'...I'm screwed.'
Namgung Il was thinking that as he stared at Cha Yul-ryeong.
Unlike last ti, he was clearly caught this ti.
Not only had he entered the office, but he was caught inside the secret space, so there was no room for excuses.
"..."
Namgung Il maintained his silence and continued to stare at Cha Yul-ryeong.
No matter how desperately he racked his brain, no solution ca to mind.
In that situation, Cha Yul-ryeong finally opened his mouth again.
"Didn't I warn you clearly last ti?"
"..."
"If you enter my office without permission again, it won't end with just a suspension. But what on earth is this?"
In a situation like this, no excuse would be effective.
In the end, Namgung Il gave up thinking and opened his mouth as if to let things be.
"What on earth is this place?"
Namgung Il returned the question with a question.
He couldn't think of what to say to Cha Yul-ryeong's question, and he thought that if he lost the initiative in the conversation in a situation like this, the situation would beco even more disadvantageous.
'Cha Yul-ryeong probably doesn't want others to find out about this space either.'
If he used that part well, couldn't he overco this crisis?
Namgung Il aid for that point and tried to continue the conversation.
"This is my laboratory."
"...?"
"I also teach herbology. So I was just using this room for the purpose of researching herbology."
Laboratory... Hearing those words, he could understand why there were various pharmaceutical tools here.
However, this was still not enough to escape the crisis.
Since the initiative of the conversation seed to have subtly shifted to his side, Namgung Il continued to speak.
"Why did you hide it behind a bookshelf?"
"Who would proudly reveal their own laboratory?"
"...?"
"It's natural for anyone to want to keep the results of their research to themselves. If I want to be wary of those who are after my research results, of course I need to hide it."
Uh... now that I think about it, that's true.
If he saw an opening to dig into, he would continue from there, but everything Cha Yul-ryeong had said so far felt logical.
As Namgung Il closed his mouth like a mute again, Cha Yul-ryeong said with a sharp voice.
"I hid the laboratory to protect my research results from a rat like you."
"..."
"As expected, you weren't just sitting still when you were alone in the office last ti."
Hearing those words, it seed that Cha Yul-ryeong had vaguely suspected him since then.
Should he have just organized the books and quietly left the office?
Namgung Il had that thought belatedly, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
'Since it has co to this, it can't be helped.'
It seed he couldn't beat Cha Yul-ryeong with logic.
In the first place, since he was clearly in the wrong, the more he spoke, the more he felt like he was being cornered.
From experience, in tis like these, it was often much better to just be honest rather than trying to do sothing.
"Yes, actually, I was bored at that ti, so I was looking at the books in the office."
"..."
"But I happened to find sothing very interesting there. It was a book with nothing written on the cover."
As Namgung Il said that, a subtle change occurred in Cha Yul-ryeong's eyes.
"It was a book written about an herb called Blood Spot Grass."
"..."
"I had read about three pages when you ca in, so I couldn't read the rest. The reason I secretly ca in like this this ti was to read the rest of it."
Namgung Il paused for a mont to catch his breath.
Cha Yul-ryeong, who still said nothing.
A slight silence followed, and Namgung Il opened his mouth again.
"What on earth is Blood Spot Grass?"
"..."
"An herb that can revive the dead. Does such a thing really exist?"
In the end, Namgung Il asked Cha Yul-ryeong.
In fact, the simplest way to find out about Blood Spot Grass was to ask Cha Yul-ryeong like this.
But there was no guarantee that Cha Yul-ryeong would answer just because he asked openly.
On top of that, since it was clear that the fact that he had rummaged through the book without permission would also be naturally revealed, it was an action he could never have taken if it weren't for a situation like this.
"..."
Rather, being discovered by Cha Yul-ryeong could be a blessing in disguise.
If he could just hear the answer directly, he would be able to resolve the questionable parts more clearly than by looking at the book.
Namgung Il quietly waited for Cha Yul-ryeong to answer.
"...Why are you interested in that?"
"I'm usually very interested in herbs."
"..."
"An herb that can revive the dead. Isn't this a story that everyone, not just , would be interested in?"
Cha Yul-ryeong closed his mouth again.
The caution felt from his expression.
It seed certain that the question just now was beyond Cha Yul-ryeong's expectations.
'Now, it's ti for you to think about what to do.'
Until now, he had been the one thinking with a headache.
As that was now directed towards Cha Yul-ryeong, Namgung Il felt much more at ease.
"...Nothing has been revealed about Blood Spot Grass yet."
"...?"
"There are only many rumors, and there have been no clearly revealed cases of actually reviving a dead person using that herb."
Namgung Il already knew that story.
Hadn't the first page of that book started like that?
What Namgung Il really wanted to know was not such an ambiguous answer.
"So does that an Blood Spot Grass doesn't exist?"
"...Blood Spot Grass exists."
"...!"
"I believe so, and I am researching it."
Researching?
At that mont, a thought suddenly flashed through Namgung Il's mind.
'Could it be that the book was written by Cha Yul-ryeong himself?'
The book written about Blood Spot Grass had a strong feeling of being soone's research journal.
On top of that, there was the laboratory hidden behind the bookshelf.
As that series of elents connected into one, Namgung Il naturally ca to think so.
'Cha Yul-ryeong is researching Blood Spot Grass...'
Namgung Il imdiately wondered why Cha Yul-ryeong was conducting such research.
Was it just for personal research curiosity? Or...
Namgung Il asked Cha Yul-ryeong with a aningful voice.
"For what purpose are you researching an herb that can revive the dead?"
"..."
"Perhaps to revive soone..."
"I have no obligation to tell you that far."
At that mont, Cha Yul-ryeong sharply cut off Namgung Il's words.
At the sa ti, Cha Yul-ryeong, who was approaching Namgung Il with a much colder expression than before.
As if Namgung Il had done sothing to displease him, Cha Yul-ryeong seed quite agitated, unlike usual.
Grab—.
Cha Yul-ryeong grabbed Namgung Il's arm.
In that state, he forcibly dragged Namgung Il to the office entrance and threw him out the door.
"...!"
It was enough force to make him fall forward.
But Namgung Il, who held on without falling by balancing himself.
When he looked back, Cha Yul-ryeong was blocking the entrance and looking down at him.
"Get lost."
"..."
"I'm ending it at this because I owe you one. But... there won't be a third ti."
Thud—.
With those words, Cha Yul-ryeong slamd the door shut.
'He's ending it with this?'
He had already prepared himself to receive a punishnt greater than suspension.
But didn't those words just now sound like he wouldn't give him any punishnt?
Cha Yul-ryeong had said the reason was because he owed him one.
'What does he owe ?'
A debt he didn't even know about. Namgung Il stood still for a mont and thought about it.
'Could it be... is he talking about that?'
No matter how much he thought about it, the only thing that ca to mind that Cha Yul-ryeong would owe him was that incident.
The strange man's attack at Mt. Gyeryong a while ago.
He thought that saving Tang Il-yeong's life from the strange man was the most likely thing.
"..."
If Tang Il-yeong had died to the strange man there, the responsibility would naturally have been on Cha Yul-ryeong.
Although he was the head of the Azure Dragon Class, the class itself was in Cha Yul-ryeong's charge.
Namgung Il was almost certain that the debt Cha Yul-ryeong had ntioned was that incident.
'Well... I was lucky for now.'
If it hadn't been for that incident, it seed Cha Yul-ryeong would not have let him go so obediently.
Co to think of it, was that also the reason why he had overlooked his tardiness in class at that ti?
Of course, he had stood in the back throughout the class because he hadn't brought his textbook, but usually, he would have had to go and stand in the back as soon as he was late.
'...He won't let
off the hook now.'
With this one ti, Cha Yul-ryeong had repaid his debt to him.
He could tell that by looking back at what he had said earlier.
Given Cha Yul-ryeong's personality, his calculations would be very thorough, so if he were to be discovered like that again, there would be no more forgiveness.
"..."
For now, he had to go back.
In the end, he hadn't been able to read the entire book as he had originally intended, but that didn't an there was no harvest at all.
Namgung Il silently looked at the firmly closed door and then ca out of the building.
***
Trudge— Trudge—.
After coming out, Namgung Il was heading back to the southern area.
"..."
As if his body and head were completely separate, Namgung Il was walking without looking straight ahead.
The conversation with Cha Yul-ryeong that was still circling in his head at this mont.
Namgung Il was unconsciously muttering the words that had bothered him the most.
"Blood Spot Grass exists..."
Seeing that he had added that he believed so after that, it seed that Cha Yul-ryeong really believed that Blood Spot Grass existed.
So wasn't that why he was researching it so much?
Or there might be sothing more that he hadn't told him yet.
'For now, it would be better to think that Blood Spot Grass is real.'
In a corner of his heart, he was hoping that it wasn't.
As long as there was even a slight possibility that the Blood Demon could be revived, it was better for it not to exist in this world.
Of course, from what he had heard, it didn't seem like Blood Spot Grass was sothing that could be easily obtained.
However.
'The Blood Dragon Cult... if those guys find out about the existence of Blood Spot Grass, they will try to get their hands on it sohow.'
Even if it only existed in legends, they would try to find it desperately.
Because those guys were guys who would even offer their own hearts if they could just revive the Blood Demon.
The point that Namgung Il was most anxious about right now was that part.
"..."
No matter what, Blood Spot Grass must not fall into the hands of the Blood Dragon Cult.
Before that, he had to either secure it or get rid of it, it seed he had to do one of the two.
'Well... it won't be easy to find.'
Even Cha Yul-ryeong, who had been researching for a long ti, had said that its existence was not certain.
So it wouldn't be at a level where he could find it just because he wanted to.
Rather than trying to find it with determination, it seed he had to track the whereabouts of Blood Spot Grass little by little in his daily life.
'Co to think of it... why is Cha Yul-ryeong researching Blood Spot Grass?'
When he asked that, he suddenly got excited and kicked him out.
It seed it was the first ti he had seen Cha Yul-ryeong get so excited...
Namgung Il was also slightly concerned about that part.
"...Found you."
Just then, a voice was heard from the front saying so.
Namgung Il had felt the presence before that and had raised his head, and there, Ak Simin was panting and looking this way.
'Ak Simin? But why is he panting like that?'
Did he perhaps do so vigorous exercise in the moonlight?
Looking at Ak Simin, Namgung Il tilted his head with a puzzled look.
"Did you finish pooping?"
Just then, Ak Simin asked with a smile.
At that mont, a forgotten mory ca to mind.
Namgung Il said to Ak Simin with an awkward smile.
"Senior, are you perhaps very angry?"
"No."
"Then why are you coming closer?"
"..."
"Uh..."
Run for it!
Namgung Il instinctively felt danger and imdiately ran back.
Phat—.
At that mont, Ak Simin's figure, which moved quickly.
As if both of them had forgotten their duty of night patrol, they began to play tag under the moonlight.
(End of Chapter)
Reviews
All reviews (0)