Farming Prep (2)
After lunch time ended.
It was on the way to the anti-personnel combat training room for the next class.
“……”
“……”
Tap, tap.
The sound of my and Soyeon's footsteps echoed in my ears.
Jin Soyeon was walking silently beside me.
She was unusually quiet today.
Normally, she would have been chatting up a storm.
I stole a glance at her profile.
I could see her nibbling on her cute lips.
Looking at me subtly every now and then, it seemed like she had something to say.
When our eyes met all of a sudden, her shoulders twitched.
After blinking her eyes for a moment, she turned her gaze away.
She feigned indifference as if our eyes had just met by coincidence.
I smiled inwardly.
What's up with her?
It was quite absurd, really.
"What are you doing since a while ago?"
"Huh? What?"
Although Jin Soyeon was feigning innocence while awkwardly twirling the ends of her hair, I continued to speak.
"Do you have something to say?"
"Ah... was it obvious?"
"Hey, it's obvious when you keep glancing at me like that."
"I guess so."
Jin Soyeon scratched one of her cheeks softly with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Hey, Jinhyuk."
After hesitating for a moment, Jin Soyeon carefully opened her tightly closed lips to start the conversation.
"By any chance..."
Soon, Jin Soyeon stealthily gauged the reactions of the kids around us.
The classmates were moving toward the training room in groups, chatting and laughing loudly.
Lee Siwoo and Yu Seolhyeon were surrounded by several kids as usual, being bombarded with questions, so they didn't seem to have the leeway to care about us.
Since the two of us were walking slowly a little distance away, it seemed that if we whispered in low voices, our conversation wouldn't be heard by others.
Realizing that fact as well, Jin Soyeon turned her head back toward me and began to speak.
"...About Yu Seolhyeon."
"Yeah."
Yu Seolhyeon?
Why is Yu Seolhyeon's name coming up?
Did something happen between the two of them?
With a hint of curiosity and concern, I stared blankly at Jin Soyeon.
Jin Soyeon glanced once at the back of Yu Seolhyeon, who was surrounded by kids.
"...What would you think if she were interested in you?"
"?"
I wondered why she was hesitating so strangely, but what kind of nonsense was this out of nowhere?
At Jin Soyeon's somewhat out-of-the-blue question, I blinked my eyes and looked blankly at Jin Soyeon as if I couldn't understand.
Jin Soyeon coughed dryly a few times along with a bitter smile, then added:
"No, I mean, you also seemed a bit interested in Yu Seolhyeon... and if Yu Seolhyeon is interested in you..."
"Soyeon."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Did you hear something from Yu Seolhyeon?"
"Ah, uh, um..."
With a momentarily flustered look, Jin Soyeon's lips twitched three or four times before going silent.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed she had heard something strange from Yu Seolhyeon before homeroom earlier.
What, Yu Seolhyeon said she just talked a bit, but she talked nonsense just for fun. She really doesn't change her mischievous nature.
"Did Yu Seolhyeon say she's interested in me?"
"...A-A little bit?"
I chuckled.
"What, you believed that? There's no way Yu Seolhyeon would like me."
"For saying that, you two seem to hang out quite often these days."
"Huh? Is that jealousy?"
"Again, talking nonsense again, seriously."
Jin Soyeon grumbled with her brow thoroughly furrowed, and I smiled bitterly in my heart.
Jealousy, jealousy...
Well, she could definitely feel that way.
'If I were in Jin Soyeon's position, I might feel a bit hurt or jealous, too.'
Because a best friend who always hung out together suddenly didn't hang out much using the excuse of being busy, yet secretly hung out with someone else.
On top of that, Jin Soyeon and Yu Seolhyeon don't get along.
If a best friend becomes subtly close with someone she gets along poorly with, her feelings would be a bit unsettled.
Therefore, it might be a bit uncomfortable for Jin Soyeon if I and Yu Seolhyeon built a good relationship.
'...Of course, that wouldn't be the only reason.'
According to the character settings, Jin Soyeon likes me 'without realizing it'.
Because of the ambiguous modifier 'without realizing it', the problem was that there was no way to know how much and how Jin Soyeon thought of me.
"What exactly did Yu Seolhyeon say?"
"No, just, well..."
Glancing at me once, Jin Soyeon slowly continued her words.
"...That she has some interest in you."
"Is that so? Well, she might be interested."
I murmured as if it were no big deal.
"Ever since the performance evaluation, she seemed interested in my strategy formulation ability and tactical skills. And during this dungeon raid, I was somewhat helpful."
"Ah, the dungeon raid..."
Jin Soyeon lowered her head for a moment as if she had something to think about.
"Yu Seolhyeon did say she received a lot of help from you... but, well, it's strange, you being helpful among professional heroes."
"Even if I look like this, I'm quite strong when it comes to theory or tactical ability, right?"
"Theory and tactics..."
Re-evaluating my words as if disappointed by something, Jin Soyeon suddenly raised her head slightly and looked straight at me.
"...By any chance, is there no other reason?"
"Another reason? Hmm, who knows?"
When I answered nonchalantly, Jin Soyeon hesitated for a moment and suddenly let out a bitter smile.
"Well, if there isn't one, then that's fine, that's fine."
"That aside, Soyeon... Huh?"
Thud!
The sound of someone falling was heard.
"Huh?"
"What's that?"
When Jin Soyeon and I turned our heads with puzzled faces, we could see a girl fallen a short distance away.
Because of her fall, the documents and textbooks she was holding were scattered all over the place.
'...Uh? That girl is.'
I paused for a moment.
It was natural, since she was a familiar character.
Pink hair falling below her collarbones.
Two eyes reminiscent of deep indigo waves.
Long, slender eyelashes.
An elegant face and her characteristic bored expression.
A large chest area.
'...It was Loxanne.'
Loxanne Han.
She was a mixed-blood with the surname Han.
Although an orphan who lost her parents, she was adopted by the clergyman Han Seongwon and is active as a nun of the High Noon Church.
She is a character with quite a bit of importance in Romance Hero Academy and, at the same time, a saint-type character who always appears in fantasy subculture genres.
'To see her here.'
She was an NPC who was popular with many male players back when I played the game.
A clean, righteous heart, a beautiful appearance, the setting of being one of the saint candidates, and top-tier physical assets in the work.
Her stats were also considerable, so if she had been one of the playable characters, she was so excellent that she would be a mandatory pick.
Naturally, a character that any man couldn't help but be interested in, but...
'...I shouldn't get involved with her.'
I was quite reluctant to get involved with Loxanne.
Because getting involved with Loxanne was extremely dangerous.
"Giggle, giggle. Are you okay?"
"Ah, you should have walked looking straight ahead!"
"Oh my? The handouts are all scattered. What to do?"
The laughter of nearby girls beat against my ears.
Five or six girls were giggling and sneering.
They seemed to be students in the same class as Loxanne.
"……."
Loxanne slightly raised her head and looked at the girls.
Looking at the girls for a moment with a bored expression, she silently began to pick up the handouts without venting a single complaint or dissatisfaction.
It was obvious that one of those girls had tripped her, but Loxanne didn't seem particularly interested.
"Ah, I want to help, but I don't have time, so we'll go ahead first, okay?"
"You have to come quickly~!"
Soon, the girls were about to move their feet.
It was then.
"Hey, hold on."
Our female protagonist Jin Soyeon, who couldn't just watch this scene idly, knitted her brows.
Like a typical protagonist of a shonen or romance comic, because her nosiness was as wide as the Pacific Ocean, it seemed she couldn't just watch this quietly.
Well, it was a very Soyeon-like appearance.
However, we couldn't create unnecessary trouble with those girls.
"You guys, to her..."
I quickly placed my hand on Jin Soyeon's shoulder.
Jin Soyeon flinched once and turned her head.
She was looking at me with eyes that seemed to ask, 'Why are you stopping me?'
"Soyeon."
"……."
I slowly shook my head left and right, then gestured with my chin toward Loxanne, who was picking up the handouts.
Jin Soyeon watched that scene for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
"Alright, I get it, I get it."
She seemed to realize that starting a verbal argument with those girls here would only make things troublesome for Loxanne.
I spoke to the girls who were looking at me and Jin Soyeon with displeased faces.
"Sorry, it's nothing, so you can go."
"Tsk."
Though they clicked their tongues in a slightly annoyed manner, the girls quietly backed off, knowing well that starting a fight in the middle of the hallway wouldn't yield anything good.
I quietly watched that sight, then shifted my gaze again.
Before I knew it, Jin Soyeon was picking up the scattered handouts together.
I also moved my steps to help pick up the textbooks and handouts.
"……."
Loxanne looked at us with a tranquil face and twitched her lips.
"...Thank you for helping me."
"No, it's fine. It's nothing."
Loxanne softly nodded her head, offering words of gratitude.
Although it was a clear and elegant voice, a slight sharpness could be felt in it.
Jin Soyeon smiled as if it were no big deal and waved her hand.
I just quietly watched them.
"...But even if you help me, it won't do you any good."
"Huh?"
Even as Loxanne gave a warning that wasn't quite a warning while receiving the handouts handed by me and Jin Soyeon, Jin Soyeon only tilted her head as if she didn't quite understand.
"Is it because of those girls?"
"……."
Jin Soyeon slightly knitted her brows and gestured with her chin toward the direction the girls had walked earlier.
However, without saying anything special, Loxanne merely bowed her head once more and said her goodbyes.
"No. Please don't mind it. Then, I shall take my leave."
"Huh? Ah, yeah, okay."
Unable to say anything more to Loxanne, who expressed a clear intention of refusal, Jin Soyeon nodded her head once.
Soon after, Loxanne glanced toward my side as well, bowed her head as expected, put the handouts and textbooks into the box, and then stepped away.
The faint pink color swayed and disappeared into the distance, and Jin Soyeon quietly watched that scene before suddenly letting out a heavy sigh—Whew~.
"Haa, seriously."
She rubbed her hair as if feeling quite uncomfortable.
"Are they really hero aspirants? Such stupid bullying."
"……."
If it were just a matter of being bullied, it might rather be better, but what Loxanne was experiencing was on a somewhat different level than what could be expressed by words like outcast, harassment, or bullying.
"I want to help her, but..."
"Soyeon, we'll be late for class. Let's go."
"Ah? Yeah. We should."
Class 1-3, to which Loxanne belonged, included Seong Yura, who was a saint candidate and a villain.
Since Class 1-3 was already tightly controlled by Seong Yura, no trainee in Class 3 would dare go against her.
It was natural, because Seong Yura was no ordinary person.
Seong Yura had expanded her influence by engaging in all kinds of corruption and irregularities, taking advantage of being selected as a saint candidate at a young age.
She led a faction inside the High Noon Church and exerted formidable influence at the same time.
As of now, she was in a state where she was bribing and lobbying various corporations, wealthy individuals, journalists, and politicians.
A villain who could already be called a great evil.
Such a Seong Yura had been jealous of, admired, envied, and felt love-hate toward Loxanne, who was a fellow saint candidate from old times.
Loxanne, who came from an orphan background and lived in a terrible environment just the same, yet did not go astray in the slightest and honed her noble character and talent.
Loxanne's appearance, never hating her environment or people, must have been an ideal that Seong Yura could never reach or become.
The twisted attachment and desire stemming from an already lost ideal and admiration made the current Seong Yura.
Therefore, Seong Yura didn't simply bully Loxanne; she possessed the setting of wanting to trample and play with Loxanne's spirit and character to ultimately degrade her into evil.
In the first place, the decisive trigger for Seong Yura entering Union was precisely Loxanne.
'According to the setting, even if selected as a saint candidate, one shouldn't reveal it to the outside, nor misuse the position, they say.'
Already, several saint candidates, including Seong Yura, freely wielded their power and position to gain profit and expand their influence.
The only person who followed the old doctrines as they were was Loxanne.
That was why Loxanne, one of the saint candidates, could be bullied to this extent.
Loxanne hid that she herself was a saint candidate, did not request help from the outside, did not create any particular force or faction, and thoroughly rejected support and reciprocal sponsorships from both inside and outside.
As a result, she was bound to be isolated.
Because fish cannot live in water that is too clean.
'Come to think of it, Loxanne over there will soon do something called the 'Pilgrimage of Suffering'.'
Originally, a saint candidate must shoulder karma and resolutely press forward through long hardship and suffering.
So, from ancient times, saint candidates underwent difficult, harsh, and arduous suffering at regular intervals, praying at specific locations, and that act was collectively called the Pilgrimage of Suffering.
Of course, it was impossible to know where Loxanne was going to pray. I wasn't particularly curious about it back when I played the game either.
'Well, in any case, getting involved with Loxanne right now carries a high possibility of incurring Seong Yura's wrath, so I should be careful not to get involved as much as possible.'
Seong Yura is a mentally unstable person and a typical villain.
Since she wouldn't choose any means or methods for her goals and possessed a considerable number of villains under her command, if one fell out of her favor, they could simply depart from this world.
She even uses assassins and the like.
In the first place, she is a villain that can only be dealt with around the mid-to-late part of the story.
Acting up during the early period like now is no different from throwing an egg against a boulder.
'If left like this, Loxanne will eventually be stained by evil nature.'
The saint corruption episode that comes out in the late phase.
It is a main episode where, after Seong Yura's continuous bullying, Loxanne loses everyone around her, falls into despair, and ultimately turns corrupt.
Loxanne, having become a villain, appears as a powerful enemy blocking the protagonist.
That's right.
In fact, inside the game, Seong Yura's role was to corrupt Loxanne into a villain.
Seong Yura was nothing more than a mid-boss and a tool to make Loxanne corrupt.
'However, even knowing that, I can't stop it right now.'
As I said earlier, Seong Yura is too dangerous to get involved with right now.
Rather than getting marked by Seong Yura while fooling around recklessly, it would be the best policy to just not get involved.
Because later, after farming various items and recruiting male protagonists as allies, I will easily be able to deal with her.
So for now, I have no choice but to pretend not to see.
'...Still, it does feel a bit uncomfortable.'
It was a bit sad that a good character like Loxanne would eventually corrupt and become a villain.
Although a bit of sympathy and affection arose from knowing her future but being unable to help, I was too busy taking care of my own body.
Moreover, the person I had to take care of was none other than Jin Soyeon, wasn't it?
Let's not do anything that unnecessarily puts me and Jin Soyeon in danger.
Let's just ignore that girl, Loxanne.
'Still, I'm a bit sorry, Loxanne.'
I offered a word of apology in my heart once and moved my steps together with Jin Soyeon.
I had no intention of risking danger for Loxanne's sake.
'Ah, by the way, I hope the items requested from Yu Seolhyeon arrive quickly. That way, I can head down to Mt. Yukseong in Chungnam to farm that item.'
If the items arrive quickly, might I be able to go farming this weekend?
Inside a certain large mansion.
Seong Yura was wearing an inscrutable smile.
"That girl Loxanne, she's leaving for the Pilgrimage of Suffering to Mt. Yukseong?"
"Yes."
How interesting.
Even after suffering an 'accident' last time, to think she's planning to go again.
Good, then what kind of accident should I cause this time?
No, not an accident, should I attack a bit more blatantly this time?