Reflections and Hidden Schemes
Chapter 56. Seong-il began to reflect on himself, turning his thoughts inward with a growing sense of self-reproach. He mulled over the bitter taste in his mouth before finally speaking to her.
"Remember that assassin who showed up at dawn?"
"Assassin...? You mean it wasn't just an armed robber?"
"I don't think so."
"What...? But the sheriff clearly said this morning..."
"No. I'm certain."
Elisha looked visibly rattled by Seong-il's firm tone. She stared at him for a moment before asking,
"Why do you think that?"
"It seems like Edward pulled some strings behind the scenes because you paid off your debt."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about?!"
Shocked by Seong-il's bombshell, Elisha practically shouted the question at him.
"Exactly what I said. It looks like Edward orchestrated this."
"B-but... why?"
"Well... I suspect he wanted to kill me and take control of you. Especially after seeing how relentlessly that blade was aimed at me, I'm even more convinced."
"...."
"For now... it might not be the case, so don't worry too much. Still, just in case, stay quietly in the workshop for the rest of this week, or take me with you whenever you go out. Got it?"
"Uh...? Y-yeah..."
The possibility that Edward might have targeted her sent a chill of fear through Elisha. Her mind insisted it couldn't be true, but somewhere deep in her heart, a nagging voice began to whisper that Seong-il might be right.
After comforting her and sending her back to the workshop, Seong-il settled onto the living room sofa and began thinking in silence.
'Hmm... Looking at how things are unfolding, this feels like the hidden event from the unofficial setting—the Thieves Guild civil war. But is it really...?'
How to Become an Alchemist was famous for its many hidden events that could trigger seemingly at random. One of the most well-known was the event where the owner of the black market changed for no apparent reason. In a standard playthrough, the player would diligently focus on research and studies while Elisha attended the academy for four years. In their spare time, they'd take commissions or craft and sell items to gradually pay off the debt. By the third year, roughly half the debt would be cleared naturally, and the final year would be spent furiously producing high-grade items to wipe out the rest and reach the ending.
If the game was played this way, the master of the black market would remain Pirina without fail throughout all four years. However, if the player used the exploit Seong-il had mentioned earlier and paid everything off extremely quickly—within two years—the black market's owner would inexplicably switch from Pirina to Hendrick. The player had no way to intervene in the process, and there was never any explanation for why the owner changed, so most users simply assumed it was an Easter egg for people who'd seen multiple endings.
But years later, the truth was revealed in the sadistic author's unofficial world-building notes.
Though it never appeared in the game itself, it turned out Pirina and Hendrick had been engaged in an invisible power struggle. On the surface, the Adenheim Thieves Guild maintained a careful balance of power and influence within the city. In reality, however, Hendrick had grown wary of Pirina's rapid rise and had been preparing schemes to eliminate her. The problem was that Pirina had seen through his intentions. She pretended to swear loyalty while secretly building her own strength and preparing to betray him.
During this uneasy peace between the two factions, a certain girl arrived in Adenheim. Her name was Elisha. Burdened with enormous debt, she came to the city with grand ambitions of becoming an alchemist, paying off her debts, and restoring her family's honor.
Possessing natural genius for alchemy, she improved at a shocking pace. Using that talent and skill, she began doing business and rapidly repaid the debt she owed Edward. Around the time Elisha had paid off roughly half her debt, Edward was astonished by the speed of her repayment and decided to interfere. The problem was that Adenheim was the kingdom's second-largest city—his influence didn't extend there completely, making interference difficult.
To solve this, Edward decided to recruit a thief from Adenheim's underworld. His target was none other than Hendrick, the leader of the Adenheim Thieves Guild. He offered to become Hendrick's backer and provide funding if the man swore loyalty. After some consideration, Hendrick agreed on one condition: if Edward helped him eliminate Pirina, he would become his subordinate.
Edward gladly accepted the proposal, which ultimately triggered a civil war within the Thieves Guild. Of course, Pirina was no pushover. The outcome varied drastically depending on how much time she was given. If more than two years passed, she would use the forces she'd secretly cultivated to perfectly thwart Hendrick's surprise attack, kill him, and become the guild's new leader. As a bonus, she would become a faction hostile to Edward and secretly support Elisha from the shadows.
The real problem occurred if less than two years were given—when she didn't have enough time to complete her preparations. Unable to fully build her power, she would lose the war against Hendrick and be captured. And the fate that awaited the captured Pirina was truly miserable...
According to the author's setting book, if Pirina was defeated and captured by Hendrick, she would be forcibly addicted to various drugs and reduced to his sex slave, living a wretched existence. Once Hendrick grew tired of her body, he would turn her into a prostitute and force her to sell herself at rock-bottom prices as an example to others. Naturally, the beautiful Pirina selling her body so cheaply became wildly popular. Thanks to the endless stream of customers who came to taste her, both her body and mind were thoroughly destroyed. In the end, she would continue receiving clients without rest until the day she died, living out a tragic life before meeting her end.
'I absolutely cannot let Pirina end up like that.'
'The problem is, if that really was an assassin sent by Edward at Hendrick's request... Pirina won't be able to respond properly and will end up losing. What should I do...?'
Seong-il spent the entire day clutching his head, agonizing over a solution.
The next day, Seong-il headed to the Night Dancer at the appointed time to meet Pirina. But when the woman who always came out to greet him was nowhere to be seen, he grew flustered and asked one of the staff about her.
"Hey. Where's Pirina?"
"Ah! Lord Seong-il, you've arrived? The madam is currently out..."
As the female employee spoke, a burly man addressed Seong-il.
"Lord Seong-il. If it's the madam you're looking for, please follow me."
The big man spoke with polite deference. Seong-il nodded and followed him. The place the man led him to was a secret location he had visited once before. Once there, he moved with familiarity toward Pirina's office.
"You've come?"
Pirina looked up at him from where her hands rested on her work desk. Seong-il answered,
"Yeah. Did you find anything out?"
"Yes... It seems Master was right. It was an assassin."
"No way..."
"Yes... It appears Edward instructed Hendrick to assassinate Master."
"As expected..."
"And it seems Hendrick acted secretly after learning about our secret relationship."
"..."
"Haa... It can't be helped."
"...What can't?"
"I was planning to get rid of him eventually anyway."
"....Who?"
"Who else? Hendrick, of course. It's obvious he's wary of my growth. We both knew it would come to this someday."
"...."
"And in the middle of that, he dared to lay a hand on my man. Isn't this basically a declaration of war? So I have no choice but to kill him. That's all."
"B-but..."
"Don't worry. It's not like I haven't made preparations. It's a bit concerning, but with the money Master gave me, I can hire plenty of mercenaries and bribe the neutral factions. That should make for a decent fight."
Seong-il felt a cold shiver run down his spine at her words.
'Fuck... I was too hasty. I got so caught up playing around with Elisha for a month that I completely forgot about this hidden event...'
'No, it's not just that. I half-ignored it because it wasn't part of the official setting. So that damn author's settings were all accurate after all?'
Seong-il swallowed dryly, a mix of fear and rage churning inside him. He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking quietly.
"It won't be easy, will it?"
"Of course not. He's the king of this city's underworld, after all. But what choice do I have? If I don't strike, I'll be the one who dies."
"..."
'What should I do? Should I tell her to run since it's obvious she'll lose?'
After briefly considering it, Seong-il shook his head.
'No. Even if she runs, Edward will just come after her again. The only answer is to fight head-on...'
Having made up his mind, Seong-il spoke to Pirina.
"When are you planning to carry out this operation?"
"I'm not sure... It won't be immediate. There will be some probing skirmishes first. The real fighting probably won't start until next week or so?"
"Hmm..."
Seong-il crossed his arms and began pondering her words.
'That means I have at least a week left? In that case, there's plenty of time to create variables. After all, once I leave How to Become an Alchemist, time in this world stops. If I have Elisha make a ton of recovery potions over the next six days...?'
'That's it! I'll have her make potions, then return to Violent Wuxia Chronicles and seriously start learning martial arts. My heart method has already reached 3-star anyway, so rapid growth should be possible through Eun-Wol. That's the only answer.'
Having organized his thoughts, Seong-il answered Pirina.
"Understood. Then I'll need to make my own preparations as well."
"Huh...? What power do you even have, Master...?"
Pirina spoke with a slight mocking smile. But seeing that there was no real malice in her expression, Seong-il grinned brightly and replied,
"Don't worry. I'll bring allies who won't disappoint you in the slightest. Just wait and see."
"Oh my~ How reassuring~"
After that, Seong-il listened to a few more pieces of advice from Pirina before returning to the workshop and meeting Elisha.
"...So, just as you said. Edward really did pull some strings against us. And in the process, he joined hands with Hendrick, the boss of the Thieves Guild?"
"That's right."
"And... Madam Pirina, whom we met last time, is actually the second-in-command of the Thieves Guild and your concubine?"
"Yeah."
"You son of a bitch...!"
"..."
"You... you two... have been playing me from the very beginning?"
"..."
Shocked by the revelation that Seong-il and Pirina had been working together from the start, Elisha began hurling curses at him. Faced with her reaction, Seong-il could only remain silent.
'Haa... I knew she'd find out eventually. Just didn't expect it to happen like this.'
Elisha continued showering him with every curse she could think of for quite some time. Eventually, as time passed, she took several rough breaths and said to him,
"Haa... Haa... Fine. After all, it's true that you've been playing with me since our very first meeting. In the end, I've become yours, resolved my long-cherished wish, and gained enormous benefits. So I'll stop cursing you here."
"Good."
"And no matter the reason, both you and Madam Pirina are now in mortal danger because of me. Since the two of you are even preparing for war to protect me, I can't just keep blaming you. I'll endure it."
"Thank you."
"So. Why did you tell me all this? What do you want me to do?"
Seong-il explained his plan to her.
"The main point is... to prepare for the war by making as many stamina and wound recovery potions as possible?"
"Yes. According to Pirina, the war might start as early as next week. So I'd like you to make plenty of potions that can help during the conflict. I'll provide as much funding as you need."
"Hmm..."
When she let out a thoughtful hum, Seong-il thought to himself,
'In truth, I'll be using them for my martial arts training... but if there are any left over, I'll actually distribute them, so it's not exactly a lie!'
As Seong-il was thinking this, Elisha let out a small sigh and answered him.
"Alright. I can't afford to hold you both back, so I'll desperately make as many potions as I can."
"Thank you! I'd appreciate it if you handed them over to me as soon as you finish each batch. I'll distribute them to them right away."
"Understood."
When she gave a positive response, the relieved Seong-il thought,
'Perfect. All preparations are complete. Now, every time a potion is made, I'll use points to store them in my Inventory. Once I've gathered enough over the next two or three days, I'll immediately return to Violent Wuxia Chronicles!'