Chapter 76
There’s a reason people say the process matters.
Woojin and Claire had gained power by skipping the middle steps—and as a result, they lacked depth.
So now, the two of them were filling in the gaps by treating each other as teachers.
“…My head’s going to split open.”
Woojin rubbed his aching forehead as he read through a grimoire, then glanced over at Claire.
She didn’t look much better.
Swish, swish—
Rex swung a target tied to the tip of his tentacle from side to side.
The movement was irregular.
After hesitating for a moment, Claire threw a punch.
Right cross.
But her fist didn’t even graze the target—it sliced through empty air.
“Ah!”
Her body lurched strangely.
She had put so much force into the punch that her entire body was dragged along by the momentum.
She fell face-first onto the grass in spectacular fashion.
Claire pushed herself up, looking disheveled.
Watching her, Woojin offered advice.
“When you throw a punch, stomp the ground firmly with your foot. That’ll help stabilize your balance.”
“I know that in theory—you just explained it earlier…”
But her body wouldn’t cooperate.
She complained while resetting her stance. Perhaps because she had a bit of a clumsy streak, learning physical combat techniques didn’t come easily to her.
Still, it’s better than before.
Even failed attempts weren’t meaningless. The experience remained.
Little by little, both of them were improving.
That was a good thing.
…
But after finally reuniting, they couldn’t spend the entire day on self-improvement.
As it happened, Claire seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“Shall we head back to the city?”
“Sounds good.”
They returned to the Mage City.
The two wandered all over, exploring various streets.
They sat together by a fountain listening to wandering bards, watched a popular play, and even dropped by a gambling house to play a few hands of cards for fun.
Spending time aimlessly like that…
“…It’s time to go back.”
His vacation had vanished.
Time had passed so quickly it was almost disorienting.
Come to think of it, he’d felt this way before.
It always felt like this when I went on leave from the army.
Then and now, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
Claire seemed to feel the same.
“…When will you come again?”
She murmured softly as she walked him out.
Woojin answered without much hesitation.
“I’ll come back after the negotiations with the gnolls are finished. Things should calm down by then.”
If the ceasefire talks went well, the Church Alliance would send troops to establish a forward base.
Preparations for the Third Expedition.
Before it officially began, he intended to return here at least once.
He’d spend time with Claire again.
And he also needed to visit Cindy, who had settled in a distant southern city.
This time, there hadn’t been enough time to see her.
Once the diplomatic work was done, he planned to take at least a month off.
“You’re living a very busy life, Jin.”
“Seems that way…”
Just a few months ago, he’d been living leisurely like a drifter.
At some point, his days had become overwhelmingly busy.
Once the Third Expedition began, it would probably become even harder to meet Claire.
“…Is there no chance the expedition gets canceled? The Second Expedition suffered such heavy losses. Maybe they’ll decide to stop entirely.”
She muttered it more like a wish than a question.
Woojin thought for a moment before answering.
“You’re not wrong… That idea did come up briefly within the Alliance.”
The Second Expedition had been, in plain terms, a disaster.
It wasn’t entirely bad for the Church Alliance—they had gained valuable field information about the Demonic Realm, and Duke Edwin’s downfall had weakened the Kingdom Alliance’s influence.
But it was still an unexpected catastrophe.
The Second Expedition’s forces had been far from small. Even if it failed, they’d expected to secure some gains.
Instead, they were crushed unilaterally by demonic beasts and barely escaped with their lives.
It was a bucket of cold water poured over humanity, who had just celebrated the success of the First Expedition.
Naturally, voices arose within the Alliance calling for an end to further expeditions.
We’ve successfully purified the frontier city. It would be wise to stop here.
Two Orders agreed with that stance:
The Order of Wisdom and the Order of Devotion.
After Archbishop Conrad’s failure, the Order of Wisdom had suffered enormous losses. Attempting a Third Expedition under those circumstances was burdensome.
The Order of Devotion had opposed the expeditions from the beginning. Their clergy, gentle in nature, did not wish to risk another war that would claim many lives.
Up to that point, things were manageable.
But then—
The Orders of Prosperity, Trial, and Harmony declared neutrality.
The three Orders that had previously pushed for the expedition now folded their arms and watched from the sidelines.
The Order of Struggle, however, wanted to overturn this mood.
“…At a time like that, my report apparently made its way to the upper ranks of the Alliance.”
The report Woojin had written himself.
Along with the hyena-type demonic beasts he had brought to the Alliance.
Horace had seen it as an opportunity.
“…That man isn’t normal either.”
“Why?”
“He’s too bold. The kind who charges forward like a bull to get things done.”
From their first meeting, Horace’s decisiveness had been startling.
He had appeared unannounced at the round-table conference, and during negotiations with the gnolls, he had suddenly bowed his head in apology.
Given his position as a Cardinal, it was a shocking act.
But because of that, the situation improved.
A Cardinal representing an entire Order had personally acknowledged the gnolls’ status, making it impossible for others to treat their tribe carelessly.
“In the end, it was a good outcome… but at the time, it was quite a shock. Not just for me—everyone at the conference must have felt it.”
“He does sound like a remarkable person.”
Claire thought for a moment, then added,
“But if the outcome was good… that means the Cardinal intended for it to turn out that way, right?”
“Probably.”
Rational. Willing to listen. Bold in decision-making.
Horace was certainly no ordinary man.
That wasn’t surprising—no one reached the rank of Cardinal without exceptional ability.
In any case, the conclusion was clear.
“So thanks to you, the Third Expedition will begin. I’m not sure whether to be happy about that or not…”
The new variable—the alliance with the gnolls—had convinced the Church Alliance that a Third Expedition was worth attempting.
It was, in part, the result of Woojin’s actions.
But that also meant they would be separated for a long time again.
Woojin tried to reassure her.
“I’ll do my best to come back quickly.”
“It’s okay if you take your time. Just… don’t get hurt.”
They talked for a long while.
Before they realized it, they had walked far beyond the city gates.
Looking around belatedly, Claire laughed awkwardly.
“…I only meant to see you to the entrance. Somehow, I ended up following you all the way out here.”
“Seems that way.”
When It Was Time to Part Again
It was time to say goodbye.
“One last thing… you know, right?”
Claire said softly, opening her arms just a little.
The gesture needed no explanation.
Woojin stepped forward and embraced her.
Over time, it had become something of a ritual—hugging whenever they met and whenever they parted.
Perhaps it had grown a little predictable.
“…It feels a bit lacking to end it like this.”
Murmuring against his chest, Claire lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes.
There was something expectant in her gaze.
Taking the hint, Woojin lowered his head.
For a brief moment, their lips touched.
“….”
Claire stared at him, eyes wide.
Her reaction startled him inwardly.
Was that not it?
It felt as though he’d submitted the wrong answer to a question.
Claire stood there silently.
Then, in an instant, her face turned bright red—red as Rex’s fur.
After a long frozen pause, she muttered as if waking from a dream:
“…I-I’ll see you… next time.”
And then she walked away stiffly, like a malfunctioning automaton.
Woojin watched her retreating figure… then, for no particular reason, spoke to Rex beside him.
“Did I mess up just now?”
Rex gave him what looked suspiciously like a smirk.
Then the wolf trotted over to the she-wolf Misha and leaned against her as they walked off together.
…Show-off.
This was why one shouldn’t attempt unfamiliar things.
Woojin let out a long sigh and resumed walking.
Back to the Wall City, Yurgis
By the time Woojin returned to the walled city of Yurgis, preparations for dispatching the diplomatic delegation were nearly complete. It seemed they would soon depart for the Demonic Realm.
As he inspected the supplies loaded onto Tarasque’s back, a familiar voice called out.
“Well, Jin! Enjoy your vacation?”
Roland stood there like a carefree loafer, a bottle of wine in hand.
Woojin looked at him in confusion.
“Roland. Weren’t you returning to the Third Frontier City soon?”
Roland had been scheduled to resume his position as its commander.
Why was he still here?
Roland replied in a mournful tone.
“I joined the Second Expedition without permission… and they stripped me of my post entirely. Apparently, my deputy handles the job better than I do. Can you believe that?”
“Well… that does sound plausible.”
Roland had a habit of dumping paperwork onto his adjutant. Naturally, the adjutant had grown more competent at it than Roland himself.
When Woojin pointed that out, Roland sighed and pulled the cork from his bottle.
“Must you poke at a man’s wounds, Jin? At times like this, you’re supposed to take my side.”
“I just thought it might be karma.”
“…You’re not wrong. Damn it.”
Roland tipped the bottle back and drank deeply, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and held the bottle out.
Woojin accepted it without hesitation and took a drink.
Roland narrowed his eyes.
“Something didn’t go well for you either, I see.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Last time I invited you for a drink, you refused outright, saying you had work to do. And your face looks gloomier than usual.”
“…I was just thirsty.”
He brushed it off and continued checking supplies.
Roland circled him like a shark that had caught the scent of blood.
“Lost some money gambling? Bad investment? Or perhaps… a woman?”
Was he reading something in his expression?
Roland squinted at him.
“Ah. A woman. That’s unexpected. You’ve always shown a suspicious lack of interest in them.”
“…Can’t you just go away?”
“Of course not! Such fine drinking fodder doesn’t come often. Come on—drink more. Two defeated men have met; we should at least drown ourselves in wine.”
Roland thrust the bottle toward him.
Judging that Roland wouldn’t leave until it was empty, Woojin finished it in one go.
Roland burst into laughter.
“Ha! If your heart’s on fire, douse it with drink. Good thing I brought plenty.”
He rummaged through a small pouch at his side and pulled out two more bottles.
It was a spatially expanded bag.
Woojin raised an eyebrow.
“When did you get that? You didn’t have one during the Second Expedition.”
“I bought it, of course. Thought it’d be useful in the Demonic Realm. I’ll be joining the delegation with you.”
That wasn’t bad news.
Among the paladins, Roland’s martial strength was exceptional.
As he uncorked another bottle, Roland said casually,
“Show me your lover’s portrait. You must have one.”
“…How did you know?”
“It’s the trend these days. Exchanging portraits with someone dear.”
It had become common practice due to the expeditions—soldiers carried painted likenesses of loved ones into the Demonic Realm.
After handing Woojin a fresh bottle, Roland made a beckoning gesture.
“This is expensive wine. Don’t be stingy. It won’t wear out just because I look at it.”
“….”
Woojin had been planning to rest a bit anyway.
After some hesitation, he took out a pendant.
It was about half the size of his palm. Inside was a portrait of Claire in a dress.
A larger painting had been reduced through shrinkage magic—costly, but detailed almost like a photograph.
Roland blinked in surprise.
“…Is she of fairy blood?”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ve never heard of it? Among ancient royal and noble lineages, some carry the blood of elder races. People call them fairy-blooded.”
Woojin tilted his head, wine at his lips.
“I’ve never asked her something like that… How would you even tell?”
“They’re unrealistically beautiful. And they age well.”
“That sounds like a fairy tale.”
Roland shrugged.
“They exist. Reality often surpasses fiction.”
“Even so… Claire doesn’t seem to have any special lineage. That’s just my feeling.”
He took another sip.
Roland returned the pendant and opened the new bottle.
“Tell me the story. What happened between you two during this vacation? As your senior in life, I’ll offer advice.”
“….”
What should he do?
“…Fine. I’ll tell you.”
It felt awkward to simply take expensive wine and say nothing.
After some thought, Woojin began recounting what had happened.
“It was during my leave…”
Roland listened with arms crossed, more solemn than usual.
“…And so, I’m not sure if I crossed a line. We parted rather awkwardly.”
He finished his explanation.
Roland stared at him.
“…What?”
“Give me that wine.”
Woojin handed it over.
Roland spoke gravely.
“My wine is for defeated men—not deceivers like you.”
“What does that mean?”
Roland didn’t answer.
He simply stood, poured the wine into his mouth, and walked away.
Woojin watched him go, puzzled.
“…Did I mess up again?”
For some reason, the number of inexplicable situations in his life kept increasing.