Chapter 997 – Side Story – Going on Vacation (1)

One day about a week after Noeul Jeong joined Azure Shield.

As soon as Han Min-ah, carrying a report summarizing the results of the Azure Shield party, entered her company’s representative office, she put on a maid uniform and looked at Eun-byeol standing next to me with a puzzled expression.

“I still don’t know what your hobby is. “Did you dress Eunbyeol like that and make her work like that, both at home and at the guild?”

“Clothes like that. “What’s wrong with the maid uniform?”

“I’m sorry, Han Min-ah, but this is my hobby, so please refrain from criticizing the owner.”

“No, whatever. It’s also my hobby, so I’m not really criticizing it. “I also think that Eunbyeol looks the prettiest when she’s wearing a maid uniform.”

“… Thank you for the compliment, master.”

“Oh, really. Okay, okay. “It was my fault for speaking up.”

Han Min-a watched Eun-byeol, and I’s complementary defense for a moment and then waved her hand with a puzzled expression.

The reason she visited the representative office today was to report on her performance as the acting leader of the S-class hunter party (Jin).

Originally, it was Hye-eun’s role, but she is now resting at home on her pregnancy leave, and among her remaining members, the only acting leader who is objective and trustworthy is Han Min-ah.

“Once Noeul came in, the Azure Shield seems to be running just fine. Recently, I was able to defeat the boss monsters that live in the Ice Lord’s Snow Mountain, and it seems like there’s nothing I can’t catch among the monsters that live in the Valley of the Rock Monsters and the Burning Tree Forest.”

“It’s almost the same as when Hye-eun was there.”

“Well, No-eul’s grade itself is higher than Hye-eun’s. Of course, Hye-eun has been with our party for a while, so she is more helpful in the details, but No-eul is a swordsman, so she can basically change positions a little more freely than Hye-eun. “There are pros and cons, but I feel like she’s managing it just fine.”

How will Hye-eun react when she hears this news? Will she be happy that the party is going well without her, or will she be a little lonely that she was surprisingly easily replaced?

Before those thoughts were over, Han Min-a continued her report on the ‘small’ problem that arose after Kang Hye-eun left her party.

“If I had to point out something that has changed since the move, it would be that Jihee’s condition is not good these days.”

“… Ah, indeed.”

Now that I think about it, Azure Shield was originally a party created by Hye-eun and Cheon Ji-hee.

Since Kang Hye-eun, the driving force behind her hunter activities, was on her vacation, it was natural that her skills would decline.

“Everyone at our party knows who she likes except for her older sister, Yuri. It’s only been about a week since Hye-eun started resting, but she’s already feeling lonely, which makes her a little anxious. “It’s just my personal point of view.”

“…”

Of course, even if a problem arises, I have the ability to awaken, so I won’t lose my life in the dungeon.

At best, the loss would be having to return to the guild naked, leaving the equipment behind in the dungeon, and only going to dungeons one level lower for about a month until the emergency summon cooldown runs out.

Considering that, it might have been better to send the remaining members of Azure Shield on a ‘vacation’ before any losses were incurred. As I said before, if we had to take a break from the party because of giving birth, it would have been better to take a break all at once.

“I think it would be okay to allow Cheon Ji-hee to take a vacation for about a year. Because she happened to have a similar story with Cha Yu-ri.”

“… “I’ve been curious about this for a while, what kind of relationship do you have with Jihee?”

“Huh?”

“I know that I have a biting and sucking relationship with Kang Hye-eun and Yuri, but I feel like my relationship with Ji-hee is somewhat subtle.”

“Why are you talking like you’re not? “You and I are in a relationship where you bite and suck and everything.”

“… Ah, anyway! That aside, what on earth is your relationship with Jihee?”

“Hmm, well.”

When I think about it, my first meeting with Cheon Ji-hee wasn’t a very good relationship.

To Cheon Ji-hee, I was Kang Hye-eun’s romantic enemy who suddenly appeared, and to me, Cheon Ji-hee was a territorial member of the existing party who was cold to me for no reason.

Of course, they have become quite close now with Hye-eun in their relationship, and the relationship between her man and woman has developed to some extent without her, but it is difficult to say that the affection is as deep as that of other members such as Hye-eun, Cha Yu-ri, and Min-ah. 〉

Sex between lovers and sex within a business relationship. Somewhere in the middle was the relationship between me and Cheon Ji-hee.

“It’s just a relationship that we both need.”

“… Hmm.”

If you were going to give Cheon Ji-hee vacation, the most appropriate excuse would be to force her to use pregnancy leave, but giving birth to a child was an impossible act without her consent.

From the beginning, I wasn’t sure whether Cheon Ji-hee would want to have a child with me or not.

I wonder how much of her feelings she has for me, and how I can convince her of that, even if it’s just a little short of her desire to have a child.

… Alternatively, it would have been a good idea to send members on vacation one by one, starting with the members who were relatively easier to persuade.

“Yahanmin.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“Now that things have come to this, don’t you want to take a vacation like Hye-eun?”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“I always think about you, but you’re really a workaholic. “You keep going to work these days without resting on days that are not group expedition days, right?”

“… No, whatever. I get a bit bored just hanging out at home. And since I have to watch Jin-ah and Seon-ah’s activities, I can do this while resting enough.”

“To rest, you need to lie down properly at home with your legs stretched out. How many days did you rest last month and last month combined?”

“But these days, I’m consistently taking a break once a month…”

“Tell me about the vacation you spent with me, Hanmin.”

“…”

Hanmin, who proudly tried to claim that rolling around in bed with me during estrus was a vacation, but ended up being dumb and silent.

You probably feel that you don’t have enough vacation time. However, the fact that I continue to overwork my body without rest is probably a remnant of the past when I was weighed down by responsibility.

It was hard to understand why he was acting like that when he no longer had a home, so he didn’t have to go somewhere or take responsibility for his three family members, including his younger siblings.

“Yahanmin.”

“… What, what! What does it matter if it’s a heat vacation or anything?! Resting with that is also resting, right?! Anyway, it’s true that I get more rest than when I was working at a company!”

“Since it’s already come to this, why don’t you take a full year off like Hye-eun? Of course, not only you, but all other Azure Shield personnel.”

“… “What, what?”

“Because I can create the ‘circumstances’ that force you to take a vacation. Huh?”

“Circumstances that require a vacation… ? What is that…”

Han Min-ah doesn’t immediately understand what I said and tilts her head in question.

It didn’t take much for her face to turn red as she realized what I meant.

“Blood, blood, blood, I don’t need it?! Who, do you think would ask you to do something like that?!”

“Why. It would be nice to take a leisurely vacation with Hye-eun for about a year. We do prenatal care together, and we also do childcare together.”

“Oh, crazy?! Are you really out of your mind?! Hye-eun, Hye-eun is your girlfriend, so even if that’s the case, why are you so sure that I’ll be in a relationship like that with you?!”

“I already got permission from Hye-eun. And in Korea, bigamy is prohibited, but having children out of wedlock is legal, Min.”

“S-don’t be damned! Oh, don’t do it anyway! Wow, I said something so shamelessly… !”

-Tap!

With those words, Han Min-ah puts the activity report in her hand on my desk and goes back.

Although she said no, it seemed like she was interested in the proposal just now, judging by the gray ears and tail that had sprouted from her head and waist.

“Ah, anyway, I’ll take care of everything except rest, so don’t worry! If you do something strange under a strange excuse, I will kill you for real?!”

-Boom!

Han Min-ah runs out with a bright red face, roughly closing the door to the representative office.

Even though her likeability rose to the highest level, her personality was still not honest, which was both her weakness and charm.

“I didn’t know until now, but you already have a child, master.”

“… Oh, sorry. Come to think of it, I should have told you in advance, Eunbyeol.”

“It’s okay. It is always welcome to see more lives inheriting the master’s excellent genes. … However, if Dosihee finds out about that, she might be a little shocked.”

“… “I guess so.”

In Sihee’s case, she must have been seriously thinking about marrying me. Perhaps that feeling will still remain valid to this day.

Sooner or later, I would have to tell not only Si-hee but also others that Hye-eun and I had a child.

Loving many women comes with a lot of responsibility.

As she let out a faint sigh, thinking that it would be inevitable that the job would be somewhat tiring, the closed door of the representative office slowly opened, revealing Minah’s gray ears again.

-Kkiik.

“Oh, that’s what I said earlier.”

“Huh? “Didn’t you go down?”

“Well, what I said was that it’s a bit like that right now, but it doesn’t mean that I have no intention of ever doing that in my life…”

“…”

“Uh, I might do it someday when the circumstances allow, but that’s not right now, so I’ll just keep it in mind…”

-Kkiik, tak.

… What did she come back to say?

I guess she was secretly worried because she was so excited and left saying all sorts of things.

Looking at her changed appearance, she was clearly a more honest person than before.