“It’s because of you that Teacher Kim Sang-sik can no longer move freely outside. He’ll be dismissed from Gwangcheon, losing his official standing. Forward will only tighten its guard, and finding weaknesses will be harder. The chance to strike at them has slipped farther away. All of this is the result of your hatred and thirst for revenge.”

“……”

Jodie lowered her head.

“Because you acted without thinking, all the efforts you and Teacher Kim built up until now have been wasted. From this point on, you must abandon personal revenge.”

“I can’t! I won’t!”

Her head shot up, eyes blazing.

“I… I’ll kill every last one of those bastards who made me like this!”

“How? With what? After wrecking everything like this and exposing yourself to the Peacekeepers, exactly how do you plan to fight Forward?”

“I-I’ll sneak out somehow—”

“The mayor said you lost control earlier.”

“!”

Jodie’s eyes widened.

“If the mayor hadn’t stepped in, could you have really beaten that many Black Hounds? Could you have protected Teacher Kim?”

“……”

She turned her eyes away, unable to answer.

Kim Sang-sik stayed silent, watching me.

“Jodie. Your way is wrong. From now on, you’ll follow me. That’s the only way you’ll have any chance of revenge against Forward.”

“W-what…?”

She stared at me.

“If you resist my methods or refuse my orders, I’ll cut you out of everything from here on. A reckless person is nothing but a hindrance.”

“What are you—”

“Answer me. Will you sit quietly until the Peacekeepers lock you away and end it all, or will you swear to follow my orders, no matter what?”

I fixed my gaze on hers.

“……”

Jodie’s lips trembled as she glared at me. In her eyes swirled frustration, resentment, and fury.

I knew all that—and still pressed on.

“Answer me.”

I had to be firm. She was consumed by vengeance. That thirst against Forward was what kept her alive. That wasn’t inherently bad. In fact, I needed it. But to use it, I had to chain it—and this was the chance. She nearly lost Kim Sang-sik because of her mistake, and Forward had grown more vigilant because of her. Now she was vulnerable.

“…fine.”

“What was that? Louder.”

“Fine! I said fine! I’ll do what you say!”

She shouted it.

“If you break that promise, can you swear never to face Forward again?”

“That’s—”

“If not, this ends here.”

“Agh, damn it! Fine! I swear! I swear—”

Jodie bared her teeth.

“Just let me kill them. Let me kill Forward with my own hands. That’s all I want.”

“Good. As long as you keep your oath, I promise you’ll get that chance.”

Her face brightened at my words.

A knock came at the door. It opened, and Lee Seon walked in, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes as always.

“Mr. Kim Sang-sik. Miss Jodie. I’ve come to take you.”

He spoke, then glanced at me.

“Have the Black Hound operatives woken?”

“Yes. They’re under interrogation now.”

“And afterwards?”

“They’ll be detained for now. Your comrades are waiting downstairs. Go join them.”

Lee Seon turned back to Kim Sang-sik.

“Please come with me.”

Sang-sik nodded, then looked at Jodie.

“Let’s go.”

“…Mm.”

Lee Seon led them down the hall.

I watched their backs for a moment, then headed for the stairs.

On the first floor, I found the three waiting in the lobby.

“Yein!” Lumina jumped up and waved.

As I approached, Seo Yui lowered her voice. “Did you finish talking with the mayor?”

“Yes. But not here. Let’s move somewhere private.”

“Is there such a place?” Meiling asked.

“There is.” I nodded. “We just need permission first.”

----------------------------------------

Thirty minutes later.

We sat in the lounge-slash-reception room at Platinum Wings.

“When I got the call asking me to lend you a room, I thought it was nothing. And then you tell me you fought Forward’s dogs right after HAUT?” Eleanor gave me a disbelieving look. “Why in the world would you be fighting the Black Hounds?”

“If you want the story, sit down. But if you listen, you’re in for the ride.”

Her lips jutted out at my reply.

The mayor said not to tell anyone, but Eleanor will be a collaborator anyway. That’s fine.

“Is this another ‘pretend you didn’t hear, or you’re trash’ situation?” she asked, recalling my words from the Valhall incident.

“No. You don’t know anything yet. You can still walk away. But once you hear, you won’t like yourself if you turn back.”

“Your teammates are all in?” She glanced at Lumina and the others.

“Yeah.”

“Tch.” Eleanor bit her lip, then dropped into the chair opposite me.

“Are you sure about this?”

“You’re my business partner. If you’re in danger, I’ll help.”

As expected. I smiled inwardly. This was why I liked Eleanor’s nature.

“All right, tell me. What happened? What are you doing?” She crossed her arms and legs.

I nodded and began.

“The ally who helped us at Valhall? That was Jodie. She’s a girl whose body was grafted with monster parts by Forward’s experiments.”

“…What?” Eleanor’s face went blank. Of course.

I explained everything. Jodie’s grudge against Forward. Kim Sang-sik aiding her. How we sheltered her before HAUT. How she and Kim Sang-sik infiltrated Forward’s lab afterward and were attacked by the Black Hounds. How the mayor and Peacekeepers saved them.

When I finished, Eleanor just stared at me in a daze.

“So, if you can prove a way to store magic-stone energy, the mayor will support Jodie?” Seo Yui asked.

“Yes. He said he couldn’t tolerate Forward’s crimes, only that he lacked a way to oppose them. If given one, he would.”

“Yein, does that mean Teacher Kim and Jodie will stay at city hall?” Lumina asked.

“They’ll probably be placed in a safe house. Not a hotel—too easy to spot. The Peacekeepers must have secure residences.”

“Could the Black Hounds have realized the mayor is tied to Jodie?” Meiling asked.

“They probably reported it. So Forward will be even more defensive now. But they don’t know about us. The Peacekeepers drew all the attention. We weren’t even seen.”

“Wait.”

We all turned. Eleanor looked flustered.

“Everything you just told me… it’s all true?”

“Yeah. Regretting hearing it?”

She grimaced, then pressed a hand to her forehead. “Give me a second. I need to sort this out.”

Ten seconds later, she lifted her head again.

“You’re the Mysterious Craftsman.”

I nodded.

“Which means you’re the one who knows how to produce and store magic-stone energy.”

“That’s right.”

“How!?” Eleanor shot to her feet, shouting. “How do you know that!?”

“Eleanor. Keep your voice down.”

I placed a finger to my lips.

Sure enough, footsteps came up the stairs, followed by a knock.

“Boss! Is something wrong?”

“It’s fine, Ricky. You don’t need to worry.” Eleanor quickly answered.

Ricky was one of Platinum Wings’ staff, a clerk with striking bronze skin.

“Oh, okay then! Just call if you need anything.”

Relieved, he went back down the stairs, his voice bright.

“Nam Yein, do you even understand what you’re saying?” Eleanor turned on me.

“What does it mean to claim you know how to produce and store magic-stone energy?”

“It means I can reset the world’s order.”

I answered calmly, and Eleanor froze, mouth open.

“Of course, it’ll take time. I can’t build a facility greater than Forward’s overnight.”

“I’ll ask again.” Eleanor’s expression hardened.

“How could you possibly know that? You’re just a hunter candidate.”

“I’m wondering the same,” Meiling said.

“How could Nam Yein know Forward’s most closely guarded secret, one even their own researchers don’t fully grasp?”

I glanced at the others. Not just Eleanor and Meiling, but Lumina and Seo Yui were also staring at me, curiosity plain on their faces.

“I found out by chance.”

“What?”

“You’re joking.” Eleanor and Meiling spoke in unison.

“Why not? Many great inventions in history were discovered by accident.”

“Nam Yein.” Meiling glared at me.

“Are you lying to us too?”

“That’s unfair. I was experimenting with items when I stumbled on it, completely by accident.”

“You expect me to believe you found what generations of researchers couldn’t?”

“When I first discovered how to preserve magic-stone energy, I had the exact same thought you just said.”

I kept my voice steady. Meiling bit her lip, then sighed.

“Fine. I’ll let it go this time. But not again.”

“There’s nothing to let go—it’s the truth.”

“Whatever.” She snorted and turned her head away.

“So what’s the method of storing magic-stone energy?” Eleanor asked.

“Don’t tell her,” Meiling cut in coldly.

“She’s the daughter of Crystal’s chairman. What guarantee do we have she won’t run straight to her father with it?”

Eleanor’s face stiffened.

“What did you just say?” She rose to her feet.

“A-ah…” Lumina looked torn between fear and panic.

“We saw your father at the HAUT ceremony,” Meiling continued, arms crossed. “He already knew we were at Valhall.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. Seo Yui half-rose from her chair, ready to stop them.

“Meiling. That was Iris, not Eleanor,” I stepped in before things got worse.

“Eleanor even left Crystal’s Hunter Mall without telling her father I was the Mysterious Craftsman. That proves she can be trusted.”

“Yein…” Eleanor looked at me.

“……”

Meiling scowled at me, then snorted loudly. “Don’t blame me if you regret it later.”

“You won’t have to worry.”

I turned back to Eleanor. “I’ll show you the method myself later. Just hearing it, you wouldn’t believe it anyway.”

“…All right.”

Then my smartwatch buzzed. A message from an unknown number flashed across the screen.

I read it, then looked at Seo Yui.

“Senior, please take Lumina and Meiling back to the dorm. The Peacekeepers want to see me again.”

“We can’t go with you?” Lumina asked.

“They want to keep contact limited for security.”

“Then we have no choice,” Seo Yui said. “Let’s go.”

“Nam Yein,” Eleanor called to me.

“At Valhall, you were just saving lives. But what you just told me—this is different. If it’s true, the scale is completely different. Are you seriously planning to fight Forward?”

“It’s no different. I’m just removing what shouldn’t exist.” I met her gaze.

“…Fine. So I’m the only one who needs to know, for now?”

I nodded. She nodded back, then sighed, as if making a heavy decision.

----------------------------------------

After leaving her shop, I parted ways with the others and headed to the location mentioned in the message.

In an alley near Yongsan Station, a van waited. Plain, unremarkable.

As I approached, the door slid open.

Lee Seon’s face appeared. “Get in.”

I nodded and climbed inside.

“Hii~!”

A cheerful voice came from the driver’s seat. My face tightened.

“…Hello.”

Behind the wheel was Jang Ha-yun.

I looked at Lee Seon.

“We’re short on people,” he said flatly.

“Hey! Did you two just completely ignore me?”

“Shut up and drive.”

“Tch. Fine.”

The van pulled out and onto the road.

“Nam Yein, where we’re going—don’t even tell your teammates. Mr. Kim Sang-sik insisted on meeting you, but if the location leaks, everyone’s in danger.”

“Understood.”

“Then while we drive, I want to ask you something.” Lee Seon picked up a tablet.

“How did you first meet Jodie?”

“The others met her last summer. She collapsed outside Gwangcheon while being chased by Forward. I knew her before that—she helped us at Valhall.”

At the name Valhall, Lee Seon’s eyes twitched.

“So you knew about Forward’s experiments even before then?”

I nodded.

“How??”

“Ha-yun. Eyes on the road.”

“Come on, senior, I’m Peacekeepers too, not just a chauffeur.” Her voice whined from the front.

“I can’t tell you how I know. I have my reasons.”

How could I say it? That all of this was just a game to me?

“……”

Lee Seon held my gaze in silence, his eyes sharp as a drawn blade.

His suspicion was natural. But this was something only time could resolve.

“…Fine. I won’t get an answer now.” He set the tablet down.

“Jeez, senior! Don’t be so harsh on a sensitive high schooler. Switch with me, I’ll do the questions!” Ha-yun chirped.

Lee Seon and I exchanged a glance.

“Rest until we arrive,” he said, closing his eyes.

“Yes.” I leaned back and shut mine as well.

“Senior? Hey, senior! Ah, really!”

“Call me once more and I’ll reassign you to paperwork forever.”

“….”

The threat worked. Ha-yun’s voice fell to low muttering for the rest of the ride.

(End of Chapter)