The sound of the collapsing building drew the attention of the villagers. Unlike the mercenaries who were too preoccupied to know who was inside, Geon-joo, whose body reacted instinctively, ran and stopped in front of the house.

It took no time to get there, but faced with the burning house, there was nothing he could do. He wished he had Sa-yoon’s frost skill or fire resistance. Most of the artifacts Sa-yoon had given him were for cold resistance, so they were of no help in the current situation. Geon-joo furrowed his brow, consumed by frustration.

Then, the burning debris stirred.

Bang!

Once.

Bang!

Twice. And finally, a third time.

After three loud noises, wood fragments scattered in all directions, and someone’s foot shot up from the collapsed debris.

“Oh, that worked.”

In stark contrast to the worry and tension, a peaceful voice flowed out from the fire. Geon-joo’s eyes blinked slowly.

“Are you alright, little one?”

“…Sniff.”

“We’re going out now, so don’t cry. It hurts my ears when you cry.”

Sa-yoon, who seemed to be talking to someone, frowned as he spoke and smoothly emerged from the hole he had created. He was completely unharmed, without a single injury or burn. The mercenaries’ eyes widened at his immaculate appearance, as if he had just been invited to someone’s house and come out.

Geon-joo stared blankly at Sa-yoon, who was emerging with an unfamiliar child in his arms. Noticing this gaze, Sa-yoon turned to Geon-joo and pointed at the child in his arms.

“You hold him.”

“What?”

Before Geon-joo could fully grasp the situation, Sa-yoon approached and handed over the child. Geon-joo, who ended up holding the small boy, gave a bewildered look.

“What is this?”

“The kid I saved.”

There was nothing else to explain. Sa-yoon, having given this straightforward explanation, withdrew the frost energy surrounding his body and brushed off the dust and ash. Just then, as if the situation had been resolved, a knight’s voice was heard ordering everyone to gather after completing the evacuation.

After tidying his clothes, Sa-yoon approached where Rem was. Geon-joo, still unable to hide his bewilderment, glanced at the boy in his arms before following Sa-yoon.

“If there’s anything unusual to report, please do so.”

At Rem’s words, mercenaries from various places reported information about the injured or missing. As the reports continued, Rem’s expression darkened. He looked around the half-ruined village, then sighed and covered his face with his hands.

“Let’s start by putting out the fire. Everyone, find buckets and fetch water.”

With the monsters dealt with and the rescue and evacuation complete, all that remained was the fire that seemed endless in its consumption of the village. At the knight’s order, the villagers cooperated. Sa-yoon, who received a bucket from the people he had saved, clicked his tongue as he headed towards the well.

“This could be over quickly if I used my skill.”

It would be quick to suppress the fire with the frost energy. However, just because one can do something doesn’t mean they should do everything. Swallowing his annoyance, Sa-yoon quietly filled the bucket with water, wary of the repercussions that might occur if he carelessly revealed his power. Then, he mixed in a tiny bit of frost energy when extinguishing the fire.

Just enough to put out the fire a little faster without being too noticeable.

As a result, the entire reconnaissance team was able to successfully extinguish the fire after emptying five buckets each.

“…I wonder what I should report to the lord.”

With all the cleanup finished, all that remained was the report. The expression on Rem’s face, the overall leader of the reconnaissance team, was strangely familiar. Sa-yoon, recalling that Jongshik sometimes approached him with such an expression, was chuckling when someone tugged at his collar.

“…Um.”

“Ah.”

It was the little boy Sa-yoon had saved earlier. Sa-yoon glared at Geon-joo, wondering when he had put the child down, to which Geon-joo shrugged and nodded towards the boy. It meant the child had wanted to get down on his own.

“…Does it hurt anywhere?”

“Um, no.”

“That’s good then.”

Although his house had been completely burned down, it was fine as long as his limbs were intact and nothing hurt. When Sa-yoon said it was lucky the boy had survived so well from that house, Geon-joo frowned and elbowed Sa-yoon in the side.

“What are you saying to a child who nearly died?”

“What? It’s true.”

“……”

As Sa-yoon rubbed his ticklish side and retorted, Geon-joo gave him an overtly contemptuous look, causing Sa-yoon’s eyebrows to rise. He was considering giving Geon-joo a smack when-

“What were your names again?”

Rem, who had been rubbing his gaunt face, approached Sa-yoon and Geon-joo.

“I’m Sa-yoon.”

“I’m Geon-joo.”

“Ah, right! Yoon, Geon! You said you came from another region, didn’t you? Your names are quite unique. I’ll report your achievements from this reconnaissance to my lord honestly and without exaggeration. Since there was less damage thanks to you two, I’ll make sure you receive separate rewards.”

Joy was evident in Rem’s expression as he spoke. The look in his eyes, as if he had discovered competent talent, resembled Sa-yoon’s own, making him feel subtly uncomfortable. Sa-yoon nodded, and at that moment, the small boy entered his field of vision.

“Ah, what should we do about this boy?”

“Hm?”

“I saved this boy, but it seems he has no home to return to.”

As Sa-yoon spoke, subtly gesturing towards the collapsed house, the knight let out a small exclamation and looked at the boy.

“Are his parents alive?”

“……”

Whether he was nervous seeing the knight for the first time or scared of the stranger, the boy took two steps back and quickly ran to hide behind Sa-yoon’s legs. Sa-yoon let out an exasperated laugh at the sight.

“What’s this about?”

“It seems he’s depending on you.”

“Pardon?”

“You saved him, didn’t you? It appears he’s lost his parents. Is that right?”

When Rem asked again, the boy, clinging to Sa-yoon’s leg as if it were a lifeline, nodded. He had no home and no one to take care of him. With the village in such chaos, no one would take in and raise someone else’s child. There wasn’t even the capacity to send him to an orphanage. Rem, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion that had flashed through Sa-yoon’s mind, groaned while stroking his chin and met Sa-yoon’s gaze.

“There’s no choice. You’ll have to take care of him for now.”

“…Excuse me?”

Sa-yoon blinked, having expected the conclusion to be that the child would be entrusted to someone else or protected by the lord’s side. Thinking he might have misheard, he asked again, and Rem bent down to pat the boy’s head.

“He has nowhere to go. I know the room you’re using is quite spacious for two people. It shouldn’t be cramped even if you take the child with you.”

“Does it have to be that way?”

“It’s not that there aren’t other options, but they’re complicated and inconvenient. The child is already depending on you, isn’t he? Wouldn’t it be pitiful to leave him somewhere without anyone to rely on?”

It wasn’t that pitiful. The answer was already on the tip of Sa-yoon’s tongue, but considering his reputation and dignity in the virtual world, he held back and slightly raised the corners of his mouth in a smile. It was close to a sneer.

“If there are other options, I’d prefer those.”

“Still, since you saved the child, it would be good for you to take responsibility. Didn’t you save him out of the goodness of your heart?”

It was like a battle between an all-piercing spear and an all-blocking shield. Facing Rem, who wouldn’t easily back down, Sa-yoon swallowed a sigh.

If he had really saved the child out of the goodness of his heart, it would have been less troublesome, but Sa-yoon had rescued the child purely to prove his own abilities. If he hadn’t been able to save the child, wouldn’t it hurt his pride to say he had lost a person due to his lack of ability?

He had intended to solidify his position by saving a child others couldn’t save.

In a way, Sa-yoon’s rescue was a means to an end.

Such praise made even his non-existent conscience sting, and Sa-yoon turned his head as he spoke.

“I’m not particularly inclined to do so.”

“What will you do if you’re not inclined? I’m your superior, after all.”

Rem laughed heartily, as if he had made a joke, and patted Sa-yoon’s shoulder twice. At this, Sa-yoon, who was already on edge, frowned, and Geon-joo, who had been watching Sa-yoon closely, quickly bowed to Rem.

“Thank you.”

“Well then, let’s prepare to return.”

Although Sa-yoon was the one who had to take care of the child, Geon-joo was the one who thanked Rem, while the knight who should have been responsible in the first place turned his back. Dumbfounded by this absurd situation, Sa-yoon looked down at the boy he had been saddled with. Whether the boy knew he had caused trouble for Sa-yoon or not, he cautiously moved away from Sa-yoon’s leg.

“I’m sorry.”

The small voice that came out had a knack for driving people crazy.

In the end, Sa-yoon ended up taking the child back on his horse and engaging in childcare that was never in his plans. He thought something might change if he brought the child to the lord’s castle, but Knight Rem dismissed the mercenaries, telling them to rest as he needed to report, without saying anything about the child’s disposition. It was a futile expectation.

“……”

Having no choice, Sa-yoon brought the child to the lodgings and sat him on the bed, narrowing his eyes and staring intently at the small boy. Geon-joo clicked his tongue at Sa-yoon, who was staring as if interrogating a traitor, and picked up the dejected boy.

“If you look at him like that, he’ll cry.”

“He’s not crying.”

“He looks like he’s about to.”

Geon-joo, pointing out that the boy’s eyes were reddening, patted the child. From the way he held the child and comforted him, it seemed he was quite experienced. Sa-yoon leaned back comfortably on the chair’s backrest.

“Are you good with kids?”

“…I think I might be better than the guild master.”

“Then you take care of him.”

Sa-yoon hated young children. They cry loudly, demand a lot, and need a lot of care. One Geon-joo was enough for him to raise, so he said this, to which Geon-joo replied that he was already planning to do so, and patted the boy again.

The sniffling boy looked anxiously between Sa-yoon and Geon-joo, then slowly closed his eyes at the comforting touch. He must have been tired from the emotional strain, as soft snoring sounds were soon heard. Sa-yoon watched the sleeping boy and Geon-joo laying him on the bed, then let out a hollow laugh.

It was like a child raising a child.