Digging for Clues (1)
"Actually... I'm a wizard."
Why make pathetic excuses? I hadn't committed a crime.
Even if hiding the truth might make some people feel betrayed, morally, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Han Yeseo had helped me with utmost sincerity, which might make her feel entitled to some honesty, but we had spent less than five hours together.
Who reveals their entire life story to someone they just met?
Even close friends rarely share their skill sets or unique abilities.
"A... wizard...?"
"Yes. Shall I show you?"
Well, there was nothing to hide.
I held out my palm—the universal symbol of a wizard—and stirred my mana.
"Whoa...!"
"Is this your first time seeing one?"
"Yes! Um... wizards are usually so busy, so I've never really seen one in person."
Han Yeseo hesitated at first, then stepped closer and stared openly.
To satisfy her curiosity, I cast a simple spell.
Seeing the magic fly up into the sky, Han Yeseo finally stopped doubting.
"...Why did you hide it?"
The 'how' was solved, but the 'why' remained. I hadn't prepared an excuse for this.
I could force a lie, but a big lie snowballs, requiring even bigger lies to cover it up. I decided to just tell the plain truth.
"There are several reasons. I didn't have the confidence to handle contracts properly, and if I joined a guild while my skills were still low, I'd just get dragged around on their terms.
Wizards are a vital resource, so a guild would never abandon me, but I figured acting like this would minimize my losses. I wanted to maximize my benefits."
"Eh...? Who on earth treats a wizard like that?"
"The newly awakened wizards are still weak, so it doesn't show, and the veteran wizards are already established, so you don't see it. But ever since they started identifying wizards through testing, guilds recruit anyone with wizard potential immediately."
This was something I hadn't known either, only finding out after digging around on the Hunter Gallery. Since it was related to contracts, no one outside the industry would know.
"But? Until they reach a certain level, they're no different from anyone else. Yet, they consume massive amounts of resources. So they gradually end up under the guild's thumb. I'm free from that, but breaking a contract isn't easy."
Wizards are technically the dominant party in contracts, but if they break one, Hermes will utterly crush them. Hermes doesn't need wizards, but all contracts go through Hermes.
If Hermes blacklists a wizard, their income plummets.
"And while joining a guild right away would be stable... if I wanted a stable life..."
"Wouldn't there be a much better way?"
I immediately placed my hands under my chin, framing my face to emphasize it.
Think like a wizard.
I'm already a woman. Can I change it back? No. Then it's only logical to make the most of this body.
Was I a man in the past? Who cares? Corpses were once alive, but do we treat dead people as if they're still living?
The past is just the past.
I am a woman now. A very beautiful one at that. So if I act like a woman, no one will find it strange.
And it's not like I'm wrong.
If Baek Sowol wanted a stable life, there were plenty of better options than being a hunter.
She could just enter show business. There were endless ways to make a decent living. But I wouldn't do that.
I had already given up on life once. Only after that did I earn the right to walk the path of a wizard. I would not give up.
"..."
Han Yeseo seemed to understand. She took it as a pragmatic excuse.
Ultimately, it was about money or fame. A primitive motive, but because it was primitive, it was highly convincing.
What motive is more universally relatable than wanting to make money?
"...Sigh."
"My guild leader said all wizards are eccentrics. I never expected to find out he was right in a way like this..."
Han Yeseo sighed and lamented her fate.
Eccentrics? Wizard logic prioritizes efficiency and rationality. It's not being eccentric; it's just doing what's objectively better.
But there was no need to convince her. Han Yeseo isn't a wizard and never will be. She doesn't need to think like one.
"So, now we share a secret. You must keep this between us."
"...Well, alright, Sowol. Whatever your reasons, thank you for helping me."
Still, I managed to salvage the situation. Han Yeseo might be a bit disgruntled, but I was still her savior. The masked assassin was targeting Han Yeseo. If not for her, I wouldn't have been dragged into it.
And I saved her from a near-death situation. Hiding a bit of the truth wasn't a big deal.
"Now, let's move on to the next thing. What was that? Who attacked you?"
"That...?"
"Yes."
"...I don't know. There are too many possibilities that come to mind."
"Are there really that many villains?"
"Yes. I don't know why, but their numbers have been growing lately. Even though the era of chaos is supposedly settling down, I have no idea why this is happening."
Han Yeseo gave a vague answer. Villains have different interests, making them hard to predict.
Some target people for fun, some for attention, some are contract killers, and some are sent by rival guilds.
Well, nothing to be done about that.
"...Still, Sowol. Thank you."
Han Yeseo smiled warmly. I smiled back.
"Me too."
The initial plan was a success. I had gotten this close to Han Yeseo. Even if I went back in time, I'd make the same choice.
A satisfying result.
"Let's go now."
"But don't you need protection? If they find out that guy was taken down, they might target you again."
"Once I report this to the Association and the guild, the Association will launch an investigation. Even though the body is in pieces, taking it back should give them some clues to track. Besides, even if they operate in decentralized cells, individuals of that caliber are hard to replace. They'll lay low for a while. That's how they differ from typical small-time syndicates."
Nothing more we could do. It was out of our hands. I picked up my hood, sunglasses, and mask. People who weren't visible earlier were starting to appear.
"Huh? Hey, is that person hurt... Hunter Han Yeseo?"
"What? Who? Huh? Han Yeseo? Why on earth?"
"An S-rank is injured? How?"
Han Yeseo is S-rank. The gate we were in was D-rank. A gap so vast she shouldn't have been scratched. Yet both of us were heavily injured. Naturally, everyone's eyes locked onto us.
"Please... check the news later. We're in a bit of a hurry..."
Han Yeseo handled it wisely. Speaking now would only lead to distorted rumors. She kept her mouth shut and left the gate.
"See you next time."
"Yes."
We parted ways without further issue. Though we had grown closer, I needed to avoid revealing my identity as much as possible. I said a dry goodbye and headed home.
I need to look up these villains...
I kept my plans to myself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Reading the posts gave me a general idea. I had only been interested in magic, so I hadn't checked properly, but these kinds of people were operating freely.
How ridiculous. Laws exist to be followed. Not for moral reasons, but because the penalties for breaking them are too high.
And at crucial moments, a criminal record will always drag you down.
But those non-wizards didn't seem to realize that. Truly pitiful.
Now that I've checked... shall I give it a try?
I had contacted Han Yeseo to confirm. I told her I would drop a hint on the forums, and she agreed. Since I was the one who experienced it and wasn't part of a guild, she had no way to physically stop me anyway.
It should be fine.
I immediately wrote a post.
"Hmm. Well, the reaction isn't too bad."
The article dropped at the perfect time, so I didn't get branded as a troll and wrapped things up nicely. This was good enough. The suspicious eyes on me were naturally fading away.
Let's keep going like this.
In the end, I would be the one laughing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Whew. At least it's out."
Han Yeseo had explained the situation to the Association and her guild immediately after returning. They analyzed the evidence she brought, and the higher-ups were thrown into chaos.
She didn't forget to coordinate with the guild to decide what to say at the press conference. The article went out, and she felt things were resolved well.
But more than that...
Han Yeseo's attention was elsewhere. She opened the forum her junior had shown her before.
[Title: I met Han Yeseo today. Didn't just watch from afar, actually met her in person.]
"To think this was Sowol..."
Before, her guild junior, Lee Jihu, had told her about a wizard posting on the site.
At the time, she hadn't thought much of it. She just brushed it off.
But she never imagined the person behind it was right next to her. Everyone thought the poster was a guy, but she was actually a girl...
No one would ever guess.
Even now, looking at the comments, people were arguing over whether it was a lie or the truth. They couldn't even be sure if the poster was a wizard, let alone the rest of the truth.
...I must make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Why did she approach her, when she was just a beautiful girl?
At first, she didn't know, but now she felt she did.
Please, never again...
She wouldn't repeat it.
She wouldn't lose anyone.
"Heh."
Han Yeseo smiled as she looked at the text messages where Sowol had urgently asked if she could post the story online, before heading off to finish her day.