In other words, ever since we came out of the dungeon, those kinds of messages had been constantly popping up in Yu Hanul’s field of vision. Thanks to the detailed explanation he gave me, I was able to learn the full contents of that insane quest.
[Recruit “Jeong Daon” as a companion for your quest!]
[If you press Accept, “Jeong Daon” will be recruited as your companion.]
[Once she becomes your companion, she cannot intentionally betray you.]
[If your companion commits a breach of trust, you may impose penalties.]
There were a few minor clauses as well, but those were the important parts.
I began muttering curses under my breath.
“…Daon, I get how you feel, but try to tone down the profanity. You’re the one who has to hear it, after all.”
“That bastard system can hear it too!”
It was true that I had repeatedly and rather oddly managed to avoid triggering the quest “Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿”, so I’d assumed the system would take some kind of action eventually, but I never imagined it would be like this!
If Yu Hanul had even the slightest different thought—no, if he were even a little selfish—he would have already pressed that Accept button.
A companion who can never betray you. How is that any different from a bound item?
“It’s like it’s treating me as some kind of equipment. What the hell is this…?”
As I glared into the empty air, the system displayed messages as if it were making excuses.
The system has detected a massive threat to humanity.
The system is exerting its utmost efforts to ensure humanity’s survival.
So the best solution for humanity’s survival is for me to become the hero’s bound item? What about my will?
The system intends to assign a quest to “Jeong Daon” in consideration of your potential for rehabilitation and manage you accordingly.
The quests “Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿” and “SAVE THE WORLD” may proceed simultaneously.
You damned system bastard. In the end, the only reason the system was overlooking me was because it claimed I would be useful for humanity’s survival. In other words, it was telling me to properly fulfill my end of that bargain.
When it first asked me to support that quest, I should have anticipated something like this might happen.
Though even if I had, nothing would have changed.
Yu Hanul, who had been giving a bitter smile, spoke. “…That’s why I avoided you. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, the quest window kept popping up whenever I saw you. It weighed on my mind. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”
It’s almost funny, but I suppose I should be grateful that Yu Hanul has this kind of character.
From the system’s perspective, it must be troublesome as well. Because he’s this kind of person, it entrusted him with the quest to save the world. But because he’s this kind of person, he refuses a quest that would violate someone else’s dignity.
How did something like this even come into existence? As a former Destroyer of Worlds, it feels like my entire philosophy is being shaken. I’m just as contradictory as the system.
Still, this isn’t right.
I don’t want to grow any closer to the hero than this. At least it was a relief that he had avoided me because of the quest, not because he remembered the past. Now was the time to make my stance on that quest clear.
“…I don’t know what kind of quest you received.” I looked at Yu Hanul and continued, “But I’m not capable of helping anyone right now. You know that. I only just awakened. I just finished basic military training.”
It was a shameless lie. Yu Hanul already knows that I can use incantation magic. He also knows there are suspicious things about me. And yet he let it slide because he misunderstood, he believed I would use this power for others. That misunderstanding was based on his innate goodwill.
And once again, relying on that goodwill, I spoke like the demon I am. “I’d like you to leave me out of it. I’m sorry.”
“I know.” Yu Hanul adjusted the thick scarf around my neck so there were no gaps and gave a faint smile. For some reason, it looked lonely. “From the very beginning, when I accepted this quest, I never expected anyone to help me.”
That, in its own way, was absurd. This isn’t a world where he lives alone, so how could he take on such a grand quest to save the world without even considering that someone might help?
“…Aren’t you angry at me? I didn’t even ask what it was about. I just said I wouldn’t help.”
Honestly, Yu Hanul would have every right to be angry. If refusing this quest might lead to the world’s destruction, he could accuse me of leaving that burden solely on his shoulders. He could say that if I live in this world too, then I should naturally share the weight of it. He could even throw it in my face that he saved my life, so how could I be so shameless? He could have said any of that.
“Do you remember what I told you?” His expression remained calm.
“You’ve said too many things. I don’t know which one you mean.”
“What talent you need the most.”
“Oh, sharp sense of reality and—”
“No. Right now, the most important thing for you is survival,” he cut me off before I could even bring up moral principles. “You’re still weak. If you get involved in my quest, you’ll die.”
“So what you’re saying is… it’s only natural for me to run away because it’s dangerous? Then what about you?”
“I’m strong.”
Hearing that from someone who wiped out dozens of A-rank Hunters on the spot without any preparation made it hard to doubt. Even in the last dungeon, if Yu Hanul hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have broken through the barrier set up by the lifeless idol so easily.
Come to think of it, in every moment I’ve seen him, he has always been strong.
Once, he was a knight holding a sword to protect me. Once, he was a hero holding a sword to cut me down.
“I’m just… doing what I can do.”
I frowned. Whenever I looked at Yu Hanul’s soul, there was something about it that made my insides twist. Is this what people mean by a mirror-clear mind? When I look into his clear soul, I can’t help but measure the reflection of myself within it.
It’s a familiar shape—self-loathing.
Would you like to participate in the quest “SAVE THE WORLD”?
"I see."
But in the end, they’re all illusions that disappear when you close your eyes.
Does it make me nauseous the more I look at it? Then I just have to avoid looking.
Lowering my gaze, I nodded. “I hope someone truly strong helps you instead of me. That companion message, didn’t it appear for anyone else?”
“Hmm, not yet.”
"I see."
“Don’t worry too much. It’s nothing special. I’ll resolve it soon.”
He says it’s nothing special, even though the fate of this world rests on his shoulders. Whether that’s humility or bravado, I can’t tell.
“Anyway, be careful when we get back to Korea. You were lucky this time… but there’s no guarantee you will be next time.”
“Is that a warning?”
“It’s concern.”
"Why?"
“You’re about to become an official Hunter… and you’re my junior.”
For a moment, Yu Hanul’s hand lifted as if to pat my shoulder, but it hesitated and withdrew without finding a place to rest. He gave another bitter smile.
"Be careful, Jeong Daon."
***
The embassy vehicle was small, so the group had to split up on the way to the airport.
The system presents a suggestion to User “Yu Hanul”.
Recruit a companion for your quest.
Even after sending Jeong Daon and Lee Pyeonghwa ahead in the car toward the airport, the system message floating in Yu Hanul’s vision stubbornly refused to disappear. It was unbelievably persistent.
“So, did you two make up?” As persistent as the system, Han Jaeyeong leaned in without the slightest hesitation. “I even thoughtfully gave you some privacy.”
Yu Hanul let out a sigh, irritation flickering across his face. “I told you, we weren’t fighting in the first place.”
“Yeah, right. You think I can’t tell when something’s off after watching you for years?”
“You can’t even tell what actually needs noticing, and yet… We’ll have a lot to be investigated for once we get back.”
“That we will.”
Up to now, no real investigation had been conducted regarding Recruit Lee Seunghui. Once they returned, they would have to determine where the drug had been obtained and how it ended up in Lee Seunghui’s hands.
“Sounds like a headache.”
“It does.”
“Hmm. The way you keep dodging the subject, I think I get it now. I wasn’t sure before, but…” With arms crossed, Han Jaeyeong looked Yu Hanul up and down as if they’d discovered something fascinating. “You dislike Daon, don’t you?”
At the unexpected remark, Yu Hanul’s eyebrow twitched. “What are you talking about?”
“At first I thought you liked her, since you were treating her specially. But it doesn’t seem like that either.”
“I’m glad you’ve finally realized.”
“You’re too nice for your own good. I should’ve known when you said your compatibility wasn’t great.”
“What are you even—”
“Anyone can see it’d be more efficient for you two to work together. But you just don’t want to, so you’re making excuses, aren’t you?”
There was an understated sharpness in Han Jaeyeong’s tone.
“And because you’re trying to hide that, you’re being even more considerate than usual.”
“Please stop analyzing my psychology when I didn’t ask you to.”
Thud!
Yu Hanul tossed the bag he was holding straight at Han Jaeyeong’s chest. “Let’s just go. I’m tired from dealing with something I hadn’t planned for.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m tired too. Honestly, you kids in your growth phase…”
Not wanting to hear any more nonsense, Yu Hanul closed his eyes once he got into the car. Still, he couldn’t deny that Han Jaeyeong knew him better than Jeong Daon did. There was one thing Jeong Daon was mistaken about.
Yu Hanul is undeniably a good person, but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of lying.
Not in the past. Not now.
***
Leila Lopez opened the conference room door with a pale face.
Inside, the person seated in a chair lifted her head. Golden hair spilled down like radiant sunlight, and though she had aged, her beauty remained unchanged as she greeted Leila.
“Welcome back, Leila.”
“Estella.”
Leila faced that unchanging beauty. For a moment, it felt as though she had returned to her ordinary life overnight. Back to going to work at the Hunter Association as usual, doing her part, believing that Estella would guide her path.
“You’ve worked hard, Leila.”
But that had all been nothing more than an illusion.
“…No, Association President. It was my mistake…”
“It doesn’t matter now. You’ve more than proven your innocence.”
In the end, the recorder brought by Jeong Daon and the Korean Hunters she had drawn in proved to be a great help. The recording clearly captured James Chen confessing, one by one, to everything he had done. Of course, in court, James Chen would claim that he had spoken while in a state of diminished mental capacity.
But as someone once said, in this Hunter Association, the judge is none other than Association President Estella.
Estella delivered a fair and impartial ruling. As a result, Leila Lopez returned to her position, while James Chen remained quietly at home, holding his breath as he awaited trial.
“I’ve arranged for you to be reinstated directly to the Item Development Division.”
“…About that, Association President. I would like to step down from the head position for the time being.”
“No. Why?” Estella asked in surprise. “You’ve proven your innocence. If anything, that’s all the more reason for you to return to your original post.”
“Instead, I would like to take on a different role.” Leila carefully revealed her true thoughts. “I would like to transfer to the External Cooperation Team, at least for now.”
Estella’s eyes widened. “The External Cooperation Team? That’s practically a demotion, Leila. If you’re unwell, then—”
“No, Estella. I can’t say I bear no responsibility for what happened.”
And there was something she had given up to return to this position.
“I realized that, in order to protect myself, there are things I should never have surrendered.”
"Let's make a deal, Leila Lopez."
She had made a deal with that mysterious Asian girl, and the first task Jeong Daon demanded of Leila Lopez was this:
“Find the source of the item engraved with a snake. It could be an individual, or an organization.”
In other words, locate the item. No matter how capable the Hunter Association might be, America is vast, and if one includes the black market, the search range only grows wider. If she remained buried in item development research as before, she would never have the time to fulfill the task Jeong Daon requested.
“…Very well, Leila. I don’t think that’s a bad direction.” Estella spoke like a wise elder, as though she understood exactly why Leila was saying this. “You’ve focused too much on work until now. And as someone in charge of an organization, you should know what other teams are doing as well… The External Cooperation Team wouldn’t be a bad choice. I’ll make the arrangements.”
"Thank you."
“Yes… Unfortunately, in this society, ‘connections’ are everything.”
Of course Leila knew. Wasn’t it those very connections that had led to this ordeal?
After the matter seemed settled and Leila moved to leave the conference room, Estella spoke again. “Leila, about that Jeong Daon who helped you this time.”
“Yes?”
At the sound of Jeong Daon’s name from Estella’s lips, Leila faltered slightly.
Unaware, or perhaps fully aware, of her reaction, Estella continued, “I’m quite interested in that girl myself. There’s been a lot of talk about the video of her using incantation magic… I even made her a direct scouting offer, but she turned it down.”
"...Yes."
Now Leila knew that the video of Jeong Daon using incantation magic was not fake. But she did not say so to the Association President.
Estella stared intently at Leila Lopez. “If you ever come into contact with East Asian institutions, make sure to gather information about her as well. If possible, I’d like to bring her over to our side.”
"Understood."
“And don’t forget, no matter where you are, you are my person.”
"Of course."
Words have no power. Not until they are put into action.
Leila Lopez had learned that lesson well, and so she answered without hesitation, “I have always been yours.”
It was the first lie Leila told Estella.