A throbbing ache pulsed through my skull, feeling as though it would shatter. Yet, I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol yesterday…
“Cough, cough!”
The moment I coughed, a realization dawned upon me.
‘I must have caught a cold.’
It made sense; after sweating so profusely and not washing, catching a cold was almost inevitable. Moreover, I had been working tirelessly for days, leaving me utterly exhausted.
“…I recall one day when I skipped work, went shopping for clothes, and then just collapsed onto my bed—Achoo!”
Ugh, now my nose is running too… This is a complete disaster, truly.
“First, I need to make sure no one comes today… What are you all doing out there…?”
Knowing my summoned beings, they would surely fuss and worry if they found out, so I had intended to keep everyone away. Yet, through the window, I saw the children watching me.
What is that? It’s terrifying… like a stalker…
“Cough! Kids… go home today… I might give you my cold… Cough!”
“Summoner, we don’t catch colds.”
“…Huh?”
‘You don’t… catch colds?’
“That’s a lie…”
“But we really don’t…?”
“I can’t trust you, Kkongkkongi, when you say it… An ice-composed being couldn’t possibly catch a cold…”
“…Ah.”
‘Where are you getting these lies from? There’s no way an ice attribute would catch a cold…’
“Um, Summoner unnie (TL Note: A Korean term of address used by a younger female towards an older female friend or sister.), what Kkongkkongi said is true. We don’t catch colds either.”
“…You really don’t… Cough!”
“Well, we do get something, but it’s a different kind of cold than what humans catch, so there’s no chance of it spreading to you.”
“…I can’t believe you. Go home today… Cough!”
Even though Saessak claimed they wouldn’t catch it, my worry persisted.
‘They wouldn’t actually pick the lock and come in, would they…?’
-Slam!
‘…They didn’t pick the lock. They just broke the door down.’
“Haa… Kids, go home while I’m asking nicely… If you stay, I’ll just worry more, and that will make me even worse, won’t it?”
“Summoner unnie, don’t you trust us?”
“Exactly! We’ll nurse you back to health!”
“…At the very least, I’d appreciate it if Seokyung went home.”
“I haven’t said anything yet, though?”
“You’re a succubus… I’m worried you’d just use ‘nursing’ as an excuse for something sexual… Cough!”
“…Unnie, you didn’t catch a cold and fill your head with lewd thoughts, did you? Even if I am a succubus, I wouldn’t do something like that to someone who’s sick.”
“…Why don’t you wipe the drool from your mouth before you speak?”
“Huh? Drool? …Ah, this is… unnie’s clothes…”
‘My clothes…? What’s wrong with my clothe—’
“…EEK!? Get out, all of you!! Cough, cough, cough!”
It seemed I had tossed and turned quite a bit in my sleep, as my clothes were practically falling off.
Seeing me in that state, it was only natural that drool would be streaming down.
“Oh, unnie!? What are you doing, yelling when you’re already sick!?”
“L-let’s just go out for now… She seems really startled, so let’s leave her alone to calm down.”
“P-Ppireusi is right. Saessak, let’s just go out, okay?”
“Ugh… but…”
“Saessak, let’s listen to us today, okay?”
“…Alright.”
With Kkongkkongi, Ppireusi, and Seokyung restraining her, an agitated Saessak calmed down, and they all left together.
“Phew… It’s finally quiet now…”
I understand their concern for me. I also understand their desire to nurse me.
Still, this quiet environment is what truly helps me most…
Too many people just makes things chaotic and gives me a headache instead…
“Cough, cough!”
Ugh… It’s a good thing I bought some over-the-counter medicine last time…
“Cold medicine… where’s the cold medicine…”
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you…?”
‘Someone just handed me cold medicine, didn’t they?’
“Who are you…? Why are you here…?”
“Why am I here? I came to do my merchant work, but the door was broken, so I worried something might be wrong and came in… only to find a summoner with a cold?”
“Ah… right… Just go home today…”
“Oh my? I brought a guidebook again today, you know?”
“Ugh… no thanks… My head hurts too much to even think about buying anything…”
“…Your condition seems quite serious. Normally, you’d be begging me on your knees to sell it, so seeing you simply refuse tells me that today, I should just…”
“…I’ll at least hear the price.”
“Ah, I’ll just give it to you today. You seem to be in a very bad state, so please think of it as a get-well gift.”
Saying that, the Wandering Merchant placed the guidebook on the desk and began to leave.
“Hey… you should still take the money…”
“It’s fine. It’s only a normal-grade guidebook anyway, so it’s not worth much.”
‘It was a normal guidebook?’
Well… there are still some normal guidebooks I haven’t collected, so it might not matter…
‘I just hope it’s not a duplicate…’
Normal and rare guidebooks have fewer types, but duplicates can appear.
One might ask what to do with a duplicate guidebook; in that case, you can exchange them.
Collecting five duplicate normal-grade guidebooks grants you one rare-grade guidebook.
It worked out perfectly, as I already had four normal-grade guidebooks.
“Ugh… have I been thinking too much…? I feel dizzy…”
I’ll check it later; for now, I need to lie down in bed. I’m too dizzy to stand any longer…
“Oh, I should take my cold medicine before lying down…”
Before that, the medicine… I need to take…
****
“Ugh… where am I…”
Coming to my senses, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.
Judging by the atmosphere, it looks like an abandoned hospital…?
“Ah, I get it. This is Nmae’s doing, isn’t it?”
Nmae is the name I gave to Nightmare, a demon-attribute summoned being.
True to its name, Nightmare is the master of the dream world.
…Honestly, it seems more suited to the Demon King attribute than the demon attribute, so why is it a demon attribute?
“Have you come to your senses?”
“…Who are you?”
“Well, I imagine you have many questions about me. I shall entertain them once we have departed from this place.”
‘What in the world is he talking about…?’
‘Come to think of it, didn’t he just call himself the Demon King? Could it be…’
I remembered hearing that while guidebooks were generally only obtainable from the Wandering Merchant, the Demon King Guidebook and Archangel Guidebook could not be acquired from her, but only through special events.
The event activation condition itself was simple.
One might argue that if it were that simple, anyone could easily acquire it… but if that were the case, I wouldn’t have been so angry when I received the Fallen Angel Guidebook last time.
The reason for the high notoriety of the event to obtain the Demon King Guidebook and Archangel Guidebook lay precisely in its activation condition.
The simple yet infamous activation condition was a certain probability.
It was an event with no prerequisites, capable of activating at any time, yet so few players encountered it that it became known among users as a notoriously difficult event.
The fact that the Fallen Angel Guidebook was sold by the Wandering Merchant also contributed to its infamy.
‘But this Demon King is a man? Will he appear as a girl if summoned?’
I’ll have to summon him later to find out.
“Alright, you’re the Demon King? Fine. Hand over the guidebook.”
“Hmm? A guidebook, what do you mean by th—”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know, just hand it over quickly. I want to get it and go home.”
“I’m not pretending not to know, I genuinely don’t know what you’re talkin—”
“That’s enough, Yeomra.”
‘So, the Demon King attribute summon’s name is Yeomra? And the one confronting Yeomra right now is…’
“…Gabriel. You fiend…”
Judging by his appearance, he must be Gabriel, an Archangel-attribute summoned being.
‘…But that Gabriel is a man?’
“To deceive a poor soul and use them for your own desires, how truly wicked.”
‘No, the names aren’t what’s important here.’
‘What in the world is going on? I can’t make sense of any of this!?’
“Hmph, it’s because you’re so slow that he appeared, you wench!!”
“No, I don’t even know what’s happening?!”
‘Yeomra is just blaming me, but what is all this about!?’
“Poor soul, just trust me. I, Gabriel, shall deliver divine punishment upon the wicked Demon King, Yeomra, and rescue you.”
‘What is this situation…?’
Suddenly, Yeomra, who calls himself the Demon King, and now Gabriel too…
‘It just feels like a crazy dream… Ugh, I don’t know.’
“Someone just win quickly. I want to go home soon.”
“…Gabriel, you’re interfering with my pla—”
“I don’t want to hear your words. Just die!”
“Kuwaaak!”
With a single punch from Gabriel, Yeomra flew through the wall.
‘I guess I shouldn’t mess around.’
“You must have been very scared, right? Don’t worry. I’m here now.”
‘…No, you’re making me more scared.’
“Hmm~? What did you just think?”
“O-oh, I didn’t say anything… Yes… really…”
“Well, it’s fine. Take this.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a guidebook that allows you to summon Mikaela. As much as I’d like to go myself, I cannot abandon my duties in the Celestial Realm. She is an angel girl around your age, so please take good care of her.”
“Ah… yes.”
‘So Gabriel was an NPC, not a summoned being…’
Well, if that’s the case, then Yeomra must also be an NPC. Perhaps the real Demon King attribute summoned being is a cute little girl?
“So… when can I go home?”
“Ah, I shall send you back shortly. Would you mind closing your eyes for a moment, young lady?”
“…Ugh, don’t call me ‘young lady.’ It sounds cheesy.”
“Ahahaha, I apologize for making you uncomfortable. I had no such intention whatsoever.”
‘No, it’s because I’m not the type of person to be called ‘young lady.’ Don’t get the wrong idea.’
“My eyes are closed.”
“Compose yourself and take a slow, deep breath. When you open your eyes shortly, you will return to your home. May the blessings of the angels be with you…”
****
“Ugh-! I slept well…”
Looking at the clock, an entire day had passed. I must have slept for quite a while…
“…Come to think of it, all traces of my cold are gone… Did Gabriel cure my cold too…?”
Thank you, Mr. Gabriel! Thanks to you, my cold is completely gone!
‘…By the way, didn’t he say he gave me Mikaela’s guidebook? My hands feel empty, though?’
“What, was I scammed? Geez…”
‘To be scammed even by an angel now—am I really that gullible?’
“Oh, right. I should check the guidebook the Wandering Merchant gave me yesterday…?”
‘It was definitely a normal-grade guidebook, so how did it become Mikaela’s guidebook?’
