STGB Episode 473

Between an Ally and an Enemy (5)

The answer came after a long pause.

“A favor… what do you mean…?”

Her voice was entirely different from the bold tone she had used when telling him to leave earlier.

No matter how much she tried to hide it, the trembling in her voice clearly revealed her fear.

It couldn’t be helped.

She had seen enough of it by now.

Just how crazy Lee Baek-ho was, and the terrifying power he possessed.

“Right, a favor.”

So this couldn’t be a favor.

“We’ve had some history together, so it’ll be fine, right?”

This was a threat.

Without a doubt, if she refused, something unpleasant would happen.

Such a notion unconsciously dominated her thoughts.But still…

“…No.”

Misha firmly refused

“Without even hearing me out?”

“Whatever it is you want, I’m not doing it.”

Despite her trembling eyes, she met Lee Baek-ho’s gaze head-on with resolve.

Lee Baek-ho didn’t hide his admiration.

“Wow…”

He found it incredibly intriguing.

There are plenty of people who know fear, but very few who can overcome it.

“How can someone change so completely in an instant?”

The question was: what enabled her heart not to give in this time and to stand firm?

The answer was simple.

“Hansoo Hyung is really something, huh? How much effort did he put into getting her to act like that?”

Lee Baek-ho chuckled to himself.

“Alright, I get it. Love makes everyone blind and all that. I wonder if Hansoo hyung knows about this… Huh? What, do you have something to say?”

“……Who is Hans?”

“What…?”

At Misha’s question, Lee Baek-ho looked momentarily stunned before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

“Pfft, pfft! Puhahaha! Kehehehe… Oh, right. Of course. That makes sense. Ah, I’m such an idiot!”

Annoyed by his laughter, Misha furrowed her brow, prompting Lee Baek-ho to calm down and answer her question.

“Lee Han-soo is your lover’s real name. Okay?”

Misha didn’t react to Lee Baek-ho’s teasing tone.

She simply repeated the name in her mind, as if engraving it there.

“……Lee Hans.”

“It’s Han-soo, not Hans.”

Even though her pronunciation had improved compared to the past, it still seemed difficult. After repeating it several times, she finally got it right.

“Lee Han-soo.”

“Oh, that’s better now.”

“Lee Han-soo. Yes, that’s Bjorn’s…”

Misha clasped her hands together as if cherishing something precious and closed her eyes. Lee Baek-ho watched her with a slightly peculiar gaze.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

Playing around was only after all the work was done. That was Lee Baek-ho’s long-standing rule.

“So, you really won’t do me this favor?”

“…Why should I?”

“Hmm, well?”

Lee Baek-ho shrugged as he spoke.

He was someone who often joked around and, if necessary, lied without hesitation.

“Because if you don’t, Bjorn Jandel will die?”

That was an undeniable truth.
***
After the round-table meeting ended.

I immediately logged out and went to sleep.

Because when I come back from a full 12 hours there, I’m too tired to get up early but…….

“Mister, wake up!”

“…Five more minutes.”

“Stop the nonsense and get up. All that’s left is to move out your things here.”

“…Already?”

Well, I really wanted to wake up earlier today…

“Wait a moment. I’ll pack my own room.”

“No need to make a fuss. Go wash up.”

“Yes. Mister, there’s nothing too heavy here; we’ll handle it.”

No, even so…

I quickly went to wash up and returned to tidy up my room.By then, Four large wagons parked in the yard were already loaded to the brim with our moving supplies.

Thud—!

With the barbarian-style iron bed loaded onto the cart, the packing was finally complete.

“Well then, we’re off, Baron.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

The hired coachmen drove the carts away, leaving us alone in the now empty mansion.

“……It feels strange.”

Erwin gazed at the empty living room with a somewhat nostalgic look.

I could understand.

Certainly… we’ve made some memories here, both good and bad.

[“You won’t be going outside ever again anyway, right?”]

Back then, I was really worried about her.

But now, she’s much more stable.

Even though, technically, she should be feeling more of the stat-related adverse effects now than before.

Although she’s actually much more affected by the stats than she was back then.

Erwin is a sore spot for me too.

Though, if I had to pick the sorest spot, it would be someone else.

‘……Lee Baek-ho, when is he going to send her back? It’s not like he can’t find me just because I’m moving, right? Hmm, that wouldn’t do…’

“What are you doing? Let’s go. We still have to unpack everything by today.”

I took one last look around the house before leaving, just in case we missed anything. Then we headed to our destination.

We had hired a carriage for the day and the driver was Auyen, the only sailor in our clan.

Turns out, he’s not just good at sailing, huh?

“…You’re really skilled at handling horses.”

“I worked as a coachman before I became an adult. That’s why I know the city roads well.

Though it’s nothing compared to your skills, Captain.”

“Stop flattering.”

Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me that it might not be a bad idea to buy a carriage and have Auyen drive us around.

Our new place even has a small stable.

Since he used to be a coachman, he probably knows how to take care of horses too.

‘Hmm, not bad.’

It seemed like a pretty good idea, so I mentioned it to Amelia, who responded quite positively.

“Every group needs someone with a specific role. If Auyen is fine with it, I don’t mind.”

“Rokrok, what about you? You heard everything, right?”

“I-I’d be honored! If you entrust me with this, I’ll do my best to assist you, Captain!”

Auyen also seemed genuinely pleased.

Well, from his perspective, it’s probably better than being cooped up in a room all day.

So let’s push this plan forward later…

“We’ve arrived, Boss.”

Auyen’s smooth driving had me dozing off, and before I knew it, we’d reached our destination.

The main street of the commercial city of Commelby.

A three-story building located in a bustling area just 10 minutes from the Alminas Central Exchange.

“…The condition of the building is much better than I expected.”

“Right? I thought it would be a really old building given the rent.”

This building was owned by the Melbes Trading Company and was provided to us at a low cost as part of a previous agreement.

Its purpose was to serve as the clan house for the Anabada Clan.

However, since we didn’t have any administrative staff yet, we decided to live here until House Jandel was established.

“Let’s move the luggage first. Everyone’s already staring at us.”

It seemed word had already spread that I was moving here, as nearby citizens and explorers had gathered to watch.

What, is it your first time seeing a noble moving?

“Sigh…”

Since there were four of us, we managed to finish moving everything before the day was over.

The first floor was awkwardly structured for living quarters, so we decided to use it as a living room, while Amelia and Erwin took the second floor and Auyen and I settled on the third.

Oh, by the way, at Amelia’s request, Auyen was assigned a room by the window…

“A room with a view of Commelby’s streets… I never thought I’d live in a place like this…”

His reaction was a bit unexpected.

I knew he’d be happy to move from a basement to a sunny place, but I didn’t expect him to get emotional.

“Where did you live before?”

“On the outskirts of Ravigion.”

“Near the slums by the city walls?”

“Yes…”

A sailor, especially one from a clan that often engaged in plunder, should have made quite a bit of money?

Out of curiosity, I asked, and Auyen explained that he was treated almost like a slave within that clan and didn’t receive proper pay.

“Then why’d you stay there?”

“You may not know this, Commander, but clans like that are pretty common. People join without knowing better, and then there’s no escaping them…”

He said that the internal regulations, contracts, and shared crimes they committed in the Labyrinth became shackles that trapped him.

Strangely enough, I didn’t feel particularly sorry for him.

Well, the real victims are the innocent adventurers who were plundered and killed by them.

“Do well from now on. I’ll be watching.”

“O-of course, Captain! You can count on me!”

No matter how much he said that, I couldn’t quite believe him, so I took the opportunity to give him a one-hour lecture on life.

“Everything I’m saying is for your own good, so don’t take it lightly. A man should be steadfast like me. Got it?”

“……Yes.”

“Louder.”

“Yes! Commander!”

That’s better.

***
Even after the move, there was a lot to do.

“No. The backyard will be used as a garden.”

“A garden? Wouldn’t it be much more useful as a training ground?”

While Amelia and Erwin were arguing over how to decorate the house, I was out early in the morning handling business.

I had received a message from the Rabbit Baroness.

She said there were a couple of plots for sale that met my requirements. She suggested that I visit them in person to check out the location.

She also had a slight complaint:

[……I still don’t understand why you want to establish your house in District 7 instead of the Imperial Capital. It’s not too late to reconsider.]

But I’d already decided on the 7th District, which I’m familiar with.

Besides, even though it’s a noble house, the head of the family is an explorer.

Staying closer to the Dimensional Plaza is more convenient.

Building in the Imperial Capital would probably only result in a cramped, tiny space anyway.

In District 7, I could build a much more impressive mansion for the same cost, so it seemed like a more rational choice.

‘…Okay, so I’ve got the land. Now I just need to build the house?’

Fortunately, there was a plot among the available lands that I liked, so I made the decision right away.

All that’s left is to consult with the architects at the Melbes Trading Company, draw up the blueprints and start building.

However, it will take at least a year to complete.

‘Then today’s work is done.’

I went home and collapsed into sleep. The next day, I visited the dwarf’s blacksmith to improve work efficiency and then went to Rotmiller with a proposal.

“…Are you serious? You want me to teach tracking skills to Barbarians?”

“I’ll pay you well. You’ve got nothing else on your plate, right?”

“That may be true… but if you’re doing this out of pity, I’ve got to say, I don’t need—”

“What are you talking about? I’m not doing it for your sake; you’re simply the best person for the job. I’m asking you for a favor here.”

Rotmiller initially tried to refuse, thinking I was doing him a favor, but after realizing I genuinely needed his help, he accepted the offer.

“In that case, let’s head straight to the Sanctuary. The Second Elder will explain how to go about your duties. If you can’t communicate well with the Second Elder, go find the Administrative Office.”

“…Administrative Office?”

Rotmiller looked at me like he couldn’t believe the Barbarian tribe would have something like that, which left me a bit disappointed.

Come on, this is modern times, you know.

One day, two days, three days, four days…

Time passed quickly.

Vercil Gowland, who had severed all ties with the Order, was the first among the expedition members to join the Anabada Clan.

“…Are you suggesting me as the vice-captain?”

“Yeah, you seem like you’d do well.”

“That may be true, but… I think it’s better to leave the vice-captain position vacant for now. If I take that position right away, there will be talk.”

“…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do all the things that a vice-captain should do, even though I’m sure there will be times when I’ll need you since I don’t have the title.”

“All right. Let’s do it that way. Thanks.”

“But… are you really going for it? The Floor Lord?”

“I have to. And you’re taking part too.”

“……Isn’t it too much pressure for my first expedition after joining?”

“What, you’re gonna file a petition with the royal family or something?”

“Come on, that’s a joke.”

After Vercil officially joined the clan, we began preparing for the 5-man raid in earnest.

Honestly, my mind was too cluttered to focus.

‘Why hasn’t she come yet?’

Misha still hadn’t arrived.

Could that bastard Lee Baek-ho have broken his promise?

That anxiety slowly began creeping in, but there was nothing I could do.

All I could do was keep waiting and deal with what was in front of me.

“You’re heading out again this morning?”

“Today’s the last day. After today, I’m free until the labyrinth opens.”

“Is that so… You’re working hard.”

“I might be late, so don’t prepare dinner. I don’t want to eat it cold like last time.”

With that conversation, I headed out to an empty lot.

And I tore up the paper that Ravien had secretly given me a while ago.

Whoosh—

Soon, a magic circle appeared on the ground, and the light emanating from it engulfed me.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has.”

The Dragon’s Temple, which I hadn’t visited in years.

Looking at the old man sitting on the throne, I repeated to myself what I needed to do today.

‘Deliver the Dragonslayer’s Heart and receive the reward.’

It was the last quest of the month.