episode_0149

Overall, she gave off a cool and composed impression, but the moment she opened her mouth, she seemed to have a screw loose. Her name was Jeong Iseo.

She was a First Lieutenant in the Border Defense Unit, apparently one of the melee-type Awakened individuals under Ryu Jinseong.

“…She has a few quirks, but she’s still a legitimate A-rank powerhouse. She even turned down offers from top guilds to come to Cheorwon.”

Ryu Seeun introduced her with a look that clearly conveyed extreme embarrassment.

The nuance emphasized that, ‘for now,’ she was a normal person, aside from her attitude toward him.

“Ahem!”

…This could be rephrased to imply she was a rather embarrassing acquaintance, but the person herself seemed oblivious.

First Lieutenant Jeong Iseo, or simply Iseo-ssi, proudly puffed out her chest and looked down at me.

Her expression and demeanor seemed to assert, ‘This is the kind of person I am.’

Did she not realize that Ryu Seeun’s words were far from pure praise? Or did she genuinely not care?

“…Ah, right.”

Either way, she wasn’t a pleasant person to deal with. I simply nodded briefly, acknowledging Ryu Seeun’s words.

It was a rule of thumb not to deal with oddballs for too long.

Feigning maximum composure, I spoke to Iseo-ssi, who was still looking smugly at me.

“Excuse me, Iseo-ssi.”

“Don’t call me so casually!”

“…You can guide us to the unit, right?”

I ignored her trivial interjection. What was important now was meeting Ryu Jinseong, getting an answer about the support, and heading back to Seoul.

My mind had already started to go blank when she mentioned Ryu Seeun’s virginity.

I desperately wanted to proceed as quickly as possible.

“Ah, right. The guidance.”

Fortunately, Iseo-ssi hadn’t forgotten her duty—no, she seemed to have briefly forgotten, but quickly reverted to her original expression.

If she just kept that poker face, she’d give off the perfect impression of a sharp soldier.

‘Why are all the pretty older women around me so crazy?’

Like Jiwoo Noona and my Master-nim, it seemed there were no truly normal, ‘adult-like’ older women around me.

I don’t know for sure, but Haru is probably older than me too. The pinnacle of crazy women I know…

“Come this way, everyone. And you’re Cheon Soyul-yang…? Mm, right? Nice to meet you!”

Anyway, we followed Iseo-ssi, who was waving us over while holding up her car keys. A stylish mid-sized sedan was parked not far away.

Watching Iseo-ssi slide into the driver’s seat first, I whispered to Cheon Soyul beside me.

“…Does the Border Defense Unit make a lot of money, perhaps? She drives a nice car.”

“Uh, well. I don’t know…?”

Of course, Cheon Soyul wouldn’t know, and I hadn’t asked expecting an answer from her.

We, who had been standing there blankly, soon followed Ryu Seeun into the vehicle.

As I sank into the plush seat, the fatigue from the long journey seemed to melt away.

Good ride comfort.

“Everyone has their seatbelts on, right? Shall we go then?”

Soon, Iseo-ssi gently pressed the accelerator, and the car smoothly moved forward. Our destination was the far end of Cheorwon County, the Border Defense Unit headquarters.

It was when I was leaning back comfortably, about to look out at the passing scenery.

“Ahem… Lee Hyunjin-kun.”

Suddenly, Iseo-ssi called out to me in an embarrassed voice. Our eyes met through the rearview mirror as she glanced at me.

I, too, could see Iseo-ssi making an awkward expression through the rearview mirror.

“A little while ago, I was rude. Thinking I was seeing the male student who took the young lady’s purity… I just got so angry first thing in the morning.”

“…Ah, yes.”

I swallowed my bitter feelings and replied. At the same time, Ryu Seeun in the passenger seat covered her face with both hands, but whether Iseo-ssi didn’t notice or simply didn’t care, she continued speaking.

“However.”

Her voice was quite calm and serious, entirely different from moments ago.

“Personally, I really wanted to express my gratitude to Lee Hyunjin-kun. Though it’s late, thank you for saving our Captain-nim during the Cheongsong Festival.”

“…”

I looked at her, my eyes widening slightly. Perhaps embarrassed by her own words, Iseo-ssi quickly turned her head back to face forward, but—.

I hadn’t expected to hear such words, so I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

Thank you for saving Ryu Jinseong? Regarding that incident at the Cheongsong Festival, I merely happened to encounter Ryu Jinseong and cooperated with him.

Even if I did help him at a coincidental moment, I never thought I’d receive thanks.

And from this seemingly slightly unhinged older woman who had immediately attacked me while bringing up the young lady’s virginity.

In the end, I couldn’t offer any reply and had to keep my mouth shut.

An extremely awkward silence descended upon the car, stemming from Iseo-ssi and me, but it only applied to the two of us.

From the passenger seat, Ryu Seeun, who had recovered from her earlier internal injury, was subtly curling the corners of her lips.

“Hey, are you embarrassed?”

And right next to me, Cheon Soyul was poking my cheek, teasing me.

I subtly averted my gaze, avoiding a response.

A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed Iseo-ssi, also feigning nonchalance, gripping the steering wheel tightly, her cheeks flushed hot.

If this older woman was going to get embarrassed after saying it, why did she even bother? It just made the atmosphere weird…

*****

Just as smoothly as it had started, the tires came to a stop. Following Iseo-ssi’s announcement that we had arrived, I opened the door and got out of the car.

The Border Defense Unit, upon our arrival, looked different from the typical military base I had imagined.

What should I call it? A large building with a spacious training ground attached, it felt more like a retreat center than a military facility, if I had to compare.

There was nothing particularly strange about it. After all, the Great Mage Ryu Jinseong and his Border Defense Unit were a specialized response team for Gate Breaks.

A small, elite unit composed entirely of Awakened individuals wouldn’t need conventional weapons, I suppose.

Guarding against the puppet state to the north, which was virtually half-destroyed, was a normal duty for a frontline military unit.

As I quietly looked around, Iseo-ssi, who had finished parking, approached.

She had been twirling the car keys on her finger, but suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Hm.”

“Iseo-ssi?”

“…Ah.”

When I tilted my head and asked, Iseo-ssi let out a short sound. She scratched the back of her head and glanced up at the building.

“So, what should we do now? Are you going to see the Captain-nim right away?”

I was about to answer yes when she asked, but before I could, Iseo-ssi continued, wearing a troubled expression.

“It’s nothing else, but… it seems the time isn’t quite right yet.”

“Time?”

“Yes. I don’t know why, but before he sent me out, he said, ‘Don’t let anyone approach until 8 o’clock.’”

“…?”

I raised a question mark, showing my confusion. Don’t let anyone approach until 8 o’clock? Why such a specific instruction?

“Uh, usually in cases like this, he’s conducting magic experiments.”

Perhaps sensing my confusion, Iseo-ssi cautiously added.

She explained that he prevents others from approaching because he might be conducting dangerous experiments.

“Hmm, but…”

Iseo-ssi made a subtle expression.

“It is strange, though. The Captain-nim must have been informed that three people were coming, so why an experiment at this particular time?”

She added that while he often conducted experiments related to dark magic, it was rare for him to postpone a pre-arranged appointment to do so.

“My father isn’t someone who’d be that thoughtless…”

Ryu Seeun, who was listening nearby, added that. Even then, she lacked a bit of confidence, showing that Ryu Jinseong, one way or another, hadn’t built a very good image for his adopted daughter.

Iseo-ssi checked her wristwatch, let out a ‘hmm’ sound, and said.

“There’s nothing for it, then. I’ll go up first and give him a heads-up, so why don’t the two of you look around the unit with the young lady?”

“Yes, sure. We’ll do that.”

I nodded indifferently. There were less than 20 minutes left until 8 o’clock, and waiting that long wasn’t difficult.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

Iseo-ssi bowed slightly and entered the building entrance.

I immediately turned to Ryu Seeun and said.

“That’s what she says, Junior-nim.”

“…Uh…”

“Show us around the unit.”

In fact, I was starting to feel a little interested in the Border Defense Unit. Not only had I just seen Iseo-ssi, who seemed quite skilled—.

Assuming Haru’s words were true, as someone who would soon have to face a doomsday-class gate, I became slightly curious about this country’s military strength.

“…Uhm. W-well, shall we do that?”

“Lead the way.”

“Ah, don’t push me.”

I patted Ryu Seeun’s back and chuckled. Despite making it obvious she wasn’t thrilled, her spirits seemed to have lifted slightly at being back at her ‘home,’ and she walked ahead with quick, brisk steps.