episode_0227

Mok Jin-woo smiled and asked after Lee Hyeon, who reluctantly agreed.

“How are you feeling?”

“Just so-so. Not good, not bad… ”

Then, Lee Hyeon hesitated and opened his mouth.

“Excuse me, what are the test results?”

“They said I’d have to recuperate for a while to recover. Of course. My shoulder was blown in half, my ribs were shattered, and my internal organs were turned inside out… ”

“… ”

“Well, don’t worry. I said there’s no danger to your life.”

Mok Jin-woo shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing serious and answered. It was definitely a serious injury, but it wasn’t something that required worrying about life or death.

In reality, as an expert, when you face warlocks and demons, injuries of that level are a daily occurrence.

However, after hearing his words, Lee Hyun somehow became lost in thought. He was recalling the words of the old doctor he had consulted with in the past.

-Imagine a jar with dozens of tiny, invisible cracks etched into it.

-It certainly doesn’t look any different than before, and in reality it is.

And even the annoying whispers of the evil witch.

-You. Your body is falling apart?

I’ve been hearing that over and over again. They say that collapse syndrome occurs suddenly without any warning signs.

That was why I couldn’t just listen to his words and feel completely at ease.

However, Lee Hyun shook his head and shook off his distracting thoughts. If he had protected the things that were precious to him, he would have paid the price of his life.

And then he answered, pretending to be calm.

“… That’s fortunate.”

Then, Mok Jin-woo made a joke and pretended to grab Lee Hyeon.

“This guy. Do you know how shocked I was when I heard the news? Huh? I almost died too.”

“Branch manager too? Could it be that there was an attack on that side too… ”

“If you were dead, would those women have left me alone? They would have caught me alive and buried me in the ground.”

“Ah, sisters… ”

Lee Hyeon, who had a puzzled expression on his face, soon continued asking questions.

“How many days have I been unconscious?”

“Let’s see. About six days… It’ll be exactly a week after midnight today.”

“What about the damage to the cradle? Is there a dead person or something… ”

Then Mok Jin-woo shook his head.

“As far as I know, there were no casualties. The defense system needs to be overhauled on a large scale, but that’s just a small amount of money. After all, it’s a cradle of rotting donations… ”

Hearing his words, Lee Hyun let out a small sigh of relief. This time, too, the sense of accomplishment of having protected precious people overcame him once again.

Soon after, as the flow of thought went on, Lee Hyun was able to recall the existence of someone he had briefly forgotten.

He carefully opened his mouth and asked Mok Jin-woo.

“Do you know what happened to the person I saved? She was a female student named Yena… She was a first year student… ”

Then Mok Jin-woo looked at him with an expression that contained slightly complicated emotions.

And then he opened his mouth, taking a deep breath.

“She is currently imprisoned in Anhwa.”

“If it’s Anhwara…?”

“Anhwa Central Prison. It’s a top-level security facility that only holds vicious criminals with a black warrant or higher. You’ve probably heard of it at least once. Among the black magicians you arrested, several of them are in there.”

“That’s what I mean… ”

“Yeah, she confessed everything.”

Mok Jin-woo nodded heavily.

“The fact that she was called a witch, and the evil deeds she had committed.”

“… ”

“Well, I’m not sure if it’s right to use the expression imprisonment. In this case, it’s more like she went in on her own. It would be easy for her to get out of there… ”

Then he asked Hyun Lee, who looked blank for some reason.

“Did you know that she was a witch?”

“I just found out. I never would have dreamed that Yena would do that… ”

“Yena, Yena… ”

Mok Jin-woo held back a hollow laugh. He asked Lee Hyeon with a slightly cold gaze, his playfulness gone.

“You call my name so shamelessly.”

“… ”

“Have you already forgotten the sight I showed you? Don’t be fooled by appearances. They are just invaders in our skin. Surely you don’t still think of her as your friend?”

A mollusk that swims in liquid. Its entire body appears to be made of tentacles, a bizarre appearance that makes it hard to believe it is from the ground.

The image of the biological specimen he had seen in the confidential records storage room flashed through Lee Hyun’s mind.

But for some reason, he couldn’t forget the desperate expression on the face of the female student who was looking at him and appealing to him.

“… I don’t know. Whether we’re friends or not. But… ”

After much thought, he opened his mouth again.

“At least I don’t think there is any threat to us.”

“… ”

Mok Jin-woo glared at Lee Hyeon for a while at his firm answer.

“Oh my… ”

But then he sighed as if nothing had happened and his expression returned to its usual state.

“This is really… ”

In fact, it seemed that he too was not able to get his bearings properly. He was lost in thought for a while, pondering something.

“… She asked me to tell her thank you.”

Then, he glanced at Lee Hyeon and spoke in a strange voice.

“You said that you were able to be freed because you tore out what was inside your body. You also said that it would never happen again, so you could rest assured.”

“… Is that so? That’s fortunate.”

“And he asked how you were doing.”

“Hello… are you saying that?”

“Yes. How much did you get hurt, and how is your recovery going?”

Mok Jin-woo took a drag on his cigarette as if trying to relieve his complicated emotions.

“And by any chance… do you hate yourself?”

“… ”

In an instant, colorful smoke filled the hospital room.

Mok Jin-woo narrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

“A witch asking about her friend’s well-being… Have I lived too long… I’ve seen so many strange things… ”

He exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke, turned his head to Lee Hyeon and asked.

“… He asked me to ask you if you could come see him later.”

“Yena… are you talking?”

“Yes. He told me to definitely tell him. Oh, how earnestly he must have been… ”

And then, in an instant, a playful smile appeared on his face.

“In a way, it’s an amazing talent. A face that charms not only people but even witches… ”

“… Don’t tease me. Yena has never even seen my face.”

Hyun Lee, who had been lost in thought for a moment, hesitated and answered.

“And… I think you need to think about it a little bit.”

“Of course. You figure it out yourself. I’ll make the entry permit in advance.”

For a while, silence fell over the hospital room. Mok Jin-woo, who had just finished smoking a cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray, opened his mouth.

“This incident was planned by a witch named Regulus. She is said to be the leader of all the witches in existence.”

“Did Yena tell you that too?”

“Yeah.”

Mok Jin-woo nodded.

“If the core had exploded as planned, the damage would have spread to the eastern part of the capital, not to mention the cradle. And we would have lost all the promising wizards who would lead the future. You prevented such a catastrophe.”

“You are too kind.”

“I’m not exaggerating. What future can there be for a country with only old wizards? If the core had exploded, we would have been on the path to destruction within 10 years.”

He, who had been giggling, began to lose some of his playfulness.

“… She is very cooperative with the investigation. Thanks to her, we have been able to obtain a lot of information. The number of witches in the current generation, their false identities, and even their conspiracies. Things have gone so well that it has become suspicious. Now, I wonder if they are even using deception. ”

“… ”

“Anyway… Thanks to that, I was able to establish a countermeasure to their invasion to some extent. I was planning to officially announce the existence of the witches, receive approval from the council, and begin a large-scale suppression of them. But… ”

Mok Jin-woo turned his head out the window without saying a word.

Lee Hyeon also followed him and looked at him.

-Kuung…! Kukugung!

The east-facing window faced the western side of the capital, where sporadic, unidentified explosions could still be heard.

Feeling an uneasy feeling seeping in, Lee Hyeon opened his mouth.

“Now that I think about it, the cradle seems too quiet.”

“… Right now, Yoram is on indefinite leave.”

Mok Jin-woo, still looking out the window, answered.

“Students born to prestigious families have temporarily returned to their hometowns, and only students from faraway places or remote areas with nowhere to go remain. Maybe about 30% of them… ”

“Yes… ? Is something going on… ? I’m sure there were no casualties earlier… ”

Mok Jin-woo added an explanation to Lee Hyeon’s bewildered face.

“That is absolutely true. The cradle’s suspension and the students’ return home are for other reasons.”

“… Is something going on in the capital? And what is that loud noise…?”

“… ”

Mok Jin-woo, who had been silent for a moment, answered.

“We are in a civil war right now. We are fighting the rebels.”

“What? Rebellion?”

Lee Hyun asked back, dumbfounded. Before he knew it, he was clenching his fists.

“Who would do this at such an important time…!”

And Mok Jin-woo answered in a calm voice.

“Paecheon.”