Farewell

"W-what is this...!"

Lee Chang-jin shot to his feet. He rapidly looked back and forth between his palm and me, his eyes widening in surprise.

He picked up the longsword from the ground, swung it a few times, then sliced through a corpse beside him with a shhk-!

He seemed to be testing the change in his strength.

"Hehe, isn't it amazing?"

I asked proudly, pleased with myself.

I figured he must be happy to have unexpectedly received a buff skill.

'Come on, hurry up and praise me.'

"......."

But he said nothing. Contrary to my expectations, he wasn't particularly happy—not even the slightest hint of amusement showed on his face.

He merely stared at me with a serious expression.

I began to worry that he might be experiencing some sort of adverse reaction.

"W-why...?"

"You."

"Ah! Before that, we should go over there! Let's go!"

I instinctively changed the subject. The dark look on his face made me feel like he was about to start lecturing me.

Normally, I might have sat quietly and listened to him, but I had something I absolutely needed to do right now.

'Whatever else happens, absorbing the essence comes first.'

I shook off the hand he was using to stop me and started running.

-Naraebi!!

Lee Chang-jin's shout came from behind. He was following as hard as he could, but the distance seemed to be growing.

Apparently, I had the edge in terms of pure speed.

'Hehehe... No one can stop me!'

"I'm coming, Essence! Wait... huh?"

At that moment, I saw a figure charging straight toward me from ahead. It crossed a dozen or so building rooftops at terrifying speed in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't moving too fast to see, but it was clearly much faster than me.

'A monster...?'

Naturally, only one possibility came to mind.

Especially in this area, it was highly likely. It must be something in an entirely different league from the foot soldiers.

After ordering the pygmies into battle formation, I extended my claws...

'It disappeared?'

"Khel-luk...!"

In an instant, something yanked hard on the back of my neck. I was driven into the ground without even being able to use my hands when the sudden stop tore my reinforced cloth with a riiiip.

Crash!

"Ouch....! Wh-what the hell!"

My head was spinning. As I forced my blurred focus back into place through the dizziness, I shouted, and a familiar voice came from behind me.

"It's me."

'That voice...'

We hadn't even known each other for a full day, but I recognized the voice. Yet unlike usual, its tone was lower...

When I turned around, a handsome brown-haired man was glaring down at me with a furious expression.

"V-Vincent?"

"You were behind that just now, weren't you? The buff skill.”

“Y-yes…”

“And where do you think you're going after using something like that, Naraebi?”

"Th-that is..."

......I had to explain this well. If I messed up, he'd be the type to imprison me instead of letting me absorb the essence.

But then, one of the pygmies charged at him without a clue.

"Kieee!!!"

"What is this?"

Thunk-

Vincent easily dodged the attack and grabbed the pygmy by the leg, lifting it up. The pygmy dangled upside down, wildly swinging its dagger.

Vincent initially looked at it with curiosity, but when four more charged him, killing intent began to emanate from him.

'Oh no!'

Come to think of it, I'd given them the attack order!

Thinking all my children might get slaughtered if I made a mistake, I hurriedly shouted.

"Stop!!!"

"......?"

Vincent, who had been raising his weapon, froze mid-motion. He looked at me quizzically.

Taking advantage of the opening, I quickly recalled the pygmies.

"D-dismiss summon! All of you, come back!"

Swish swish swish!

"Huh...?"

Vincent made a blank expression. He flapped the arm holding the pygmy a few times, then whipped his head around to look all around him.

He seemed confused because what he had been holding had disappeared.

He soon stopped, then slowly turned his head toward me.

"What was that just now...?"

"W-what was what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know. It got sucked into you. Do my eyes look like they're just for decoration?"

"Heh, hehe..."

He strode over to me as I sat on the ground. Then he crouched down and began patting my head.

He had the gentlest, most benevolent expression in the world.

"Naraebi."

"Yes."

"Give me one of those, too."

‘Ha! I picked the wrong person to mess with!’

"......Do you even know what you're asking for? Besides, they wouldn't be much use to you as a fighting force, Vincent."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Vincent smacked his own forehead. Then he kept his hand there and began lamenting.

"...Ah, how tragic! I fought so hard for my beloved little sister, yet she doesn't even seem willing to grant me one tiny request...! Oh, woe is me!"

Ting...?

"W-why are you suddenly acting like this? I mean... I told you, they wouldn't be of much use to you, Vincent..."

"Ah-!!! Mother, Father, Head of the Family! Look at this hollow excuse! This is how I live!"

"Um."

"Yes, yes... If that's what my little sister says, then I suppose that's how it is. What else can I do but believe her? Sigh."

'Th-this...!'

This was bad. It seemed he'd become completely fixated on them at first sight, but I was at the bottom of the pecking order and currently indebted to him to boot.

He might bleed me dry.

Thinking I had to protect the pygmies first, essence or no essence, I called out to him sternly.

"Vincent."

"Hmm?"

"Let me make this perfectly clear right now. I have no intention of giving my children to you, Vincent, much less lending them to you. Ever. So give up cleanly."

His expression vanished. Without moving an inch, he began staring intently at me, blinking only his eyes.

'I-it's okay. Don't get scared.'

He still needed to take me back in one piece. He might harass me a little, but he couldn't hit me or anything.

So I had to make this absolutely clear while I had the chance: the pygmies belonged entirely to me.

Of course, I wondered if I really needed to be so stern, but there was a simple reason I was going this far.

For one thing, Vincent's insatiably curious personality was a problem. And, to begin with, what man in the world could pass up a living wooden doll?

Even I couldn't resist that.

So if I gave him even the slightest opening, he would definitely use anything as an excuse to pester me.

"....Hmm. Heh heh!"

"Huh?"

But contrary to my expectations, Vincent simply curled his lips into a relaxed smile. There was no sign of anger at all.

The look in his eyes moments ago had clearly been that of someone bewitched... so what had happened?

'What the hell?'

When I stared at him with my mouth slightly open, he stroked my head once more and spoke.

"Can't be helped, I suppose. All right."

"Huh...? Really?"

"Yeah, kid. I was just teasing you. As pathetic as I may be, do you really think I'd have a hobby of taking away my little sister's toys?"

“Ah…”

Ah, so that's what it was!

Come to think of it, Douglas Kim must have all sorts of fun items in the family. He might have been a little disappointed, but he probably wouldn't care that much.

Relieved at last, I gave him a bright smile.

"That's Vincent for you!"

"Heh heh, yeah, yeah. Now, back to the main point... where were you headed?"

Ugh.

"Ah...! I was going to help Vincent—"

"Probably to look for the monster's corpse."

Lee Chang-jin had come up without my noticing. He pressed down firmly on my head with deliberate force, then looked at Vincent.

"The corpse...?"

Vincent's eyes widened in puzzlement.

I tried to stop Lee Chang-jin from explaining somehow, but every time I did, he put all his strength into his hand and gave me a headache.

'Ugh...! Ugh! So I still haven't built up any strength...!'

Apparently, this body was speed-type. Given this huge difference in brute strength, I shouldn't have been celebrating having the advantage in speed.

Completely caught and unable to do anything,

I could only sit there wide-eyed and listen to him rat me out.

"...Hmm. But that's unexpected."

After hearing the whole story, Vincent spoke a little while later, his voice tinged with puzzlement.

I'd expected him to immediately fly into a rage over my going to the battlefield, but surprisingly, his gaze remained fixed on Lee Chang-jin.

"Of course you would."

Lee Chang-jin also stared straight at him. Then he sighed and tapped me sharply on the back of the head.

'Why all of a sudden?'

I shouted indignantly.

"Ow! Why did you hit me!"

"This is all because of you, kid."

"W-what is?"

"I don't know, either. Anyway, you brought it on yourself, so don't blame me."

'...Blame?'

I looked at them in bewilderment. Something seemed to be going on between them, but I couldn't understand a single thing about it.

When I cast a glance at Vincent, he gave a sly grin and opened his mouth.

"Don't worry, Ambassador. I, Vincent Jo, don't exploit my siblings' weaknesses."

"Huh? What weakness?"

"Ah, it's nothing. It just means you're very honest and 'quite' lively. That can be a weakness anywhere you go."

As he spoke, he helped me to my feet. Then he brushed the dust off my body and smoothed my hair. I asked him what he meant again, but he dodged the question, talking about something else.

'That's really bothering me.'

Still, I could clearly feel one thing.

Namely, that 'I'd messed something up.'

Judging by Lee Chang-jin's reaction, it must have been a fairly big mistake.

......I suppose I had it coming. I'd find out eventually.

"By the way, what happened to the boss?"

"We got him a while ago. An S-rank got involved."

"Oh, an S-rank...!"

……So that's what happened. That absurd essence must have belonged to the boss.

It was highly likely he had died at the moment I sensed its presence.

I cautiously spoke to Vincent.

"Vincent, by any chance..."

"No."

"...You should at least hear me out."

"If you're asking to do something with the boss's corpse, I don't want to hear it."

Ugh, damn it.

"You know I've made plenty of concessions today, right? If you have a conscience, stop pestering me."

"......."

Yeah... this was the right thing to do. I'd definitely been asking too much of Vincent.

Even for him, a B-rank Gate probably hadn't been filled with easy opponents.

And he'd probably pushed himself quite a bit without even having the proper equipment.

So of course I shouldn't be unreasonable.

"...Hic. Sniff..."

"...Huh?"

But why?

Tears spilled out and wouldn't stop.

Even though I'd have more chances in the future,

I couldn't hold back the sorrow of feeling like I'd let a once-in-a-lifetime moment slip away.

...Ever since entering this body, I'd lost the ability to hold back my tears.

"Waaaahhh—"

"Hey, hey, why are you crying! Can't you stop?"

"Boohoo...! The essence...! Sniff!"

Flustered, Vincent began coaxing and soothing me. Then he tried getting stern and even angry, but unfortunately, I didn't stop crying.

A little while later, he finally picked me up and said,

"Hey, hey, all right, all right! I'll take you there, so stop crying already."

"R-really?"

"Sigh... But don't leave my side like this. If you run off somewhere strange again or bring out those weird summons, I'll really lock you in a mana prison."

Just like that, my tears stopped as if by magic. At the same time, my mood soared and the corners of my mouth lifted. I threw my arms around him and shouted.

"Thank you! Thank you, Vincent!"

"What a fickle kid. ......Anyway, Ambassador, what will you do?"

Vincent turned his gaze toward Lee Chang-jin. Lee Chang-jin folded his arms and looked toward the embassy.

"The building's still intact, so I should go back and check. I need to count the employees, too."

"Then I suppose this is goodbye. Thank you for all your hard work."

"Yes. I hope you make it back safely as well, Mr. Vincent."

The two shook hands. Seeing this, I was startled.

'So suddenly?'

"A-are we leaving just like this?"

"Of course. We've already been delayed quite a bit."

......No way.

I'd definitely wanted to leave, but I hadn't expected us to part so suddenly.

How much help had I received from this man, and how close had we grown?

Though our time together had been short, it didn't take long to recognize a good person.

I reached out and grabbed Lee Chang-jin's sleeve.

"Mister."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything! When you come to Korea, please contact me. I'll treat you to at least a meal."

Lee Chang-jin burst out laughing. For some reason, he wore an expression like he found it utterly hilarious and chuckled for a while.

Eventually, he let out a sigh mixed with relief and held out his hand to me.

"How could I let you treat me? I'm the one who should buy you a meal. Anyway, take care!"

"Haha... Yes. You have to, okay?"

Thunk-

We said goodbye after one firm handshake.

***

"Oh-ho, you found it?"

"Do you think you're the only one who can sense mana wavelengths? A little runt like you is awfully presumptuous."

Cradled in Vincent's arms, I approached the boss's corpse.

At his speed, we had practically arrived in a single bound, and I soon came face-to-face with the essence.

"Th-there it is!"

The terrain was so devastated that it was hard to find even a trace of what had been there. At the center of a huge, circular crater, I saw a three-headed werewolf the size of a two-story building.

Even in death, it radiated an overwhelming presence befitting the boss of a top-tier B-rank Gate.

But security personnel were guarding the area. I whispered to Vincent, who was hesitating.

'Just for a moment. Please, just brush past it.'

"......Is that really all?"

"Yes!"

That is, if I timed it right.

"I don't know what it is, but fine. For the record, you get only one chance."

"Got it! Go, go!"

Swoooosh-!!!

Vincent's maximum speed was impossible to gauge.

The scenery in my field of vision stretched out as if it were a wormhole.

All the surrounding colors blended together, making even silhouettes impossible to distinguish, but the thing at the target point rapidly grew larger.

I quickly counted out the rhythm.

'One, two, ...th-'

'N-now!'

"Essence Absorption!!!!"

.

.

.

Ding-

[You have acquired a superior essence! You have earned an achievement!]

[You have learned the skill 'Material Engineering'!]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Ding-

[New Quest

‘

Superior

Pygmy

(A ~ S)

to

Sculpt

’

has arrived.]