Memorize Chapter 241

The next day, during breakfast, I couldn’t look Ha-Yeong or Go Yeon-Joo in the eye. There wasn’t any clear reason for it. Sure, I’d dropped hints before, and in Hall Plain, it wasn’t exactly something to be ashamed of. Still, every time I saw them smiling brightly at me, I felt a sharp pang in my chest.

After an uncomfortable breakfast that felt like sitting on pins and needles, I held a meeting to inform the clan members about our next steps.

The morning was spent in meetings, and at noon, I started inspecting our equipment.

Three bottles of elixir, a pegasus egg, the Twilight Priestess (a rare class), the Bow of Exorcism, the Legend of Hoplon, three Chaos Mimics, Vivienne’s potion pouch, and so on. I didn’t bother including the gold and gem pouches. They were already neatly sorted into large bags without me needing to touch them. Seeing all this brought a satisfied smile to my face.

“Heave-ho! Heaaave-ho!”

Sol was grunting as she organized the equipment as I instructed, then straightened her bent back. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Turning to me, she let out a “Ta-da!” and thrust both hands forward. Between them was a yellowish egg about twice the size of an ostrich egg—a pegasus egg.

“Oppa! Do you know what’s inside this?”

“A chick.”

“A chick…? So it’s just a big egg?”

“Yup. When we have a party later, we’ll ask Go Yeon-Joo to fry it up. Let’s make some delicious egg fries. For now, just put it there.”

“Huh…?”

Maybe she was expecting something grand. Sol’s face fell in shock as she hugged the egg tightly, shaking her head. As she made pitiful noises like a scolded puppy, I was about to finish organizing when the Twilight Priestess and the Bow of Exorcism caught my eye.

'Madam Im. No, Im Hanna, was it?'

Im Hanna, the woman who ran Monica’s famous Love House. A year 3 player with impressive skills, perfectly fitting my goal of building an elite, small-scale Mercenary Clan. Her alignment—lawful and faithful—was also quite favorable.

'Come to think of it, we do need an archer player right about now.'

The image of Im Hanna smiling kindly at me flashed in my mind. After a moment of thought, I turned and left the equipment room. I needed to check if the messenger had been sent to IstanTel Law, and I also had some questions about Im Hanna, so I decided to look for Go Yeon-Joo. As I stepped into the hallway, I could sense Sol trailing behind me with quick steps.

Go Yeon-Joo wasn’t on the fourth floor. After glancing around her quarters, I headed straight for the stairs. Stepping on the polished treads and descending the spiraling staircase, I soon reached the lobby.

The first floor was nearly empty. Thanks to Go Yeon-Joo, we were an exception, but Love House was primarily a tavern used by women—specifically, “flowers of the night.” After entertaining men from last night into the early morning, they were probably all fast asleep now.

The lobby was quiet, but thankfully, I found who I was looking for. Go Yeon-Joo was sitting at a table with Ha-Yeong and Im Hanna, chatting happily. Every now and then, bursts of giggles filled the air.

“Oh, Su-Hyeon? When did you get here?”

“Finished organizing the equipment?”

“Mercenary Lord, hello.”

As I approached the table, Go Yeon-Joo, Ha-Yeong, and Im Hanna spoke in turn. I gave a slight nod to Im Hanna and sat in the chair Go Yeon-Joo pulled out for me. Sol, who had followed me, stood there blankly until Im Hanna stood up. Sol plopped into the vacated seat with a goofy grin.

“Mercenary Lord, would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Unnie! This one! This one!”

“This? Haha, hold on, Sol. I’ll grab it for you real quick.”

“Okay!”

Im Hanna pinched Sol’s soft cheek as if she couldn’t resist her cuteness. Watching her walk away gracefully, I felt a slight sense of wonder. Sol tended to be picky with people, yet not only was she not rejecting Im Hanna, but she was calling her “Unnie” and acting friendly.

'Maybe it’s because their alignments are similar… She seems pretty perceptive too. But why hasn’t Han So-Young recruited someone like her? She must know about her.'

As I stared silently at Im Hanna, I heard hushed whispers nearby. Turning, I saw Go Yeon-Joo and Ha-Yeong leaning close, murmuring to each other. But their voices weren’t exactly inaudible to me.

“He’s definitely showing interest.”

“Right? She’s a close friend, but honestly, even as a woman, I can see she’s pretty and has a great figure. So elegant too…”

“Sigh… I told you we should’ve picked a different place to stay. There’s already enough competition…”

“No, I’m telling you, I vouch for her skills. We need an archer player right now. Su-Hyeon will be thrilled. And I trust Su-Hyeon…”

Staring at them with a dumbfounded expression, they must have sensed my gaze, as they quickly pulled their faces apart. Then, as if nothing had happened, they started looking in opposite directions.

“…”

Honestly, it stung a bit. Especially after hearing about last night’s rock-paper-scissors game, I was feeling a twinge of guilt, so I decided to hold off on asking about Im Hanna for now. No, it felt like I had to.

'Come to think of it, I’ve changed a lot. Or is it just my outward appearance…?'

Feeling an unfamiliar emotion I hadn’t experienced in the first life, a bitter sensation welled up inside me. Anyway, it’s fine to mellow out a bit, but I can’t afford to lose my edge. Thinking I’d need to borrow Horrence’s Magic Stone from Vivienne later, I cleared my throat a couple of times to draw their attention.

“Ahem. Go Yeon-Joo, what about the task I asked you to handle last night?”

“Oh, I sent the messenger. But we just got a reply.”

“A reply?”

“Yeah. They said there’s no need for you to come—they’ll visit here instead.”

“I see. Thanks for your hard wor— Wait, what?”

Thinking I misheard, I asked again, and Go Yeon-Joo shrugged. It seemed I hadn’t misheard after all. A long sigh escaped my lips. Han So-Young. She’s usually so composed and calculating, so why does she lose all sense when her thirst for talent kicks in?

Grumbling internally, I asked Go Yeon-Joo, “When did they say they’re coming?”

“It wasn’t specified exactly, but I think probably soon…”

“Tch. Got it. I’d better head out now.”

“What? They said they’re coming here… Oh, alright. Do you need any escorts?”

As expected of quick-witted Go Yeon-Joo, she caught on fast. When she asked about escorts, I shook my head.

“No need. I’ll go alone.”

“But it’d be better if you took me—”

No way. Absolutely not. Taking the Shadow Queen could lead to disaster if things went wrong—she was one of the last people I’d want along. I’d rather take Ha-Yeong if I had to pick someone. I had no desire to talk to Han So-Young in a room filled with murderous tension. I firmly said, “No,” and stood up.

“Oh, Mercenary Lord…”

Coincidentally, Im Hanna was walking over with a tray holding two cups, having apparently finished making drinks. I’d said I was fine, but it seemed she’d made one for me too. I was about to brush past her, but not wanting to leave a bad impression, I stopped in my tracks.

“I have to step out for a bit. Sol can probably handle both drinks.”

“Oh, haha, alright. Safe travels.”

“See you.”

As I opened the door to leave and descended the stairs, I faintly heard Sol’s voice trailing behind: “I’m not a pig…”

*

The power of 98 agility is incredible. Even a slight effort in my steps lets me move faster than a bicycle.

Rushing instead of strolling was the right call. I caught sight of Han So-Young emerging from the front gate of the IstanTel Law clan house with a single escort.

Entering the IstanTel Law clan’s interior after so long felt nostalgic. It wasn’t exactly the same as when I was here, but the scene was close enough to my memories. By now, they probably had over 200 clan members, yet I only sensed the presence of 20 or 30 people inside.

That’s a small number for a leading clan, but it’s proof of how exceptional each member’s abilities are. Most of them, aside from the internal maintenance crew, were probably out working tirelessly day and night.

“So, the Mercenary Lord is saying you’ll buy the clan house at full price?”

“That’s right. I appreciate your offer, but considering our clan’s nature, I think this is the right thing to do.”

“Why?”

“Because the Mercenary Clan is a new clan.”

Han So-Young listened to my response and then showed an expression as if lost in deep thought. I glanced at the person sitting next to her, directly across from me—Park Da-Yeon, whom I hadn’t seen in ages. The moment I saw her, a wave of joy made me want to rush over. But seeing Park Da-Yeon puffing out her cheeks at me, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

After meeting them at the front gate, I explained the situation and was led to the reception room. Unlike her initial reaction, Park Da-Yeon was now smiling brightly.

Park Da-Yeon was the player in charge of IstanTel Law’s finances. Her initial pout was likely because she was unhappy about Han So-Young personally visiting me and the process of selling us the clan house. But when I showed courtesy by coming to them first and expressed my intent to buy the clan house at full price, her face immediately lit up.

'She still can’t hide her expressions,' I thought as I took a sip of the tea she’d personally brewed. Setting the cup down, I noticed Han So-Young staring at me intently, as if she’d finished her thoughts.

“First, I’m grateful that the Mercenary Clan came to Monica. I only wanted to show some goodwill, especially since we discussed this during the summons.”

“Of course, I appreciate what you said back then. But that’s not why I came to Monica.”

“Regarding the clan house purchase, we can keep it completely confidential. Even if it gets out, no one would dare object since it has IstanTel Law’s approval.”

“There’s no such thing as a permanent secret, and a sharp stone gets struck. I’m aware that Monica currently has many clans under IstanTel Law’s wing. If you show excessive favor to us, a non-affiliated clan, it could spark subtle complaints.”

I felt Park Da-Yeon tapping her feet alternately against the floor. Sensing her excitement, I could tell she was relieved. Her expression showed a sense of satisfaction, likely because I’d said what she wanted to say. Taking it a step further, I added,

“As you know, we’re freelance mercenaries with a free-spirited clan nature. The standard discount for existing players is 30%, so a 60% discount… honestly, it feels like too much.”

“So, you’re saying you’d accept a 30% discount per convention?”

“No.”

“Then how about 29%?”

“…”

Suddenly, the situation felt absurd. The manager was offering a discount, and the buyer was refusing it. I looked to Park Da-Yeon for help, hoping she’d rein her in. But she just shrugged with a deflated expression and let out a cute sigh.

“Alright, Clan Lord. Of course, I’m grateful that the Mercenary Clan came to Monica. But they have a different nature from other clans, don’t they? Excessive goodwill could feel like greed to them.”

“Greed…? It is greed.”

“Ugh, seriously, Unnie… I mean, Clan Lord, please get a grip. As the Mercenary Lord said, you need to consider their perspective. There’s no reason for us to give a discount, and the Mercenary Clan has no justification to accept it. Selling a 90,000-gold property for 30,000—what would other clans think?”

“Reason…? Justification…?”

Han So-Young tilted her head, her eyes rolling thoughtfully. Park Da-Yeon stomped her feet in frustration. I looked at Han So-Young, who was staring blankly at Park Da-Yeon, and chuckled inwardly.

'She’s sulking.'

Her face seemed expressionless, but the slight droop of her eyes was a telltale sign—a habit only I knew when Han So-Young was pouting.

Han So-Young gazed at Park Da-Yeon for a while. When Park Da-Yeon finally lowered her head with a sulky expression, Han So-Young shifted her gaze back to me.

“Reason and justification. That’s a fair point.”

“I’m glad you understand. I’m still grateful for your kindness.”

“Yes. But the Mercenary Clan is a mercenary clan, correct?”

“Hm? Yes.”

Tension rose within me at Han So-Young’s question. She wasn’t the type to ask something twice if she already knew the answer. This meant she was scheming something.

“Then you take on and resolve player requests, right?”

“Well… yes.”

“Have you taken on any requests so far?”

“Not yet. We haven’t been established long, and we don’t even have a clan house.”

The moment I said that, a faint smile curved Han So-Young’s lips. Her stunning beauty made the expression almost breathtaking, but realizing her intent, I felt a sinking sensation.

Before I could say anything, Han So-Young’s lips parted quickly.

“Perfect. I happen to have a job I’d like to entrust to the Mercenary Clan. It’s something that requires the Shadow Queen’s power. Oh… ‘request’ would be the more accurate term.”