Mistaken for a Cheonjihae Scout
The freelance exorcist had been the one handling this job.
'It's just about catching one minor ghost in the abandoned building. This is nothing.'
It wasn't unfounded confidence.
She had already handled similar jobs several times before.
All of those had been resolved smoothly.
“Please take care of today.”
“Yeah, since it's an easy job, let's finish it quickly.”
Just in case, she had hired a porter to carry the luggage.
Her personality was bright and she worked well, so he seemed to like her.
Her face was quite to his taste too, so he was willing to buy her a drink when it was over.
He had to finish this cleanly and go back...
'Damn! There was no mention of this!'
The female ghost she had been commissioned to handle had been dealt with easily.
The male ghost that came out next was the problem.
It was a monster with considerable spiritual power and strength.
If she had responded calmly, maybe not, but...
She had been careless and taken a hit from the start.
“Ugh... ugh...”
It was a foe she couldn't handle even with all her power.
Without time to recover from the injuries, she was choked up to the neck and her body wouldn't move.
'If the porter runs away and calls for support...'
No, that was out of the question too.
There was no exorcist who would rush here immediately to this kind of place.
Even if one came, it was rare to find someone who could handle such a strong ghost.
[Haha... Woman... Woman...]
The worst part was that this guy was one of the rare ones who lusted after women.
It wasn't just death; it was the most miserable way to die.
'Shit...'
When the rough hands tore at her clothes, despair welled up.
No, her head wasn't working well due to the lack of oxygen.
Am I going to die like this? So meaninglessly?
Just as she was accepting death with tears in her eyes.
“Die.”
Thud!
Suddenly the ghost collapsed to the floor.
“Cough! Cough!”
Thanks to that, the freed exorcist could finally breathe.
After calming her breathing for a moment, she checked the situation.
'...What on earth happened?'
The ghost had suddenly died.
The scene was one that left no other choice but to think that.
'But there's nothing here that can bring down a ghost...'
Could it be that her attack had worked?
No, the spear she had swung in an unstable stance hadn't even properly hit.
“Are you okay?”
At that moment, the porter approached from the side.
Ah, right. Now that I think about it, he was there.
'I thought he would have run away...'
Even after seeing the exorcist in trouble, why had he stayed like a fool?
While pondering this, one possibility came to mind.
“Could it be... that you did it?”
“Eh... well, yeah.”
It was a story that was hard to believe.
It wasn't a common minor ghost, but a fairly strong evil spirit.
If it wasn't a real exorcist, it was impossible to bring it down.
'Moreover, I didn't feel any other energy.'
Not even when the ghost fell did she feel any impact on its body.
It was spiritual power that overwhelmed it while concentrating to the limit.
Something like that was impossible unless it was an expert exorcist.
'But it doesn't seem like he's lying...'
Who would lie about something like this in the first place?
Even if they did, it would be exposed immediately.
So the remaining possibility was one.
“Excuse me... did you perhaps hide your strength?”
Since she thought he was a stronger exorcist than herself, naturally honorifics came out.
The man made an expression he couldn't read what he was thinking, then nodded.
“...That's right! I was trying to hide it but I got caught.”
“As expected.”
Thinking about it logically, it had to be that way.
An exorcist of that level couldn't not feel any power.
“Then why hide your strength and hire a porter?”
“...What do you think I would have done?”
The calm man's face answering with a question instead of answering the question.
Seeing that, she immediately realized the truth.
“Could it be... you were testing me? To see how I handle the job?”
“...That's right. Your judgment is good too.”
“No. In this kind of situation, anyone would think that.”
The reason a exorcist with considerable skill would deliberately hire a porter and stick close.
Thinking normally, there was nothing else.
“Then you must be a scout sent from another company. You were evaluating me, right?”
“...Exactly.”
It was something that some exorcism companies often did.
Observing how the opponent fights in the field before scouting them.
Because there were many scammers or those hiding their real abilities among exorcists.
“Could you tell me where you are from?”
“...Cheonjihae.”
“Oh my! From Cheonjihae...?”
Cheonjihae is the exorcism mega-corporation called the best in the country!
They sent people to scout someone from such a place!
'I guess I have to say it's Cheonjihae... I didn't notice at all.'
If it was Cheonjihae, it made sense for this man's skill and the trick to hide it.
They say there are only unbelievable monsters working there.
“Ah... then I guess I'm out.”
She had been careless before the job was even over.
She had almost died at the hands of the ghost.
If it weren't for this scout, it would have really been the end.
Even just being alive now could be said to be the heavens helping her.
She wasn't that brazen to hope for acceptance.
“...You do have some talent. Don't give up and walk the path of exorcism more carefully from now on.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you!”
She had heard that Cheonjihae only has scary people.
But this man was kind enough to comfort her in this situation.
'Upon closer look, he seems even more handsome?'
Anyway, once the situation ended, she let out a sigh belatedly.
'It was the perfect opportunity to enter Cheonjihae, but I missed it.'
Of course, even if scouted, she probably wouldn't have refused.
Look at the skill that killed a ghost like that in one blow.
She couldn't even guess how strong that man's skill was.
'I can't even sense spiritual power, am I that useless?'
A company like that turning such talent into just a scout.
The exorcism world gave her a chill anew at Cheonjihae’s might.
****
'Wow! I'm scared! I almost got caught.'
I followed behind the exorcist and breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
I was worried that my Instant Death one-trick would be exposed.
Fortunately, it seemed she had mistaken me for a great spiritual ability user.
'Yeah, since she brought down that ghost in one blow, she had no choice but to mistake it.'
In reality, it was just a one-time limited Instant Death one-trick.
Additionally, I had somehow covered why such a person would be doing porter work.
By claiming I was a scout from Cheonjihae.
'Well, this is just because I was worried about how to handle it, so the other side misunderstood on their own and I got a free ride.'
Anyway, there wasn't really any other good excuse.
Thinking about it, that was the most plausible setting.
'Fortunately, I don't have to tell them that my ability is Instant Death.'
I plan to hide my Instant Death ability as much as possible.
Of course, right?
This is an ability that is too dangerous to show to anyone.
'It's like being able to kill just by thinking about the opponent.'
Let me think about it.
I am incredibly strong, and power is in people's hands.
But if that kid over there can kill me just by thinking, would I just let it be?
'Of course not. They would try to deal with it somehow.'
An opponent who could kill me at any time, anywhere.
Whether it's a famous exorcist or a villain of the century.
They would be a target that must be eliminated even if dangerous.
They would have to live in fear of when they would be killed.
'Moreover, I don't even have the strength to protect my own body right now.'
How would I protect my body with just one Instant Death per day?
At best, I could deal with unexpected accidents like this time.
If they came to target me on purpose, I would be finished the moment two of them appeared.
'So, it's right to hide the existence of Instant Death as much as possible.'
Of course, since it's my only ability, I can't completely not use it.
But at least the fact that my ability is Instant Death and its detailed conditions must never be exposed.
'It was unavoidable just now...'
If I hadn't stepped in, that exorcist would have died as is.
Moreover, the ghost was probably aiming for me as the next target.
After all, if it was a ghost that had to be brought down, it was better to do it while the exorcist was still alive.
'Still, I have to be careful. Such excuses won't work forever.'
Let me only use Instant Death when it's really necessary.
After all, it's my lifeline that I can only use once a day.
“Excuse me...”
As we slowly came to a safe distance, the exorcist approached and spoke.
“It’s been a while, but thank you very much. Thanks to you, I lived.”
“No. I was just doing what I had to do as an exorcist.”
“As expected... no matter what, Cheonjihae exorcists are different. Nowadays, many exorcists just pretend not to know if there's no money involved.”
Wait, there are no such bad guys, and there are many of them?
After all, this world is a jungle of the law of the jungle.
“Could you tell me your name? Since you're my life savior, I think I should at least know your name.”
“Ah, name.”
Suddenly cold sweat ran down my back.
This exorcist thinks I'm from Cheonjihae.
If later it was found out that I had impersonated Cheonjihae?
'They would come up with some way to retaliate.'
The name Cheonjihae is heavy in the exorcism industry.
If it was found out that I had used it lightly, there would be some kind of bad result.
“Sorry. Due to my position, I can't tell you that.”
“Ah...! I'm the one who should apologize. Of course I should hide my identity. I asked a stupid question.”
Phew!
Again, I somehow managed to cover it and pass it off.
'This turned out better than expected.'
After all, it was right after saving her life.
Thanks to that, this exorcist believed I was Cheonjihae with absolute certainty.
No matter what I said, she would think 'There must be some circumstances with Cheonjihae' on her own.
“Then, would you accept this commission fee as well?”
“Commission fee?”
“Yes. Originally, it wasn't about the money... but it seems right for the person who brought down the ghost to take the reward.”
“Ah...”
Oh my god. Did she really think to divide the commission fee?
No matter what, I couldn't take money that someone risked their life to earn...
“If you do, I would be grateful.”
But I was too poor to say that.