Chapter 166: Monster Wave (2)
‘Am I right, Hayan?’
Actually, I was worried about the possibility of the guards discovering a location tracker’s presence on me. However, I knew there was a good chance that it would stay hidden. After all, the magic used was of a type that even Hwang Jeong-yeon, someone considered as a high-ranking wizard, could not notice properly.
Using catalysts to track locations was also a magical idea that hadn’t yet appeared on the continent. Jung Hayan’s tactics had slowly become more sophisticated over time. It would indeed be difficult to notice the magic on me unless another Archmage was in the vicinity.
Although we went through an unknown location where one’s magic might stop working, I think that the location tracker would not have stopped its function. This was the whole reason why I waited for Jung Hayan.
Of course, the information that Kim Hyunsung would bring would also be expected. The puzzle I had been solving this entire time would soon be finished. The whole reason why I couldn’t complete it by myself was that I couldn’t fit the last piece in.
Those who were each bringing a piece of the puzzle hadn’t yet returned from their expedition, so there was nothing I could do right now.
‘When are you coming back, guys?’
The big event about to unleash onto the city would be a golden opportunity for a person like me to move easily. Waiting for it proved to be a hard feat, given by impatience.
Honestly, it was also because I had nothing to do at the moment. I either spent time with Marlin Young-ae and Cho Hyejin or busied myself with managing the guilds and clans that had agreed to sign a contract with me.
Of course, I didn’t forget to manage each key character continuously.
The representative one was Song Jungwook of Little Rock. The man in question still seemed to love pestering Marlin, but his anxiety about things not going as planned was evident.
I knew I should sort this out after seeing this. Though Jungwook was loyal to me now, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t backstab me when it came to Marlin Young-ae.
Though he had sworn his allegiance, it would not be strange for him to betray me when the right time came, given his characteristic.
‘Even if it were me, I would want to do that…’
It seemed that I was the biggest obstacle in his plans to become a noble. Of course, even if I were not in the way, there was no guarantee that Marlin Young-ae would choose him, but…
‘It’s not something I should care about.’
Unlike Marlin Young-ae, Song Jungwook’s value was slowly decreasing over time. Once I had taken everything I needed, I would drop him immediately.
‘There’s the thing with Hyejin, too.’
Spending my time with Jungwook was proving to be wasteful at this point.
Besides that, in my spare time, I exchanged letters with the Strategic Planning Teams of Blue and discussed Castle Rock’s defense system and siege battles, and I didn’t stop talking with Cho Hyejin about this topic. It was also an opportunity for me to learn battle tactics from her.
In any case, I tried to organize and calculate the status of Castle Rock’s troops while considering the appearance of raid monsters, and it was a simple everyday routine where I was constantly checking goods and supplies.
It was around this time that Kim Hyunsung returned to Castle Rock with our party members.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim! Kim Hyunsung-nim just came back.”
“Yes. Thank you so much for coming to tell me, Marlin Young-ae.”
“N-No. It is only natural for me to do so.”
“Then I’ll be heading out for a while.”
“Okay.”
For others, they were just coming after hunting as usual, but this meant a lot to me. Kim Hyunsung’s return meant that the changes would make themselves known soon.
‘Good. Good.’
With these in mind, I headed out to meet the rest of my party members. Jung Hayan automatically ran towards me, and Park Deokgu greeted me with a wave of his hand. Kim Ye-ri, Sun Hee-young, and Hwang Jeong-yeon definitely looked tired.
With this, I was able to realize that everyone had experienced a very tough schedule.
“Oppa!”
“Ah, Hayan. How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing well!”
“Did something special happen during the expedition?”
“Well, I don’t know if it should be called anything special or not, but I guess what our Hyung-ssi said last time is true.”
“What he said?”
“You know, about a monster wave or something.”
‘As expected, you brought in the information I needed.’
“Is it true, what Deokgu said?”
“Yes, Kiyoung-ssi. It would be nice to tell the details later.”
“Ah, so it is true…”
“Yes. It has been difficult to make accurate judgments, but I could get some strands with this expedition. First of all, it would be nice to meet with Count Castle Rock. As soon as I get back, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to head to the office first. Perhaps…”
“Yes. I will join you in a little while.”
“Okay.”
A whole meeting would ensue later on. For now, it would be nice to have a casual conversation with Jung Hayan.
“Come with me for a minute, Hayan.”
“Ah… Okay!”
“I’m sorry to do this as soon as you came, but I have to ask for Hee-young-ssi and Jeong-yeon-ssi to check the supplies and place an order for items to be requested separately from Lindel. Hyejin must know.”
“Yes, Kiyoung-ssi.”
As soon as they left, Jung Hayan went to follow me. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but she seemed to be in a good mood. As she went to hold my hand, I smiled.
‘How can I talk to her about it?’
As of now, Jung Hayan was not aware that I knew about her secret. It would not be good if she tried to hide it, so I had to approach her as positively as possible. When I opened the door to my room, she started to smile like a kid receiving her Christmas present.
Her face had reddened as if she had been expecting something.
“Come in.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
At this, Hayan came in, shutting the door with a click.
‘Why is she locking the door?’
I didn’t know what she was thinking, yet I still went to sit down, gesturing for her to sit beside me.
“W-Why did you call me?”
“I have a question.”
“Ah. A-A question?”
“Yes. It’s actually no big deal. By any chance…”
“Yes?”
“Are you hiding anything from me?”
“Huh? Of course not, Oppa. What’re you talking about?”
It felt disturbing to see her lying to me so confidently. Now would be the right time to talk to her a little more directly.
“I’m asking because it’s about something absolutely necessary. Hayan, do you know where I went the day you left for the expedition?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The day the party members left for the expedition, you know where I went. Am I right?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. How would I…”
“I’m not trying to blame you, Hayan. You know that.”
“W-Well. I don’t…”
As she spoke, Hayan averted my gaze, her confident façade now torn apart. She really didn’t have a talent for lying now, did she?
“I know everything. You can speak comfortably. I’m not trying to condemn you. I’m asking because it’s really necessary.”
“I-I’m not sure. R-Really…”
‘You’re so obvious…’
It felt like we would get nowhere if this continued, so I decided to exert a little more pressure.
“Hayan.”
“Ah… yes?”
“I hate people who lie the most.”
“Ah…”
“Everything else is fine, but I really hate people who lie.”
“T-That…”
Of course, seeing her shivering didn’t sit well with me at all. Tears had even begun to pour out of her eyes, much like a child who had gotten caught lying by his mother.
“Hic.”
She even started to hiccup.
“Hic.”
I thought she would be a little scared, but her reaction was a little harsher than I thought.
“Hic.”
“You knew where I went, right?”
“…”
“I’ve known about your location-tracking magic for a long time now, Hayan.”
“…”
“One. Two.”
“Yes…”
As soon as I gave a small threat, she had immediately admitted to it. Though it hurt to see her crying, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find her reaction fun.
Although I wanted to make fun of her a little more, I had to get this over with. At this, I began to stroke her hair.
“I’m not angry, so don’t worry. I didn’t like it a little at first, but I know that Hayan did all of this while thinking of me. Am I right?”
“Of course, Oppa…”
“You put that spell in case it would become dangerous for me, right?”
“Ah, yes, I also did it because of that…”
“You did it because you were worried that I would be attacked.”
“Yes. Y-You’re right.”
“Your method is a little wrong, but I know that Hayan did it thinking of me, so I can understand.”
“Ah…”
‘It’s actually helpful and…’
A location-tracker was the most reliable insurance for me, who was continuously exposed to external threats at any time due to my poor specifications. Though there were some problems regarding personal privacy, it more than made up for my safety.
“It’s okay, just don’t lie. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Hayan’s actions were good… You know it wasn’t good, right?”
“Yes… Oppa, I…”
“I’m not trying to blame you. Stop crying.”
“Alright.”
“Good. Then, shall we look at the map together?”
“A-Ah, of course!”
I could see that she was definitely relieved, bouncing back immediately. I didn’t know if it was due to her intelligence, but she seemed to have realized that she could be of help to me now.
I even thought about whether I had done this correctly upon seeing her so happy, but I also pinpointed that she was wrong, so the result wasn’t bad overall.
Of course, I couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t lie again.
“Can you point it out with your finger?”
“I-I don’t know the exact location. I don’t know the geography of Castle Rock.”
“It’s okay.”
“However, it is definitely about 500 meters to the left from this side…”
Even though she didn’t know the exact location, the fact that she had managed to track down all the roads I had taken was creepy. Looking at her so focused on finding the way with a smile even before her tears had completely dried, I couldn’t help thinking that this was so like her.
‘She is really…’
“This was a magic power freeze area. Still, that can’t block the magic I put on Oppa. It’s stronger compared to before.”
“Ah… Yes…”
“This must be a closed space, but it’s strange. You definitely went this way… And… After stopping here for a while, it seemed like you went underground.”
“Don’t worry about the road that was blocked. Just keep pointing.”
“Ah. Alright.”
“Here, like this…”
“Yes.”
“Like this…”
“Yes.”
“It’s here!”
As soon as she finally pinpointed the exact location where we had gone, I couldn’t help but smile.
‘The place is within the city.’