Chapter 12 (2/2)
“So he’ll be careful from now on.”
As she spoke, she clenched her fists. Knowing that an elephant would pop like a balloon with that single fist made me feel suddenly cold.
“Chang-hee wasn’t like that when he was young, but the older he gets, the more grumpy he is. It would be nice if he grew old with grace, but not everyone does. Please understand him.”
Just by her look, Han-seol seemed to be older than Park Chang-hee, and both seemed to be at an age to recall ‘when they were young,’ but it appeared that they weren’t. Hunters with enough potential mana that they continuously activated remained at their optimal state for longer. Han-seol’s state was higher, so she looked younger.
“In a few days, I will be awakened as well, so there will be no such accidents again.”
Han-seol’s face darkened a little when she heard my words.
“By the way, Jin-wook…this is my first time talking about this.”
She hesitated for a while before continuing.
“Do you…need to awaken as a hunter?”
“What does that mean?”
She couldn’t say it easily, but she muttered again.
“Rather than to do it today, why don’t you think about it and give it some time?”
I thought of Seo Gyu-cheol — the man who was agitated to awaken me as soon as the law allowed him to.
“Of course, the Guild Master would be furious, but if you agree, I will make a suggestion. He does listen, at least to me.”
“Why do you suddenly say that? You think that I should hold on to Awakening, for now?”
“Because I keep thinking that it would be better for your safety to resolve the disease and then proceed with the Awakening. Guild Master tries to hush them, but later if the rumors spread, it serves you no good, and if you have a seizure in the middle of exploring, your life may be in danger.”
I understood her words, but it didn’t make sense to postpone my plans to go on. Although there was already a seal of Awakening in the soul, it became easier for me to move after publicizing that I had awakened externally. I shook my head.
“No, it seems that the current situation looks already unreasonable to postpone it further.”
I deliberately spoke vaguely, and she seemed to understand, but at the same time, she nodded slowly as if it was unfortunate.
“If you think so, then it can’t be helped.”
She managed to get up from her seat because of the fuss the secretary made, saying that she had a schedule that couldn’t be delayed any longer. Han-seol looked at me several times more as she left the room, plainly worried.
“See you again in the afternoon, Jin-wook!”
The door closed.
“Phew.”
I remained alone in the room and buried my back on the sofa.
“What the hell was that?”
After confronting Han-seol, my thoughts were even more confused. The curse hidden in Seo Jin-wook’s body, and the unidentified men who attacked me days ago. I thought Han-seol would be the most probable suspect. Considering her relationship with Park Chang-hee, who tried to do something strange to me and having built an independent force within the guild, it was blatantly suspicious. All the more so when she recommended postponing my Awakening now.
But whatever was going inside her mind; it seemed that the relationship between the two, which they maintained on the surface, was closer than I had initially imagined.
“Is that all acting?”
Also, there was one secret that no one in the guild seemed to have noticed. As soon as I entered the room, the reason why I got the chills weren’t just because an uninvited guest was in the room without my knowledge. There was a reason I couldn’t easily take my gaze away from her heart.
“Including the hunter who was in the black market the other day…why are there so many people in this era who wears the skin of a sheep over their skills?”
The first time I saw Han-seol, I saw an explosion of mana emanating from her core. It was to the point that it was chilling and daunting to look at. Even if to compare only the currently active part and excluding the potential mana, Han-Seol was already overpowering Seo Gyu-cheol.
I was curious. What was Han-Seol doing, working under Seo Gyu-cheol, who when she was far beyond him as a hunter? Why hadn’t her true abilities been properly documented in the future? And there was one more missing link that couldn’t be solved with the information left in the future.
“Seo Jin-wook and Han-seol.”
I quietly recalled this. What was the relationship between Seo Jin-wook and Han-seol in reality? According to the official records in the future, Seo Jin-wook died in a tragic accident one year from now. And Han-seol died on the same date and in the same place as Seo Jin-wook.
*
There was no surprise from the second guest since there had been an appointment in advance. In the reception room that I was called to with Secretary Kim, Seo Gyu-cheol and Han-seol, who had changed into their new clothes, waited for us. Two men in suits sat across them, the badges on the collar revealing their affiliation.
I greeted them.
“I am Seo Jin-wook.”
They were officials from the Constitutional Department.
“Yes, nice to meet you. Then before proceeding, we will first verify your identity.”
Han-seol looked at me with strange emotions that seemed to be mixed up while government officials were carrying out a set procedure, and Seo Gyu-cheol had the widest smile on his lips ever since I met him. The official who finished checking the physical identification information nodded while looking at Seo Gyu-cheol.
“Yes, you are verified. We may proceed.”
The expression of the government official that spoke was strangely rigid. Was he nervous because of Seo Gyu-cheol? Well, it didn’t matter. Putting aside my questions, I turned my gaze over the table. Secretary Kim quickly opened the case that was sealed with several layers on the table. After entering the password several times and peeling off the last layer, there was a transparent jewel in front of me shining with bright light.
“Now, then…”
How long had it been since I held this in my hand? After accepting Seo Gyu-cheol’s gaze, I took a deep breath. Then, I put my hand on the Awakening stone. Suddenly, pitch-black darkness set in all around me.