"What's wrong, Yerim? Did something happen?"
I asked while soothing Peace, who was clinging to me with all his might. Yoohyun and Moon Hyuna also looked at Yerim in surprise.
"It's much more advantageous for me to be near the sea. So I think it's better if I stay here. If an SSS-class monster appears, we can lure it back to Drosia."
"That may be true, Yerim. But we don't know what might happen after we install all the discs. I feel uneasy leaving you alone. Besides, Noah can teleport us quickly back to Drosia if necessary."
We had moved slowly because we were dragging monsters, but if we had used teleportation, we could have reached Drosia from Lanchea in two days. From here to Medsang is even closer; one day would be enough.
"If you're worried about getting weaker—"
"No, it's not that."
Yerim said, slightly furrowing her brow.
"It's also because of the spirits."
"The spirits?"
"Yes. Well, they won't not follow me."
She glanced with her blue-tinted eyes at the spirits still hovering around us.
"If the spirits leave en masse, Drosia will be in danger, and they might not be safe either. When I leave the water, I don't exactly get weaker; I just lose my advantages. But they truly become weaker. And even so, if I end up fighting monsters, they'll intervene for sure."
Unless they have a contractor, spirits have restrictions, she explained. Normally, they wouldn't leave the water, so it wasn't a restriction that mattered, but now it was different.
"They usually listen to me, but they don't do everything I say. Even if I tell them not to come, many will follow me anyway, I'm sure."
Yerim moved closer to me and lowered her voice.
"I know this isn't real. But they really like me a lot. They all like me the most. If you were in danger or if Han Yoohyun were still captured, I couldn't just stand by, but now, I think it's okay if I stay here."
I looked around. The spirits were gazing at us with curious eyes. Due to their various forms, it was hard to read their expressions, but it was clear they were all friendly.
I didn't want to leave Yerim behind. If, by any chance, right after installing the discs an entrance or something appeared, or if there were a time limit—even the worst-case scenario where we couldn't take Yerim outside could happen. Of course, I had no intention of leaving her behind, but all of us staying behind was something we had to avoid as well.
So it was right to persuade her to come with us, no matter what.
'...Those who like her the most.'
That was what bothered me. It had concerned me for a while. Yerim was still young, at an age where she needed parents who would prioritize her. Not all parents are good, but usually, a child becomes the first priority in a family.
But I couldn't put her first above my brother. And Yerim must have known that. She never complained, but she surely knew. She was a broad-minded child who even comforted Yoohyun like yesterday. But was it really okay?
I didn't think Yerim was pretending to be cheerful. She got along well with other guild hunters through Haeyeon, as well as Moon Hyuna and Kang Soyoung, and she was still in touch with her school friends. When she went to take her finals, she boasted about how popular she was.
Currently, she was mostly receiving home schooling and only went to school for special activities or exams. But starting from the second semester, there was talk of gradually increasing her school attendance, and if there were no problems, it was even said she could attend a regular school. The school and parents were welcoming as long as she had good relationships with her peers. They probably intended to have an S-class hunter around to ensure student safety.
Anyway, her social skills were at least five times better than Yoohyun's. Even compared to others.
Really, there was hardly any flaw to find. Rather, she excelled in everything. Her final exam scores were a bit low, but she had just awakened and was busy, so it was understandable. Her midterm scores were good. Considering she had no time to study, her grades were good. Shouldn't she get extra points for not being able to study because she was protecting the country?
In any case, anyone could see that Yerim was doing very well. She didn't seem to have any shadows, to the point where that itself was concerning.
"...Is this very troublesome for you?"
"Huh? Oh? No, it's not."
"If it's not possible, then it can't be helped."
At her readily accepting attitude, I quickly shook my head. What do you mean 'it can't be helped'?
"First... let's explain it properly. Yerim, you can't stay here indefinitely."
"Is it okay to tell them that?"
"They didn't say we couldn't. If we don't get too detailed, we can just say we're people from another world. And we can also say we'll find a way to take the spirits with us."
At my words, Yerim's eyes widened.
"Can we take them?"
"I can't guarantee it. But there's no need to give up from the start."
If she could make a contract with the spirits, it would be helpful in many ways. But more than that, I wanted Yerim to have someone who considered her the most important. Not everyone can have someone who puts them first. There are many people who live well without that.
But if she had that, surely it would be better. The more definite allies you have, the better, right?
"Then I'll tell them all to gather!"
Yerim smiled brightly, looking relieved.
"Kiyang."
"Yes, yes. It's okay. I'm holding you securely, so don't worry."
Peace, nestled in my arms, rubbed his snout against my shoulder, acting spoiled. Surrounded by water everywhere, and even crossing a narrow bridge over the water, he seemed anxious.
"Peace has wings, hyung," Yoohyun said.
"He hasn't had them for long. He probably hasn't adapted yet."
"He was flying well."
"Kkyang, kkuung."
"He must be tired from flying all the way here."
"?"
"Since his wings disappeared, it seems like it's a skill. Then he'd be more exhausted. This is a world where it's hard to replenish mana."
And yet he flew all the way here from so far. He really worked hard. Monsters wouldn't be able to replenish mana from the mana halls; how did he replenish his mana? ...By hunting other monsters?
"We're here!"
Yerim said as she flew toward the underground center of Drosia's defense agency, filled with lake water. Her voice echoed along the cave walls.
"Are they here?"
"Almost!"
"I'm here too!"
The gathered spirits responded in unison. The white whale had shrunk to a size that could fit in the palm of a hand and was swimming next to Yerim. I saw a sea snake poking its head out of the water. After crossing the bridge and landing on the small rocky island in the center, Yerim descended beside me.
"Thank you all for gathering. And, um, thank you for liking me so much."
Yerim glanced at me once and continued.
"But I can't make a contract with you."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"We can help a lot!"
"Guys, I'm not from this world."
The spirits tilted their heads as if they didn't understand, spinning around and blinking what looked like eyes.
"I'm just inside Delta's body for a while; I'm not the real Delta. I'm Park Yerim, an awakened one from another world."
After a brief silence, a shark with long frilly fins spoke.
"We sensed that you were different from Delta."
"But even if you're from another world, we like you."
"Me too."
Butterflies and little birds chirped. They said they could still make a contract, and that it was okay even if she was from another world.
"I want to make a contract with you too. It's not that I don't want to. But I might not be able to take you to the place where I live. I don't want to make a contract and then leave you behind. Even if you say it's okay, I don't want that."
At Yerim's words, saying she'd never do such a thing, the spirits began whispering among themselves. Then, the sea snake slowly spoke.
"Perhaps the oldest spirit might know how to cross worlds."
"You mean the shiny spirit that appeared in my dream?"
"Yes. It's sleeping in the deep sea, but it can reach here in a day."
"That's right! It knows a lot."
"It would be great if we could go together."
"Uncle, they say it will take a day," Yerim said, looking back at me. Since it's the oldest spirit, it seemed good to meet it, even aside from Yerim's situation.
"Did it appear in your dream?"
"Yes. Not long after I arrived here. It was round and shiny, and it said it was glad to meet me and asked me to take care of the spirits. It had a voice that sounded really old."
"Then let's wait."
Yerim explained carefully to the spirits that if there was no way, she would have to leave and asked them not to follow her. The spirits were sad but accepted the farewell.
"If we can go to Yerim's world later, can we go?"
"Of course! Come anytime."
Yerim spoke brightly and turned around, but she secretly sent me a gaze mixed with regret. We didn't know if there would be a 'later' for them.
"I hope we can find a way," I said.
So that Yerim wouldn't have to say goodbye again.
Since we decided to leave Drosia after meeting the oldest spirit the next day, Yerim moved busily. She had to lie to the Drosia guards, telling them she would return as soon as the problem was solved. That it wouldn't take long.
"Kiyoung."
Peace jumped out of my arms and grew in size. He became as big as an adolescent, spreading his wings wide.
"Kreung, kyarr."
"Impressive, our Peace!"
Peace turned his back to me and, while looking at Noah, who was leaning against a railing, growled. Seeing this, Yoohyun said,
"Peace is saying that now that he can fly, he doesn't need that dragon."
"...How do you know that?"
"I'm sure of it."
"I heard that too, hyung!"
...Really? Judging by Peace's behavior, it did sound plausible. Noah didn't say anything, but his expression noticeably darkened. He was already unsettled because of Myu's situation, and these guys...
"Don't mind them, Noah. We don't know if Peace will be able to fly outside yet. Besides, you have stealth and support skills, so it's completely different."
"It's not that I'm that insecure. Just..."
Noah turned his gaze to the spirits swimming in the lake.
"It's not like I'm irreplaceable. Yoojin, you have your brother, and Kang Soyoung has her sister. And this time... I envied Park Yerim. Sorry, I keep saying pathetic things."
"What do you mean, pathetic? Who hasn't envied others at some point? And there's only one Noah."
"Thank you for saying that."
He gave a faint smile and then disappeared from sight. When we first met him here, he was so confident... Saying that support-type awakened ones were so powerful. Maybe meeting us again made the reality of the outside world feel more vivid to him.
In the end, we have to return, and the outside is very different from here. That fact might already be weighing on Noah's shoulders.
"Noah isn't weak at all," I said.
"No, he's weak," Yoohyun replied.
"Well, of course he's weaker than you."
"It's not about strength; the problem is that he gives up too easily. If you had Noah's abilities, no one would call you weak. You'd be a threat to several S-classes."
"Don't exaggerate."
Of course, if I were Noah, I would have taken quite a different path. But that's more because the environments we grew up in were different. The me who didn't regress was different, and Noah without Riette as a sister would also be different. If I had been under my parents' protection until adulthood, it would have been different again. If Noah had grown up in a normal, harmonious family, it would have been different too.
"Noah's attitude isn't his fault. It would be nice if he became more confident and stronger, but even if he stays the same until the end, it's not wrong. There are things that can't be achieved even if you try. Is it so easy for a person to change? And Noah is a good person."
At my words, telling him not to push Noah too hard, my younger brother just tilted his head. Hey, even though I'm saying that you're different from Noah, I also lived several years pathetically. I tried in my own way, but still ended up like that.
Bang—!
Just then, a hole appeared in one wall of Drosia's defense agency. With laughter, Moon Hyuna burst out and stood on the water, stepping on a turtle-shaped spirit. Beyond the hole in the wall, through the dust, Sigma also appeared. What are those two doing?
"Don't worry, Director Han! We're just sparring lightly. Resting for two days in a row makes me itch to move. I told Yerim too."
Saying she needed to get used to Lambda's skills by moving actively, Yoohyun immediately climbed onto the railing. His red eyes narrowed as he looked at Moon Hyuna and Sigma. My little brother, seriously.
"Don't cause any damage around," I said.
"It'll be fine since we're over the water."
Yoohyun leaped into the air. Stepping on willow leaves, he descended as if almost touching the water's surface, and Moon Hyuna smiled broadly.
"Just practice your skills, only practice!" I shouted.
"Why do I have to be involved in this?" Sigma complained.
"Don't act like you don't enjoy it, Moonie."
Well, he didn't seem to actually dislike it. Seong Hyunjae also had a spar with Moon Hyuna when we all entered a dungeon together. Feels like a long time ago. Holding the now small Peace in my arms, I glanced up at the sky.
"Could you at least send a signal that you're okay? Have you run out of yarn? And how do you knit with one arm?"
It's strange that he even brought yarn here in the first place. Wasn't I the only one who came here with my body? Bang! Water splashed high over the lake. As steam rose, electricity spread, and huge waves battered the water's surface. From afar, I heard Yerim's shout of "I want to join too!"
"I'm sure you'd want to join too. Are you at least alive? There's no way you'd miss watching this."
[^^]
A quest came in. Though I don't know if it could be called a quest. There was no content, and I could receive the reward right away. The reward wasn't much either.
"Tea and snacks, and... a wing bone?"
"Kkyang!"
"I guess it's to watch while we eat."
I gave the bone to Peace and put a snack in my mouth. Seems like he's busy with something, but at least he's safe.
"They're here!"
"They've arrived!"
The message from the spirits came early the next morning. Since the oldest spirit couldn't enter Drosia, we went out to sea. Over the vast expanse of frozen sea, there was a huge hole, as if inviting us to enter. The blue sea water rippling beyond the hole felt slightly eerie. It was enough to surpass my fear resistance, so perhaps it was the influence of something below.
"They also asked the caregiver to come along," the spirits said.
"It's this person!"
"No," Yoohyun replied coldly to the spirits' words.
"Who knows what might happen. Underwater, we're at a big disadvantage."
"But Yerim is there."
"They won't harm him."
"They wouldn't harm someone Yerim likes."
"That's right. And do you think I can't protect Uncle in the water? Don't worry and make some fire; Hyuna seems cold."
"It is a bit chilly," Moon Hyuna agreed.
At Yerim's words, Yoohyun made a displeased face but stepped back.
"Be careful, hyung."
I nodded and dove into the sea with Yerim. Deep down in the dark waters, something white emitting a faint light was quietly lurking. It was a colossal pearl oyster, so enormous that it was hard to gauge its size.