You Can't Let Your Guard Down
I couldn't let my guard down. "Is that really all you could think of? Tonkatsu? Why not order something more expensive..." Sehwa leaned her elbows on the table, scolding me. Idiot. If I order something expensive, your wallet gets thinner. You're not mine yet, so I have to go easy on you.
I chewed my tonkatsu thoroughly and replied, "I like tonkatsu. I could eat it once a day and never get tired of it."
"No wonder you always got tonkatsu in the cafeteria..."
"You need to get your words right. I ate it often, but I didn't only eat tonkatsu, did I?"
"It's basically the same thing..."
"Anyway, I'm glad it worked out. So it really was insurance fraud?"
"Yeah. There wasn't any evidence, so I almost took all the blame, but Attorney Im handled it well. Now I just have to pay back a little of the debt."
"Isn't that still taking the fall?"
"It is, but... I'm honestly just grateful things turned out this way. I could've ended up a credit criminal or a real felon."
The world really is a hard place to live without power. Marcela, you did well.
I nodded, lifting another piece of tonkatsu to my mouth as I asked, "So now you just need to focus on paying off the debt?"
"Yep. My boyfriend found a job right away yesterday. He went for the interview and got hired on the spot. He texted me that he was going straight to work and would crash when he got home. He's probably snoring away right now. It's a late-night bar with lots of college students... The pay is supposed to be really good."
Just as I expected—he made up an excuse. He still doesn't understand Sehwa at all... What a fool. Thanks for giving me another chance to get closer to her.
"Looks like there's always a way out."
"Right? I wanted to help by getting a part-time job or chipping in with the money I saved, but... my boyfriend told me to focus on my studies. He said absolutely not to use my money. He even told me not to get a job."
"Wow... You two must really love each other?"
At those words, Sehwa's face flushed red. "It's not like that..."
She tried to brush it off, but her expression gave everything away. For some reason, a surge of jealousy rose inside me. I hid my feelings and started shoveling tonkatsu into my mouth.
Sehwa watched me and let out a small laugh. "Eat slowly. I'm not going to steal it from you."
"I'm going to finish mine and eat yours too. You haven't touched it yet, so it looks pretty tempting."
"That won't do."
Sehwa giggled and began cutting her tonkatsu.
After lunch, while I was in the bathroom, Sehwa paid the bill and was already waiting outside. I opened the restaurant door and scratched my head. "I was going to pay."
"I told you it was my treat."
"Don't you need to save money? I've got plenty."
"Ugh... So annoying."
"That's why I said it. Anyway, thanks for the meal. Next time it's on me."
"What if I only want expensive stuff?"
"Feel free to mooch off this annoying guy as much as you want."
Sehwa didn't say anything, just gave a faint smile and nodded.
Sehwa was definitely not the kind of sly girl who would see me as an ATM. If this had been the old days, she would have drawn a firm line, saying she didn't need it and that this was just her way of repaying me. This was proof that our relationship was progressing. I'd felt a bit down after hearing her talk about love earlier, but now I felt energized again.
Good. Now that Yu Seunghyeon is busy working and his schedule is flipped to nights, I should pick up the pace.
I said, "Want to catch a movie? I heard a good one just came out. If we go straight home, we'll just be stuck inside. Come hang out with me. I'll buy the tickets."
Sehwa thought for a moment, then nodded. "Hmm... Sure, why not?"
I cheered inwardly and smiled brightly. Starting today, I would become much closer to Sehwa.
"You two have been glued together lately. Something going on between you?"
It was one of the male classmates. For the past month, Sehwa and I had been eating lunch alone together often, or heading to the library in the evenings. It was about time someone said something.
I waved my hands dismissively. "Nothing like that... Sehwa has a boyfriend, you know."
"Still seems pretty suspicious..."
I glanced at Sehwa. She stayed quiet, clearly wanting me to handle it alone. Fine, I'll make sure she doesn't feel uncomfortable.
"Don't misunderstand... Have I only been hanging out with her?"
"Well, that's true. But you look like you've gained some weight lately?"
What a simple-minded guy. I tried to change the subject, but he ended up doing it for me. Hurry up and answer...
"He said he's working out. He has gained a bit of weight," Sehwa answered in my place.
What is this? Isn't this just going to cause more misunderstandings...
"Ooh... Is that interest I detect? Are you starting to see Jihyeok as a man?"
See? That nosy bastard is misunderstanding again. Sehwa doesn't like me romantically yet. She probably just sees me as a very comfortable friend. Wait... she didn't deny his awkward question earlier. Does that mean she has some feelings? But is it as a friend or as a man? I need to figure that out.
She'll probably deny this one, right? Ah... I don't want her to draw a line here...
Ring!
'Fuck, saved by the bell.'
Marcela had sent a text at the perfect moment. The loud notification cut the conversation dead. I gave the male classmate a light smack on the back as if scolding him and looked at my phone. My face hardened, and I shot up from my seat.
The message was that shocking.
Screeech! The chair scraped loudly, drawing everyone's attention. But I didn't have time to care.
"What is it? What's wrong?" the male classmate asked, startled.
I grabbed my bag and said, "I... I have to go first."
"Huh? Class is about to start."
"Self-study break... Yeah, self-study break. I'm out."
"You're taking a self-study break...? Hey! Don't forget your books!"
My classmate shouted behind me. Books? Fuck, books aren't important right now. I completely ignored him, kicked the door open, and ran.
I sprinted all the way to the officetel without stopping, then immediately turned on the TV. Marcela was staring at the monitor with a grave expression. When she saw me, she skipped the greeting entirely.
"Your Majesty! It's a disaster!"
"I know. Yuria has been found?"
"Yes!"
Marcela frantically showed me the screen. There, a stunning woman with deep golden blonde hair was walking somewhere. I knew exactly who she was. She was the heroine of the second installment—Yuria Elenar.
Beast Slayer Yuria.
"What the hell is going on?"
Out of the five heroines of Beast Slayer, two were from Earth. The remaining three came from another galaxy or another world. If Yuria had been an Earthling, I wouldn't be panicking like this. It wouldn't be strange for her to exist somewhere at the same time as Sehwa. But Yuria was from Erandel. That meant she was a heroine from another world. And Erandel was a world that Tyrat—no, that I—had conquered long ago. Her royal palace had burned down, and her parents had been reduced to ashes.
The story of the second game began with Yuria, who barely survived the burning palace, spending years researching portals until she confirmed I was on Earth and came after me. In the first game, I had barely revived after being defeated by Sehwa, only to face another trial... That was the flow of Beast Slayer's story and its happy ending route.
But that flow had changed.
Marcela paced anxiously. "I have no idea what's happening..."
"Don't tell me I'm not the only one who returned to the past?"
"I don't know that either. What should we do, Your Majesty?"
The more frantic Marcela became, the colder and clearer my mind grew. This was my mistake. When I thought about it, I only knew the stories from parts one through five. I knew nothing about part six. The idea that part six began with my regression was just a guess. It might not be the actual starting point of the story. Clearly, my error had been treating that mere speculation as fact and letting my guard down.
"I'm heading there immediately."
With those words, I stepped into the portal located in the master bedroom.
Yuria was simply walking around the streets like an ordinary citizen. And in Korea, no less. It was Daejeon, quite far from Seoul where Hankuk University was located, but I knew she would meet Dr. Cash. Of course, in the original second game, that meeting happened at the starting point... 'Since Yuria, who shouldn't be appearing yet, has shown up, the path has already diverged.'
So it wouldn't be strange for her to meet Dr. Cash at any time. This was a bit troublesome... "Wait a second..."
Troublesome? No, this could actually be an opportunity for me. It was definitely a big problem. But if I handled it well, I could turn it around. If I could just slip in, the rest would proceed smoothly.
"Your Majesty..." Marcela called out in a gloomy voice. She seemed worried she would be scolded. Don't worry, my advisor.
"I was so focused on Leona that I overlooked something important. Both you and I are at fault. It's everyone's mistake, so don't look so down. What about tracking Yuria?"
"From now on, every camera in the Daejeon area will track her."
"That's not enough. Attach a monster specialized in tracking and monitor her 24 hours a day. Didn't you say last time that you were modifying something?"
"The modifications were completed recently. Should I deploy it?"
"Yes. Can it send information directly to my body?"
"I can definitely track her location. With further modifications, I could even send video, but..."
Since this was an urgent situation, I should deploy everything I had available. "Deploy it immediately. Search the entire world if you have to and check if there are any other Beast Slayers. Especially Rose—find her as quickly as possible."
Marcela nodded frantically. "You know who the Slayers are, right?"
"Of course."
"Begin at once."
"Yes!"
The real names of the Beast Slayers were, starting with Leona: Lee Sehwa, Yuria Elenar, Stella Hayley, Silvia Liz, and finally Adeline. Among them, Sehwa and Stella Hayley were the heroines of parts one and three, both Earthlings. Parts two, four, and five were from other worlds. For now, Leona and Yuria had been discovered. Finding Rose was only a matter of time. Not having identified them in advance was a grave regret. I scolded myself once again.
'I can't afford to be complacent anymore.'
I would finish all my plans regarding Sehwa immediately. After that, I would deploy Amducias. First, I needed to confirm the process of becoming a Beast Slayer. If Sehwa successfully became Leona, that would ease one of my worries. In any case, Yuria had come for revenge, so she naturally knew I was on Earth. Of course, she wouldn't know about my disguise. But if Yuria's movements seemed even slightly suspicious... I would have to send Amon to hypnotize her. It was a shame I couldn't drop her naturally, but I couldn't risk myself getting fucked over.
Ring!
Sehwa's text. She's really worried about me. At this rate, it should be fine to move things forward quickly.
I stared at the ceiling, picturing the future, then waited about an hour before sending Sehwa a message.
Ring! The reply came almost instantly.
I sent another message.
I stared at my phone. When the reply saying she understood arrived, I clenched my fist tightly. Then I went to Marcela and had her attach a separate tracking monster to Yu Seunghyeon as well, so I could obtain his location information too.