Hypocrite (1)
"Hahahaha. Well now, you’re even more easy to talk to than I expected."
"I feel the same way. Vice Guild Master of Blue."
"We’ll be seeing each other often for business from now on. Of course, some of those deals may be a little more favorable to Small Rock than tonight’s. Something mutually beneficial, in other words."
"Yes."
"Ah, and the stories I heard today were quite amusing. Especially the ones involving Miss Hyejin."
"Yes. To be honest, I was a little surprised to hear she was in Blue. As I said earlier, and as you’ve probably heard, she’s not exactly the most agreeable person. Some people go around saying she’s some kind of apostle of justice, but... tsk. At the end of the day, it was probably just a personal grudge. Our guild was cleared of all charges, after all."
"Oh! I see."
"To be honest, she and I clashed constantly in private. At first she seemed a little meek, but the moment she was promoted to an executive position, she started interfering in everything, down to the last little detail. I don’t know whether she wanted a raise or wanted something else entirely, but it was exhausting dealing with that nonstop."
"May I ask what sort of charges were brought against you...?"
"That... well..."
"If it’s difficult to explain, I can always look into it myself, Mr. Song Jungwook."
"Ah... ha ha. Of course I can tell you. Since we were cleared, there’s no reason not to. It was monster trafficking."
"I see."
"There were other issues too, like taxes... and the treatment of guild staff, but the main one was definitely the allegation that we were involved in illegal monster trading."
"I understand."
"She always made a big deal out of trivial things, and she was terribly inflexible. There were plenty of problems in dungeons and elsewhere, too. She caused all sorts of trouble with other guilds."
"Ah. She did seem a little that way. She definitely gave off the impression of being stubborn."
"She’s a person with a lot of problems, really. Ah! Miss Hayan, have a drink too."
"O-oh, n-no... I’m fine, Mr. Song Jungwook."
"Miss Hayan doesn’t seem to like alcohol very much."
He’s bowing lower than I expected.
It was almost hard to believe he’d ever been anything but a smug little bastard.
He pandered to me at just the right level, wagging his tail so hard it was almost like looking at myself in a mirror.
His talent for flattery, for scratching exactly where it itched, was definitely feeding my sense of superiority.
Though there’s no way to know if any of it’s real.
Given the bastard’s nature, there was probably a decent chance he was thinking something completely different inside.
For all I knew, he was probably already planning how to stab me in the back or deciding how to use me in moderation.
Which is what makes this so entertaining.
Especially the way he kept trashing Cho Hyejin right in front of me was a sight to behold.
I had to take half of it with a grain of salt, but even so, I could piece together the rough shape of what she must have gone through. He’d probably been running that same little public-opinion play on everyone else.
"She seemed kind of awful," or "She’s a little weird," stuff like that. He probably isolated Cho Hyejin with that crap.
The words of those in power were trusted.
It probably hadn’t taken more than a few months to isolate a woman like Cho Hyejin.
After he fell silent for a moment, his face appeared in my line of sight again, quickly searching for my reaction.
"The hour’s late, so why don’t you stay here and get some proper rest tonight, Mr. Lee Kiyoung?"
"Ah! It’s already gotten this late? I appreciate the kindness, but I think it’s best if we head back. Lady Marlin will worry. Hah-hah."
"......"
Of course, his expression wasn’t great. For the briefest second, his face twisted into a frown.
That reaction was far too predictable.
"Then we’ll be taking our leave. We’ve already drunk quite a bit... We can continue what we didn’t finish another time. Oh, and—may I leave the matter I asked about in your hands?"
"Yes. As you requested, I’ll contact all the other guilds in Castle Rock and move the contract process along."
"I appreciate it. You’re a little more capable than I expected... Small Rock Master, that is..."
"Thank you. Ahem... more importantly, it’s late, so shall I arrange some escort...?"
"Ah. An escort won’t be necessary. Hahaha. I understand your concern, but I’m safe."
"Pardon?"
"I should have mentioned it beforehand. Remember the Lindel terrorist incident from last time? Since then, I’ve become a little sensitive about my safety. I’m sensitive myself, of course, but my big sister Heera also keeps a close eye on me... The Shadow members of the Red Mercenary are guarding me."
"Pardon?"
"And of course, since arriving in Castle Rock, the knights from the lord’s manor and the inquisitors from the Papal Office have also been helping out. I’m not anyone especially important, but it seems I’m loved by a lot of people in a lot of places. Hahaha. I’m joking, of course, but if Small Rock Master were to harm me, your position would become very awkward indeed."
"Th-that... I see."
Seeing the sweat bead on his forehead, it seemed he’d been thinking something else entirely.
"Though, of course, that won’t happen. Now then, we’ll be on our way. Hayan, let’s go."
"Yes, Oppa!"
The moment we stepped outside, the dimmed streets of Castle Rock spread before me.
I’d seen the city during the day, but it wasn’t bad even like this. A medieval city that still looked a little rough around the edges had a strange appeal to me.
Judging by the useless thoughts I’m having, I must have drunk a little more than I realized.
No, maybe it was the stuff Small Rock had prepared for us. It was stronger than I expected.
As I started moving while lightly taking Jung Hayan’s arm, she hurriedly moved as if to support me.
"Y-you can lean on me a little, Oppa."
"Then I’ll take you up on that. Standing up all of a sudden is making the alcohol hit me."
"Is it hard to walk?"
"Not really. I can handle my own body just fine. More importantly, you worked hard today, Hayan."
"Not at all. This is all I really do, anyway. Hehe. Still, it is a little surprising."
"What is?"
"Miss Hyejin."
"Ahhh."
Come to think of it, this was Jung Hayan’s first time hearing about Cho Hyejin. Unlike me, who already had a rough idea of the situation, she was getting to hear a whole new story, so she was probably finding it pretty interesting.
"I didn’t know she was that kind of person..."
"Well, she isn’t bad. And if we’re being precise, we only heard one side of the story—from Small Rock’s perspective. Shouldn’t we hear Cho Hyejin’s side too?"
"Yes! Right, we should!"
"Still, just that one fact is enough to make her seem a little unpleasant to us. I don’t want to think like this, but an internal whistleblower does sound a bit suspicious."
"Yes! It does feel a little that way. It’s... awkward, Oppa."
"Still, acting according to your conscience isn’t exactly easy."
"That’s right! S-so you should always listen to your conscience!"
Watching Jung Hayan turn into a parrot who agreed with everything I said, I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
I was curious what she was really thinking, but she probably wasn’t dwelling on it much. Jung Hayan wasn’t the type to think too deeply about other people. Right now, she likely believed that desperately affirming my opinion was the correct thing to do.
What Song Jungwook had told me about Cho Hyejin was simple. More trivial than I’d expected. If he hadn’t been seasoning the story while he talked, it would’ve been even blander.
Of course, I don’t think he told me everything.
Still, the most interesting part was that most of the people who had joined Small Rock were apparently her classmates from the Tutorial Dungeon.
In other words, it had been a guild made up literally of kin, friends, and acquaintances, and nothing else.
Like Blue was now.
If I used our guild as an example, it would be as if Jung Hayan had suddenly exposed every dirty secret I had. I could understand why the others would think of her as a traitor.
Illegal monster trafficking.
It had been cleared of all charges, but I had a feeling Cho Hyejin was right.
There’s no doubt about it.
Small Rock was hiding a lot. Of course, I had no proof, but if you looked at their tendencies and innate quirks, it was easy to tell who the villain was and who was on the side of justice.
Small Rock was illegally trafficking monsters through a route I didn’t know about. Maybe some in the lord’s manor were involved too, and maybe not only Small Rock but other guilds and clans had a hand in it as well.
Shady bastards, every last one of them.
If possible, I wanted to hear Cho Hyejin’s testimony too.
As I walked while sorting through all sorts of thoughts, I found that I’d already crossed the plaza.
"Are you drunk?"
"I’m a little dizzy, but I’m fine."
"You seem really tired."
"I’m not. Hayan."
"Wouldn’t it be better to stop and rest?"
"I said I’m fine. It’s right up ahead."
"I-I’m a little tired too."
Following Jung Hayan’s gaze, I saw a high-class inn in front of us.
We’d been chatting without meaning anything by it, but the moment I realized what she meant, the answer clicked into place.
In her eyes was a kind of desperate resolve that was hard to put into words.
Wow... seriously.
"L-let’s rest for just a little while."
It seemed she had her own little plan.
I’d vaguely thought she just wanted to take the long way around so she could stay with me a little longer, but apparently that wasn’t the real goal. It felt as though she was subtly trying to tug me along by the sleeve.
"You look tired. No, you definitely look tired."
She was even forcing me into the role of the tired one.
What threw me off was that, for some reason, I was actually tempted.
We’d had such a fun day that I couldn’t help wondering whether it might be nice to spend a little more time together.
"Hmm..."
"......"
I was just about to make up my mind when—
"There you are."
"Ah..."
A voice came from beside us.
Jung Hayan puffed up her cheeks at the unwanted guest, while I could only look over there with an awkward expression.
Our positions were just a little too suggestive from the outside.
"Cho Hyejin. What brings you here?"
"I came to fetch you, Kiyoung and Hayan."
"Pardon?"
"To be precise, it would be more accurate to say I came as your escort. It’s dark out. Castle Rock is more dangerous than Lindel. There are plenty of low-class Imperial citizens lurking in narrow alleys. Of course, considering Miss Hayan, it’s hard to imagine anything happening, but as your rear guard, this feels like the most reassuring thing I can do."
"There are knights from the lord’s manor, though."
"Ah. I don’t know whether you heard, but in cases like this the guild master assigned me to escort you, Mr. Lee Kiyoung. He’s still worried about the Lindel terrorist incident."
"Ahhh..."
Once again, I was reminded that our regressor cared about me.
"Since the hour was late, I thought it best to come personally. I just couldn’t put my mind at ease... So, shall we go together?"
"Yes. Thank you for coming to meet us like this. Hmm... now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve had a long conversation with you, Miss Hyejin."
"Ah..."
"What do you think?"
"Pardon?"
"About spending a little time somewhere nearby."
I thought it wasn’t a bad idea. In any case, it was only natural that I should have a sincere conversation with Cho Hyejin at least once.
And after just finishing a talk with Small Rock, now seemed as good a time as any.
Jung Hayan’s lips poked out in a pout, but having a few drinks together at a nearby tavern wouldn’t be so bad.
I assumed she’d accept it too. But the reaction she showed was nothing like what I expected.
She glared at me, trembling all over.
"Y-you’re rude."
"Pardon?"
"I didn’t think of you that way. Were you always this rude?!"
A completely unexpected rebuke burst out of her.
What the hell is she talking about?