Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 037
Chapter Title: A Polite Request
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My heart pounded fiercely. It wasn't just from sprinting full speed to get here. The suffocating pressure in my chest and the tension weighing on my shoulders made it race like mad.
I had zero skill with throwing swords, but the dagger I'd hurled flew over ten meters and buried itself right in the succubus woman's forehead. I got lucky.
The enemy pierced between the eyes dropped dead on the spot. No matter how strong her regeneration was, she couldn't survive instant death. Lucky again.
That sword toss was just meant to draw attention. For it to hit the enemy dead-on and even take her life? Nothing short of pure fortune.
But luck could only carry me that far.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Why'd you kill a prisoner we were supposed to capture alive?"
Slay-and-seal-the-deal. I'd successfully shut up this poor character who'd glimpsed the truth of this world. All that remained was convincing Min Chae-ryeong, who was glaring at me with a cold expression.
No, "convincing" wasn't the right word. What I had to do now was explain myself. That I had no choice. Justify my actions and beg her forgiveness.
I swallowed dryly, forcing the tension down my throat. Stay calm. Speak naturally. I did nothing wrong. Nothing to feel guilty about. I repeated it endlessly in my mind.
"...I judged that you were in danger, Team Leader."
"Danger? Me?"
I explained the enemy's vampiric ability to Min Chae-ryeong. Its superior subjugation power. But I skipped the part about reading memories or thoughts.
Min Chae-ryeong narrowed her eyes and shook her head, as if she couldn't accept it.
"I get what you're saying, but you thought I'd be weak enough to fall to trash like this?"
"How should I know? I've never seen you fight even once."
"...Fair point."
Min Chae-ryeong started to point at the old man collapsed and bleeding from head to toe, but she shook her head and let out a wry chuckle instead.
"Thanks for worrying about me. But killing her on your own? I can't just let that slide. I told you—the culprit in this case was going to be our informant, just like that kid. Remember?"
"Yes. I remember."
"So why'd you kill the culprit anyway?"
"That's..."
I composed my expression. I averted my eyes like I was embarrassed and flashed an awkward smile, acting like even I was flustered by the outcome.
"It was a mistake. I aimed for her shoulder to knock her away from you, but I never thought it'd hit her head..."
"A mistake?"
"Yes. Sadly, I have no talent for throwing knives."
In truth, I had no aptitude for combat skills, including knife-throwing. Min Chae-ryeong, who'd hired me, knew that well.
She might suspect I was hiding my skills. But it'd stay just a suspicion. There was no way to test my real abilities right now, and even if there were, it didn't matter. The dagger hitting its mark really was a miraculous fluke.
"A mistake. A mistake, huh..."
Truth or not, Min Chae-ryeong wouldn't buy it as a genuine accident. But she knew there was no realistic way to prove otherwise.
Silence hung between us. Her gaze shifted from me to the old man, then to the woman's corpse. She stared at the body for a long while, as if weighing something.
Finally, she nodded to herself and spoke in a somewhat deflated voice.
"If it was a mistake, nothing to be done. But you'll have to take responsibility for it."
If it's a mistake, I'll understand—but you'll pay for it. Pay for blowing away a valuable informant right in front of me.
"...What should I do?"
"Hmm. What do you think you should do?"
"I'm sorry, but many ideas come to mind, though deciding the right one is hard. Still, I'll make full amends for my mistake. In the way you want most, Team Leader."
"The way I want?"
At that, Min Chae-ryeong gave a meaningful smile. Her desire was obvious. She'd wanted to use that woman as an informant, so to make up for it, I just needed to bring her equivalent "information."
Min Chae-ryeong probably thinks I have an independent informant inside Dawn Corps. Revealing who would be trouble, but fetching useful intel? Easy. I have knowledge of the original story.
Info on upcoming terror attacks or the list of Dawn Corps spies in key organizations. I had plenty she'd find tempting. Hand over a few, and it'd more than cover this "mistake."
"Fine. That confident attitude? I'll let this 'mistake' slide just this once."
"...Thank you."
Her emphasis on "mistake" was oddly pointed. Her gaze flicked to the old man, and a smile tugged at her lips.
"...At least it's a relief. That your dagger didn't hit this old man."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Quest Clear!] What you thought was a semen extraction case by a succubus turned out to be Dawn Corps's ploy to track Ji Ye-won! Congratulations! You've brilliantly completed your first mission as a Special Countermeasures Division agent! Your superior will take note of you, and your fellow fighters will see you as a reliable comrade! Well done!] [Quest clear rewards provided below. Activate the Rewards tab to claim and view details!] <Rewards> 1) Guard Rate increased by 3% (Current Guard Rate: 5%) There were a few loose ends here and there, but with this, the quest was wrapped up for now.
That thought eased the tension that had been crushing me just a bit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Safe House underground bunker.
Relying on the dim lighting, I was reading the incident report Min Chae-ryeong had brought me.
The operation to lure out Dawn Corps—the force behind the incident—using Ryu Tae-hyun as bait was originally planned to unfold over several days, raiding one Dawn Corps hideout per day. No one expected we'd catch the succubus culprit and her backers in just one day.
Excluding the members arrested in the raided hideout, a total of 17 Dawn Corps members were involved in yesterday's attack on Ryu Tae-hyun.
Of them, excluding the sole fatality Park Ji-hyun, all 16 were captured alive by the Academy Security Force.
But the official report listed only 15 arrests.
The missing one from the report: Yoo Hyun-ho. He'd been diverted to this Safe House underground bunker before handover to the Security Force. No risk of discovery. Yoo Hyun-ho had been subdued by Min Chae-ryeong without contact with any other members on site.
Min Chae-ryeong, who'd delivered the report to me, was now interrogating Yoo Hyun-ho in the panic room deeper in the bunker. I wasn't without anxiety. If Park Ji-hyun had passed the truth she'd uncovered about this world to Yoo Hyun-ho, Min Chae-ryeong might learn it through him.
Including mind-reading, I need to be extra wary of psychic powers that interfere with the mind from now on.
I hadn't anticipated a novel character discovering the world was a novel this way.
It made sense, though. In webnovels, characters rarely realize they're in a story. Breaking the fourth wall kills immersion, which is crucial for webnovels.
If Min Chae-ryeong realizes she's a character, I can't even guess her reaction.
Just imagining it was exhausting. All I could do was pray Park Ji-hyun died before spreading that uncomfortable truth.
"...Uncomfortable truth."
Suddenly, Ji Ye-won came to mind.
Based on interrogations of Park Ji-hyun, Yoo Hyun-ho, and another suspected high-ranking member Kim Sung-hak, the Security Force confirmed Kim Min-ah—mentioned in Ryu Tae-hyun's statement—was still alive.
Whether "alive" meant fully functional or just barely breathing was unclear, but that wasn't the point.
Should I really tell Ji Ye-won this...?
Morally, yes. Kim Min-ah was special to her. But spilling the truth rashly could lead her to rash actions, which would spell trouble for me.
If she bolted to rescue Kim Min-ah and got caught by Dawn Corps, dying in the process, I'd die too.
No matter how I look at it, no need to tell her.
If it leaked inevitably, fine—but for now, burying the truth and keeping her pinned here was best.
With that in mind, I headed upstairs to check on Ji Ye-won—and her face.
"Hoo. Hoo. Hooo..."
Ji Ye-won was in the first-floor living room. Dressed in a gray T-shirt and dolphin pants, she seemed intent on training: balancing in a one-arm handstand smack in the middle of the room. Wait, not even one arm—one finger. She was sweating buckets, holding her whole body steady on her thumb alone.
"Piiiing. Piiiing. Piiiing..."
Meanwhile, Chae So-yeon sprawled asleep on the sofa beside her, snoring like a deflating balloon. Deep sleeper, apparently.
Did she even remember she was Ji Ye-won's watcher?
"Hm."
I'd meant to check on Ji Ye-won, but she was focused on training, so I let it go.
Maybe grab some coffee.
I left Ji Ye-won behind and headed to the kitchen.
"...Huh?"
There, on the kitchen table, white papers lay scattered. Checking them, I couldn't hold back my shock.
What the hell.
They were the incident report. Identical to the one I'd just read downstairs from Min Chae-ryeong.
In other words, these weren't papers to leave lying around. The report mentioned Kim Min-ah too.
That idiot Chae So-yeon...
Obvious culprit. That scatterbrain Chae So-yeon, no doubt.
I shot a resentful glance at her and quickly gathered the papers before Ji Ye-won could see.
"Those."
A voice from behind.
Turning, I saw Ji Ye-won had approached, wiping sweat from her forehead with her T-shirt hem.
"Ahaha. Done training? I was trying to step away so I wouldn't disturb you, but..."
"Those papers."
"Oh, nothing special. Just routine work documents. No particularly—"
"I already saw. It's the report on the Academy incident."
My face crumpled involuntarily. Damn that thoughtless Chae So-yeon. She finally screwed up.
But Ji Ye-won's next words were nothing like I'd expected.
"Team Leader Min Chae-ryeong gave them to me. Told me to read them."
"...Pardon?"
Unthinking retort. Her words didn't register for a moment.
"Dawn Corps started it to find me, right? Since I'm involved, she handed them over for me to read."
Involved? Absolutely. Ji Ye-won was the incident's core target.
But that was separate from sharing the report's intel with her. Min Chae-ryeong surely knew telling Ji Ye-won wasn't wise.
So why? Why hand her the full report?
Ji Ye-won sneered coldly at my stunned silence.
"I thought she was just a black-hearted bitch, but surprisingly considerate. Unlike some people around here."
Her piercing gaze stabbed at me.
"...Are you talking about me?"
"Last night, when you came for gear—you already knew everything then, right? That male student Ryu Tae-hyun got a talisman from Min-ah. But you didn't breathe a word to me."
"It was a security matter. Couldn't disclose casually."
"Security my ass. I'm locked up here—info can't leak out."
"...I thought hearing about Kim Min-ah might excite you into a bad choice."
"Bad choice? What, scared I'd sneak out on you?"
Ji Ye-won scoffed. Her mouth smiled, but her eyes didn't. They stayed icy, fixed on me.
"You think I'm crazy enough? Run and the tracker gets me fast. If Dawn Corps spots me, I'm dead."
"..."
"But I wanted to. Hell, I wanna bolt right now and find Min-ah. Life on the line? Screw it. If I didn't know if she was alive, fine—but now I do. My life? Worth risking for her."
Ji Ye-won spoke cold yet hot. Contradictory, but fitting. Her words burned with emotion, but her eyes were frozen.
"But I didn't. Know why? Running off selfishly would trample the kindness you showed me. Sure, you wanted my info, but you helped me, saved my life. Especially you, Ahn Su-ho. You're my direct lifesaver. Acting on my whims and getting you in trouble? Leaves a bad taste."
Considering my position? For a moment, but I shook my head.
Ji Ye-won wasn't backing down. Her words were a formal declaration—to me, bound by her life debt.
"So when you got back, I wanted to ask face-to-face."
"I..."
"I'm not asking you to find Min-ah. Just let me leave now. I'll give all my info. I'll handle finding her. Promise no trouble for you guys."
So, please.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Green House student Ji Ye-won has made a 'Polite Request' of you!] [Due to the effect of <Skill: Academy Guard>, rejecting this polite request will lower your Luck Rank by 1 step for a set time!] "...Leaving this Safe House might get you killed."
The system's penalty warning made me hold off on a direct answer. But Ji Ye-won pressed harder, unrelenting.
"I said it—I'm ready to risk my life. That's how precious Min-ah is to me."
"It's not my call to make."
"I know. But I'm asking you anyway. Since you saved this life, I want your permission first."
"And if I say yes?"
"I'll demand Team Leader Min Chae-ryeong let me go right away. If she refuses, I'll escape by force then."
"If I say no...?"
"We'll see then."
I'd hoped for "I'll stay quietly." But her resolve seemed ironclad.
"Please. Not some lip service—tell me your honest thoughts."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Green House student Ji Ye-won has repeated her 'Polite Request' to you!] [Due to the effect of <Skill: Academy Guard>, rejecting this polite request will lower your Luck Rank by 1 step for a set time!] The message popped up again. A polite request to overlook her escape—plus not to lie.
I couldn't stall forever. Least I could do was speak my true heart, per her words. Couldn't let Luck drop two ranks.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes. Opened them, met hers briefly, then looked away.
Better not to meet eyes for this. Dodging her gaze while speaking would convey emotion more effectively than fumbling with eye contact.
"...I don't want to let you leave here, Ye-won."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you to die."
I subtly avoided her gaze, infusing my voice with feigned pathos. The emotion might be fake, but the meaning? Pure truth, without a shred of lie.
"Why? We've barely met. What do you care if I live or die...?"
"That's..."
Because if you die, I die too. True, but I couldn't say it.
How to hide the truth yet make the system register it as honest feeling? And stimulate her conscience, guilt, sense of debt? Lips pursed, gauging, I spoke weakly.
"We've barely met, sure, but if you died, I'd probably be really upset."
I said it with a pained expression. No lies—just deliberately omitting truth to maximize her debt to me.
"Upset...?"
"Yes. Very upset. Extremely."
It would upset me, yeah. Death's a painful thing.
"............Fine."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You have rejected Green House student 'Ji Ye-won's' polite request once!] [Due to the effect of <Skill: Academy Guard>, your Luck Rank will drop from C to D for 24 hours!] The message appeared with her reply. "Rejected once." I inwardly cheered. Dodged the double-rank drop.
"...Very upset. That's what you mean."
Facing Ji Ye-won murmuring with a pained look, I pondered the Luck drop's impact over her feelings.
A twinge of self-loathing hit me, but it was unavoidable.
...Luck dropping won't affect immediately. She won't bolt tonight, at least. She feels indebted to me.
This was a novel world. No matter how real, it boiled down to text by Blissful Heavenly Demon. Nothing outweighed my safety or goal of returning home.
Nothing at all.
Stimulate that debt right, and I can keep her here indefinitely...
That's why using her emotions barely pricked my conscience.
Even the faint guilt? I could ignore it.