READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 272. After the Break
‘Is it because I’ve only been reincarnated for a year? I still often feel a disconnect when dealing with Earthlings.’
Alien beings are hard to understand.
But because of that, I was even more intrigued.
So here I was, openly showing my interest in the other party, my gaze locked onto them.
And the mammal with black fur, upon hearing the Alphauri’s real name for the first time, seemed to realize something from my observant eyes, narrowing its pupils.
“……!”
The reason an S-Class Hunter had frequently watched me was solely out of observation from the start.
By now, they couldn’t claim ignorance anymore.
*
Buzz buzz buzz…
About 25 minutes earlier.
It was summer.
Seonwoo-yeon, for some reason, decided to go out for the first time in a while, pulling out her precious American denim jeans to wear.
Today was the day to see another’s face.
Though unusual for someone who valued etiquette, the worry for the person involved caused her to break her rare rules.
This meant that someone had infinitely good intentions from the start of this incident.
“Hm……”
Eventually, Seonwoo-yeon, dressed in casual clothes, left her house.
The sun was warm, and the green leaves greeted her from the sidewalk. The weather was so nice that for a moment, she felt everything might turn out well.
However, the reality that approached her was quite different from that expectation.
In fact, it was shocking even.
“I’m actually an alien!”
So aliens do exist.
And now, the Hunter before her was that alien.
Seonwoo-yeon thought.
Maybe this was just a B-Class Hunter getting caught in a fight between whales, facing some punishment, right?
Usually, she would dismiss any talk about aliens as nonsense without a second thought.
But now, with Justitia right in the middle of the room proving the conversation’s credibility.
Her mind instantly became a swirl of confusion due to this tangible proof.
Alien. Binary star system. And magic.
No matter how many times she mulled it over, it remained a concept that wouldn’t easily merge, like oil floating on water.
“Hello. My name is ‘Lemming.’”
Are you telling me that this polished man was actually an alien being contained within that skin?
Moreover, such a strange existence was cleverly hidden among South Korea’s hunters?
“We’ve perfectly introduced ourselves, so we’re friends now, right?”
The outcome of Justitia.
And the blond Hunter, who always made perfect judgments as if embodying the word rationality.
He had several compelling reasons to make one listen to his claims, but Seonwoo-yeon prioritized her own ‘experience’ above all.
Thus came her answer.
‘Alien……’
A thought slipped through regarding the possibility that what the blond was saying might not be a lie.
‘Huh?’
It was only in this situation that Seonwoo-yeon began to interpret a mysterious scene she had buried in her heart until now.
The blond man stealing ice cream from a child who couldn’t have been more than a first grader.
Looking back, there had indeed been something strange right from the very start.
Furthermore, examining other aspects, many of the disquieting feelings she’d had previously linked to the conversation she was having now.
‘Could it be that’s why he referred to himself as ‘washed up’?’
Listening closely to the other party’s claims, this man before her indeed seemed like a retired soldier in some respects.
In a way, even the word Kim Gi-ryeo had mumbled in passing now seemed to fit.
The likelihood that the information she had heard was not just nonsense was rising.
Even still, the idea of fully digesting this in the moment was quite a bombshell from an Earthling’s perspective.
Seonwoo-yeon wasn’t stupid.
However, being naive, she quickly began to respect the opinion of the other party, who wanted her to believe him, in line with her usual nature.
“But you’re not really thinking this situation is unfair, are you? When you think about it, it was ultimately you who intruded recklessly into a mage’s domain.”
In a life-or-death crisis like this, it was indeed difficult to engage in complex contemplation.
A few minutes later.
An Earthling caught under an enigmatic curse, thanks to contact with Lemming, who had completed his magic.
“Wait, you know, Seonwoo-yeon Hunter, I was disappointed. I didn’t think you’d see me that way. After all the times I helped you, you came just to attack me after getting swayed by Kang Chang-ho’s words? Did you think I was some sort of monster?”
After a lengthy conversation.
As the blond man began to grumble in annoyance, Seonwoo-yeon hurriedly clarified.
“Ah, no. Just wait! That’s a misunderstanding!”
Worried that the angry alien might blow up, she quickly set the record straight regarding her intention for coming here.
The being that was using Kim Gi-ryeo’s resident registration card felt a strange surprise from Seonwoo-yeon’s intense anxious reaction.
But objectively speaking, it made sense.
The alien had expressed that they were only once great but now had diminished power throughout the conversation.
Yet, the fact that he was still an F-Class hadn’t been revealed yet…
“Well, to be precise, it’s a bit different. I was actually worried about the Hunter, so I came to find you.”
“Hmm?”
Where to start explaining?
Now the roles were reversed, and the blond man began to fiddle with the scale he had passed to Justitia.
Therefore, as an Association Employee, Seonwoo-yeon chose her words carefully to avoid being deemed nonsensical.
“I heard this from Kang Chang-ho! According to him, it seems something bad has possessed Mr. Kim. It’s like phenomena occurring in dungeons such as the [Unknown Cave] or [Doppelgänger]. And these days, it’s a chaotic time with monsters that take control of minds, right?”
“Exactly.”
“If those monsters have attached themselves, it would be a very serious situation. I was worried that some misfortune had befallen Mr. Kim, even for a moment. I never thought of the Hunter as a bad person….”
“Oh. So it wasn’t doubt towards Kim Gi-ryeo’s identity itself.”
Sniffle.
As Seonwoo-yeon spoke, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, like ant tears.
“You said I shouldn’t speak carelessly about your original name, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll call you as usual. Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo, you often boldly enter bizarre gates. I thought the likelihood of being exposed to special dungeon disasters was sufficient.”
Unlike some alien suspicions, Seonwoo-yeon had come to find him with a purely innocent heart.
But at this point, a small question arose.
“Wait a minute. But if your objective was merely to verify whether a monster had attached itself, wouldn’t it have been much more efficient for Kang Chang-ho, the owner of Justitia, to come directly? Didn’t you think it was odd that you handed that scale to someone else?”
However, upon hearing Seonwoo-yeon’s reply.
The great mage Lemming nodded in agreement.
“Kang Chang-ho thought that if he went alone, no one would believe him……. So he thought it would be better if the association, a public institution, mediated this matter.”
“Aha.”
“Before he could inform his colleagues at work about the incident, I thought it was better for me, as someone who has a connection to the Hunter, to first verify the facts.”
“Hmm, Seonwoo-yeon, that reminds me—if Kang Chang-ho’s words turned out to be true and I really were a monster, wouldn’t that put you in danger?”
“That… I always write down my deployment location in an email when I go to dungeons or somewhere. So if something unusual happened, the Association would know, and I thought I could still help the Hunter in any case.”
“Oh.”
Most of these reasons were predictable.
“Then, speaking of which, let’s go ahead and cancel that email reservation. We’re now friends who’ve exchanged names, and we plan to have a very peaceful conversation in this room from now on.”
“Uh….”
Kim Gi-ryeo continued speaking as he accessed Seonwoo-yeon’s email through his phone.
“Well then, to summarize, Seonwoo-yeon, you were swayed by that man’s seemingly ethical claims.”
If only Kang Chang-ho had tried to suppress her with force, it might have been a different story.
Seonwoo-yeon was the type to be prepared for others to bend while she would end up breaking.
Even though she wasn’t born from a machine, she had a tendency to be obsessed with fairness.
So if Kang Chang-ho’s demands hadn’t seemed right to her, even if an ex-convict had threatened to kill Kim Gi-ryeo and ordered her, she wouldn’t have come to this room.
“I’m sorry.”
A lamenting voice flowed.
“Honestly… I’m a person too. I’ve seen cases within the Association where Hunter Kang was disciplined for leaking information in exchange for monetary compensation. So, having witnessed all that, it became difficult for me to maintain neutrality. Even up until I came here, I almost didn’t believe what he was saying.”
The innocent B-Class diviner regretfully apologized for her actions.
“But with my status, worrying about a top-tier hunter… I figured there was even the slightest chance Mr. Kim might be in trouble. I’m very sorry……”
Of course, the room’s owner didn’t care much.
He was just as arrogant now as he had been in his past life. His character remained unchanged, and his preferences had not significantly shifted due to the same soul.
The blond man glanced at the scale, which never tilted to the left, and slightly moved his lips.
“If you were worried about me, then that’s enough. I’m more grateful.”
The alien who had introduced themselves as Lemming then waved their hand nonchalantly.
With that gesture, they could easily pass as a native Korean.
“Yeah. Thinking back, I’m the root cause of the trouble after a scuffle with Kang Chang-ho. What great sin could there be for Seonwoo-yeon?”
“A scuffle…? Wait a minute. Did you two have a conflict?”
“You didn’t know?”
“If I had known, would I have come here?”
After that, news came that the media was being controlled due to reasons either to protect the Awakened image of Esther or possibly due to interference from Kang Chang-ho’s side, but none of it seemed too important.
“The internet is fast at spreading information, so there might have been some posts gone up here and there. But at least, the news didn’t report that you two fought. I don’t often check SNS either…”
Now living with golden hair and black eyes was the man.
Lemming.
He thought for a moment, resting one hand on his chin.
‘Hmm.’
For now, Justitia had been safely occupied, so there wouldn’t be any incidents like that again.
As for Seonwoo-yeon, he could take his time to help her with future matters, even if it meant spending the whole day.
To be precise, this Earthling was a good card to use against any ex-convict.
The opponent had revealed their intent of coming here out of concern for Kim Gi-ryeo. Even without any supposed awareness, they definitely understood the concept of ‘jeong’ in Korean society.
‘Yeah. Considering how kind I’ve been until now, I should grant them this favor.’
At least as long as the justification held up.
That earnest public servant had a very high probability of blocking the unfair violence of others.
Since she was that kind of person, most problems were resolved.
But at this point, one question lingered in his mind.
‘I’ve understood very well Seonwoo-yeon’s reasons for coming here. I get why Kang Chang-ho chose that public servant among many people. Among those who would break personal ties, Ahn Yoon-seung was blindly one-sided while she was comparatively fair and would pose the biggest problem if I made a mistake. But…’
The process was so seamless that he had momentarily overlooked one thing.
Come to think of it, how did Kang Chang-ho deduce that someone’s mindset had shifted?
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo……. But may I ask you something for a moment?”
“Why the sudden use of such extreme honorifics?”
A little while later.
Time passed, and even the guest who had visited the studio presented the same question.
Had there been any recent actions that might lead one to suspect they were a monster in front of Kang Chang-ho?
Seonwoo-yeon hesitated, looking for a way out.
But Lemming believed he’d done well enough imitating Earthlings.
As evidenced by how one B-Class hunter had nearly fallen over, utterly shocked to learn he was an alien.
So, when Kang Chang-ho pointed out Kim Gi-ryeo’s identity, wasn’t it logically quite a leap for the other party to accept?
“You’re an alien… Have you, by any chance, noticed that too? I mean, now that you mention it, I don’t think Kang Chang-ho explicitly identified you as a ‘monster’ when he spoke to me……”
“Well, Justitia is present, and most importantly, because of the Contract Item, when I think back on it, every expression was quite vague overall.”
His head tilted slightly.
Even if one viewed it generously, it seemed implausible that an Earthling would catch on to the existence of an alien, let alone pinpointing something as specific as an Alphauri.
To be clear, recognizing him as Lemming was even more absurd.
If, perchance, they had realized that the one occupying Kim Gi-ryeo’s body was an ancient great mage whose restraints were all lifted, then even if they’d seen him display weakness countless times, it was unlikely they would have thought to pick a fight so easily.
When encountering a weak mage, assuming they were deceptively frail to dupe everyone would be the rational approach against an Alphauri.
Given the numerous dark individuals among the ultra-powerful magical species from beyond the universe.
Yet, considering these conditions, any hostile actions from someone felt simultaneously cautious yet strangely relaxed.
‘……’
Thus, now it became all the more perplexing.
What exactly did the man with the cerulean hair misunderstand about them?