Namgung Il stared at Gok I-hyeon with a dazed look.
'Why is this person... ?'
Could it be that the identity of the strange man was Gok I-hyeon?
As he thought that, a look of vigilance montarily appeared in Namgung Il's eyes.
Sheathe—.
Just then, Gok I-hyeon sheathed the sword he was holding.
"I'm sorry for attacking you suddenly. I was sure you were the strange man."
"...?"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Gok I-hyeon said and smiled.
It was the sa benevolent smile he always showed during class.
Namgung Il was still watching him with his sword drawn.
'Is he... not an enemy?'
That thought ca to mind when he heard what he had just said.
If he were an enemy, he wouldn't have sheathed his sword first like this.
Only after making that judgnt did Namgung Il cautiously sheathe his sword.
"No, I'm fine."
"I had expected it to so extent, but student Namgung Il's skills are not at the level of an ordinary first-year."
"...?"
"I don't know if I should call this a relief, but it's a little embarrassing that you, a student, easily blocked all of my attacks, even though I'm a teacher."
Gok I-hyeon said and let out a hearty laugh as if embarrassed.
Namgung Il, who was silently watching him.
Although Gok I-hyeon had just said that he had easily blocked all of his attacks, Namgung Il was not thinking that way.
"..."
Contrary to his usual appearance, it was a really sharp sword strike.
The way it relentlessly dug in even in the darkness, and the dagger that aid for the opponent's weakness were also quite difficult to deal with.
It didn't seem like he had used his full strength either... Namgung Il couldn't predict what the result would have been if they had continued to fight without knowing each other's identities.
'As expected of a teacher at the Flying Dragon Academy. After seeing that sword strike, that smile doesn't look the sa as before.'
In Namgung Il's mind, the impression of Gok I-hyeon as a benevolent person was strong.
But after crossing swords just now, that impression had changed a little.
He didn't know what kind of expression Gok I-hyeon had on his face when he attacked him, but he felt that it was definitely not a gentle smile like now.
"But what brings you here, teacher?"
"I thought I saw a suspicious shadow in this direction. I was chasing it, thinking it might be the strange man, and I ran into student Namgung Il."
"Weren't all the teachers patrolling the outside?"
"No. So teachers like
are patrolling the inside."
Hearing those words, Namgung Il's expression hardened slightly.
'Then could Cha Yul-ryeong also be inside right now, not outside?'
This was not part of his plan.
If Cha Yul-ryeong was wandering inside and not outside right now, wouldn't the risk of the plan increase?
If he were to be discovered by Cha Yul-ryeong again this ti, he would no longer be able to get away with it like last ti.
'What should I do? Should I give up here...'
For now, it was highly likely that Cha Yul-ryeong was not in his office, but he could not rule out the one-in-a-million possibility.
Should he just push ahead as it is, or should he wait for the next opportunity?
As Namgung Il was pondering that in his mind, Gok I-hyeon tilted his head and opened his mouth.
"But why is student Namgung Il here?"
"...!"
"This is a forbidden area. You wouldn't be unaware of the fact that students are not allowed to enter, right?"
As Gok I-hyeon suddenly asked, Namgung Il's mind snapped to attention.
Co to think of it, this was not the ti to be worrying about whether to continue with the plan or not.
The mont he had run into Gok I-hyeon in a place like this, the plan had already been considerably twisted.
"Ah, that... I'm also on the night patrol team."
"I see. But don't the students move around in pairs of two?"
"...!"
"I don't see the other person..."
Gok I-hyeon said and looked around.
But of course, Namgung Il's partner was nowhere to be found.
Namgung Il also didn't know where Ak Simin was right now.
'I-I have to say sothing!'
Since he hadn't thought of anything in advance, a good excuse didn't co to mind.
But the more ti passed, the more complicated the situation would beco.
Namgung Il just blurted out whatever ca to mind.
"Uh, he's not here!"
"...?"
"No, I an... we got separated on the way."
"You got separated?"
This was the real crisis.
Since he had already spoken, he could no longer take it back.
Namgung Il used his quick wit to sohow continue his words.
"Um... you said you saw a suspicious shadow earlier, right?"
"I did."
"I also thought I saw a suspicious guy moving in this direction, so I was chasing him. I might have lost him if I hesitated, so I got separated from my partner in the process."
As Gok I-hyeon's words from earlier ca to mind, Namgung Il thought, 'This is it,' and continued to speak fluently.
Although it was a spur-of-the-mont thought, now that he had said it, it sounded like a pretty plausible excuse.
Namgung Il nervously observed Gok I-hyeon's reaction.
"So that's what happened."
"..."
"Still, it's too dangerous to wander around like this alone. And in a situation like that, you should have inford those around you first rather than chasing."
Huh? If this goes well, I might be able to get away with it.
As Namgung Il had that thought, he put his hands together politely, pretending to be as remorseful as possible.
"I'm sorry. I thought I might have seen it wrong, so I chased him rashly... Hearing your words, it was a reckless act."
"Well, I understand. But don't forget that you are a student, Namgung Il."
"..."
"It's important to stop the strange man's intrusion, but the student's safety cos first. You can leave this kind of work to
and the other teachers."
"...Yes."
Namgung Il answered with a crawling voice.
As he recalled the mories of being scolded in his youth, a pitiful posture and voice ca out naturally.
"...Still, you seem to be reflecting, so I'll stop nagging at this point."
"..."
"I'll patrol this area. So student Namgung Il, go back and join your partner."
"I understand."
Namgung Il answered and was about to leave.
But then, his steps stopped in the middle.
Namgung Il looked at Gok I-hyeon again and asked with a cautious voice.
"Um... teacher."
"Yes?"
"Could you please keep it a secret from others that you t
here?"
"...Ah."
As Namgung Il said that, Gok I-hyeon smiled as if he had realized sothing and nodded his head.
"Is it because you entered the forbidden area?"
"Yes."
"I understand. I know your situation well, so I'll let it slide just this once."
Hearing the answer, Namgung Il cheered inwardly.
He had just tried it on a whim, but he had thought that given Gok I-hyeon's personality, he might just let it go.
'He's my favorite teacher for a reason.'
If it had been Cha Yul-ryeong, he wouldn't have even brought this up.
He would have clearly ignored it lightly or even given a bigger punishnt.
"Thank you."
"Not at all. I mistook you and attacked you earlier, so please think of it as a sign of my apology for that."
"..."
"Let's just say we never t here."
Gok I-hyeon said and sent a friendly wink.
As expected, a teacher should have that kind of flexibility.
Namgung Il nodded his head inwardly with satisfaction.
"Of course! Then I'll be on my way."
"Yes. Good luck for the rest of the ti."
Receiving Gok I-hyeon's farewell, Namgung Il quickly left the place.
'Phew—. I sohow got through that.'
As soon as he overca the crisis, the topic ca up again.
He had to decide now whether to continue with the plan here or not.
'Should I have asked Gok I-hyeon where Cha Yul-ryeong was earlier?'
No matter how much, he felt that asking that far was a bit too greedy.
It was fortunate enough to end it at this point, but if he had gone further, wouldn't even Gok I-hyeon have suspected him?
Asking about Cha Yul-ryeong's location out of the blue in that situation was a very strange act.
'...Yes, let's do that.'
In the end, Namgung Il made a decision in his heart.
'If a man draws his sword, he should at least cut a radish.'
The destination was Cha Yul-ryeong's office.
Namgung Il turned and ran towards it.
***
A quiet room.
Only the moonlight coming through the paper window was slightly illuminating Cha Yul-ryeong's office.
Creak—.
Just then, a sound that broke the silence was heard.
A leg cautiously entering through the gap of the open door.
After completely entering the room, Namgung Il slowly closed the door.
Thud—.
After completely closing the door, Namgung Il opened his eyes wide and looked around the room.
'...Is no one here?'
Although it was dark and he couldn't see the inside properly, he could still distinguish the shapes to so extent.
After going inside and checking, there was no human figure to be seen anywhere.
Just in case, he looked under the desk, but Cha Yul-ryeong's figure was not visible.
"...Phew—."
As soon as he confird that, Namgung Il let out a sigh of relief.
But that was also for a mont. Namgung Il imdiately approached the bookshelf without delay.
'There's no ti to spare.'
He didn't know when Cha Yul-ryeong would return here.
Although it seed he would have at least half an hour to spare, that was also just his own prediction and was not certain.
"..."
Namgung Il stopped in front of the bookshelf and moved his head from side to side.
Just like when he had co before, nurous books were still filling one side of the room.
Seeing this, Namgung Il thought it was really fortunate that he had rembered the location of the book at that ti.
'I think it was around here...'
Namgung Il tried to find the book by retracing his mory.
It was definitely the fifth bookshelf from the left. And the second shelf from the top.
Since he had rembered the location that way, Namgung Il was counting the shelves one by one with his finger.
'Here it is.'
As soon as he found the place that matched his mory, Namgung Il reached out his hand.
Although he rembered the shelf, he did not rember the exact location of the book, so Namgung Il was pulling out the books on that shelf one by one and examining them.
Swish—.
After checking and confirming that it was not the one, he placed it on the floor in order and then his hand went back to the bookshelf.
As he continued to pick out books in that way, quite a lot of books piled up on the floor.
"Huh?"
Just then, a voice ca out of Namgung Il's mouth without him realizing it.
A voice full of doubt, as if he didn't know what was going on.
Namgung Il was staring blankly at the book he was holding now and then moved his gaze to the bookshelf.
"...What is going on?"
Namgung Il muttered as he looked at the bookshelf.
Among the shelves that were densely packed with books, there was one place that stood out.
On the shelf where Namgung Il had been diligently pulling out books until just now, there were no more books to take out.
"..."
The one Namgung Il had just pulled out was the last book on that shelf.
But what Namgung Il was holding now was not the book he had seen last ti, and the sa went for the other books on the floor.
'Could it be... am I rembering it wrong?'
Looking at the empty shelf, Namgung Il could not help but have that thought.
At that mont, as if his strength had drained from his hands in disappointnt, Namgung Il dropped the book he was holding on the floor.
Thud—.
Even though it was just a book falling, the sound was quite loud because the surroundings were quiet.
But Namgung Il did not even hear that sound now, and he was still staring at the bookshelf with a dazed look.
'...I'm screwed.'
A series of unplanned accidents.
Could he really find that book again among those nurous books before Cha Yul-ryeong returned... As if there was no ti to think, Namgung Il's hands began to move busily.
(End of Chapter)
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