes.»
«Higher.»
«Yes, Captain!»
Yes, that was a little better.
***
The day after we moved, I still had a lot of work to do.
«No. Let's use the empty space behind as a garden.»
»Garden»? Clearly it should be used as a training ground.»
While Amelia and Erwen were arguing about what to do with the backyard, I went out to take care of my to-do list. The Baroness of Rabbits had contacted me to let me know that some land I was interested in purchasing was available, so she asked if I had time to go see them in person. However, I had some complaints.
«...I still don't understand why you want to build your house in District Seven and not in the capital. It's not too late, so how about you reconsider?»
I had decided to establish my barony in District Seven. He may have been a nobleman now, but he was still an adventurer at heart. The closer you were to a Dimensional Plaza, the better.
And if I built a house in the capital, it would end up being tiny and pathetic.
District Seven was much more reasonable in terms of prices. I could build a much bigger and grander mansion than if I chose to live in the capital.
...Okay. I bought the land, so I guess now I just have to build the house.
Fortunately, the land for sale was perfect, so I didn't have to think too much before purchasing it. I only had to consult with one of Melbeth's architects to design and build my house. However, that process would take me a whole year from start to finish.
That should be enough for today.
I went straight home and passed out, and the next day, I headed to the dwarf's forge to make sure I wasn't lazing around. Then my next agenda was to meet with Rotmiller and discuss an idea I had.
«...Are you serious? Do you want me to teach barbarians adventure techniques?»
«I'll make sure you get paid well. I heard you don't do anything, anyway».
«That's true, but... if you're just doing this as a favor to me, I'll have to strongly-»
«What are you talking about? I'm not doing this for you».
Rotmiller initially tried to decline the offer, thinking he was asking out of pity, but after realizing he was seriously looking for someone to hire, he agreed to help.
«Then let's go to the Holy Land immediately, before you change your mind. The second elder will tell you what to do. If you have trouble understanding him, then you should go to the administrative office».
«... Again?» Rotmiller stared at me, confused. I assumed he was wondering how the barbarians had ended up having an administrative office. I was disappointed. How could he be so closed-minded these days?
One, two, three, four... the days flew by. Versyl Gowland managed to settle her affairs with the church and eventually joined our clan, becoming the first adventurer from our former squad to become a member.
«...Do you want me to be the vice captain?»
«Yeah. I think you are perfect for the position».
«It is very possible, but... I think it is better to leave the position of vice-captain vacant for now. If they give me such a high position immediately, word will spread. But do not worry. I will do all the duties of a vice-captain, but for now I will officially maintain my status as a regular member of the clan. Should a situation arise that requires the intervention of a vice-captain, I will be happy to play that role».
«Sure, then let's do it. Thanks».
«But... Do you really plan to go ahead with this? The Lord of the Floor?»
«We have to do it. And you are going to help us».
«...Not too much for our first search together?»
«What, are you going to file a complaint at the palace about a hostile work environment?»
«Ha, I see you have quite a sense of humor».
Once he officially joined our clan, we began to seriously prepare for our five-man raid. To tell the truth, however, I was having trouble concentrating. My thoughts were elsewhere.
Why hasn't he come back yet...?
Missha hadn't returned yet. Had Baekho Lee broken his promise? Anxiety was beginning to invade me, but the truth was that it was not in my hands. All he could do now was wait patiently and move on.
«Are you leaving early again?»
«Today is the last day. After today, I have no plans until I open the maze».
«I see... Have a good day».
«I may be late, so don't worry about heating up dinner for me. I'll eat any leftovers we have cold».
I went out to the clearing in our backyard. Then I tore up the piece of paper Ravien secretly gave me a while ago.
Shaaaaaa.
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared on the ground beneath my feet, and its glow soon swallowed my entire body.
«It's been a while».
«Yes that's right».
It had been years since I had gone to the Dragon Temple. As I looked at the man sitting on the throne, I silently remembered my goal for the day.
Give him the Dragon Slayer's heart and get my reward.
That was my last search of the month.