Chapter…06

“How is that kid? The one called Rodent.”

He changed the topic to ease the heavy atmosphere.

Jin smiled faintly, as if appreciating Rishar’s effort.

“Hmm, he’s a very clever kid. I’m thinking of teaching him myself. He reminds me of myself when I was young.”

At that, Rishar scoffed again.

“As intelligent as you were as a child? I doubt any kid could match that.”

Jin replied playfully,

“You’re right. He’s a bit less sharp than I was, but he’s still smart. If I teach him well, he might even succeed me.”

Hearing that, Rishar felt uneasy again. Jin’s expression had darkened.

“If I even have enough time left to teach him…”

His lonely voice scattered into the air.

* * *

“This is Louis, the technician.”

As Rick introduced her, a woman with orange-red hair stepped forward and held out her hand.

Her short, active haircut stood out—unusual for this era, where most women (including me) had long hair.

When I shook her hand, she enthusiastically pumped it up and down.

“Hello, Doctor Ober. I’ve heard a lot about you from Rick.”

She had freckles and olive-green eyes, giving her a bright, energetic impression. She looked about Rick’s age, yet I could hardly believe this young woman had helped develop Rishar’s firearm.

The Liberators were full of geniuses. Jin, Rick, Louis—they all were.

“Hello, I’m Astrid Ober. Nice to meet you, Miss Louis.”

I smiled back warmly.

“By the way… how does the plumbing system in the bathroom work?”

Just like with Rick, I probably wouldn’t understand Louis’s explanation either—but I was still curious.

“Please speak casually, Doctor. I may be a year older than Rick, but I’m still young.”

Louis said cheerfully.

After only speaking with stern men lately, talking to a girl close to my age felt refreshing.

“R-right… okay.”

Stumbling slightly, I dropped formal speech.

Louis grinned and led me into the bathroom, then removed part of the wall.

Inside the wall were glowing, circuit-like patterns—and embedded red and blue gemstones shining vividly.

“Do you see this?”

She pointed at them.

I nodded.

“This is a water-attribute mana stone. It produces clean water. And this one is fire-attribute—it heats the water to the desired temperature.”

I could only nod blankly.

So this was magical engineering, not science.

“Does it work permanently?”

“No. Once the mana is depleted, you have to replace the stones.”

So basically… batteries.

Still, weren’t mana stones expensive?

“Aren’t they costly? Is it okay to use them in every room?”

The image of a poor rebel group was clearly just my prejudice.

Honestly, life here looked better than Astrid’s old life.

“It’s fine. Mana stones are everywhere here. There’s even a mine nearby. And the leader has great foresight—he invests in many businesses, so we earn a lot of money.”

At that, I couldn’t help but look stunned again.

Jin… are you some kind of broken character?

Not only strong, but also financially competent?

The original story did mention that the Liberators were funded through business ventures. Rodent later rebuilt them and ran merchant guilds for funding—but Jin had already been doing it from the start.

No wonder the organization collapsed the moment the leader disappeared. This entire rebellion was basically being held together by Jin alone.

“Ah, also, Louis… I have another question. How exactly was Rishar’s gun made?”

No matter how I thought about it, Rishar’s weapon was far more advanced than anything in this world.

Louis scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Oh, that? It’s a reconstruction of weapons used by dwarves. The leader translated some of their records, though even he didn’t fully understand the extinct script.”

I nodded slowly.

At that moment—

“Doctor Ober! Doctor Ober!”

Noise came from outside the bathroom.

Startled, I rushed out.

“Jin…! We need to go, quickly!”

Rishar grabbed my arm and pulled me away immediately.

What’s happening? Did something happen to Jin?

We hurried through the halls, and I arrived at Jin’s room out of breath.

I gasped.

Cough, cough!

Jin was lying on the bed, violently coughing.

And then—

Bright red blood stained the sheets and his lips.

“No—!”

Without thinking, I rushed to his side and turned him onto his side.

What were they doing, just laying a patient like this?! He could suffocate!

I didn’t know what else to do, so I gently rubbed his back with trembling hands.

His spine felt shockingly thin beneath my fingers.

After a while, his breathing gradually stabilized. The bleeding seemed to stop.

Rishar, who had been anxiously watching, finally let out a breath of relief.

“Next time he coughs violently or spits blood, don’t lay him flat immediately. The blood can block his airway—it could be dangerous.”

I almost said “death,” but caught myself when I saw Rishar’s shaken eyes.

“…You’re overreacting. There’s no need to call a doctor.”

Jin’s voice was rough and weak.

Overreacting? You could literally die like this.

‘I bet his throat is swollen and painful…’

After severe coughing and hemoptysis, throat pain was common.

He probably needed warm water.

Come to think of it—something was strange.

A person of Jin’s status should have attendants.

Yet there was no one in this room to help him.

I turned to Rishar.

“Rishar, please bring a cup of warm water. And why are there no attendants here? From now on, you should assign someone to stay with him. It’s dangerous to be alone.”

Rishar glanced at me and silently left.

Jin looked at me quietly.

“I don’t keep servants. All humans are equal. Why should I make others serve me?”

His voice was hoarse.

I was genuinely surprised.

And strangely… moved.

In this world, hierarchy defined everything.

Slaves who weren’t treated as human. Kings like Solter III who ruled above all.

Even in my original world, where equality was supposedly guaranteed, money and power still created hierarchy.

Yet this man—called the “King of the Underground City”—was saying he didn’t want to command others.

What kind of person is he?

His tone was rough, but his words were too gentle.

I forced my expression to stay neutral.

‘He’s a patient. Not a man. A patient.’

“You are a patient. This is necessary care. If you hate ordering people around so much, then get healthy quickly—so you can do everything yourself.”

Rishar returned with water and handed it to Jin, nodding in agreement.

“Ober is right, Jin. I’ve told you many times—it’s dangerous to be alone. I’ll assign some of the younger, off-duty members.”

Jin drank the water with a displeased expression.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.

“…Fine. I’ll do as you say.”

His voice had regained a little strength.

I exhaled deeply.

I had only just arrived, and already there was an emergency.

I seriously worried about what the future held for me—and for Jin.