After a busy day, the next morning dawned bright. Ara, feeling refreshed after a good sleep, was once again energetically running around the fields, playing a game of catching bugs.
“Hmm, the Seven Deadly Sins…”
Meanwhile, I was deep in thought about Wrath. With this recent event, I had gained access to the Dungeon of Wrath, so I had a chance to take it all in. But first, I needed to gather reliable information. Ara and Mammon seemed to know about the leader, Ras, but I had no idea.
“Ara!”
“Yes!”
“Shall we go visit the Goblin Village? I want to ask you and Mammon about Ras.”
“Sounds good.”
Since we’re going, we might as well bring Frey along. I wonder what she’s been up to since the curse was lifted. I took Woofy, who was enthusiastically chewing on a bone, since Purr was nowhere to be seen, probably hanging out with Seon-ah. As we ran towards the World Tree, surrounded by soft fur, we began to see the fairies in the distance.
“Hello, everyone.”
-(^()^)
-(^()^)
The children greeted us warmly. But something was off—they all looked puffed up.
“They’ve gotten chubby!”
When we arrived at the Fairy Village, I noticed that all the other kids were also plump. I tilted my head, wondering if something had happened, and then I spotted Frey in the distance.
Flap, flap—
Frey was flapping her wings vigorously, but something about her seemed a bit strange.
“Frey?”
When I called out, Frey quickly turned her head and spotted me.
“Lord! My Lord!”
“Wait, you…”
Frey had gotten puffed up, almost like someone had blown air into her. She was even chubbier than the other children.
“Why have you gotten so round?”
“Ah, haha.”
Frey awkwardly scratched her head. She tried to jump by flapping her wings, but she couldn’t lift off because of the weight.
“After successfully cultivating the Meluca flower field, I ate all the stored food. We also celebrated the lifting of the curse. Now, out of 365 days, 348 are festival days.”
Frey had a habit of declaring a celebration at every little thing. It didn’t seem like there was any real problem; she just ate a lot.
“Isn’t the Meluca still in the early stages? I thought the flowers hadn’t bloomed since you moved the field.”
“We’re celebrating in advance! Hehe!”
Ah, this child… No sense of planning at all!
Frey, who had become so round that she looked like she might turn into a slime, finally gave up on flapping her wings and rolled over to me. Seeing this, Ara’s eyes sparkled.
“You’re rolling! That’s amazing!”
“Hehehe, it’s not that amazing.”
Frey, pleased by the praise, accepted it happily. Watching these cute creatures interact warmed my heart, so I decided to ask anyway.
“Frey, we’re going to the Goblin Village now. Want to come along?”
“Ugh.”
Frey suddenly showed hesitation and mumbled cautiously.
“Mammon keeps teasing me, saying I can’t fly even though I have wings.”
“I’ll help you practice flying later.”
“Oh! Really? Thank you, Lord!”
Leaving behind the fairies, who looked like they would roll away with just a little push, we headed toward the Goblin Village, with a brief stop at the mine.
“Heh heh.”
When we arrived at the mine, the sluggish goblins building a strange structure quickly scattered as if they were caught red-handed. Their faces were still cheerful, making it hard to read their intentions.
“What are you making this time?”
It didn’t seem like they were up to anything bad, but it was a shame they were using materials meant for the Goblin Village. But since they were so cute, I decided to let it slide.
“Kirik!”
“Kiriik!”
The goblins who were working jumped around excitedly like children, welcoming me. I handed out snacks like tomatoes, carrots, and strawberries to them and checked their progress.
“Nothing left in storage, huh?”
It seemed that as soon as they gathered materials, they were immediately used for building the village. I was looking forward to seeing the Goblin Village take shape.
“Headbutt! Stick together!”
Ara was chattering away excitedly, catching up with the slimes she hadn’t seen in a while. After a brief reunion, we continued our journey to the Goblin Village.
“Lord!”
Mammon, who had been supervising the site, came running out to greet me barefoot. On his head, instead of a crown, he was wearing a yellow construction helmet he must have found somewhere.
“Oh, it looks like you’ve got things pretty well organized already?”
“The Kkumuris are really good at their work! When it comes to construction, they’re even better with their hands than us goblins!”
If Mammon is praising them, they must be doing really well. Mammon is not one to compromise when it comes to craftsmanship.
“It’s good to hear they’re doing well.”
“I’ll guide you through the village!”
“Alright.”
Following Mammon, I toured the planned village site. Unlike the Slime Village, where everything was more spontaneous, this one felt like a carefully designed puzzle. It lacked the charm of a quaint village, but it had a certain grandness to it.
“But it’s a lot bigger than I expected.”
“Yes! Even after all our goblins move in, there will still be a lot of space left over!”
“Hmm.”
“But that’s okay! We can always welcome more settlers!”
Hearing my thoughtful hum, Mammon hastily added, “Ah! I’m glad you brought that up. While we’re here to check out the village, there’s something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Anything, just tell me!”
“Last time, you and Ara mentioned someone called Ras. I’ve got the chance to visit the dungeon where Ras lives.”
“Oh! He’s a simple and strong brute! His followers are just as simple!”
“Did you guys fight?”
“No! Ras could never be a match for me, so we didn’t really fight.”
Mammon sounded very confident. I gathered Ara and Mammon together and asked them to tell me anything they knew about Ras.
“Hmm… He’s cute?”
“He may be simple, but he can be cunning at times! When he pretends to be cute with those big eyes, he seems truly devious!”
“He’s brave!”
“He’s simple-minded, that’s for sure!”
It was clear to me now: Mammon definitely fought Ras. That was my conclusion.
“Is he dangerous?”
“Dangerous? Him? Well, if you make him angry, I guess he could be considered dangerous…”
“Ras is brave and righteous! He’s not dangerous at all!”
Simple-minded, brave, righteous, but cute? He seemed like a unique character.
“Does Ras have any special abilities? Ara can eat anything, and you can handle poison, Mammon.”
“He’s just really strong.”
“He’s a dog stronger than me!”
Is his only defining trait just strength? If that’s the case, maybe there’s not much to worry about.
“I can’t really guess until I meet him.”
“Let’s bring Ras here! He’s a cute doggy!”
“Hmm, his appearance might be cute, but his personality isn’t. Ara, you’re being fooled.”
Their conflicting opinions were confusing, but since they both said he wasn’t dangerous, I felt a bit more reassured. If he were truly dangerous, I wouldn’t even consider bringing him here. Even if I did, it could cause problems.
‘Of course, once he’s registered as a familiar, that won’t be an issue.’
No matter how dangerous a monster is, once it becomes a familiar, it can’t act on its own. I usually give my familiars a lot of freedom, but that’s because they’re all kind-hearted.
“Alright, got it. Thanks, both of you.”
“Are you really going to bring Ras? If so, let’s settle him in this village! We’ll have space left over once it’s completed!”
“Okay. I’ll give it a try.”
I’m going to the Dungeon of Wrath. If it gets dangerous, I’ll open a portal as the Lord of Gluttony and escape. Then, I’ll use a return stone. A perfect safety plan. Of course, opening a portal requires a door as a medium, but…
‘I’ve discovered a loophole.’
After conducting several experiments, I found out that the door doesn’t necessarily have to be attached to something. It just means I can carry a single door with me using Bokkeum and open the Lord of Gluttony’s portal as a workaround. Once the pass is issued, I’ll head straight there. Everyone will probably be surprised, but as long as I don’t leave any evidence, they can’t accuse me based on suspicion alone.
“Hmm, I should probably head out now.”
As I checked the time and muttered to myself, Mammon looked at me curiously.
“You’re going out again?”
“Yeah, I’m expecting a guest.”
“Oh! Could it be your parents?”
“No, I have another sibling besides Seon-ah. He’ll be coming to the dungeon with me…”
I was also supposed to meet Ryu Cheon, but I wasn’t sure if she would come to the dungeon. Ryu Wang-jin was busy with various business matters since he was in Korea.
“I’ll just stay here and supervise the construction quietly.”
“Alright, if that’s what you want to do. Oh, by the way, do you happen to have a nickname or something?”
“Nickname? The Stingy Demon King!”
“…Well, they asked if you had a pseudonym or alias for the art pieces, but ‘Stingy Demon King’ might not be the best choice…”
“Hmm, what would be a good one?”
We spent some time brainstorming. Ara, Mammon, and I all racked our brains to come up with a pseudonym Mammon could use as an artist’s name.
“How about ‘Ingo’?”
“Ingo?”
“It means ‘the Goblin of Stinginess,’ and it also means ‘enduring suffering.’”
“Oh! That’s a double meaning! I really like it!”
And so, Mammon’s pseudonym became Ingo. It sounded surprisingly fitting, almost like a real person’s name.
***
As Ara and I headed to the meeting spot, Ryu Cheon was already waiting. Jae-seong hadn’t arrived yet.
“Ryu Cheon Ryu Cheon?”
“Ara.”
Ryu Cheon, who had been sitting, quickly ran over and hugged Ara. With a hat, mask, and sunglasses, Ryu Cheon looked suspiciously bundled up to anyone watching. Adding Ara to the mix only heightened the commotion around us.
“Oh, it’s Ara.”
“Wow, it’s really Ara?”
More and more people were recognizing Ara. However, they kept their distance and just watched from afar.
‘Being famous is tiring.’
With the drama about to air, would she become even more famous? Still, since it was only a minor role in one scene, it probably wouldn’t cause too much of a stir.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well.”
“The medicine I sent last time, was it enough?”
“Yes.”
Though she was answering, Ryu Cheon’s attention was fully focused on Ara. Still, it was a relief to see her looking much healthier than last time.
‘It seems to be working.’
Just as I was thinking that, Ryu Cheon, who had been crouching to meet Ara’s eyes, stood up and suddenly extended her hand. As I stared blankly, she spoke.
“Shake hands.”
“Oh.”
Suddenly? I reached out and shook her hand, expressing my surprise.
“Your hand is warm!”
“It’s thanks to you.”
Wow, was this really the same Ryu Cheon who once felt like she was frozen solid? Though she still had a cold touch, it was a huge improvement compared to before.
“How’s your health now?”
“I’m so healthy that I can hardly remember how I used to be. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to that.”
“You won’t go back! With the permanent effects of the treatment, you won’t need to take my medicine anymore to maintain it. Of course, full recovery is the goal!”
I felt a rush of excitement. Helping others with my abilities was incredibly fulfilling, just as it was when I treated Si-young and Baek Seung-hyun.
‘I should keep helping people from now on.’
As long as I have the power, I want to make sure everyone around me is happy.
Cliche Novel 