Memorize

"No way."

"Hey."

As I opened my mouth to refuse, a languid voice came from beside me. Turning my head, I saw Go Yeon-Joo already seated, leaning back in her chair with her legs crossed. It was a blatantly arrogant posture. Yoo Hyun-Ah and Cha Seung-Hyun widened their eyes in surprise. Yoo Hyun-Ah's expression, in particular, was quite a sight—her face a mix of confusion from my blunt refusal, Go Yeon-Joo's words, and the fact that she hadn't even noticed when Go Yeon-Joo had sat down.

Unfazed, Go Yeon-Joo pointed her index finger at Yoo Hyun-Ah, aiming directly at her forehead. And then—

"What the hell are you?"

"Uh…"

With a slight flick of Go Yeon-Joo's finger, Yoo Hyun-Ah's head snapped back before returning to its original position. It was like someone flicking a finger at another person's forehead in a taunting gesture, except Go Yeon-Joo was doing it from a distance with a burst of magic. Naturally, it was an incredibly insulting act for the recipient. But Go Yeon-Joo didn't stop there.

"I was trying to listen, but you're so damn annoying I can't take it anymore."

"Ah."

"Who taught you to keep interrupting people and just blurt out whatever you want?"

"Eek."

"You say you're from the leading clan? So what? The Golden Lion folks are long gone. Seeing they sent someone like you to Mule, the future's looking pretty clear."

"Ugh! W-Wait…"

"Shut your mouth. And you, the guy back there, stay still. Move carelessly, and you'll get a scratch on your neck."

Every time Go Yeon-Joo spoke, Yoo Hyun-Ah's head jerked back mercilessly. Seeing this, Cha Seung-Hyun made a move to step forward. His abilities were undeniably impressive. Depending on individual growth, he had plenty of potential to improve further, and with good equipment later on, he could easily secure a spot among the Top 10 for a long time.

But was he too careless, or was the distance too close? Before he could act, shadowy blades had already materialized around Yoo Hyun-Ah and Cha Seung-Hyun's necks, glinting menacingly. Only then did Yoo Hyun-Ah seem to grasp the situation, clamping her mouth shut. Cha Seung-Hyun stared at Go Yeon-Joo with disbelief in his eyes.

An awkward silence hung in the air. Thanks to Go Yeon-Joo, I had time to collect my thoughts. I reached out and gently lowered her still-pointed finger.

"Player Go Yeon-Joo, that's enough."

"If the leader says so, I'll back off. Heh."

"W-Wait! Go Yeon-Joo… you mean the Shadow Queen?!"

"I told you to shut up, didn't I?"

Go Yeon-Joo shot her a sharp glare, and Yoo Hyun-Ah instantly became a mute, as if she'd swallowed her tongue. As the shadowy blades retreated from their necks, Cha Seung-Hyun scanned us slowly with sunken eyes. Yoo Hyun-Ah, looking like she'd aged a decade, rubbed her throat nervously and glanced at me with unease. Watching her throat bob between her fingers, I spoke in a calm voice.

"I have a question for Player Yoo Hyun-Ah."

"I… about the clan recruitment… no, I mean, I didn't know there was someone from the Top 10 here…"

"I already said no. Cut the nonsense. I have one question. What did you mean earlier when you said you'd be able to conduct the investigation easily? Are you saying the investigation still isn't done?"

"Y-Yes? Yes! There was a request from the temple, but I put it off a bit."

Unlike her earlier demeanor, Yoo Hyun-Ah now spoke with extreme caution and a subdued attitude. Noticing my expression darken, she hurriedly waved her hands and continued.

"I-I tried my best to get it done! N-No, I mean, there were some circumstances…"

"…"

I had a bad feeling, and that bad feeling became reality. I felt rage boiling inside me, but I didn't let it show too much on the surface. After all, as long as the Golden Lion Clan's expedition wasn't over, there was still some time to spare. Of course, that aside, I'd need to leave Mule quickly, but it wasn't a massive deviation from my original plan.

Still, there were things that needed to be addressed clearly.

"Interesting. It's been almost three weeks since I submitted the expedition report, and the investigation still isn't done? Did the temple say it was okay to drag it out like that?"

"Let me say something on her behalf. Of course, we received a request to process the report quickly. The temple residents also asked us to start the investigation as soon as we arrived. But, as we mentioned earlier, Mule's situation is extremely difficult right now."

Perhaps feeling sorry for the flustered Yoo Hyun-Ah, a low voice rang in my ears. Looking up, I saw Cha Seung-Hyun's calm face. He glanced at Go Yeon-Joo warily but, sensing my gaze, continued speaking.

"Originally, another clan was in charge of Mule as the leading clan. But due to the vagrant extermination plan and the march to the Iron Mountains, the handover was rushed, like roasting beans over a lightning fire. We were practically forced to take over with nothing prepared. I understand your position, Player Kim Su-Hyeon, but I hope you can acknowledge that we're doing our best."

"If that's your argument, I'm not sure you're even qualified to call yourselves the leading clan. It sounds like you just got greedy over the chance to claim a city. And did you even read the report properly? It's a place you would have visited in a day or two. Are you saying that in all this time, you couldn't spare a couple of days? You had enough time to go back and forth at least ten times."

"I admit we took over in an unprepared state. But you're making it sound far too easy. Organizing and dispatching an investigation team isn't as simple as you make it out to be. I'd appreciate it if you retracted your comment about our qualifications as the leading clan."

"Nah, I don't feel like retracting it. Sure, the leading clan has the right to prioritize investigations, but that doesn't mean you get to drag it out indefinitely and handle it however you please. You were clearly asked to process it quickly, yet you've been sitting on an investigation for ruins that are just a day or two away. That's unbelievable. If things were really that tough, you could've handed it back to the temple or put out a public notice. Whether you actually tried or just irresponsibly sat around waiting, I'll find out tomorrow when I visit the temple. At least you had the decency to stop claiming you're 'doing your best.'"

"You're going too far!"

At my aggressive words, Cha Seung-Hyun swallowed hard and shut his mouth. He could take being insulted himself, but seeing someone close to him get attacked like that must have pissed him off. Yoo Hyun-Ah let out a sharp yelp, her cheeks puffing up as her face turned red. When I turned my gaze to her, she was breathing heavily, her face flushed with anger.

"Aren't you being too selfish? You don't even know our internal situation, so how can you be so sarcastic? Can't we just try to understand each other a little? Do you really have to make a scene like this to feel satisfied?"

"No, I'm just stunned because you're acting like waiting two weeks and then trying to recruit us into your clan is somehow fulfilling your duty as the leading clan. Even if we weren't around, if you were going to delay the investigation, you should've at least gotten permission from the players involved. I could understand if the report was sloppy or the ruins were insanely difficult. But the report was detailed, and it's a place even a year 0 player survived. Trying to brush that off is honestly pathetic."

"Ugh…"

"I'm not being sarcastic, I'm stating facts. But when you try to cover up your irresponsibility while constantly cutting people off, how can I not get pissed? You brush off why you didn't do the expedition with vague 'things were tough,' then suddenly ask us to join your investigation and clan. Don't you think something's seriously off here?"

My scathing criticism finally shut Yoo Hyun-Ah up. Yeah, she probably had nothing to say. Strictly speaking, it's not that they couldn't do the expedition—they just didn't. They likely sat around hoping some kind-hearted players would show up, waiting eagerly for us to return. Maybe they even thought they could recruit some capable clan members and get their hands on our achievements while they were at it. But I wasn't about to fall for such an obvious ploy.

"No more to say, huh? Well, even I can see you've got nothing left to argue."

"…Sob."

"Unbelievable. Anyway, I'll visit the temple tomorrow. It seems Mule's leading clan doesn't have the capacity to organize an investigation team. I was planning to leave Mule soon, but getting held up like this is really frustrating."

"You're leaving Mule?"

The moment I said I was leaving Mule, her large eyes trembled visibly. They glistened with a hint of tears, showing how upset she was. But my words were undeniable.

I didn't want to drag this conversation out any longer. I also had no desire to get further entangled with her, so I ignored her words and stood up. Turning around, I saw my companions, all tense, staring at the table before shifting their gazes to me.

"Player Go Yeon-Joo."

"Yes, Leader."

"I'll be heading out first. Things are about to get busy. Please escort these two out."

"A wise choice. Leave the rest to me and go rest."

"W-Wait a moment!"

I heard her voice trying to stop me from behind, but I deliberately ignored it and walked toward the stairs. With things turning out like this, there was no time to dawdle. It seemed I'd have to take matters into my own hands. For now, my immediate plan was to head to the temple tomorrow and turn things upside down to at least get a temporary certificate issued.

*

When I opened my eyes, smooth, pale skin came into view. Along with it, I felt a warm, soft sensation against my face—a pleasant pressure that put any man at ease. Tilting my head slightly, I saw Ha-Yeong's face, breathing softly in her sleep. She was holding me tightly, as if cradling something precious.

Last night, I couldn't fall asleep easily. The delay in my schedule wasn't a big issue, honestly—I was confident I could keep things on track. The real problem was that the future had been accelerated. The fact that the Beech Tree Clan, which was supposed to become Mule's leading clan after the initial civil war, was already here wasn't something I could just brush off.

If things kept going this way, I'd need to overhaul a significant portion of my carefully laid plans. Unable to sleep due to these tangled thoughts, I was about to seek out Go Yeon-Joo for some information when Ha-Yeong visited my room. Come to think of it, she had mentioned she'd come by at night, so I had no choice but to postpone my meeting with Go Yeon-Joo.

I didn't need her to say why she came—it was obvious. The moment she entered, she locked the door and even cast a silence spell around us. Only an idiot wouldn't understand her intentions.

She seemed deeply bothered by today's events. When we undressed and lay on the bed, bare, Ha-Yeong traced every scar on my body with sad eyes and careful hands, gently caressing them.

This was our second time being intimate. Knowing she wasn't fully accustomed to it yet, I didn't rush things like a storm but instead guided her gently, like a calm sea. I didn't focus solely on my own desires but made sure she could find pleasure in the act as well, comforting her and whispering to her countless times.

When we reached the peak, we both tasted ecstasy together. No words were needed. She fell asleep with a satisfied look, and I felt my old wounds and inner anxieties being soothed.

As I sat up slightly, Ha-Yeong's beautiful, bare body came into view. Despite my efforts to be gentle, the evidence was clear. Her breasts were marked with red lip prints, and around her lower abdomen were dried, whitish streaks that looked like they had flowed from her core, scattered messily.

I gently laid her flat and pulled the blanket up to cover her completely. Avoiding her sleepy attempt to pull me back into her embrace, I checked my body briefly. I rarely slept deeply when alone, but strangely, in the arms of a female player, I felt like I had actually rested.

That's when it happened.

A pleasant fragrance suddenly filled my nose, and I instinctively followed it. It was the familiar scent I'd catch every morning in Mule before leaving. But when I turned my gaze toward it, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. Because what I was looking at was the table.

And on the table, sitting alone, was a steaming teacup.

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