Monster Wave (2)
Right, Hayan?
To be honest, I had worried about getting caught with a location tracker latched onto my side.
But I never thought there was any real chance of it being discovered.
It was a spell even Hwang Jeongyeon, who could easily be classified as a high-ranking mage scholar, had failed to notice properly.
Using a catalyst to track someone’s location was still a magical concept the continent hadn’t seen yet, and Jung Hayan’s tricks, which were constantly being upgraded, had only become more subtle with time.
Unless there happened to be a great mage permanently hanging around somewhere, it was genuinely hard to detect the magic attached to this body.
Even though we’d passed through a magic-freezing zone in the middle, I could only assume the tracker had never stopped working.
That was why I had been waiting for Jung Hayan with such desperate patience.
Of course, I was also looking forward to the information Kim Hyunsung would bring back.
The puzzle pieces had already been fitted together to a certain extent.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were nearly at the finish line. The only reason I couldn’t make a move yet was because I still hadn’t inserted the final piece.
The people who were out on the expedition, each carrying back a single fragment, still hadn’t returned, so for the moment there wasn’t much for me to do.
When are you guys coming back?
A major event unfolding around a city was the sort of golden opportunity guys like me could exploit most easily.
Waiting for that event was, for someone as impatient as I was, naturally a little painful.
Frankly, I didn’t have anything to do right now.
All I was doing was spending time with Lady Marlin or Cho Hyejin and managing the guilds and clans that had signed contracts with me.
And, of course, I didn’t forget to keep an eye on the important people already under our care.
The most obvious example was Song Jungwook of Small Rock.
The guy was still throwing himself at Marlin, but because things weren’t going the way he wanted, he seemed to be growing a little restless.
When I saw that, it was only natural that I decided he needed to be dealt with.
For now he was still bowing his head to me, but if you thought about Lady Marlin, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t try to stab me in the back someday.
Sure, he might swear loyalty with his whole chest right now, but considering the way he was wired, it wouldn’t be strange if he turned on me at any moment.
If I were him, I’d want to stab me too…
From his point of view, it probably looked like I was blocking his once-in-a-lifetime chance to become a noble.
Of course, even if I weren’t around, there was no guarantee Marlin would choose him, but…
Not my problem.
More importantly, before even considering Marlin, Song Jungwook’s usefulness to me was rapidly declining.
Unlike the guy, who still had business with me, I had already exhausted my use for him.
There was no reason for me to keep a man around after sucking him dry until only the sweet stuff was left.
And there’s the Hyejin matter too.
At this point, even the time I spent on him felt wasteful.
Besides that, I spent the rest of my free time exchanging letters with Blue’s strategic planning teams, discussing Castle Rock’s defenses and possible siege scenarios, and I kept up those conversations with Cho Hyejin as well.
Compared to someone like me, who didn’t really know a thing about tactics, it was a good chance to realize just how knowledgeable they were in this area.
We also calculated Castle Rock’s troop situation while taking the possible appearance of raid monsters into account, and we kept checking supply lines and stockpiles as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
It was around then that Kim Hyunsung returned to Castle Rock with the party.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim! Kim Hyunsung-nim just came back!”
“I see. Thank you so much for coming all the way to tell me, Lady Marlin.”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing, really.”
“Then I’ll excuse myself for a moment, my lady.”
“Yes.”
For everyone else, it was only the usual return from a hunt, but for me, it meant something much bigger. The man who had seemed as if he wouldn’t come back until he had uncovered a few more clues had returned, which meant the political situation surrounding Castle Rock was about to change.
Good. Good.
Stepping out quietly, I caught sight of the party members returning with Kim Hyunsung.
From Jung Hayan, who was already running toward me, to Park Deokgu, who was waving from a distance.
Kim Yeri, Sun Heeyoung, and Hwang Jeongyeon all looked visibly exhausted.
It was obvious they’d all pushed through a brutally hard schedule.
“Oppa!”
“Ah, Hayan. You’ve been well, right?”
“Y-yes! I-I’ve been well!”
“Nothing happened while I was gone?”
“Well, I-I’m not sure if I should call it something or not, but I think what our hyung said last time was probably true.”
“What he said?”
“You know, that thing about the monster wave or whatever.”
So she brought it up.
I had expected her to come back with news like this.
“Deokgu, is what you’re saying true?”
“Yes, Kiyoung-ssi. I think it’d be better if I gave you the details a little later.”
“So it really was true.”
It had better be true.
“Yes. It was a little difficult to make an accurate judgment until now, but this expedition has given us a rough picture. For now, I think it would be best to meet with the Count of Castle Rock. I’m sorry to do this right after coming back, but I’ll head to the office first. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Yes. I’ll join you a little later.”
“Yes.”
There was a good chance that, before long, a full meeting and briefing would begin.
I thought it would be best to talk to Jung Hayan while we still had some time to spare.
“Hayan, come with me for a minute.”
“A-ah… yes!”
“I’m sorry to ask right after you got here, but Heeyoung-ssi and Jeongyeon-ssi, please check the supplies and place orders for anything we need separately in Lindel. Hyejin-ssi will know the exact details.”
“Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.”
When I slipped away, Jung Hayan trailed after me like a little duckling, padding along behind me with no idea what I was thinking but clearly delighted that I’d called for her.
Seeing her beam and take my hand made my own mouth twitch upward for no real reason.
How should I bring this up?
Right now Jung Hayan believed I still didn’t know her secret.
If I tried to hide what I knew, that would only make things worse, so it would be better to bring it up in as pleasant a mood as possible. When I opened the door to my room and gestured her in, she broke into such a broad smile she looked like a child running to receive a Christmas present.
Her face had gone a little red, as if she were anticipating something.
“Come in.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
As soon as Jung Hayan came in, I heard a click.
Why are you locking the door?
I had no idea what she was thinking.
Leaning back in my chair and tapping the seat beside me, I watched as she quietly came over and sat down. She glanced up at me and opened her mouth in a tiny voice.
“W-why did you call me?”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh. S-something you wanted to ask?”
“Yeah. It’s nothing big, but… you know.”
“Yes!”
“There isn’t anything you’re hiding from me, is there?”
“No!”
The way she stared back at me while lying so boldly was almost impressive in its own way. It was obvious I’d have to be a bit more direct.
“No, it’s just that I need to know this for something important. Hayan. You know where I went on the day we set out for the expedition, right?”
“Huh?”
“You know where I went that day, when the party headed out, don’t you? Isn’t that right?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about. How would I….”
“I’m not trying to blame you, Hayan. You know I know.”
“W-well, I….”
When I stared into her eyes, she seemed unable to keep looking back at me and quietly turned her gaze away.
More precisely, she couldn’t look at me. She really didn’t seem to have any talent for lying.
“I already know everything, so you can just speak comfortably. I’m not trying to interrogate you; I’m asking because I really need to know.”
“I-I really don’t know. I, I honestly….”
It’s obvious…
She was clearly lying. I could feel how badly she wanted to hide it. At this rate, this could go on forever. Pressing her a little harder didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Hayan.”
“Y-yes? Yes?”
“I hate liars the most.”
“Ah….”
“I can put up with almost anything else, but I really hate people who lie.”
“T-that… that’s….”
The tug-of-war, which had never really been close, was over here and now.
Watching her tremble made me feel a little sorry for her, naturally enough.
She looked just like a little kid who’d been caught in a huge lie by her mother, tears already spilling from her eyes in heavy drops.
“Hic.”
She even started hiccuping.
“Hic.”
I had expected her to be a little scared, but her reaction was harsher than I’d imagined.
“Hic.”
“You knew where I went, didn’t you?”
“…….”
“I’ve known for a long time that location-tracking magic was being passed on to Hayan.”
“…….”
“One. Two.”
“Y-yes….”
When I showed just a little pressure, she finally seemed to decide she had no choice and dropped her head. Seeing tears like bird droppings fall one after another made my chest ache a little, but her reaction was definitely amusing.
I wanted to tease her a little more, but getting to the truth was the most important thing for now.
Patting her head lightly, I had no choice but to keep talking.
“I’m not angry, so don’t worry. At first I did dislike it a little, but I know you did it because you were thinking of me. Right?”
“Yes… yes!”
“You set up that magic because you were worried something might happen to me?”
“Yes… a-a little….”
“You were afraid I might get attacked.”
“Yes. T-that’s right.”
“The method was wrong, but I know you did it because you were thinking about me. I can understand that.”
“Ah….”
Besides, it does come in handy…
For someone as pitifully underpowered as me, someone who was always exposed to outside threats, a location tracker was the most reliable kind of insurance.
It can also be useful in case I get kidnapped… so it works for that too.
It created some problems with personal privacy, sure, but in terms of safety, it was definitely a plus.
“As long as you don’t lie, it’s fine. Of course, what you did wasn’t right, but… you do know it wasn’t right, don’t you?”
“Yes… Oppa.”
“I’m not trying to scold you, so stop crying.”
“Yes!”
“Good. Then let’s look at the map together.”
“Yes, Oppa!”
It was obvious she was relieved. The situation was going far more smoothly than she’d expected, and instead of the massive pressure and reprimand she’d been bracing for, she seemed downright happy.
As smart as she was, she must have realized, for reasons I couldn’t quite guess, that she’d actually helped me.
Seeing her even brighten a little made me briefly wonder whether this was really the right way to go about it, but I had still pointed out that what she’d done was wrong, so the outcome wasn’t bad.
And from now on, she won’t lie either…
Though, of course, I couldn’t guarantee that.
“Want to point it out with your finger first?”
“I-I don’t know the exact location. I’m not very familiar with Castle Rock’s layout.”
“That’s fine.”
“So, from here, definitely about five hundred meters to the left….”
Even though she didn’t know the precise location, the fact that she had kept track of every route I’d taken was creepy enough to raise goosebumps.
Of course, I didn’t say that to Jung Hayan, who was searching so earnestly. Still, seeing her describe her stalking route and methods with a broad smile while her tears hadn’t even dried yet was so very Jung Hayan that I almost laughed.
This girl is seriously…
“This place was in a magic-freezing zone for a bit, but the spell I put on you can’t be stopped by something like that. I upgraded it from before, too… hehe.”
“Ah… yeah….”
“This looks like a blocked area, though. You definitely went this way… and then… after stopping briefly here, it looks like you went underground.”
“Don’t worry about the blocked roads, just keep pointing.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Here, like this….”
“Mm.”
“Like this….”
“Mm.”
“There!”
The moment her neatly extended finger pointed to a specific location, I couldn’t help but lift the corners of my mouth.
So you were inside the city?