Rest Period
A crowd gathered at the dock. Ships were forbidden from departing, leaving people with nothing to do, and a rare spectacle had appeared.
The head of a gigantic shark-type demonic beast.
It was an unfamiliar species none of them had ever encountered before. Curious fishermen examined the shark while exchanging words as if debating.
"Looks strange… Is this really a shark?"
"Dunno. The guy who caught it said it's a shark-type demonic beast."
"Who caught it?"
"I heard Jonathan caught it earlier, working together with a demonic beast hunter. He's over there."
An old fisherman gestured toward Jonathan. As if responding to the call, an excited Jonathan began explaining the adventure he had just experienced.
"So what happened was, the guild master came to see me and asked me to take on a request…"
Starting from that outline, Jonathan launched into a long fishing story. The fishermen listening closely occasionally asked questions or shouted encouraging remarks.
The atmosphere was lively and cheerful, but with so many people talking noisily together, it was quite chaotic.
Feels like standing in the middle of a parade.
Thinking that, Woojin looked around.
Then someone caught his eye.
Cindy stood behind the crowd. Being short, she couldn't see what was happening in front, so she kept hopping in place trying to get a view.
Seeing that, Woojin immediately prepared to leave. After all, everyone's attention was focused entirely on Jonathan.
"Let's slip out."
"Sounds good. Ugh… I was already dying to take a shower."
Claire complained. Earlier, she had rolled across the deck and ended up covered in fishing bait. Even though she had rinsed herself with seawater, the foul smell had soaked deep into her body.
While Jonathan enjoyed the joy of victory, they walked forward through the crowd.
Cindy greeted them with open arms.
"Oppa! You really worked hard!"
She approached with a bright smile. After hugging each member of Woojin's group, she became slightly flustered when it was Claire's turn.
The smell was no joke.
Cindy quickly finished the hug and stepped back.
"You must all have had a rough time. Let's go home quickly, wash up, and rest comfortably."
"That's the best thing I've heard all day…"
Claire muttered weakly.
***
While Jonathan drank heavily with the fishermen, Woojin, Arwen, and Claire rested comfortably at the mansion.
After finishing her bath, Claire returned in a noticeably better mood. The smell of bait had completely vanished, replaced by a bright floral fragrance.
Claire spoke in admiration.
"Wow… a bathtub filled with rose petals! I've never enjoyed such luxury before."
She had just accomplished one of the things on her personal wish list.
Cindy asked,
"You've really never tried that before? I heard mages from the magic tower are wealthy."
"It varies from person to person. Only those with good grades or strong research results make a lot of money."
Claire paused briefly before adding,
"…My results aren't exactly bad, but putting expensive roses in bathwater still feels like a waste."
It was something she could do anytime if she really wanted to. But actually doing it always made her hesitate. Claire said this while adjusting the towel wrapped around her hair.
Cindy remarked curiously,
"I feel this every time… but Claire, your personality is a little unusual."
Woojin joined the conversation.
"What's unusual about it?"
"It's just… you seem too kind."
"Is that unusual?"
Cindy nodded without hesitation.
"It is. Every mage I've met so far had a strange personality. Stubborn, arrogant. Maybe it's because many of them come from noble families…"
They were impossible to communicate with.
As a merchant, Cindy had occasionally needed to trade with mages. Negotiating with them was always remembered as an unpleasant experience.
Shuddering at the thought, Cindy spoke while Claire replied with a smile.
"You must've had a hard time. There's definitely that tendency. Honestly, I don't really like other mages either."
The mages belonging to the magic tower tended to have eccentric personalities, and Claire often faced subtle discrimination because she had originally been a mercenary.
At some point, Claire began avoiding conversations with other mages. Instead, she spent her time reading alone in the library. Studying was far more enjoyable than socializing with them.
"Thanks to spending all that time researching alone, I think my spellcasting skills improved quite a bit."
"That's true. It was impressive."
Protective magic.
Claire had wrapped the entire sailing ship in a thin, bluish barrier of light. Because of it, even though the shark struck the ship several times, it didn't leave so much as a scratch.
Since it was both impressive and desirable magic, Woojin cautiously brought it up.
"Do you think I could learn protective magic?"
"Uh… that would be difficult. It's a higher-tier spell than it looks. Even if I taught you personally, it would take a long time."
"…Probably better not to try then."
Woojin quickly gave up.
Trying to learn abilities that didn't suit one's aptitude was foolish. Instead of struggling to master the spell, borrowing someone else's strength was better for one's mental health.
With that in mind—
"Arwen. Want to try learning it?"
Arwen liked reading and could even use complicated spells like preservation magic. She would probably learn the spell more easily than Woojin.
However, Arwen reacted awkwardly.
"I mainly learned everyday utility magic…"
She said that while looking away. It seemed she had no intention of learning the spell.
Woojin asked to confirm,
"You don't like studying magic either?"
"…Yeah. It gives me a headache."
She had only forced herself to learn preservation magic because it was used often. It had been extremely difficult at the time, and she had no confidence in learning a spell of even higher rank.
Arwen confessed carefully.
So passing it off to someone else failed.
It was unfortunate, but nothing could be done.
While Woojin was feeling disappointed—
Cindy suddenly tilted her head.
Something about the conversation just now seemed a little strange.
"Oppa. Wouldn't learning a new spell take at least several months?"
"Usually, yeah."
"Then even if Arwen wanted to learn it, she couldn't, right? There's not enough time."
Soon the third expedition would resume. When that happened, Woojin would leave to participate in it, and Claire would return to the magic tower.
Under those circumstances, even if Arwen struggled and studied hard, wouldn't it still be impossible for her to learn the protective spell?
When Cindy pointed that out—
…Guess it's time to say it.
He had been thinking about it for a long time, and recently he had finally made his decision.
Woojin spoke.
"I'm planning to take a rest for a while. Even when the expedition starts again, I won't be going to the demonic realm."
"Huh?!"
Claire looked at him in shock. The others around him had similar reactions.
…Their reaction actually surprised him.
"Why is everyone so shocked?"
"It's only natural to be surprised… Jin, you've always suddenly left like a migratory bird. Did something change your mind?"
Claire asked curiously.
Woojin thought for a moment before answering.
"It's hard to organize my thoughts. It might sound a bit messy… but I'll try explaining."
The beginning of this line of thought goes back quite a while—to when he fought against the dragon.
The war against the dragon abomination.
Woojin had confronted the enemy alongside part of the Order Alliance's forces, the Nol tribe, and the Naga secret clan. In the end, he even fought directly against the gigantic dragon abomination.
"As you all know, the dragon suddenly flapped its wings and dragged me up with it."
The dragon and Woojin shot upward through the dark clouds. And what they encountered was the clear sky above. Beneath their feet stretched an endless horizon of clouds.
The moment he saw that sight…
Woojin was seized by an emotion he could hardly describe.
How did I end up all the way here?
That thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Originally, he had planned to live casually as a hunter, making a decent living. But before he knew it, his circumstances had become strangely complicated.
"Did I actually want to become some kind of heroic figure?"
It was something never meant for someone like him.
At some point, he had begun to feel as if he was carrying far too much. His connections had grown wider, and he had become deeply involved with the Order Alliance, making it difficult to simply pull away.
Is it really right for me to keep living like this?
While he was quietly pondering that question…
"…I heard rumors that I died."
The story that Woojin had died while fighting the dragon was spreading across the world.
Then he arrived in the southern lands.
During his absence, an astonishing amount had changed. The Order Alliance purified the rift cores and expanded humanity's territory, while the Nol tribe's civilization was growing at a breathtaking pace.
While quietly observing that scene…
A thought suddenly came to Woojin.
Maybe it's fine even if I disappear.
The demon-beast hunter Jin was dead.
That's what the world believed.
So perhaps it wouldn't be bad to simply treat it as if he were truly dead and retire with honor.
When Woojin said that, Cindy—who had been listening attentively the whole time—asked with shining eyes,
"Then does that mean you're settling down here, Oppa?"
"Well… for a while, maybe. I'm not planning to disappear forever. My personality wouldn't be able to stand it."
Completely abandoning the life of a hunter didn't appeal to him.
He planned to rest here for about a year, then return to the demon realm once Woojin's name had faded from people's memories.
By that time, the Order Alliance would likely be clashing with the enemy's main forces.
If I just take down the enemy leader, the Order Alliance can handle the rest.
He intended to grab the best part and leave.
He had already passed information about the enemy forces to Bow, and even warned him not to fight the Nine Roses. The rest would probably be handled well by the Order Alliance.
Anyway, the conclusion was—
"Got any empty rooms? Let me stay here for a while."
"There are tons!! If you need it, I'll even build a separate annex for you!"
We'll live together!
Perhaps excited by that fact, Cindy shouted cheerfully with a bright smile.
Living at his younger sister's house wasn't exactly dignified…
But honestly, it was incredibly comfortable.
Every meal featured luxurious dishes piled high enough to make one worry about the table legs breaking. The maids cleaned the rooms, arranged the bedding, and even offered to assist with bathing.
Honestly, that part is a bit uncomfortable.
He wasn't a newborn baby—he could bathe by himself. So Woojin sent the maids out and bathed alone.
After washing up, he put on comfortable pajamas and wandered through the mansion as if taking a leisurely stroll.
It's already been three days.
Maybe because life was so comfortable, time passed quickly even though he wasn't doing anything in particular.
What were the others doing?
The mansion was so large that checking on them wasn't easy. While Woojin listened carefully for sounds nearby, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Lady Claire, is this okay?"
"Yes. Just stay like that."
Two women chatting quietly.
It sounded like Arwen and Claire.
…What in the world are they doing?
Curious, he walked toward the sound. The voices were coming from Claire's room. Standing in front of the door, Woojin knocked carefully.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes. It's open."
After getting permission, he opened the door.
What he saw immediately afterward were enormous wings.
Arwen stood there with her wings spread wide, while Claire carefully circled around them.
Woojin asked,
"What are you two doing?"
"Research."
Claire gestured toward the wings.
"Isn't this fascinating? What on earth would someone have to do to obtain wings like these?"
Woojin answered without hesitation.
"It probably comes from the inner core."
"Is that so? Have you ever had wings like that before, Jin?"
"No."
He had chewed and eaten the inner cores of flying-type demonic beasts several times before, but he had never grown wings.
Claire then said,
"Arwen says she had wings from the very beginning."
"…Huh?"
What kind of story was that?
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