Chapter 57
“Unless you can completely hide your magical power, it’s hard to hide from me.”
As Baek Doha shrugged, Cha Si-hyeon sat on the opposite sofa with a disgusted expression.
“Just say what you have to say and go.”
Feeling disgusted again at the tone that seemed to already know what he would ask, Cha Si-hyeon asked,
“What did you talk about with Yoo Yi-joo?”
Baek Doha smirked at the expected question.
“Nothing much. Just about what that monster you and Yi-joo saw was like.”
“What did she answer?”
“She said she didn’t know.”
Baek Doha took another sip of tea and said,
“That’s why she seemed to hesitate to let you go out readily.”
“…”
She couldn’t let him go because she didn’t know. That was what Yoo Yi-joo had said.
Cha Si-hyeon closed his mouth tightly upon hearing Yoo Yi-joo’s words from Baek Doha’s lips. Seeing Cha Si-hyeon looking complicated in his own way, Baek Doha also fell into thought.
‘I’ve been thinking this for a while… Yi-joo seems to fear the unknown.’
She doesn’t fight at all if she can’t be certain.
That’s why Baek Doha trusted Yoo Yi-joo a bit more.
Sending Yoo Yi-joo when the clones were gathered.
Quietly watching even as Cha Si-hyeon tried to stop her from making a bet in front of the gathered people.
It was all because he thought these were fights Yoo Yi-joo started because she was confident.
Thinking up to this point, a question suddenly arose.
If so, were all the fights Yoo Yi-joo had fought so far ‘known fights’? Is there a place where Yoo Yi-joo, who only moves when she can be certain, can obtain enough information to take action herself?
‘…I’ve gone too far with this thought.’
Erasing the thoughts from his mind, Baek Doha looked at Cha Si-hyeon again.
“Let me ask you instead. Why didn’t you eavesdrop earlier when you could have?”
“Because she wouldn’t like being eavesdropped on.”
It was a simple reason.
“Since when did you care about such things?”
“In a situation where everyone is an enemy, she came to a space where she can rest somewhat. If she finds out that a comrade is eavesdropping on her conversation there, she won’t be able to rest comfortably.”
Shouldn’t she be comfortable at least within this faction?
“Anyway, I’m leaving.”
I have things to do too. Cha Si-hyeon headed towards the door as if his business was finished. Watching his retreating back, Baek Doha put down his teacup.
“Ah, right.”
At the clinking sound that stopped his footsteps, Cha Si-hyeon looked back.
“Your piercing, Yoo Yi-joo has it.”
He thought a sharp guy like him wouldn’t miss that…
Cha Si-hyeon nodded lightly.
“Yeah, I gave it to her.”
“Isn’t that what your aunt gave you?”
Cha Si-hyeon hesitated at the casually thrown words. He shrugged, forcibly hiding his agitated feelings.
“So what?”
“…..”
“It doesn’t mean anything.”
Cha Si-hyeon looked at Baek Doha with an unreadable expression before turning his back.
“I just gave it to someone who seemed to need it more.”
💎
“Before finding your sister, I have something to ask.”
After being released by the monster and barely standing up to catch my breath, I first calmly addressed it.
[What is it?]
I asked straightforwardly to the creature that questioned back.
“You came out of the mirror, right?”
I was about to go check anyway, but since the subject was here, there was no reason not to ask.
[Mirror?]
The monster tilted its head. The black hair inside the rag fluttered along. Seeing that, it looked so human-like that I unconsciously felt a sense of discomfort and hesitated.
[I don’t know about that, but I was sealed and then it broke, releasing me.]
It added that it was so busy looking for its sister that it didn’t know what that was.
If it was released because something broke…
‘It seems I’m right.’
Hearing those words, it seemed that the mirror was indeed what they were sealed in, timing-wise.
“There was definitely another identical mirror…”
I recalled the broken mirror I saw in Shin Shawol’s room a few days ago and the intact mirror opposite it, and smiled.
‘I can really find it.’
It wasn’t bad for a situation where I lied out of impulse. Moreover, the monster was unexpectedly calm, and rational conversation was possible.
“Let’s go find it right now.”
It was no problem since it was in Shin Sawol’s room anyway. Although, Shin Sawol might be a bit surprised if she sees this creature.
[But, you know.]
It was then, as I was about to enter further into the passage while mentally apologizing to Shin Shawol.
[Someone’s coming.]
“What?”
Just as I was about to ask what that meant.
“Faction leader? Are you there?”
A familiar voice was heard from outside the passage door. Du Mansik?
“I think I heard voices from here…”
Damn. Why are his ears so sharp when he looks like a bear? As I was flustering, the monster who had been quietly watching me asked.
[Should I kill them for you?]
“No, no!”
Damn! That’s not it!
When I shook both hands, turning pale, it tilted its head. I hastily said,
“Tomorrow, let’s look again tomorrow.”
[Tomorrow?]
“Tomorrow when all the lights are out here, let’s meet at this place.”
The monster blinked its eyes.
“You’ll come, right?”
When I asked again to confirm it understood, it nodded.
[If I can only find my sister.]
“I’ll definitely find her for you. See you tomorrow.”
I hastily waved my hand at the monster and quickly left the passage.
“I’m here!”
And I immediately waved at Du Mansik.
“Ah, Faction Leader. I heard voices, did you come with the 2nd Faction Leader?”
“Ah, that, he just saw me off and left. It’s dangerous these days, you know.”
I smoothly lied and laughed awkwardly.
“By the way, why? Do you have something to tell me?”
“Ah, well…”
Du Mansik spoke as if he had just remembered what he wanted to say.
“About that murder case, a witness came forward and said it was the work of a monster.”
“Ah…”
So there was someone else who saw it like us. Although Cha Si-hyeon, Baek Doha, and I already knew this, it seemed Du Mansik had just heard it and came to inform me.
“I see. Then it’s more dangerous, so let’s decide not to go outside for now.”
It won’t take long anyway. Because I’ll find the sister that monster is looking for.
‘It seemed like it wouldn’t do anything once it found its sister.’
Just as I was recalling the mirror in Shin Sawol’s room, Du Mansik spoke again.
“…Actually, I have something to say about that matter.”
“What is it?”
After a brief pause, he said something unexpected.
“The 3rd and 4th rank factions… say they’ll join forces tomorrow night to catch that monster.”
Huh?
“They asked if our faction could support them, how should I answer?”
I blinked blankly. It was a truly unexpected situation.
‘Finding the sister and ending it would be the best way…’
If we say we can’t support them here, our faction will look quite suspicious.
The monster is a common enemy to humans, and if we, especially the 1st ranked faction, refuse…
‘We’ll definitely receive negative attention.’
Even though we’re not on good terms with people now, we can’t antagonize them in this situation.
‘Because from then on, we could really become ‘enemies’.’
We’re already overwhelmed with the monster, and if our relationship with people worsens like this…
I bit my lip hard. From the start, there was only one answer I could give.
“Tell them we’ll support them.”
💎
As the sun was setting.
At that time, inside the dungeon, people who had been busy fighting each other were gathered in one place, buzzing with conversation.
Watching this scene from a distance, a familiar voice reached Baek Doha’s ears.
“So what are they doing?”
It was Lim Yuchan.
‘Looks like he didn’t hear properly because he was dozing off when Yi-joo was talking.’
Baek Doha, who had already anticipated this situation, kept his gaze fixed on the buzzing crowd as he spoke.
“There have been murder cases for a while, you know. It turns out those murders were committed by a monster, and people have gathered to catch it.”
Because whether it’s the dungeon guide or whatever, if we don’t solve this first, we’ll die.
Yawning as if tired, Lim Yuchan leaned against the corridor wall and looked around.
And he realized that two people were missing.
“But why aren’t Yoo Yi-joo and Cha Si-hyeon here?”
Yoo Yi-joo wasn’t the type to miss something like this, and Cha Si-hyeon wasn’t the kind to skip out alone when all the faction members were participating.
Shrugging his shoulders, Baek Doha said,
“Well, I’m not sure either, but it seemed like Yi-joo had something to ask of that guy.”
It was surprising because Yoo Yi-joo had never consulted or asked anyone else in this kind of situation.
Baek Doha recalled Cha Si-hyeon’s surprised expression when Yoo Yi-joo called him, and then looked up.
There were people gathered, preparing to fight together to catch the monster.
Some were warming up, some were resting well for the best condition, and some were just chatting and laughing.
There was another person watching this scene.
[I have to go…]
In a dark place, a mumbling voice spread, emitting an eerie aura.
A gentle voice echoed in its head.
“There was definitely another identical mirror…”
[I have to go. To see the mirror.]
The last hope it had been searching for so desperately. Muttering this, it turned its back.
[Once I see the mirror, it’ll be over…]
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
