NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 14
“Haun, wait up!”
Seoha called out, following behind me. I glanced at her, a full head taller than me, and asked, “Is there something you want to eat?”
“Yep! There’s an amazing spot near here. It’s a café during the day and a cocktail bar at night.”
“You want to go at night?”
“That’s my best friend!”
I knew it.
“Where is it?”
“Here!” Seoha beamed, showing me a photo.
[Vai tu, Echina]
The sign was written in stylish cursive.
“‘Vai tu’? What does that mean?”
“It’s supposed to mean ‘You go, Echina.’”
“…?”
“That’s what I heard,” she added casually.
I tilted my head. What’s with the fancy twist on ‘You go to Hawaii’?’ (tl/n: it’s a famous quote from korean movie ‘Friend’)
But more importantly…
“…Echina?”
“Apparently, it’s the name of some place abroad.”
I squinted slightly and opened my search app.
[Dictionary]
[Echina]: A word exclaimed unconsciously when suddenly startled.
[Echina Echina]
[45. Differences Between Rudbeckia and Echinacea?]
And thus, I learned a completely useless piece of trivia.
“What’s wrong?” Seoha asked.
“…Nothing. The name just feels oddly familiar.”
The Hero was Echina’s Returnee. That fact, confirmed through the Eye of Truth, wasn’t some distorted information. She’d also mentioned she had to go run her shop.
The odds that this shop Seoha showed me belonged to the Hero…
“Apparently, the owner is super nice! They said they’d give lots of freebies if I brought friends along!”
…seemed slim.
Sure, the Hero drove me home and even took my ruined clothes, but I had to beg while clinging to her pant leg. I’ll never forget how she tried to pry me off by grabbing my collar. I’ll find a way to get back at her for that, even if it means using the Grand Duke.
Flipping through the photos Seoha showed me, I asked, “Is it crowded? Should we make a reservation?”
“Nope! No need!” Seoha grinned as she pointed out what on the menu was good.
Though it was still a sunny afternoon, we enthusiastically picked cocktails and snacks to try.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at Dongmyo Market.
“What are you planning to buy for Hain?”
“Something similar to what I got him last time. That should help smooth things over.”
“Do you even remember where you bought it?”
“How could I?”
Everywhere I looked, there were clothes. Clothes here, clothes there, and even shoes over there.
“…”
I sighed in awe at the chaotic arrangement and began searching for something in Hain’s size.
“Haun! There’s a Haun jumper here!”
Seoha pointed to a baseball jacket with the Haun logo boldly printed on it.
How did this even end up here? I picked up an L-sized jacket and asked Seoha, “Should I get this instead of a hoodie?”
“Are you serious?”
Quietly, I put the jacket back.
|9th Circle Archmage|: ♫ I’m a firefly,~
|9th Circle Archmage|: ♫ Drowning in work,~
What’s with them all of a sudden?
“Haun! There’s a lot of cute stuff over here!” Seoha shouted.
I moved towards her while replying to the message.
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Quit.
|9th Circle Archmage|: ｡•́︿•̀｡
|9th Circle Archmage|: The job market’s rough, you know.
“….”
I should just ignore the words of that mage brat.
Of course, ignoring that pesky mage wasn’t an option. They were as persistent as ever.
|9th Circle Archmage|: It’s so tragic how our Guild Master doesn’t understand the greatness of work!!
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Ugh, this damn bastard.
|9th Circle Archmage|: (૭ ᐕ)૭?
I had half a mind to ask the Grand Duke to track that guy’s location for me. Greatness of work? Sure, I know all about the greatness of requests.
[Constellation, “Mt. Halla Is My Pillow,” has submitted a request.]
See? Glorious.
I stared at the message in front of me with a deadpan expression.
“Haun! What do you think of this? Wouldn’t it look great on Hain?”
“That’ll perfectly solidify his nickname as a servant boy.”
Without a word, Seoha set the outfit back on the rack. As she resumed browsing, I started drafting a message.
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Grand Duke.
|Grand Duke|: Nope.
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Why not this time?
|Grand Duke|: My grandma’s gravely ill;
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Hah.
|Grand Duke|: Hah;;
Your grandma this time? After your grandpa? You unfilial rascal.
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Attention, beloved guild members.
As soon as I sent the group message, the Grand Duke’s frantic private messages began pouring in. Naturally, I ignored them.
|9th Circle Archmage|: Is Guild Master day-drinking again?
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Shut up.
|9th Circle Archmage|: ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ?
“…Damn it.”
His evolved use of emoticons drew an expletive from me. Seoha looked up from the clothes rack, curious. I forced a calm smile and shook my head.
|Grand Duke|: STOP IT!!!
|Grand Duke|: PLEASE, JUST STOP!!!
|9th Circle Archmage|: ?
The Grand Duke finally popped into the group chat.
|Grand Duke|: Seriously, I have to go to my part-time job!!! TT-TT
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: ^^
|Grand Duke|: This job was so hard to get, you know! TT-TT
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: ^^?
Do I look like I care?
I’ve dropped everything—classes, assignments, even exams—because of you slackers! Thanks to that, my grades are now gloriously ruined.
As the Grand Duke cried a river, I decided to deliver a finishing blow.
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Your name is Francesca~♪
[“Northern Grand Duke” has accepted the request.]
|9th Circle Archmage|: Amazing;;;
The mage asked if Francesca was some kind of magical incantation. I ignored him and turned back to Seoha.
“What about this one?”
“Put it down.”
“Are you trying to turn Hain into a literal servant?”
Despite the Grand Duke being scolded by his boss for being late to work after finishing the request, our shopping trip wrapped up smoothly.
“You told Hajun-oppa you’d be late, right?”
“Yeah. He said to let him know when we’re heading back so he can pick us up.”
“Sweet!”
With both time and money saved, Seoha was understandably thrilled. I yawned as I trailed behind her.
“Haun, didn’t you sleep last night? You keep yawning.”
Instead of explaining that yawning is caused by a lack of oxygen, I just nodded.
“For someone who hasn’t slept, your face looks radiant.”
“…Does it?”
“Yeah. You usually look like a sickly chicken pecking around.”
“Did I really look that bad?”
Seoha launched into a detailed account of how much I resembled a dying bird. I listened with a sheepish smile, letting her words go in one ear and out the other.
This sudden glow must be a result of the Saintess title’s effects.
“And don’t forget how many times you ditched halfway because of ‘urgent matters’!”
“…Order anything you want today.”
Goodbye to the days of endless suffering. From now on, I’ll shove all the work onto the Grand Duke and reclaim my freedom. Maybe I should even dump it on the Demon King, who’s probably bedridden right now…
No, that doesn’t seem like a good idea. What about the Hero, then?
“We’re here! This is the place!!”
A sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up.
[Vai tu, Echina]
The shop in front of me was noticeably different from the photo. Ah, the magic of photo editing. Seoha boldly pushed the door open and walked in.
“Boss~!!”
Following her, I glanced around the interior. It looked exactly like the photos.
“Excuse me, coming through,” came a familiar voice from behind me.
I frowned and turned my head, only to see a man carrying a large box.
“…Grand Duke?”
“…?”
The Grand Duke belatedly recognized me and widened his eyes in shock.
“What the heck! Why are you here?!”
“That’s my line. The place you’re working part-time at is here?”
“Yes!! But what about you? Why are you here?! Get out, get out!!”
“What are you talking about? I’m a customer here. No way I’m leaving. Boss~! This part-timer is trying to kick out a customer~!”
“Ugh, come on!!”
Seoha, already seated inside, called out, asking why I wasn’t coming over. At that moment, a sharp voice rang out from the kitchen.
“Yoo Daegong! Why is it so noisy out here? You were late for work today, and now you’re not even doing your job properly?!”
A woman, presumably the shop owner, appeared, her sharp voice echoing through the room.
Her short-cropped hair caught my attention, and I muttered absently.
“Hero?”
The Hero froze mid-step and stared at me blankly.
“…Guild Master?”
Hearing that, the Grand Duke’s face twisted in confusion as he looked back and forth between me and the Hero.
“W-wait. What’s going on? What are you two saying?”
Both the Hero and I turned to look at him simultaneously. He flinched and muttered, almost tearfully.
“Why is my life like this…”
That’s my line.
“So, the boss is the Hero.”
“And you’re the Northern Grand Duke?”
“Please drop the ‘Northern.’”
The Hero and the Grand Duke exchanged friendly banter, then turned to me in unison and said:
“And you’re the Guild Master.”
“And you’re the Guild Leader.”
“…”
Thank you for recognizing me, dear guild members. Truly, it’s tear-inducing.
“Do Haun! Aren’t you coming?” Seoha called out again.
“Coming!”
Right, I’d almost forgotten about Seoha. I pointed a finger at the Grand Duke and Hero.
“Come take my order.”
“Get out!!”
“Boss, your part-timer is telling a customer to leave. Can I post this on social media?”
“Do you have a death wish?”
Shrugging, I walked over to where Seoha had taken a seat.
As soon as I sat down, Seoha leaned forward with curiosity.
“You know the boss?”
“Kind of.”
“And the part-timer too?”
“Yep.”
“But you said you didn’t know this place.”
I responded with an awkward smile, dodging the question. How could I have guessed that the “kind and friendly boss” Seoha mentioned would turn out to be the Hero herself?