Noel stopped Chi-Hyun as he was about to leave the room. “My Lord, please wait a minute.” She handed over the documents she brought. “What are you going to do with this?”

Chi-Hyun took them and furrowed his brows.

“We need to leave this to someone we can trust, but…you said you’ll be away, and you’re also taking Mr. Ismile.” Noel glanced at him and carefully said, “So I was thinking why don’t we request Seven Stars…”

“No.” Chi-Hyun immediately refused.

“Why?”

One of Chi-Hyun’s eyebrows slowly went up. Noel was… ‘Talking back to me?’ In the past, she always gave an affirmative no matter what he said, but she’d been talking back a lot lately, especially if it was a matter related to his younger brother.

“Is Seven Stars the only large organization in Shalyh?”

“Still…”

“If Ismile and I aren’t here, you always go to Seven Stars. Then what if Seven Stars are gone? Is humanity so incompetent that they can’t do anything?”

“That’s…not it but…” Noel became speechless.

“Seven Stars recently led a prominent expedition to the Hala Forest. However, if I leave this job to them again, there might be complaints that I’m supporting and giving work to only one organization.”

Noel thought, ‘When did you ever care about stuff like that?’ Of course, she kept that to herself.

“And even if I leave this matter to them…Seven Stars might issue a complaint, asking why they always have to step up for dangerous tasks when there are many other organizations.”

Although his words were fair, Noel responded with an unimpressed smile because she could read Chi-Hyun’s inner thoughts. This was different from the mission at the Hala Forest. Chi-Hyun was going to be away for a long time, and in case of an emergency, they couldn’t expect help from Ismile or the Cassiubia League. Since they might end up dying if one thing went wrong, Chi-Hyun probably wanted to send someone he wouldn’t care if they died.

“Then why don't you send out an order to Seven Stars and tell young master to outsource it? Isn’t this a good opportunity for another organization to be indebted to Seven Stars?” In short, Noel was saying that they should let Seven Stars act generous and show off to the other organizations.

Chi-Hyun sighed. Noel was always so eager to give one more thing to Seven Stars. “It’s up to the receiver. Rather than being grateful, they’ll probably dance and announce to everyone that they’re taking work that even Seven Stars find too burdensome.”

Noel nodded because that was also correct. Of course, there was only one organization comparable to Seven Stars at the moment, and Noel was well aware that Chi-Hyun didn’t want Chi-Woo to get involved with that organization, not even one bit.

“This matter…yeah, let’s go with this place.”

After giving out an order, Chi-Hyun returned the documents and left the room.

* * *

A few days passed after that. Yunael was called in by the leader and heard unexpected news.

“It’s an expedition, like what you requested,” Alice said briefly and pushed forward the relevant documents for them to read.

Yunael’s eyes became big as saucers, and they quickly ran and picked up the documents. Their lips twitched as they read through them—it was the expedition they had been long awaiting for. A successful expedition could allow heroes to raise a tier, and Yunael could even aim for a promotion test exemption.

‘What’s up with her though?’ Yunael stared curiously at Alice, who was fiddling with her potted flower. Since Alice had been apathetic when they made the request, Yunael hadn’t expected much, but it seemed she had actually kept their words in mind and had taken a few days to find a suitable expedition for them. “I’ll also be going on this expedition with you.”

However, as soon as they heard those words, Yunael’s elated mood crashed down like bitcoin.

“What? No! Why?” Yunael looked dumbfounded as they stared at Alice, who was lovingly caressing the potted flower.

Alice replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll just follow you as an observer. You’ll be the one leading this expedition.”

Ha. Yunael’s mouth slightly widened. ‘Man, that’s not the problem. If you follow me, you’ll take all the spotlight even if you really don’t do anything during the expedition.’ Yunael almost said this out loud, but barely managed to suppress their urge. On one hand, having Alice around could act as an insurance when things got dangerous, but Yunael, who was full of desire to succeed and prove themselves, thought that Alice was trying to take the merits for herself after making them do all the dirty work. However, Yunael couldn’t object to Alice’s justification that she needed to evaluate whether they were capable of directing an expedition alone, and Alice was the one who brought this expedition to them in the first place. Yunael had no choice but to follow orders.

On top of that, Yunael was the one in a hurry. They needed to raise their tier to gold as soon as possible. “…I understand.” In the end, they had no choice but to accept the condition and withdraw. However, no matter how bad the situation seemed to be, there was always a bright side to it. When preparing for the expedition the next day, Yunael received an urgent call from their leader and heard unexpected news.

“The expedition I told you about yesterday, I think we need to put it on hold for a while.”

“What?!” This was disastrous news to Yunael, who had decided to endure with the hope of gaining merits. However, after listening to Alice, they could understand Alice’s reasoning. She told them a person had come to visit her from the main square this morning, and they specifically assigned a different job to Ho Lactea. The visitor was no other than Noel Freya, the hero who worked under Chi-Hyun and the one the legend implicitly allowed to follow him. Thus, this must be an order from the legend.

Yunael instinctively coveted this work, but didn’t make the mistake of embarrassingly stepping out of line. Since the legend was the one who commissioned it, this was probably not going to be an ordinary expedition. Given its importance, Alice Ho Lactea would probably take the lead herself.

“Then…will I also be participating? Did you call for me…?”

“Yes. It’s a matter that our organization would have to put an all-out effort into. For now, we will move first with a small number of elite members and let the second division follow behind to support the first division.”

“Then I’ll…”

“I want you to join the second division.”

Yunael shut their eyes. Since Yunael was clever, they accurately understood Alice’s intention right away. She had judged that it would be better to accomplish this mission by quickly moving a few elite heroes rather than a large group. However, that alone was not reassuring. Considering Alice’s thorough personality and her tendency to plan everything to the tee, she probably thought that making preliminary preparations for unforeseen variables was also necessary. In short, she was telling them to participate in this expedition as a backup to prepare for unexpected situations. Naturally, this wasn’t favorable for Yunael. If this expedition ended successfully, the fame would naturally go to Ho Lactea, and the merits would be shared by the first team, including Nangnang.

It was highly likely that Yunael would only lose valuable time. The situation got even worse than before. This was the worst ever. Yunael could have at least gotten merits in the expedition they had been preparing for, but for this, they might not get anything. Yunael couldn’t afford to waste any time.

There’s always an endless amount of work though.

‘While I dawdle like this, Aida would be…!’ Yunael recalled their meeting with Aida a few days ago and clenched their fists; that was why they accidentally let loose, “I don’t want to.” After saying this, they immediately realized their mistake. Since they decided to join Ho Lactea, Alice was their leader, and Yunael was just a mere member. They had a duty and obligation to follow the leader as much as they received. Yunael felt Alice stare intently at them from behind her veil.

Yunael bit their lower lip. It was a mistake, but since they already crossed the line, Yunael went all out with the determination that they might be kicked out. “Please exclude me,” they continued. “It doesn't matter if it’s just one person, right? Unless Ho Lactea’s forces are that weak.”

Alice, who had been constantly touching the potted flower, paused.

Yunael said, “The expedition I was preparing for…I want to continue it.”

Besides everything else, Alice was irritated that Yunael used her family name to make their point. Although she was descended from a god, she was also a human being in the end and felt normal emotions. Moreover, she wasn’t stupid and could understand why Yunael was dissatisfied.

“You’re still a silver tier,” after a brief pause, Alice replied. “And it hasn’t been long since you entered Liber.” No matter what a talented new star they were, this was time for them to gain experience. Although there was no way Yunael didn’t catch the meaning behind her words, they didn’t say anything. Yunael was expressing through silence that they had no intentions to back down.

On second thought, there were rarely any heroes who were not stubborn. Alice sighed softly. “Since the expeditions overlap, it’ll be hard for me to provide any support to your expedition.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“…Is that so?”

She sounded like she was testing them. Yunael nodded and shouted, “Yes!”

“It’s good to be motivated, but… No, it’s fine. Then give it a go.” Alice turned around and shifted her gaze to the potted flower. This was the end of their conversation.

Yunael quickly stepped outside. Although Yunael felt like they had gone slightly out of line, they got what they wanted in the end. Support from Ho Lactea? They didn’t need it. Just Tania’s name alone and the fact that it was an expedition would attract people like clouds. If Yunael picked a few out of them, they would be able to form a proper team in a jiffy.

‘Then give it a go?’ Yunael snorted. ‘Yeah, I’ll show you.’ A crisis could also be an opportunity. Yunael had no intention to lick the bottom of Ho Lactea’s foot forever. They planned to use this opportunity to prove themselves and make their name, Yunael Tania, known.

* * *

Since then, Yunael’s actions were just short of being reckless. Worried that Alice might reverse her decision, Yunael quickly gathered people on that day to form an expedition and left Shalyh. They moved so fast that lightning seemed to have struck and passed by.

On the other hand, Ho Lactea’s official expedition departed five days after. It took some time to prepare as this was an extremely important matter that Alice couldn’t afford to fail. Ho Lactea set up a large team of more than 70 people, including outside personnel, and left with everyone’s attention. However, a problem arose less than three days after their departure.

When they were passing the gate at the edge of the sanctuary, the expedition had to stop marching because Nangnang hurriedly came to break the news.

“Captain! Captain! Now, in Shalyh…!”

Upon hearing the news, Alice quietly fell into thought. Given her thorough and meticulous personality, she didn’t like variables. However, a variable had occurred. On the other hand, it was not an unexpected one; it was a variable that she thought might emerge, but in the end, she decided to trust that person—her faith and trust evaporated just now. The only thing left was to respond to the variable.

“What should we do? We can’t turn the expedition around now…”

“That’s out of the question,” Alice said calmly. This expedition was significantly more important, given it was the result of the organization’s all-out efforts. Of course, this didn’t mean that she could completely ignore the unexpected occurrence either—at least for the sake of Ho Lactea’s prestige. Then what should she do?

‘I can’t handle it on my own under the current circumstances.’ Unless she completely changed the trajectory of the expedition, she needed to get outside help. Was there a reliable party that would help someone from the Ho Lacteas, who rivaled the Chois? After organizing her thoughts, Alice let out a soft exclamation, “Ah.”

“Nangnang.” Alice looked down at Nangnang, who had his tail raised straight. “He’s registered on your device, right?”

“What? Are you talking about…the legend? No! Of course not!”

“No, not—hmm. I’m not talking about him.”

“Then who are you…ah!” Nangnang’s eyes widened after realizing who she was talking about. “Uh…yes, but…”

* * *

Seven Stars had been having a peaceful time in recent months. The first team, led by Ru Amuh, was steadily fulfilling requests with Aida. They were making money and building merits at the same time, shooting two birds with one arrow. There was nothing to worry about with Eustitia either. Based on the news that Eval Sevaru gave him, Emmanuel seemed to be doing well. In particular, Emmanuel’s reputation, which had hit an all-time low, had been completely reversed these days. After gaining confidence by awakening his Lightning Fire ability, he was leading Eustitia with strong leadership. Of course, this didn’t mean there was no problem at all. There was something that concerned Chi-Woo.

“What do I do about that guy…” Chi-Woo stared anxiously at the fenrir cub, who had eaten a lot like usual and was lying down lazily. The cub did the same thing every day; eat, sleep, and poop. Then when someone tried to touch them, they showed their teeth and went crazy. Chi-Woo wondered if the cub might have depression, but with careful observation, that didn’t seem like the case. The fenrir cub’s face was full of satisfaction and content; they were basically enjoying their life to the fullest in paradise.

“I wonder what that wolf is thinking,” Chi-Woo tilted his head and muttered.

And suddenly, a calm voice interrupted his thoughts. “Ah~ So nice~”

Chi-Woo turned around and blinked.

“I’m so full~ My back is warm~” Aida seemed to be imitating someone’s voice.

“…Ms. Aida?”

“I don’t understand why people scold me for lying down immediately after eating~ Even though it’s so comfortable like this~”

Chi-Woo stared blankly at Aida and looked back at the fenrir cub. Then he clearly saw the cub stick out their tongue and smack their lips in satisfaction. Maybe it was because today they were given meat, the fenrir cub had gobbled up their meal without any complaints.

“This place is so great~ It’s the best~ I hope I can continue to live like this without doing anything~”

Chi-Woo became speechless as he saw the cub rub their back and flap their tail. Then he looked back at Aida again. She also slowly turned towards him.

Aida replied, “It seemed like you were curious about that divine beast’s thoughts.”

“…Really? The cub is really thinking that?”

“That’s what I sensed.”

“Sigh…” Chi-Woo clutched his forehead with his hand. Since the fenrir cub was born with the fate of becoming a god, he had thought they would do well on their own. But that wasn’t the case at all; they were just a baby. The cub had become completely immersed in their safe and peaceful environment.

‘I can’t leave them like that.’ Feeling like he could hear Hati Hróðvitnisson wailing, asking why Chi-Woo was raising his child to be a hikikomori, Chi-Woo felt determined. Chi-Woo thought he needed to make the cub earn their keep soon. Moreover, the cub seemed to have become friends with steam bun these days, and steam bun was a bad influence.

‘These little punks, I can’t leave them alone.’ Chi-Woo firmly resolved himself and realized Aida was still near him when he heard a chuckle.

Chi-Woo asked, “Come to think of it, you’re leaving today, right?”

“Yes. I’m here to say goodbye before I go.”

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“You can just go next time without greeting me.”

“Haha. Then I’ll be back.” She bowed and turned around. After seeing her off, Chi-Woo trained and enjoyed some quiet time. It was going smoothly. Everything was going too smoothly. No unexpected event. No hiccups… Thanks to that, Chi-Woo was enjoying a relaxed afternoon he hadn’t had for a while, but he didn’t completely let down his guard because he was used to staying alert now.

‘It’s about time…’ It was about time for an incident to happen. After hearing that his brother would be away recently, Chi-Woo became certain of it. Events always suddenly increased in scale, swirled like a storm, and suffocated him. What he could do to prepare was…Ring!

Suddenly, a notification came up. Chi-Woo, who was immersed in his thoughts while drinking tea, instinctively turned on his device.

“…” Staring in the air, his expression darkened.