After the executive, wearing a half-and-half mix of fluster and surprise, said they would make the necessary preparations and briefly left the room, Han Jaeyeong activated a small magic circle.
From the look of it, it was a barrier meant to prevent eavesdropping. Once Yu Hanul confirmed that Han Jaeyeong had finished casting it, he spoke. “Daon… didn’t you hear that you might be the target right now?” He looked at me as though he were seeing something incomprehensible. From his perspective, I probably looked like prey voluntarily walking straight into a tiger’s mouth.
“I know. That’s why, keep it a secret from Jeong Da—my brother.”
“…Isn’t he basically your guardian?”
“There are only three days left until the New Year. And even minors have freedom of religion, don’t they?”
In just three days, I would be a full legal adult, meaning I wouldn’t need Jeong Dajeong’s permission for anything anymore. Not that I’d ever really bothered asking my brother for permission in the first place.
Besides, the timing wasn’t bad. As soon as my high school graduation ceremony ended, I’d have to enter basic training in March. From then on, I’d be officially affiliated with the state, and I wouldn’t be able to move around this freely anymore.
“This isn’t something you should brush off as a joke.” Yu Hanul’s expression was grave. “There’s no hard proof yet, but it’s clearly suspicious. The fact that they already knew Im Jaehwan was dead, and that they subtly hinted at it to us.” It seemed he believed the executive hadn’t leaked information by mistake, but had done so deliberately. “That was them showing off that they hold power and can wield it. It means there are Truelight believers even within the investigative agencies.”
“If that’s the case, then all the more reason to infiltrate the inside.”
“You really think just attending a doctrine class like that will get you any evidence—”
“No, there is a chance.” It wasn’t like I was planning to storm in and steal some secret documents. “Yu Hanul, about that tip-off you received. No matter how you look at it, it was sent by an internal whistleblower, right?”
That tip-off, written in blood, said that Truelight had smuggled in the smoke. That alone was proof that someone inside the organization was dissatisfied with Truelight’s policies.
“In that situation, if big names like you and Han Jaeyeong visit Truelight, and I even say I want to attend a doctrine class, there’s a high chance they’ll try to approach us.”
The closeness between Yu Hanul and me was already well known, whether online or in the news. If someone knew enough to be aware of the information written in the tip-off, then they were likely someone with access to information inside the organization but limited ability to contact the outside world. In that case, once they learned that I had gone all the way to Truelight to attend a doctrine class, they would definitely find some way to reach out.
The doctrine class lasted two nights and three days, so there was plenty of time, and as the executive had just said, believers from all over the country would be gathering at this Gyeonggi branch. With things in disarray because of some New Year’s event or another, it would be even easier for the person who sent the tip-off to deviate from their usual routine and approach me.
“Still…”
“Well, is there really any reason to object?” Han Jaeyeong cut in with a lazy smile.
Yu Hanul turned to look at them. “Hunter Han Jaeyeong.”
“No, I mean, if she wants to use herself as bait and go fishing, what right does a third party have to interfere? If she wants to do it, she can.”
“Do you really think that’s something you should be saying right now?”
“I’d have stopped her if she were just an ordinary Hunter-in-training, but hasn’t Hunter Jeong Daon already proven her abilities more than enough? She’s not a mage like me who dumped everything into mana and ended up physically fragile.”
It seemed they were still holding onto that.
“But are you really planning to spend the New Year here? That’s definitely something you should tell your guardian.”
“I’ll say I’m staying over at a friend’s place.”
“You don’t have any friends, do you? The internet’s full of rumors about that.”
It’s true… I don’t have friends. With memories from a past life and all, I don’t really see the need to make friends through group life. Still, I definitely needed an excuse to give to Jeong Dajeong.
“Then I’ll say there’s a seminar at the HP Guild.”
“Doesn’t that mean I’m the one lying in the end?”
“Yes. That should be easy for you, right?”
“…You seem to think of me as some kind of moral trash… hmm, well. I guess that much is fine.”
Judging by the way they were grinning, they seemed quite pleased. They were fully aware they were being treated as moral trash, too. From Han Jaeyeong’s perspective, it was a proposal with no downside: the chances of identifying the culprit increased, and they’d get more opportunities to observe me.
Yu Hanul, unlike them, still looked full of concern. “Hunter Han Jaeyeong. Is this really the time to go along with this? You should be stopping her. Leaving her here alone is far too dangerous. Attending doctrine classes isn’t a good idea either.”
“What, are you worried I might actually be swayed?” I snorted. If I were the kind of person who could be influenced by something like this, I would’ve been swayed back in my past life already. “Besides, it can’t be you two attending the doctrine classes instead of me. I’m the only one they’d be less wary of.”
For now, I was only a potential S-rank, an untested rookie who hadn’t even gone through basic military training yet. That was why the executive had approved it so readily.
Yu Hanul let out a deep sigh. “…You’re pushing this even though it’s unnecessary, so I don’t know what to say, Daon. Do you have some kind of reason?”
"..."
From Yu Hanul’s point of view, it might look like reckless insistence, but I wasn’t acting without reason.
The mana Leo had detected earlier. Just as everyone’s fingerprints are different, mana carries a mage’s unique signature. And from the barrier spread across the inner garden, Leo had read the mana signature of the “Enemy of Humanity”… the same mana belonging to my blood relative from my past life.
It was absurd. I’d come to this religious organization’s building because of a tip Yu Hanul received, only to coincidentally find traces of familiar mana inside? That in itself was too contrived. If it were really that easy to find, the system wouldn’t have deliberately turned it into a quest. It was almost as if someone had intentionally left footprints behind for someone to find…
There’s no choice but to investigate it myself.
Leo might have sensed familiar mana from that magic circle, but as an animal, he lacked the cognitive ability to analyze a magic circle in detail. People often say magic circles are “drawn” and “seen,” but in reality, proper analysis requires examining both the drawn form of the circle and the totality of the mana flow moving along that form. That made it impossible for Leo to carry out a full analysis on his own.
In other words, the only way to determine whether that person had truly cast the garden’s barrier was for me to make direct contact and examine the magic circle myself. But it wasn’t something I could explain in detail here.
So I just shrugged. “I’ve already been targeted twice. Is it wrong to want to identify the culprit as soon as possible? And like you said, Yu Hanul, these people have their hands in public authority too. We can’t just wait around for the police to act.”
“If Hunter Han Jaeyeong and I solidify our suspicions and report this to the Central Management—”
“The Anti-Hunter Safety Administration within the bureau would move, sure. If they move quickly, maybe they’d start an investigation within a month.”
“…Hunter Han Jaeyeong.”
“Why? It’s true they’re busy. That’s how civil servants are.”
“And in that month, who knows what might happen.”
We’d already experienced two Dungeon Breaks in just a few weeks—who could say what else might occur over the next month? In every sense, handling it myself was the best option.
Yu Hanul finally slumped his shoulders. “…It feels like I’m the only one saying anything reasonable here, but when you push it to a majority vote, it’s hard to win.”
“That’s what living in a democracy is like, Hunter Yu Hanul. Please accept it.”
“I can’t help feeling it’s unfair that Hunter Han Jaeyeong’s vote carries the same weight as mine.”
“Oh, that doesn’t mean you two get to just sit around doing nothing. I think a delicate minor like me could use some appropriate assistance.”
Both of them frowned as if they’d just heard something they really didn’t want to hear.
“Didn’t you just tell us not to interfere?”
“A delicate minor?”
I ignored their protests. “It’s supposed to take only about three days at most, so I’d like you two to keep watch nearby or something. So you can rush in if anything happens.”
It probably wouldn’t come to that, but if another Dungeon Break happened like last time, I wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. And the idea of cultists from all over the country gathering here was already burdensome enough.
Han Jaeyeong frowned. “…So you’re telling us to stand guard or something?”
Compared to Han Jaeyeong, who reacted with open disgust, Yu Hanul looked noticeably brighter, as if he’d finally heard something he liked. “That would work. If we’re waiting around nearby, we could rush over right away if anything happens.”
“No, Hunter Yu Hanul. Aren’t you busy? I am. There’s so much to do for the New Year.”
“You have to protect your own guild member, Hunter Han Jaeyeong.”
“That’s something you two can work out between yourselves. Han Jaeyeong, hand over some usable items.”
“Am I suddenly being robbed or something?”
“You’re curious too, aren’t you, about whether the Truelight Guild really imported that ‘smoke’ item.”
At my insistence that they stop arguing and just hand it over, Han Jaeyeong’s face crumpled mercilessly. “No, I mean, even so, you’re really asking me to give up my items…?”
“Supporting your guild members is the guildmaster’s duty, Hunter Han Jaeyeong. Empty out your inventory.”
They pouted, but in accordance with the principle of majority rule they themselves had brought up earlier—democracy, after all—Han Jaeyeong ultimately had their inventory thoroughly shaken down.
There was some minor confusion, but in the end, I was able to participate in the doctrine classes that lasted two nights and three days. Normally, doctrine classes for new believers were held on Mondays and Thursdays, but since it was the end of the year and they were busy hosting New Year’s events, the classes had been temporarily suspended…
“However! For Hunter Jeong Daon, we have made special preparations!”
Of course they had.
From the executive’s point of view, wouldn’t this be like a gift from heaven? The very fact that Jeong Daon, the talk of the town, had come of her own accord to learn the doctrines of the Truelight Sect was excellent publicity in itself. They immediately suggested taking photos together, but I firmly refused, saying I hadn’t decided to officially join yet.
Even so, just the fact that I was attending classes would probably be enough to go viral on social media… but internet opinion wasn’t my problem.
“First, I’ll give you a tour of the building. Starting from here…”
At first, they went on about the lavish interior spaces open to outsiders and the biography of the sect leader. It was all predictable stuff. Stories about how Father Lee Manbok cured a patient with paralysis of the lower body just by laying a hand on them, or how drinking water the Father had dipped his hands into increased one’s stats.
“Before those monsters invaded this world, there were many who doubted Father’s abilities. But now, it’s different!”
Right. The problem was that there was now something that lent credibility to the leader’s claims. A world where seas could be split with a sword, and where flames conjured from human hands could burn all creation.
“We have now entered a mythical age, where we can become the heroes we once only dreamed of. No—Hunter Jeong Daon, you are already a hero.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Honestly, that incredible magic you used against the queen ant in the dungeon… I was in awe. Someone like you would surely become the finest mage our church prides itself on.”
Was believing in things that hadn’t even happened yet just a trait of cultists?
Half-listening to the executive’s words, I eventually realized we’d already toured everything worth seeing inside the building.
“From here on, another believer will guide you instead of me.”
With a regretful look, the executive handed me over to someone else. A woman who had been waiting in a room with a bored expression lifted her head. She was a woman about my age, wearing a scarf over short hair that looked like she’d only recently started growing it out.
“Um, from here on, this sister here… in situations like this, we call her a mentor, will guide you. Sister Choi Miyeon.”
“I’m Choi Miyeon, Sister Jeong Daon.” Choi Miyeon smiled brightly.
And I was taken aback, not by Choi Miyeon herself, but by what she was holding.
“Grrr…”
A small black leopard cub was nestled in Choi Miyeon’s arms.
…What are you doing right now?