Chapter 59

After the presentation concluded, as expected, a flood of guests swarmed toward me.

Frankly speaking, there were far more than I had anticipated, to the point it felt burdensome.

“Would you perhaps be interested in receiving our support? We’ll back you up without any disappointment.”

“Won’t you join our team after graduation? We have a project in the works…”

“We have long held a very high regard for your potential, Mr. Han Gang-yun. If you look at the materials we’ve prepared here…”

Though many offers came in, since I only had Myeongyool and Hwang Jincheol in mind anyway, I politely declined them all.

Amidst this, a certain group pushed through the crowd and approached me.

The mark of the Cheong Family, one of the Three Great Noble Families.

Their identity was all too clear.

Among the four members, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the representative stepped forward and spoke.

“Pleasure. I assume you know, but let me introduce myself. I am Cheong Doyuk of the Cheong Family.”

“…It’s an honor to meet you.”

I offered a greeting, but honestly, I was quite taken aback. No matter how I thought about it, the name Cheong Doyuk of the Cheong Family was one I was hearing for the first time.

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Cheong Doyuk conveyed his business with a rather resolute attitude.

“Let’s cut to the chase. We wish to acquire the Art Formula you demonstrated at the presentation.”

“By ‘we,’ you mean the Cheong Family?”

“Correct. I judged that Barrier Technique to possess sufficient value. Naturally, we have prepared appropriate compensation.”

An offer from one of the Three Great Noble Families. Any other student would have accepted without hesitation, but not me.

“It’s an honorable proposal, but I’m sorry. That seems impossible.”

“…And why is that?”

“Because it’s not an Art Formula I created with the intent of simply handing it over to someone.”

From the start, I am in a position where I will soon have to oppose the Cheong Family. There was absolutely no reason to do them any favors right now.

“A foolish choice. It would be wise to reconsider.”

“……”

Despite my polite refusal, Cheong Doyuk showed no sign of backing down.

From the brief conversation, I roughly understood. This was the type of person who acts as they please, backed by the prestige of a noble family.

Moreover, this place was Cheonghwa Academy, practically a symbol of the Cheong Family. Perhaps because of that, Cheong Doyuk became even more overbearing.

“I’ll give you one more chance. It doesn’t seem you’ve aligned yourself with another family either. I’d hate for you to do something you’ll regret.”

Just as the situation was starting to get annoying and I considered borrowing Cheong Soha’s name, footsteps began to sound from behind.

Thud. Thud.

“Quite a commotion.”

It was none other than Myeongyool, the hero of the first Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis and my primary target.

“You are…”

“Tsk. I understand it’s tempting, but is glaring at a young man out of the blue any way to act?”

“…I had no such intention.”

Although not from one of the Three Great Noble Families and a retired veteran from the front lines, the reputation of a former Special-Rank Exorcist was not something they could take lightly.

In the end, Cheong Doyuk, who had been gauging the situation, clicked his tongue and left with his underlings for the time being.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Not at all. I just found it grating to watch idly. You weren’t startled, were you?”

“No. It was merely a slightly awkward situation.”

Myeongyool, who had been stroking his beard for a moment, approached me.

“Your Barrier Technique. It was most impressive.”

“You flatter me. If you had been serious, sir, I surely wouldn’t have been able to hold out at all.”

“Now that is flattery. I don’t possess that level of power in my current state. To begin with, it was a sufficiently well-crafted Art Formula; even in my prime, I wouldn’t have broken free immediately.”

After leaving an evaluation bordering on high praise, Myeongyool then posed a question to me.

“So, speaking of which, is it truly correct that you created that Art Formula?”

The question was directed at me, but conversely, Myeongyool’s gaze turned toward Arietta, who was munching on a snack beside us. In response, Arietta answered with her characteristic expressionless face.

“That’s right. I learned it from my junior too. To say he received it from someone else… my junior couldn’t even use Art Formulas directly back then.”

“…If you say so, then it must be certain. My apologies if my words seemed distrustful.”

I paused momentarily at their familiar exchange, then asked a question.

“Excuse me, but by any chance, have the two of you known each other for a long time?”

“Know each other? Of course. She’s my disciple.”

For a very brief moment, my mind couldn’t keep up. So, to summarize, the Myeongyool I knew was Arietta’s teacher.

‘That wasn’t mentioned in the original work?’

I was truly learning this for the first time. And perhaps, this might be related to the reason Arietta changes her mind in the original work.

After all, originally, Myeongyool is scheduled to die not long from now.

‘There were no detailed mentions, but there might be some hidden circumstances.’

But regardless, that’s a matter for later. I refocused on Myeongyool before me and continued the conversation.

“I actually had something I wanted to ask of you for a while now, sir.”

“…That works out well. It’ll make talking easier.”

Myeongyool’s request was simple: he wanted to support my Barrier Technique research and share the results.

Since I had expected as much from the start, there was nothing particularly objectionable. And then, I conveyed the condition I had in mind to Myeongyool.

“Please arrange for me to meet the Prophet Woon-yeon.”

“……”

Prophet Woon-yeon. A figure who becomes one of the major turning points for Yoo Haon’s group in the main story.

If I followed the flow of the story, the day would naturally come when I’d meet her eventually, but I wanted to meet her a little sooner in my current state.

Somehow, I felt I had to.

“Woon-yeon, you say…”

At those words, Myeongyool’s expression changed for an instant. Not many know of Woon-yeon’s existence, and even fewer know of her connection with Myeongyool.

“I won’t ask how you know of that.”

“……”

“Let me say this first. That old woman is merely a simple fortune-teller, not some grand existence like that. Moreover, she’s quite eccentric. Even if you meet her, obtaining what you desire will be difficult.”

“That’s fine.”

“Very well then. Normally, it’s something to be avoided, but for some reason, I don’t feel like refusing.”

Myeongyool relaxed his hardened expression and quietly offered a handshake.

“From now on, I look forward to working with you. Regarding Woon-yeon, I’ll contact you separately soon.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As Myeongyool left, Arietta, who had been watching from the side, put a newly unwrapped chocolate in her mouth and spoke to me.

“If you needed my teacher, you could have just asked me separately.”

“…You didn’t mention it.”

“You didn’t ask either, junior.”

She really is a willful person. I looked at Arietta and gave an awkward smile. Then, for some reason, I felt she smiled back for a fleeting moment.

“But still, thank you.”

“Huh?”

“My teacher, he’s old yet stubborn about pointless research. If his burden lessens, it’s a good thing.”

Well, it was only natural for a disciple to think that way.

I nodded lightly and surveyed the surroundings, which were gradually becoming sparse with people.

‘Is Hwang Jincheol not coming?’

I was sure he would show interest in the Simple Barrier Stone, so it was strange.

‘It should be the perfect business item for him right now.’

To stand against Daejin Industries, known as a leader in the Cursed Arts Industry, he would scoop up anything, even the slimmest possibility.

It was hard to imagine him not setting his sights on such tempting prey.

Sure enough, before I knew it, I saw a middle-aged man approaching me with leisurely steps.

It was Hwang Jincheol, a big shot in the Cursed Arts Industry.

“Well now, I wonder if I’m too late.”

He spoke with feigned nonchalance, but Hwang Jincheol had probably been observing my movements for a while now.

And he revealed his leisurely demeanor only after everything else was done. He was indeed someone not to be underestimated.

“So, how about it? Did you achieve some results?”

“I learned a great deal in many ways.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Whether he thought well of me or not, he was showing a fundamentally quite friendly attitude. Since I had no intention of trying to be clever with such a major merchant anyway, I got straight to the point.

“You want the Simple Barrier Stone, correct?”

“If not, it would be too obvious a lie.”

“Good.”

At those words, even a renowned merchant like him seemed momentarily taken aback.

“…Am I to take that as an affirmative?”

“Yes. The finished product, the blueprints, and even the research journal containing the trial and error—I will hand over everything. Of course, the subsequent rights as well.”

“The discussion is progressing rather hastily. This matter likely holds much greater value than you think.”

To Hwang Jincheol, who was stating the obvious with a troubled look, I answered without hesitation.

“I am aware. Nevertheless, I am telling you.”

“…It seems you are serious after all. In that case, you must have a price you want from me.”

“Yes. There are two things I want.”

Hwang Jincheol nodded as if to say go ahead, and I first voiced the first condition.

“I would like you to strive to ensure the Simple Barrier Stone is disseminated as quickly as possible and to as broad a range of people as possible.”

“To as broad a range of people as possible, you say?”

It was likely a condition quite distant from what Hwang Jincheol had anticipated. Thus, he wore a puzzled expression.

“What benefit do you gain from doing that?”

My answer to that was predetermined.

“Because it is necessary for the future ahead.”

In the not-too-distant future, humanity will fall into great chaos due to the aftermath of the second Night Parade of One Hundred Specters.

At that time, this future technology, the Simple Barrier Stone, will serve as some measure of insurance.

“……”

For a moment, a strange light flickered in Hwang Jincheol’s eyes. It seemed partly admiring, and partly as if he was swallowing bitterness.

Soon after, Hwang Jincheol, having composed his expression, gazed intently into my eyes. It seemed he had begun probing again due to the reaction so different from his expectations.

“It’s a somewhat bewildering condition. However, it’s not bad for me. Understood. Then, what is the second condition?”

If spreading the Simple Barrier Stone was the only goal, it wouldn’t have been a problem even through Seo Jian. However, the reason I specifically targeted Hwang Jincheol was because he possessed a certain item I wanted.

An item absolutely necessary to defeat the Forbidden Arts Master Hectail, whom I will face again someday, and for my own growth.

It is a cursed stone that inevitably leads its owner to death.

“I want the Death Black Stone.”