CHAPTER 103
After leaving the Regular Army headquarters with Lululio, who had been worn to a frazzle by Anastasia, I saw the sky was already beginning to set.
It seemed it was time to head back to Aranseol and Babiyen.
But there was something else weighing on my mind.
The fact that Nox had been devastated.
Since there was a high probability Horizon had gone to Nox, I was worried about her.
'I should probably go to Nox and check.'
We still hadn't heard from her, and since we had to go to the 2nd World soon, we needed Horizon.
She was the only scout who knew our entire situation.
We couldn't take Arshel with us again this time.
'More than anything, I need Horizon's shadow.'
I had done some research on the Deadly Sins myself.
Not knowing what might happen in the future, I had specifically asked Inferno for information.
That was how I learned what one of the Deadly Sins used.
The Deadly Sin of Envy.
Shadow.
He is a member of the Shadow Tribe.
The incident that made the Sin of Envy most infamous was the slaughter of his own kind.
He had committed endless kin-slaying, to the point where it could be said he killed most of the Shadow Tribe.
As a result, the once-prosperous Shadow Tribe became so small in number that they were said to be on the verge of extinction.
And one more thing.
The Sin of Envy is a mutant, just like Horizon.
'The one who kidnapped Aranseol and Babiyen back then was the Deadly Sin of Envy.'
At that time, Horizon was with the two of them.
In fact, I had even taken Horizon's finger, anticipating that she might be kidnapped as well.
But Horizon was not kidnapped.
Why was that?

'The Deadly Sin of Envy hates all members of the Shadow Tribe and is trying to kill them.'
If that were him, he would have definitely targeted or killed Horizon. The reason he didn't comes from the commonality between them.
Because Horizon is a mutant, just like the Sin of Envy.
The Sin of Envy is not the kind of person to feel pity for a fellow mutant and spare them.
In a situation where he had to carry out a kidnapping, there was no way he would harbor such feelings.
'There's a high probability that shadows don't work between fellow mutants.'
In the urgent situation of kidnapping the Sword Lord's disciple, the Sin of Envy had inadvertently revealed a mistake he shouldn't have.
Among the Shadow Tribe, shadows don't work between fellow mutants.
This will become an important tool in the coming war.
For this reason, I absolutely had to find Horizon.
"Lululio."
"Yeees, sirrr."
Lululio answered, her voice completely stretched out.
"After we regroup with the other two, we're going to Nox."
I must find Horizon.

As we were walking, I spotted a familiar face in a secluded corner.
There was a man who had set up shop and sat down, even after the great earthquake.
Huh.
"Dark Hood?"
The Designated Merchant.
Dark Hood.
He was there.
I couldn't believe he was doing this even after the earthquake.
Given the situation, no one around him was paying him any mind, but it was definitely him.
As I hurried over to him, Dark Hood raised an eyebrow and looked my way.
"You are the one who healed me."
He recognized me too.
"You said you were chasing Black Dawn. Did you find that Reincarnation Blood?"
Right after his resurrection, Dark Hood had said he would immediately chase after Black Dawn.
That's why there had been no news of him since, so I never thought he'd reappear like this.
"Not yet."
But it seemed he hadn't caught Black Dawn.
"Then, why are you here?"
"Business is business."
A true merchant.
I looked at him, slightly dumbfounded, before turning away.
"Will you be staying here today?"
"I will."
Good, that's all I needed.
As it happened, I had some business with him.
"I'll be right back."
Leaving him be, I hurried off.
A short while later, I could see the temporary tent where we had been staying for some time in the distance.
In front of it, Arshel was staggering out.
She, too, had somehow ended up helping people with us, and her face was exhausted.
"Ah, Harua."
"Arshel, where's Babiyen?"
"Don't know. She's probably around here somewhere."
Arshel let out a deep sigh.
She went through a lot, too.
"Arshel, you can go back now. You've worked hard."
"Oh, really?"
"It's not like anyone was holding you here in the first place. You stayed of your own free will."
"W-Well, that's true. But, you know, there's a certain duty."
She may prey on men, but at least she has some principles.

I'll make a special exception and raise your grade among the uncivilized this-worlders.
"The situation is mostly sorted out. The Cain situation is over, too, so you have nothing to worry about now."
Arshel let out a breath as if finally relieved and nodded.
"I see. Alright. Phew, I should probably head back and get some rest now."
"Yeah, you've been through a lot."
As Arshel was about to leave, she seemed to remember something and came up beside me.
I wasn't sure what was going on, but she slowly raised the corners of her lips.
"I still haven't given you a personal thank you for saving me from my stalker. You're my symbol of good luck, and I even made a lot of money thanks to you."
"Are you going to give me money or something?"
"No, something better than that."
Arshel was short.
Perhaps because of that, as she came next to me, she stood on her tiptoes.
In that moment, I suddenly felt a warm sensation on my cheek.
"Ooh."

From behind, Lululio made a face like she was eating popcorn.
As I turned my head to see what was happening, she pressed her lips against my cheek and made a chu motion with her hands.
"It's a gift from the goddess. Luck will follow you, so be grateful."
It feels like a dog licked my cheek.
Arshel giggled and took a few steps back from me.
"Just give me the money instead."
"Hey, that's a precious gift I don't give to just anyone. You have no idea how many people at the Pioneer's Guild covet it."
"I said just give me the money."
Arshel stubbornly ignored my words.
At that moment, Arshel's body froze solid.
"Uh, ah, haha, w-well then, I-I'll be going now?"
And with that, she turned around and suddenly started running away at full speed.
I raised my eyes at her sudden escape.
Then, this time, Lululio also stealthily took a step back.
"Harua-nim, fighting-ssumda."
Confused by her actions as well, I soon turned my head back.
And there, a single woman was standing.
The most beautiful face I knew was standing in that spot, smiling.
It was Aranseol.
"Aranseol."
"Harua, welcome back."
She maintained her smile as she approached me.
Her smile was exceptionally radiant today.
"Oh, right. Aranseol, where's Babiyen?"
"Babiyen? She should be around here somewhere. Why?"
"The Designated Merchant showed up. I was thinking of taking her to him about that medicinal herb from before."
"I see. You should take her right away."
Aranseol said, still smiling.
She always smiled a lot whenever our eyes met, but today she was smiling even more.
"Ah, Harua."
Just then, Aranseol came right up in front of me.
She then pulled up her sleeve and began to wipe my cheek.
"You've got something on you."
"I do?"
"Yes, quite a lot. Let me wipe it off for you, just a moment."
Aranseol pressed her sleeve firmly against my cheek again and again.
Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be coming off easily.
After wiping for a long time, Aranseol finally nodded as if satisfied.
"From now on, try not to get things on you, okay?"
"As if I have any control over that."
"You can do it, Harua."
As she said that, Aranseol glanced at my cheek.
She puckered her lips slightly before opening them, then tightly hugged my arm.
I could clearly feel the soft sensation against my arm.
Is Aranseol going through a growth spurt?
"What is it?"
"I just felt like holding on. We're going to find Babiyen, right?"
"We have to."
If she wants to hold on, what can I do?
I was used to physical contact with Aranseol, so I didn't think much of it.
But Aranseol hugged my arm even tighter, as if imprinting it on her surroundings.
Did she have a nightmare about me dying today or something?
Somehow, her cautious gaze toward our surroundings was excessive.
Lululio also followed quietly behind us with short steps.
She was clearly maintaining a distance, making sure not to get too close.
"Aranseol, I'm alive and well."
"Hm? I know that."
Aranseol looked up at me as if asking what I was talking about.
"You were being overly wary of our surroundings."
"This is necessary."
Vigilance is always necessary, I suppose.
I decided to just leave her be.
"…What are you two doing?"
After we had been asking around for quite a while, we finally met up with Babiyen again.
The moment Babiyen saw us, she frowned.
She had an expression of extreme annoyance.
"What do you mean? We came looking for you."
"Did you come to make fun of me?"
Babiyen was clearing the debris of a collapsed house nearby.

To her, we probably looked like we were just wandering around, having fun.
“Not a chance. The Designated Merchant is here. I was thinking of taking the herbs Bulldog gave me and paying him a visit.”
“The Designated Merchant… is that the person you mentioned once before?”
“Yeah. The one who helped with Aranseol’s attribute awakening and helped me gain divine power.”
“Take me there at once!”
The look in Babiyen’s eyes changed in an instant.
She realized what a rare opportunity this was.
“What about the herb bag?”
“It’s in the tent. No one’s touched it.”
“That’s because everyone knew you were treating people, Harua. The people around here took turns standing guard.”
So that’s why the bag was always in the same place.
“Let’s grab it and go.”
At that, Aranseol finally let go of me.
We immediately returned to the tent, packed the herbs, and hurried on our way.
We had to get something out of the Designated Merchant, Dark Hood, before he left.
With that thought driving us, we walked quickly and soon returned to the same spot.
Thankfully, Dark Hood was still there.
Today, he didn't have a single customer and was just swatting at flies.
And yet, his expression was as impassive as ever.
“Mr. Dark Hood.”
“You’ve returned.”
“Yes. By any chance, do you have anything you could sell to this friend of mine?”
At my gesture, Babiyen stepped forward with a nervous look on her face.
She, too, was desperate for strength.
Having experienced the effects of Dark Hood’s wares firsthand, her face was filled with anticipation for what he might have.
Dark Hood stared intently at Babiyen for a moment.
Then, he cracked his neck and turned his head away.
“Nothing.”
Seriously? He didn’t even pretend to think about it.