Zramun Archipelago.

The Zramun Archipelago, centered around the main island of Zramun, is a coastal region made up of smaller islands. Governed by the Protect family, this area, slightly better off than Efaltelga, has historically maintained peace by easily surrendering to foreign invaders, as long as there were no severe persecutions. The journey to the Zramun Archipelago was notoriously treacherous, and foreign powers saw little to gain by trying to exert influence over the archipelago. As a result, they typically recognized its autonomy as long as taxes were paid regularly.

Interestingly, the Zramun Archipelago had produced numerous great figures in times of crisis, the most famous being the Second Hero. Once, the islanders were filled with pride for having produced a hero, but after his execution due to false accusations, they mourned quietly, honoring his spirit through this modest festival. Although the kingdom had fallen and the empire had taken its place, the Protect family and the people of Zramun still remembered the Second Hero who had once been immensely popular but ultimately fell from grace. They kept his memory alive, but hidden.

However, that was all centuries ago. Nowadays, the festival had become a time for pure enjoyment, with everyone drinking, playing, and celebrating.

Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise. Though she’d heard that the festival was only known to a few people on the continent, the streets were packed with merchants and visitors. Although she was unfamiliar with the various street foods she saw, they made her hungry. As a fallen noble who had wielded a sword to avoid starvation, Lucy had attended aristocratic social gatherings full of pomp and pretense but had never experienced a grand festival like this.

On the other hand, Lin was tense. Despite having paid a hefty fare to get here, the reason he was working as a cargo handler wasn’t complicated: he was broke.

Before they departed, Lin had sent a letter to Nydrian through the global postal service, which was, of course, expensive. The fare for the ship was also costly, though not as much as the postal service. The captain’s friendliness suddenly made sense.

With the privilege of being a cargo handler, Lin could potentially sell some of the miscellaneous items he had collected during the Hero Party’s journey to the merchants. But most of his earnings had been carefully saved to fund Nydrian’s research, and before the Demon King’s subjugation, he had pooled all his resources into preparing the Hero Party. Afterward, aside from the Valtercua incident, he hadn’t been able to hunt monsters.

With nothing coming in and only expenses, Lin’s precious savings were dwindling fast.

In this context, the festival cargo handler job on Zramun Archipelago wasn’t a bad gig. It was the best-paying job of its kind, earning honest money through honest labor.

“Alright! All you temp workers, line up! Four rows!”

At this point, the Protect family was paying directly, so there was no need to worry about being shortchanged.

“Okay, follow that person in the third row.”

By working as a cargo handler, Lin and Lucy also reduced the chances of encountering the Hero Party that would arrive later. More precisely, it lowered the risk of the other side recognizing Lin and Lucy.

The reason?

“We’re dividing you up by task groups!”

“Got it! Now, put on your masks.”

“Masks?”

Lucy tilted her head in confusion, but Lin expertly rummaged through the cargo handler’s sack. When the person distributing masks approached, Lin politely declined.

“We’ve brought our own.”

“Alright then.”

During the festival, staff and temporary workers wore masks while on duty. The reason for this was symbolic: the hero who had been unjustly executed could enjoy the festival while those who persecuted him would serve him, albeit anonymously. Naturally, only people with proper identification were recruited from the port town before departure.

This was also why Lin had asked Ravin to provide them with fake IDs.

“Cute!”

Lucy was handed a rabbit mask. Wearing the rabbit ears as well, she eagerly looked forward to seeing what kind of mask Lin would choose. However, when she saw the mask Lin pulled out of the cargo handler’s sack, she froze.

It was a mask split into black and white. One side smiled, while the other cried—a grotesque mask.

“Is that all you have?”

“It has a certain calming effect.”

The smiling side was stark white and prominent, while the crying side was pitch black, blending into the shadows. For some reason, the sight of that mask made Lucy uneasy, and she couldn’t shake the suspicion that Lin might be in the same state as that mask—half smiling, half crying. Lucy realized she had never had a good relationship with masks.

After all, it was a mask that forcibly reminded her of her first meeting with Lin.

“Here comes the young lady!”

“Everyone, attention! Let’s not upset the lady who’s paying us!”

Everyone straightened up, trying to make a good impression as the person paying them approached. A carriage slowly rolled up and stopped next to them. The door opened, and a maid stepped down first, followed by the coachman, both assisting the important person inside.

“Thank you, Bran.”

The lively and clear voice belonged to a young lady in a white dress, who had an uncanny ability to uplift those around her. Her skin wasn’t just pale but had a rosy tint, complemented by her half-tied blonde hair, making her appear full of life.

“What an unusual mask.”

As she walked past Lin, heading towards the platform, she noticed his mask and smiled at him before moving on.

What’s with that girl?

Thanks to her mask, Lucy could glare at the young lady without restraint.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Ibis Protect, the eldest daughter of the Protect family.”

The so-called platform was nothing more than a wooden box she had climbed onto. Her modesty was evident.

“The Zramun Archipelago festival has a long history, though it’s so old that we’ve all forgotten why the staff wears masks during the festival.”

Unexpectedly, everyone chuckled at her wit. After confirming the lightened atmosphere, Ibis continued her speech.

“I know that everyone here is working to make a living. It’s not exactly fun to be working while others are having a good time, right? That’s why our Protect family pays double the usual wage to those who work during the festival!”

“Wooow!”

“Make it triple!”

“If we paid triple, I’d have to start working as a cargo handler myself next festival.”

Another round of laughter erupted. But Lucy didn’t like Ibis. Her intuition told her to be wary of this girl.

Come to think of it, ever since they got off the ship, Lucy hadn’t been able to hold Lin’s hand. With separation anxiety setting in, Lucy’s heart started to race. She had never been apart from him except when it was for his sake.

“And one more thing! During the festival, the number of people increases, so we have a special request just for this time.”

Damn it, finish already.

“Our family has had many great figures, even if they aren’t widely known. Among them, there is someone very important within our family.”

Lin’s energy is low. I want to hang on his arm and lick the sweat from his neck.

“There was a man named Guerrero Protect. I won’t bore you with what he did, but I’ll say this.”

Guerrero Protect. Only Lin, with his memories of Mr. Lee, knew exactly who he was.

“For anyone who finds Guerrero Protect’s grave, our family will reward you handsomely. It’s embarrassing to ask you to find our ancestor’s grave, but he’s a significant figure in our family history.”

“How much do we get?”

“Remember the full-rigged ship you sailed on to get here? We’ll pay you enough to buy it.”

“Wooooooo!!!”

The crowd erupted in cheers. Lin clenched his fist.

Great, a side quest has started.

“Is there any clue? Any clues?”

Guerrero Protect.

“Of course, it’s a grave, so there should be a tombstone or something, right?”

“That won’t be enough!”

The greatest figure produced by the Zramun Archipelago and the Protect family.

“Just kidding. They say if you get near the grave, you’ll feel extremely uneasy and sad. And sometimes, there’s a pitch-black sword stuck in the ground.”

“Sometimes?”

“Hehe, if it were easy to find, we wouldn’t be offering such a high reward, right?”

This man was the tragic figure still spoken of today—the Second Hero. After his execution, the Protect family had used every means to bring his body to the archipelago. However, the vengeful Demon Sword sealed on the archipelago began moving his grave around, leading to a ridiculous game of hide-and-seek between the Protect family and the sword.

The Zramun Archipelago, Chapter 3’s side quest, involved finding this grave, which appeared with abysmally low probability, and discovering the Demon Sword, which spawned there with an even lower chance.

This game was still cursed with terrible luck mechanics.

“And everyone! You’re here to work as cargo handlers, right?”

“Oh, right!”

“Hahahahaha!”

With Ibis’s cheerful speech over, the crowd quickly became lively again.

“Alright, let’s get to work!”

Good, now we can start moving around. As cargo handlers, it was inevitable that they would be hauling goods all over Zramun Island.

“Wait a moment.”

But then Ibis approached the foreman and pointed at Lin.

“I’d like to take this person as staff for the beauty contest.”

“A man?”

“That’s exactly why. Do you know how much stuff we have to carry for that event? Our maids complained so much about it last year.”

“Sure, sure. After all, it’s the Protect family paying, so whatever you say goes.”

“You’re so understanding~.”

Displaying a liveliness uncommon for a noble lady, Ibis took Lin away.

Damn it. The beauty contest is held in one place, which means I won’t be able to move around the island. I need to decline this somehow.

“Uh, I think I’d be better suited for….”

“Double pay, upfront, today.”

“I’ve always dreamed of being an event planner, organizing shows for people.”

It was too much money to refuse. There was no other choice. Even though they said his savings were running low, Lin was now practically penniless. In other words, he had spent all his money.

Given the situation, his only option was to take this job while hinting to Lucy to find the grave instead.

However,

“Wait!”

Lucy suddenly rushed over and hugged Lin.

“Oh my?”

“Hey! Get to work!”

Ibis was surprised, and the foreman was flustered. But Lucy spoke with a straight face.

“I work best when I’m with him!”

“Hmm, who are you?”

“I’m Soon-yi!”

“And I’m Chun-sik.”

“Ah-ha!”

Ibis clapped her hands.

“So you’re siblings!”

“That’s not…”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lucy turned to look at Lin, surprised. The black-and-white mask hid his expression, so she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“If you’re siblings, I should accommodate you. I’ll take both of you as staff for the contest.”

“Thank you!”

“I should be the one thanking you. Galnal, please escort them.”

Having made her decision quickly, Ibis climbed back into her carriage.

“This way, please.”

The maid led them ahead with a highly professional demeanor. As soon as they were a bit away from the maid, Lucy tried to confront Lin.

“Lin, why did you say we’re siblings…!”

“Let’s go, Lucy. We don’t have time.”

“L-Lin?”

Lucy was confused. Lin wasn’t even listening to her; he just kept walking.

“Lin, what’s wrong….”

Feeling dizzy, Lucy followed after him, but she couldn’t bring herself to get too close to the cold aura she sensed around him. Only then did Lucy realize that Lin was angry.

“Lin….”

“Lucy, let’s talk after work. Focus for now.”

The probability of Guerrero’s grave and the Demon Sword appearing simultaneously was akin to winning the lottery. The festival lasted three days, and since both of them would be stuck working at the beauty contest today, they had already lost a day. This was incredibly frustrating.

Stop.

Frustrating…? Me?

“Hah….”

Lin sighed and held out his hand to Lucy. She quickly grabbed it but remained silent, too afraid to say anything.

She felt lonely and disappointed.

The thin mask between them made it impossible for him to see Lucy’s expression or understand her feelings. Yet, Lucy stayed quiet, guessing that during the entire journey to subdue the Demon King, she had no idea how much pain Lin had hidden behind his mask.