Chapter 54

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Sponsored Chapter - 4/5...

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The six guilds played a very important role in the original story.

In the setting, the six guilds had a blood alliance relationship, and each guild master was one of the ten strongest.

In a word, if the wills of those six guilds were united, they would be so powerful that even the Association or even a nation would not be able to do anything recklessly.

The Ten Strongest was a name that carried that much weight.

… However, this was only the case with the setting, and their treatment in the original story was like a death squadron, as I said before.

Lee Myung-Joon died before the original story even began.

Of the remaining five, two died in the middle of fighting the Seven Evil, which was released from its seal on the day the first Seven Evil was unsealed.

The remaining three either died or went missing due to getting entangled in various incidents, and the ending that all of them were going to die did not change no matter how the story progressed.

At this point, it was kind of sad.

When the guild masters died in the game, their henchmen took over the position, and in the process, the guilds became at odds with each other, or in the worst cases, even confronted each other.

And depending on the story's development or choices, there were cases in which they became absolute allies or potential enemies.

The only good thing was the fact that all six guilds had a common enemy.

The evaluation of the six guilds could be summed up in one sentence.

A group that deals with parts that the main character alone cannot solve or care about.

And, of course, the more their bond remained unbroken, the better things were for me.

The stronger their power, the stronger the checks against the Red Case and the Thorns Cross Society.

That was why I decided to deal with this traitor case, which was the direct cause of their division…….

‘What should I do?’

I never expected that all the guild masters would come.

Is this another butterfly effect brought about by Lee Myung-Joon's survival, or is it caused by something else?

It was meaningless to even think about it now.

The cause didn't matter.

What mattered was how to take advantage of this situation that had changed.

“…… .”

The biggest events in the academy are Guild Invitation, Commemorative Festival, and Year-End Exam.

In each of these three events, one major antagonistic group emerges.

Red Case, a villainous group.

Thorn Cross Society of Cultists.

And, although they hadn't appeared yet, the Big Watch, who had turned against humanity and joined hands with the monsters.

These three were also the three main antagonists in the original story, Clouds on the Horizon.

If Han Soo-Young is considered the center of the story, it is more likely that Red Case will appear this time.

But I quietly shook my head.

The Thorn Cross Society, which should not have appeared yet, had long since appeared.

If so, there was a good possibility that the Big Watch would also appear.

Maybe all three...… .

After thinking about it, I took out my cell phone and sent the message I had saved to Jin Ye-Seul.

Originally, I would have to tell her separately while watching the situation, but since the situation was like this, it could not be handled alone.

‘Now, which one?’

Red Case.

Thorns Cross Society.

And Big Watch.

It was unclear which of the three would appear, but the situation wasn't that bad.

No, it could be said to be better.

That's because all the six guild masters were here.

Honestly,  if they were in their right minds, they wouldn't be doing anything crazy right now.

Then, I had no choice but to wait while gathering information for a while.

"Shall we start moving? Ji-Hyuk, you stay here. I will go over there.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

At my answer, the senior burst into laughter as if he liked it.

“It’s nice that you are so friendly. Then I'll leave it to you."

With those words, he walked a little more inward, almost running.

The place certainly looked more difficult than this one, but his back looked so excited that anyone could tell that he wanted to see the guild masters up close.

"Please don't come out of the line. Please stay in line.”

Obviously, most people flocked to where the guild masters were, so there wasn't much to do where I was.

I repeated my words mechanically, waving the safety stick moderately.

If I had worked part-time instead of as a temporary student council member, I would have gotten a lot of money.

I was thinking like that.

"Excuse me, Oppa. Can I ask you something?”

I lowered my head and looked down at the voice I heard.

There, a young girl who seemed to be only ten years old was smiling brightly and looking up at me.

“What do you want to know?”

As I answered, my eyes naturally met the girl's.

Blonde hair, blue eyes.

A child with a typical Western appearance...… .

[The Banshee's Necklace resists the status abnormality 'Daze'!]

I came to my senses when a window floated in front of me.

Blonde hair and blue eyes.

A childlike face.

The pattern of hexagram is visible in her pupil. [Note:  '육망성'- Hexagram(Six-Pointed Star).]

I quickly lowered my gaze to avoid eye contact and infused Banshee necklace with mana.

Removing status abnormality, one of Banshee's necklace abilities.

Then, at some point, I could feel my head that had been blurry, clear.

"Oppa?"

"Oh, sorry."

“Why don’t you make eye contact with me…? My mom said we have to make eye contact with each other to talk...… .”

I gave a small smile at the sound of the tearful girl's voice.

“I have an eye disease. So I'm afraid if I make eye contact, it'll spread."

“But your eyes look fine?”

“Since the doctor said that, isn’t it better to be careful?”

I replied with a smile like that.

Eyes engraved with a hexagram pattern.

How could I have forgotten such an unusual and serious chuunibyou-like setting?

The girl in front of me now, no, this woman, was none other than one of the Ten Strongest and Master of one the Six Guild.

‘But why is she here....?'

Also, why is she talking to me?

She was even pretending to be a child by disguising her appearance with magic.

“What is Oppa doing here?”

“Is Oppa as strong as the people on TV?"

“Oppa, why are there so many people here today?”

I answered her continued questions without breaking my smile.

How many minutes have passed like that?

Suddenly she became silent.

I was avoiding her gaze so I could only guess, but somehow I somehow felt she was staring at me.

“Ugh, my Oppa is so cruel.”

With those words, she giggled.

“I think you've already noticed, sorry for making you wary? But please understand, my Oppa has a very peculiar smell. That's why I came here. I'm sorry for startling you~"

With those words, a sudden breeze blew.

When I closed and opened my eyes, she had already disappeared.

Only then I was able to let out a small sigh.

Thinking that I should get something from Ivan to hide this smell or stench or something.

* * *

The door opened and a young girl with blond hair and blue eyes appeared.

Then, five people who were sitting in front of the hexagonal table, each taking a seat, turned their heads and looked at the girl.

In the room, there were other people standing behind the chair beside them, and if you add them all up, the eyes of nearly 20 people were looking at the little girl at once.

At the sudden concentration of eyes, the girl made a face as if she was wondering what the problem was.

"What?"

“What is this little thing?” 

"What? Ah."

When the giant man asked as if he was dumbfounded, the girl looked down at herself and nodded.

And after a while, the girl was nowhere to be found, and there stood a woman of Western appearance, who appeared to be in her late twenties.

“I’m sorry I’m late~ I saw a funny guy on the way, so I was just looking around.”

With those words, she placed her hand on the shoulder of the woman standing behind the seat where she would sit.

“Thanks for working hard for me.”

With those words, she sat down in the remaining seat, and Lee Myung-Joon, who confirmed it, touched his forehead as if he had a headache.

Behind him stood a giant man of Latin origin with Yuzuki Horie.

“Then let’s start now.”

Lee Myung-Joon looked around and said.

“First of all, thank you all for following my words…… You must come in person, and bring only two people you trust the most to the meeting room. At this point, I think you've probably figured out what I'm going to talk about...… .”

The others listened quietly to Lee Myung-Joon's words.

It was because, as he said, each of them knew roughly that this was not normal.

“I've called because I think something big is going to happen at the academy during this event. There is also something I have to tell you about Isabelle Gaudi and Esmeralda Lysnerger.”

"Enough with the blather, just get to the main point.”

An Asian man with a tattoo on his face of a dragon with its mouth open, grumbled.

Then a silver-haired woman sitting next to him muttered in a small voice.

“Why don't you shut up and listen?"

"What? Did you just tell me to shut up?”

"Unlike your head, your earholes are fine, thank God."

“Come on, everyone, calm down. Okay, would you like some candy?”

As if mediating the two, when Ahn Joo-Hyuk shook the candy, the woman who arrived late was delighted and took the candy.

In the meantime, an old woman with a disinterested expression was gently fanning her fan.

Lee Myung-Joon, who was used to this chaotic mess, said bluntly as if throwing it away.

“A Red Case spy is hiding in the upper echelons of the Association.”

The five people who had been making a lot of noise, shut their mouths almost simultaneously.

Now, it'll be easier to talk.

With that in mind, Lee Myung-Joon continued his words in a calm tone.

“That's what I've gotten from interrogating Esmeralda Lysnerger. On top of that, the Red Case had an internal conflict just a few years ago and the leader was changed, and the current leader is aiming to break the seals of the Seven Evils.”

“… Am I that old that I'm hearing nonsense now?”

At the old woman's murmuring, Lee Myung-Joon shook his head.

“Unfortunately, it is true, old lady.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

The armor worn by the silver-haired woman made a rustling sound.

At the sound that seemed to represent her feelings, Lee Myung-Joon held out his hand as if to say calm down.

“First of all, the opponent doesn’t know that we've noticed. So we'll keep pretending not to notice and dig a trap.”

“Are we going to use deception?”

"Yes."

At the Asian man's question, Lee Myung-Joon nodded his head.

“The Red Case dispatched Esmeralda Listener for the relic that was excavated a few months ago, but she failed to secure it. And the relic is now stored inside the academy."

“So you mean they are trying to break the seal of the Seven Evils, and the relics is related to it?"

Lee Myung-Joon nodded his head and continued his words.

“And I was also able to find out that Isabelle Gaudi was surprisingly also associated with the Red Case, the Thorns Cross Society, and the Big Watch. It would be nice if it was just my guess, but...… .”

“Mandragora.”

"Yes."

When asked by the blonde woman, he readily accepted.

“There was almost no efficacy like the legend passed down, but the Mandragoras she brought were real. If I had made a mistake when I heard the scream, I would have died on the spot." 

But how could a witch like Isabelle Gaudí obtain such thing, and that many?

Ahn Joo-Hyuk answered sighingly to Lee Myung-Joon's question.

“In the worst case, there may be some kind of agreement between the three of them.”

Everyone shut their mouths at that.

It's unlikely, but if so, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

“For the record, none of us had noticed that a spy have infiltrated the higher echelons of the association. And it's probably the same for the Association."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell anyone about today's meeting except for those who are here. Even if they are from the same guild."

At those words, the Asian man raised an eyebrow.

"...Right. You mean there might already be some spies on our side, too?”

"There's nothing bad about being careful."

“I don’t like it.”

The silver-haired woman, also known as the Paladin to the world, muttered as if chewing. [Note: '성기사'- Paladin.]

“At the end of the day, it sounds like you asking us to be suspicious of our colleagues.”

"I'm saying let's be on guard. There's a saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

“That’s true. But there is no reason to be suspicious.”

She got up from her seat with those words.

"I'll do whatever I want for now. And I'm sorry, but let me get up first. I flew from the other side of the world, so I’m a little tired.”

As she slammed the door and walked out, the two men and women standing behind her bowed their heads and followed immediately.

The blonde woman who saw it licked her lips and muttered.

"Oh, my. Laura must be really angry."

"…Let's stop here for today. Everyone must be tired like Laura."

Lee Myung-Joon said as he added.

“If there are any suspicious facts or other findings, please share them with everyone and don't rush around for no reason. Eva, please tell Laura.”

After he finished those words, the remaining five got up from their seats in turn.

* * *

Laura Hartmann, a silver-haired woman also called Paladin, did not try to hide her discomfort.

She knew that Lee Myung-Joon's words were all correct.

However, the fact that she was eventually put in a situation where she had to suspect her colleague was something she could not overlook.

“Calm your anger, Guild Master.”

At the words of the man following her, the woman who was walking next to her also said.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Instead, we just have to find the spy as soon as possible."

“…Yeah. You guys are having a hard time because of me."

She let out a small sigh and moved her steps.

At Laura's words, the woman tied her hair in a ponytail answered with a charming voice.

“Eh, what hardship. We've come along to take care of our master."

“What do you mean take care…… .”

"Haha."

The man who was looking at their backs burst into a small laugh.

He moved his lips silently.

The red border will be the boundary of this world.

Something was wriggling in his slightly open mouth.

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