Esmi's Choice
Esmi's face paled as she heard Kang Jin-ho's words.
"Does that mean my great-uncle is in danger?!"
Esmi shot to her feet.
Terror still clung to her features.
But she looked ready to kick down the door and charge out at any moment.
Her only living blood relative—her great-uncle—was in peril, and the urgency burned in her eyes.
"Calm down."
But she didn't make it outside.
Kang Jin-ho casually pressed down on her shoulder with a relaxed expression.
It was a light touch.
Yet Esmi's slender frame buckled under the pressure, as if crushed by a massive boulder, and she collapsed back to the floor.
"N-not now! My great-uncle... the villagers... if they misunderstand and hurt him...!"
"Calm down. What are you gonna do, rush out there?"
Kang Jin-ho shot back coolly.
"Beg them, 'Please spare him~'? You think that'll work? Or are you planning to subdue them and instill some overwhelming fear?"
"Th-that's..."
"What you're trying won't fly. I told you—they don't care about the truth. They just don't want to miss a chance to trample someone and kill them cruelly."
Esmi bit her lip.
She couldn't argue.
Deep down, she knew it too.
Rational talk wouldn't get through to them.
But she couldn't just sit idle.
"Besides."
Kang Jin-ho's eyes turned icy cold.
"The real threat isn't just those idiots."
"Huh?"
"I said it before—someone killed the livestock. I sensed the energy back at the inn, and none of the villagers worship the Outer Gods.
"Outer Gods…!"
Esmi's eyes widened in shock.
Outer Gods.
The topic was hot among black mages.
Many persecuted black mages had allied with those who served the Outer Gods.
And they often pressured other black mages to do the same.
"You mean there's a black mage serving the Outer Gods?"
"Not sure if it's a black mage. But there's definitely someone serving the Outer Gods."
Fear crept across Esmi's face.
It was different from the terror she'd felt moments ago.
Thicker, more profound.
Kang Jin-ho could read her dread of the Outer Gods in her expression.
"Someone serving the Outer Gods... scary... why would they come to this backwater village?"
"The goal's obvious."
Kang Jin-ho could guess the motive.
This rural village held no real value.
The foggy forest was a sightseeing spot, sure.
But there was no sealed demon king or anything like that.
No one would go to these lengths over some woods.
"They were targeting you from the start."
"...Me?"
"Yeah. The livestock, the villagers—they're not the goal. It's just you."
Kang Jin-ho was certain.
They were after Esmi.
Otherwise, why bother slaughtering animals to stir up the mob?
The villagers' words made it clear—this wasn't the first incident.
It had built up over days, at least.
Stoking fear and rage to incite a witch hunt.
"Doesn't seem like they just want you dead. If so, they'd have used the villagers as hostages to blackmail you."
They wanted conflict between the villagers and Esmi.
He could guess why.
But Kang Jin-ho held back on explaining that far.
With the enemy meticulously setting this stage, he figured he'd get more info through her first.
"Anyone come to mind? Someone who might target you."
"N-no... I-I really don't interact with anyone..."
Esmi shook her head.
She truly seemed clueless.
Probably because she'd lived with her grandfather, and after he died, she'd holed up in this forest.
'Hasn't crossed paths with Outer God-worshipping black mages yet?'
Kang Jin-ho stroked his chin, recalling the original novel's plot.
The Regressed Saintess Walks Only the Flower Path.
In the original, there were factions opposing moderate black mages like Esmi.
Radicals who'd allied with the Outer Gods to destroy the world.
They craved forbidden power through worship.
'And Esmi had a nemesis among them.'
Alexia.
One of the villains targeting the heroine Han Seol-ah from mid-story.
A genius black mage corrupted by Outer God power.
But inferior to Esmi, harboring deep inferiority complex.
Her goal: turn Esmi and Han Seol-ah into Outer God servants.
'Especially after Esmi.'
Not persuasion—mockery, then kidnapping and forced corruption.
To protect her friend Han Seol-ah.
In the original, Esmi fought Alexia fiercely.
And ultimately, the male lead Kalian de Winter executed her.
'Esmi knew of Alexia even before meeting Han Seol-ah.'
He didn't know exactly when Esmi learned of her.
The novel didn't detail that.
But at this point, she seemed unaware.
"Esmi. Ever heard the name Alexia?"
"?"
Esmi tilted her head.
"Alexia? No... first time hearing it."
As expected—she didn't know Alexia.
'Three years till the original story. This could spark bad blood with Alexia.'
A prime suspect emerged.
Pinpointing her made the situation click.
"Doesn't look like the one behind this wants you dead."
"Huh?"
"Their play's predictable."
Kang Jin-ho jabbed a finger at Esmi's forehead.
"They saw this naive little head and decided to stage a show."
"A sh-show?"
"A hellish play to corrupt you."
Kang Jin-ho now understood why the original novel never mentioned Esmi's great-uncle.
"Your great-uncle's gonna die soon."
"Wh-what?! What are you saying?!"
"To corrupt you, they gotta shatter that flimsy goodwill and concern for others. So what's the method?"
Esmi grasped his words, her face draining of color.
"You said you wouldn't harm the villagers. But they'll expose your link to the village chief. Then brand him your witch's lackey and kill him."
Esmi shuddered at the mere thought.
Her breathing seemed to stop.
"Show you that? Think you could stay sane?"
Esmi trembled as if the hut had frozen over.
"You'd rage. Hate your enemies. That's their aim."
Kang Jin-ho extended his hand.
"Then they'd show up shamelessly, offer this hand, and say, 'Want revenge? Join us. We'll give you power.'"
A classic tactic of Outer God followers.
Push a normal life to the brink of ruin.
Then approach the broken soul with promises of vengeful strength.
The most efficient—and vile—method.
"Ah..."
Esmi clamped a hand over her mouth.
It was too horrific.
Chills ran down her spine.
She'd never imagined such malice targeting her.
"Th-then... the villagers...?"
"Told you—they're just tools."
Kang Jin-ho grinned mockingly.
"Those village idiots are frothing to kill you on their own. Even if they don't grasp the manipulation, it doesn't matter—they'd think, 'Just kill 'em all' anyway."
They couldn't grasp their place.
Their confidence that ganging up could take a black mage was baffling.
A couple deaths up front, and they'd scream and flee.
"Once your great-uncle's dead and you're corrupted, they're useless. So they'll slaughter the lot. Disposable trash who chose their own end."
Esmi bit her delicate lip at his words.
"If I weren't here..."
Her presence doomed so many to misery.
Even her great-uncle was at risk.
Regret flickered in her amethyst eyes.
Clench!
But her hands, resting on her knees as she sat, balled into fists.
The terror in those gem-like eyes was shifting.
Fear lingered.
But atop it rose a new emotion.
Resolve.
"No..."
Esmi murmured.
"I can't let that happen."
No time for regret—she sprang up.
"I have to go."
Her voice still quivered.
But not like before.
"I... I have to go stop them."
"And do what?"
Kang Jin-ho crossed his arms.
"I don't know how many Outer God cultists there are. Could be more than one. What if they show? Fight them?"
He stared at her face, pressing again.
"Can you even fight?"
"......"
"Subduing monsters is one thing. This enemy's human. Can you kill? Snuff out lives with your magic?"
Under his interrogation, Esmi's lips trembled.
"I..."