Retire 386

386 Clue (1)

“…It’s not my fault.”

“Did anyone say it was your fault?”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Hong Seok-yeong snickered.

“Why are you so lacking in confidence?”

“It’s not that…”

“You shouldn’t apologize when you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Hong Seok-yeong spoke with a voice tinged with laughter.

“Even if you really did something wrong, you should still act with confidence.”

“That’s not right.”

“Why not?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“I’m lending you my name so you can do what you want.”

I glanced at Daniel, who was sitting in the back seat.

“That’s exactly why I shouldn’t act so brazenly. What happens when people in power do whatever they want?”

“I taught you well, didn’t I?”

“……”

He wasn’t wrong, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

It wasn’t as if I had nothing to say in response, but since we weren’t alone, I swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Daniel was gazing out the window as if he couldn’t hear our conversation. There wasn’t much to see, since we weren’t in the city, but his earnest attempt to look interested struck me as pitiful.

Hm.

I wondered what that man thought of me.

In any case, Imi-seon was thoroughly managing the identities of both myself and Uirok. I had confirmed that once again after returning from Marseille.

Hardly anyone at the Association even knew about it. To be precise, only a handful of Association-affiliated, multi-awakened Hunters who commuted to Yangseong High were aware, and even among them, almost none knew the full story.

So, while they might know I was a whistleblower who escaped from the Ark, they simply assumed that the new identities for me and Uirok were a kind of… witness protection, rather than something conjured out of thin air.

Thinking that way, it seemed more likely that Noah Michel had chased Uirok not because of anything related to the Ark, but because of something involving Hong Seok-yeong. I didn’t know exactly how Michel ran the Ark, but seeing that Henry Lehmann managed a separate part, perhaps Michel’s involvement was less than I’d originally thought.

If that was the case, then on the surface at least, there was no way for Noah Michel, the young archmage of Europe, to access the resident records of an unknown Hunter from a closed-off Asian country on the other side of the world. At best, well… if he was sharp enough to trace a link to the Association, he might suspect I was a Hunter working secretly for them.

Did that man from America, Daniel, think the same?

The Association received a lot of funding from the U.S. Naturally, they had to be mindful of America’s interests. Plenty of the Association’s secrets must have leaked out.

If Daniel knew about me…

A defector from a pseudo-religious group, now riding on Hong Seok-yeong’s coattails?

Frankly, being a secret agent for the Association sounded much more peaceful.

Who knows—maybe he’d even feel a sense of kinship if he thought I was another undercover agent.

“……”

Of course, judging by how his well-trained poker face had, for a moment, betrayed disbelief as he looked at Hong Seok-yeong, that seemed unlikely.

“Excuse me. Mr. Daniel?”

“…Yes?”

“How often do you need to change this man’s bandages?”

Daniel straightened his posture.

“Ideally, once every five hours.”

“Are the bandages made of any special material? Is there anything in particular we need to prepare?”

“No, uh, the bandages themselves don’t matter. The cast is the key.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Ever since the magic pen was introduced, rune work has become much easier… As long as I prepare things in advance, it’s fine.”

I was about to say that it sounded like something we could easily handle on our end as well, but stopped myself.

Those who’d been poisoned the same way were being treated in the U.S. Depending on how their recovery went, Hong Seok-yeong’s fate would be affected, too. Rather than going through a complicated process, it was easier to dispatch someone and cut down on all the procedures.

“If you need anything, just let me know.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

“By the way, where will you be staying while you’re in Korea?”

This time, his emotions were plain to see.

Daniel hesitated before replying.

“Even if it’s not just for the bandages, I need to keep monitoring Hunter Hong’s condition. I need to stay as close to him as possible.”

Seeing Hong Seok-yeong’s face twist at those words, it was clear that this hadn’t been agreed upon.

But I agreed with Daniel on that point.

“Irok’s been staying at Grandma’s house lately, so that should work.”

“What? What should work?”

Hong Seok-yeong jumped.

“He said he needs to be as close as possible.”

“That doesn’t mean he has to be under the same roof!”

“There’s no need to bother finding separate lodgings. If the bandages need changing every five hours…”

“Irok! What about Irok!”

“I told you, he’s been sleeping at Grandma’s. I asked her to watch him while I was away on business, and it seems to have gone fine.”

Kids are impossible to figure out.

When I went to Busan, he’d get anxious if I didn’t call. But while I was in France, he’d snap at me, asking if I wasn’t busy.

Ungrateful brat…

When I was his age…

……

…Hmm.

Well, kids always grow up fast.

I shrugged my shoulders.

---

“Uncle!”

“Uirok! Don’t climb all over your uncle!”

“No, no, it’s fine.”

“He’s old now—if you keep climbing on him, he’ll get hurt. Can’t you see he’s already injured?”

Uirok eyed the cast, then carefully climbed down from Hong Seok-yeong’s back. He picked up the crutch that had fallen to the floor and shoved it into Hong Seok-yeong’s chest.

“Hee-jae, I’m not that old, you know?”

“Compared to Irok, you’re plenty old.”

Hong Seok-yeong started to say something, then burst out laughing and lunged at Uirok. Cast or not, there was no way Hong Seok-yeong, whose waist was at the level of the child’s head, would fail to catch him.

Uirok screamed and ran from Hong Seok-yeong, while Sophia, sitting on the sofa, clapped and laughed brightly.

I looked at the floor with concern. Who lived downstairs again…?

I could only hope they were out at work and the place was empty.

Hong Seok-yeong, who had arrived home late last night, had wanted to see Uirok’s face. But it really was late. Under the strict supervision of his grandmother and grandfather, Uirok was steadily learning what it meant to live properly.

Hong Seok-yeong had resigned himself to waiting until morning, and Daniel, unaware of what awaited him across the street, had probably enjoyed his last moments of peace.

Hm.

I’d deliberately chosen not to warn him. If he was going to be stuck to Hong Seok-yeong for a while, it was better for his illusions about the man to be shattered quickly.

“Daniel? Just Daniel?”

“Yes, please just call me Daniel, sir. I mean, ma’am. I mean…”

“I’m retired, so there’s no need for such stiff titles!”

Isabella laughed heartily and slapped Daniel on the back.

Before I could say anything, Isabella, who had already seen right through Daniel, didn’t even bother to speak English, but pressed him in Korean—deliberately, insistently.

I hadn’t expected to feel sorry for the man less than a day after meeting him.

But for Daniel, a young man clearly from some American intelligence agency, the ordeal was only beginning.

After being introduced to Uirok in the morning and learning he was my younger brother, Daniel’s behavior became even more cautious. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he tried to piece things together.

Hong Seok-yeong didn’t stop calling Uirok his son, even in front of Daniel. But that kid had an older brother? And that man, who’d told me last night to use his name as I wished, was the older brother?

The conclusion: Hong Seok-yeong’s disciple wasn’t just a disciple, but something closer—family, to be precise.

Family.

Family…

Daniel never asked me or Hong Seok-yeong directly. But neither of us corrected him, either.

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Given Mr. Hong’s condition, I won’t be coming and going from the house very often. Yangseong High is cut off from the outside, but if I wander around, I’ll eventually be noticed.”

“You did a great thing, Hee-jae.”

“I have to think about next year’s incoming students!”

“Did anyone say otherwise?”

Hong Seok-yeong ruffled my hair roughly.

“…There are plenty of empty rooms in the dorm, so by now, this Hunter here has probably cleared one out for you. Use that.”

“Th-thank you?”

“Likewise, if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you…”

I wondered what the odds were that Daniel wouldn’t recognize Hope.

He’d probably know at a glance. Hope now had another mission to handle. She already seemed to be having a hard time avoiding the kids.

“See that cabin over there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s Mr. Kim’s territory. I wouldn’t recommend going near it. The reeds are perfect for hiding bodies.”

“……”

Daniel’s face turned pale.

So even archmages get scared.

“I’m kidding. Mr. Kim is a civilized person—he doesn’t resort to violence like that.”

“……”

“But still, don’t go near there.”

“I absolutely won’t.”

“The greenhouse… that’s fine. Still, Mr. Kim’s been experimenting with various things lately, so just be careful.”

“Yes. I won’t go.”

“I said the greenhouse is fine. You don’t have to be so scared. As long as you’re polite, Mr. Kim isn’t difficult.”

Daniel still looked unconvinced. But I was telling the truth.

“Students come and go freely in the greenhouse… Oh, that building is the lab. There’s basically only one researcher, and he hates being disturbed. If you want to avoid trouble, don’t go there either. I’ll introduce you to Dr. Gamble later.”

Hope probably wouldn’t leave the lab. I doubted Gamble would like that. Hope probably wouldn’t like it either.

Family, huh.

After a brief explanation of the school buildings and systems, I looked at Daniel again. Hong Seok-yeong, perhaps guessing what I was about to do, pursed his lips and stepped back.

Take it easy.

It wasn’t hard to read his lips.

What am I supposed to be doing?

It’s just, you know.

A skilled healer has walked right into the school, and it would be a waste to have him just change bandages. That would be a loss.

“Mr. Hong, does your babysitter have any other duties?”

“Babysitter?!”

Daniel didn’t seem to catch my meaning.

It was a shame. Maybe because of the school’s isolation, even in America people didn’t know much about Yangseong High.

“You’ll end up meeting the kids anyway if you’re staying here… Mr. Hong is more passionate about teaching than he looks.”

“Than I look? Isn’t your opinion of me getting worse and worse?”

“This way, please. The kids should be in the classroom at this hour…”

“Oh, the kids? The students?”

Daniel hurried after me.

“They’re good kids. It’ll be easier to introduce you now. The school’s small, so the students are always curious about outsiders.”

Daniel looked at Hong Seok-yeong, perhaps seeking his approval. When Hong Seok-yeong nodded, Daniel relaxed.

I entered the classroom. The excitement over the principal’s return was brief; the students, startled by the crutches and then by the white man who followed, quickly fell silent.

Oh Hyun-wook, sitting in the front row, fixed me with an intense gaze, demanding an explanation.

I opened my mouth slowly.

“This is Daniel. As you can see, he’s a healer I brought back after getting injured on my business trip.”

I looked at the girl sitting beside my younger sister.

“Hye-eun. You’ll have a lot to learn from him.”

“Yes!”

“Huh?”

Satisfied with the two contrasting responses, I nodded.