A man stood on the rooftop of a building not far from the Black Flame Mercenary Corps headquarters.
His name was Jung Jae-won. He was a member of the guild Dawn’s Blade and was tasked with monitoring Lee Seo-jun under Yoo Ah-yeon’s orders.
Just then, the rooftop door opened, and Yoo Ah-yeon appeared.
“You’re late.”
“I had something to take care of. Anyway, anything unusual?”
“Not with Lee Seo-jun, but there was a small incident nearby.”
“A small incident?”
Yoo Ah-yeon raised her head at Jung Jae-won’s words.
“You know that male student who helped your younger sibling last time?”
“Kim Sunwoo?”
“Yeah, yeah! Kim Sunwoo!”
“What about him?”
“He and Choi Seo-yoon were ambushed by a wanted criminal.”
An ambush?
Yoo Ah-yeon’s interest was piqued at Jung Jae-won’s words.
“But you know what? Kim Sunwoo is quite something.”
“What do you mean?”
“He practically took down the opponent by himself. And the guy seemed to be at least a B-rank mage.”
B-rank, taken down alone? Yoo Ah-yeon tilted her head in confusion.
“That’s strange. As far as I know, his ranking at school isn’t that high.”
“Really? What’s his rank?”
“72nd.”
“…What?”
Jung Jae-won’s eyes widened in shock.
“No way. There’s no chance he’s only 72nd. His skills are at least top 5.”
“…That good?”
“Yeah! I’m dead serious. If he’s not top 5, then at the very least he’s within the top 5 range.”
For him to be so worked up about it…
Jung Jae-won might be talkative, but he wasn’t the type to exaggerate. That meant Kim Sunwoo truly possessed exceptional skill.
A rank of 72nd. Yet his actual ability was at least top 5…
Something wasn’t adding up.
“Are you sure? Choi Seo-yoon was there too. Are you sure she didn’t do most of the work?”
“No way. I was so shocked that I made sure to watch carefully. Besides, Choi Seo-yoon uses ice magic, and Kim Sunwoo is non-elemental. Even from a distance, it’s easy to tell whose magic was whose.”
“…That’s true.”
Then suddenly—
A wild, almost ridiculous theory popped into Yoo Ah-yeon’s mind.
“…No way.”
Her expression grew serious.
“What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“Be quiet.”
Yoo Ah-yeon focused on her thoughts, organizing the pieces of the puzzle in her mind.
One by one, the pieces clicked into place. And unexpectedly… everything fit together far too well. So well that it felt like this was how the puzzle was meant to be.
As realization dawned, goosebumps ran down her arms.
“Noona?”
Yoo Ah-yeon turned around and yanked open the rooftop door.
“Huh? Noona, where are you going?!”
“I have something to investigate!”
She sprinted down the stairs.
A single hypothesis dominated her thoughts.
The reason Kim Sunwoo kept getting involved with Lee Seo-jun. The reason he concealed his true strength despite his low ranking.
If her theory was correct, everything made sense.
Kim Sun-woo—
Perhaps he had been planted by Jaun to keep an eye on Lee Seo-jun.
—Beep, beep, beep!
I jolted awake at the sound of my alarm. Rolling over, I blinked my eyes open.
[The character ‘Yoo Ah-yeon’ has developed suspicion toward you.]
[You have earned 500 points as a reward.]
…What the hell?
Yoo Ah-yeon? Dawn’s Blade?
“What the…”
The sudden message left me dazed. And it wasn’t just because I had just woken up.
Suspicion? From Yoo Ah-yeon?
For what reason?
“Right, where’s Lee Seo-jun…?”
I turned to the side. But Lee Seo-jun was already gone.
“Where did he go now?”
Mumbling to myself, I was about to get out of bed when the front door opened, and Lee Seo-jun walked in.
“You’re up?”
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
It wasn’t even 7 AM yet, and he’d already been exercising.
…How ridiculously diligent.
After finishing breakfast, we headed to the Black Flame Mercenary Corps headquarters, just like yesterday.
Several mercenaries recognized us and approached to greet us.
“Hello.”
“I heard there was some kind of incident yesterday?”
“Wow. Lee Seo-jun, you look even more handsome in person.”
“Oh, thank you.”
After briefly acknowledging their greetings, we moved to the second-floor room.
Just like yesterday, the 6th squad leader of the mercenary corps, Jung Hajun, was waiting for us.
“Good morning. I heard you handled yesterday’s request excellently.”
Jung Hajun said with a satisfied smile.
“And I also heard there was an unfortunate incident. But it seems you resolved it well, so that’s a relief.”
After taking a brief pause, Jung Hajun continued speaking.
“Now, shall we discuss today’s request? First, we have a client who specifically came to entrust you with a request.”
Finally, the second request was beginning. If the flow of the original story hadn’t changed, that person should appear as the client.
“Please, come in.”
The door opened, and a woman walked in.
She was a blonde, Caucasian woman wearing sunglasses. She scanned the room before flashing a smile.
“Oh my~ Nice to meet you all. I’m Charlotte.”
I stared at the woman before me.
At first glance, she appeared to be just an ordinary Caucasian woman, but I knew her secret.
The name Charlotte wasn’t her real name.
Her true name was Bert. A core figure of the terrorist organization Jaun, and a mass murderer who had slaughtered countless people.
Of course, the woman before me didn’t match the Bert I had seen in photos. But with a transformation magic tool, altering one’s appearance was a simple matter.
“She speaks fluent Korean, as you can see. Charlotte is an artist who travels the world, holding exhibitions.”
Bert was indeed active as an artist. Her unique artistic philosophy was well-known worldwide.
“Wow, really? That’s amazing.”
“Yes, she specifically requested to entrust her commission to students from the Korean Magic Academy, so you will be handling Charlotte’s request today.”
The reason Bert had appeared before us was simple.
She wanted to observe Lee Seo-jun up close and test his abilities.
To Jaun, Lee Seo-jun was an exceptionally important figure.
It was a tightly guarded secret, but Lee Seo-jun was the only known link to a certain individual who had terrorized the world 13 years ago.
“Now then~ The request I have is quite simple. I need security and protection.”
“Security and protection?”
“Yes! Of course, nothing too dangerous, so you don’t need to worry. Besides, aren’t you all among the world’s top elites?”
At the sudden praise, the others around me let out awkward chuckles.
“But could you explain exactly how we’re supposed to provide security and protection?”
Lee Hyun-joo asked curiously.
“Well, you see, I’ve recently had some of my artwork stolen. And it’s happened three times already. Based on the timing of the previous thefts, I believe there’s a high chance the thief will strike again today or tomorrow. I want to prevent that from happening.”
That was a complete lie.
This was nothing more than a staged play to secretly test Lee Seo-jun’s abilities without revealing their true identities.
The so-called “thief” was actually a member of Jaun.
“I see. But have you reported it to the authorities?”
“Yes, I did. But there hasn’t been much progress.”
Bert smiled bitterly.
Lee Hyun-joo nodded in understanding.
Seeing that things had settled, Jung Hajun gave a pleased smile and stood up from his seat.
“Well then, your task is to protect Charlotte for two days—today and tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
We took a portal gate with Bert and arrived in Gangwon Province. Then, we got into a car she had prepared and drove for about 30 minutes.
Before long, we arrived at a luxurious building settled in nature.
“Wow… This place is amazing.”
“This is the villa where I stay while in Korea.”
I scanned my surroundings.
This was one of the many Jaun hideouts scattered around the world.
“I’d love to live in a place like this.”
“Seriously. It’s incredible.”
Lee Seo-jun, Choi Seo-yoon, and Lee Hyun-joo continued to admire the place.
I, on the other hand, felt a bit tense, knowing we were deep inside enemy territory. Still, there wouldn’t be any immediate danger.
Jaun hadn’t arranged this fake request to harm us. Their goal was purely to observe Lee Seo-jun.
“…Hmph.”
Speaking of Jaun hideouts, something came to mind. They always hid treasures in their bases.
If I could somehow obtain one of those treasures, it would be a huge advantage in the future.
“Are you alright?”
While I was lost in thought, Bert approached me, seemingly noticing my distracted state.
“Yes, I’m fine. I just spaced out for a moment. Haha.”
I responded smoothly.
Bert studied me before speaking.
“You don’t seem very well.”
“I’m really fine.”
At my firm answer, Bert gave a slight nod.
“If anything is troubling you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
She smiled kindly as she spoke.
Her ability to conceal her true nature was just as impressive as it was in the original story.
“Now, please come inside.”
Following Bert’s lead, we stepped into the building.
The interior was just as grand and luxurious as the exterior. It perfectly maintained the aesthetic of a world-renowned artist’s mansion.
“These paintings are all my works.”
“Oh…”
The walls were adorned with countless paintings.
I wasn’t well-versed in art, but I could still sense the unique vision behind them.
However, I knew that half of these weren’t actually hers. They were stolen during Jaun’s terrorist operations across the world.
“Senior, look over there.”
Choi Seo-yoon nudged my arm familiarly.
“See that flower painting? Isn’t the colour combination beautiful?”
“…I don’t really get it.”
I was a complete novice when it came to art. I could only grasp the general mood, not the intricate details like colour schemes.
“Ugh, you have no sense.”
“What’s the point of knowing that kind of stuff?”
“Sigh… Never mind. I give up.”
Shaking her head in exasperation, Choi Seo-yoon turned to Lee Seo-jun.
Unlike me, he seemed to have an eye for aesthetics, and the two quickly got immersed in conversation.
As they happily chatted, Lee Hyun-joo subtly joined in.
For a brief moment, her gaze met Choi Seo-yoon’s.
I wasn’t entirely sure, but it felt like a silent battle had just begun.
Seeing that made me chuckle.
They had no idea they were standing right in the middle of enemy territory.
“…So Lee Seo-jun is here.”
In front of the luxurious mansion in Gangwon Province—
A man emerged from the shadows.
His identity—an S-rank Demonkin, Seong Jin.
He had come under direct orders from the King to eliminate Lee Seo-jun, who was suspected of being the Child of Prophecy.
“Heh… What a nice, quiet place.”
Seong Jin looked around, grinning in satisfaction.
Not only was it quiet, but it was also isolated—A perfect location where a murder wouldn’t attract much attention.
On top of that, the portal gate was quite far away.
Even if a battle broke out and mana explosions occurred, it would take a long time for the Magic Association to intervene.
“This place is practically designed for committing crimes.”
Here, he could kill Lee Seo-jun cleanly—without any unexpected interference.
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