Grade Announcement (3)

Lucy buried her face in Rumi's chest as she watched Ho-yeon sprint away, his expression carved from stone.

"R-Rumi... did I mess up too badly?"

"It's okay, Lucy. You know how Ho-yeon is. He doesn't hold grudges."

Rumi had, fortunately, already come back to her senses, and so she patted her sister's back and soothed her. She knew perfectly well that Lucy had been in the wrong — but this was no time to say so. And because they both understood Ho-yeon's nature, playful at times but fundamentally kind, Lucy's agitation soon began to settle.

A moment later, Ho-yeon burst back into the classroom. He started stuffing the books on his desk into his bag and packing his things.

"H-Ho-yeon? What are you doing?"

"Something urgent came up. I have to go."

"...You're leaving now?"

"Yeah. I won't be able to sit through afternoon classes with you."

Lucy had been about to suggest they go to a cafe after class. She couldn't hide her bewilderment at the sight of him packing up so suddenly.

"Th-then, want to go to a cafe after class tomorrow? I heard the academy cafe got some really good cake..."

"...Sorry. I'm going to be pretty busy for a while. I'll let you know as soon as I have some free time."

With that, Ho-yeon bolted out of the classroom. Lucy turned to look at Rumi.

"Rumi..."

"I-it's okay, Lucy. He doesn't hold a grudge... I'm sure of it."

Rumi had never seen Ho-yeon like that either. Even during the survival exam he had always been so composed. What could have put that frantic look on his face? Something truly urgent must have come up.

Still... he'll keep up our secret friend activities, right?

Even as she soothed Lucy, Rumi made sure to look after her own territory.

"Haa..."

Untangling a knot when you don't even know where it started to go wrong is a genuinely tedious, exhausting job. I skipped afternoon classes and ran for the dorms.

I was a little worried about Lucy, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. It might have sounded cold, but Lucy's life wasn't in danger. Her mental state could be pieced back together somehow. Nam Da-eun was different. There was no telling what might happen to her.

Since it was afternoon class time, I was the only one walking the academy grounds. I reached the dorm and opened the door.

"Huh? What the—"

Liliana, who'd been sprawled across my bed watching videos on her smartwatch, bolted upright.

"Why are you back so early? Isn't it still class time?"

"It is. But something urgent came up."

"You shouldn't skip class. Back when I was a student, if I ditched to play games, my mom would beat the living daylights out of me."

For the record, the academy didn't care. Once midterms were over, the minimum attendance score was already filled. That was around when Nam Da-eun started skipping class too — but that wasn't important right now.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

I pulled a sphere from the spatial pouch I'd hidden in my desk.

I hadn't checked it until now for exactly that reason. I opened the sphere without hesitation. Inside was a phone number. I called it immediately, and the ringtone started.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Just a second. Be quiet."

"Hmph."

I held out one hand to Liliana, who shut her mouth and flopped around on the bed. She gnawed on my fingers, playing with them, while I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠waited for the call to connect. The line picked up — but no one spoke, so I went first.

"Hello. I have a commission."

A voice so distorted I couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman — and then the call cut off.

"Are you fucking kidding me."

Every second counted, and this was what they did. Security was important, I got that, but this was ridiculous. This was bad. The plan had just fallen apart.

Originally I'd intended to use Elise's Commission Token to slowly gather information on Nam Da-eun. Then I went and took first place in the practical exam, and the situation turned urgent. Come to think of it, it was strange that the Night King — the great guild leader of the Iris Guild — would accept a job in a single day anyway.

"Now what. Next is... hey, quit biting. That hurts."

I pulled my hand away from Liliana, who'd been clinging to it and chewing away. Should I sneak into the girls' dorm myself? Nam Da-eun might still be there.

I was seriously considering it when I felt a familiar movement of mana.

"Oh! Scout's here!"

Something slipped through the slightly open transom window and raced along the ceiling. Scarlet dropped down and greeted me.

"Good afternoon, Ho-yeon. You're back early today. I actually had something to report, so this works out well. A little deviation from routine is healthy now and then."

Normally I would have told her to stop coming in stuck to the ceiling, but I couldn't bring myself to today. Looking at Scarlet, I saw a glimmer of hope.

"Scarlet... you're my only hope."

"Pardon?"

Scarlet blinked at the sudden declaration.

"I need you to do something. Infiltrate the girls' dorm and check whether a cadet named Nam Da-eun is in her room."

"Right now? I also have a report regarding Lady Elise..."

"...This is more important right now."

I was genuinely curious whether Elise had masturbated to my video or not, but it couldn't be helped.

"Understood. It shouldn't take long. I'll be right back."

Fortunately, Scarlet took my word for it. She clung to the ceiling and slipped outside at once.

"What's going on? I wanted to play with Scout."

"I'll play with you instead. Just hang on a bit."

"Really? Wooow. Then let's get fried chicken."

"...Order some."

I had no idea what playing together had to do with eating fried chicken, but if that made her happy, fine. While Liliana hummed to herself picking out an order, Scarlet returned.

"That was fast."

"It was a simple job. There was one first-year cadet named Nam Da-eun, and there was no sign anyone had entered her room since she left this morning."

"...Is that so."

This was actually serious. That meant there was a high chance she had gone to the Buyer Guild. Whether she had gone on her own or been summoned didn't matter. What mattered was that Nam Da-eun was in danger.

I can't just show up there.

Barging in blindly wouldn't get me a meeting with Nam Da-eun — it would only make them suspicious.

"She must be someone important to you."

"Yeah. Scarlet, do you know a place called the Buyer Guild?"

"Hmm... I think I've heard of it, but I don't believe it's a particularly well-known organization."

Exactly. The Buyer Guild had just gotten lucky enough to get their hands on Nam Da-eun. They were an ordinary mid-sized guild. But behind them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stood enormous powers. Money laundering, dirty work in the shadows, murder, plunder — they handled the jobs the mega-guilds couldn't do themselves. Unless you had a thorough grasp of domestic intelligence, it was only natural Scarlet wouldn't know.

"Scarlet. Check the inside of the Buyer Guild. I need to know if Nam Da-eun is there. But your safety comes first — if anything feels off, you come straight back. Understood?"

"Yes. Understood."

"No, wait. I'm coming too. I'll wait in front of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guild building."

I couldn't just sit in the dorm waiting for Scarlet to bring back information. There might be something I could do. Even if there wasn't, I would get the information a second sooner.

"I'll go on ahead. Stay in front of the guild building and I'll find you."

Scarlet nodded and immediately headed out.

"Seasoned chicken is okay, right?"

"Whatever you want. Play for a bit and then order. I'll be back in a few hours."

Showing up at a guild in my cadet uniform would draw far too much attention. I changed into civilian clothes, cast a faint perception-dampening barrier, and slipped out of the dorm.

Inside a dark room at Buyer Guild Headquarters, a man sat on a sofa with his legs crossed, speaking with a woman who knelt before him with her head bowed.

"Now how did this happen...?"

"..."

"Our Da-eun said she'd take first place, didn't she? That's why I even let you see Da-hee one more time."

"Th-that's..."

Nam Da-eun looked up at Buyer Guild Leader Park Min-gyu from where she knelt.

"Hmm... Da-eun. Do you have an excuse?"

"...I'm sorry, Uncle. Please, just give me one more chance..."

Park Min-gyu considered as he looked at her, kneeling there, her voice trembling. Contractually, he could force Nam Da-eun to withdraw from the academy. After that, he could turn her into his slave. That was the kind of predatory contract that existed between them.

But forcing her to withdraw already wouldn't be efficient. Nam Da-eun's name recognition had grown far too large. The best outcome was having her graduate from the academy. Even if that didn't work out, she needed to at least finish her first year. That would raise her value even further, and elevate the Buyer Guild's prestige along with it. Right now they were doing the dirty work for the mega-guilds, but Park Min-gyu firmly believed that one day ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he would take that seat for himself.

"Well... what should I do. Da-eun still has her uses, so maybe I should just send Da-hee to a brothel instead?"

"If you touch Da-hee... I really won't stand for it."

"If you don't want that, then you'll just have to work extra hard, won't you? Hmm?"

"...Yes."

"There's a party coming up between Korea's major guilds and hunters. You'll attend as my partner. I even prepared a dress for you."

"..."

Nam Da-eun trembled, her shoulders shaking as she remained on her knees. But it was better that she be degraded than that her little sister be put in danger.

"What, you don't want to? Think of Da-hee. If you behave, I won't lay a finger on her."

"...Yes. I understand."

Park Min-gyu's mouth stretched into a grin that reached his ears.

This is how you break them in. Slowly.

He smiled, imagining the day Nam Da-eun would spread her legs for him of her own accord. Just having the girl he'd raised since childhood kneel before him was this exciting — how much more thrilling would it be when she clung to him naked? That was why he still hadn't touched her. The thought of that day sent a shiver through his entire body.

Unaware that her last words had just saved her life, Nam Da-eun remained there as Park Min-gyu sank into his vile desires.