Chapter 108

Today was the end of three days of exams.

The last exam was administered separately for each selected position, so no one could find anyone close to me at the exam site.

“Arghhh, it’s finally over!”

“Hey, let’s get everyone together and go bowling.”

“Are the girls coming?”

“Are you going to come?”

As the exam ended, the tension dissipated, and the students walked out of the exam site in groups, talking loudly.
In the midst of such a crowd, I was standing all alone.

“…… .”

First, let’s meet Hyun-Woo and talk about what to do.
As I walked with that thought in mind, someone put their hand on my shoulder in a friendly manner from behind me.

“Hey, what are you so depressed about? Did you screw up your exam?”

It was the first time I saw this male student.
For a moment, I wondered if he had mistaken me for someone else, but he kept smiling at me.
He looked at me, still smiling, and opened his mouth.

“The leader wants to meet you for a while.”

Esmeralda Lysnerger.
It was her.

“Where?”

He, or rather she, slipped a note into my pocket.
Then, as if to say that she was done with her business, she said as she walked away from me.

“I’ll go first. Don’t be late!”

Esmeralda, who had turned into a male student, waved at me and disappeared somewhere in a crowd.
Rather than that, she could just do it by phone or text, but is there a need to make contact in this way?
I immediately opened the note and headed to the place written in it.

There, Lydia was waiting for me.
When she found me, she bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly.”

“… What? Have you eaten something wrong?”

As I looked at her overly polite demeanor, wondering what was wrong with her, she had an expression on her face that said, what’s wrong?

“Is there a problem?”

“Why are you being so polite all of a sudden?”

“Thanks to that benefactor, I was able to fulfill my long-cherished wish and, in a larger sense, save my life and the life of that child, so I think this is as it should be.”

After muttering like that, she approached me with a nod.

“I have come here because of the things you asked for before and things that I thought it would be better to tell you.”

Saying that, she told me ‘First… .’, and began to talk.

“Do you know a person named Jang Deok-Pil?”

“Jang Deok-Pil?”

“Yes. He was the general of the archives where the benefactor had worked before.”

“Ah.”

Chief Jang.
As I made a face as if I remembered him, she said in a calm voice.

“He was found dead two days ago.”

“…… .”

“But the cause of death was none other than suicide.”

“Suicide?”

“Yes.”

She nodded and added.
He was dead with his ears, eyes, and head almost crushed.
I couldn’t believe that he committed suicide, who was vengeful due to the death of the director.

“… I knew he was chasing Red Case after the director’s death. So, during the time, I leaked information that he was related to the Thorns Cross Society.”

“Then you guys were the ones who did it?”

“No. Currently, Red Case can’t afford to do that. As you know, the boss and the killer team leader lost contact at the same time, which caused chaos, and in that situation, I instigated internal strife.”

Lydia said that and stared at me.

“Currently, there is a three-way war with the leader of the Guards, outside forces, and me as the lead. I also used the pendant you lent me before to bait the Big Watch and the Thorns Cross Society. Thanks to that, one of the branches was attacked by the Big Watch a few days ago, and now things are extremely tense.”

“That means… .”

“You should be careful of the Thorns Cross Society.”

Lydia nodded.

“They are very quiet at the moment. As you know, I’m a fairly high-ranking member of the association. However, neither the association nor the Red Case has detected any particular movement in them.”

She added briefly.

“And the night before a typhoon is much quieter. I’ll have to look further into the details, but I’m sure they’re up to something suspicious.”

“Yes, thanks for letting me know.”

“What do you mean thank you? This is nothing.”

Lydia gave a small smile and nodded to me as if she had forgotten something.

“Oh, and about what you asked me before about Professor Alice Blesbuck… .”

It was what I was most curious about.
Professor Alice Blesbuck hadn’t appeared since that day.
The academy said she went on a business trip due to personal circumstances and important tasks, but I could immediately tell that it was not because of Cass Lyle, who was still depressed.

“The information about her was classified as special.”

“… Wait, special?”

“Yes. And in order to view it, you have to describe the reason… . The number of views and the purpose of who inquired about it was recorded in one place, and attempts to view are also recorded, so I couldn’t touch it hastily.”

I nodded at her words.
As expected, Alice Blesbuck seemed to be caught up in a rather messy situation at the moment.

There are only two people who can know about Alice Blesbuck’s whereabouts.
Cass Lyle, who can be said to be the closest person.
And Lee Myung-Joon, who is a close friend of hers and shares each other’s secrets.
Since Cass Lyle doesn’t know, Lee Myung-Joon is the only one left.
However, I could vaguely predict that he would not know anything about this.

“…… .”

“And one more thing.”

“What, there’s more?”

Lydia added, as if this time it was no big deal.

“Because of the recent incident in Yeouido, there was some talk about delaying the commemorative festival. It was a suggestion, but I think it’s almost confirmed, so it should be announced within a few days. Since the commemorative festival is closely related to the Academy, I thought I should mention it.”

I didn’t expect it, but it was certainly something important.
If it hadn’t been for this, I would have been worrying about when I should give Jin Ye-Seul Nidhogg’s fang and tell her to damage the wings of the statue.
Since nothing could happen unless it was the commemorative festival, it bought me time for a while.

“I have nothing more to tell you. If I have something to tell you next time, I will come like this.”

Lydia bowed deeply once more and said.

“In my situation, if I call for no reason, I never know when I’ll get my tail stepped on.”

“Okay, be careful. Thank you for the information.”

“I’m glad I could be of help. Then, take care of yourself, benefactor.”

With those words, Lydia disappeared under the escort of Esmeralda, who was nearby.
In the meantime, Esmeralda didn’t forget to glance at me with a look that said she didn’t like me.

Whether she did that or not, I turned around and busied myself with sorting out what I had just heard in my mind.

Jang Deok-Pil’s death.
The battle between Red Case and Big Watch.
The silence of the Thorns Cross Society.
The postponed commemoration festival.
And the matter concerning Alice Blesbuck.

All were things that could not be passed lightly.
If Lydia brings more detailed information later, maybe I will be able to get a proper outline.

“Huh?”

As I was thinking about it, before I knew it, I was right in front of the archery club.
It is said habit is a scary thing, and it seems that it has become a habit without me even realizing it.

Still, since I had come this far and there was still time, I stepped into the archery club with the thought of shooting a few arrows.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was almost kicked out by Lee Ye-Eun.
Lee Ye-Eun, who pushed me out of the archery club with both hands, had a very determined expression on her face.

“What are you doing now, junior?”

She looked at me and said as if she couldn’t believe it.

“I can’t believe you’re trying to pull the bow with that wound on your finger, what if it gets worse?”

“… What?”

I looked at the wound I got yesterday.
It had been long since it healed and the bandage had been removed.

“It’s already healed.”

“It only looks like that.”

Lee Ye-Eun was adamant.

“I have seen numerous cases where people thought it had been healed and overexerted, when only their skin had been healed, resulting in serious injuries. So until it is fully healed, archery is not allowed.”

She crossed her arms and made a scissor sign.

“This is the instruction of the vice-president. Rest until you are healed.”

“No, what rest, I wasn’t hurt in the first place.”

Dumbfounded, I approached her and held out my hand.

“Take a look, senior. Is this really a big wound?”

In fact, the scratch I got yesterday had long since disappeared without a trace.
However, Lee Ye-Eun shook her head as if there was no chance.

“No. What if something goes wrong?”

“No… .”

I sighed without realizing it.

“Senior, I don’t have an older sister or mother, but even if I had, they wouldn’t have been as much as you, Senior. Why on earth are you so overprotective of me like a child, what am I… . ”

“Fue.”

While I was muttering as if I was complaining, I heard a strange sound.
I lifted my head to look and saw that Lee Ye-Eun was sweating profusely and avoiding my gaze.

“… Are you okay?”

“Ye, yes. I’m okay. Don’t worry!”

Lee Ye-Eun replied in a slightly hoarse voice and licked her lips.
After a while, she stared at me and muttered with downcast eyes, as if she was really sorry.

“If I made you feel bad, I apologize… . But, really, a few more days… . No, can’t you come back after taking one more day off? If you practice today and get injured, how much would I be sorry for my junior?”

“Well…… . ”

I was a little flustered because I didn’t know she would come out this low.
She was always so confident that the word ‘imposing’ always suited her, so when she showed a shrinking figure like this, I could feel my heart weakening without realizing it.

“…It can’t be helped.”

In the end, I was the one who raised the white flag first.
Yeah, it’s not a big deal, it’s just a day off from practice.
Besides, I didn’t forget the fact that Lee Ye-Eun watching my practice was only out of her favor.
When I nodded as if I understood, she quickly nodded in delight.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes, well thought! Oh, come to think of it, the exam is over today, aren’t you going to hang out with your friends?”

“Yes, I have an appointment today.”

I answered with a nod.
Then, for some reason, Lee Ye-Eun asked me, looking at my senses.

“Oh, really? If you don’t mind, can I ask you one more question?”

“What is it?”

“Are there any girls among the friends you are meeting today?”

“There is.”

In response to my answer, Lee Ye-Eun made a meaningful expression.

“I see… . There is… .”

Then, for some reason, she gave a strangely satisfied smile.
It was the kind of satisfied smile that a parent might have when hearing that their son was having his first girlfriend.

“Oh, are those the friends I met when I visited you at the hospital last time?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Of course… .”

She muttered quietly ‘Of course, it’s natural.’
I don’t know what’s natural, but she was into her own world as always.

“Then have fun. Studying is important for students, but above all, it is important to take care of your body and relieve stress in moderation. Especially getting along with friends.”

“Yes, thank you.”

It’s something I always feel, but her worries and advice that she gives me seem a bit out of focus.
I don’t know in detail, but at least I know it wasn’t the kind of thing a senior should say to a junior.

When I bowed to her, she waved as if to say, have a good time.
And fighting! she said, clenching her fists small, but I could tell what she misunderstood.

Boong.
Then my cell phone rang and a call came in.
It was Jin Ye-Seul.

“Hello?”

― Oh, Ji-Hyuk.

Jin Ye-Seul called my name with a bright smile as always.

― We’re supposed to meet today and hang out, right? But Soo-Young and Choi Hyun-Woo said they’re busy, so they want us to go first.

“They’re busy?”

― Yeah, they said they have something to do and they’ll be late by an hour or two.

“… You’re not lying, are you?”

― What? Ji-Hyuk, that’s too much.

She muttered as if she was very hurt.

― Why would I lie when I can get caught with just one phone call…? Ji-Hyuk, Was I really that untrustworthy to you?

“…… .”

I didn’t answer.
The fact that she bit my neck was something I couldn’t forget even if I tried.

― I know what you’re worried about, but you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve already finished telling the two of them that we’ll be going ahead. Check it out after the phone call.

Jin Ye-Seul said so and carefully started speaking.

― So, I mean… . Can’t we take this opportunity to do what you promised before?

“Promise? What promise?”

In response to my answer, Jin Ye-Seul spoke to me in a voice that seemed to say, how could you forget?

― Pendant from before. You promised to go on a date with me if I do that.

“Date? No, hey. That wasn’t a promise, you did it on your own… .”

― You’re not going to do it?

Jin Ye-Seul muttered in a sullen voice.

― Did you lie? Did you fool me? Ji-Hyuk, I’ve always followed you around because I like you, but you used me however you wanted… .The saying devotion leads to damnation has been proven right after all.

“No, hey… .”

―If you pretend you don’t know, I’ll curse you for the rest of my life… .

At her grumbling, I let out a small sigh.

“… If you do that, it doesn’t sound like a joke, so stop it.”

― Are you going to go then?

“Yeah, let’s go, go.”

— Hehe.

Jin Ye-Seul started laughing.
When I asked her where she wanted to go, she immediately answered.

— I want to go to the zoo.

“Zoo? Why zoo all of a sudden?”

― I’ve always loved animals, you know? Because unlike people, they make you believe in them as much as you believe in them.

Jin Ye-Seul replied like that and made an excited nasal sound.

― I suddenly want to see crocodiles and penguins. They’re my favorites.

So, Ji-Hyuk, I want to go see them with you.
Jin Ye-Seul hung up the phone saying that.

* * *

Lee Ye-Eun, who was seeing off Yoo Ji-Hyuk until she couldn’t see him, was smiling so deeply that even she was surprised.

“Of course.”

Whose younger brother is he, there’s no way he’s not popular.
Lee Ye-Eun couldn’t hide her proud heart.

“…… .”

In the midst of all this, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth with her hand, remembering that he had called her, older sister.
It was because it was clear that if anyone saw her, they would make a strange expression.

“…… .”

Of course, he hadn’t said older sister directly to herself.
But even so… .

“He, hehe… .”

Lee Ye-Eun stood there for a while, shaking her body and bursting into laughter.
And Kang Yong-Kyung, who was watching the scene from inside the archery club, shook her head with a small sigh.

“I’m so happy, I’m so happy… .”

She was thinking that Lee Ye-Eun liked Yoo Ji-Hyuk rationally.
Kang Yeon-Kyung was just cheering for her, who had never had any close friends other than herself before.