“Hey! Why’d you suddenly stop walking?”
Meanwhile, Crom who had been walking ahead of Hugo and Mirien realized at some point that he was the only one moving forward and had turned back.
“…Huh? Where’d the pointy-eared one go?”
Then, spotting Hugo standing alone in front of the alley as if waiting for something, Crom’s expression stiffened and he asked him.
To that, Hugo replied,
“She went into the alley for a moment.”
“What? All of a sudden, why?”
“…Do you remember Professor Reina Sahart, whom we met during the academy student escort request last time? She suddenly appeared and said she had something to discuss with Mirien privately, so they headed into the alley. Mirien accepted, and I’m waiting here.”
“……”
Crom paused for a moment, trying to recall who Reina Sahart was, and then spoke as if it had come back to him.
“Oh, that human woman who looked all uptight… Why’d she suddenly show up?”
“…I’m not sure either. She did seem rather serious… but I felt like it wasn’t my place to interfere.”
With those words, Hugo glanced into the alley with a somewhat uneasy expression.
“…I hope nothing’s wrong.”
***
“……”
Mirien remained silent with her lips tightly closed after hearing Reina’s sudden question.
At first glance, she appeared calm, but her pupils were trembling uncontrollably. It was clear she couldn’t hide her agitation.
Seeing her reaction, Reina became even more certain. Mirien definitely knew something about Yujin.
“Please, won’t you tell me? What is it that you know about him?”
“…I… I don’t really understand what you’re talking about. Why are you suddenly asking about Mr. Yujin…?”
However, in response to Reina’s question, Mirien only turned her head away hesitantly, as if trying to avoid answering.
She clearly seemed to know something, but she was reluctant to speak about it.
No, more than just hesitation….it was as if she had sealed her lips as if it were a taboo. Reina saw through it; Mirien had her own reasons why she couldn’t speak about Yujin.
The only problem was that Reina didn’t know exactly what those reasons were, and pressing her blindly could lead to trouble.
Frankly speaking, if there was something like a magical geas placed on her, even just speaking about what she knew of Yujin’s secret might kill her. And if something like that were to happen, it wouldn’t just be Mirien in trouble. Reina herself would be caught up in the aftermath.
In that case, it was better to…
“All right. Then you don’t have to say anything. Just listen to what I have to say for a moment.”
Reina was now certain that Mirien knew something about Yujin. But if there was some kind of circumstance preventing her from talking about it, then asking directly was not an option.
However, judging by the reaction Mirien showed when Yujin was mentioned, Reina figured that a passive reaction to topics related to him was still within a safe range.
Then I’ll just bring up what I know and observe how she reacts.
It was unfortunate that she couldn’t extract information directly, but if Mirien was truly bound by some circumstance, there was no helping it. If she was this hesitant even with Yujin absent, then it meant she was tightly bound to something.
So for now, Reina had no choice but to take this approach.
“Miss Mirien, Professor Yujin is currently under suspicion of being a dark mage.”
“!”
At those words, Mirien flinched. She swallowed hard. Had she anticipated this to some extent?
Watching her reaction, Reina continued.
“Right now, he is scheming something within the academy, and to some degree, he has colluded with the higher-ups… of the academy leadership.”
Reina’s expression darkened for a moment as she thought of Ines, the headmistress of the academy, but she quickly composed herself and brushed it off by vaguely referring to her as merely a “higher up in the academy”.
After all, she couldn’t possibly say outright that the headmistress of the academy was being manipulated at will by Yujin.
The same went for the claim that he was plotting something behind the scenes. Revealing that the imperial princess was being consumed by a demon and that Yujin intended to exploit it was far too dangerous a truth, and for that reason, Reina hadn’t even told Elly. Of course, it was only natural that such information couldn’t be shared with a student like Elly.
In any case, after hearing everything, Mirien’s expression stiffened. She glanced at Reina briefly, and a conflicted look crossed her face.
Judging by the fact that she didn’t seem particularly shocked by Yujin’s alleged collusion with the academy’s leadership, perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising to her, considering the Yujin she knew.
Before long, Mirien finally opened her mouth.
“Why… are you telling me all this?”
Mirien still played dumb, at least for now. But Reina responded calmly.
“Because I’m convinced that you know something.”
“……”
“I understand that you may have your reasons for not being able to speak about Professor Yujin. But I hope that at least what I’ve said today will stay with you.”
With those words, Reina decided to step back for now. Hugo was probably waiting for her outside, and she had a feeling that getting any detailed information out of Mirien wouldn’t be easy.
Just as she was about to leave…
“…Professor, are you free sometime soon?”
Mirien suddenly asked a question. At that, Reina turned to look at her.
“…What do you mean?”
“…I just came back from the labyrinth, so I’ll have some free time for the next few days. If you’d like, we can set up a time and talk then… whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“……”
At that, Reina spoke with a serious expression.
“The day after tomorrow, around one o’clock. Would that work for you? I’ll leave word at the Adventurers’ Guild about the location.”
“…Yes, that works.”
Mirien nodded in agreement at those words, and Reina lowered her head and spoke.
“Thank you very much. Then I’ll take my leave.”
With that, Reina disappeared into the alley.
“…Phew…”
Watching her go, Mirien let out a sigh of relief and briefly wore a troubled expression.
Is this really the right thing to do?
She was recalling something Yujin had said in the past.
– Let’s keep what happened today just between the two of us.
Breaking that promise was what this would amount to. If that happened, what would become of her?
Fear came first, but she soon shook her head.
The water’s already been spilled.
Thinking that, she stepped out of the alley.
“Oh, you’re back?”
“…Are you okay?”
As she emerged, Crom and Hugo were waiting for her. It seemed they had stayed nearby.
Among them, it was Hugo who asked if she was all right, and she nodded in response.
“…Yeah, I’m fine.”
“…Good, that’s all that matters.”
With those words, Hugo walked ahead. The fact that he didn’t ask what they had talked about made her feel unexpectedly grateful.
“So? What did you two talk about?”
“…Shut up.”
Of course, there was no reason to feel any gratitude toward Crom.
In any case, feeling the tension from moments ago fade away, she felt a sense of relief as she headed to the inn with the two of them.
***
Meanwhile, on the second floor of Mary’s Inn…
“…What are you suddenly talking about?”
The first reaction Han-cheol showed to Yujin’s claim that he was a dragon was exactly that.
The look on his face, like Yujin had eaten something bad and was now spouting nonsense, was truly something.
Well, I figured it’d be like this.
Yujin hadn’t expected Han-cheol to accept it right away anyway. It was just something he brought up to get it out of the way.
Since Han-cheol would find out eventually, Yujin didn’t bother trying to prove anything and simply continued.
“Squad leader, more importantly, let’s make a deal first.”
“What? Out of nowhere…?”
“I’ll do everything I can to help send you back to Earth. In return, you just have to share with me the things you learn while playing the game.”
“……”
“You know far more about the Labyrinth Academy than I do Squad leader. So while you’re here, just pass that information on to me. I’ll take care of researching how to get you back to Earth.”
Han-cheol responded to Yujin’s sudden proposal in a confused tone.
“Look… to be honest, this is all happening so fast I can’t keep up. First you say you’re a dragon, then suddenly you change the subject and want to make a deal… What kind of conversation is this supposed to be?”
“Haha, yeah, I guess I did rush through it a bit. Still, it’s not that complicated.”
Yujin said this and continued speaking to Han-cheol.
“It’s a simple exchange. You give me information, and I’ll research a way to get you back to Earth. That’s all.”
“I get that, but… how exactly are you planning to…”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about the details just yet. So, what do you think? Want to make the deal?”
“……”
At those words, Han-cheol hesitated with a conflicted look, then gave a small nod.
“Well… I guess it doesn’t really matter. Sure, let’s make a deal. Honestly, I’m more comfortable with that than having you help me for nothing.”
“Great. In that case…”
Yujin cleared his throat briefly, then opened his mouth.
[From this moment forward, we shall proceed with the contract.]
“!”
As the incantation was spoken, the air grew heavy. For a moment, Han-cheol felt as though his very soul was being constricted.
[First, I, Yujin, will search for a way to return Han-cheol to Earth. Second, in return, Han-cheol shall provide me with the information I require. This agreement shall remain in effect until both parties consent to its termination.]
Having said this, Yujin turned to Han-cheol and continued speaking.
[Do you agree to these terms?]
“Uh, uhh…”
Without even realizing it, Han-cheol nodded in agreement.
Wooooong!
Mana stirred and seeped into both Han-cheol and Yujin.
Han-cheol felt as though invisible chains were binding him in place.
“Th-This feels weird…”
“It’s proof the contract has been properly established. The sensation of being bound will disappear soon, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
At those words, Han-cheol stared blankly up at Yujin.
“…What are you, really?”
“Like I’ve already told you.”
At that, Yujin smiled faintly and shrugged.
Han-cheol’s expression twisted into one of bewilderment, as though nothing about the situation made sense.
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