I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents-Chapter 217: It’s Not Like That

“…So the competition escalated and led to all this?”

“Competition? Where in my story was there any competition?!”

The baby accessories had been removed long ago.

However, the emotional scars remained, and Merilyn’s face, as she recounted the events, was clouded with distress.

“That was torture. Nothing I’ve seen while in the Demon King’s army was as horrifying as what those two put me through!!”

“Uh, yeah. It does sound pretty rough.”

“And that girl, she started by calling it a competition, but soon they stopped caring about competing and started discussing how to take care of me best! By the end, they were saying things like, ‘Competition isn’t right when it comes to caring for a child; let’s work together!’ They treated me like a practice doll for childcare!”

“Yeah, yeah… that does sound like a bit much.”

“Not just a bit—it’s completely perverted! Feeling a desire to care for someone else without any reward… I don’t understand it. I can’t understand either of them.”

Merilyn finally clutched her head, expressing her utter confusion.

Despite being a demon who might usually seek revenge for such mistreatment, her face showed nothing but fear, fear, and more fear.

What she had suffered at the hands of those two had even left a deep scar on the great demon herself.

Well, to be honest, I thought she kind of deserved it.

“I wanted a proper match, but to think she’d be the same as Tashian…”

Merilyn’s faint muttering interrupted my thoughts.

Sensing a shift in the mood, I looked over to see Merilyn lowering her head with a sorrowful expression.

“This isn’t the fight I wanted. I thought that girl could take Airi’s place…”

“……”

“…Ah, just now…”

“Merilyn, you too…”

It was something I couldn’t just ignore.

Even now, time was passing, and soon, the event Airi had predicted would descend upon this land.

“Do you miss Airi too, Merilyn?”

The empire was destined for ruin, led down the path by the successor dreaming of mutual destruction with the calamity.

To prepare for that, distancing ourselves from the empire would be necessary, but doing so would mean never seeing Airi again.

But if I went to find her, I would not only abandon everything I was currently shouldering but also forsake her mission.

“…She’s someone irreplaceable to me.”

As I wrestled with my thoughts, Merilyn, with a bitter voice, reached her hand out toward me.

“Do you realize? Even in this moment, an uncontrollable urge is stirring within me, pushing me toward you.”

Yes, I could feel it.

The faint thrum from her hand synced with my own heartbeat, amplifying the sensation.

If permitted, I might have been tempted to surrender to that thrum, to let it carry us to the peak of our emotions.

“For this thrum to continue without tearing me apart, someone needs to calm this urge… Do you, a human, understand that?”

But if I gave in to that urge, there would come a time when it would no longer be enough, and I’d seek out even greater thrills.

If that cycle repeated, I would eventually be ruined.

She understood, through experience, that it was the fate of demons to be driven by such desires, and that was why she sought someone to help suppress them.

“If the one who became your first can fulfill that role, they might be able to help.”

That was the reason she, despite being a demon, had sought a path to coexist with others.

The possibility that the one who had caused her to change could disappear filled her with deep anxiety.

“And that’s why I’m scared. After she’s gone, I don’t know how I’ll change… I can’t even promise myself that.”

Even though she knew patience, her true nature was one that was endlessly honest about desire.

The longer that desire was suppressed, the more uncontrollable the outburst would be when it was finally released.

“Yes, I understand too…”

I wanted to understand her.

I knew that her desire to love only me was genuine, and I wanted to meet that expectation.

“…I also want to speak with Airi directly.”

That desire, combined with the realizations I had gained in the world of the dead, came to me as a new mission.

There were foreign beings, including the God of Destruction, that interfered in this world for reasons unknown.

We didn’t know the full reasons, but for some reason, they spread their blood to create vampires, dropped foreign elements into the world causing pandemics that wiped out entire nations, and sometimes even interacted directly to create beings like witches that twisted the rules of the world.

We didn’t know whether they did these things with malice or some other purpose.

The only thing we could be sure of was that the foreign beings interfering in this world weren’t limited to Airi’s ancestor.

“Then, I guess…”

“…Yes, we have to go meet her.”

Now that I knew the truth after entering the world of the dead, how could I force her to make such a sacrifice based on just one person’s perspective?

“Hero, are you here?”

As I was solidifying my resolve, a familiar voice called out.

Realizing it was Sanson, I opened the door, and he greeted me politely before explaining why he had come.

“I’ve come to inform you that the repairs and modifications to the Ark are nearing completion.”

“You’ve come to discuss the plans going forward?”

“Yes, everyone is waiting for your decision.”

“…I’ll be ready soon. Let the refugees know to gather in the town square; no one should be left behind.”

“Understood. Then…”

Yes, the moment to declare my decision was approaching.

Sensing this, I quietly turned to Merilyn and extended my hand toward her.

“Will you join me?”

“Of course.”

What would follow was practically a journey into a deathtrap.

Yet, without hesitation, she took my hand, ready to walk the same path with me.

Though I was worried, I knew she had her reasons for following me.

And I felt a sense of relief knowing that someone supported my decision.

“Oh, right! Now that you’re back, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

As I led her, firming my resolve for what was to come, she spoke up.

While walking down the halls of the Ark, Merilyn suddenly turned to me with a question.

“Are you really not… like that with that girl?”

“You mean… Ga-ram?”

“I mean, risking your life to save her… it seems like you might have feelings for her. Or maybe she’s the one who developed feelings for you.”

“…Merilyn.”

“I’m just curious~ You know, nothing’s absolute in this world, right?”

Though she tried to play it off, the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her curiosity.

It seemed this mischievous troublemaker was planning to do to Ga-ram what she had done to Flang.

Despite the humiliation she had suffered before, a rare experience for a demon, it was clear her troublesome personality hadn’t changed. If this continued, she might face more trouble down the road.

“…We’re not like that.”

But regardless of her curiosity, I couldn’t fulfill her expectations.

Even though nothing in the world was truly absolute, this was a rule I couldn’t break under any circumstances.

“Really?”

“I promised myself from the start.”

I vowed to protect her as much as I could until she became an adult, and then I would watch over her growth from behind.

That feeling evolved into a relationship where we were comrades in peril and like siblings in everyday life.

The feelings that accompanied it were probably like those of a parent raising a child.

And I realized that my role as a protector wasn’t one-sided the moment she held my hand.

“I just want her to grow up to be a good adult, even in a world like this, and live well.”

As long as we didn’t abandon each other, there would always be a small bit of courage and hope within us to face the world.

I was certain Ga-ram felt the same way, at least, I believed so.

“It’s not like that.”

“…Really?”

“I’ve told you so many times. I would never have those kinds of feelings for her.”

Ga-ram had gradually recovered her physical and mental strength, and she visited the site where the repairs to the Ark were almost complete.

While checking in on Ja-seong, who was resting there, the conversation drifted, and Ga-ram frowned, glaring at him disapprovingly.

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“Hmm, no matter how many times you say it, I still don’t believe you.”

“…Ugh, this guy, really.”

Why does he even think that something like that would happen between them?

Unable to comprehend his statement, Ga-ram rubbed her temples and asked Ja-seong back.

“Why would you think I’d have feelings for him?”

“Well, because everyone else calls him ‘mister,’ but you always call him ‘oppa’ (older brother).”

“You’re a ‘mister’, and he’s an ‘oppa,’ so I call him that. Are you seriously making this about titles?”

“Well, not exactly… but didn’t you wander through a lot of dangerous places with him? Hyo-sung also said that during his adventurer days, you were the only one he could rely on.”

“If people started having romantic feelings just because they helped each other out, then firefighters and police would be everyone’s lovers or superstars.”

“…Wow, that analogy hit the mark. I have no comeback for that.”

Even though he still had his doubts, Ja-seong knew Ga-ram well enough to realize that she meant what she said.

They had gone through enough life-and-death situations together that expecting romantic feelings just because they saved each other seemed unreasonable.

However…

“Still, that guy risked his life to save you this time, didn’t he?”

No matter how important they were to each other, risking one’s life to save someone had to have a strong reason.

Ja-seong could risk his life out of loyalty, but he didn’t have the courage to throw himself into a situation with zero chance of success like before.

“That guy might have special feelings for you. Are you really sure you don’t feel anything about that?”

For him to go that far, and for her to not feel anything as a woman?

At the very least, one would expect some sort of fluttering feelings, but her emotions seemed too detached.

“…Oppa is just that kind of person.”

Despite Ja-seong’s suggestion, Ga-ram remained firm in her stance.

“He’s someone who’s scared of the world and just wants to keep people close. He would have done the same thing if it had been anyone else, not just me.”

Of course, being the first person he chose to protect directly made her special in a way, more so than others.

But that only meant she took up more space in his heart and that he’d be willing to take bigger risks for her.

To interpret that as a romantic relationship between them would be insulting to both.

“And besides, Oppa is married! Do you even realize how rude it is to talk like this about someone who’s already taken?”

“I know, I know… but Hyo-sung’s always surrounded by women. He went on a mission and came back with another girl who calls him ‘master’ now, right?”

“Yeah, his relationships with women are a bit concerning, but please don’t include me in that mess.”

Ga-ram turned her head sharply away from Ja-seong.

At that moment, Sanson arrived, bringing news to the resting area.

“Attention, everyone! Hero Woo Hyo-sung is about to explain the upcoming plans, so everyone, please gather at the town square!”

“…Looks like it’s time for us to leave since the repairs are almost finished.”

“Or we might decide to stay here. For some reason, the undead here have been protecting people.”

Whatever decision was made, the current master of the Ark would be the one to choose.

They had entrusted him with all the responsibility, and both of them had vowed to respect and follow his decision.

“Hey, kid.”

Just as they were about to move forward, Ja-seong called out to Ga-ram.

Stopping at his words, she glanced back at him with an indifferent look.

“Let me ask you one last time… are you really sure you don’t have any feelings for that guy?”

His tone was much more serious this time.

Sensing the concern in his voice, Ga-ram smiled bitterly before turning her back to him.

“That’s never going to happen. Oppa’s not my type, to begin with.”

“…Don’t say that to Hyo-sung. He’d get hurt hearing that he’s ‘not your type,’ no matter what.”

“I’ll handle it. Just take care of your own stuff, Mister.”

Casually waving him off, Ga-ram walked ahead of Ja-seong towards the square.

Her steps were unhurried, carrying her towards her family.

Just as she had emphasized to Ja-seong several times, she showed that she felt no awkwardness towards her ‘brother.’

‘Yeah, the feelings I have for Oppa aren’t like that.’

Of course, back when she first made a promise with him, maybe, just maybe, there was a chance it could have gone in that direction.

But that faint possibility completely vanished after she met the person he introduced her to.

‘Welcome, Hyo-sung. And who might that be…?’

‘Ah, I mentioned her before, right? She’s the kid who’s been traveling with me.’

‘Nice to meet you, Ga-ram. I’m Airi, Hyo-sung’s companion.’

A girl who had to grow up far too quickly, having been thrown into this harsh world.

Because of this, her inner maturity led her to accept reality before she could even fully process her own emotions.

‘Right. Oppa’s priority has to be her.’

Even realizing this, asking him to treat her as an equal—or even more important than her—would be selfish, wouldn’t it?

And so, Ga-ram quelled any feelings she had for him again and again, until now, even the thought of it was something she unconsciously denied.

That resolve had only become stronger after he saved her life in such a pivotal moment.

She knew that if he risked everything to save even someone like her, then he’d push himself even harder if it were someone truly precious to him.

‘Being like siblings is enough for me and Oppa.’

Simply being there for each other, as pillars of support when everything else fell apart, was enough.

Their relationship was enough as it was, and it should never go beyond that.

That resolve was not just a decision; it was a rule she would follow for the rest of her life.

Thump, thump.

But why…?

Why was it that whenever she thought about the moment he saved her, her chest tightened with a strange ache?

‘I will never abandon you, Ga-ram, so you…!’

Yes, his appearance had changed, but the one who reached out to her in that moment was unmistakably family.

He had risked his life to come for her, and even at the very last moment, it was his hand that reached out to her.

The only difference was that he had changed from a man to a woman, and the urgency of the situation had shattered the composed attitude she had always kept.

‘Please… don’t leave me behind.’

As the image of that broken sibling moment became clearer in her mind, Ga-ram pulled her cloak tighter around her face and muttered in a strained voice.

“…It’s rude to think Oppa looked cute when he was crying back then, isn’t it?”

The adult who had always protected her had shown such vulnerability in front of her.

But the inexperienced girl didn’t yet realize what the emotions she felt when recalling that moment really were.