The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

“No, I’m fine.”
Do Hajun rubbed his face with one hand and shook his head. Eun Yul sighed quietly at the sight.

It had already been over a week since the terrorist attack on the set of Two Suns Beneath the Sky. Although the situation had been resolved long ago, one person still hadn’t returned.

“Boss, I’m sure Miss Do Haun is safe with Mr. Hae Roun.”

“Yeah… she probably is…”

“So, please try not to worry too much—”

“How can I not worry?!”

Do Hajun slammed his hands on the desk and shouted. Immediately, he buried his face in his hands, mumbling under his breath.

“Sorry, I’m sorry, Yul. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. I’m just furious at myself for being so useless that I can’t even find my sister…”

“…It’s fine, Boss. I spoke without thinking.”

At Eun Yul’s words, Hajun took a deep breath. His sister, along with her bodyguard, had vanished.

He’d believed they would return quickly, but over a week had already passed.

Attempts to track their location had failed; their signals couldn’t be detected. Though it seemed they were safe, given that they were still using their card, the uncertainty gnawed at him.

“What on earth are they doing…”

Not to mention, they had spent a whopping 990,000 won.

Hajun ran a hand through his messy hair and grimaced. He’d even gone to the locations where the card had been used, but nobody there had any answers. CCTV footage from the times the card was used showed nothing.

“Haun…”

Hajun groaned his sister’s name as he buried his face on the desk again.

After all the effort it had taken to find her, he couldn’t bear losing her again like this.

“Boss.”

“Just give me a moment to sit like this.”

“That’s not it. We’ve received contact from Mr. Do Hain.”

At those words, Hajun shot up from his seat. Eun Yul silently handed him the phone.

“Hain?”

―Hyung, I just finished meeting with CEO Kang.

Hajun quickly asked, “What did he say? Did he mention seeing Haun or Mr. Roun?”

―No, another dead end.

At the response, Hajun’s face fell as he slumped back into his chair.

―But I’m sure CEO Kang is hiding something.

“Can you dig deeper?”

―Of course.

At his youngest brother’s confident reply, Hajun extended a hand toward Eun Yul, who passed him several densely written sheets of paper.

[…One peculiar note: the individual’s whereabouts remain unclear from 20■■.6.19 to 20■■.6.26…]

A one-week gap.

Hajun’s expression hardened as he stared at the report. It reminded him of the year-long disappearance of his sister, during which nobody had known where she was.

Tapping the desk lightly, Hajun spoke in a subdued voice.

“…Be careful, Hain.”

―Got it.

With that, the call ended.

*****

| Pr. Spirit Master |: How exactly are you planning to handle this situation?!

A sudden message popped up, interrupting my peace. I bit into an unfamiliar snack, chewing slowly.

| Pr. Spirit Master |: Don’t think I don’t know you’re ignoring my messages.

What a sharp-tongued pest. I swallowed the snack before replying.

| Pr. Guild Master (Godslayer) |: I said I’d take care of it, didn’t I?

―Take care of it, my foot!!

“Ugh…!!”

This insane Spirit Master never misses a chance to shout at me. My ears buzzed as his loud voice practically assaulted my eardrums.

| Pr. Guild Master (Godslayer) |: You damned Spirit Master!!
| Pr. Spirit Master |: I’m telling you, take this seriously! Answer properly after giving it some real thought!!

I pouted at his heated messages.

| Pr. Spirit Master |: Do you even realize how much trouble I’m in because of you right now?!

“How would I know…” I muttered under my breath, slouching back against the sofa.

To be fair, I was well aware of the kind of mess the Spirit Master must have been dealing with. After all, the last person to show up after the Two Suns Beneath the Sky incident was none other than Kang Hasu.

And that too, in pristine condition without so much as a scratch, which had stirred up quite the buzz. Though, of course, the media quickly shifted their attention to the recovery of Woo Mahan, the guild leader of Erosia.

Any mention of me or the troublesome mage had likely been blocked by Haun’s side.

“Well, I guess that’s a relief,” I muttered, shoving another handful of snacks into my mouth.

| Pr. Spirit Master |: Deputy Guild Master Do Hain came by again today!

My dear younger brother, with nothing better to do, apparently. Just a few days ago, he had even visited the Hero’s shop.

Thankfully, the annoying mage had erased all traces of my presence; otherwise, the Hero would’ve had a rough time explaining things.

Chewing the snacks, I found myself reminiscing about that day.

| Pr. Spirit Master |: He looked absolutely exhausted with those dark circles under his eyes!!

“…”

For some reason, I felt my throat tighten, and I hastily downed the remaining juice in the bottle. Oh no, that was the mage’s.

| Pr. Spirit Master |: How long do you plan to keep wandering around outside?!

How long? Honestly, I hadn’t planned to be out for this long either.

I thought I could shake Dragon Slayer by the collar and get him to spill something about Gloria. But…

| Pr. Guild Master (Godslayer) |: Don’t worry, I’ll return on my own time.

| Pr. Spirit Master |: Guild Master, I’m not worried about you! I’m worried about my own safety!!

What a lousy guild member.

Deciding to end the conversation, I sent a final message.

| Pr. Guild Master (Godslayer) |: I’ll handle it, so stop messaging me.

―Guild Master!!

“Argh! For real!!”

Shouting in frustration, I plugged my ears and yelled back.

“I said I’ll return! I’ll return, okay?!”

Of course, I sent that in a message too.

“And if you send one more message, I’ll make you the second corporate office hunter H!”

That was added as well. Thankfully, the warning seemed to have worked, as no more messages came from the Spirit Master.

I took a deep breath.

Once again, let me reiterate—I didn’t expect to be wandering around for this long.

That damned Dragon Slayer, every time I tried to ask him something, he’d either pass out again or dodge the topic entirely.

The mage’s spell must’ve worked a little too well because Dragon Slayer would lose consciousness before I even got to Gloria’s “G.”

He’d been going in and out of consciousness ever since.

“…”

But wait, why is he awake now?

Dragon Slayer was staring at me with a tired expression.

“…A one-man show?”

“Shut up.”

I brushed the crumbs off my hands and glanced at him. Every time I considered using the Saintess’s power, he’d sober up. And every time I tried to question him, he’d pass out.

Yet here he was, suddenly awake.

I frowned deeply and asked, “Did you sleep well?”

“Do I look like I slept well?”

He raised his chained wrists to show me. I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, since you seem rested enough, let me ask you a few things.”

“Do you think I’ll answer you?”

Dragon Slayer smirked crookedly, his expression full of defiance. That bastard only seemed to get talkative when he thought he had the upper hand. I pondered how to deal with him when the door suddenly burst open.

“Do Haun.”

“Demon King, how many times have I told you to knock?”

“I forgot.”

The Demon King, who had rushed to the Hero’s shop the moment Woo Mahan regained consciousness, strolled in.

Dragon Slayer frowned and muttered sluggishly, “…Demon King?”

“Did you call for me?”

“……?”

Dragon Slayer’s rare look of genuine confusion was almost amusing. Really, was there anyone who wouldn’t be thrown off by the Demon King’s presence?

I sighed deeply, as if from the very bottom of my soul, and spoke.

“Well, you’re here now, Demon King. Good timing.”

“Didn’t you just scold me a moment ago?”

“That wasn’t scolding. I was just reminding you to knock next time.”

“Is that so?”

I swallowed back the curse threatening to spill out.

“…Yes, that’s it.”

The Demon King nodded, declaring that he would be sure to remember in the future.

How many times has he said that already? This damned Demon King.

Grinding my teeth, I moved on. “What about the assignment?”

“It has been completed.”

“And the mage? Where is he?”

At my question, the Demon King merely shrugged.

Though things hadn’t exactly been peaceful, I’d sent the Demon King and the mage off together for a sudden and urgent request. But judging by his reaction…

“That damned fellow, don’t bother looking for him with me, Do Haun.”

They must’ve had a huge fight.

Our guild members seriously needed to learn how to get along.

“Got it. For now, can you put that Forbidden Pact thing on him?”

“As you wish.”

At least the Demon King was obedient when it came to things like this.

[Forbidden Pact (Lv. ??) applied. Designated targets: Godslayer and Dragon Slayer]
[Party A (Godslayer) → Party B (Dragon Slayer)]

It seemed Dragon Slayer received the same notification message. His eyes widened as he stared at me. I responded with a sly smile.

“I’m going to ask you three questions now.”

“I won’t…!”

“You’d better answer.”

I raised three fingers, grinning.

“If you don’t answer, you’ll lose your tongue. And trust me, I’m not joking.”

Dragon Slayer’s face tensed with suspicion, his eyes filled with wariness. I chuckled softly and explained.

“The one who cast the spell on both you and me wasn’t the benevolent and kind Saintess. It was the Demon King.”

“Does the Saintess know how to use magic?”

Demon King, please…

Swallowing my irritation, I directed my first question at Dragon Slayer.

“Who told you about me?”

“……”

He remained silent, glaring at me. His sharp gaze made my face twist in frustration. I rephrased the question.

“Fine. Let me ask this instead. Are the ones who told you about me connected to Gloria?”