The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Chapter 169 : There Are No Bad Kids in This World (3)

There Are No Bad Kids in This World (3)Morning dawned at the training camp.

Ah-rin, who should have been able to sleep comfortably, ended up tossing and turning that night.

Even if she wanted to sleep, she couldn't rest properly.

After all, she never knew when the comrade next to her would jump up in another bout of sleepwalking.

"Snore... snuuuore..."

"She sleeps so peacefully, while I feel like dying over here."

Ah-rin scowled as she looked at Sang-ah, who was still asleep and snoring.

She'd spent the whole night keeping watch over Sang-ah, and her eyes were filled with fatigue.

Did Sang-ah really think she was the only one struggling these snowy days?

The more peacefully the girl slept, the more Ah-rin's irritation grew.

"Snorkelolel..."

"What kind of snoring is that?"

"Crorololo...!!"

Suddenly, Sang-ah's snores grew as loud as an excavator.

Ah-rin, already annoyed, found herself even more agitated because of the noise.

"I seriously want to plug that nose right now!"

"Hold on. She's finally sleeping peacefully."

Just as Ah-rin subconsciously reached for Sang-ah's nose, Amelda grabbed Ah-rin's arm and stopped her.

She had come running straight to the quarters after hearing about Sang-ah's escape attempt.

But Ah-rin couldn't help but snap at Amelda as well.

"I'm not comfortable at all! I'm the only one suffering because of her!"

"Still, you did great. If you'd just let her run out, her sentence would be extended by another week for attempted desertion, you know?"

At Amelda's nonchalant words, Ah-rin was completely chilled.

Their stay had already been extended, and adding another week?

That would mean spending the entire winter break in this sewer.

"No way! I can't stand it!"

Ah-rin shuddered in extreme anxiety.

No phone, not even a computer to use.

All she could do was read, and even then, the selection of books was severely limited.

The weekday training and outdoor marches were endless torture.

Not to mention, following the strict rules here was brutally hard work.

And then...

"Ah-rin, remember to end your sentences with '-dannaka.' Okay?"

"Ugh!!!"

She couldn't even speak freely.

Ah-rin was realizing, to her bones, what hell truly was—thinking over and over again.

She would never come back here again.

If she ever got forced to return, she'd feign illness or injury, whatever it took, to get out of it.

If she had to, she'd even hurt herself to avoid it at all costs.

"This hellhole... Like I'd ever come back here again!!"

"Fufufu. Well, who told you to steal the Demon King's underwear?"

"..."

But the reason they were here was nobody's fault but their own.

It was entirely their own doing.

No counterargument came to mind.

"If this was the Demon King's castle in the old days, you'd have been executed on the spot."

"Was it really that serious?"

"Of course! The Demon King values his underwear more than his life."

What? More than life itself?

Even if it was Seongjin, that seemed a bit much...

Of course, if she'd caught someone stealing her own underwear, she might have just executed them too.

"Anyway, what are we going to do with her? We can't just leave her sleepwalking forever, can we?"

Sang-ah was still sleeping soundly.

It was only after Amelda arrived that they realized Sang-ah had a case of sleepwalking.

Because of that, she was allowed to keep sleeping even past wake-up time.

"Anything else unusual?"

"Hmm... It was like she was looking for food."

"Food?"

Ah-rin remembered the moment she stopped Sang-ah from going outside.

Sang-ah had muttered at the time.

"Food... Hungry..."

"That's weird, though? You guys ate all your meals, right?"

"Yes. We stuffed ourselves. That trashy dung-soup, kimchi so salty it stings, and anchovy stir-fry so tasteless I can't describe it!"

It was, in so many ways, a remarkable feast.

Just one bite, and it felt like chewing excrement—magical culinary creations.

The milk they got for dessert tasted like honey by comparison.

There wasn't even a snack bar nearby.

"Besides, there's no meat—just vegetables most of the time. How are we supposed to eat like this?"

"What's wrong with veggies?"

"Ugh... that's exactly why this mess happened."

Now that she thought about it, Amelda was the World Tree.

Avoiding meat and forcing everyone to eat vegetables was second nature to her.

"To be honest... every dragon race I know leans toward carnivorous. If they can't eat meat, they go through withdrawal."

"And you only gave her vegetables, knowing that?"

"Of course. Why would I treat people here to be punished so well?"

"Damn...!"

It was truly infuriating, but she had to endure it.

Hadn't she just been told that, in the old days, it would've been a death sentence?

She should be grateful simply for not having to face that.

"Hm..."

Amelda glanced between the pensive Ah-rin and the still-sleeping Sang-ah.

Managing the place was entirely her responsibility now.

She couldn't completely say Sang-ah's sleepwalking was unrelated to her own actions.

"Alright, then. That'll do!"

Suddenly, a good idea popped into Amelda's head.

"How about taking some leave or a day off?"

"Time off?"

"That way, you'll be able to eat your fill."

Just then,

Sang-ah, who had been asleep, suddenly sat up straight.

Half-awake, she spoke plainly.

"Meat?"

It was as if the dead had come back to life.

The eerie sight sent shivers down their spines.

****

"At last..."

A massive workshop set up in the basement of the Angel guild mansion.

Choi Seungcheol had spent a week completing some equipment.

He was so elated with the accomplishment that he couldn't help but exclaim with joy.

"It's finally finished!!"

Choi Seungcheol shouted as he held the completed equipment in his hands.

It wasn't a cold weapon like a spear or sword, nor was it a firearm or cannon for firepower.

It was simply a plain-looking black mask.

In truth, even as he made it, Choi Seungcheol had no idea what it was.

His hands and heart had simply moved on their own, compelling him to create it.

At first glance, it looked perfectly safe.

But Seungcheol smiled at the strange energy emanating from the mask.

'Is this what fulfillment feels like?'

He didn't know what it was, but the incredible sense of accomplishment made him happy.

It felt as if someone else's heart had been blended into his soul.

But the reason didn't matter.

He hadn't felt such happiness since his mother left home.

Just recovering his smile after so many years was what truly mattered.

...

...

"You made it already?"

"Yep. I used up nearly all the materials, is that okay?"

"It's fine. The Guildmaster, Baek Suhyuk, coolly approved it."

As soon as the equipment was finished, Choi Seungcheol suddenly called me in a rush.

He had made not only my equipment but also a spear for Eunseol to use during field practice.

Honestly, it felt like I should be paying him extra.

"But what is this mask for?"

"This? To put it simply... it maximizes the wearer's stats."

"Really? When I tried it on as a test, nothing happened though?"

I checked the equipment I was handed and nodded in satisfaction.

It was the same mask I used to wear back in Mewzealand.

[Acquired 'Demon God's Mask' (? rank) equipment.]

〈Demon God's Mask (? rank)〉

➤Attack Power +??

➤Durability +??

➤Agility +??

(This equipment doesn't have durability.)

The rank and stats all showed '??'—which was perfectly normal.

The reason: this was equipment capable of standing against gods.

The mask's strength was that, upon equipping it, it explosively increased my power as demonkin.

Thanks to it, I experienced huge growth and was able to protect the Demon King's army from the guardian deities.

[Cannot equip equipment.]

[Insufficient grade to equip.]

[You must have restored over 55% of your body from when you were the Demon King.]

Unfortunately, I couldn't use it yet.

In fact, the first time I used it was after surviving in the Underworld.

That was when I first obtained the Demon King's power.

I could still use the Demon King's power now, but my current specs weren't sufficient to wear this.

'Above all, it's not as high-tiered as the one from back then.'

Even though it was infused with Heimos's craftsmanship, it only borrowed his spiritual power.

So it was very possible the recreation wasn't perfect.

Still, being able to reconstruct it to this extent was something I should be grateful for.

"In any case, you did a great job. Thank you so much."

"Really? I don't really get it, but... as long as the client is happy, I'm glad."

"Looks like you left your phone on the floor?"

"I put it down for a bit because it was getting in the way."

Choi Seungcheol smiled as he picked up his phone.

The moment he turned it on after a week, his face went rigid.

A flood of missed call notifications and unchecked messages awaited him.

They were all from his dad, accumulated over a week—and the realization made Choi Seungcheol's hand tremble.

"Ah..."

If he just left it like this, it was bound to become another trauma for Seungcheol.

What parent would overlook a child staying out overnight for a whole week?

But plans had already been prepared for this.

****

Naturally, his father, Choi Seungjin, was furious.

The inauguration event was about to be held, and he'd planned to have his son attend.

There was no way he'd tolerate his son, Choi Seungjin's son at that, skipping out.

He was about to unleash his fury on his son for being missing for a week.

That is, until he saw Seungcheol arriving home in the Angel guild's car.

Among those who had requested Seungcheol to make equipment was the Guildmaster's granddaughter.

Upon learning this, Choi Seungjin's shock froze all his anger.

Thanks to this, Seungcheol was able to slip quietly into the house without any nagging from his father.

If this led to a good relationship with the Angel guild, so much the better.

But then...

― As much as possible, maintain your distance from the Angel guild.

"What do you mean...?"

Choi Seungjin looked perplexed while on a call.

The one on the other end was the Holy Church, supporting him from behind.

― They are always tracking our movements. If contact deepens, your relationship with us may be exposed.

"I see..."

― In any case, we will support your upcoming inauguration event as much as possible.

"Yes, I appreciate that."

― And also...

The man on the call paused for a moment.

― Please take good care of your son.

"Pardon?"

The call ended there.

Choi Seungjin was suddenly bothered by what that last comment meant.

"Take good care of your son?"

He was already doing that.

From birth, Seungcheol had been raised under his care.

Growing up with everything guaranteed by his high-powered lawyer father, he'd had no real lacking.

Except for a period when his wife caused trouble, things had been fine.

The kid had grown up with enormous privileges.

"What nonsense."

Of course, maybe the church was just being considerate as partners.

But it seemed like an odd thing to worry about.

He'd done everything for his son.

He rewarded good behavior and punished or disciplined him for wrongdoing.

And yet, his son always tried to jump the rails.

"Back in the old days, not only did he beat up classmates, he even hid his report card."

His son claimed it was always delinquent punks picking on him.

He said the fights just broke out accidentally.

"That's what you call an excuse!"

How delinquent could those other kids possibly be?

He checked himself and found those "beaten" classmates had broken noses.

Did his son really think bragging about beating up friends was cool?

Acting like the victim when he threw the first punch—unbelievable.

They could have made up and moved on, but instead, got all swept up in their emotions and caused a big mess.

Of course, that kind of retaliation just proved their immaturity.

"To think I'm raising a kid like that..."

Choi Seungjin looked at his troublesome son and sighed.

****

"They trust us completely. How foolish."

On a rooftop of an unnamed building, a man in white was speaking into his phone.

He was the Holy Church man who had just spoken to Choi Seungjin.

Around him stood other clerics in the same outfit.

"How's the event venue?"

"Preparations are nearly complete. Miss Rubera."

"Good."

Rubera—the Holy Church Korea branch executive.

She and her subordinate were looking down at the building where the inauguration would take place.

On the surface, it seemed they were acting for Choi Seungjin's sake; in reality, that was only half true.

Choi Seungjin was needed only as a tool.

"Fortunately, it seems they don't suspect us."

"If they did, we would never have made it this far."

From the start, they were never destined to have a good relationship with Choi Seungjin.

The moment his son was revealed as a vessel of the gods, it was already decided.

What parent would hand over a child so willingly?

No, such a person wouldn't even deserve the title of parent.

"Do you think there's any chance he'll hand over his own child?"

"That would be even more amusing."

Rubera deleted Choi Seungjin's number from her phone as she spoke.

"A guy who can't even raise his own kid properly. For someone that incompetent, brainwashing is far more effective."

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Trash father...

Tsk...

【(⩌_⩌ )】