Chapter 30: Dinner (1)

Chapter 30: Dinner (1)

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As the sparrows chirped in the morning, I declared confidently to Hyung, I'll win.

The dazzling sun shone on us, and my brother and I compared the fishes we caught overnight like kids.

There were several catches, fish of various sizes, but no detailed comparison was necessary. Even at a rough glance with sleepy eyes, my 7-year-old fish was the biggest.

"That's right. You won, Starchis," Hyung smiled, conceding defeat.

This size has not been caught for a long time... No. Its my first time. Right?

Oh, this is the first time.

Hyung patted me on the back and said, Looks like the B-class mission is lucky for you.

I didnt show it, but it indeed helped my slightly anxious mind.

I also felt a sense of pride and relief. It was my first time catching such a sizable fish.

I clenched my fists and nodded lightly.

He then surprised me by saying, Time sure flies... You became the leader of a B-class party so soon.

I wondered if his words were a little hasty. "Not yet. We have to finish the mission first to be a B-class party," I reminded him.

He looked at me quietly and said, "You're not going to die. So in my eyes, it's already a B-class party."

His words made me pause and ponder. It seemed that he actually believed in me and my ability to handle the challenges ahead.

Just don't be too confident because of my words. Then, everything will be fine.

When Hyung cheered me up in a little serious tone, I couldn't help but ask a serious question as well.

"Hyung, what were you thinking when you took on your first B-class mission?"

Well...

I thought hearing his mindset of that time would help me too.

He paused and thought deeply before answering. "Hmm...I don't remember...?"

You don't..?

It was a little disappointing, so I replied in a small voice, and Hyung, perhaps sensing that, added an additional comment.

Actually I never got blocked until I became an A-class hunter.

His comment didn't help much, but I appreciated his effort to share his experience and nodded my head.

I thought the topic was over, but suddenly, he licked his lips and spoke in a subdued voice.

But thats not good either. In my overconfidence, I forgot how high the sky was.New novel chapters are published on

Hearing his quiet voice, I looked at my older brother. However, he was lost in his thoughts, staring at the river.

It was unusual to see Hyung, who always jokes around or always has a smile on his face, being so quiet and serious.

If Hyung was behaving like this... He must have remembered the failed S-class quest, which involved subjugating dragons, a rare and dangerous beast.

S-class quests were only issued when the target was a significant threat that needed to be eliminated. The gathering was no longer the objective; subjugation was.

A large number of precious A-class parties had attempted the challenge, and most of them had met their demise.

Unfortunately, my brother's party was no exception. No one survived the mission except for him, and even it was called a miracle that he had made it back alive. And as a tribute to his survival, Hyung was given the nickname: "Survivor" Stion.

Hyung hated that nickname. He began to act like a madman.

The word revenge was always visible in his eyes.

I knew then that my brother would do something crazy and die. Fortunately, in the end, he joined another A-rank party temporarily and subdued the dragon before returning to normal.

After that, he organized his own party again and only did safe missions, doable missions, and A-class and B-class party rescue missions. And he stopped attempting difficult missions unless it was to rescue another party.

My brother looked me in the eyes as if he had finished a long reminiscence and said.

"You always say it, Starchis. Life is the most important thing... You have made your own decision, so I wont say anything more. But always remember what you yourself said and never get into a fight if you think you cant win. Because, even if you want to run away when the fight starts, it probably won't work against monsters."

I tapped my brothers arm to assure him.

"Okay, Hyung."

I was really thankful for his concern.

****

The day passed by with a good nights sleep, and the next day arrived.

Today was the day to have dinner with my party members. And the most important thing for a successful dinner was the food.

At first, I was going to ask the inn owner, but I thought it would be better if I cooked the food since it was a meaningful event.

'Let's go.'

-Crick

I opened the door and left the inn. My destination was the market where I could buy groceries.

The weather was nice, and I felt my mood improve as I came out.

Earlier, to get rid of my anxiety and tension, I had already tried using meditation. Because as the party leader, I shouldn't show anxiety, but unexpectedly, it was this nice weather that helped me lighten my mood.

With a soft smile on my face, I started walking towards the market while thinking about what to cook.

Actually, I had some confidence in my cooking.

Because I lived alone for a long time, and even though the first floor was a restaurant, I often cooked and ate by myself.

At one point in life, I also came to like the idea of cooking delicious food, so I worked hard for a while and that became the source of my confidence.

Well, first of all, my cooking was much better than Vienna's, so even if others weren't impressed, I was already sure to impress her today.

Good day, Mr. Starchis.

Good day to you too.

People who recognized me greeted me as they saw me. And I walked away smiling or waving in response.

While I did that, I also came up with what to cook today: Honey Beef Steak. Although it wasn't something that people ate regularly, it was perfect for a special occasion like this.

'Hmm, preparing some healthy side dishes with it should be enough.'

Perhaps because I was eating healthy food nowadays and was taking proper rest, while walking, I felt my physical condition was better than even last week. Confidence to clear the B-class mission gradually developed in my heart.

I wondered how Vienna, Luss, and Lily were doing. I hoped they were in as good shape as I was.

.

.

.

.

'Did I buy everything?'

Casey said with a smile.

Looking at it now, her face even looked a little emaciated.

'Well, it can be annoying to have someone near you whom you dont normally have.'

'Especially if you are close friends living together.'

However, even if I understood her circumstances, I couldn't accept her request. Because I had already refused Vienna once while making an excuse, and if I accepted this request now, Vienna would know I was lying.

Im sorry. My girlfriend hates seeing me alone with another girl. If you want me to hang out with Vienna alone... Maybe I'll do it once or twice later... But not now.

...If being with her alone is the problem... Then is it okay if I go with you too? Itd not be just the two of you alone then, but it'd be like you are going out with friends.

Casey looked at me with straight eyes and asked. She even seemed a little desperate.

I was a little surprised.

She said that Vienna was annoying, so why would she do this?

In fact, her proposal was not bad. As I always thought, I couldnt avoid Vienna, Luss, and Lily for the rest of my life. So as long as I could spend the right amount of time together, I was happy too.

So, I was shocked to be offered a proposal that would ease the burden of lying. Also, with Casey, who looked quite reasonable and seemed to be wanting to help a friend, I felt like I would be able to lessen the burden on my body a little too.

Mr. Starchis?

When I hesitated for a long time to answer, Casey asked first.

Ill ask my girlfriend once, and then Ill tell you.

In the end, I delayed my answer.

Yes.

Even though Casey looked a little sullen, I fixed the leather bag and asked:

Then See you later?

Yes. Oh, And Mr. Starchis.

Yes?

On the B-class mission Please take care of Vienna.

Casey, who looked worried about her friend, spoke hesitantly.

Was it because she was also a saintess?

'No. If its an acquaintance, everyone will be like that.'

Don't worry. I'll keep everyone safe.

I spoke confidently to reassure her.

****

-Trudge

The route to Starchis house, which always stirred Vienna's heart with excitement, felt somewhat distinct today.

It might be because she had cried on this road a few days ago.

Despite this, the thought of meeting Starchis later made her heart race with excitement.

Vienna hated it. She couldn't help but feel that she had fallen for Stachis too deeply.

Of course, she had no intention of going back to the time when she wasn't in love with him. But right now, she couldn't help but whine because she was in so much pain.

As Vienna looked up, she saw Starchis's inn. But before going to his room, she still had work to do.

Vienna approached the innkeeper cautiously and said.

Im sorry.

Oh, lady But What are you sorry about ?

Vienna wiggled her hand. She seemed to be having a hard time speaking.

That..! Not too long ago Ignored you when you spoke

Ah~ then? Ah, its okay. There must have been a situation.

Glancing at the innkeeper, Vienna realized her face was full of smiles.

She was grateful that the innkeeper accepted the apology so easily, but she didnt think she could express that. She briefly bowed her head to greet her and went upstairs to Starchiss room.

Climbing the stairs made Vienna slightly out of breath, and memories of the nightmare from a few days ago started to haunt her.

'What if I heard that sound again?'

She began to pray, hoping that she wouldn't hear anything strange.

Please dont let there be any strange noises Please

As she prayed, she arrived at Starchis' door in no time.

Fortunately, unlike then, no sound could be heard, but her heart still did not stop.

She took a deep breath, moved her hand back and forth a few times, hesitated, then knocked on the door twice.

-knock knock

Though, these knocks were quite gentle. Unlike before, she didnt have the strength to knock on the door harshly.

Her heart continued to beat.

Her ears continued to buzz.

And-

-Wait a minute~

-Instead of strange noises, Starchis' sweet voice was heard.

-Tap Tap

Her heart started beating even faster as she heard the sound of someone approaching the door.

-Tap Tap Crick!

Soon, the wooden door was opened with a 'crick' sound, and the smell of food wafted out.

Starchis seemed to be alone.

Vienna felt relieved and looked at Starchis again.

The light from the magic lamp behind him illuminated his face like a halo, making him look even more beautiful.

"Hi, Vienna! Are you here?" Starchis asked, greeting her with a bright smile.

It was such a beautiful smile.

Then, why?

Why did that smile hurt so much?

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