Retire 449

449 Fragments (1)

Daniel.

A man from some American intelligence agency, whose last name I didn’t know, and whose first name might not even be real.

He’d introduced himself in a suspicious way from the start, and there’s no way he didn’t know how that would look to us.

So why did he act that way?

Lee Miseon said it was a kind of insurance.

‘Not insurance with Hunter Hong.’

The partnership with Hunter Hong Seokyoung was already running smoothly. There was nothing left to sort out, except perhaps some negotiations about compensation.

‘Honestly, don’t you think so too, Mr. Woo?’

‘Pardon?’

‘It’s not like Hunter Hong doesn’t have connections—he could easily hire a discreet healer, couldn’t he?’

‘…….’

‘This is the Americans trying to get on your good side, Mr. Woo.’

‘Me?’

‘Well, maybe more for Ms. Kim’s sake than yours.’

He never stated his affiliation outright. But it wasn’t hard to guess, and even if I’d asked Daniel directly, he probably wouldn’t have denied it completely.

‘It’s the first time Hunter Hong has started gathering guild members. But look at the team.’

‘There’s an archmage.’

‘And a so-called disciple of Hunter Hong.’

‘Is that such a big deal?’

‘Hunter Hong didn’t deny it, and just from what you showed in Marseille, it’s clear you’re not ordinary. After Okinawa, the Americans are probably congratulating themselves for making the right call.’

‘But is that really so important…’

Lee Miseon gave me a look of pity, as if she was worried how I’d survive in this harsh world if I didn’t even get that much.

‘…I do understand why it draws attention, why people are interested. But I don’t think it’s so important as to need insurance. It’s not like my career is anything special right now.’

‘It’s the first time Hunter Hong has traveled with a disciple, and the first time he’s added guild members. The school… well, you can’t ignore the school, but let’s set that aside for now.’

‘…….’

‘No, the school is important, too. It’s so isolated that even the great United States can’t get information out of it.’

‘…Are you saying Daniel was sent to gather information on me?’

‘You go around confidently calling yourself Hong Seokyoung’s disciple. Of course they’d want to see just how good you are.’

Lee Miseon said this lightly, but her voice was anything but.

‘If Hunter Hong ever can’t act as he does now… wouldn’t it be great if his so-called disciple could take his place?’

‘…Insurance in that sense?’

‘Hunter Hong isn’t invincible. He might retire someday… and then who would inherit everything?’

‘…….’

‘Since Hunter Hong has no family, it would probably be that disciple, right?’

Lee Miseon smiled.

‘So, they want to get along well with you now.’

Because Daniel had to change my father’s bandages regularly, I’d even brought him to our house. My father never bothered to watch his behavior around Daniel.

Saying he had no family was wrong. Lee Miseon probably knew that, more or less. But since it wasn’t official, she just pretended not to know.

Even if I weren’t his disciple, both Uirok and I would inherit everything from my father.

Because we’re family.

‘…Are you sure this is just an American thing?’

‘Of course!’

Lee Miseon smiled as if to say, “Why even ask?”

‘We’re already getting along, aren’t we!’

Strangely, I didn’t feel like denying it.

I shook myself free from my conversation with Lee Miseon. Daniel was still fidgeting, mumbling to himself.

I glanced over at the people working hard in the greenhouse.

“Is this something you can’t say here?”

“Ah, it’s not exactly that, but…”

He looked grateful at the suggestion to move elsewhere.

He would have said it even if I insisted on staying, so it couldn’t be that secret.

I had no idea what he wanted to talk about.

Still, I figured I’d be more comfortable talking somewhere private, so I gestured for Daniel to follow me.

He looked a little relieved.

“What is it? Did something go wrong with the samples or data we sent to the U.S.?”

Or…

“Is it about Mr. Hong’s leg? You said earlier the recovery was good.”

“No, no, it’s not that.”

Daniel waved his hands.

His gestures were as Korean as his now-fluent Korean.

“…Then what is it?”

“It’s, um, about one of the students.”

I tensed.

I didn’t know Daniel’s true abilities. There were hints he might be S-rank, and being from an intelligence agency, he couldn’t be an ordinary healer.

But I trusted his intelligence. At the very least, I believed he wouldn’t do anything stupid here.

With Hong Seokyoung, an archmage, and a host of other guild hunters at this school, what could he possibly be thinking?

I barely stopped myself from drawing my spear. Daniel took half a step back, but didn’t retreat fully.

He pretended not to notice that I was glaring at him as if I might kill him.

“I, uh, spoke to Mr. Blake first, but he said I should talk to you.”

“…Mr. Blake? Which one?”

“Both of them…”

Isabella and Robert?

I cleared my throat and tried to calm down. I must have been on edge lately, given everything going on. There was no need to react so sharply. Maybe Daniel just wanted to have a… parent-teacher conference?

I wasn’t the kids’ guardian, but as their homeroom—or something close to it—he could have questions for me.

No, wait. If he’d asked Isabella and Robert first, and they’d sent him to me…

…There was only one student that could be about.

Kang Taewoo?

“It’s about Kang Taewoo.”

“…What about him?”

My words came out sharper than I intended.

If Robinson or Funes had asked about Taewoo, I’d have thought, “Ah, so they’re finally planning to poach a student.” Not that they’d really steal him, but if they wanted to use the excuse of studying abroad, I’d have helped as much as I could. Taewoo still hadn’t given up on his dream of studying overseas.

But Daniel, who wasn’t even a French hunter, bringing up Taewoo?

That made me uneasy.

“Isn’t he the kid under witness protection?”

But Daniel’s question caught me off guard yet again.

Did Daniel know?

Well, being from an intelligence agency, it would be strange if he didn’t. It’s not like he wouldn’t have looked into it, given that a distant relative of Hong Seokyoung suddenly appeared. Plus, Isabella and Robert were U.S. military hunters.

We did get help from the U.S. in arranging Taewoo’s identity. Maybe not for Taewoo alone, but Sophia had been added to the U.S. social security system thanks to Gamble. The new identities for both of them were as members of a family who had lived in Hawaii.

But that wasn’t with help from Daniel’s agency. Anything related to my father’s kids would have been classified. Even a special agent wouldn’t have easy access.

“…What is it?”

I dodged the question and pressed Daniel again.

Not that Daniel really expected an answer.

“I figured you’d know more about the kid than I do…”

He glanced at me, then began to explain, cautiously.

I didn’t grab him by the collar and demand, “How do you know that?” I could wait until I heard what he had to say.

“You know he lived in the U.S. when he was young, right?”

“…Yes.”

“There are a few things I wanted to check about that.”

This was from before Taewoo came to the lab.

Maybe when we’d first brought him, he’d been wary of us, but now Taewoo trusted us completely. Let’s just say an Australian had played a major role. So “witness protection” wasn’t wrong. Taewoo knew more about the lab than I’d expected. Lee Miseon had gotten a lot of help from him.

But—

I shook my head.

“Taewoo doesn’t remember much about his time in America.”

We’d already checked.

After we learned about Atlas Pharmaceuticals. More precisely, after we found out that Atlas employees who’d gone to America had formed a strange cult village.

Taewoo did his best to tell us anything he remembered, no matter how trivial.

But it had been over ten years for him. He was so young he hadn’t even started elementary school.

No one would have told a child anything important, and all Taewoo remembered was the layout of his house.

“That’s fine. I just want to check a few things.”

“……”

“I know you can’t trust everything a child remembers. This is just for reference. If you’re worried, you can check first yourself.”

“……”

“Honestly, we need every clue we can get right now…”

When I didn’t answer, Daniel seemed to think I was going to refuse, and started adding more explanations.

It wasn’t anything major. And it didn’t seem like he had any hidden agenda.

I sighed.

“Let’s just be blunt, shall we?”

“…Pardon?”

“If it’s about Taewoo’s time in America, we both know what it’s about. So do I.”

“Mm.”

“This incident—just tell me honestly what it’s about. Did your higher-ups tell you not to say?”

Daniel’s eyes, which had been so guileless, suddenly sharpened.

“That’s not it.”

He seemed to have finished his calculations in that brief moment.

“I just didn’t know how much Hunter Hong had told you.”

“Wouldn’t it have been faster to ask him?”

“I was told you’re Taewoo’s guardian.”

“…Not exactly.”

“I asked Hunter Hong if I should talk to him, but he said it would end up with you anyway.”

“Who said that?”

“Mr. Blake.”

I sighed. It was the right call.

“And it wasn’t really about how much you know, either.”

Daniel shrugged.

“You might know more than I do. Actually, you probably do.”

“Ah, right.”

“So, um, well…”

Perhaps realizing it wouldn’t help him to drag things out, Daniel hurried to the point.

He held out his phone. There was a photo of a white man.

“I want to ask Taewoo if he remembers seeing this man in the village where he lived as a child.”

“I doubt he’d remember that…”

“I heard he was the village sheriff, so maybe even a little kid would remember.”

“…Sheriff?”

I looked closely at the photo. Graying hair, a wrinkled brow, a strong jaw. A sturdy build.

“Who is it?”

“Christophe Lehmann.”

Lehmann?

I looked at Daniel. As soon as he saw I recognized the name, he confirmed my suspicion.

“He’s Henry Lehmann’s father.”