LTTH C42

Chapter 42

The memories of being called a dim-witted hunter, a half-brain, dead weight—those had lasted far longer. Perhaps that was why, no matter how many times people addressed Hansol with titles like Saint or Messiah or anything equally burdensome, none of it ever truly felt like it referred to him. Even now, nothing had changed.

Yet the moment Isaac spoke that single, simple noun, Hansol’s heart unexpectedly lurched.

Caught off guard by the strange rush of emotion, Hansol reopened the conversation that had just been about to end.

“…I also have something to say.”

“As long as it isn’t that you intend to leave this place, I’ll consider it good news.”

“You wouldn’t leave, right? Hansol?”

What he wanted to say wasn’t nearly as heavy as whatever these two had been discussing. It was simply—merely—a truth he had kept hidden.

A truth he would have needed to say sooner or later anyway.

Hansol drew in a slow breath, then let the words spill out as if a script had been placed before his eyes.

“The Korean Hunter Association did not send me here to support the United Kingdom. I simply accepted a commission, and one thing led to another, and I ended up here. Korea has no intention of supporting Britain. And probably… neither do other nations.”

“We already knew that.”

“…You did?”

Their responses were so serene that Hansol’s carefully gathered resolve felt almost embarrassing.

“Of course. It’s been more than ten years since support was cut off. There’s no reason for any country to suddenly send aid now. Unless they intended reconnaissance.”

“That is absolutely not the case.”

Sensing Kassie’s thoughts starting to drift somewhere strange, Hansol swiftly cut him off. Reconnaissance? He neither had the courage nor the ability. The Association would never assign such a mission to a mere Level 1 hunter.

“We know. If Korea intended reconnaissance, they would have sent someone other than Hansol.”

Correct. If they truly wanted to scout Britain, they would have chosen a different class entirely, not a healer.

“More importantly, when do you have to return? A commission means you need to go back eventually, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. The interval is thirty days, but…”

Last time, when he came to Britain, he had been forced to return in less than a day. Thinking back, perhaps that had only happened because time in this place had been frozen.

Hansol took out the pocket watch tucked inside his coat. It was an item the Association had provided, though after passing through the Tower Master’s hands, the artifact had become somewhat more valuable. The moment Hansol held it up, Kassie immediately snatched it away.

“So this is the medium. May I examine it?”

He could not refuse Kassie’s glittering eyes, and thus, this happened.

“Hmm. A very simple enchantment. It gathers ambient mana for recharging, but the efficiency is… honestly terrible.”

Kassie’s eyes, tinged with faint disappointment, scanned every corner of the pocket watch. That poor efficiency was probably something the Tower Master had adjusted… yet Hansol simply hid that uncomfortable truth with an awkward smile.

“Hmm.”

Kassie glanced at Hansol once, then lifted his monocle and—using his usual fluttery but oddly sharp movements—tossed the pocket watch into the air. A crack tore open in the space above them, teeth-like shapes appearing before swallowing the watch whole.

Was that… a mouth in mid-air?

“I’ll fix it for you. This is exactly my specialty!”

“No, really, you don’t have to—”

This was overwhelmingly burdensome.

“No. I’ll remake it so Hansol can travel between Korea and Britain faster and more safely.”

What do I do…? That’s never coming back in one piece, is it?

Unfortunately, the pocket watch had passed into Kassie’s hands; Hansol’s instincts screamed that it would never return in its original form.

“He looks unreliable, but he’s actually quite capable. You can trust him.”

Yes, Hansol already knew the mage was capable.

His anxiety came from the certainty that the artifact the Association had issued would return as some outrageous, overpowered object.

At this rate, he would need to buy two replacement artifacts before the commission ended. Otherwise, he would be in trouble—just in a much stranger sense.

“We’ve achieved our purpose for this expedition, so it’s time to return.”

“Return? Where?”

“Home.”

…Home?

“Hansol. You didn’t think we were nomads, did you?”

Kassie’s half-playful question struck directly at the truth, leaving Hansol momentarily speechless. He had only met them twice—both times on battlefields. It was reasonable to assume they drifted from one makeshift shelter to another.

Apparently… that assumption had been completely wrong.

“This place is nothing like the Britain of the past, but we have a settlement you could call a village. A relatively safe one. We’re heading back.”

“The goal of this expedition was to find Hansol’s traces. And instead of traces, we found Hansol himself—so it’s a complete success.”

Kassie winked with a bright smile. Isaac nodded before Hansol could respond.

To think he was capable of such an expression… Hansol had always thought of him as rigid stone. That too seemed to be a misconception.

…Should I tell them my level?

The 28 glowing stubbornly in his status window clung at the corner of his vision like a splinter. Watching the two bask in warm emotion, Hansol tried several times to move his lips—but in the end, he could not speak.

Perhaps it was fear. The fear that a single sentence would shatter the warmth, the gentleness, the emotions these two showed him—so different from Korea.

“In any case, you’re coming with us. And even if you refuse, we’ll still take you.”

“I’m serious,” Kassie added, surprisingly dignified.

Hansol shut his mouth even more tightly. It was a business relationship, after all. And in thirty days, he had to return anyway. Better to say nothing, he reasoned.

He nodded and stood up.

“But… am I allowed to go there?”

Their invitation was kind, but Hansol was still an outsider.

Unlike the military camp, the settlement would likely be full of civilians. People who knew everything that had happened here. Was it truly acceptable for him to step into such a space?

“There are far more people there who already know about you. You’ll be fine.”

Isaac, who seemed to smile more frequently these days, declared this with an expression that carried an unsettling nuance.

Hansol’s instincts—those that had saved him many times—began to flare in warning.

Can I still say I don’t want to go…?

“Prepare to depart.”

As though reading his mind, Isaac gave a silent warning with a steady look and left the tent. Kassie, who had somehow already reached Hansol’s side, hooked an arm around him and pulled—his fluttery movements hiding a strength that dragged Hansol like paper.

Damn it. Escape was impossible.

“Return, everyone.”

With that crisp command, the camp moved in perfect order. Within minutes, everything was cleared. The wounded were supported; those unable to walk were placed on makeshift stretchers.

In an instant, the vast encampment became so clean—save for disturbed earth or scattered soot—that no one would think people had lived there.

And just as when Hansol had first arrived, everyone stepped onto the teleportation circle hidden beneath the welcoming magic array.

“We are departing.”

Kassie spoke, and light burst upward from the magic circle beneath their feet. Hansol squinted against it. What kind of place did they call home? Expectation and anxiety tangled inside him as he opened his eyes again.

The scenery changed instantly, as it always did.

He expected something different from Korea. And from Britain.

Yet he still couldn’t stop the breathless exclamation that escaped him.

“Wow.”

A different world—truly deserving of the expression—unfolded before him.

Buildings stood here and there, some of solid stone, but most of wood. And most striking of all was the people’s clothing. Not tailored suits, but handmade garments that made the entire scene feel surreal.

It was a fantasy village, pulled straight out of a novel.

Noticing his awe, Kassie leaned closer and whispered mischievously:

“Hansol. Our village has something amazing. Want to see it with me?”