Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 27

Vanessa exclaimed in surprise.

“No!”

The woman casually stubbed out her cigarette in a glass ashtray, smirking.

“I woke up because I didn’t like the sight of you two whispering so closely. Are you saying that’s not what it looked like?”

“Jonah Hill, long time no see.”

“Gideon. Janma, I didn’t tell you to come in.”

“Looks like you have more books.”

“I spent some money… Who is this pretty young lady?”

Jonah Hill approached Vanessa and gently stroked her cheek. Her doll-like, bright blue eyes blinked charmingly, along with her thick eyebrows and lovely curly hair.

*An immature mage.*

“Hello. I’m Vanessa Rose, and I’m friends with Gideon.”

Vanessa bowed politely, watching Gideon smile from behind. Only then did Jonah Hill acknowledge her greeting.

*What’s with this guy? Why is his smile so unpleasant?*

“Oh, hello. I’m Jonah Hill. I own this bookstore.”

Jonah Hill scratched her head roughly and then sat on top of the books. She looked at the book in Vanessa’s hand, revealing her teeth as she smiled.

“You found a book with the letters of Bam Vandalu.”

“Is it really Vandalu’s?”

“Of course. I found it buried in a corner, with mold growing on the paper.”

“Wow!”

Vanessa’s eyes sparkled like stars, and Jonah Hill burst out laughing. She didn’t know why this guy was acting like this, but the kid was really cute.

“How do you find things like this?”

“I read biographies and diaries of great people and search every place they’ve been. Then, ta-da!”

“Wow!”

Vanessa clapped, and Jonah Hill winked, spreading her arms wide in a greeting. Vanessa cheered enthusiastically like an audience member.

“Have you eaten?”

Gideon asked, but Jonah Hill simply shrugged without answering.

“Shall we grab a light meal, Vanessa? Is there anything you’d like?”

“I like everything.”

“Oh, if you’re paying, of course, I have to go. Shall we cut some meat? Actually, I spent all my money buying books.”

Vanessa and Gideon followed Jonah Hill out of the bookstore and into the alley next door.

The alley had no fancy shops at all, and most of the places were shabby with no signs. Wooden doors creaked open and closed repeatedly.

“This is where the real *matjip* [Korean word for 맛집, meaning 맛=taste, 집=house, so a restaurant known for its great taste] are. The shops on Nardo Street? Don’t even talk about them!”

Jonah Hill confidently opened a wooden door and went inside. A rusty bell rang with a dull sound.

The three sat at a roughly hewn wooden table and carefully looked at the menu written on old paper. The paper was worn in many places from people’s hands.

When the three had chosen a total of five dishes, the sullen-faced owner disappeared into the kitchen without a word.

“Is it okay to leave the bookstore open like that?”

“She’s still a young mage. How long has she been feeling the power of magic?”

Jonah Hill said, lighting a cigarette. At Gideon’s cold expression, she grumbled and quickly put out the cigarette.

“Oh, it hasn’t even been a year.”

“Surprisingly, she’s quite a powerful mage. You can’t take stolen items out. Didn’t you feel strange when you came out?”

“That’s right! It felt like I was passing through a transparent membrane when I came out.”

Vanessa exclaimed in admiration. It was rare to find a mage who could maintain a continuous barrier, but it seemed like she was meeting them often. And even with conditions.

“Quite? This is real. I’m a really great mage. Keep that in mind!”

“What good is being great? You’re too busy devouring books.”

Jonah Hill grumbled and began to heartily scoop up the warm meat stew that was already on the table.

“If everyone lived like you, would the world run well? More than half would die from overwork!”

“Gideon, aren’t you unable to rest because you’re entertaining me?”

Vanessa said cautiously, but Gideon shook his head.

“Didn’t I ask you to entertain me? I also need time to relax and clear my head. It’s okay.”

The three ate the warm food and chatted. Surprisingly, the shabby restaurant tasted very good. They used plenty of ingredients and blended the spices wonderfully, so there was no gamey smell at all.

When Jonah Hill ordered warm wine, Gideon frowned slightly.

“Our cute Vanessa. Have you ever drunk alcohol?”

“No!”

“That’s right. You have to learn about alcohol from an adult, you know?”

“What adult…”

“Hey, shut up!”

Gideon only sighed softly. No matter how he looked at it, Jonah Hill was definitely excited to meet someone new after a long time.

“Vanessa, you don’t have to drink.”

“I want to drink it. Just a little!”

“……”

And when they ordered warm wine, the sullen-faced owner appeared, excited. Warm wine was the most expensive item on his menu.

The bottle in his hand was transparent green, with a white label on it depicting a field in front of a mansion.

“This is really good wine. I’m breaking out something I’ve been saving!”

“Oh, mister, you really have an eye for quality!”

Jonah Hill poured a generous amount of warm wine into Gideon’s glass and barely a sip into Vanessa’s glass. Then she grabbed the bottle for herself.

As soon as Vanessa took a very small sip of the wine, she coughed violently, her throat burning.

Gideon handed her water and patted her back. Next to her, Jonah Hill was pouring wine into her mouth.

“You have to sip and swallow it little by little. The alcohol content isn’t low.”

“What is this, the taste……”

She had definitely seen other people drinking it deliciously, but why would anyone drink something like this!

Vanessa looked at Jonah Hill with betrayed eyes, and she chuckled.

“The baby wouldn’t know.”

“I’m an adult, you know? It’s been more than a year since I became an adult!”

“Keheng, being an adult. Age isn’t everything. You have to try going astray, and men-”

Gideon kicked Jonah Hill in the shin under the table without mercy. Jonah Hill cried out and bowed her head.

“You crazy bastard!”

Tears welled up in Jonah Hill’s eyes, but Gideon coldly raised the corner of his lips.

“Vanessa, ignore her.”

However, she found the slightly dizzy vision from just one sip to be amusing.

Gideon stopped Vanessa from secretly trying to drink more and stopped Jonah Hill from pouring alcohol into her mouth. Of course, Jonah Hill didn’t listen and wasted the free alcohol.

The three very different people had a lot to talk about.

Jonah Hill listened to Vanessa’s story with great interest and even wrote some things down in a small notebook.

Jonah Hill’s story was also interesting; her first magic was making the letters in a book float in the air.

So, after talking and playing non-stop, the sun slowly began to set.

Vanessa realized the time only when the lights inside the restaurant flickered on, and she was startled.

“Oh, I have to go back to the Milo Doty mansion! Everyone must be worried.”

Vanessa jumped up, and Gideon paid for everything and dragged Jonah Hill out. Jonah Hill protested that she would drink more, but she was subdued with a single gesture.

“Ah, just one drink. I’ll really just have one more drink!”

“Come out.”

Vanessa, who had opened the door first, waited for them to come out. The inside of the door was noisy, and she laughed.

The alley near the Batnir Bridge was sparsely populated even during the day, but as it became evening, there was no one walking outside.

As the sun began to set, there were many shady places, giving it a gloomy feeling.

Yes, Vanessa thought it was just shady darkness.

However, Gideon, who had dragged Jonah Hill out, felt a sense of unease and stopped abruptly. His clear golden eyes, looking at one place, narrowed.

Gideon, who had pierced through the suspicious darkness, pulled Vanessa and hid her behind him. Then he whispered softly in her ear.

“Vanessa, don’t come to alleys like this alone. I brought you here today, but you must be careful when walking around alone. Promise me.”

“Even though this is Phydom?”

“Danger can be anywhere.”

“I know, it seems like it’s right nearby. Phydom! The world is really coming to an end.”

Jonah Hill smiled crookedly. Gideon looked at the darkest part inside with an indifferent expression.

“Jonah Hill, take Miss Vanessa to the front of the mansion.”

“I have to earn my meal.”

Jonah Hill quickly hugged Vanessa’s waist, and Gideon drew his sword. It was a sword as black as pitch, as if it had absorbed the darkness.

“Something over there, something black……”

Vanessa whispered, and Jonah Hill covered Vanessa’s eyes.

“You don’t need to see things like that yet. You’re a student. You should only see pleasant things.”

“Gideon, it’s not dangerous, is it? Your arm is hurt!”

As Vanessa struggled to remove the hand covering her eyes, Gideon turned his head and looked at her for a moment.

“I’ll go on my own, so go with Jonah Hill. It’s dangerous!”

“Our cute Vanessa. You don’t even know that that guy with the eyes of a beast is the scariest.”

Young, young. That’s why they say you’re young even if you’re an adult. Jonah Hill chuckled.

Gideon reached out his large hand and took Vanessa’s hand. His big hand was warm but rough with calluses.

“Don’t worry. I won’t get hurt.”

With that, Gideon disappeared into the darkness inside the alley. Jonah Hill hugged Vanessa and tore off the paper she was holding. Then she rode on the wind.

When Jonah Hill removed the hand covering Vanessa’s eyes, the two were floating in the air.

Before she could be amazed by the great magic, Vanessa shouted.

“What if Gideon is in danger!”

“Oh, Vanessa. You don’t know, but he entered the Special Forces at the youngest age in Priva’s history. Do you know what that means?”

When Vanessa closed her mouth tightly, Jonah Hill whispered in her ear.

“Currently, there is no one inside Priva who kills monsters more easily than that guy. He has the most powerful killing ability of anything. Now, which mansion should we go to?”

“But he’s already been hurt a lot.”

“He’s been hurt, rolled around, broken, and hit. But it doesn’t matter to him. But if we keep floating in the air like this, people will stare?”

“……Please go to the Milo Doty mansion.”

“Okay.”

Jonah Hill grabbed Vanessa and skipped through the air as if dancing.

As the cold wind pushed them, they advanced twenty steps for every one step of others. However, it was very cold.

Even with the strange experience, Vanessa still couldn’t hide her gloomy expression, and Jonah Hill smiled. She’s a good kid. She’s also cute. I know why that bastard smiled like that.

“What’s Honir’s number?”

“Huh? 09, 07, 48-197……”

“I’ll tell Gideon to write you a letter. Then you’ll be relieved, right?”

“Yes…”

Before she knew it, the Milo Doty mansion began to appear. Even in the darkening sky, the inside of the huge mansion’s windows was lit, making the area nearby bright.

“Well, you can go alone from here, right?”

When Jonah Hill dropped her off in a crowded and bright place, Vanessa bowed her head.

“Thank you. It was a really amazing experience.”

“Yeah. I’m a great mage. Come visit the bookstore again next time!”

Jonah Hill waved her hand and disappeared in an instant. It was a space-time magic with very fast realization. She really seemed to be a great mage.

Suddenly left alone, Vanessa thought that today had really disappeared in an instant.

She wondered if it was a dream, but when she saw the letter she had written to her teacher in her arms, she knew it was reality.