Report
Elena
The carriage standing in front of the shabby apartment building was a luxury rarely seen in Oldor.
Gordon, the shopkeeper, stood a little distance away, nervously glancing at the steps and the second-floor window of the building.
Elena.
It had been ten years since Gordon had last seen her. Every New Year, he received a letter from her wishing him good health, and he always replied. But aside from that, they had never exchanged personal letters.
And he didn’t expect anything more.
Back when Elena was at the orphanage, he had pitied her for not getting along with the other children except Yuri, and had given her candy a few times. But to Gordon, it wasn’t anything worth calling a favor.
In fact, it was more amazing to him that Elena, now a mage of the Derzia Tower, hadn’t forgotten her childhood and still sent him a letter every New Year.
A mage.
And not just any mage, but one affiliated with the Tower. A mage whose talent set them apart from ordinary mages—a noble of the magical world, so to speak. Among them, Elena was someone whose talent was personally recognized by the Tower Master. This meant she might one day aim for the position of Tower Master herself.
To someone like Gordon, who had never left his hometown, exchanging letters once a year with such a remarkable person was a lifelong source of pride.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have sent that letter...’
Even when he wrote the letter, he had hesitated for a long time. He had never sent a letter to Elena first. He worried that it might bother her, that he might be overstepping.
Elena’s New Year’s letters always included the same question:
‘How is Yuri doing?’
Gordon had never replied with anything more than, “He’s doing well.” He didn’t want to worry Elena, and he didn’t think Yuri would want that either.
But this time, after much deliberation, he had sent the letter.
He began with an apology for writing so suddenly, and explained how Yuri, who had left the orphanage, had been living and what he had recently gone through.
Yuri had nearly died this time. If that stray knife had hit a vital spot just a bit deeper, Yuri would have been dead for sure.
If anyone deserved to know this, it was Elena, who had spent ten years worrying about Yuri despite living in a glamorous city and studying at the Derzia Tower.
But Gordon never imagined she would come this quickly.
Gordon remembered what Elena had been like ten years ago.
A shy child who couldn’t get along with the other kids, except for Yuri, always trailing behind him. When Gordon handed her candy out of pity, she would smile so happily, as if she were the luckiest girl in the world, and bow her head.
But the Elena he saw after ten years was different. There was something unsettling about her presence. When she stepped down from the luxurious carriage and greeted Gordon at the general store, her expression and aura were so intense that, had Gordon been a bit older, he might have wet himself from fear.
Elena, filled with anger, quickly greeted Gordon and stormed off to Yuri’s house...
‘There’s no way Yuri would dare mess with Elena, right?’
Yuri had a similarly strong personality.
Though he had learned to bend after years of working in an organization, Yuri had always been a rebellious, rude brat.
Maybe he hadn’t accepted how much time had passed. Maybe he was still stuck in the past, where Elena used to follow him around. Maybe he’d even spew harsh words at her, despite her concern and visit.
‘Is he going to get beaten up?’
While Gordon was agonizing over this worry, he heard creaking footsteps on the old staircase.
Elena, in a white dress, and Yuri, carrying a large travel bag, were coming down the stairs.
"Mr. Gordon."
Elena, who had been standing with her shoulders slightly hunched, now smiled softly at him.
"We’ll be leaving now."
“We?” Gordon looked at Yuri in surprise.
‘Oh dear.’
It wasn’t that Gordon had meant for things to turn out badly. He had written the letter for Yuri and Elena’s sake, not to cause trouble. Yuri gave a bitter smile and bowed his head to Gordon.
"That’s how it turned out."
"Oh... so suddenly?"
"She’s been insisting I pack up because we’re leaving today."
The house was a rental anyway. They had packed up everything necessary, and if they didn’t pay next month’s rent, the place would take care of itself.
Gordon blinked in confusion. So, Yuri, who had strayed down the wrong path, was leaving Oldor with Elena?
"That’s great!"
It was something to celebrate. Gordon beamed and patted Yuri on the shoulder.
"Take care of yourself. Don’t cause Elena any trouble."
"Yes. I’ll send a letter now and then."
"Good. Come visit before I die, at least once."
"Yes."
It was a happy farewell, with no tears. Instead, Gordon felt like a burden had been lifted from his heart.
"Are you leaving right away?"
The woman sitting in the driver’s seat stood up. Yuri turned in surprise. She had been there all along, but her presence had been so faint he hadn’t noticed.
"Yes."
Elena nodded. She glanced at Yuri’s startled expression and said,
"She’s my bodyguard, Haryeong."
Haryeong nodded silently toward Yuri. She was an Eastern woman with short black hair and black eyes, her skin so pale it was almost ghostly.
"Bodyguard?"
"Yes."
"Do you really need a bodyguard as powerful as you are?"
It was a genuine question, but Elena’s lips twitched. She pressed them together, trying not to laugh.
"Of course. Just because I’m a mage doesn’t mean I can handle every situation."
“Young Miss is quite incompetent in anything but magic," Haryeong said with a blank expression. Elena flinched and shot her a glare.
"Don’t say unnecessary things."
“I have the freedom to speak my mind. If you want me to keep silent, you’ll have to write up a contract for that as well.”
Elena silently glared at Haryeong for a moment, then took a deep breath and moved toward the carriage door.
"Enough. Let’s leave immediately."
"When would you like to rest?"
"We need to return quickly since I left without properly reporting."
"The fastest route it is. Understood."
Haryeong responded, pulling up the mask that was draped around her neck. Yuri glanced at her black mask before following Elena into the carriage.
The luxurious exterior of the carriage was matched by its plush interior. Yuri sat down on a seat softer than his own bed and stared at Elena seated across from him.
Page 8
“What does she do?”
“I told you, she’s my bodyguard.”
“She doesn’t seem like an ordinary bodyguard.”
“She isn’t.”
Elena smirked and set aside the brimmed hat she had been wearing. With a slight vibration, the carriage started moving.
“Haryeong is from the Salho Sect.”
“Oh.”
The name was familiar to both Yuri and Lee Su-hyuk’s memories.
The Salho Sect was both a bodyguard and assassin guild. Unlike common mercenaries, they couldn’t be hired by just anyone. To employ them, you had to be qualified.
In the game, hunting named NPCs accompanied by Salho Sect assassins was notoriously difficult because their skills were top-notch. Once contracted, they would loyally protect their employer, even at the cost of their own lives.
For a time, the Seronis community had a trend of hiring Salho Sect assassins as human shields. But given the honor points and hiring fees, it was quickly deemed inefficient.
“Not just anyone can hire them, though.”
