The Next Morning.
By the time it felt like the other party members would wake up, I felt much more at ease.
Rather than understanding something with my head, I suppose seeing it with my own eyes resonates more deeply.
Of course, that doesn’t mean those uneasy feelings disappeared all at once. Even though it got a little better, I knew all too well that this habit of mine would resurface someday.
“Thank you.”
Still, I wanted to express my gratitude. It had eased my troubled mind.
“It’s nothing. This much is the least I can do. Considering what you’ve done for Irellexia, this is only fair… Besides, standing guard is something we’re supposed to take turns doing as party members anyway,”
Arna said as she lightly tapped my arm.
“If you ever need anything, just say the word. I’ll gladly help with anything you ask.”
‘…Alright.’
I didn’t feel like rejecting her offer.
Refusing help in a party where we stake our lives to protect each other would be like saying I didn’t want to cooperate.
Even if my intentions were good and her offer came from a place of kindness, rejecting help at a critical moment would only mean lowering my own capabilities.
…Though I knew well enough that we weren’t in a situation of life-or-death conflict right now.
Even so, we were comrades who had faced those battles together.
That was our way, and I wanted to continue following that path.
Arna smiled brightly and nodded at my reply.
I was truly thankful for that smile.
I didn’t feel the need to specifically ask her not to tell the others, but it seemed she had no intention of bringing it up to the rest of the party anyway.
Even when morning came, the party members greeted me with the same cheerful expressions as always.
*
Even though I now had people living with me, my daily routine didn’t change much. I still woke up in the morning and kept up with my exercise.
In fact, the other party members had also joined me in this habit.
The first ones to tag along were Kalia and Arna.
Kalia started by coincidence she had woken up early and ran into me just as I was heading outside. As for Arna, she heard the sound of the door opening and came out to see what was going on, catching sight of me and Kalia heading out together. From then on, she joined us as well.
It wasn’t the kind of training that involved swinging swords or shooting arrows, but running early in the morning left me feeling refreshed.
“Wearing a mask while running is uncomfortable, but running without one is hard in its own way.”
“Well, winter’s coming soon, so the air should improve a bit.”
The Siberian winds would likely blow away a lot of the dust.
Thinking back, winters in Irellexia didn’t seem all that cold. Of course, they weren’t warm, but they were definitely milder than the winters I’d experienced in Seoul.
There wasn’t much snow either. Whether that was due to the difference in latitude or some unique laws of that world, I couldn’t say for sure.
Considering how the constellations appeared over there, it wouldn’t be surprising if the magic that enveloped that world had something to do with it.
Should we take a trip to the mountains together before the snow starts falling?
Anyway, after Fia and Dana realized the three of us were heading out every morning, they joined us not long after. So, we all started running together in the mornings, working up a sweat.
Even though the house had three bathrooms, there were five of us living there. I was the one who suggested we take turns using the showers—
“What are you talking about? You’re the owner of this house. Naturally, as the homeowner, you should shower first without worrying about any schedule.”
Kalia, who had been wiping her sweat with a towel, cut in firmly and said,
“If you look at it that way, you guys are guests, but—”
“If you were short-term guests staying for a day or two, I might be able to accommodate you like that. But we’re planning to stay here long-term.
For that reason, it wouldn’t be polite for the homeowner to suffer disadvantages. In Irerelshia, it’s just as important for guests to uphold their manners as it is to follow the laws of bread and salt.”
“And besides, it’s easier to organize if the four of us take turns bathing in order,” Kalia added.
Dana chimed in to support Kalia’s point.
“If one person gets a fixed time, the other four can pair up and wait. That way, we wouldn’t have to keep going in and out of your room while waiting.”
“Uh, no… You can come into my room anytime…”
As if to overrule my hesitant words, Fia interjected.
“True, there are only three places with bathing facilities attached to a room. If we try to use them all at once, it might get too chaotic. It could also get confusing.”
“Exactly. We’re essentially freeloaders here. There’s no reason for you, the host, to have to go out of your way to accommodate us”.
“But… strictly speaking, this house belongs to the Goddess—”
“Since it’s a gift from the Goddess, it’s technically Shihyun’s.”
Fia, the apostle of the Goddess, spoke with a smile, decisively ending the debate. Her confident tone left me unable to argue further.
Anyway, that’s how our daily routine began—sweating it out in the morning, washing up, and then gathering at one table for breakfast.
“Today, I’m thinking of visiting the museum. Unlike Irerelshia, which was completely wiped out along with its civilization during the battles against the demons, it seems like this place has preserved quite a few artifacts.
I heard there’s even a guided tour service, which should help since I’m not very skilled at reading or interpreting the text here yet.
Understanding the culture should make living here easier, don’t you think? Apparently, they even have items from other civilizations.”
“Ah, in that case, I’ll come along. I can help interpret the guide text to some extent. The harder scripts might be tough, but if there’s a guide, that changes things.”
“That’s helpful. Thanks.”
And so, Kalia and Dana’s plans for the day were settled.
“I don’t have anything planned.”
“Same here. I’d like to visit the church we went to last time, but… I think that’s better as a group outing.”
“In that case, it looks like just the two of us will be staying home today. Please take care of me.”
“Rather, I should be the one saying that.”
They both chuckled as they exchanged words.
To be honest, there wasn’t really a need for us grown adults to report to each other where we were going or what we were doing. It was more of a habit than a necessity.
In the battlefield, we were always together, but when we occasionally stopped by villages, sticking together all the time was inefficient.
Everyone had their own tasks, and going everywhere together just wasted time for multiple people.
Of course…..at least one party member was always with me.
Truthfully, I didn’t have many tasks I needed to do alone. My sword was a holy sword, so if it needed repairs, I’d go to the blacksmith with Kalia or to the cathedral with Fia.
If Dana needed to buy materials for potions or Arna needed to gather supplies for arrows, I’d go with them and help carry things.
It was partly because I was a bit gullible and easy to trick, but more than that, I played the role of backup someone who could help out when an extra set of hands was needed.
After all, if there was one thing I could do well, it was wielding my strength.
Even if we were separated, we needed to know where everyone was and what they were doing. That way, in an emergency, we could shorten the time it took to regroup.
So we always set a base of operations and only acted after discussing where we would be and how we’d spend our time. If we had to leave, we made sure to inform the innkeeper and even left letters just in case.
What the party members were doing now was an extension of that habit.
“I’ll be at my usual workplace.”
It was always the same routine, but I wanted to be part of whatever the others were doing.
“Hmm, I know where it is. I’ve only heard about it so far, though…”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t actually been there myself.”
“Uh… but that’s where Shihyun’s ‘sister’ is, right?”
Kalia and Arna silently looked at me.
“Alright. Come visit sometime… though maybe not today.”
I needed time to prepare myself.
Yuri noona often visited me, but she was close with Ayun noona. If four obvious foreigners showed up all at once, it would be tough for even Ayun noona to keep her composure.
“Let us know when you’re ready. We’ll make sure not to cause any trouble.”
I nodded at her words. “Yeah, I’ll let you know soon.”
For now, it seemed I needed to tell Ayun noona about my situation. I remembered her surprised expression when I mentioned last time that I was living with four friends.
Still, I couldn’t keep it hidden forever. It wouldn’t be respectful to my noona, my colleagues, or rather, my friends. I had wanted to introduce them ever since we left Irrelshia.
Noona, and Arna, Kalia, Fia, and Dana all of them were precious to me.
“I promise, I’ll tell her.”