“Are you really okay? You really don’t need to be with me… since you have your own thing to do,” I said.

“Where would I go if not by your side?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

“...”

“...”

“D-Do you still not believe me… despite coming all the way here? I-I was your wife!” Jung Ha-Yan shouted.

‘Would you believe what you said? I mean, I

do

believe you, but I told you that I need time.’

“No, it’s nothing like that… As I said yesterday… I still feel kind of awkward in situations like this. All I remember are fragments, and I’m not even sure about those… It’s not because I don’t believe you, Miss Ha-Yan. I just… feel kind of bad…” I told her.

“Y-You don’t need to feel bad. I-It’s my job. A-As your wife… I should be by your side as your wife!” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.

“...”

“...”

“In that case…” I paused.

“...”

“If you don’t mind… can you keep this incident about my memory a secret? A-And our relationship as well… can you not tell anyone?” I requested.

Jung Ha-Yan quickly answered, afraid that I would reject her staying beside me.

“O-Of course. I was going to do that a-anyway… y-you didn't have to tell me.”

'No, I think you were going to tell people.'

“...”

I was sure she would have gone around and spread the news to everyone.

Of course, it wasn’t a big deal, but it would be too much… if people knew that I was married and had a child as a 23-year-old young man. I really didn’t want Raymond Bolt and Woo Hyo-Yeol to feel uncomfortable because of it.

The naive Flower Ki-Young was completely different from the married Lee Ki-Young with a child to boot.

“I-I’ll do well, oppa. I-I-I won’t cause any trouble,” Jung Ha-Yan reassured me.

'I hope so…'

‘I’m not sure if you and Hyo-Yeol will get along.’

It was obviously useless to worry because they wouldn't really talk much, and they would just be acquaintances at most. The only time they'd probably work together was when they were on an expedition.

Since they would do their own business, it was highly likely this group would be pretty different from the Blue Guild, where the members were more like family. More importantly, it didn’t really matter whether Jung Ha-Yan would fit in or not.

‘She’s already Level 4, after all.’

“Just you being beside me is enough. I don’t know why… but when I’m with you… I feel like I'm becoming more stable… Strange, right?” I asked.

“

He… hehehe…

” Jung Ha-Yan giggled. Her stats and the number "4" in her level weren't enough to represent Jung Ha-Yan.

I was sure she had an overwhelming advantage compared to other Level 4—no, even Level 5 mages when it came to the number of spells, overall mana, magic proficiency, and mana recovery rate.

She was the most reliable ally that I could have right now, especially when just about anything could happen. What bothered me was that there were two women following her.

‘Are they going to come with her?’

“...”

‘They look like they want to go home.’

They said not even a word, and it was like following Jung Ha-Yan was only natural for them. I had no idea what kind of agreement they had with each other, but these two looked like maids looking after their princess.

Of course, they looked anxious, and I knew they were experienced players, but they weren’t strong enough to join Woo Hyo-Yeol’s party. Moreover, I didn’t want to increase the number of people in the party because he wouldn't like that.

‘There are only two of them, though… so won’t it be fine? If things don’t work out after giving them a chance… I can give them administrative work… rather than labeling them as party members…’

'No, Woo Hyo-Yeol is pretty sensitive. If his surroundings change too much, he might run away. I’m sure he’ll sniff like some wild dog and then growl after picking up their scent.'

He was very cautious about getting close to people, but there were already three new party members in the party house.

Including the party member whom Woo Hyo-Yeol said that he would bring back with him, and assuming that No Dam-Hye would join us someday, there would be five people for a grand total of eight, including Grandpa Bolt, Woo Hyo-Yeol, and myself.

There were too many people to simply call it a party. This wasn’t good news for me, as I wanted him to take their time getting to know everyone. At this rate, he would become an outcast and stand in the corner during an expedition or a meeting.

‘Or he might feel too burdened to come out…’

I suddenly realized that Kim Hyun-Sung was a competent regressor, much more competent than Woo Hyo-Yeol.

“O-Oppa, h-how much do you remember?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

“I’m not sure. I really… don’t remember anything. My mind feels foggy… so it’s hard to remember things. Strangely, I remember a faint singing voice and… another voice,” I answered.

“D-Do you remember Hyun-Sung oppa?” she asked.

“

Huh?

Who… is that…” I asked.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

‘He's not a sociable person and doesn’t have friends, but she has basic social skills.’

Actually, the words "basic social skills" were an understatement.

Kim Hyun-Sung was the Guild Master of the Blue Guild, and he was the key figure in the Human Alliance Forces. I was sure he would be helpful if he received Jo Hye-Jin’s help, but anyway, it was undeniable that he was in a pretty high position.

Naturally, I felt nervous the more I thought about it.

‘How did he even become a GENIUS?’

And since when did he become aware that one could send quests and messages using holy power?

‘Was it Ji-Hye noona? Is she helping him?’

'Wait, is it possible that he’s not actually dumb? Maybe he never felt like he needed to use his brain until recently.'

Perhaps I was just being worried for no reason, but my steps were gradually getting faster.

“Miss Ha-Yan, I need to head to the temple,” I told her.

“I-I’ll go—”

“No. Please head to the inn I told you about. It’s something I must do.” I interrupted her.

“...”

“...”

“Please,” I added.

“...”

“...”

“D-Don’t take too long,” she said.

‘You think I’ll spend a long time there?’

For now, I had no choice but to send Jung Ha-Yan and her maids to the party house.

After using a warp gate, I headed to Chanelia Hermes’ temple.

My destination was a small city that had only a few warp gates.

‘I’ve been pretty busy.’

I was supposed to visit the temple a long time ago, but I hadn't had the luxury of time, as I was too busy taking care of Woo Hyo-Yeol and creating a party with him.

Moreover, things were going smoothly, so I honestly had forgotten about it.

“Are you Mr. Lee Ki-Young?” a follower asked.

“...”

‘Is this place a shrine or a leather workshop?’

“We’ve been waiting for you. The goddess…” they muttered.

“...”

‘It’s pretty big.’

Chanelia Hermes’ followers greeted me, and she seemed to have predicted that I’d visit them, as the members of her familia walked up to me.

I stepped forward without hesitation, and they followed me quietly as if they were aides assisting the CEO of a large company. I saw an old craftsman constantly wiping his sweat with a handkerchief, and I was sure they had heard about me..

“We heard a lot about you. We prepared tea and snacks for you…” a follower said.

‘You really think I’ll be able to drink tea in my current situation?’

“Did the goddess…”

‘Shut up.’

“Although it’s nothing compared to the goddess, our collections…”

‘I’m not here to shop. Wait, that one isn’t so bad.’

“God of Sacrifice and Revival…” a follower muttered.

‘It’s been a while since I heard that name.’

Since they were aware of my true identity, I was sure they had heard some things about me from Chanelia Hermes. The follower standing next to me had to be the one Chanelia trusted the most.

“Wait… wait…”

It was like they were trying to buy time somehow. Their goal was pretty obvious. I was sure they thought they needed to calm me down a bit, or perhaps they weren’t exactly prepared to welcome me.

When I reached a large door, they definitely thought that they couldn’t stop me anymore because they lowered their head and kneeled. Obviously, before the door could even open, I could already feel fluctuations of holy power from inside the room.

I was sure the room was something similar to a sanctuary. It was probably a space that required permission from the old craftsman, and the room had to be usually sealed until they received word from

her

.

When the door opened, I saw a giant stone statue modeled after Chanelia Hermes and…

‘Look at them.’

I saw some GENIUSES bowing toward me.

“...”

“...”

‘I'm sure they're aware of their mistake.’

Chanelia Hermes and the other GENIUSES had descended here.

This was her own sanctuary, so she probably wasn't facing that many restrictions here.

However, the others had to spend a lot of coins to show up. They all looked different. There were probably less than a hundred of them, but witnessing all of them sprinkling light with their heads down was definitely a sight.

[God of Sacrifice and Revival…]

[God of Sacrifice and Revival…]

[God of Sacrifice and Revival…]

‘They must’ve just now realized the seriousness of the situation.’

[We’ve been waiting for you, God of Sacrifice and Revival.]

“Why were all of you waiting for me instead of coming to visit me?” I asked.

[...]

[...]

[We had no way of contacting you, God of Sacrifice and Revival. We were going to explain our situation to you through Chanelia Hermes, but we were afraid… that the other GENIUSES would find out… I don’t know what to say. Please don’t be so angry.]

A guy who seemed to be the leader of the group spoke up. I wasn’t curious about his nickname or name, but since he was the leader of the group, he shone the brightest.

He was a combatant as well. Although he seemed capable of leading a familia as big as the Flower and Fertility Familia, he had no way of doing that.

‘Because he had invested a lot.’

I was sure this group had spearheaded the plan to turn Woo Hyo-Yeol into a regressor, and they had invested a lot of coins just to invite me here. Only those willing to risk their lives for the Rohen Continent were here.

[I can explain the details if you allow me, God of Sacrifice and Revival.]

“...”

However, it seemed that they thought I was a pushover, so I decided to grab a decoration hanging and threw it to the ground. I threw other stuff as well, and I acted like a lunatic.

A

thud

echoed throughout the quiet sanctuary. Obviously, it didn’t matter whether the item broke or not because it was nothing more than a tool to show them my fury.

These guys looked at me with their heads bowed.

“...”

[...]

My voice echoed loudly throughout the quiet sanctuary.

“Hey, you jerks.”

[...]

“Are you serious right now?”