Chapter 190

‘How should I explain this.’

Making up a story on the spot isn’t difficult. However, an ordinary tale wouldn’t be enough to earn Haekaram’s trust.

Therefore, I decided not to make him believe me, but to temporarily borrow the name of someone he could believe.

“…Could you give us a moment alone?”

At my serious demeanor, Haekaram gestured with his chin for Haewoonhyeong to do so.

He even manipulated the Great Barrier after Haewoonhyeong left to completely block out any sound.

I looked at Haekaram and slowly began to speak.

“Of course, I didn’t figure all this out alone. I was just an Academy student, after all.”

“Then?”

“There is someone who conveyed these facts to me.”

This is where it gets important.

I needed to appropriately select a figure credible enough to earn Haekaram’s trust, yet one who wouldn’t cause problems later.

And coincidentally, I knew someone who met all those conditions.

After deliberately showing a hint of hesitation, I continued speaking to Haekaram.

“That person is none other than Cheongil-nim.”

“…What?”

Haekaram tilted his head for a moment, then asked with an expression questioning if he’d heard correctly.

“Cheongil… you mean the Cheongil I know?”

Correct.

The hero of the Cheong Family, the very founder of Cheonghwa Academy.

That Cheongil, who was evaluated as possessing power from an entirely different dimension.

“What on earth are you talking about? As far as I know, Cheongil died over a century ago.”

“I thought so too.”

If I didn’t know the information from the original work, I too would have thought he left the Cheong Family and met his end.

And here, I needed to mix in a very small amount of truth.

“Do you know about the Eternal Labyrinth?”

“The Eternal Labyrinth?”

“Rumors about a Man-Eating Barrier.”

Haekaram has probably heard of it at that level.

Although its true nature hasn’t been revealed, rumors have circulated due to a few eyewitness accounts and the periodic occurrence of disappearances.

This was an acknowledged fact even in the original work.

“Late last year, I was caught up in that place. And after overcoming numerous hardships, I finally managed to escape the labyrinth.”

“Late last year… don’t tell me…”

It seems Haekaram had some inkling.

Soon, she too adopted a serious expression and addressed me.

“I’ve heard information indirectly. That there were Life Returners from the Man-Eating Barrier. And the sources of the rumors all said there was an unidentified helper.”

Among the party at the time, there were also members connected to the Headquarters, so they probably reported the general details to their superiors.

Fortunately, it seems they kept their promise to me well during that process.

“In short, you’re saying that helper was you?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“And considering the flow of the conversation, don’t tell me inside there…”

“That’s right. Cheongil-nim was surviving inside the Eternal Labyrinth. I only learned that fact after encountering him.”

Even lies have their own quality.

Depending on how you package it, it can transform into a plausible story in an instant.

And judging by the reaction, it seems a series of stories had been completed in Haekaram’s mind at this very moment.

“Cheongil-nim has circumstances preventing him from leaving that place immediately.”

Up to this point, it’s not a lie but the truth.

In reality, Cheongil was trapped in the Guilty Labyrinth, one of the areas of the Eternal Labyrinth, and was in a situation where escape by his own power was impossible.

“However, even in that situation, he informed me of the Cheong Family’s crisis.”

“And that information is related to Jinmyeong Daesa.”

“Correct.”

Haekaram was already half on my side. So here, I needed to deliver the final decisive blow.

“In fact, after that, I tried to create connections with the Cheong Family to ascertain whether Cheongil-nim’s warning was true. You probably have some inkling about that part.”

“……”

Coincidentally, it was around that time that internal strife arose within the Cheong Family over Cheong Joohwa.

And Haekaram, in the process of reviewing the criminal’s past, would have already recognized that I was at the center of that incident.

When the situation fits this perfectly, honestly, no one could help but believe.

“Cheong Soha cannot disobey Jinmyeong Daesa’s orders due to suggestions implanted since childhood. Cheongil-nim’s warning is entirely true.”

“…Indeed, among what I’ve heard now, there’s nothing I can really deny.”

The persuasion was over. Haekaram fully trusted my words.

Maintaining my composure, I inwardly cheered.

“However, I cannot abandon my duty to guard Yangcheolkoong either.”

“There was a major incident this time, so other prisoners will likely lay low and avoid causing trouble for a while.”

“……”

“Moreover, if Jinmyeong Daesa gains control of Korea’s Cursed Arts World, it’s highly likely he will try to lay hands on Yangcheolkoong as well, which has several useful pawns.”

In short, stopping Jinmyeong Daesa is not unrelated to fulfilling my duty.

That argument certainly had merit, so after a moment of contemplation, Cheong Haram finally nodded.

“Alright. I’ll help you.”

“…Thank you. That’s a weight off my mind.”

“So, let’s talk about something more practical now.”

A concrete plan to stop Jinmyeong Daesa and Cheong Soha.

To establish it, Haekaram and I began our discussion, and hours later, we disappeared from Yangcheolkoong.

Now, the time for the real decisive battle was truly approaching.

After Han Kangyoon was sent to Yangcheolkoong, many things happened on the other side as well.

“Ah, this is infuriating! I can’t figure out what’s going on at all!”

The one stomping her feet in anger was none other than Baek Eunseo of Yoo Haon’s group.

And they were now hiding in a corner of a house emptied by civilian evacuation, discussing their next steps.

“…I know. We just barely got through the crisis, and then this happens right away.”

Yoo Haon’s group had recently assisted the Subjugation Force targeting the Howling Dragon Shark, presumed to be an S-Rank Specter, and finally succeeded in repelling it.

But a problem arose immediately after.

Somehow, Han Kangyoon, whose whereabouts had been mysterious, had become a major criminal and was sent to the special prison Yangcheolkoong.

Naturally, Han Seoa, who was from the same orphanage, couldn’t hide her agitation, and Yoo Haon’s group decided to gather information first to find a way.

But then, Cheong Family Exorcists stormed in, demanding Cheong Joohwa be handed over and staging a show of force, making it impossible to keep their composure, so they went into hiding.

“What the heck is going on? You can tell at a glance something’s up, but on the other hand, we don’t know anything, making it hard to grasp the situation.”

This time, the exchange student Yohan was also with them.

From his previous conversation with Han Kangyoon, Yohan knew that Han Kangyoon was involved in various matters, but how that was connected to this situation was a complete mystery.

Then, Cheong Joohwa, who had been deep in thought organizing her ideas, spoke up.

“It’s probably because of the Cheong Family.”

“Do you have some idea?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but last time, we had a clash with a Cheong Family Elder together.”

As soon as Han Kangyoon was sent to Yangcheolkoong, Cheong Family Exorcists came looking for Cheong Joohwa.

It would be more strange to think this wasn’t related.

“The problem is, we can’t identify who’s behind it.”

Simply thinking, it would be Cheong Doyool, but he suffered massive losses from his previous failure.

Moreover, it seemed he had no capacity for this now due to dealing with the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis, so the possibility of him doing this was lower than one might think.

“Were there any other Elders you had a bad relationship with?”

“No. There weren’t. Excluding Cheong Doyool, there were actually more on good terms than bad…?”

Furthermore, since Han Kangyoon maintained a fairly close relationship with Cheong Soha, it wouldn’t have been easy to act so openly unless they were going against her.

Thinking that far, Cheong Joohwa felt a certain sense of incongruity.

“Something feels off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since Cheong Soha-nim is backing him, she should have blocked any ordinary schemes…”

Reality is the complete opposite.

Cheong Family Exorcists appeared, even using force to demand she be handed over, and there’s no word from Cheong Soha’s side.

What does that fact signify?

There are probably various possibilities, but honestly, the most likely one is predetermined.

Cheong Joohwa had no choice but to acknowledge it.

“…I was thinking wrong.”

It’s not Cheong Doyool. Rather, the one targeting Han Kangyoon and Cheong Joohwa in this situation is the complete opposite.

“…It’s Cheong Soha-nim. Perhaps the relationship has completely broken down.”

“So, you mean she betrayed him?”

“I’m not certain, but it seems that way.”

At that conclusion, the group all wore blank expressions.

It’s not strange.

Anyone in Korea aspiring to be an Exorcist knows Cheong Soha’s name.

If she were truly behind this situation, there’s no way a mere group like Yoo Haon’s could do anything by just gathering to think of a plan.

“…The scale has gotten too big.”

“Damn it, what are we supposed to do about this? Honestly, Cheong Soha is just in a different league.”

Even Baek Eunseo, as a direct descendant of a family with countless connections, wasn’t confident that even calling her family’s Elders could stand against Cheong Soha.

But on the other hand, she couldn’t give up even in that situation.

Because in this place, there were too many people deeply connected to Han Kangyoon.

A somewhat prolonged silence continued inside the apartment.

And right at that moment, a response came from the detection barrier Cheong Joohwa had deployed.

Ziiing!*

“…Someone’s here. Two of them. And they’re quite strong.”

She said that, but honestly, it was a somewhat alarming level.

The amount of Spiritual Power felt from those two was at least 1st-Rank or higher, perhaps even beyond that.

“They disappeared on the floor right below us.”

“A Concealment Art? Everyone, get ready!”

Yoo Haon’s group each took out their Cursed Tools and heightened their tension.

They too were now veterans of battle. They wouldn’t be easily defeated by any opponent.

How much time passed like that?

The locked entrance door opened, and from there, a hooded girl with flowing silver hair slowly revealed herself.

Soon, she completely removed her hood, scanned the faces of Yoo Haon’s group in the room one by one, and then spoke.

“…So you were here. I was looking for you.”

“Huh?”

At that sight, Yoo Haon’s group was uniformly surprised. And then, they somewhat relaxed their guard.

“…Is it okay if I come in?”

The identity of the girl who revealed herself was none other than Arietta Morgan, a graduate of Cheonghwa Academy.