138. Wrap-Up (5)
138. Wrap-Up (5)
'Two new members joined the Utopia Party?'
First, Sofia.
'This girl is the Healer Jin Yu-ha was waiting for...'
Lee Yu-ri lay on the floor and silently scanned Sofia.
She was a girl whose appearance was clearly out of the ordinary at a glance.
Her waist-length, glossy blonde hair shone as if coated with honey.
Currently she wore a shabby tracksuit for the exam, but even that could not hide her explosive figure.
Lee Yu-ri felt a little irked and bit her lip.
'...W-why, why! Why do only girls like this get into Utopia!?'
Honestly, wouldn't it be okay if she was a little plain?
It was already a group with a high average for looks.
The party leader Jin Yu-ha's beauty went without saying at this point, but,
Shin Se-hee's refined and elegant appearance.
Kang Do-hee's wild yet solid charm.
Im Ga-eul's chest so big it honestly bordered on cheating.
And now, even the newly joined Healer had looks far from ordinary.
Lee Yu-ri stared openly at Sofia, then spoke.
"Um, ...Sofia?"
"Yes...? Y-yes!? G-Gukbap!?"
As if she never expected to be addressed, Sofia answered with a startled face.
"...Gu─. Ahem! Well, never mind. So, how did you come to join the party? If you took the Midterm Evaluation, you're a first-year cadet, and someone with your looks would surely be famous in the academy..."
She had never heard of her.
In truth, this was something she could ask Jin Yu-ha later when he woke up, but Lee Yu-ri questioned her because she wanted to hear it from Sofia's own mouth.
"I-I passed the academy, but I never attended a single class."
"...Pardon?"
"Ah, how that happened, you see..."
At Sofia's ensuing explanation, Lee Yu-ri let out a dumbfounded laugh.
"...So, you were working as a model, then suddenly got kidnapped into the Midterm Evaluation without any warning?"
"...Yes."
"You've been through a lot... No hunter training, yet you faced monsters and Demonized Humans..."
Then, Lee Yu-ri abruptly tilted her head.
"So, shouldn't you be going back to the modeling world once the exam ends?"
"Th-that's─."
"That matter is already settled."
Shin Se-hee cut in from the side.
"Sofia was already a famous model. But as a Healer... Hmm, I dare not even evaluate her. I suppose it's fitting for a talent Jin Yu-ha had his eye on..."
Shin Se-hee was one of the people most astonished by Sofia's abilities over the past few days.
Healing by shooting arrows from a distance—no Healer she knew had shown such exceptional performance.
Also, Shin Se-hee had personally witnessed the area heal Sofia had launched, Healing Rain.
"Aah! I-It's not that─."
"An ordinary person who never received hunter training showed abilities overwhelming every Healer here after just one week of training. Do you know what we call someone like that?"
"I-I don't really know?"
"We call them a 'genius.' Sofia. Too much humility is discourteous, you know."
"Aah..."
"But in the end, her own will is what matters, isn't it? No matter how outstanding her abilities, forcing her into something she doesn't want..."
This time, Lee Yu-ri cut into their conversation.
"Heh, we've already confirmed that part. Sofia, you want to be a Hunter, don't you?"
"Yes, I started thinking that a bit this time..."
"And though she said she had no interest in the Hunter field, in reality, that is not true at all. Sofia, please recite Lee Yu-ri's profile."
"Huh? Huh?"
As Shin Se-hee fixed her with a steady gaze, Sofia wore a flustered expression before squeezing her eyes shut and answering.
"Height 163cm, distinguished herself starting from Camela Forest, a Tank who uses a shield and the Cross Shield, currently clearing 9 dungeons including Thorn Grasslands.... Alias is Gukbap, skills are Shield's Echo and Sacrificial Shield.... Unrivaled at drawing enemy attention─."
Information about Lee Yu-ri flowed out in a stream.
At that, Lee Yu-ri's eyes flew open in surprise.
"Stop. You see? The most important thing for becoming a Hunter is information. Knowing even the relatively unknown Lee Yu-ri in this much detail cannot be achieved by ordinary passion."
Shin Se-hee had only noticed Lee Yu-ri wanted to know about Sofia and had given her a little nudge.
And Shin Se-hee seriously thought Sofia had prepared for the Hunter field.
In reality, it was simply that she had deeply dug into the Utopia Party through longtime fangirling.
"...Uh, um. W-welcome. S-Sofia?"
And it had worked effectively on Lee Yu-ri too.
To think she knew so much in detail about her—not Cheonhwa or Fighting Dog or even Jin Yu-ha who were always in the media!
Feeling a little moved, Lee Yu-ri thought.
'So she had some circumstances that kept her from attending even after passing the academy. And Jin Yu-ha broke through that for her.'
Mm. Mm.
For a former Black Hunter, his information network would have made something like that easy.
Having so accepted the new party member, Lee Yu-ri then looked at the orange-haired cadet.
A kid who acted oddly but somehow followed her around.
Lee Min-young.
The reason she, who lacked any notable attack ability, had been able to earn so many Coins was entirely thanks to her.
Though she hadn't even formed a party with her, Lee Min-young had incited the other cadets, claiming they had to repay the debt of rescue, and so imposed a sort of tax of capturing and offering up small near-death monsters.
Because of that, Lee Yu-ri had been able to accumulate a considerable amount of Coins, even if not at the level of Kang Do-hee or Shin Se-hee.
On top of that, she did feel some fondness for her, but she still could not shake the thought of: why her?
'...The things she does are underhanded. She'd be a perfect match for Shin Se-hee, but Jin Yu-ha doesn't just accept anyone into the party, does he?'
Sofia was the Healer Jin Yu-ha had sought for a long time, so that was one thing, but Lee Min-young was a bit random.
When she looked at Lee Min-young with that meaning,
"W-well, you see..."
* * *
That night, after Baek Seol-hee and Jin Yu-ha had brandished their swords and wiped out all the Demonized Humans.
Lee Min-young had come to harbor a deep admiration for the Utopia Party.
And in the early morning, when everyone had dragged their exhausted bodies from the long day into their respective lodgings to sleep.
Crackle─
Crackle─
She sat hugging her knees in front of the campfire.
"...I want to join the Utopia Party. But it'll be hard, right?"
As she zoned out watching the fire and recalled the day's events one by one, that admiration grew even stronger.
Lee Yu-ri....
Jin Yu-ha....
Kang Do-hee....
Shin Se-hee....
No matter how you looked at it, weren't they people living in a world far removed from hers?
Imagining herself inserted among them, it couldn't have been a more awkward picture.
"Tch, I guess I should give up..."
"Hmm?"
It was then that an unfamiliar voice came from behind.
Lee Min-young turned her head and couldn't help but startle.
"S-Shin Se-hee!?"
"What did you just say?"
"...Uh, uh, w-well, I-I'm sorry!!!"
Lee Min-young hurriedly bowed her head and apologized to Shin Se-hee.
Because she had been caught carelessly talking about the Utopia Party.
Of course, it was just to herself, but the other party being Shin Se-hee made it different.
She was Cheonhwa, after all!
At that, Shin Se-hee waved her hand as if dismissing the concern.
"No, I didn't say that seeking an apology. From what I just heard, it sounded like you said you wanted to join our party. Is that correct?"
"...Y-yes."
Lee Min-young bowed her head deeply, embarrassed at having her inner thoughts exposed, and nodded.
Shin Se-hee stared silently at her.
'Lee Min-young.'
A cadet famous in her own right.
Unlike the Utopia Party, where every single member is famous enough to be somewhat removed from the ordinary cadets, she was more of a—how to put it—a representative of the rank-and-file?
And if she combined her private information with what Jin Yu-ha had told her......
A capable person, but stubborn to a fault—someone pointlessly righteous, obsessed with ideals of justice.
'Hmmmm......'
Shin Se-hee had been feeling a great deal personally during this Midterm Evaluation.
Jin Yu-ha had entrusted her with a task, but she hadn't carried it out perfectly.
She'd succeeded in rousing the cadets to unite against the outside threat of the Demonized Humans, but as a result, Lee Yu-ri had been put in danger.
The lack of time might serve as an excuse, but the outcome didn't change.
'Lee Min-young definitely has a trait called 'Resonance,' if I recall.'
It convinces others of her thoughts, lending persuasive force to her words. If she herself had possessed that ability, she could have handled the matter perfectly.
From the perspective of Shin Se-hee, who mainly dealt in information and psychological warfare, it was a highly covetable ability.
'Just now—the one who seized control of the cadets' mood and transformed their terror toward Jin Yu-ha into goodwill. That was also this woman.'
That was originally something she should have done herself.
Managing the flow of Jin Yu-ha's image—the one who'd scattered killing intent and exterminated Demonized Humans—so it wouldn't settle too negatively.
Shin Se-hee had planned to fabricate and embellish stories from behind the scenes, slowly loosening his hardened image.
But with a single word from Lee Min-young, the cadets had conveyed goodwill, gratitude, and apologies to Jin Yu-ha.
'No matter how you look at it, it's an ability perfectly optimized for incitement. But a personality obsessed with justice, of all things...... No wonder she ended up under Lee Yu-ri...... Hm? Wait, don't tell me......?'
Shin Se-hee quietly watched Lee Min-young when a thought suddenly struck her, and she asked:
"I'd like to ask a few questions. Would that be all right, Lee Min-young?"
"......Yes? Yes! A-anything you want to ask is fine!"
"Regarding the events in Lee Yu-ri's faction during this Midterm Evaluation—were they all accomplished by Lee Yu-ri herself?"
For an instant, Lee Min-young's pupils dilated. Then her expression settled into calm composure.
"Yes, that's correct. All of it was accomplished by Lee Yu-ri."
'Oh my......? Well, look at you?'
Shin Se-hee's innately keen perception didn't miss that momentary micro-expression.
And she could be certain. That amusingly crafted incitement within Lee Yu-ri's faction—the entire thing had been schemed up by this woman.
A look of deep interest spread across Shin Se-hee's face.
'Then again, there's no way Lee Yu-ri could design a scheme on that level. It simply isn't her style.'
The mastermind who had surprised Shin Se-hee—
it was Lee Min-young herself!
Though it was a little puzzling. The information she knew and the feeling this cadet Lee Min-young gave off were quite different.
For now, Shin Se-hee nodded.
"I see. Then the second question. What do you think about using dirty tricks to achieve an objective?"
She asked outright.
At that, Lee Min-young closed her mouth as if deep in thought, then soon looked Shin Se-hee seriously in the eyes.
"......There was a time when I believed that to achieve any objective, the methods must also be righteous."
"A time? And now?"
"Now, I do not."
"Why is that? One's values don't normally change so easily......"
"Well, part of it did change from being put through the wringer by Jin Yu-ha earlier on, but...... what completely altered it was seeing you today, Shin Se-hee."
Lee Min-young looked directly at Shin Se-hee.
"Today, Shin Se-hee, you deceived all of us."
"Oh?"
"While we were fighting one another, you united us with a lie—that there was a separate true enemy. And you reinforced your persuasiveness by giving up your own Coins."
"Hm...... And?"
"If it had been the me of the past, I would have said that method was wrong. I would have said you should have told everyone a Demonized Human had appeared from the start, persuaded the cadets, and sincerely asked for their cooperation."
Shin Se-hee tilted her head as if to say, go on.
"But if you had done that, some cadets would have lost their nerve and scattered, and others wouldn't have been able to perform under the tension. People would have attacked each other, and the moment things turned slightly unfavorable, they'd have been summoned away by the Flying Ship to save their lives. In the end, by now, some of those cadets would have met a bad end."
Good.
Shin Se-hee was truly beginning to like this woman.
But one question still remained.
"And why would attacking each other and all fleeing on the Flying Ship be unacceptable? In fact, if the entire cadet corps had fled that way, the Demonized Humans couldn't have done anything except stare at the sky like a dog chasing a chicken."
"......First of all, there's no guarantee every cadet would believe that. And...... we are Hunters. Turning your back and fleeing in fear, leaving Demonized Humans behind—that is no Hunter!"
Lee Min-young's gaze and voice were unyielding.
Ha.
Shin Se-hee let out an incredulous laugh.
That last reason, in truth, was mistaken.
The real reason was far simpler: 'Because Jin Yu-ha gave that order.' Jin Yu-ha had merely said the Demonized Humans absolutely had to be caught here, and Shin Se-hee had simply followed suit.
It was a question to which she couldn't give the answer, since Lee Min-young could not possibly know that—but Shin Se-hee had wanted to hear how Lee Min-young herself thought about it.
'This person truly is fascinating.'
The ultimate goal is righteous. But the means toward that goal are not.
What if she had someone like this backing her up?
'......And with a Healer now added, my workload has only increased.'
The Utopia Party's notoriety was set to explode even further after this Midterm Evaluation. If, at such a time, a cadet with the support of a broad swath of cadets and the power to rouse them were to back the party......
No matter how freely she operated in the shadows, there were limits. In the end, she needed an agitator to spread word out in the open.
Until now, Shin Se-hee had performed both roles while wearing a mask, but thinking of the Utopia Party's imminent rise in fame, even ten bodies wouldn't be enough.
'Hmm. Whether Jin Yu-ha will accept it, I'm not sure.'
And so, deep in the night, Shin Se-hee left Lee Min-young behind and sought out Jin Yu-ha.
"Jin Yu-ha, would it be possible to attach Cadet Lee Min-young as my personal intern?"
"......What? Lee Min-young?"
Jin Yu-ha looked startled at the sudden request, but soon rubbed his lips as if seriously pondering it.
And then Jin Yu-ha readily nodded.
"All right, do that."
His brisk affirmation caught Shin Se-hee off guard.
"......Huh? You're not going to ask anything more?"
"You thought she was necessary, didn't you?"
"......Uh, yes. W-well, that is true......"
"And it's not a combat role—you need her to assist with your work."
"Yes......"
"But accepting her into my circle—that's something I'll have to think about a bit more. Because to me, a party means something special."
"Ah......"
Truly, he left her with nothing to say.
Contrary to her expectation that bringing Lee Min-young into the party would take considerable time, Jin Yu-ha had granted it so easily. For one single reason: because he trusted her.
Of course, he'd said he would think a little before accepting Lee Min-young as one of his people, but Shin Se-hee knew better than anyone how weighty this decision had been for him.
While she stood there staring blankly at Jin Yu-ha, he grinned.
"Shin Se-hee, I told you I'm leaving that side of things entirely to you. So again, my answer is okay."
"......"
"I'm gonna go watch some more Gukbap. You handle the cleanup."
Shin Se-hee could do nothing but stare blankly at Jin Yu-ha's back as he disappeared into Lee Yu-ri's room.
Thump.
Thump.
With her bandaged hand resting atop her chest.