‘This bastard is seriously...’

His blissful face seemed to suggest that he didn't have even a single worry in the world. He had always been an irritating character, but for some reason, he was even more irritating today. I honestly felt like decking him in the face. He had a goofy grin, and it was obvious that he had been drunk for quite a while now, as he had such a flushed face. It looked like he had downed far more alcohol than Park Deok-Gu or Han Sora, and even his tongue seemed slightly twisted. On top of that...

‘Where the hell did the twins come from, damn it?’

There were even twins sitting with him, and they seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The sight of him with one twin tucked under each arm was something else. As always, the twins had their hair tied into twin tails that swayed lightly in the air, and they were wearing dresses that didn’t suit the era at all.

Just like before, aside from their hair and outfit colors, their faces were completely identical. From both sides, they clung to Ahn Ki-Mo, acting coy in their own way. The two snuggled into his arms and even fed him fried meat with their mouths.

Sure enough, the moment they looked this way, they flinched in surprise. It seemed like they hadn’t expected me to join up this quickly. I knew their identities, which probably made them feel uncomfortable. Of course, Ahn Ki-Mo was no different.

He looked really drunk, unable to think straight, but even so, it seemed to bother him that he had brought his girlfriends—no, his girlfriend and boyfriend—to a gathering with his guild members. Wasn’t he supposed to be on an assignment to the Republic?

Well, technically, it was his free time right now, and I had no intention of interfering with whatever he did, but he seemed like he felt the need to explain the situation. He snapped back to his senses and jumped to his feet. “Ah! S-sir, you’re here early!”

“...”

“...”

“Ah... t-this is... well... m-my girlfriends said they wanted to greet the guild members... that’s all. Hehe... I told them not to follow me, but they ended up joining the peace delegation, anyway. Really... and they just happened to be in the Republic. A-and then, can you believe it? They said they have no work right now! So, I just stopped by for a moment to let them say hello to everyone...” Ahn Ki-Mo rambled on.

“H-Hello~”

“Hello!”

“...”

“We’ve heard a lot about you from Ki-Mo oppa~”

“We’ve heard a lot about you from Ki-Mo oppa~”

“...”

“...”

“Ah... ah, I see. Hello. I think we’ve met before, but it’s good to see you again. Ji-Hye is doing well, right?” I asked.

“Yes! She told us to pass along her regards~”

“She told us to pass along her regards~”

“I’ve been wanting to introduce them to you, sir... hehe... It worked out nicely,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

‘Wow... this bastard is seriously pathetic.’

Anyone could see that he was practically hiding behind the twins.

‘Come on... Ki-Mo...’

He clearly imagined a scenario where he’d get scolded. He was acting on the assumption that I wouldn’t get angry in front of guests. It was painfully clear that he was trying to smooth things over by introducing the twins first and then brushing everything aside.

As if he had decided that I wasn’t that angry, he became a bit more confident, even going so far as to place his hands on the twins’ shoulders.

‘Right, so the pink-haired one on the right is the guy, isn’t he?’

He smiled shyly as he leaned close to Ahn Ki-Mo, and Ki-Mo immediately broke into a wide grin, looking even braver. Of course, the guild members’ gazes weren’t kind. Han Sora turned away as if she had seen something she wasn't supposed to see, Park Deok-Gu clicked his tongue, and Kim Ye-Ri looked like she was staring at garbage.

It was only for a brief moment, but she even considered stabbing him with a dagger.

As for Ahn Ki-Mo...

“T-They’re the people I love, sir," he said, blurting out a confession with a bizarre face upon instinctively realizing that public opinion wasn’t on his side.

“...”

“...”

Kim Ye-Ri and Han Sora’s cold gazes landed on him.

‘Looks like they have no idea that one of them is a guy.’

From a third party’s perspective, it probably didn’t look like the twins were playing with him. Instead, it looked like Ahn Ki-Mo was the one playing with them, so their gazes actually made sense.

“Of course... as I said before, I know this raises ethical issues. Even if polygamy and polyandry are common across the continent... I understand that it’s still hard to accept. Having sisters, twins at that, as lovers at the same time... it’s something that can’t be tolerated by normal standards, and there’s even an age gap, but, sir...” Ahn Ki-Mo trailed off.

‘Why is this bastard trying to convince me?’

“Is being in love... wrong? Is loving them truly a sin?” he questioned.

“...”

“...”

“You can call me trash, I don’t mind, sir. I, Ahn Ki-Mo, have come to understand what true love is after meeting them. That’s right. If this fact were to become known across the continent, there would be all kinds of criticism directed at me. I can already imagine countless speculations and accusations being thrown at me on Benigoa Net.

"But I, Ahn Ki-Mo, do swear here and now that I will never bow to such oppression,” he said.

“...”

“That’s right! Since it’s come to this, I’ll be even more honest with you, sir! After all, isn’t this a world ruled by strength?” he shouted.

Kim Ye-Ri’s expression grew even colder.

“Let them talk all they want. I'll stand proud!” he shouted.

In contrast, the twins were gazing up at Ahn Ki-Mo with sparkling eyes.

“Ki-Mo oppa~”

“Ki-Mo oppa~”

I’d bet anything it was all an act. The fierce twins from the first life were nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by two love-struck figures—no, a boy and a girl acting like something straight out of a romance comic.

The sight of them both planting kisses on his cheeks at the same time was something else, and naturally, Ahn Ki-Mo gained confidence from it.

“That’s right! I, Ahn Ki-Mo...”

‘What the hell is this, some kind of speech?’

I couldn’t even begin to understand what the hell he was trying to accomplish with that speech. It wasn’t the time or place for it, yet here he was, giving some grand declaration of love in a half-collapsing tavern in the Republic, for crying out loud.

We were still surrounded by drunk idiots spouting nonsense, and somewhere nearby, someone was vomiting. No matter how one looked at it, it felt like he was rambling out of nervousness upon being caught red-handed.

Delivering a speech while drunk only made it worse. It went without saying, but his passionate declaration didn’t seem to make much of an impact on public opinion either.

If anything, Kim Ye-Ri’s eyes had grown colder, and even Park Deok-Gu was now looking at Ahn Ki-Mo like he was garbage. Jung Ha-Yan, on the other hand, didn’t seem interested in him at all and was just sniffing at the scent of the twins’ mana.

“Sniff... sniff...”

“...”

“...”

“No matter what happens... I’m prepared to devote everything I have to them,” Ahn Ki-Mo declared.

‘Yeah, looks like you already are.’

Seeing the bags placed next to the twins, I nodded. I didn’t even understand why I recognized them, but...

‘Chanelia Hermes numbering.’

They were numbers 111 and 112, a matching set often called twins, identical in design and known for sharing a connected interior. I had seen them recently in a catalog sitting in my room.

‘That’s a bit much for Ahn Ki-Mo’s salary, isn’t it?’

It wasn’t like his salary was low. If anything, he earned quite a lot, even by Lindel's standards and by the Blue Guild's standards.

‘But prices these days are just insane.’

They had always been expensive, but the prices had skyrocketed to a level that couldn’t even be compared to before. The story that I had been collecting Chanelia Hermes bags ended up driving the market even higher.

Unlike before, they now had numbers and were treated like treasures. The ones from number 1 to 50, were practically urban legends, and they were sitting in my display case, which had turned out to be an unexpected investment.

‘Even ones in the 110 range are basically priced however people feel like, aren’t they?’

The value of the twins that those two were carrying was no joke either.

‘That guy... He’s managing his money properly, right?’

“...”

“...”

I would bet anything that he had less savings than the new recruit Belier. It wasn't because of the twins, but because of his spending habits. Of course, it wasn’t really my business, but he was still someone I felt a bit of attachment to, and family was family, so it crossed my mind every now and then.

Still, that was all it was.

I had no intention of stepping into whatever was going on between him and the twins.

“Ah... o-kay. I’ll support the love between you three,” I said.

“Y-you’re... accepting it?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

‘Why the hell does it matter whether I accept it or not?’

“We can talk about that later. Mr. Ki-Mo. There’s something else more important right now...” I answered.

“Ah—ah! Right!” he exclaimed.

“We all gathered here to enjoy ourselves, so I’m sorry for suddenly bringing up something serious, but I need your help,” I said.

“Ah... I see... that’s fine, sir,” he said.

It was time to ask what I really wanted to know.

‘Right. This guy’s... a priest.’

“Mr. Ki-Mo, you were a battle priest of the Benigoa Order, weren't you?” I asked.

“Ah... yes... I think... so,” he answered.

‘You think?’

“I did switch the one I serve a few times along the way... so I should probably check... Ah! Here it is. So... yes. I’m currently serving Lady Benigoa,” he replied.

‘How the hell did this guy even become a priest?’

The fact that he reached that level without real faith made it clear all over again just how talented Ahn Ki-Mo was.

“You do pray, right?” I asked.

“Of course, sir. Although my faith wavers sometimes and I visit other temples now and then... or just drop by whichever temple is nearby... I do pray sincerely. I also attend gatherings often. Don't you know? I was always there during your prayer meetings. Not only that, but I try not to miss events held by the Order. Of course, I can’t attend all the events...” he answered.

“Events held by the Order?” I asked.

“Yes, there are quite a few of them. There are internal group activities, volunteer work, missionary activities...” he said, listing them all.

“...”

“Then, Mr. Ki-Mo,” I said.

“Yes?”

“Have you ever seen extremists within the Order?” I asked.

“When you say extremists...” he asked.

“I mean exactly that. Extremists,” I answered.

“Ahhh... I see. Of course. Wouldn’t it be strange if there weren’t any? I’ve visited quite a number of temples, and there have always been extremists everywhere. The Benigoa Order isn’t much different. I mean, it’s pretty common, isn’t it?” he said.

“...”

“Gods tend to speak in vague terms or in roundabout ways, so depending on interpretation, you’re bound to get extremists and non-extremists alike. Even high-ranking priests aren’t any different.

"In the case of the Vatican, it’s a bit less severe since they’re directly influenced by Pope Basel, but how could the Pope possibly manage every temple across the continent?” he explained.

“....”

“If anything, temples far from the Vatican are probably worse. I’d bet some of them are filled entirely with extremists. Well, they’re not a huge problem. At the end of the day, those extremists are just a minority, and the work of priests is—huh? Why are you making that face, sir?” he asked.

“...”

‘It’s not the priests that are the problem, you idiot. So what you’re saying is that believers influenced by those insane, fanatic priests are pouring out into the streets right now?’

The thought that Commander Jin was already aware of them popped into my mind.

***

“Noona... Oksana noona... noona...” Sung Ji-Hoon called out.

“Yeah? What is it, Ji-Hoon?” Oksana answered.

“It’s time to pray to the Goddess,” he said.

“I’m really tired right now... Can we do it a little later?” Oksana asked.

“...”

“...”

“No! Noona!” Sung Ji-Hoon yelled at her.

“What?”

“We said we’d go to the temple next week to conveeert! You didn’t pray yesterday eitheeer! You promised you’d praaaay! You have to pray every single time during prayer houuurs!!! That’s the only way you can quickly conveeert!” Sung Ji-Hoon roared.

“...”

“...”

“Alright, alright. Why are you shouting? And what’s with your eyes? That’s kind of scary,” Oksana remarked.

“S-Sorry...”

“No, it’s fine. Okay, let’s pray. You’re the Holy Sword Hero of the Benigoa Order... and I’m a member of your party, so it makes sense for us to pray together,” Oksana replied.

“Yeah... y-yeah. Thank you, noona."