I had an idea of what they thought about me and Jung Ha-Yan because our outer appearance looked totally different from the locals of this place. Unlike the people here who couldn’t wash themselves up properly, Jung Ha-Yan was clean. In addition, she was also wearing makeup and on top of that, she was wearing pretty clothes. Also, we weren’t doing charity work like the people that were looking at us, so simply put, we looked like an immature young couple that came out for a stroll in the slums. I wouldn’t have anything to say even if there was a riot, but the extreme situation where the poor threw rocks at us didn’t happen.
Wearing a neat outfit in the free city of Lindel either meant that they had a strong force, had power, or possessed a lot of gold.
I was sure that they were thinking about the situation where we might express our anger towards them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t feeling hostile towards us.
‘Damn it…’
It was none of my business as to how they were looking at me, but the fact that the woman named Sun Hee-Young, who was potentially the person that Kim Hyun-Sung had his eyes on, was staring at us wasn’t a good thing.
Jung Ha-Yan must have realized that she made a mistake after she saw my expression.
In the end, Sun Hee-Young walked through the poor people and started walking towards me. I wasn’t sure if this was the proper expression, but she gave off a church noona-like impression. She had long hair, large eyes, and an appearance that made her look like she had never suffered a day in her life.
I avoided her gaze and before I had the chance to organize my thoughts on how I should fix this issue, Sun Hee-Young immediately opened her mouth. “Please apologize to them.”
“...”
“Please take back the abusive language you used on them and apologize. No one here deserves to hear that kind of language from you two,” she said.
Even the clan recruiters that were buttering up to this woman raised their voices and it was to the point that I wanted to laugh at this ridiculous situation.
“I don’t know where you two are from, but it would be best to apologize.”
“We’d appreciate it if you took back the abusive words you just said.”
“Are you from the Blue Guild?”
They didn’t look like they were from the Red Mercenary Guild or a large guild. The others that were from small to mid-sized clans were more respectful than I thought. I guess the blue insignia that was on my chest calmed them down.
I could understand why this woman said what she said, but I found it too ridiculous when the people from the other clans and guilds said what they said.
‘Selfish and ambitious person.’
‘Calculative analyst.’
No matter how I looked at it, I saw men that were far from doing volunteer work in here. The worse their nature was, the louder their voices were.
Anyone could see that they were on the side of justice while we were the unrefined couple. Moreover, we were in a situation where there was a clear distinction between who was the good guy and the bad guy.
‘Mistake?’
No, I couldn’t call it a mistake.
I wasn’t sure when the recruitment war started and how much progress Kim Hyun-Sung had made so far in trying to recruit that woman, but I was sure that he wasn’t able to make a proper recruitment offer when there was so much competition, to begin with. I was sure that this didn’t happen recently and I could imagine the entire situation in my head.
To that woman, helping the poor people was her top priority and since she was persistent on that, she wouldn’t be able to go on expeditions after joining a clan or a guild. It only took a moment for me to come up with a totally new method that would fit that woman. Jung Ha-Yan looked slightly discouraged, so I lightly pulled her shoulder towards me and then spoke. “I won’t take it back.”
“E-Excuse…me?”
“I said that I won’t take it back,” I repeated.
“What do you…”
“I don’t think I made a mistake by calling them lazy bastards when all they don’t do anything and just accept what others are giving them,” I explained.
“What are you talking about right now? You’re…part of the Blue Guild,” she said.
“What I say has nothing to do with the guild I’m affiliated with, so whether I’m part of the Blue Guild or not isn’t important. This is totally my own opinion and has nothing to do with the guild,” I said.
“There are things you should say and things you shouldn’t say. You don’t know anything about this place. Just because you wear nice clothes and are at a good place, you don’t have the right to criticize them,” Sun Hee-Young said.
When I remained quiet for a moment, she must have felt proud because she continued talking. “No one is here because they like it. They all have their own reasons and that’s why they are in a corner. In this continent, the smallest mistake can cost your life. Of course, a person like you wouldn’t understand since you were contacted by a guild for your special talent and are living an easy life,” she explained.
When she mentioned me having a special talent, I almost laughed but I slightly frowned when she said that I was living an easy life.
“That’s funny,” I said.
“Sorry?”
“It hasn’t been that long since I arrived here, but I’m sure I lived 10 times more fiercely than them and I’m sure it’s the same for everyone here and the clan people that are over there. Not only did I hunt with my life on the line, but I did dirty work and difficult tasks without nitpicking about it to get to my current position. There isn’t a person alive that wants to die and at the same time, no one wants to work,” I explained.
“Oh…”
“It’s the same for me. I was able to join the Blue Guild after overcoming the risk of dying a few times and I’m sure those people have never put anything on the line for their lives,” I said.
“That’s not true. They…”
“I have an idea,” I said, interrupting her.
“...”
“I think I have an idea as to how they became that way,” I said.
“What are you saying?” she asked.
“You’re the one that made them that way,” I answered.
She was looking at me as if what I said was bullshit, but when thinking about it objectively, I wasn’t wrong.
“You’re the one that made them that way. You gave them food, a roof over their heads, and clothes, which made them like that. You’ve turned them into failures,” I explained.
“How can you say that when…you don’t know anything. You said that you recently arrived here. You don’t know the city’s…current situation, so when you talk like that…I’m not the reason why these poor people exist…i-it’s because of people like you,” she said.
I didn’t know the details, but I knew very well about those types of people.
“Ahhh, you’re referring to the hard-working people,” I said.
“I’m not talking about the hard-working people. The people that look down on the people that are under them, despise others, and only think about their personal gains are what’s causing Lindel to rot,” Sun Hee-Young said.
She wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t agree with her.
“I’ve never burdened others for my own benefit. Of course, some people may feel that way, but…I don’t really understand what you said just now. The people that you need to help aren’t these people. It’s the adventurers that have consistently put their lives on the line when going on expeditions, as well as the laborers that work in difficult environments,” I explained.
It was sophistry. It was definitely sophistry and it might sound like bullshit to her.
Obviously, I wasn’t dissatisfied with the volunteer work itself and on the contrary, I personally respected people that did that, but this woman’s method was wrong.
Nature.
‘Ideal volunteer?’
She could be the type to volunteer for the sake of volunteering.
“I think I understand what you’re saying. You’re saying that I shouldn’t give them the fish, but to teach them…how to fish. Still, you don’t have the right to say something like that when you’re not even doing anything. Your words aren’t convincing…when you’re not doing anything for these people,” she said.
“I came here to do something for them,” I told her.
“What…”
I spoke with a smirk on my face.
“I’ll hire every person that’s here,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll hire every person that’s here and they won’t be doing anything dangerous, but the work may be difficult. You don’t have to worry so much because it’s something a person can do as long as they’re able to move. I’ll even pay them more than the minimum wage,” I said.
“Oh…”
“It’s an opportunity for them to escape their current situation and restore what they had. I may not be able to provide lodging, but I can provide them lunch,” I said.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“It’s up to you guys whether you want to continue living life by mooching off others or if you want to live as a confident member of society. It’s time for all of you to stand up by yourselves,” I said.
I started looking around quietly. It was quiet, but someone was courageous enough to start asking questions.
“Could we know what kind of job it is?”
“As I said, It’s a simple job that’s not dangerous, but I can’t promise you that it won’t be dangerous at all. You can think of it as simple labor,” I answered.
“The pay…”
“I’ll pay you one gold. If there’s additional work, I’ll pay you separately for it. I think it would be best to set the working hours to eight hours per day,” I said.
I heard people murmuring.
“If you don’t believe me, then I’ll invite this person back to the guild and make her an advisor so that all of you will feel reassured,” I suggested.
“I never agreed to do it!” Sun Hee-Young yelled.
“Shouldn’t you keep an eye on me to see what I will do?” I asked.
“T-That’s true, but…”
“This is an opportunity for all of you. It’s work that even people with disabilities can do. Yes, it’s true,” I said.
I was sure that telling them that I was going to bring Sun Hee-Young as the guild’s advisor helped them with their decision because people started to raise their hands slowly.
“I’ll do it.”
“I-I’ll do it too.”
“Me too…”
“I-I’ll do my best if you give me the chance.”
I felt really happy when I saw them raise their hands. When I noticed the shocked expressions on the clan members’ faces as well as Sun Hee-Young’s, I was happier.
“You’ll immediately start working tomorrow and since it’s a simple work, you just have to arrive tomorrow morning by nine o’clock,” I said.
“Okay,” they answered.
I guess Sun Hee-Young was embarrassed about what she said earlier, but she looked as if she didn’t believe me completely. Honestly, it didn’t matter whether she believed me or not.
Jung Ha-Yan was a bit wary of Sun Hee-Young, so when I patted her head and then turned around, Sun Hee-Young quietly came up to me and spoke slowly. “I-I don’t know…what to say, but…t-thank you. But…”
“I don’t understand what you’re thanking me for,” I told her.
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t need to thank me, because.”
“...”
“It won’t really change anything,” I said.
“What are you…”
“I’m sure I told you earlier.”
“What?”
“You’re the one that made them that way,” I said.
It didn’t matter whether those people were accustomed to Sun Hee-Young or not because they were going to think that way anyway.
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