Chapter 3 (1/2)

This was an unexpected development. In the past, I would discover the Magic Swordsman cla.s.s 2 years from now, and the people who knew this location could be counted on one hand.

'He said he wanted to be a greater hero than I was…'

However, this cla.s.s definitely had a limiting factor. I knew this fact very well as I was the Magic Swordsman. I couldn't shake the thought that he chose me as his role model.

'I can understand where he's coming from.'

The path that I once walked was a treacherous one. Would Mins.h.i.+k be able to walk the same path as me? If he could, I gladly welcomed the change as I would be able to act freely behind the scenes. After organizing my thoughts, I calmly turned my eyes on Mins.h.i.+k.

Mins.h.i.+k backed away and spoke.

”You… are you…?”

”What are you muttering on about? Come in if you want to come in. Stop standing there like a buffoon! Do you know what time it is?”

Yawn!

I let out a yawn, and I turned my back against him in a seemingly defenseless gesture. However, I was observing Mins.h.i.+k's every action through the mirror in front of me. If he decided to attack me, I would be able to respond instantaneously.

'Even a stone bridge has to be checked for cracks before crossing.'

I wanted to believe him. But I had to be one hundred percent sure. Since he had already a.s.sociated himself with evil before, I had to be sure if Mins.h.i.+k truly wanted to atone for his sins.

'It hasn't been long since his awakening.'

No more than one or two days should've pa.s.sed since his awakening. He would be slightly stronger than the average person. If it came down to a fist fight, I held the advantage due to my extensive combat experience. Mins.h.i.+k tilted his head in confusion towards my exposed backside and hesitantly stepped inside my house.

A slight wariness. He was cautious but couldn't be absolutely certain of the situation. I nonchalantly walked to my refrigerator while holding the mirror and poured some juice into a cup of gla.s.s.

”Woah, what happened to you?”

”I went hiking in the mountains for some exercise.”

I smirked.

”You went to the mountain for what? You hate exercising.”

I handed him the gla.s.s of juice, but Mins.h.i.+k did not take a sip. It seemed as though he was more nervous than me.

”Hansung, forget about me. What happened to you? Why are you…?”

”Mr. Yang came over.”

”You didn't tell him you would follow him?”

Mins.h.i.+k stood up abruptly with startled expression. His actions were sincere; no members of Aletheia would show this type of behavior.

'That's a relief.'

His actions were instantaneous without any conscious deception. It was a piece of evidence of him not harboring any malicious intentions for now.

”Why would I follow him? You told me he was after my parent's insurance money.”

”You changed your mind with just my advice…?”

”I closely observed Mr. Yang, and I think you were right. He was not his usual self when he visited my house.”

Mins.h.i.+k closed his mouth. Was he thinking he changed the course of the future with his warning back then? I continued.

”If I don't get a hold of myself, more people like Mr. Yang will be coming after me. I have no intention of giving away my parent's property. So, thank you. And I'm sorry for hitting you back then, you know I wasn't in the right mind.”

This was an apology for when I violently a.s.saulted Mins.h.i.+k for coming to my parent's funeral. I extended an apology to him. Mins.h.i.+k was wearing a slightly stunned expression after hearing me speak.

This was the first time he experienced the so-called b.u.t.terfly effect. It was easy to understand his bewilderment. After seeing his blank face, I slowly raised my hand. Subsequently, I started scratching my head.

”Ugh, I'm getting the gooseb.u.mps. Hurry up and wash yourself. It looks like you were kicked out of your house. You can stay here for the night if you have nowhere else to sleep. There's no need to hide anything between us.”

”That's not it…”

Mins.h.i.+k was pondering. What conclusion would he come to after seeing a drastic transformation of me from my past self. There was a chance he would become suspicious after thinking for a long time.

”Yeah? Anyways, what's that piece of paper you have there? It looks really old,”

Slap!

It was the symbol of the magic swordsman. As I extended my hand towards the worn parchment, Mins.h.i.+k abruptly slapped my hand away. I wrinkled my eyebrows and opened my mouth.

”Hey! What are you doing?”

Mins.h.i.+k hid the parchment in his pocket with haste.

”Y, you can't have this.”

”Who said I was stealing it? Why did you hit me?”

”Do not touch this.”

Mins.h.i.+k's face turned aggressive. I raised both of my arms up to show that I meant no harm.

”Alright, alright. You're one funny b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

After eyeing me for a while, Mins.h.i.+k harrumphed and sat down.

He finally drank the gla.s.s of juice I brought him and subsequently took out an item from his back pocket. Him drinking my juice meant one more barrier between us was gone. Mins.h.i.+k handed my a talisman with a smile.

”You should keep this with you.”