Memorize

Vivienne blended well with our group—at least on the surface. Thanks to her peculiar yet naive demeanor, her contract, and her behavior so far, she managed to ease the kids' initial wariness of her. However, while the kids were completely at ease with one another after going through the rites of passage together, Vivienne hadn't reached that level of comfort with them yet.

If anything, it might be more accurate to say she was being bullied. During morning training, when the kids focused on honing their sensory abilities, I occasionally found her sitting in a corner alone, quietly wiping away tears. But as soon as I called her over, she'd quickly try to hide it, running over to me as if nothing had happened. The tear stains still visible on her cheeks always tugged at my heart.

I had a rough idea of what the issue was, but for the moment, I decided not to interfere. They say there's a world unique to girls, and stepping in too soon could only make the kids view Vivienne in an even more negative light.

The only silver lining was that An-Sol occasionally gave Vivienne a sympathetic look, as though feeling sorry for her. On the other hand, Yun-Jung often watched Vivienne with a peculiar gaze, and every time she did, Vivienne would instinctively lower her head.

Yun-Jung was incredibly sharp—her perceptiveness was almost uncanny. I had a feeling she'd noticed the small ways I paid extra attention to An-Hyun during our private training sessions. That might have been why she acted especially sweet when it was just the two of us, but when she was with An-Sol and Vivienne, she seemed to take on the role of the bossy older sister. Vivienne, in particular, was the perfect target for Yun-Jung's sly games. Watching her cleverly exploit the contract Vivienne had shown us earlier, I could only smile wryly.

Even so, I didn't forget to warn her.

"Better be careful."

"Huh? About what, oppa?"

Looking at Yun-Jung as she tilted her head innocently, as if to say, 'I didn't do anything wrong. I don't know what you're talking about,' I leaned in and spoke softly.

"Vivienne's an incredibly skilled mage. Right now, she's just recovering her intellect and has a bit of a childish side, so she's tolerating this…but what about later?"

"But we have the contract." She said without thinking.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yun-Jung froze and covered her lips, realizing her slip. I let out a brief laugh before continuing.

"Right now, Vivienne is no different from a child. Even if she's recovering, there's a chance her personality could reform depending on her surroundings. And while there's a contract, since you weren't the one who drafted it, you can't rely on it completely. Most importantly, don't forget that Vivienne has free will. When she fully regains her intellect in the future..."

"Heh. Oppa, you're really making me out to be the bad guy here. It's all part of the process."

"Who's saying otherwise? I'm just giving you a heads-up because I'm worried. Anyway, good luck."

I patted Yun-Jung on the shoulder. Her eyes were smiling, but her mouth wasn't. By now, she was probably running my words through her mind at lightning speed. She was sharp enough to grasp the warning I was trying to give.

And as luck would have it, that very day, Vivienne proved my point.

We had gone outside the city to engage in combat with monsters. When we encountered a group of goblins in the plains, she unleashed her abilities with full force—right in front of Yun-Jung, no less.

"Come forth, Aranya, ruler of the 32nd Legion of Death's Web!"

I'd been curious about what it meant for her to be the Ruler of the 66 Monster Legions. Watching Vivienne finally demonstrate her true power, one specific class came to mind.

"Come forth, Agnis, ruler of the 24th Legion of Blazing Flames!"

It reminded me of a secret class I'd encountered in my first time: Spirit Summoner. During the battle to reclaim Atlanta, the Spirit Summoner had summoned entire legions of spirits to stand against the armies of an Archduke of Hell. It had been a breathtaking sight.

While there was a distinction between secret and rare classes, Chimera Alchemist appeared to share some similarities. Both involved summoning and strengthening otherworldly beasts—Vivienne's case leaning heavily toward creations or creatures from beyond.

The power of the Chimera Alchemist was undeniable, even setting aside other considerations. Perhaps due to the immense stress she endured from Yun-Jung's "treatment," Vivienne's expression during battle transformed into one brimming with killing intent as she mercilessly slaughtered monsters. After wiping them out single handedly, she would return to her usual dazed expression, smiling innocently. Watching this, I couldn't help but notice Yun-Jung gulp nervously.

The way Vivienne utilized alchemical magic circles for summoning left me in awe.

I had been somewhat concerned about her low rank in traditional magic and the lack of immediate combat utility from her alchemical magic. However, Vivienne dispelled those worries in an instant. As the Ruler of the 66 Monster Legions, she proved herself to be a one-person army. On top of that, she demonstrated versatility by supporting the party and her summons with traditional magic, making her a truly all-around mage.

From that point on, Yun-Jung's harassment of Vivienne seemed to subside somewhat. Occasionally, she even acted warmly toward her, and they began to have more conversations. Watching this, I was both impressed by Yun-Jung's cunning and slightly unnerved. Unaware of the change, Vivienne simply nodded enthusiastically, happy to receive Yun-Jung's altered demeanor.

The others were growing stronger by the day, and I couldn't afford to remain stagnant either. Since I was the one making all the critical decisions and guiding them, and because they all trusted and followed me, I felt a duty to exceed their expectations every step of the way.

*

It was early evening. After returning from a battle outside the city, everyone was exhausted. Back at the inn, they worked on cleaning the monster blood off their equipment, performed a quick wash, and gathered at a table in the first-floor lobby.

"Ugh, so annoying," Yun-Jung grumbled, slumping forward onto the table after waiting a while for the food they had ordered.

"What's so annoying?" An-Hyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

Without lifting her head, Yun-Jung lazily curled her finger and pointed toward the surrounding tables, one by one.

"We're not celebrities or anything, but every time we sit down, people keep sneaking glances at us. It's so annoying. If they've got something to say, they should just come over and say it." Yun-Jung snapped, her voice laced with irritation.

An-Hyun gave a noncommittal hum, nodding slightly in agreement.

"Well, it's true that our Sol is quite pretty," He said with a teasing grin.

"Oh, come on, Oppa! Don't say things like that," An-Sol protested, throwing him a sharp look. An-Hyun just chuckled, clearly finding even her annoyed reaction charming. It wasn't an unusual sight by now, so Yun-Jung simply let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, visibly exasperated.

It wasn't hard to see why we were drawing so much attention. However, it wasn't necessarily positive. Not long ago, we had been wearing the standard beginner uniforms from the Player Academy, but in a short amount of time, we had transformed into a group with a much more polished and capable appearance.

Anyone with half a brain among the players around us could deduce that we must have struck it big on a recent exploration. Of course, considering that most of the stares were from male players, it wasn't hard to guess that more than half of their interest stemmed from ulterior motives. After all, Yun-Jung, Sol, and Vivienne each had their own distinct, captivating charms.

"Thank you for your hard work. Your food is ready." Go Yeon Joo said, walking over with the dishes. As she approached, An-Hyun immediately straightened his posture, which had been slouched, and sat up properly. Go Yeon Joo smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling in amusement, before setting the food down on the table with a calm demeanor. Her attitude seemed very different from before.

"It must be tough for you today, too," I remarked.

"Well, from a shopkeeper's perspective, it's always good when business is booming. players tend to be around at this time of day anyway... hmm?" She responded, glancing around the room.

Go Yeon Joo answered in her soft voice. At that moment, I noticed An-Hyun suddenly getting up from his seat.

"I'll help," He said in a serious tone, his voice deep, as he began helping Go Yeon Joo carry the food to the table. When Go Yeon Joo glanced over at me, I just shook my head with a blank expression. I could see her letting out a small sigh.

"You're really a gentleman. Thank you." She said with a smile.

"Ahem, no need to thank me. It's only natural to help." An-Hyun replied nonchalantly.

"It would be nice if everyone else would do the same." Go Yeon Joo murmured.

I intentionally ignored her words and took out a cigarette, lighting it. If it were just the two of us on a quiet night, I would have been more than willing to play along with such a joke, but doing it in front of the kids was out of the question. Moreover, her eyes were full of mischief at that moment. I had no intention of getting involved in any unnecessary trouble, so I was planning to back out. But that was only my own assumption.

As I turned my head, Go Yeon Joo gave me an enigmatic smile and returned to face me, forcing her gaze to meet mine. Just as I was about to furrow my brow and speak, she crouched down and sat as close as possible to me.

"..."

Here, if I were to just pull down my pants, it might have looked exactly like I was doing that. With all the kids watching, I thought, 'What kind of disgrace is this?' and immediately tried to move my chair. However, she quickly extended both hands to grab it. Then, Go Yeon Joo leaned her head forward between my legs and whispered softly in a small voice.

"Two players came by this afternoon."

"...Yes."

"They were looking for you, and when I told them you'd be back around dinner time, they said they understood and left. Do you remember those players from before?"

"Hey, what are you doing? Oppa, what are you doing?"

Hearing Yun-Jung's voice, I took a deep breath and nodded. Go Yeon Joo smiled lightly and straightened her legs. An-Hyun looked at me with envy, and the female players, led by Yun-Jung, looked at me with confused expressions. Feeling unfairly accused, I spoke in a mocking tone.

"Couldn't you have said that in a more normal position?"

"Oh my. I was just sitting for a moment because I was so tired. Are you imagining something strange?"

"Don't talk. I'll eat well."

Go Yeon Joo chuckled at my response, turned her body, and walked toward the kitchen. Following that, I heard Yun-Jung's voice yelling, "What's up with that person? So annoying! You think so too, right? Don't you?!", with Vivienne reluctantly agreeing.

Anyway, the food arrived, and Go Yeon Joo's cooking was good. Vivienne, seemingly very hungry, quickly grabbed her fork, but Yun-Jung slapped Vivienne's fork with a swift motion. The fork rolled across the table, and Vivienne, with a dazed look, just moved her mouth in a daze. Yun-Jung's sharp voice followed.

"What did I tell you?"

"Hmph…"

"Didn't I say you're not supposed to touch your utensils before oppa starts eating?"

"I'm sorry… I was just so hungry…"

"Enough with the excuses. Did you do well or not?"

"I did wrong. Sob."

"Oh, you're crying again, huh? I'll let it go this time. But don't do it again."

Seeing Yun-Jung scolding Vivienne again, I took a deep breath and picked up my utensils. Only then did Yun-Jung nod as if giving permission, and Vivienne cautiously took her fork again. However, seeing her bow her head so sadly made me feel bad, so I took the juiciest piece of meat and put it on her plate. Vivienne's innocent eyes looked up at me.

"Vivienne. You worked hard today. Eat well and let's do our best together tomorrow."

At my warm words of encouragement, Vivienne's face immediately brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes!"

"Vivienne?"

When Yun-Jung interrupted again, Vivienne quickly corrected her words.

"Th-thank you…."

Sol watched the scene with envy, and An-Hyun, just like me, took some food from the plate and put it on Sol's. However, Sol calmly returned the food An-Hyun had given her to its original place.

After watching An-Hyun's disappointment, I swallowed the food I had been chewing and spoke again.

"Just leave it alone while we're eating. This isn't a military camp. Why are you so desperate to serve food?"

"Hmph. You don't understand anything. You always say Sol is so pretty~ pretty~. This time, it's Vivienne is so well-behaved~ well-behaved~."

With a snort, Yun-Jung turned her head dramatically, and I sighed. Vivienne, with a satisfied look, giggled and ate the meat I had given her.

For a while, everyone focused on their meals again. After some time, An-Hyun, who had been picking at his food with a downcast face, kept glancing toward the kitchen, as if Go Yeon Joo's face was lingering in his mind. But then, as if something came to his mind, he turned his gaze back to me and asked.

"Hyung hyung."

"What?"

"You seemed to get along well with the innkeeper lady earlier. What did you talk about?"

The way An-Hyun used an unnecessarily formal honorific made me chuckle quietly. I casually told them that the players we had saved before came to visit us in the afternoon, and as if they were interested, the once noisy table immediately fell silent. It's always like this—whenever there's a topic that piques their curiosity, the place goes dead quiet. It'd be great if they were this quiet all the time.

These days, the kids were always climbing over my head. I wouldn't tolerate even the slightest mistake when we were in the field, but I had learned to relax a bit after entering the city. Maybe that's why, when we were out, they all kept quiet, but as soon as we entered the city, they went back to their usual antics.

"Then, they might come again today. I liked that lady. The man seemed a bit clumsy, so I didn't like him."

"You might be the lady."

"What?"

As Yun-Jung scoffed, An-Hyun sneered at her and then turned his gaze back to me. An-Sol gave a sheepish smile, and Vivienne was outwardly trying to stop Yun-Jung. But a thin line of a smile could be seen at the corner of her lips.

Just as I was about to reach for the food again, I heard An-Hyun calling me.

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