Chapter 221: Many
Chapter 221: Many
After witnessing the secret meeting between Park Hwanhee and Cha Yuna, I felt the need to reassess their relationship. My suspicions were still based on intuition rather than hard evidence, but Park Hwanhee’s performance and Cha Yuna’s reaction had given me a sense of what was happening.
Thinking of Cha Yuna’s boyfriend, Baek Hangyul, gave me pause, but I decided it was better to watch for now. Rather than expose things clumsily, I felt that careful handling could shape the situation I wanted.
With the recruitment of Baek Hangyul more or less on track, it was time to gather more detailed information. Strictly speaking, I still hadn’t gotten to the heart of the plan the new recruits were plotting.
Of course, that didn’t mean my daily life changed significantly. As always, I focused on monitoring the new Users while serving as both a Discipline Instructor and a Lifestyle Instructor.
And so began my life at the academy—outwardly quiet, but inwardly intense.
Nothing special happened during the third week. Or, if I had to name one thing, my dinner appointment with Park Hyunwoo was postponed. I had not refused it; the Golden Lion Clan relayed the message through Kim Hanbyul.
Come to think of it, Park Hyunwoo and Sung Yubin seemed increasingly preoccupied with other urgent matters instead of the Academy. I was curious enough to sound Hanbyul out, but all she said was, “I’m sorry. I don’t really know either.”
The nuance was stronger that she truly didn’t know, rather than that she couldn’t tell me. Since they said it was postponed, not canceled, I decided to wait.
As for the plan Park Hwanhee mentioned, I ultimately couldn’t find anything particularly strange about it. I felt a sense of unease; they were incredibly organized for a group of new recruits. However, their outward behavior was nothing more or less than that of new Users. There was simply nothing to find fault with.
If that was the case, there was only one answer. Most of the plan had already been set in motion. I was able to find a keyword in the word “deal” that Park Hwanhee had used. For new recruits, they were moving with extreme caution and had pushed things forward with incredible speed in less than three weeks.
There’s another clan watching their backs.
Park Hwanhee was a very smart guy. Unless he was insane, there was no way he would try to form an independent faction by gathering only new recruits. I mulled over which clans might be capable of such a thing, but too many came to mind, so I quickly shook my head.
In any case, having a general idea of their intentions, I decided to take a drastic measure: give up on all the other recruits except for Baek Hangyul. I couldn’t touch people who had a clan as their backer without concrete evidence. And while I had seen a few other decent Users, none of them could compare to Baek Hangyul alone. Instead, I vowed that I would not lose 〈Aegis〉, no matter what.
It suddenly occurred to me that the situation inside the Academy was remarkably complicated: Park Hwanhee’s plan with the new recruits, the clan backing them, the unsettling movements within the Golden Lion Clan, Kim Hanbyul, and the relationship between Baek Hangyul and Cha Yuna.
However, for some reason, I felt that this wasn’t the end of it. These events were merely part of a process, and there was a huge, unknown problem that encompassed everything. And I had a strong premonition that it was about to blow up.
I found myself rather enjoying it. Simply smashing and breaking things isn’t always the answer. These desperate, unseen struggles were so familiar they were almost welcome. I was confident I could survive whatever situation arose.
But survival alone is not enough. I had to go beyond survival, ride the flow of events, turn the situation to my advantage, and reap the maximum benefits from it.
That was my ultimate goal at the User Academy.
*
I was only able to reschedule my dinner appointment with Park Hyunwoo—though it was really a serious discussion disguised as dinner—after I had worked as an instructor for more than a month and a half. While Park Hyunwoo and Sung Yubin were busy, Kim Hanbyul seemed to receive little attention and appeared relatively stable. But when she brought the meeting up again, she watched my reaction, suggesting she had not entirely overcome her unease.
I readily agreed, reassuring her. I doubted he had summoned me only to discuss the Beech Tree Clan incident, and I might learn something about the uneasy atmosphere within the Golden Lion Clan.
Thus, I was able to meet with Park Hyunwoo again at the end of the seventh week. A great deal must have happened in the meantime, as his face was incredibly gaunt.
Park Hyunwoo began to speak, his voice laced with fatigue.
“I received the activity reports on the Mercenary Lord’s instructor duties. You provided more support and were more active than any of the Discipline or Lifestyle Instructors. It is enough to make the instructors from our own clan feel ashamed.”
“I was simply doing my best not to bring shame to those who recommended me. Your praise is making me feel burdened.”
The conversation started on a warm note. We then began to eat slowly, gradually moving the discussion forward.
“Thanks to you, Hanbyul seems to be learning a great deal as well. Whenever I see her, she’s always talking about the Mercenary Lord. My ears are about to fall off.”
“On the contrary, I’m always grateful. Thanks to her, I can perform my duties as an instructor much more comfortably.”
“Still so humble. I can see why the other clans have such a high opinion of the Mercenary Lord, and of the Mercenary Clan. Ah, come to think of it, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t even had a chance to ask how you’re doing. Are you having any difficulties? For example, with your living arrangements…”
It was irritating for him to ask when he clearly already knew, and it also made me feel sorry for Hanbyul. After forcing down the food I was chewing, I answered in a low voice.
“Since we’re of different genders, it was a bit uncomfortable at first. But we’ve been considerate and accommodating to each other, so it’s not too awkward. You don’t need to worry.”
I could feel a subtle edge to my own words. Park Hyunwoo tilted his head for a moment, then nodded with an ambiguous expression.
“Ah, I see. The situation was so chaotic then that I assigned the rooms as usual without thinking it through. Still, I am glad it is not too inconvenient. Shameless as it may be to ask, please continue to take good care of Hanbyul. Haha.”
He won’t offer to change the rooms, no matter what.
I sighed inwardly as bitterness rose in my throat. Remembering how sharp and intelligent Hanbyul had been during the Rite of Passage only deepened it. How had she been driven into such a corner?
“Ah. On that note, there is something I need to inform you of, Mercenary Lord.”
During the awkward silence after dinner, Park Hyunwoo rummaged inside his coat as though searching for a way to change the mood. He handed me a rolled-up document. The Golden Lion Clan’s crest was stamped in the center, suggesting it was an internal report. I accepted it and calmly unrolled it.
The moment I saw the title written at the top, I felt my eyes narrow.
‘Report on the Clash Between the Beech Tree Clan, Representative Clan of the Northern Small City of Mule, and the Mercenary Clan. Officer in Charge: Sung Yubin.’
“This is…”
“Just keep reading. We’ll talk after.”
I glanced at his kindly smiling face before lowering my gaze again. The document briefly described the conflict with the Beech Tree Clan in Mule. As I read on, I found a single sentence at the bottom, in the conclusion section.
It read: 〈Confirmed that the Beech Tree Clan initiated the attack. (The Mercenary Clan acted in legitimate self-defense.)〉
Did Sung Yubin pull some strings? No. Besides that…
The matter had resolved itself without me even being investigated. After organizing my thoughts, I handed the document back and asked in a peculiar tone.
“The clash with the Beech Tree Clan did happen. We also killed two members of its subordinate clan in the process. But I do not recall being investigated….”
“Ah. An investigation is something you do when it’s difficult to determine the facts from the evidence. And it wasn’t that big of an incident… In any case, there was plenty of evidence left behind, so we were able to uncover the truth more easily than expected. Ahem. But I do have a few personal questions. If you don’t mind, may I ask?”
“Go ahead. The Mercenary Clan has nothing to hide regarding that matter. I can speak without reservation.”
“Haha. I am not trying to investigate you now. The fact that you were attacked first gives you ample justification. We found several traces of attacks powerful enough to take a life. Even so, I wondered whether it was truly necessary to kill the Beech Tree Clan’s subordinate members.”
“Yes. It was necessary.”
Despite my firm answer, Park Hyunwoo’s expression remained calm. The decision had already been made in the report, and he, too, seemed to have made up his mind. This conversation felt like a mere formality. He was making it obvious that this was just a personal question, as if he were simply curious about the more detailed circumstances.
“Our first meeting was when we returned to Mule after exploring a place called the Cave of Screams.”
I had already prepared a full account that would be advantageous to us for this very moment. In fact, there was little to prepare. Even if I just told the truth as it was, the chances of us being incriminated were very low.
I recounted everything: how they had omitted all context about the ruin investigation being postponed and simply pushed us to join them; the nuance that they were subtly coveting the achievements we had made; the fact that they had threatened Year 0 Users to the point of endangering their lives; Ban Dahee’s provocation of Ko Yeonju; and how after actually attacking one of the Ten Strong, she had spat in my face after being subdued.
When I finished the story with Cha Seunghyun, I saw Park Hyunwoo let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah… I had no idea such words were exchanged. It makes me question that User’s sanity. Ah. But you said the Shadow Queen herself executed that User, Ban Dahee?”
“Yes. Despite my demand for a polite apology, she spat in my face. She even threatened to kill me and Ko Yeonju someday. The moment she heard that, Ko Yeonju, who was restraining her, immediately stabbed her with a dagger.”
“There’s nothing more to see or hear. I understand. In any case, we’ve already reached a conclusion on that matter internally, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore. If anything, we should be the ones to apologize for failing to control a subordinate clan. Phew. How did a clan like that become a representative clan…”
“No, it’s fine. It’s understandable that you couldn’t pay attention to it at the time, as you were in the middle of an expedition.”
“Haha. I’m grateful that you think so.”
He wants something.
The Golden Lion Clan was being more deferential than necessary. Even if they had investigated further, the circumstances would still have favored us. Moreover, 〈Shadow Queen〉 Ko Yeonju had been involved, and as Park Hyunwoo admitted, our justification was sufficient.
Although they could have made the subordinate-clan incident public, the Golden Lion Clan handled it internally. That was a clear gesture of goodwill. It meant they wanted something from me.
Park Hyunwoo took the report back and sipped his tea with a composed expression. Then he straightened his back and spoke.
“Then let us conclude the Beech Tree matter here and move on to another topic. Or perhaps I should call it the main topic.”
“……”
“Actually, the reason I invited you here today, Mercenary Lord, is because I have a favor to ask of you.”
Here it comes.
I had expected as much, but I put on an innocent expression, as if wondering what the Golden Lion Clan could possibly want from me. He smiled faintly at my reaction and continued.
“Ahem. You once granted an access pass to the Shadow Queen, did you not? I understand she has visited the academy two or three times since then. If it’s not too much to ask, could you tell us her next scheduled visit?”
“Why do you want to know?”
My question was entirely natural for a Clan Lord. Unlike before, however, Park Hyunwoo did not answer readily. He repeatedly closed his eyes, looked at me, and looked away again, plainly struggling with whether to speak.
Ko Yeonju had indeed visited twice during the past seven weeks and was scheduled to visit again in the eighth week. Her second visit had been uneventful, so I had simply received her report, spent some time with her, and sent her back.
I calmly sipped my tea, showing that I was in no hurry. A refreshing coolness spread through my body and cleared my head. By the time I had taken three or four sips, Park Hyunwoo’s tightly closed lips finally began to part.
“Mercenary Lord. What I am about to tell you… I must ask that you keep it a secret.”