Chapter 56

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Jin Ye-Seul, dressed in casual clothes, looked very mature, unlike usual.

Even people who knew her couldn't notice that she was her Jin Ye-Seul at first glance.

As I looked at her, wondering how her impression changed just by wearing different makeup and glasses, Jin Ye-Seul shrugged her shoulder.

“Is it that weird? I had no choice but to wear a disguise like this to do what I was asked to do.”

"No, it looks good on you. Do you want me to call you noona?”

"Later."

She smiled at my joke and sat down on the bench.

As I sat down beside her, Jin Ye-Seul took out some photos from her handbag and handed them to me.

"I looked it up as I was told. I've walked all over the place....… As you said, they are everywhere.”

In the photo, at first glance, ordinary people were photographed.

They varied in age, gender, and race.

But they had something in common.

They had weapons hidden in their bodies, and a mark of thorns and snakes entwined somewhere on their bodies.

“There are some people who only hide their weapons. Should I have taken pictures of those people too?"

“No, it’s okay. They could be bodyguards disguised as civilians or something like that.”

In the case of Red Case, they would have dispatched a small number of elite personnel.

There must have been a high probability that the Killer team, and the Infiltration and Espionage team were hiding, but finding them was like finding a needle in a desert.

On the other hand, in the case of Thorns Cross Society, they would rather deploy a large number of people.

Frankly speaking, they were the easiest to find and identify.

All members of the Thorns Cross Society carried the same mark somewhere on their bodies.

And in the case of Big Watch, it was either a monster or an ordinary person.

They were equally difficult to identify, because there was no way they could have infiltrated in the form of monsters.

‘First of all, the Thorns Cross Society is certain…… .'

So, I ordered Jin Ye-Seul to find the members of the Thorns Cross Society, which were the easiest to find, and she went around all morning looking for them as I ordered.

If this is the extent, even if they were roughly thinned out, how many people are hiding?

“…… .”

There were too many variables.

First, the fact that all the guild masters participated was the biggest variable.

In the original story, the guild master's aide who directly participated in the guild invitation was the spy.

And no matter how many guild masters participated, the number had never exceeded three.

But the reality was that they all participated.

Even so, it was too much of a leap forward to say that they were all spies or traitors.

Somehow I had to sort them out and pick them out.

'At least everything will be fine today.’

It was the same in the original story, but even if the story in the original was put aside, the probability of them moving from day one was low.

Probably on the first day, they would each gather information about the surrounding area and search for places with loose security.

First, I will meet with Lee Myung-Joon to exchange information and talk.

It was when I was organizing my thoughts.

“Should I catch some of them and ask?”

Jin Ye-Seul whispered to me.

When I turned my head, her face was right in front of me.

Thanks to this, I could see her dark black eyes, full of sadism and interest, right in front of me.

“I am very good at interrogation.”

"What you do is not an interrogation, but torture.”

"That's the same thing.”

Jin Ye-Seul murmured as if she were grumbling, nodded her head, and looked at me.

"So what should I do? Should I do it or not?"

“Don’t do anything pointless.”

I dismissed her words and carefully put the picture in my pocket.

"You don't have to poke around and instill caution on that side."

“Huh, something's strange?”

“What else?”

When I looked at Jin Ye-Seul, she stared at me.

Her eyes were pointed at me with a beautiful curve.

“If I poke around that way, they'll be wary, so wouldn't that save at least one more civilian? Whenever I hear you, Ji-Hyuk, it's as if, you're just focused on smashing them, and people's lives don't matter."

As she said that, looking at me in the face, I was able to recall a memory that I had forgotten.

The fact that Jin Ye-Seul had a sadistic side, and that she deliberately committed sadistic acts to someone she liked or favored.

And one of the things she liked most was to observe such a person fall apart in agony right next to her.

In fact, her eyes looking at me were full of expectations.

She was expecting what answer I would give.

But I didn't live up to her expectations.

"Hey."

"Huh?"

"I'll make the decision."

I got up from my seat saying that.

Naturally, she looked up at me, and I looked down at her.

“You just have to shut up and do what I tell you to do. It's not your job to think, it's mine."

I was still looking down at her.

“And since when did you start caring about other people? The only thing you care about is the legacy. Then you have to work hard to get it. Without looking away. Don't you think so?"

“…… .”

Jin Ye-Seul had eyes that I couldn't tell what was inside.

"Don't worry, when this is over, I'll hand over the legacy you've been longing for, so you just have to do what you've been told to do."

Why should I, of all people, be responsible for all the lives of so many people in the first place?

It was the same for anyone, not me.

I was just moving to produce better results for everyone.

“… I'm not just looking for the legacy."

"What?"

“Hm, it's nothing.”

With that, Jin Ye-Seul stood up from her seat.

Then she murmured as if she were complaining in a still smiling voice.

“It can’t be helped. This is the first where my weakness was caught.”

Then she licked her lips slightly with her tongue and looked at me.

“Please be careful. Because, Ji-Hyuk, you have everything that will be mine. Of course, I will work hard to keep you intact, but...… .”

I can't protect you when I'm not by your side.

With those words, Jin Ye-Seul slowly moved her steps and dug into the crowd as if to hide herself.

After a while, when I couldn't see her back, I let out a small sigh.

Whenever I talk to her, I feel like I'm being sucked out of all my energy.

"Eh, I'm late."

I looked at my watch and saw that a few minutes had passed since the opening ceremony had started.

I texted Lee Ye-Eun as I quickly moved my feet.

And as if she had been waiting, her reply came immediately.

“Area B-4…… B-4, B-4. Whoo...… .”

I didn't stop running to where she told me, mumbling all the while so I wouldn't forget.

The further I went, the more people were flocking, so naturally I had to slow down.

When I barely broke through the crowd and arrived at the designated area, the opening speech of the principal standing on the podium was almost coming to an end.

[… so we will continue to walk the path of honor and righteousness with as much pride as we have done so far..… .]

“Here. Here."

Lee Ye-Eun who spotted me beckoned me slightly.

As I approached, she let out a small laugh.

"You're very late.”

“Yes, I am sorry. Senior."

“No, it’s okay. It's not like it was anything special, and I'm sure everyone is doing something else while pretending to be appropriately attentive, right?"

She looked around and pointed her finger to one side.

“You can just go over there and stand there. After all the Guild masters are done speaking, and the chairman recites the congratulatory speech, it'll be the end of your work, so please that in mind. For the rest, we are enough.”

"Yes, thank you."

“… Then see you tomorrow.”

After saying that, Lee Ye-Eun looked at my face for a moment and then turned her head to look ahead.

I bowed my head to her and headed to the seat, which she had decided.

[Nice to meet you, everyone. I'm Lee Myung-Joon, who leads the Guild Thunder Lord's Hammer.]

Lee Myung Joon's words as he stepped in front of the podium were met with a tremendous cheer.

As he motioned to calm down, the sound gradually began to subside.

[First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Orhe Academy for preparing such a brilliant event…… .]

Five people were sitting side by side in the same chair behind Lee Myung-Joon, who came out to the front of the podium and was holding a microphone.

There was some distance, so I couldn't look at the details of them, but I could see the rough outline.

And as I watched them, the memories began to come to mind.

A man with a tattoo on his face.

A woman in medieval knight armor.

An old woman in traditional Japanese clothes.

A man in an ordinary suit.

And a woman in a typical witch's outfit, holding back a yawn as if drowsy.

Finally, there was Lee Myung-Joon, who was wearing an eye patch to cover one of his eyes.

I could remember their abilities and rough story, but I couldn't remember their names.

That was because they died even before I could remember their names or see them in action.

In fact, I only remembered Lee Myung-Joon because his name had been mentioned so often in the original story.

If it had been the original story, all six of them would have died in less than half a year.

As I felt my appetite getting bitter at that fact, I saw someone approaching this way through the people.

“Ah, I found him.”

For some reason, a familiar woman looked at me and smiled a little.

Who was she?

As I thought, someone immediately appeared from behind her.

It was Ivan Hunt.

“Where do you keep going alone…… .”

“Look, son. I found the person my son was talking about.”

Ivan looked at her and me alternately, and rubbed his forehead with his finger, squeezing it as if his head was throbbing.

Whether or not she knew he was suffering from a headache, she happily approached me and held out her hand.

“Nice to meet you, You're the friend my son told me about, aren't you? Surely your name was Salvador?”

It was definitely a face that resembled Ivan.

But she was not a human being, but a spirit.

A higher spirit of the wind, one of the candidates for the spirit king.

I carefully grabbed her outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Salvador."

“My name is not Salvador, it's Yoo Ji-Hyuk.”

She gave a surprised look.

She, who looked so young that I would have believed she was Ivan's older sister or younger sister, smiled with her eyes.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not very good at distinguishing...… .”

“That's enough. isn't it a nuisance?"

Ivan pulled her apart with a firm voice and bowed his head a little to me.

I smiled a little as if to say it was okay.

"Well, but I'm so curious. This is the first time my son had brought up a friend's name."

In the meantime, she kept smiling with her eyes and turned her narrowed gaze to Ivan.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but a cool breeze seemed to pass through the back of my neck.

“Do you know how surprised this mother was when you suddenly contacted me and asked for help?"

"…I did something wrong, so please stop.”

Ivan muttered hard, barely hiding his discomfort.

"Mother."

Then the cool sensation that I had been feeling just a moment ago was not felt, as if it had been an illusion.

She smiled even more when Ivan called her mother, and began to sound excited and nasalize.

“Call me Belluna. You can call me Belle with affection.”

“Yes. Mother." [ Note: '어머님'- someone's mother.]

“Belluna.”

She looked at me sternly and said as if emphasizing.

“It’s Belluna. My only child is Ivan.”

“… Yes, I'm sorry. Belluna.”

… To be honest, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared here.

As I quickly changed titles, she shook and nodded her head.

“I want to talk more, but since I haven’t seen my son in a long time. I want to be alone with him. So, we'll be on our way now.”

Saying so, Belluna handed me something.

I politely reached out my hands to accept it and saw that it was a small ring.

It was so small that it barely fit in my pinky finger.

“Don’t forget to draw your blood and let it soak overnight. If you don't, it won't work."

“I will keep that in mind.”

When I accepted it and looked at Ivan, he nodded.

Perhaps this was what Ivan was talking about, something that could mask the scent of the spirit.

I carefully put it in my pocket.

And when I lifted my head, I saw Belluna looking at me strangely, sniffing as if she were smelling me.

"I don't know if I'm doing something wrong to someone who doesn't even know my face."

"Yes?"

"Hmm, that's another story."

Belluna shook her head softly.

At her side, Ivan alternately looked at her and me with an expression that was nearly a decade older than he was.

“Oh, right. What I have done is what I was asked to do. And, so I should give a present to my son’s friend whom I've met for the first time.”

With those words, she pulled out something again and handed it to me.

As soon as I took it, I could feel a cool sensation in my hand.

“See you later, Timothy. Don't forget, my name is Belluna.”

With those words, she left with Ivan.

It was only when they left that I could take a closer look at what was in my hand.

I could tell without emotion.

A pale jade colored jewel-like object with something swirling inside.

It was clearly a Spirit Stone.

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