Chapter 3: Why is this year so fucking annoying?

“Come in.”

“Ah! Yes!”

He didn’t want to bring his past grudge into his own space.

He didn’t want to sit across the table from Karen Redleaf and face her, and he didn’t even want to exchange a single word.

However, when he looked into Karen Redleaf’s eyes, he felt that even if he kicked her out, she would come back, so he thought he had to negotiate somehow.

That was why YooSung had told Karen to come in..

No matter how much you hate someone, right?

Since they’re a guest, you should at least treat them to a cup of tea.

Son.

Remembering what his mother had said when an unwelcome relative visited their house, YooSung put down a wooden cup in front of Karen, who was sitting across from him.

Thump.

Not even cheap tea, just cold water.

The fact that he served Karen this cold water, even though he could clearly see her shivering outside, was no different from YooSung expressing how he felt about Karen’s visit.

“Th..thank you!”

However, Karen held the cup that YooSung gave her tightly in her hand as if it were something precious, and she sipped it like a squirrel that had caught its prey, glancing at YooSung with anxious eyes.

YooSung, who knew the daily lives of the magicians who always drank expensive tea in the royal palace, even Karen’s appearance seemed like an act.

No, in fact, no matter what Karen did right now, it would not look good to Yoo Sung.

Clink.

YooSung placed a pistol in front of him instead of a cup and opened his mouth.

“What brings you here?”

Yoo Sung asked in a very stiff tone. Karen flinched for a moment with a frightened face at Yoo Sung’s appearance, but soon answered with a weak smile.

“YooSung…!

I came because I missed you! For a moment, YooSung’s face hardened as if he had bitten a bug.

Not a single word came out of Yoo Sung’s closed mouth, let alone an answer.

It wasn’t because he had nothing to say…

Didn’t they say that people can’t speak when they’re too dumbfounded?

That was Yoo Sung’s reaction. Karen Redleaf’s words were so absurd and incomprehensible at the same time.

“Do you…remember?

In our old royal library…!

If Yooseong was curious about something, you would come to me and ask, right?

Then I would pretend not to like it and grumble, but I would look for information and organize it for Yooseong to know…

Then Yooseong would smile and tell me that I was a cute genius wizard…”

What if Yooseong would kick her out?

Karen started to ramble on and on about the memories they had shared since the day they first met.

“In the old days.”

And Yoo-seong’s mouth opened.

You could say that Karen’s memories had gotten through to some extent.

Because Yooseong had also recalled his first meeting with Karen.

After the warrior party was formed, the king and the nobles held a banquet before the journey to the Demon King, and the warrior party members got to know each other better.

You want to receive basic training from me?

Among the party members, the first person that Yooseong visited was Sylvia Sylvester, the youngest knight commander of the Griffin Kingdom and the eldest daughter of Duke Sylvester.

Despite being a woman, she trained thoroughly and became the vanguard (warrior) of the warrior party with her unparalleled talent for swordsmanship.

Her determination is commendable. Yooseong.

Under her training, Yooseong learned basic weapon techniques and how to defeat monsters by targeting their weak points even with her weak body.

Although Yooseong looked a little lighthearted, his mental strength was stronger than anyone else’s, so he faithfully followed Sylvia’s strict training, Excellent.

If he had a job related to weapon techniques, he would have shined.

Sylvia Sylvester must have thought highly of Yoo-seong’s willpower because she gave him a favorable look.

Yooseong.

You said you wanted to help the party in some way before, right?

One day, Yooseong received a word of advice from Sylvia.

To be honest, Yooseong’s fighting power in the current warrior party is too weak.

However, the adventure party’s journey isn’t just about force.

Yooseong…

If it’s okay with you, how about developing your abilities as a supporter?

Supporter…

This is the position that performs the roles of cooking, taking care of the lodging, disarming traps, and caring for party members.

However, because of the strong image of handling chores, it was a position that was reluctant to be filled by people like slaves or the youngest members of a group.

The robed magicians around him if they didn’t help her, isn’t it

“Supporter… is that okay?”

Even though he knew that his power was insignificant, he still wanted to be of some help, so this role was perfect for Yooseong.

“Thank you. Sylvia!”

Ahem… It wasn’t something to be so grateful for.

Yooseong, who held Sylvia Sylvester’s hand and expressed his gratitude, headed to the royal library during his free time to acquire knowledge about supporters from that day on.

Inside the royal library, there were all kinds of books that were hard to find even on the continent.

Yooseong planned to learn how to remove traps and magic traps in dungeons and the basic knowledge needed for overnight stays.

“Library…library… um, is this the right place?”

When he arrived at the library, numerous bookshelves and a large space decorated with luxurious gold spread out before his eyes.

People wearing brown coats that looked like scholars or people wearing wizard robes were already common.

Yooseong, overwhelmed by the scale of the royal library, looked around the library like a country bumpkin who came to the city.

Drumroll. Drumroll.

Someone who was walking dangerously while holding a tower of books… stumbled.

“Uh-uh.. ahh?!” thud-..!.

He witnessed the scene where she fell and spilled the books.

“Ouch..”

A red-haired girl was touching the knees of her black stockings, as if her knees were swollen.

“That girl..?”

Only then did Yoosung realize that the girl who had fallen was the court magician Karen Redleaf, whom he had introduced as a party member.

Although her reaction was blunt, they had greeted each other at the banquet and since they would be eating from the same pot on their journey to the Demon King, Yoosung immediately moved to help Karen.

“Tsk..” “Pathetic.”

However, the closer he got to Karen, the more he saw a strange sight that made Yoosung stop walking.

looked at Karen Redleaf with contempt or shook their heads rudely.

Even strange to show such a one-sided slander? “Hey! I’ll help you.”

With that thought, Yooseong picked up the book next to Karen.

“Who?” “This is too much. We’re in the same warrior party. The one who said he’d help carry our bags at the banquet.. Haha! Well, compared to Seyun, he’s a bit lacking, isn’t he?”

Yoaseang bent down to pick up the book and introduced himself to Karen Redleaf in a cheerful manner.

“I remembered. Th… thank you.”

Karen answered, unable to meet Yooseong’s eyes at his kindness.

Rather than being embarrassed, it seemed like she was unfamiliar with the idea of someone helping her.

“She’s as cute as she looks. With that thought, Yooseong took half of the books Karen had poured out and put them in his hands. “Please..!”

“You seem to be thinking of going to your seat…? I’ll carry you to your seat.”

“There’s no need to do that…”

Karen trailed off, but as she watched YooSung, who continued to smile pleasantly and didn’t hand over the book, she finally gave up and sighed softly as she walked away.

Thump. She put the book down on the desk in front of the seat Karen was about to sit down.

“Karen, you said you were a court magician, right?”

“Yes.. Why?”

“I heard that you have to study a lot to become a magician… If you’re a court magician, oh my. Just by looking at these books, I can tell how hard you study and how close you are to books.” She started talking while putting the other person aside.

“So, I came to the library to study because I thought I could be a supporter in a party even though I don’t have any special abilities. But I’m not really into books and there are so many books here…I was wondering if I could get help from someone who knows a lot about books.”

She got right to the point. I’d heard in passing how knowledgeable magicians are, and considering how much they read, they must know a lot about the royal library, so she asked Karen.

‘It would be better if we could become friends on this occasion’

Also, since Yuseong’s goal was to become friendly with all the party members before the party departed, there was also the purpose of friendship.

“…”

“Oh, of course, if it’s bothersome or bothersome, you can decline! Haha….. Yes.”

Yoosung immediately scratched the back of his head and said, wondering if he had offended Karen who was silently staring at him.

Crunch.

“Then I’ll go find a book..”

For now, in order to avoid the awkwardness, he got up from his seat, bowed to Karen, and tried to step away.

“It’s not that I find it annoying or bothersome to help you. And there’s no reason not to help you either.”

“So you’re saying you’ll help me..?”

“But I’m a half-elf” Karen said, pointing to her pointy ear with her finger.

“Um..”

Yoosung, who couldn’t connect the fact that he was a half-elf and why she wouldn’t help him, made a face of complete ignorance.

Karen Redleaf began explaining to Yoosung with a slightly bitter expression.

“I’m not a pure-blooded elf or human, nor am I a wizard from a traditional family.. I’m a half-elf”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but Karen Redleaf…um! Anyway, Karen? If you’re chosen as a magician for the warrior party, aren’t you skilled enough? And even if you’re not as skilled as other magicians, you’re still better than me, an ignorant worm who doesn’t know anything?”

Karen suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at YooSung as he mentioned her magical skills.

“More than other magicians! I’m much better at magic!”

“Ah… yes.”

She insisted that she was definitely superior in magical skills.

I’m a bit shy about being a half-elf… but I’m proud of my magical skills.

YooSung, who was a little shameless but not clueless, had a rough idea of Karen Redleaf’s personality.

“Then Karen, you have great magical skills? need your help!”

As he said that, he extended his hand to Karen Redleaf.

“Ha… I understand.”

Karen accepted YooSung’s hand, noticing that he didn’t care at all even when he revealed that he was a half-elf.

During the month-long preparation period before leaving on the journey.

“I don’t know this! Help me, Kareneman!”

“Yooseong… Aren’t you asking too often? And what’s Kareneman?”

“There’s something cute about it. By the way, this is the exact same magic trap release method, but I don’t understand why the method of solving it is different.”

“No, I clearly taught you that yesterday!”

Yooseong and Karen became close enough to speak informally to each other without hesitation.

When Yoo-seong brought up something he didn’t know while studying, Karen would sigh and nag Yooseong, asking if he didn’t know that either.

“Phew…. Just give it to me.”

“Yeah!”

“The difference in the types of runes engraved on the magic trap… knew you’d ask about this, so I organized it in advance. Read this, Yoo-seong”

Instead of just nagging, she handed him a thick, handwritten translation.

In this world without computers or printers, giving him a bundle of papers written one letter at a time meant that, unlike Karen’s grumbling, she was very attentive to Yooseong.

Even Karen, a court magician, was very busy with research and work, so she didn’t have much free time.

“Wow… I can understand complicated content in one go! As expected, this is a summary of a cute and beautiful magician who would be selected for the world-saving hero party!”

“Even if you show it like that, nothing comes out…”

Seeing Karen blushing and looking embarrassed, Yooseong nodded slightly, swallowing the words ‘I’m doing this because of such cute reactions”.

The two of them had become completely close.

Now, Yooseong and Karen had become so close that anyone could see that they were friends… no, more than that.

“Excuse me… Yooseong” Huh?”

“Can we talk in the garden for a bit?”

The night before the hero party left on their journey.

Karen asked Yooseong with slightly nervous eyes.

‘Is it because it’s the day before we leave that there are so many people who want to talk to me…?”

YooSeong, who had already talked to Sylvia Sylvester during training and Lea Forte at the temple during lunch, thought that Karen, like the girls he had talked to before, was emotional on the eve of the trip.

I said that the supporter’s job includes taking care of the party members’ mental health..”

“I’ll listen to you as much as you want, since you’re our party’s magician!”

He answered with a lively face, thinking that he would help Karen solve her worries. With that, Yoo-seong headed to the royal palace garden with Karen.

At night, in the garden where only the colors of flowers shine… Swish… Karen and Yooseong sat together on the bench in front of the marble fountain.

“Isn’t this a bit awkward?”

Yooseong felt awkward because Karen didn’t open her mouth for several dozen minutes after arriving at the garden and sitting on the chair, even though she had clearly suggested they talk.

If Karen didn’t open her mouth, Yooseong could have been the first to speak, but strangely, Karen had an expression that seemed to be struggling, so it was difficult to talk to her.

As he looked up at the sky, wondering what to say to start the conversation… Unlike the night sky on Earth, he saw two moons shining roundly on either side.

“A red moon… A blue moon… I never get used to it whenever I see it.”

“You said Yooseong’s world has one moon, right?”

” Yeah. It’s usually white, half or only a small part of it remains… It’s a moon that changes often. It’s not round and red and blue every day like here.”

“I see, the original world…. Yoo-seong?”

“Huh?”

When Yooseong turned his head to the voice calling his name, he looked at Karen, who had golden eyes shining in the moonlight and a face that was somehow flushed pink.

Without realizing it, he stared blankly at Karen.

“Yoseong?”

“Ah! Yes. Uh.”

Yooseong, who had been captivated by Karen for a moment, came to his senses when Karen called him again.

“You said you had something to tell me, right? That’s it ?”

“Yes… Yooseong will return to his original world after defeating the Demon King, right?”

“Probably, right? My home is there and my precious family is all in the original world.”

“I see…”

Karen, who had lowered her head with a somewhat lonely expression at Yooseong’s answer, soon raised her head and stared straight at Yooseong, opening her mouth.

“What on earth is he trying to say?”

When Yooseong was tense at Karen’s unpredictable reaction, “This is your first time with Yooseong,” Karen’s lips opened and a single word came out.

“…Your first time?”

“You’re the one who approached me without looking at me as if I were a completely different person.” At Karen’s answer, Yoo-seong recalled the court magicians ostracizing Karen.

Because she was not pure-blooded elf or human, but half-blooded.

And because Karen was not from a traditional magical family, but an orphan, Karen was ostracized and ignored by the magicians around her. -It’s all because I’m lacking…

If I don’t try harder. In order to overcome the ostracism, she worked harder than others and improved her magical skills.

However, Karen, who had a weak appearance and was full of weaknesses due to her race and origin, showed greater achievements than them, so the court magicians’ ostracism only got worse, perhaps because they hated her.

That’s why Karen closed her heart and was wary of others approaching her.

In this world where racial discrimination is prevalent, Karen, a half-elf, was wary of others, so Karen spent her days wandering around the castle without anyone she really knew.

If she hadn’t been chosen as the warrior party wizard for her outstanding magic skills and youthful appearance, no one would have known much about Karen.

I’ll help you. Then Karen, you have outstanding magic skills? Please help me! What does it matter that you’re a half-elf? Then Yooseong appeared, talking to her without hesitation and being friendly.

Ha! Racial discrimination, origin discrimination.

If you don’t add such discrimination, do you have nothing to compare yourself to Karen?

You pathetic brats!

Even Yoo-seong thought Karen wouldn’t know….

Karen hid behind a nearby pillar and clearly saw Yooseong getting excited and arguing with the wizards who were gossiping about Karen.

“Warrior… Seyeon, that guy. Sylvia, and Saint Leah don’t seem to discriminate against you, Karen.”

“Well, Yooseong introduced me and made us talk to each other.

Yoo-seong was the only one who saw me for who I am.”

“Hmm…”

This is a big deal…! In the gaze of Karen Redleaf, who was looking at him with wet eyes filled with a strange heat, he thought, “Maybe! Just in case!”

Karen might like him, and perhaps what she was saying in this place was a confession of “I like you”.

As a man, if a beautiful half-elf magician from another world said she liked him, no one would dislike it, and Yoosung was no exception.

However, Yoosung was determined to return home no matter what, and he thought that it would be very rude to have a deep relationship like a romantic relationship, even if it was just a friendly relationship, so receiving Karen’s confession was bad in many ways.

Wasn’t she just someone passing by, but a companion who would go on the journey of the Demon King?

He didn’t want to go on an awkward journey together after rejecting her confession. Yoosung prayed to the damn goddess in his heart that he was drinking kimchi stew.

“When I defeat the Demon King, I’m going to ask her to build a magic academy as a reward. And I want to run an academy that doesn’t discriminate between humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, half-bloods, commoners, and nobles. So when Yoosung’s journey to defeat the Demon King is over, come with me…!”

“Wait a minute!”

Yoosung cut Karen off the moment he was about to say something decisive. “Karen, in the world I was in, there was something called a… death flag?”

“A death flag_?”

“Yeah. It’s like a jinx that if you say things like I’ll do something when I return before doing something important like defeating the Demon King, something bad is sure to happen?

So can’t we tell the rest of that story when we get back?” Let’s put it off for now.

Yoosung, who had decided to do so, pretended not to notice and spoke jokingly. Karen put her hand on her chest and clenched her fists.

“Yeah! Got it.”

She hid her feelings and answered with a nonchalant smile, just like Yoosung. And when the journey was over… Karen didn’t tell Yoosung any more stories she hadn’t heard.

“That’s right.”

There were definitely good times with Karen.

“Ah! And when I looked through YooSung’s remaining book records in the library, there were a lot of books related to magical engineering in the last reading records. I’ve collected all the magical engineering books that are hard for me to find! Also, in case Yoo Sung might have difficulty understanding, I stayed up all night for months making a translation copy… Let’s go back and share!”

Karen continued to talk, excited that Yoo Sung had recalled even a little bit of her memories. “Karen Redleaf”

YooSung’s cold words briefly cooled Karen’s emotions that had been heightened.

“About a year ago.”

“Huh?”

“A year ago, I visited the Magic Tower because I needed some magic materials. But the Magic Tower merchant refused to sell me the item no matter how much I paid. When I asked why, he said it was because my name and personal information were blacklisted in the Magic Academy. Why do you think that is?”

“..”

“When I asked the Information Guild, it turned out that a high-ranking half-elf magician in the royal family had listed my name and personal information as a criminal in the Magic Academy. If it had been like this before, I would have been hit by an attack magic spell and imprisoned as soon as I entered the Magic Tower. Well, before I knew it, Se-yeon had blacklisted the criminal as a warning, so it passed without much conflict.”

“Th… that is…”

Karen, who was pale, was about to say something.

Bam-! “Shut up!”

YooSung’s yell cut her off as he slammed his fist on the table.

“Karen Redleaf! You’re the bitch who put me on the criminal list just a year ago, and you’re coming to see me, selling old memories. How do you think I’m going to see that? You’re a smart wizard, as good as an Archmage, so you should know that much, right?!”

“Wh… It’s scary… Yooseong. It’s scary.”

Karen said, trembling miserably at Yoo-seong’s angry retort.

“Scary? You’re scared?”

Yooseong’s eyes saw that Karen was all fake, like an act playing on him, and rather than making her feel pitiful, he only fanned the flames of his burning anger.

Sizzle…!

Yooseong ripped off the top he was wearing in front of Karen Redleaf.

Swish.

A large burn scar remained on Yooseang’s exposed upper body, extending from his heart to his belly button.

“You’re going to remember who gave this scar to you, right?”

Karen Redleaf, who was blankly looking at the scar where her flesh had melted away at the growling voice of YooSung.

Thud-!

She fell down from the chair as if collapsing.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry..”

Lying face down with her head touching the ground, she grabbed her hair with her hands and repeated the words of apology like a broken machine.

YooSung looked down at Karen with empty eyes. What Yoo Sung was looking at was not Karen. A scene from 5 years ago that she could not forget.

Kchwiit-!

“Huk.. Huk..”

When, excluding SeYeon, the party members insisted that ‘if you’re a party member, you should participate in the battle’ and they were fighting hard in the vanguard.

Kwaaang-Hwaruk-!

“Kuaak-!!”

Suddenly, the 5th circle magic “Flame Strike’ exploded under his feet, and he was caught in the aftermath, and half of his body was set on fire mixed with poison.

Hwarug!

“Euseuugh-!! Kreug.!!”

Even though his skin was burned and his muscles and flesh inside were melting in the fire, the fire never went out.

The higher the circle’s flame magic, the more poison was mixed in to prevent the fire from going out once it was lit.

Pouring water or rubbing his body on the ground never put it out.

Yoo… Yoo Seong!

Leah, hurry up and get treatment!

Seyun ran to YooSeong, supporting his back with her arms and calming the fire with a magical cloth, shouting at the saint who was a healer.

What should I do?

I used up all my divine power in the battle earlier…

There’s nothing I can do, warrior.

However, the saint who said that I had no divine power even though I was just waiting behind her.

Tsk.

It’s not helpful and only causes harm.

It’s so pathetic.

Even Sylvia Sylvester, who stood there with her arms folded and looked down at him with contempt, rather than taking action.

No one in the party except for Seyun had any intention of helping YooSung.

Am I going to die like this?

I can’t even go home..

In his increasingly blurry vision, he saw Seyun angrily shouting at someone who had approached him. Sigh…

Then why are you standing in my magic range? So what if you die? I can just pick you again.

Someone more useful than a talentless piece of trash like a magician who was completely useless. Karen Redleaf, the cause of this situation, spoke in a tone that said it was not her fault at all.

“Cough..!”

For Yooseong, who had never seen Karen Redleaf miss a Flame Strike, he coughed blood mixed with bewilderment even as he was dying.

“Yooseong!? Han Yoo-seong!!”

He looked behind his friend Seyeon’s shoulder as she shouted in surprise.

He chuckled.

He saw a face smiling with narrowed eyes and the corners of its lips slightly raised, looking at him as he suffered excruciating pain.

Even now, five years after the end of the warrior’s journey and the wounds having healed.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Sob.. I’m sorry.. Sob… I’m sorry.. Sob..!”

Yooseong couldn’t forget the smile Karen Redleaf had made back then.