Chapter 80

It seemed like the government and the Church still had some discussions left to hold with the gnomes, but Ria, my party, and I decided to return to Earth.

That didn’t mean we left right away, though. No matter how quickly we acted, there were established procedures to follow.

After letting the government folks know we were leaving, we informed the Church too, and then the gnome government insisted on throwing one last banquet before we could head back. So we ended up leaving three days later.

During those three days, I casually roamed around the gnome region to wrap up some loose ends.

The first place I visited was the workshop where I had placed an order.

“I never expected it to be completed this quickly…”

Actually, I was just stopping by for a progress check, but Clarnet presented me with the finished gemstone.

I had been planning to ask the Church members, who were staying behind, to help if it took longer than anticipated.

The gemstone was beautiful and surprisingly small—smaller than the magic stone I saw last time in that storage room. Perhaps a bit bigger than a diamond set in a ring.

In fact, it was already sitting atop a ring.

“Normally, you’d need to extract all the magic power from the previous stone and refill it with saint power while selecting the gem,” I noted.

“Yeah, but…” Clarnet replied.

Looking up from the ring, I saw Clarnet grin sheepishly.

“The lake where Anna had visited is already filled with saint power, so I just took a bunch of magic stones, washed them, and quickly picked the best one. Then I recrafted it.”

…Oh, right.

That makes sense. The lake probably still had all the relics I dumped in there. I even purified the perimeter before pouring in the sand.

“Shall we test it out?” I asked, nodding as I held the ring.

Then, I called forth the saint power.

Slowly, I felt the energy seeping into the ring.

It was somewhat magical. Normally, infusing regular stones with saint power felt like pushing against a solid wall, but this time, the gem seemed to absorb the power like a sponge.

Realizing I might topple over, I cut off the infusion midway.

When I opened my fist, a soft glow emanated from the gem set in the ring on my palm.

Since I hadn’t felt any blocks, I could accumulate a lot more saint power than I’d expected. Its small size and ring shape made it easy to store, and with it on my finger, I wouldn’t lose it anytime soon; plus, it would be convenient to use.

“Amazing.” I smiled, and Clarnet nodded in agreement.

“Which finger will you wear it on? We can make the ring size fit in no time.”

“Uh, about that…” I hesitated.

What’s the usual finger for a ring you carry around? The ring finger is usually for engagement or wedding rings, right?

I think graduation rings are worn on the index finger, but that might be uncomfortable since I handle guns.

“Can I make a suggestion?” Clarnet chimed in, holding up another ring.

“Two?” I blinked.

“Yes, I had one more good stone. With two, it only makes sense to have an appropriate finger for one.”

No way?

“Uh, I don’t have a boyfriend or anything…” I stammered.

“Really?” Clarnet’s eyes widened as if she had never heard that before, glancing back and forth between me and Ria.

…Why?

“All I heard was—”

“…Whatever you might have heard, it’s probably wrong.” I shot back.

Who on Earth spread such rumors?

Just because two girls hang out doesn’t mean they’re a couple—foreigners with prejudice might think that. In Korea, friends often walk arm in arm. I sometimes do that with Ria when needed.

…Or was it that? Maybe it had to do with Ria and me dancing together?

“Ah… oh!” Clarnet clapped her hands like she just had a revelation, sweating profusely as she blurted out.

“Is that so?”

What’s so “is that so” about?

“Still, I think it’s best to match it to the fourth finger. The left fourth finger is for engagement or wedding rings, but the right fourth finger symbolizes unchanging friendship.”

“…So, not the left index?” My gaze narrowed.

I actually knew this well enough. I’d read about it plenty in web novels back in the day.

In yuri novels, it’s a common trope for shy heroines to gift friendship rings to the main character on the left index finger.

I wasn’t sure if that was true or not. Do girls even give friendship rings? At least guys wouldn’t—it’s guaranteed to be misunderstood.

“In gnome society, that’s how it is. The left fourth finger symbolizes unchanging love, while the right symbolizes unchanging friendship. It’s also practical: we often use our hands, right? The less bothersome fingers for rings are the fourth or pinky, and since the pinky is on the outer side, it often gets in the way.”

“Ah…” That makes sense; it is the practical choice for rings.

“But even if it’s unchanging friendship…” I looked at Ria.

Ria was blushing slightly.

Isn’t this a bit embarrassing?

I’m not sure if it’s because my feelings are stuck in an adult man’s mind, but friendships inevitably evolve over time. The friends you have a blast with as a kid might turn into mere acquaintances as society kicks in.

Wouldn’t it likely happen even among girls?

“…I’m okay. I have to wield a sword anyway, right?”

“Um, if that’s the case, I guess it doesn’t matter,” Ria replied.

“If it feels awkward to wear, I can make you a nice necklace instead. Since you’re our heroic helper, we can match as many as you like. Wearing it as a necklace isn’t a bad option either.”

Ria nodded at that suggestion.

I shrugged in agreement.

In the end, the rings ended up being adjusted in a practical sense for multiple meanings.

“…Is that right?” At the farewell banquet before heading back, Glaria asked about the ring on my hand, her expression somewhat ambiguous after hearing the story.

“Is there something odd about it in elven society?”

“No, it’s not exactly like that… The thing is, elves don’t really assign much meaning to rings. What I meant is…”

Glaria’s gaze shifted to Ria.

There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

“That day, witnessing the scene from above…”

But she didn’t finish that thought.

For some reason, maybe they had become closer, but Han Yu-ri, standing nearby, suddenly reddened and slapped Glaria on the arm. It wasn’t meant to be harmful, just a way to cut her off.

“Ouch, what was that for?!” Glaria exclaimed, but Han Yu-ri had already grabbed Glaria’s wrist and was pulling her away.

“Let’s talk for a bit.” And off they went to talk to Lee Si-yoon, who was chatting with the Church members over there.

Oh, right—he also awakened in the end.

No wonder the Knight Order was interested. Han Yu-ri must’ve been looking that way.

Since all the knights following me were female, it was bound to be a bit jealous.

I turned my head to share stories with Ria, only to find her face completely flushed.

She even let out a long sigh as if relieved about something.

…What the heck?

Ria had made the ring into a necklace. Just in case, I infused it with saint power too. I figured I’d keep building it up every night from now on. You never know when you’ll need it.

When our eyes met, Ria cleared her throat and extended her hand toward me.

“…So, shall we dance?”

Perhaps she had nothing else to say, or maybe she was trying to prevent someone else from asking me to dance again.

Seeing Ria, blushing as she asked me to dance, made me chuckle softly. She shot me a glare, but surprisingly, didn’t say anything else.

“Sure.” I replied, placing my hand on hers. Her hand was a bit soft, slightly firm, and definitely warm.

Ria gently pulled my hand toward her and slowly led me into the dancing crowd, drawing me completely closer to her.

Feeling her hand on my waist, I looked up at Ria.

There was a faint wonderful scent.

Same shampoo and body wash as I used, oddly enough.

What a cheat, really.

…

Well, it was still true Ria couldn’t keep her gaze fixed on my face while we danced, her cheeks flushed red.