#63
My face was so red earlier, but now it wasn’t even that red. Keppel looked at Se-hyeon with his chin up, as if he was thinking deeply about something. Wings, to be exact.
That observation ended when unexpected words rang through the air.
“Wow, your wings are really pretty.”
“Don’t be sarcastic. “I think they don’t include it because they don’t want to include someone else.”
“How about it? Are you serious? Why did you put that in? It’s an award that heroes will really enjoy. Euncheong, can’t you see that bastard? He didn’t like it like that even when he sacrificed all his weapons, and then, heng! Lose everything!”
“I told you not to be sarcastic.”
“Oh, well, I’m not saying I’m being sarcastic! “Did you just lie to yourself?”
“I was deceived and survived?”
“… Draw it. The wings are so soft. it’s okay? Even if you praise me, I scold you. “How high are my eyes?”
“I’ll trust you when you come back after washing up.”
“Ah, that’s it! Do you know how far the bathhouse is from here? “Either design it closely, heng.”
Keppel snorted in annoyance and turned his head. She seemed somewhat offended by her sarcasm.
He was a notorious man within the empire for not washing his hands. The reason was that it was a waste of time, and Sehyun had never once heard him mention a bathhouse. Of course, I didn’t see him washing up voluntarily either. Because it was Keppel’s daily routine to wash and come out only after Sehyun was carried away.
Maybe that’s why Sehyeon was quite surprised.
“You never said that.”
“I did it because the Grand Duke told me not to be a bother. They say that in order to design a bath, you have to remove all the extensions along this line. They say it takes a long time and is a lot of work, but is there anything you can do? I also want to relax in some hot water. Right, you’re my disciple?”
“Yes, yes? “Yes, yes!”
“Oh my, what a pretty thing. This guy is going to be the one. Hahaha! He’s one to watch! Look at these big forearms. I’ll just pick up the hammer. This low posture that a blacksmith must have! modesty! Delicate! Where did you get this from? Hey, there’s Perrang. You go. “I’m sorry, but you don’t have any qualifications.”
It’s like that. Thanks to this, Kwak Jeong-han’s face was filled with shadow. Before his face darkened any further, Sehyun decided to move.
“I didn’t bring any magic stones with me today, so I’ll make one tomorrow.”
“Don’t tell the Archduke I did it. “Just talk shit to me again.”
“You would know even if I didn’t say it.”
“He’s like a ghost, I don’t know.”
“I’m going to go, so make sure to eat lunch. Please take care of Jeha too. Mr. Jeha, I will come back later, so please stay a moment. “Be sure to eat.”
“yes yes!”
Se-hyeon said her last greeting to Yoon Je-ha, grabbed Kwak Jeong-han’s arm, and turned around in the muggy place. Kwak Jeong-han relaxed and surrendered himself to Se-hyeon’s hands. It was a day when I seemed particularly weak.
It’s not just a feeling. Ever since Kwak Jeong-han came here, there has been a shadow on his face. And today. The shadow was large enough to eat Kwak Jeong-han’s face.
“Mr. Kwak Jeong-han… “Shall we walk first?”
“… yes.”
In response to his small reply, Sehyun stood side by side with him and stepped forward. He took a long walk along the quiet path. The kitchen was quite far from here. And near the kitchen was the food procurement team’s workshop.
“Unlike the food procurement team in the village, here they do the dismantling work and procure ingredients for the kitchen. “Even within the food procurement team, each field and area is classified separately, and Mr. Kwak Seong-han will be assigned to the fishing sector.”
Actually, it was a useless story. The reason I said this was to shake him awake. The infinitely depressed atmosphere kept pulling him down.
What Kwak Jeong-han was going through was a difficult situation. Often a dilemma. Everything he’d been through since coming here probably made him suspicious. His qualities, position, and even abilities.
“The work is the same, so it will be easy to adapt.”
“… Mr. Sehyeon.”
Kwak Jeong-han, who had been listening quietly, finally opened his mouth. Before he knew it, he had stopped walking. Sehyeon also stopped and looked back at him.
The downward facing eyes were dark. My shoulders, which had always been strong, were now limp and weak. After a while, Kwak Jeong-han raised his shadowed face and looked at Se-hyeon.
“I am… “I don’t know what my role is.”
The eyes were filled with wanderlust. A sense of self-destruction was stirring within him. Sehyeon was unable to find anything to say for a moment due to the obvious self-doubt. But soon he opened his mouth.
“me too… “That’s right, Jeonghan.”
Se-hyeon knew Kwak Jeong-han’s feelings better than anyone else. A path that is nothing, can’t do anything, and yet has no choice. All I could see was darkness, and even as I moved forward, all I stepped on were sharp pebbles.
“I don’t know if you remember what I said before… “I told you that it was difficult because it was neither an auxiliary nor a combat field.”
“… yes.”
“As you can see from me, the people of my empire were just as weak as me before the species changed. I always had to be hunted, and I had to live in hiding when I was attacked by other empires… “I had to take care of myself.”
“Is that why Sehyun decided to become stronger?”
“yes. However, I had a greater sense of purpose in wanting to protect myself rather than becoming stronger. “I became strong not to become stronger, but to protect myself.”
“Isn’t it the same in the end?”
“Colleagues and friends. “Which do you like better?”
It was an ambiguous statement. To Kwak Jeong-han, the two words only had the same context.
“I think of Kwak Jeong-han as a colleague, not a friend. Of course, this is just my personal opinion.”
“… “What’s the difference?”
“well. It depends on what you think. Even though we’ve been together in life and death, we don’t have a relationship without hesitation, right? Of course, I think this depends on each person’s thoughts and opinions and how they are defined. Even if I am a colleague, Kwak Jeong-han may consider me a friend.”
“… “It’s difficult.”
“You just have to find it. “It’s a position where Jeonghan can think and pursue things on his own.”
Kwak Jeong-han’s heart heaved loudly. The sight of him letting out a long breath and closing his eyes was full of agony. It was up to Kwak Jeong-han to find his own place. Sehyeon was willing to help him even if he left here and founded an empire.
“Jeonghan, you like water.”
Kwak Jeong-han did not answer. The shadow on his face became even darker. Sehyeon didn’t ask why.
When they were in an unnamed village, Se-hyeon had said the same thing to him in the name of counseling. And then, Sehyun saw his dark eyes. The face that hardened for a moment.
He didn’t like water.
Se-hyeon planned to give time until Kwak Jeong-han acknowledged and accepted it.
“So, I hope you stay here and find it.”
“… “Yes, I will try.”
It was a weak answer. Nevertheless, his eyes looked stubborn. Sehyeon doesn’t know what kind of life he lived or what path he took. A job that is in the spotlight is always lonely, and the public placed more importance on results than hard work.
A swimmer known for his genius talent. Kwak Jeong-han was a man with the talent of the century, and he lived on the backs of the expectations, support, and wishes of many people.
But, was that really that good?
“Let’s go, Jeonghan.”
That pressure. The futility and wandering that comes when you go off the rails and become lost. Whether it was late or early, it was something I would experience at least once.
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Kwak Jeong-han’s dark expression was not erased that day.
***
Ten days since I arrived in the empire. During that period, Sehyeon helped Kwak Jeong-han, Yoon Je-ha, and Kim Gap-jun adapt, while also working on expanding the backlog of buildings and managing vassals. He called all 12 heroes who were dissatisfied with each other one by one and interviewed them, and in the process, he even confirmed their trustworthiness, which he had not yet been able to confirm.
The trustworthiness of all heroes was at the max, just like it was before the fold. Sehyun had to suffer here once more. Even though they are no longer 0s and 1s, everything in general has followed the program numbers.
As of now, I couldn’t tell if it was all a lie or not. However, the attitude is as influential as the numbers. That one thing was correct.
The other thing is like Ruhak.
“Trade request?”
Sehyun was sitting on a bench near the landscaping fountain and turned to Zeno when she heard the sound of ‘deal’. It was agreed that the heroes would take turns guarding Sehyeon, one per day, and today was the day Zenon would guard Sehyun.
In fact, he was more of an assistant than a security guard.
“yes. As soon as the Engineering Empire heard the news of Lord’s return, they sent a communication saying that they would like to maintain friendly relations and communicate for the purpose of trading magic stones. That may be true in name, but in reality, there is a strong sense of purpose in visiting to observe trends.”
“Given the situation, they would have asked me to attend there.”
“Yes, the Archduke is expressing his refusal… .”
“You’re not even pretending to hear me?”
“yes.”
The magic stone deal was a bonus, and as Zeno said, there was another purpose. It was the same as the negotiator demanding the presence of the king. Moreover, the call was made ‘as soon as I heard the news of his return’.
This part took hold. The Black Empire’s national power is currently at its peak, but in other areas of politics and diplomacy, Ruhak’s resourcefulness was stronger than that of Sehyeon, so Sehyeon’s status among neighboring countries was very low.
The Engineering Empire will probably move with the current situation in mind. From assessing whether or not it was a good line for Sehyun to hold, to thinking about gaining the upper hand if possible.
