Chapter 261: Chapter 261 Clan (5)

Clan (5)

I told Misha before.

That I considered her a precious companion.

I drew a line with cowardly words.

I thought it was the right thing to do, and it was. Back then, I was still burning with the desire to ‘return’, and…

…I wasn’t worthy of crossing that line.

Because I was an ‘evil spirit’.

Even if I whispered words of affection in Bjorn Yandel’s body, it would only be deceiving her.

But…

“Wh, what do you mean? You don’t just consider me as a companion…?”

I answered Misha’s question without hesitation.

“You know what I’m saying.”

It was something I realized after visiting the community this time.

Compared to Lee Hansu’s dark and gloomy room…

…I felt like this place was my home.

“You didn’t tell me properly…”

Misha, who was avoiding my gaze and looking at the wall, slowly turned her head and looked at me.

“How would I know…?”

Maybe this was what Lee Baekho was wary of.

The desire to stay in this world grows stronger the moment you form a deep relationship with an NPC.

But so what?

“Misha Kaltstein, I like you.”

I didn’t care about ‘returning’ anymore.

That it would be difficult to make rational judgments in the labyrinth if we were in a romantic relationship?

It was the same.

It was already too late.

Even at this moment, I cherished my teammates, including Misha, and I couldn’t prioritize only myself anymore.

‘Dwarkey.’

It was the trace he left behind as his legacy.

What could I do after he acted like that and left?

I couldn’t just see them as NPCs.

“…….”

Then what about Misha’s answer?

Although I felt anxious for the first time in a while, I tried not to show it and affect the outcome.

A period of silence passed.

“Bjorn.”

Misha finally broke the long silence.

She was standing in front of me, having gotten out of the blanket that was covering her.

“…Let’s go out.”

Misha grabbed my hand.

And she led me outside.

I didn’t ask where we were going.

“…….”

It was early morning, and people were starting to wake up and go about their day. Misha and I, who had come out without even wearing coats, got a room at an inn about 30 meters away.

And we hugged each other tightly.

“Bjorn, gently…! It hurts if you hug me too tightly…”

I moved my rough barbarian body carefully, worried that she might get hurt.

“Are you sure about this…?”

“…Anything with you.”

Misha embraced me clumsily but warmly.

And so, the time we spent hugging each other, sharing our warmth, continued until evening.

‘…So that’s how her tail is.’

It was a day where I was able to confirm something I had always been curious about with my own eyes.

But happiness is like a fleeting illusion.

“Bjorn.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping? Don’t worry about Ainar and Erwen. They’ll be fine—”

“I have something to tell you.”

“…Huh?”

Just as I tilted my head in confusion…

…Misha sat up on the bed and looked at me.

And she said in a determined voice,

“I think… it’s better for us to just be companions.”

I was dumped.

____________________

It felt like a dream.

[Misha Kaltstein, I like you.]

Her heart started pounding like crazy when she heard those words, and the whole world seemed to shine brightly.

That’s why…

[…Let’s go out.]

…she led Bjorn outside as if running away.

Because she was anxious.

It felt like she would wake up from the dream if she looked away even for a moment.

[Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn…!]

[Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.]

And so, the dream-like time continued.

They shared their warmth with each other, and sometimes they rested and talked.

From the time they first met to now.

They talked about many moments and shared their feelings and thoughts.

It was a time for them to confirm and share each other.

But…

‘Wait, he’s asleep…’

A dream is a dream because you have to wake up someday.

Misha slowly opened her eyes.

She saw the darkened sky outside the window, and the man she longed for was lying next to her, dozing off.

Although she felt a deep sense of happiness…

‘…….’

…the world was painted in the colors of reality, and she came to her senses.

‘As expected, Bjorn is…’

…an evil spirit.

Misha couldn’t even say those hidden words in her mind.

Because it felt like her heart was breaking just by thinking about it.

“Heugh…”

She felt suffocated.

Although she had been suspicious, she was certain of his identity for the first time today.

Because she had asked Ainar about it after hearing from Karon what ‘duty’ was.

Only barbarians could give birth to barbarians.

She had known that from the beginning.

But…

[Can’t we date? Haha, what are you talking about! Of course we can. I know quite a few tribesmen who do that!]

Barbarians were also human.

As they lived in the city and spent more time with other explorers than their tribesmen in the sanctuary, their values gradually changed.

[The chieftain said that any warrior would change a little after living in the city for a few years. Ah, he also called it ‘urbanization’.]

Just because their hearts were kind.

Because their personalities matched.

Because they developed feelings after spending a long time together.

There were definitely barbarians in this city who didn’t care about the other person’s race and felt romantic attraction.

But they all had one thing in common.

[But I heard it’s hard to find a partner. Most people don’t understand ‘duty’.]

They also wanted to have children.

Ainar said it was a tribal mission engraved in their souls.

So Misha tried to understand.

That was why she didn’t say anything and just went back to her room, even though she waited until morning, unable to sleep because of her frustration.

But…

[Misha, nothing really happened at the sanctuary last night, and I don’t want you to misunderstand me because of that.]

…she heard him tell her not to misunderstand.

[Because you’re no longer just a companion to me.]

She also heard that.

Although she was blinded by happiness back then, she realized the contradictions after coming to her senses.

Of course, she believed him when he said nothing happened at the sanctuary.

But…

‘Then why did he lie to Karon?’

Why did Bjorn tell Karon that he was going to fulfill his ‘duty’?

The answer was simple now that she thought about it.

‘…Because he had to.’

The only barbarians who didn’t fulfill their ‘duty’ were the young warriors who hadn’t established themselves yet.

It would be strange for a warrior who had even earned the title of ‘Giant’ to neglect his duty.

So Bjorn used Karon.

What Karon said yesterday was proof.

[Bjorn is currently fulfilling his duty with the female warriors of the tribe, so don’t even think of interrupting!]

Karon had revealed everything without even being asked. It was something that wouldn’t have happened if Bjorn really wanted to keep it a secret.

He would have made him swear an oath.

Considering his usual meticulousness, it was more plausible that he intended it.

He wanted Karon to spread the rumor in barbarian society.

That Bjorn Yandel was fulfilling his ‘duty’.

‘And the reason why he had to go through the trouble of switching appearances…’

Misha lowered her head.

‘…Because he… likes me…’

Bjorn wanted…

…to be seen as a barbarian who fulfilled his duty to his tribesmen, but he didn’t want her to hear about it.

Indeed, if she hadn’t gone to the bar that night because of a bad feeling, she would still think that he just spent the night drinking.

And she would have heard the same if she asked anyone.

‘Now I…’

Her hands and feet trembled as she realized the truth.

Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit.

But her feelings for him didn’t fade at all.

It was only natural.

After all, she fell for the man who resided in that body, the one who saved her and had been with her on countless journeys, not ‘Bjorn Yandel’.

‘Then… what should I do?’

It didn’t matter that he was an evil spirit.

She could just follow her heart, as he had taught her, even if everyone else pointed their fingers and said it was wrong.

But there was still a realistic problem.

‘This will be exposed someday…’

Love makes it difficult to make rational judgments.

Misha knew that better than anyone.

Indeed, Bjorn had made a wrong choice.

It would have been much better for him to actually fulfill his ‘duty’ than to pretend to.

But the only reason he didn’t do that…

…was her.

‘Right, because of me…’

Misha then made up her mind.

If this relationship continued, Bjorn would make an even bigger mistake someday.

So…

‘…I just have to endure…’

This was the best option.

Although her heart ached just by imagining it…

…she was confident that she could endure.

She had lived like that her entire life until she met Bjorn Yandel.

“Bjorn.”

She called her lover’s name and woke him up.

And…

“Why aren’t you sleeping? Don’t worry about Ainar and Erwen. They’ll be fine—”

“I have something to tell you.”

…she said with a forced smile.

Even if that path was filled with pain…

“I think… it’s better for us to just be companions.”

…she would definitely be able to do it.

If it was for him.

____________________

[You, you should come home later. I, I’ll take care of the ki, kids… okay?]

Misha left before my mind could even process what had happened.

And…

“…….”

…I froze.

It was the Barbarian Statue Mode.

“Dumped…?”

My head spun.

What did I do wrong?

Did I make a mistake today?

“…….”

Although I tried to recall, I could only come up with delusions, so I just checked out and left.

Right, what was the point of suffering in silence?

If I was curious, I could just ask.

And if I had done something wrong, I could just fix it.

“Ah, you’re back? Come eat.”

Misha greeted me as if nothing had happened when I returned home.

“You’re back, mister.”

“Bjorn, you’re only coming back now after staying out all night? Take me with you next time you drink!”

Erwen and Ainar thought I had just come home.

We first had dinner together.

Although I wanted to ask her about what she said earlier, I couldn’t do it here.

“Th, then I’m going to rest first since I’m tired!”

Misha ran away to her room as soon as the meal was over.

“Erwen, Misha is acting strange today. And her walking is weird.”

“Well, I don’t know why she’s acting like that either. I have a bad feeling about this…”

I also quickly followed them, saying I would check on Misha since she might be sick.

“Bjo, Bjorn…?!”

And so, we were finally alone again.

I asked her what I had done wrong and why she wanted to just be companions, and her answer was the same as before.

“Ju, just forget about today. I think that’s better.”

A stubborn refusal without a proper explanation.

I decided to wait for a better time, judging that it wasn’t the right time.

But…

“Ah, sorry! I have somewhere to go!”

“Ainar! Let’s go hang the laundry!”

“…I’m tired today.”

Misha desperately avoided being alone with me, and she always gave the same answer no matter how I tried to create an opportunity to ask her.

After a few days, I gave up.

“…I see. Then let’s just forget about that day.”

Even I couldn’t be stubborn when she was acting like that.

It would be forcing her.

Honestly, it was an unconscious defense mechanism.

‘Wow, I want to smoke.’

I couldn’t even remember the last time I was this mentally exhausted.

It wasn’t even this bad when I was crawling through the cave, stepping on goblin traps, or when the pillar of fire erupted in the plaza.

‘Right, let’s just do my work.’

I tried to forget about Misha and focus on work, as I couldn’t just stay depressed forever.

Fortunately, there were other things to worry about.

“Mister, did you hear the rumor?”

“You mean the one about the outside world being fine?”

“Yes. That’s all anyone is talking about these days.”

The information about the world beyond the walls, which was first revealed in the community, had started to spread throughout the city.

Well, it was still just a rumor…

…but it would definitely grow bigger as time passed.

‘How will the royal family react?’

Contrary to my expectations, the royal family hadn’t responded yet.

I needed to observe a bit more.

While doing my work.

“You know about today, right?”

“We’re meeting at the 7th district headquarters at 3:00 PM, right?”

“Right.”

I left for the Explorer’s Guild as soon as lunch was over.

And I prepared some documents beforehand.

They were the documents needed to form a clan.

Raven and the bear-like man, who said they would think about it, had finally made their decisions.

They said they would join the clan I was forming.

“Raven?”

Raven appeared before the appointed time, as if she was working on an important task.

“It’s an important matter, so I thought it would be better to help.”

She said it as if she didn’t trust me, but she actually came early to help.

“How far did you get? Let me see.”

Raven took a few documents and started writing quickly, filling in the necessary clauses.

She seemed to be three times faster than me.

And she seemed to make fewer mistakes.

“The rules are ambiguous. We have to define them clearly. The withdrawal clause too. We can have exceptions, but we have to specify who those exceptions are.”

“I, I see…?”

“Give me the ones you’ve already done. I have a feeling I’ll have to rewrite everything.”

“Here.”

Anyway, we almost finished writing the documents with Raven’s help, and then the rest of the members arrived.

“It’s my first time forming a clan, so it’s a bit strange. Raven, did you do all of this?”

“Yes. You just have to sign here. You can read the documents first if you want.”

“Haha, it’s fine. You must have done a good job.”

The other members, starting with the bear-like man, also signed the documents, and we handed them to the employee, completing the clan registration process.

It would probably be officially registered with the guild tomorrow.

‘Then that’s settled…’

The framework of a clan would not only unite us as a group, but it would also allow us to go further.

And in that sense…

“You all cleared your schedules, right?”

We left the guild and went to a bar.

It was our first clan meeting, although there were only six of us.

We ordered some drinks and snacks and then shared our future plans.

Well, to be precise, it was more like an announcement.

“We’re entering the labyrinth this time.”

It was time to get back on our feet now that we had formed a clan.