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 [Chapter 186]

[Mute]

<Mute > Son Ga-yeon.

She was a sniper who suffered from a speech disorder due to an acquired accident, as her alias suggested.

As a result, she had to communicate using written notes.

Nevertheless, not being able to speak was fatal for a player.

How can you carry out missions with someone who can't speak? It's frustrating and anxiety-inducing for the people working together.

In the end, she didn't receive proper treatment no matter which party she joined.

Son Ga-yeon ended up becoming a day-to-day sniper, moving from party to party.

And people, recognizing the skills of Son Ga-yeon who suffered from a disability, gave her an alias mixed with praise and mockery.

<Mute > Sniper.

It was an alias given because she silently carried out her duties, and because she couldn't speak.

'─If you have nowhere else to go, come in. We just happened to be looking for someone to fill in the vacancy after one of our snipers died.'

So in a way, it was inevitable that Eun-ha met her before the regression.

Son Ga-yeon hated the monster that caused the accident that led to her current state.

And every party thought of her as disposable.

For her, the Misty Flower Party was a gathering of people who had reasons to live to die, just like her.

Son Ga-yeon devoted herself to the Misty Flower Party until the moment she died.

☆

I never expected to meet Son Ga-yeon.

Originally, Eun-ha didn't even know her age properly.

Naturally, he didn't know her batch either.

For <Undead >, information about her other than her skills wasn't important.

"─I got to know Ga-yeon when she was wandering around the campus after entering the academy. The person I grabbed to ask for directions was Ga-yeon. But it turned out Ga-yeon was lost too, just like me."

「Don't talk about that.」

So Eun-ha never thought he would meet Son Ga-yeon here.

He just thought he would meet her someday while living as a player.

Ga-yeon is a noticeable kid after all.

If there's a rumor about a sniper who can't speak, it's obvious it would be Ga-yeon.

So Eun-ha was calmly waiting for that time.

But he never expected Son Ga-yeon to become acquainted with On Tae-hee.

The future changed as On Tae-hee entered the academy.

For Eun-ha, this wasn't a bad thing.

Rather, it was fortunate.

Now he could slowly become friends with her and recruit her to the Pandora Clan as soon as she graduates.

"How can a navigator and someone aiming to be a sniper get lost?"

"It happened when we first entered the academy. I've memorized the paths well since then."

「I've memorized everything too.」

"That's a lie. You two still ask me for directions sometimes."

Eun-ha rested his chin on his hand.

Then he looked at the three people eating lunch.

On Tae-hee puffed her cheeks and protested.

Son Ga-yeon paused eating and expressed her thoughts through writing.

And Seon Mi-ye, 2 years younger than the other two, spoke decisively.

"How's academy life for you, Mi-ye? No one's giving you trouble, right?"

"No, I'm doing well. Everyone's kind to me. The people from Donghae Group are taking good care of me, and it's also thanks to my father."

Eun-ha turned his gaze to Seon Mi-ye.

She who was only 15 years old now.

Eun-ha found her very fascinating every time he dealt with her.

To think she's the same age as Eun-ae.

Eun-ae still seems like a child, but this one is so mature.

Naturally, No Eun-ae came to mind.

Eun-ha chuckled as he thought of his little sister who still seemed very young.

In comparison, Seon Mi-ye was mature.

She even took care of On Tae-hee and Son Ga-yeon, saying they were clumsy.

"Father? Ah, Uncle Gi-jun?"

"Yes. Because my father was nominated as one of the Twelve Seats, people are careful when dealing with me. Even some instructors find me difficult to approach. On the other hand, there are also people who are favorable towards me because they like my father."

"Well, who would dare to mistreat the daughter of one of the Twelve Seats."

Eun-ha nodded in agreement.

Currently, <Great Tree> Seon Gi-jun was faithfully fulfilling his role as one of the Twelve Seats.

There was no way Mi-ye, who had such a person as her father, would be bullied at the academy.

Rather, people would have flocked to befriend her.

From Donghae Group's perspective, they would be treating her like a direct descendant of the group to maintain their contract with Seon Gi-jun.

I should worry about academy life for these two, not Mi-ye.

But from what Tae-hee says, it seems they're both doing well fortunately.

Eun-ha spoke to On Tae-hee and Son Ga-yeon again.

Through the conversation, he learned that Son Ga-yeon wasn't currently sponsored by any group.

It made sense.

Because she couldn't speak.

She must be living at the academy with the insurance money from losing her family to monsters.

"So, oppa. If it's okay, could you maybe..."

"I'll ask if she can receive sponsorship from the Sirius Group later. Probably if nothing goes wrong, she should be able to receive it safely."

""""...!!""""

Perhaps the reason On Tae-hee brought Son Ga-yeon to meet him wasn't a coincidence but planned.

Eun-ha quickly cut off On Tae-hee as she was about to carefully bring up the topic.

Then he directly brought up what would have been difficult for her to say.

Regardless of whether the people paying attention to them showed signs of surprise or not.

Eun-ha boldly promised sponsorship from the Sirius Group.

What's the big deal?

I'm half a Sirius Group person, you think I can't make this level of promise?

He has Han Seo-hyeon as his wife.

Her power was his power.

Eun-ha shrugged as if it was no big deal.

To this, Son Ga-yeon just blinked her eyes, pausing her meal.

「Thank you so much.」

"It's nothing. Ga-yeon, if you have any troubles while staying at the academy, just let me know. I'll solve everything for you."

She scribbled on the sketchbook beside her.

Then she bowed her head to Eun-ha.

Eun-ha found her incredibly cute as she took off her hood and bowed her head.

Even more so as memories of her silently following him in his previous life came to mind.

"And eat a lot. The most important thing for a sniper is concentration, so make sure to eat sweet things often too."

Eat a lot, grow up well, and join the Pandora Clan.

With that thought in mind, Eun-ha put the snacks he had brought to eat on Son Ga-yeon's tray.

Son Ga-yeon blinked.

Then she smiled awkwardly and moved her pen.

「I can't eat this much.」

"If you're full, leave the rest. But I think you should eat a lot more."

Son Ga-yeon had a small build.

She was like that in her previous life too.

She was short and looked young, almost like a child.

Of course, she was a child now.

I need to feed Ga-yeon a lot.

She didn't eat well to begin with, and even had anemia occasionally before the regression.

Memories of Son Ga-yeon nibbling on her food in the previous life came to mind.

So Eun-ha just wanted to feed Son Ga-yeon a lot this time.

Moreover, every time he faced Son Ga-yeon, her death came to mind.

'─Who... killed Ga-yeon... What bastard did this to a kid who can't even speak─!!!'

Son Ga-yeon's death was miserable.

<Abyss Dungeon>.

She met her death suddenly there one day.

The Misty Flower Party members woke up and realized Son Ga-yeon was gone, and searched the nearby area thoroughly.

And she was found as a cold corpse.

At that time, Seon Gi-jun wailed at the silent death of the girl he considered like his own daughter.

It's clear that someone among the raid members killed Ga-yeon....

There were suspects, but there wasn't enough physical evidence to kill them.

At that time, Eun-ha and the party members, and raid members could guess what kind of death Son Ga-yeon met.

She must have gone out alone in the middle of the night and been ambushed by someone.

She wouldn't have been able to call for help.

The mask she used instead of writing tools, which could write and erase letters with mana, was torn to shreds.

And she didn't have her weapon either.

In that state, Son Ga-yeon wasn't wearing any clothes.

The clothes she had been wearing were torn to shreds and thrown away everywhere.

Those damn bastards, trying to rape a kid who can't even speak.

Son Ga-yeon must have died being violated without being able to call for help.

And after death, her death was insulted in people's eyes.

The Misty Flower Party members were enraged.

They tried to find the culprit.

But the situation of the <Abyss Dungeon> didn't leave them alone.

In the end, her death was swept under the rug, and all the raid members had no choice but to head to the lowest floor of the dungeon.

「Pandora Clan Lord? Are you okay? Are you sick somewhere....」

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something else. And it must be tiring to write so much, don't call me that long. Just call me comfortably. If you're friends with Tae-hee and Mi-ye, you're like my little sister too."

""""...""""

At that moment, Son Ga-yeon came into view.

Eun-ha, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality when he saw Son Ga-yeon waving her sketchbook up and down.

「Okay, oppa. Then I'll call you oppa comfortably.」

"Yes, do that."

""""...""""

Definitely in this life.

I won't let Son Ga-yeon experience such a death.

Eun-ha firmly resolved as he looked at Son Ga-yeon.

From then on, Eun-ha made time to meet Son Ga-yeon frequently.

Because of this, people who were paying attention to Eun-ha expressed doubts.

"─Why is the Pandora Clan Lord showing interest in a kid like that? She's mute and can't even speak, and it's still a long way until she graduates."

What aspect of Son Ga-yeon did No Eun-ha discover?

Even people who hadn't been interested in Son Ga-yeon or had mocked her started to look at her with interest.

"Hmm, I can't understand."

"Where on earth does he intend to use a sniper who can't speak?"

"They say <Crimson Wing> has good eyes, so there must be something we're not seeing, but I really don't know. Why on earth is he showing interest in her?"

Every time, people fell into even more doubt.

No matter how much they looked.

They couldn't see any advantages that could cover Son Ga-yeon's disability.

""""...""""

In the end, people's curiosity naturally faded.

As always, they decided to dismiss it as one of No Eun-ha's eccentricities.

☆

The cultural festival starts next week.

Because of this, a subtly unsettled atmosphere was sprouting here and there.

The guest instructors were no exception.

"Didn't Player Go Eun-sil clearly say she had no intention of dating for a while last time?"

"That was all a lie."

"Seems even <Sumunjang > can score."

"You really never know about people."

After spending a month in close proximity.

Emotions sprouted between the guest instructors.

As a result, courageous men and women who confessed targeting the cultural festival period became couples.

And even more people were rejected or failed before they could confess.

Still, the atmosphere flowing among the guest instructors remained the same.

The closer the cultural festival approached, the more intense the atmosphere of craving for romance became.

"─Ah, Player Ryu Yeon-hwa. Sorry for calling you out to a place like this."

"No, it's okay."

Yeon-hwa received several confessions too.

Even though Eun-ha tried to prevent it by keeping an eye on the guest instructors, it was futile.

What happens between men and women is something even gods and nature can't control.

Guest instructors who evaded Eun-ha's vigilance quietly called Yeon-hwa and Jin Seo-na or sent them private messages to secretly make moves.

There was no way the two would tell him about such things.

"Um, you remember, right?"

"Yes... You're <Romantic Sword> senior from the Seoripul Clan, aren't you?"

"Ah, that's a relief. You remembered. I was worried you might not know me since we were sitting apart at the dinner gathering that time, but I'm glad."

So Yeon-hwa was fending off men approaching her without Eun-ha knowing.

Today was no different.

After finishing class, when she walked to where her bag was to take out a towel, an expensive-looking towel was placed next to it.

And on top of the towel was a note asking if she could come to the back of the grand auditorium.

She could have just ignored it.

Still, out of consideration for the man's sincerity, she did go out to the back of the grand auditorium.

"─I've been interested in and watching Player Ryu Yeon-hwa for a long time."

"..."

Already several confessions.

At first, she accepted it as it was.

But Yeon-hwa felt bad too.

Because the words "I've been interested for a long time" sounded scary.

I don't know this person well....

From her perspective, it was no different from the man proudly saying he had been stalking her.

To begin with, she couldn't understand someone she barely knew confessing.

"─I like you, Player Ryu Yeon-hwa. Would you like to look around the cultural festival with me next week?"

"..."

What aspect of herself did this person like?

If he liked her just based on her appearance, there was nothing more unpleasant than that.

It felt like she had become a doll.

Furthermore, she felt that those who approached her just based on appearance might look down on her.

"─I appreciate your feelings, but I'm sorry."

Of course, unlike the confessions she had received so far, <Romantic Sword> was polite.

She also knew that <Romantic Sword> had a good reputation in the industry.

He was attractive as a man too.

But the premise was wrong from the start.

'─Yeon-hwa, remember this one thing! A confession is not a demand, but a confirmation.'

As Eun-ah often said, a confession was not about forcing one's feelings on the other person.

A confession was a process of confirming one's own feelings and the other person's feelings.

But there was no bond between her and <Romantic Sword>.

No matter how good a person was, she couldn't just accept a confession.

"Is that so? That's a shame." 

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need for Player Ryu Yeon-hwa to be sorry. I should be the one apologizing for suddenly confessing and startling you."

<Romantic Sword> easily acquiesced.

Yeon-hwa was inwardly relieved.

Among the people she had encountered in her 26 years of life, there were those who pestered her saying she would grow to like them if she dated them.

At those times, she froze their lower parts and froze their hearts solid.

 So <Romantic Sword> suddenly calling her out and confessing was relatively mild in comparison.

"But I'm glad."

"Pardon?"

"I've been admiring Player Ryu Yeon-hwa from afar all this time. So I was happy to have this chance to get closer to you, but the Pandora Clan Lord kept interfering, and I was agonizing over it."

"..."

"I felt like I might never be able to get close to Player Ryu Yeon-hwa at this rate, and I'd just keep harboring these feelings. So I decided to just confess outright. At least I feel relieved after saying it like this."

Pandora Clan Lord.

<Romantic Sword> said those words with a hint of resentment.

Then he made an expression as if he felt somewhat relieved.

"─Thank you. I've had hesitation in my sword lately because of that.... Thanks to you, I think I'll be able to sort out my feelings."

<Romantic Sword> smiled bitterly.

His relieved face was quite impressive.

Yeon-hwa couldn't help but ask.

"─Do you feel relieved after confessing?"

At Yeon-hwa's question.

<Romantic Sword> closed his mouth.

Then he burst out laughing.

"I guess it depends on the person? But I think it's better to do it than not. Keeping it bottled up inside would just eat away at me."

"..."

"It seems like Player Ryu Yeon-hwa has someone she likes.... I don't know who it is, but I'm envious. I'll cheer for you."

"...Thank you. Then I'll be going now."

<Romantic Sword>'s words seeped into her heart.

Yeon-hwa pondered those words as she.

Turned away from <Romantic Sword>.

☆

The cultural festival starts next week.

It was the first time experiencing it as someone who wasn't a student.

Even so, a cultural festival is still a cultural festival.

Of course, Eun-ha didn't have high expectations.

It felt new, but that was all.

Having experienced the cultural festival 5 times, Eun-ha was just looking forward to being able to relax and enjoy it.

It was inevitable since he had already experienced all the romance of the cultural festival.

"Time to sleep."

"Peep peep peep baa baa baa boo boo boo!!"

After exchanging phone calls about recent happenings with Han Seo-hyeon, Jung Ha-yang, Lee Yu-jeong, and No Eun-ah.

Eun-ha decided to go to sleep now.

At that moment─

─Knock knock

Suddenly, there was a presence on the veranda.

And the sound of someone knocking on the window.

Eun-ha got up from the bed.

Who could it be?

Who would visit at this hour?

Eun-ha approached the window.

A silhouette was visible through the curtain.

Eun-ha pulled back the curtain.

"..."

"...Baa baa?"

Iriya was on the veranda.

Eun-ha looked at her smiling gently with the moonlight at her back.

Then he asked.

"What brings you here without notice?"

"The cultural festival is starting soon. I thought this might be my only chance."

"What chance?"

"Peep peep?"

Eun-ha opened the window.

Iriya smiled brightly.

Clasping her hands in front of her chest, she opened her mouth.

"─Please bestow your holy grace upon me too."

""...""

"I want to receive my Lord's holy grace and bear and raise your child. Then that child will grow up to be a saint and become a firm symbol of the Eun-ha religion."

What nonsense is she spouting?

Eun-ha was dumbfounded.

His actions were swift.

Eun-ha shut the window with a bang.

He locked the window.

And drew the curtains.

"My Lord! Please open the door!"

Iriya knocks on the door from outside.

Eun-ha decided to ignore her and returned to his bed.

The fire chicken shook its head and buried itself in its nest.

"Let's create a myth together tonight! My Lord! Please accept me!"

She's a true fanatic.

Eun-ha pulled the blanket over his head.

"Hah, really.... Why are there only crazy people in our clan? I need to recruit only normal people this time, why do only lunatics join..."

The craziest one grumbled.