episode_0101

101.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry, I said something strange…”

Rocksan, who was flustered and bewildered, finally shook her head.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her blue eyes were wandering aimlessly.

She glanced around nervously, then when our eyes met, she flinched and quickly looked away.

I had never seen Rocksan so flustered before, always displaying a calm demeanor.

It seemed like she was embarrassed about something.

It made sense.

“Did I misunderstand something? If so, I apologize.”

For some reason, it seemed like I had misunderstood her intentions to confess something.

Why would she have such a misunderstanding?

I hadn’t shown any romantic interest in Rocksan, and she wasn’t the type to misinterpret such things…

Could it be that she had something important to say to me privately?

I pondered, but it seemed like a weak reason for the misunderstanding.

“Could it be that Cynthia planted some strange ideas in her head?”

Thinking about Cynthia’s personality, it seemed plausible.

When we first met today, she had made some odd comments about my face and personality.

Come to think of it, didn’t she smile subtly before leaving earlier?

Was it really because of that nobleman?

“But, what do you mean by the organization that made Seongyura die?”

Suddenly, Rocksan brought up the topic.

It was a bit unnatural, but I didn’t want to make things more awkward for Rocksan, so I just nodded without saying anything.

“The villains who attacked Seongyura were probably members of the organization she belonged to.”

“The organization Seongyura belonged to…?”

“Yes.”

Rocksan blinked her large eyes.

It seemed that she hadn’t considered that someone like Seongyura could be associated with an evil organization.

Well, I mean…

It was almost laughable to call it an organization.

It was more like a club or a group of friends.

It was a somewhat hierarchical relationship, but they generally didn’t interfere with each other.

To put it jokingly, it was like “Yudahee and the villains.”

“…How did Jinhak know about that?”

It was a natural question.

I needed to establish credibility before randomly mentioning such things.

“Before I say that, can you put up a barrier to prevent our voices from leaking out?”

“Sure.”

Rocksan looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

She seemed slightly puzzled, but she seemed willing to follow my lead.

“Okay, give me a moment.”

Rocksan used her psychic abilities to create a barrier.

Her ability to create various forms of barriers was impressive.

A soundproof barrier enveloped the reception room.

“Thank you.”

I asked for the barrier for two reasons.

There was a possibility of eavesdropping from outside, and I wanted to hint to Rocksan that I was about to say something important.

“How did I know about such a fact…?”

I hesitated slightly before saying this, but ultimately, I concluded that it would be fine to tell Rocksan.

She would never reveal it to others, given her personality.

Rocksan’s character development and behavior so far had made me trust her.

“…In fact, I am a precognitive ability user.”

“Ah.”

Rocksan let out a short gasp.

I carefully examined Rocksan’s face.

I didn’t know why I suddenly said this, and I wasn’t sure if I really had precognitive abilities.

“Of course, it’s hard to believe unless you just say it out loud.”

“But, I’ve already lied about being a future precognitive three times, haven’t I?”

Yuseolhyun, Soyeoni, Roksanne…

I thought this was almost a public secret, but none of them seem like the type to tell anyone.

Soyeoni and Roksanne are kind and would never tell others, and Yuseolhyun would think there’s nothing to gain by telling others.

Well, to be honest, I’m a little anxious about Yuseolhyun, but considering all the help she’s given me so far, she might be somewhat trustworthy.

“Future precognition… Jinhyuk, is that you?”

Roksanne, looking surprised, slowly opened her mouth to ask the question.

“Do you think it was just a coincidence that I saved you when we were attacked by the troops of Seong Yu in the mountains and during the midterm battle survival?”

“Ah… definitely.”

Roksanne recalled the past events and absentmindedly nodded her head.

It was too suspicious to dismiss as a mere coincidence, and the timing was just right.

Thanks to the two times I saved Roksanne in the past, I seemed to have gained some credibility from her.

…But was that really just a coincidence?

It might sound a bit absurd, but when Roksanne disguised herself in Mount Yookseongsan and was attacked by villains, I didn’t even know it was her. Her disguise was so convincing.

And during the midterm exam, saving Roksanne was just a bonus, a bonus. My main goal was to save Soyeoni. I didn’t expect you to be with Soyeoni.

“When I asked you before, you said it was personal reasons, but was it really to save me…?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s right.”

No, that’s not it.

I feel a pang of guilt.

At that time, I didn’t really have any intention of saving Roksanne.

I was actually afraid of getting involved with Seong Yu and tried to stay as far away as possible.

So, could you stop looking at me like that?

My conscience is hurting for no reason.

“As you know, with future precognition, I can’t see everything I want, but I can’t see nothing at all either.”

“Then why did you save me, even getting involved with Seong Yu?”

“I saw a future where you would have a bad ending because of Seong Yu.”

“If you say it’s a bad future…”

“Yeah. I won’t go into details. It doesn’t matter now anyway.”

It’s true that she would have a bad ending.

If I hadn’t intervened, Roksanne would have most likely fallen.

“I intervened without thinking and ended up with Soyeoni being kidnapped.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not your fault.”

“No. I promised to protect Soyeoni, but she was kidnapped despite that. Even though I was kidnapped before I could send people, I can’t avoid responsibility when I think about it from my perspective.”

Roksanne bowed her head.

She could be considered quite naive.

And because of this personality, there was a high possibility of getting help related to this incident.

“Don’t apologize so much. You already received an apology before. Soyeoni said she’s fine.”

“…Yes.”

“Anyway, can you believe that I’m a future precognitive?”

Honestly, it’s a bit surprising, but Jinhyuk doesn’t seem like he would lie… Oh, by the way, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“During the ranking battle… you seemed to use some kind of special ability…”

“Oh, that.”

Because of that, there was quite a bit of talk within the academy.

There were some heroes who hid their special abilities externally, but not registering the existence of special abilities at all was illegal.

All supernatural ability users had to go to the government office to register.

Initially, I managed to smoothly pass it off by claiming that I had awakened the ability to absorb magic, but there were still quite a few people who were suspicious of me.

They couldn’t understand how I had managed to block Baek Yurin’s final stabbing attack.

So, rumors started circulating that I possessed various supernatural abilities or even artifacts.

Things had calmed down a bit now, but…

“Oh, I’m sorry. That was a rude question…”

Before I could come up with a response, Rok Sanneu quickly apologized.

“You’ve already mentioned it at the academy, so I won’t ask any further.”

Since it was considered impolite to pry deeply into supernatural abilities, it seemed like Rok Sanneu had decided not to indulge in any more unnecessary curiosity.

Whether I had multiple abilities or a wide range of applications, it didn’t matter to her.

As long as I didn’t cause any trouble.

“Anyway, I helped you for reasons other than that. I’ve been tracking the organization that Sung Yura is affiliated with for a while now.”

“Sung Yura was part of an organization… Oh, it’s not that I can’t believe it, I’m just surprised.”

“They’re dangerous criminals that can’t be left alone.”

I continued speaking.

“So, I want your help in arresting them.”

It was difficult to involve Yoo Seolhyun in this matter.

Mostly because Yoo Seolhyun didn’t move unless there was a benefit involved.

Arresting criminals wasn’t something that Yoo Seolhyun and the members of the Gaon Nuri Clan would do, and even if they did, there wasn’t much benefit to it.

Despite being considered a heroic group, the Gaon Nuri Clan fundamentally pursued the public good.

Of course, I could provide some benefits.

But there weren’t many clan members that Yoo Seolhyun could use at her discretion.

Furthermore, they weren’t strong enough to apprehend Rebellion members without any casualties.

At the very least, they would need to deploy members equivalent to a first-team leader or deputy leader, and would those individuals listen to Yoo Seolhyun’s orders?

Moreover, if things went wrong, Yoo Seolhyun could become a target of Rebellion.

Without a high-ranking powerhouse by her side, she wouldn’t survive against Rebellion.

On the other hand, Rok Sanneu had Cynthia.

Not only Cynthia, but there were also quite a few members who were at a superior level.

Many people were captivated by Rok Sanneu’s charm, so the likelihood of them listening to her words was high.

In short, it was easier to handle.

“Of course, it might be difficult to believe my story right now.”

Rok Sanneu was an aspiring hero and a priest.

She didn’t hesitate to help and save others, regardless of the cost.

The preservation of human life was paramount to her, and she was willing to sacrifice herself for it.

…It was somewhat ironic that such a person as Rok Sanneu would eventually fall and harm others.

“Could you take a look at this?”

I quickly showed her a few pictures.

They were photos secretly taken of a diary hidden in a house through a private investigator.

“A photo of a diary?”

“It’s not an ordinary diary.”

“Wait, this can’t be…”

“It is.”

Commonly known as the Murder Diary.

It was an experiential account written in detail by the perpetrator of a series of murders in Gyeonggi Province.

This necrophiliac had a habit of writing in a diary after killing someone.

So, during the game, many people called this criminal crazy, an artist, a writer, and so on.

“A few years ago, the perpetrator of the sensational murder cases in Gyeonggi Province was a woman named Han Ji-hyo. She’s in her early thirties and works as a novelist.”

“Shouldn’t we report this to the police…”

“The police won’t listen to me, and there’s no solid evidence. This murder diary? Just writing a murder case in diary form is not an excuse, right? Of course, it’s suspicious, but suspicion is just suspicion.”

It may be circumstantial evidence, but it’s not substantial evidence.

“This person is a non-registered superpower. It’ll be difficult for the police to catch them with their skills. Only victims will come out, right? To catch them without casualties, we’ll need several skilled heroes.”

Those heroes should be skilled, too.

According to the game setting, they might be one of the members who recently joined the Rebellion, but they had the potential to impress even the great Yudahi.

Well, they might be at a level stronger than Baek Yurin now.

Anyway, we have to catch them before they grow any further.

“Without any concrete evidence, it’ll be hard for people to believe me right away, but as time goes on, more victims will occur.”

“….”

“Can you give me a chance to confirm whether Han Ji Hyo is really involved with the organization related to Sung Yura, or if she’s really the culprit of the serial murder cases?”

“….Jin Hyuk.”

Roxanne kept silent for a moment before slowly pursing her lips.

“I can’t move people with uncertain information from my position.”

Even if Roxanne was a candidate for saint, it was quite a burden to move the congregation with a few words from a classmate.

Moreover, they were currently expanding their influence, so they might not want to get involved in unnecessary trouble.

“But.”

Roxanne looked at me with sincere eyes.

“As a prospective hero, I can’t just sit still after hearing this news. And the church has a duty to protect people from evildoers, not just me, but everyone in the church.”

“Roxanne.”

“Also… I can’t just leave the organization that Sung Yura was affiliated with alone.”

“It might seem strange for me to say this now, but are you really okay? You could become a target for them if you make a mistake.”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Roxanne nodded without hesitation.

“Jin Hyuk, you said you’re chasing the organization Sung Yura was part of, right?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

“I don’t know why you’re chasing them, but…”

She slightly trailed off, meeting my eyes.

“…I promise to do my best to help. Just like you helped me.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I didn’t expect her to say that much.

“Well, it worked out. I got Roxanne’s promise, so now I can start the operation to eliminate some of the villains of the Rebellion.”