Rematch with the Rose
No Gwan-sik stared blankly for a moment at the spot where Nix had already departed.
Hwang Seok-ho, who had been tidying up the teacups on the table, cautiously opened his mouth upon noticing No Gwan-sik's demeanor.
"Shouldn't we talk about that?"
No Gwan-sik flicked his gaze toward Hwang Seok-ho at the tentative question.
Hwang Seok-ho flinched at the indifferent look in his eyes, so different from his usual gaze.
No Gwan-sik tskted his tongue briefly, just like always, at Hwang Seok-ho's reaction.
"With such a weak spirit... how could I possibly entrust anything to you?"
"You're suddenly putting on airs and glaring at me like that!"
"No matter how startled you are, you shouldn't show it. Aigoo— tskt tsk..."
No Gwan-sik crossed his arms, clicking his tongue again in exasperation.
"I wouldn't say anything until I could fully trust that guy."
"...From the conversation earlier, it seemed like you trusted him quite a bit, though? Talking about this incident means you've judged him trustworthy enough, right?"
No Gwan-sik clicked his tongue once more at Hwang Seok-ho, who tilted his head in puzzlement.
Just as Hwang Seok-ho was about to protest the ever-unreasonable reaction, No Gwan-sik spoke up.
"I don't trust him. He's far too frightening a monster to trust outright."
"Pardon? Then why...?"
"As I said, I just needed a 'force' for if things go south—an insurance policy, if you will."
"Insurance...?"
"Exactly. If things fall apart, don't you need a shield to throw in front?"
"But that's..."
No Gwan-sik spoke flatly as Hwang Seok-ho trailed off uncertainly.
"Seok-ho. To rise to this position, you need to distinguish early on what must be discarded and what must be kept. You have to understand that. If necessary, you must be prepared to sacrifice the small for the greater good."
"......"
"That displeased look in your eyes... But there's no helping it. This seat demands as much."
Hwang Seok-ho clamped his mouth shut at No Gwan-sik's calm declaration.
Suddenly, a question he couldn't voice rose in Hwang Seok-ho's mind.
Then, to you, Association President, am I something to be discarded or kept? Would you sacrifice me for the greater good too?
Hwang Seok-ho swallowed the question that had surged to the tip of his tongue.
Ignoring Hwang Seok-ho's reaction entirely, No Gwan-sik stared fixedly at where Nix had vanished.
I thought he was just an ordinary beast, but it turns out he's a predator. A real snake of a man.
That guy surely knew No Gwan-sik's thoughts to some extent.
He might even have sensed the intent to use him as a shield if needed—or perhaps that something was being hidden.
The Nix that No Gwan-sik had observed over the past few days was perceptive enough for that.
And that was precisely why.
"I don't trust him."
Not Nix, nor even Hwang Seok-ho, who had stood by his side for years now.
Since Seong Jae-myeong's death, No Gwan-sik had never truly trusted anyone.
The position he held now was far too precarious to rely on others.
Trusting again might lead to being swept away helplessly, just like before.
Once was enough for such a mistake.
He wouldn't repeat it.
No Gwan-sik's gaze grew heavy as he turned to look out the window.
Armed with the information from No Gwan-sik, the natural destination was, of course, the Black Market.
Jeong Soo-ah, who had been handling paperwork in her office as usual, made a grotesque face and groaned euuugh toward him.
"Why the face?"
"You look exactly like someone who's come to dump more work on me. I have a ton to do already? Please, no more jobs."
She gestured to the towering stack of documents on one side.
The ridiculous volume shut his mouth automatically.
He hadn't done anything gravely wrong, but he felt a twinge of guilt.
"Look at this first."
"Sigh... more work in the end, huh? How do you keep burdening hardworking people like this...?"
Jeong Soo-ah grumbled as she took the bundle of papers, then fell silent upon scanning the contents.
Her eyes moved ceaselessly over the documents.
Flip, flip—for a while, only the sound of turning pages filled the quiet office.
"...What is this? Where did you get this nonsense?"
"From the Association President. We've agreed to cooperate for the time being."
"...How long ago was that last big mess, and you're already stirring up something this huge...?"
Jeong Soo-ah groaned urgh, setting down the papers and removing her glasses.
She naturally lit a thick cigar, rubbing her temples as she spoke.
"This is about those 'things' we brought in last time, right?"
He nodded slowly at Jeong Soo-ah's question.
She meant Yoshida's subordinates, whom they had subdued before.
Hunters implanted with monster bodies like Yoshida's.
According to the documents, they were best called 'chimeras' of some sort.
"What happened to them?"
"We couldn't get anything out of them. They knew nothing, treated as disposable pawns. And with what the President said last time, I couldn't use my skill recklessly."
"Hm. No more mind control. It was extremely dangerous back then too."
"If the President says that much, their egos would just shatter outright."
Scary.
Jeong Soo-ah sighed and tapped the desk tap tap.
"How much should we cooperate with the Association?"
"Stick to the Association President's line, but don't trust them too much. From what I've seen, he's ready to ditch us anytime."
"Hm. Got it. Anything else?"
"There's a Hunter named Yoon Ha-yang in the Association. She's directly under the President's secretary, so get info from her."
"...When did you even reach into the Association like that?"
He chuckled lightly instead of answering, watching Jeong Soo-ah's quiet shock.
"Handle the rest as needed. Nothing urgent, so take your time."
"Investigate when I can, then? My breaks are shrinking again. Well, better than having nothing to do."
"Pace yourself. Like I said, no rush. I'm heading back to the labyrinth soon anyway."
"After dumping all this work?"
"Except for Lee Chan-gol and Toda, Ichijo... use the first two when they return. I've already told them; they'll help diligently."
"...That's not the point."
He quietly ignored Jeong Soo-ah's gaze, filled with regret despite her soft sigh.
"Anyway, take it slow. Focus on stabilization for now."
"What if something happens while the President's away?"
"Hm. Threats should be cleared for a bit... but if danger arises, hide like last time."
"Then you'll come back and smash everything?"
He nodded calmly at Jeong Soo-ah, who smirked as she said it.
"I'll make them regret touching what's mine."
Jeong Soo-ah quietly stuck out her tongue at his utterly sincere reply.
"Guess I'll work hard to avoid collateral. Don't worry too much. If needed, I'll grab the essentials and slip away clean. I'm good at hiding."
With a smile, he left Jeong Soo-ah's office.
The immediate tasks were mostly done; once Lee Chan-gol and Toda's group returned, his business outside was virtually finished.
What started as a simple outing had snowballed into this.
He was starting to worry about the Lizardmen left behind; it was truly time to return to the labyrinth.
Harsh and unforgiving as it was, it was also comfortable and secure.
The abundant, peaceful outside world was nice, but he missed labyrinth life now.
To miss that brutal place—truly, he was an irredeemable monster.
"...So, how about coming out already?"
I don't have a hobby of being tailed.
He spoke quietly as he stepped into a deserted alley with no one around.
The quiet, empty alley showed no reaction.
Even after deliberately coming to such a secluded spot, they had no intention of revealing themselves?
Looks like a little nudge was needed.
Who sent them? At a time like this, tailing me... not the Association, surely.
Probably not No Gwan-sik's side; likely some other faction.
The goal would be verifying the rumors, of course.
Rumors of No Gwan-sik's new successor? Ridiculous.
He chuckled lightly and stretched.
No sign of them emerging despite the time given, so he'd drag them out himself.
With that thought, he rolled up his sleeves and took a step forward—only then did the mysterious pursuer reveal themselves quietly.
Incidentally, the pursuer wasn't a 'he' but a 'she'.
Swish—striking golden blonde hair that stood out even in the dim back alley.
Gently shimmering pale purple eyes.
A faint rose scent tickling his nose for an instant.
Emerging from the alley's shadows was...
"...Charlotte?"
The woman who appeared smiled deeply at his involuntary exclamation.
"...Not Charlotte."
Upon closer inspection, she resembled Charlotte but differed in every detail.
Yet he'd mistaken her for Charlotte because her aura matched the memory perfectly.
That composed figure even in her final moments of death.
The strongest Hunter he'd ever met.
The atmosphere of France's Rose Sword, Charlotte Michelle, was eerily similar to this woman's.
Enough to fool him for a moment.
That said, he didn't entirely not recognize her face.
He'd definitely seen it somewhere before.
Fuzzy, but a familiar opponent.
After racking his memory briefly, he finally placed her.
"...Amy Brangers?"
Amy nodded gladly at his quiet murmur.
"Long time no see."
Amy's bright tone differed greatly from his vague memory of her.
Their connection had been minimal—just passing exchanges—so her image was hazy, but now it was clear.
Even under his subtle pressure, Amy showed no sign of yielding.
She boldly matched his aura, asserting her presence in the narrow alley.
She reached SA-rank, they said... grown strong?
But a quick assessment showed her power wasn't true SA-rank.
Stronger than average S-rank, but short of SA.
Some skill boosting her?
As he probed her with such doubts, Amy smiled faintly.
"Not going to say anything? After so long?"
"...I don't think we're close enough to chat."
"True enough. We were trying to kill each other, after all."
A powerful sense of déjà vu hit him as Amy grinned.
Glancing down, he saw 'White Rose,' Charlotte's beloved sword, at her waist.
"...You really Amy?"
"You can check the suggestion you placed on me, can't you?"
He frowned at her direct purple gaze.
As she said, at this range, he could tell if his suggestion lingered.
And upon checking, she was indeed the Amy he'd suggested before.
The one he'd firmly barred from harming him.
"......"
"Hehe. Done checking?"
He couldn't reply easily to her quiet question.
The unexpected situation had thrown him into considerable confusion.
"Seeing you flustered is novel. In my memory, you were always so confident."
"...Fine, I'll admit it. This is disconcerting. Start with why you're here. The mysteries around you aren't few."
"And what will you do about it?"
Amy giggled softly, smiling provocatively.
Another wave of déjà vu.
"If I'm curious, I'll resolve it. By asking directly."
"What if I won't tell?"
"Don't worry. I have plenty of ways to make you talk."
He stepped forward assertively.
Mysteries and déjà vu could wait.
Right now, priority was flattening this irritating woman.
Questions could be answered later.
Amy looked slightly troubled as he approached with full menace.
"I wanted a revenge match, but not quite like this... Did I tease too much? No helping it. I'll play along until you calm down."
She playfully drew White Rose from her waist.
With it came a thick rose scent, sharp enough to sting nose to tongue.
Swirl, swirl—
Hundreds, thousands of rose petals scattered like in that memory.
His brow furrowed as the alley filled with a wave of crimson roses in moments.
He vaguely grasped the source of the nagging déjà vu.
Like that day in the desert, he shouted instinctively at the fiercely smiling woman.
"Charlotte—!"
Amy—no, Charlotte—laughed leisurely at his call.
"Let's begin the revenge match, Nix."