"I can't interfere with your right to choose who you love. But Jack? I can read people. Father clearly had no love for that man."
"And yet Father bent, all because of you. So sometimes, you do need to think about what he goes through."
"This matters more than you might realize."
"But if you've truly made up your mind, then there's nothing any of us can say. We'll just have to wish you all the happiness in the world."
Lucy wrinkled her brow. "I appreciate that, Sister, really. But Jack is garbage. He doesn't deserve to exist."
"I just found out he was using me the entire time. I am absolutely livid."
She was just about to go on about the moment the young man standing beside her had saved her life when she noticed her sister.
Alice had already drawn her sword. It was pointed directly at Shin.
"You must be Jack. My sister wants nothing to do with you anymore, so stop pursuing her. But since you had the nerve to make her cry, I'm afraid I can't simply let that go."
"Since you're clearly not a mage, I'll handle this with just the blade. No magic necessary."
"Come at me whenever you're ready. I intend to give you a very thorough lesson."
Shin stood there completely dumbfounded. He'd walked in, said nothing, done absolutely nothing, and now he was already facing off against a very pretty, very dangerous woman with a drawn sword.
He had no idea how to even begin explaining himself.
One of the guild members grabbed him firmly from behind. "Vice Master, is this the guy who went after our little Lucy? Unbelievable. Why don't we just kill him and be done with it?"
Shin was on the verge of actual tears. What is happening right now?
Just moments ago these same people had been perfectly warm and friendly. Now he was apparently two seconds away from being executed in the middle of a guild hall.
At that moment, Lucy finally stepped forward.
"Everyone, you've completely got the wrong idea. He isn't Jack. He's the one who killed Jack and saved me. Jack was manipulating me from the start. Then I ran into this guy. He's the one who rescued me."
"We did lose all our money along the way, though."
She glanced at her sister and added, "His name is Shin. He's a good person, and he's the big brother I just claimed for myself. He's incredibly strong, too. He beat all four of Father's Heavenly Kings, and Jela as well."
At that, every single person in the room turned and took a proper, unhurried look at Shin for the first time.
"That's impossible. He's not even a mage. How could he beat the Four Heavenly Kings? And Jela... sure, he's all surface sometimes, but he's not exactly weak either."
"And 'big brother?' Did he pressure her into that? Bet he's got his eyes on her."
"Well, can't entirely blame him. My sister is exceptional. Of course he'd be drawn to her. So the motive is pretty clear."
"Why rescue her? He's obviously interested. Fine, that part I can accept."
"But setting all of that aside, what exactly brings you two here? Never mind how he supposedly took down those fighters for now. What was the actual reason you came? Can someone just explain that to me?"
Lucy stuck out her tongue and slid a glance toward Shin.
"I'll let you field that one, actually. As of right now, I am completely off the clock. You're on your own."
Alice looked at Shin and said evenly, "First, thank you. Sincerely. For protecting my sister. I'm not sure I have the right words for it."
"But I am genuinely grateful. Our father had already made it clear that Jack was no good, and knowing she's away from him now is honestly a relief."
"And that's because of you. So for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here."
Shin shook his head and said offhandedly, "To be honest, if your sister weren't pretty, I probably wouldn't have bothered. So you can save the gratitude speech. I'm really not in a position to accept it."
Alice blinked. Then slowly, she realized the young man in front of her was actually annoyed. And that she had, somehow, managed to irritate him by saying too much.
She let out a short, dismissive laugh. "Hmph. A grown man, and this petty? Whatever woman ends up with you has my sympathy in advance."
"I said a few words, and you completely flipped. You are officially the most thin-skinned man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."
Shin stared at her. He was genuinely at a loss. He'd rarely encountered someone this thoroughly convinced of her own moral high ground: all attitude and zero self-awareness, with a worldview running entirely on the concept of female supremacy.
Which, for the record, was the single thing he found most insufferable on the planet.
He took a breath and said flatly, "Alright. I'm done."
"I need to escort your sister to the capital. You know how far that is. It's going to cost money—money I currently don't have a drop of."
"So I came here to pick up some missions. And since I'm not a registered mage, your sister brought me along to get through the door."
Alice blinked, and then it clicked.
"Lucy, why didn't you just say that from the start?"
She turned back to Shin with narrowed eyes. "A petty, difficult man who went out of his way to look after you anyway. That in itself is suspicious. There's clearly something he's not telling you."
"Just be careful. And most importantly, he's not a certified mage. How exactly would someone like that be worthy of standing beside you?"
Shin had completely run out of patience. He turned and headed for the door.
"You know what? Forget it. I'm not taking anything from this guild."
He glanced back at Lucy. "And don't bother looking for me after this. I genuinely didn't expect your sister to be this kind of person."
"I think I'm going to be sick. Hope that clears things up for you."
Alice watched him move toward the exit and said coolly, "That's all it takes? And you had the nerve to have eyes for my sister? You're completely unqualified."
"You have nothing in the way of power. How exactly do you plan on protecting her? And with that level of ability, who on earth gave you the confidence to walk in here like you belong?"
"Not a single drop of mana, and you showed up to accept missions."
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