Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Charlotte's Request
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Among his peers, there was no one who could match him, and even Yoo Ah-ra, who was called a once-in-a-generation genius alongside Lee Seo-jun, still fell a bit short compared to Lee Seo-jun.
As the saying goes, geniuses are lonely. His rivals had always been himself, locked in constant battle with his own limits.
And now, that very Lee Seo-jun felt a slight competitive spark toward me.
After hearing Lee Seo-jun's story to the end, I felt something off.
I casually turned my head to look at him. Lee Seo-jun had his back turned, fast asleep.
On the rooftop of a building not far from the Black Flame Mercenary Corps headquarters, a man stood.
The man's name was Jung Je-won.
He was a member of the guild Dawn's Blade, tasked by Yoo Ah-yeon to monitor Lee Seo-jun.
At that moment, the rooftop door opened, and Yoo Ah-yeon appeared.
"You're late?"
"I had something to handle. Anyway, any special developments?"
"Nothing with Lee Seo-jun, but there was a minor incident nearby."
"A minor incident?"
Yoo Ah-yeon looked up at Jung Je-won's words.
"Who was it... that guy who helped my sister's little brother last time."
"Kim Sun-woo?"
"Yeah, Kim Sun-woo!"
"Why Kim Sun-woo?"
"He and Choi Seo-yoon got ambushed by some wanted criminal."
Ambushed?
Yoo Ah-yeon took an interest in Jung Je-won's words.
"But Kim Sun-woo, he's pretty impressive, huh?"
"Why?"
"He pretty much took the guy down solo. The opponent looked like at least a B-Grade wizard."
Took down a B-Grade solo? Yoo Ah-yeon tilted her head.
"That's weird. From what I know, his school ranking isn't that high."
"Yeah? What's his rank?"
"72nd."
"What?"
Jung Je-won suddenly widened his eyes in shock.
"No way, that's impossible. No 72nd place has that kind of skill. At least top 5 level."
"...That good?"
"Yeah! I can say it with confidence. Not just top 5 skill, but no matter what, top 5 tier."
For him to get this excited.
The man before her, Jung Je-won, might speak lightly, but he wasn't one to exaggerate.
That meant Kim Sun-woo really had exceptional skill.
Ranked 72nd in scores. But actual ability at least top 5...
Something didn't add up.
"You sure? Choi Seo-yoon was there too, right? It wasn't her who did it?"
"No. I watched closely because it was so surprising. Plus, Choi Seo-yoon uses ice attributes, and Kim Sun-woo uses no attributes, so you can tell whose magic it was even from afar."
"...True."
Then, it hit her. A wild hypothesis popped into Yoo Ah-yeon's mind.
"No way..."
Yoo Ah-yeon's expression turned serious.
"Why the sudden change?"
"Quiet. Let me think."
Yoo Ah-yeon organized her thoughts. About the possibility of her hypothesis.
She began piecing together the puzzle fragments one by one.
Surprisingly, they fit together well.
No, they fit perfectly, almost miraculously.
As if this was the intended shape all along.
And as time passed, goosebumps rose all over her body.
"Sis?"
Yoo Ah-yeon turned and opened the rooftop door.
"Huh? Sis, where are you going?!"
"Got something to investigate!"
Yoo Ah-yeon dashed down the stairs.
Her mind was filled with that one hypothesis.
The reason Kim Sun-woo kept crossing paths with Lee Seo-jun.
The reason he hid his skill despite his low ranking.
If her theory was right, it explained everything.
Kim Sun-woo.
He might be a Jaun member planted to monitor Lee Seo-jun.
— BEEP BEEP BEEP!
I jolted awake at the alarm. I tossed and turned before opening my eyes.
[The character 'Yoo Ah-yeon' feels suspicion toward you.]
[You acquire 500 points as a reward.]
What the hell?
Yoo Ah-yeon... Dawn's Blade?
"What is this..."
The sudden message left me dazed for a moment. Definitely not just sleepiness.
Yoo Ah-yeon suspicious of me?
For what reason?
"Right, Lee Seo-jun..."
I turned to the side. Lee Seo-jun was gone from the twin bed.
"Where'd he go now?"
As I muttered to myself and tried to get up, the front door opened, and Lee Seo-jun walked in.
"You're awake?"
Lee Seo-jun was drenched in sweat.
It wasn't even 7 a.m. yet, but he'd already worked up a sweat exercising.
...He's insanely diligent.
After breakfast, we headed to the Black Flame Mercenary Corps headquarters like yesterday.
Some mercenaries recognized us and came over to greet us.
"Hello."
"Heard there was some incident yesterday?"
"Wow, Lee Seo-jun. You look even handsomer in person."
"Ah, thank you."
We exchanged pleasantries with the mercenaries and moved to the second-floor room.
As yesterday, Team 6 Leader Jung Ha-jun was waiting for us.
"Good morning. You handled yesterday's request splendidly."
Jung Ha-jun spoke to us with a satisfied smile.
"And I heard about the unpleasant incident, but glad it was resolved well."
Jung Ha-jun caught his breath and continued.
"So, shall we discuss today's request? First off, a client has come who specifically wants to entrust it to you all."
Finally, the second request begins. If it follows the original flow, "that guy" will appear as the client.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a woman walked toward us. A blonde white woman wearing sunglasses. She looked us over and smiled.
"Oh~ Nice to meet you. I'm Charlotte."
I stared at the woman before me. On the surface, just an ordinary white woman, but I knew her secret.
Charlotte wasn't her real name.
Her true name was Bert.
A core figure in the terrorist group Jaun, a mass murderer who had slaughtered countless people.
Of course, she didn't match the photos I'd seen of Bert, but with disguise magic tools, changing appearance was easy.
"Your Korean is fluent. Charlotte here is an artist who travels the world holding exhibitions."
In fact, Bert worked as an artist too. Her unique artistic philosophy was world-famous.
"Wow, really? That's amazing."
"Yes, she insisted on entrusting it to students from Korea's Magic Academy, so you'll be taking Charlotte's request today."
The reason Bert appeared before us was simple.
To closely observe the important Jaun figure Lee Seo-jun and test his abilities.
Lee Seo-jun was extremely special to Jaun.
The world kept it top secret, but Lee Seo-jun was the sole connection to a certain "figure" who had terrorized the globe 13 years ago.
"So~ The request I'm entrusting is very simple. Bodyguarding and security."
"Bodyguarding and security?"
"Yes! Of course, it won't be anything too dangerous, so no worries. Besides, you're all elite among the world's best, right?"
The kids next to me gave awkward smiles at the sudden praise.
"Could you explain exactly what the bodyguarding and security entails?"
Lee Hyun-joo asked curiously.
"Actually, my artwork was stolen recently. Three times, in fact. Calculating the dates, there's a high chance the thief will come today or tomorrow. So, I'm trying to prevent that."
All lies.
It was just a play to test Lee Seo-jun's skills without revealing themselves.
In truth, the thieves were Jaun members.
"Ah. Did you report it?"
"Yes, I did. But it didn't go well."
Bert gave a wry smile.
Lee Hyun-joo nodded as if convinced.
Jung Ha-jun confirmed the situation was sorted and stood with a grin.
"Alright then. You all will bodyguard Charlotte for today and tomorrow. Two days."
"Yes!"
We took a portal gate with Bert and arrived in Gangwon Province. Then rode her prepared car for about 30 minutes.
Soon, we arrived at a splendid building harmonizing with nature.
"Wow... it's gorgeous."
"This is my villa where I stay in Korea."
I looked around.
This was one of Jaun's many hidden bases worldwide.
"I wanna live in a house like this."
"Yeah, it's really cool."
Lee Seo-jun, Choi Seo-yoon, and Lee Hyun-joo kept marveling.
Being in the heart of enemy territory made me a bit tense. Still, no major danger would arise.
Jaun commissioned the disguised request not to harm us.
Their goal was purely to observe Lee Seo-jun.
"Hmm..."
Speaking of Jaun's base, something came to mind: their hidden treasure.
If I could get it, it'd be a huge advantage for future activities.
"You okay?"
Lost in serious thought, Bert approached, noticing my state.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just spaced out. Haha."
I brushed it off casually. Bert looked at me and said,
"You don't look so good."
"No, really, I'm fine."
At my firm response, Bert nodded.
"If anything's uncomfortable, tell me anytime."
Bert spoke with a kind smile.
Her acting, thoroughly hiding her true nature as described in the original, was impressive.
"Come on in."
We followed Bert inside. The interior was as luxurious and grand as the exterior.
It perfectly maintained the concept of a famous artist's mansion.
"These paintings on the walls are my works."
"Oh..."
Numerous pieces hung on the walls.
I didn't know much about art, but I could feel the artist's worldview.
But half of these weren't hers. They were stolen from terror activities around the world.
"Sunbae. Look over there."
Choi Seo-yoon poked my arm familiarly.
"See that flower painting? The colors are so pretty, right?"
"...No idea."
Art illiterate as I am, I only got the overall vibe, not details like color tones.
"Tsk. No sense."
"What's the point of knowing that?"
"Sigh. Never mind."
Choi Seo-yoon shook her head and went to Lee Seo-jun.
Lee Seo-jun seemed to have some aesthetic sense, chatting well with her.
As the two enjoyed their conversation, Lee Hyun-joo subtly joined in.
Choi Seo-yoon and Lee Hyun-joo's eyes met briefly. Not sure, but it felt like a staring contest started.
Seeing that, I chuckled.
So carefree, unaware they're in the enemy's den.
"...Lee Seo-jun is here."
In front of the splendid building in Gangwon Province.
A man emerged from the shadows.
The man's identity: S-Rank demon, Sung Jin.
He had come personally on the "King's" order to kill Lee Seo-jun, suspected to be the Child of Extermination.
"Heh. Nice and quiet."
Sung Jin looked around with satisfaction.
Quiet, and sparsely populated—perfect for killing without drawing attention.
Even the portal gate was far enough that if magic exploded in combat, the Magic Association would take time to intervene.
"Like it was built for committing crimes."
Here, he could cleanly eliminate Lee Seo-jun without variables.
After unpacking under Bert's guidance, we headed to the dining room.
The building was so vast it took time to walk, but there was plenty to see, so no boredom.
Looking at the expensive stuff everywhere, you could tell she'd raked in the cash.
"Oh..."
Arriving at the dining room, a long straight table came into view, laden with mouthwatering prepared dishes.
"Come, everyone sit."
We sat at the table.
Across from me were Choi Seo-yoon and Lee Hyun-joo, with Lee Seo-jun beside me.
"Wow, this looks delicious."
Lee Seo-jun muttered, eyeing the food.
The table held well-cooked steaks, salads, high-end sashimi—foods anyone would love.
Across from us, Choi Seo-yoon and Lee Hyun-joo swallowed hard.
"Came for mercenary work, but feels like a vacation."
"...Yeah."
"Eat up without holding back. You might have a tough night ahead?"
"Yes! Thanks for the food!"
Despite Bert's meaningful words, the students replied energetically without much suspicion.
And so, we began eating.
The chef's skill was top-notch; the food melted in our mouths.
"Mmm... so good."
Lee Hyun-joo, with her big appetite, beamed happily, making Lee Seo-jun chuckle.
Bert watched us and spoke.