[Quest
Hear about the temple and the priests from the two boys.
Reward: 1 Conversation Ticket with an Ancient God]
When the quest window popped up, all I could do was let out a dry laugh.
So, they’d been watching me this whole time, even while staying silent?
That thought was both annoying and a little creepy.
‘What, are they pervs or something.’
To them, it might be called “surveillance,” but from my end, it didn’t feel great.
Maybe they weren’t observing me as meticulously as before, but still—not my problem.
Just imagining that they watched the entire process of me falling for Raizen and then making a whole damn mess of myself over it…
Anyway, all of that aside, what bothered me most was how they’d stayed quiet all this time after I left the Duke’s estate, and now they suddenly toss me a quest.
[What’s wrong?]
Seol asked, maybe because I’d been staring into space.
I glanced at him, hesitated.
‘Will this get filtered?’
Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth.
“…Uh, a quest just popped up.”
[A quest?]
It didn’t get filtered.
Seol might be a divine beast and know a lot about me, but still…
Quests were probably a system the Ancient Gods created for the convenience of us transmigrated.
Seol had never once spoken for the Ancient Gods before.
So, considering there were multiple Ancient Gods, it made more sense that divine beasts each followed their own god.
Usually, they’d follow whoever created or appointed them.
At first, I thought maybe Seol followed Noah or one of the gods from Noah’s side.
That they assigned Seol to me as a stand-in since Noah couldn’t talk to me anymore.
‘But that wasn’t it.’
Seol was just… Seol. By my side as himself.
The Ancient Gods gave quests through the system, not through Seol.
[Why are you looking at me like that?]
‘Seol… which god do you serve, as a divine beast?’
The way he acted—like he knew not only my current situation but also my life back in Korea.
Sometimes, it was so uncanny I wondered if we’d met in Korea.
He never spoke a word about the Ancient Gods, only ever focused on my well-being and emotions.
As if… he existed solely for me.
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, the quest says I need to hear what the boys know about the temple and the priests.”
[Really? Hasn’t it been totally quiet until now?]
“Yeah. And then, this happens out of nowhere.”
[Hmph.]
‘Hmph?’
He was clearly annoyed. I looked at him curiously.
With a grumpy expression still on his face, Seol continued.
[Well, we should do what it says. Want me to help with anything?]
“Uh… yeah, could you check around the house a bit? The priests didn’t seem to notice when I brought the kids in, but just in case.”
[Got it.]
Seol answered obediently, then stopped just as he was about to turn.
[By the way, what’s the reward?]
“The reward? One ticket to talk with an Ancient God…”
[Goddamn.]
Leaving behind a very earthy curse, Seol zipped away.
The kids came out after finishing their bath just as I was finishing setting up the delivered food.
“All clean? Come over, let’s eat.”
“Um, really… is, is this all for us?”
“For real…?”
Their eyes went so wide I thought they might just pop out.
Now that their faces were clean, the pure emotion showing on them made me smile without thinking.
“Yeah. Come on and eat.”
The two boys rushed toward the table but hesitated before sitting.
I noticed them glancing between the chairs and their clothes—they were still wearing their own clothes instead of the new ones I’d prepared.
I completely understood why they wouldn’t want to put on new clothes, or even feel hesitant about sitting.
I just smiled brightly and urged them to take a seat.
Only then did they sit down.
“If you eat heavy food right away, your stomach’s going to hurt. I put lighter stuff close to you, so start with those, and take it slow with the rest.”
The boys nodded hard, still unable to take their eyes off the food.
When I told them they could start, they picked up the fork and knife—awkwardly—and began to eat.
Even then, they started with the food placed closest to them, just like I’d told them, which was honestly kind of sweet.
“D-Delicious! It’s…!!”
“W-Whoa…”
Watching them eat with such delight made me feel full.
Though the way they kept sneaking glances at me tugged at my heart a little.
‘Do I have any indigestion meds at home…’
Even so, eating a lot at once after starving could easily make them sick.
Leaving a word for them to eat comfortably, I left the dining room to go find some medicine.
Right then, Seol returned.
[Where are you going?]
“To find some stomach medicine for the kids.”
[Oh, it’s in the cabinet left of the kitchen.]
“Thanks. Oh, and how’s it look outside?”
Seol lowered his eyes slightly as he answered.
[No priests or temple people around.]
‘Temple people’?
That phrasing was a little strange, but I didn’t press.
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Just the fact that the priests hadn’t caught on was enough. It meant the kids wouldn’t be in danger either.
“Good job. Once they finish eating, I’m going to talk to them—you’re going to listen too, right?”
[Yeah. I’ll stay invisible.]
“Perfect.”
Just like Seol said, I found the medicine in the cabinet left of the kitchen.
After grabbing a good amount, I stood for a moment near the living room window.
I usually kept the curtains drawn, but now I pulled them aside, revealing the garden, the front gate, and just a hint of the world beyond.
There really wasn’t anyone near the front gate.
And yet… I couldn’t take my eyes off it so easily.
How long did I stand there, unmoving?
Just when I thought Seol had gone off to rest, he came over and told me the kids were done eating.
I loaded up a trolley with strawberry cheesecake and milk and rolled it into the dining room.
“All done eating? Then, let’s have dessert.”
I quickly cleared the table and placed the dessert in front of them.
The kids, mouths slightly open, looked between me and the dessert—and then, out of nowhere, tears began to fall from their eyes.
“…?! W-Why are you crying?”
I hadn’t expected both of them to cry.
When I asked in surprise, it was the usually fierce one who burst into loud sobs.
The other boy, who had just been trembling silently with tightly shut lips, finally opened his mouth.
“Th-Tha… th-thank, snf, thank you, s-so muuhuch…”
“…Oh, dear.”
Seriously, what is this?
To be honest, all I did was spend a little money.
I didn’t cook them a meal with my own hands, and I never said I’d take responsibility for their lives from now on.
But apparently, to these kids, it was something worth crying over.
“Why are you crying? I told you—it’s just a deal.”
“B-But… what if the info we have turns out to be useless…?”
The fierce-looking boy shot back with unexpectedly sharp words.
I flinched for a second, but decided to play it cool.
“Then I’m just bad at making deals. It’s not your fault.”
“You idiot…! Seriously…!”
“I’m not, though. Not an idiot.”
Now that a quest had popped up, I could be sure these two knew something I needed.
I hadn’t said it out loud—I didn’t want to put pressure on them—but I was almost certain.
“Alright, cried it all out? Then let’s have some cake first. After that, we’ll get to the real deal.”
“…Sucker.”
The fierce one muttered something under his breath, and the other kid smacked him on the thigh.
