TRPM 413

chapter 413

The next morning.

“Ugh…”

Although the bed was unfamiliar, it was a high-quality bed, so I had slept deeply. Rising from it, I headed to the terrace of the suite.

Whoooosh…!

As I stepped out onto the terrace, a cool sea breeze greeted me.

‘It’s chilly.’

It would have been perfect if it were summer. Thinking that, I noticed a black dot in the sky.

“…?”

I narrowed my eyes to see what it was.

The black dot was moving quickly across the sky, heading toward the resort…

‘Ah…’

It grew larger until I could make out the shape of a dragon.

‘Fafnir… Come to think of it, I forgot to bring it into the room yesterday.’

Wait a minute.

Does that mean Fafnir had been flying all night?

‘And judging by the human figure on its back, it seems it’s still carrying someone…’

Just how many people tried to ride Fafnir that it kept flying all night?

“……”

Fortunately, Fafnir seemed to enjoy flying freely, so even after all night, it didn’t look displeased.

So I decided to leave it be. If Fafnir were struggling, I’d intervene, but if it was enjoying itself, there was no need to stop it.

‘Time for breakfast.’

I recalled that breakfast was supposed to be a buffet.

Thinking about what I had heard yesterday, I left the room. The other kids in the next room—Ihaeun, Elena, and Elliot—would come down for breakfast before it ended if they were hungry. Although, being the weekend, they might still be sleeping in.

“Good morning.”

As I thought that and headed toward the elevator, an unfamiliar voice greeted me.

I turned to see who it was.

“Ah, hello.”

“You’re using honorifics. Jihyeongman, you speak casually to him, right?”

It was Song Eunji, the guildmaster of the Cleaner Guild. I had met her many times, but usually in public settings with others around. Meeting her in a private setting like this felt slightly strange.

“I find it easier to treat Jihyeongman that way. If you want, I can treat you similarly?”

“No, please don’t. Even for you, it feels a bit… off to hear casual speech from a minor.”

Song Eunji said that and entered the elevator.

“I hear Jihye is a student in your class?”

Jihye? Oh, Teacher Son Jihye.

“You know about Teacher Son Jihye?”

“Of course. Even though it was brief, she was a member of our guild.”

At first glance, it might sound like Song Eunji remembered Teacher Son Jihye as just a minor guild member. In reality, she remembered her because, while gathering information about me, she found out that my homeroom teacher was in the Cleaner Guild.

“Does Jihye still dress as a girl?”

“……”

Could it be? Did that mean she knew Teacher Son Jihye was a cross-dresser even when she was in the Cleaner Guild?

“Yes, she still dresses that way. Because of that, some boys in our class have crushes on her.”

“She hasn’t changed. We had quite a few male guild members who had crushes on Jihye too.”

Those guys still think Jihye is a girl.

“…I see.”

I had heard similar stories before, when the teacher met her former Cleaner Guild peers. I hadn’t heard the conversation directly but had been told everything later.

‘Interesting.’

Song Eunji, although the guildmaster, is known for lazily delegating responsibilities to others and showing her annoyance openly. Yet, her abilities surpass those of any guild member, making her someone you could rely on in a pinch. In short, a lazy genius.

Yet she remembered Teacher Son Jihye, who had been an underperforming member that left the guild quickly.

‘…Does she remember all members of the Cleaner Guild, not just Jihye?’

Even those who had left the guild after a short time?

‘…The Cleaner Guild has at most 100 members. If she’s a lazy genius, she might remember them all.’

“? Why do you look so impressed?”

“I just think it’s remarkable.”

“…I hope you don’t mean that sarcastically.”

Song Eunji said that and got off the elevator. I also got off since our destination was the same. Together, we headed to the buffet.

“Whoa…”

“Wow… Yoo Wonhoon really spent a lot here, huh?”

The buffet was extravagant. From the oysters I had yesterday to numerous seafood dishes prepared perfectly for eating, as well as a variety of other high-end dishes arranged on trays.

‘If they prepared the buffet like this every day, they’d probably be running a deficit…’

I thought they would only maintain this level today and tomorrow, since many VIPs came for yesterday’s opening ceremony.

‘…Right?’

They wouldn’t continue operating at a loss, would they?

‘…Though with Yoo Wonhoon of the Regiones Guild in charge, it might be possible.’

I decided to just enjoy the buffet. Even if the Regiones Guild ran at a loss, that was their problem. I own 10% of the guild’s shares, but I didn’t need to worry. I only had to enjoy the results of their spending.

Sitting in a scenic spot and enjoying the buffet, Elena and Elliot came down for breakfast. Ihaeun, however, seemed to still be sleeping.

“Haeun only went to bed in the early morning. When I asked before coming down, she said she’d skip breakfast and just sleep.”

Elena confirmed my suspicion. It wasn’t because she couldn’t sleep in the unfamiliar room—she’d slept well during camping trips and other training camps. She probably just stayed up watching TV or something.

“What’s in that bottle?”

Elliot asked, noticing a bottle near Elena. That was the sujunggwa (cinnamon punch) Elena brought yesterday.

“It’s a drink. Want some?”

“Yeah.”

Elena poured some into Elliot’s cup naturally. She did the same for herself and took a sip.

“…Pffft…!”

“Hmm~.”

Elliot, surprised by the unexpected bitterness, quickly set down his cup. Elena, on the other hand, sipped hers leisurely.

“Hey…! What kind of drink is this?!”

“It’s a traditional Korean drink, right?”

“Right.”

I nodded in agreement.

“You can’t just say that about a traditional drink… Don’t you respect Korean traditions even though you’re studying here?”

“No…”

Wow. She’s skillfully pushing him into a corner. Elena’s argument was almost sophistry, but Elliot, unsure of what to do, eventually brought the cup of sujunggwa back to his lips. He must have decided it was too risky not to drink it.

“…Phew. Actually, it’s not bad once you get used to it.”

Elliot said, after the first sip surprised him, he seemed to acclimate to the taste and set down the empty cup. Seeing this, Elena asked:

“Another cup?”

“……”

She tried pouring more into his cup. Elliot’s silence suggested sujunggwa wasn’t exactly his taste.

“Enough, now eat some food. You won’t get full just from that.”

“Oh, right! I’ll go get some!”

With a little help, Elliot seized the opportunity to get more food.

“He’s running away.”

“Don’t tease Elliot too much. He might collapse from stress.”

“I’ll try since you said so, but the impact is too satisfying.”

I see…

“Anyway, after lunch, we’ll ride Fafnir back. If you want to do anything, do it before then.”

“Hm… I don’t really have anything to do, but yes. Oh, speaking of Fafnir…”

Wasn’t Fafnir working all night? Elena asked. She must have seen Fafnir in the morning with someone on its back, just like I did.

“Seems like it.”

“…Is that okay?”

“Summoned beasts don’t tire as long as they get enough magic, so it’s fine. Fafnir seems to enjoy it too.”

“No, that’s not the problem.”

Hmm? Another problem?

“Before coming, I saw there was still a long line at the helipad. Many people were even wearing padded jackets while waiting.”

“?”

“It didn’t look like the line would disappear before lunch, and it seemed to keep growing…”

Some people will surely complain about not getting a ride.

“Wow… that many people were waiting?”

“Yes.”

…So many people want to ride the dragon. No, wait.

“If so many people wanted to ride, they probably went yesterday. So everyone has probably had at least one ride, so there’s no need to worry.”

Given that Fafnir flew all night, there was plenty of time. Those who didn’t ride probably never intended to.

“If anyone wants to make a fuss, let them.”

Riding Fafnir wasn’t an event organized by the Regiones Guild. The guildmaster, Yoo Wonhoon, allowed it spontaneously because he wanted to ride too. But it was still an official permission from the guildmaster. Even the opening ceremony ended quickly so people could ride Fafnir first. If someone complained about missing the ride, it would just make them a target of the guild.

‘Most of the people invited to the opening are related to Regiones in some way, so anyone sensible will stay quiet.’

With that in mind, I continued my meal.

Time passed, and it was almost time to ride Fafnir back.

“Nooo! I didn’t get to ride! Why am I the only one not allowed?!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

I realized, along with many others, that the world is wide and full of peculiar people.