Chapter 77 – Previous Life (1)

When we came out of the memorial hall, Seo Eun’s husband wasn’t with us.

“I need to tell them I’m quitting the guard duty too.”

Seo Eun’s husband stayed inside to tell that to the young awakened one he worked with.

Though Seo Eun lost her job, Jaeha hadn’t yet been told by the Apostle to quit guarding.

Though they probably did it that way wanting one awakened one, he couldn’t continue guarding the Apostle when Seo Eun was driven out.

After coming out of the memorial hall, Seo Eun sighed looking back.

“Getting driven out like this, how will I make a living now?”

At her very regretful voice, Yerim comforted her.

“You’ve worked so hard until now. Think about it while resting a bit. Since Jaeha, no, brother-in-law is a psychic, it’s okay to rest a while.”

Seo Eun, who had been gloomy, couldn’t help but smile at Yerim’s words.

“I get fired and you immediately call him brother-in-law?”

“Sister is better to call than team leader. Seo.Eun.Sis.ter.”

Seo Eun who had shaken her head at Yerim’s words stretched big with a face that had let something go.

“Right. That’s not bad. Well, maybe it’s for the better. It wouldn’t be easy being management department head in the current situation. The next person will handle the department somehow.”

Everyone knew who the next person would be.

Jin-su, the man who became the Apostle’s right hand in one day.

And he called out to Seo Eun from behind us.

“Team Leader Jo Seo Eun! Could you wait a moment?”

Everyone turned their heads at the sudden call.

I had noticed him coming out before hearing his voice, but even I almost missed it.

Jin-su kept hiding his presence even inside the safe zone.

Whether intentional or habit, at this level ordinary people probably wouldn’t notice even passing beside him.

People’s expressions weren’t good seeing him.

Not just Seo Eun and Yerim, but even Hoffman and Zahina’s expressions weren’t good.

But I felt nothing seeing him now.

No feeling of welcome, no regret, no anger.

It just felt like looking at a stranger unrelated to me.

Jin-su’s expression didn’t change even seeing the hostile people.

“Sorry for suddenly stopping you. I wanted to discuss some management department matters briefly.”

Seo Eun’s expression worsened at Jin-su’s words.

“Why are you telling me that? I was driven out as of today?”

Jin-su bowed his head with a troubled face at her emotion-filled words.

“Though unintentional, I’m sorry about that. To be honest, I’m in a very difficult situation too.

I joined the Apostle to survive, but I never thought he’d hand over work I don’t know about like this. Please help me.”

Seo Eun who had been glaring at Jin-su for a while finally sighed.

She was swayed by his seemingly sincere apology and expression asking for help.

“Can’t be helped. No matter how much I dislike someone, I should properly hand over work at least for the people living here.”

Then she said goodbye to us.

“We’ll part here. I’ll go to the management department office with this person.”

Yerim looked at her with a worried expression at Seo Eun’s words.

“Should I go with you?”

“It’s fine. My husband will come soon too, surely nothing will happen inside the sanctuary.”

Strictly speaking, the safe zone wasn’t safe since even the Apostle got attacked there.

But she refused help.

Because she was more worried about Yerim than herself.

“I’m more worried about you. Though I told everyone this morning, there are still people targeting you. Though I’m worried about you going outside at a time like this too…”

“Don’t worry about that. We’re really safe with just our party members. Plus, our knight is invincible.”

Yerim said confidently while mimicking swinging a sword.

At Yerim’s words, Seo Eun stared at me.

“There’s no way he’s invincible. If he were invincible, he wouldn’t have run away this time. Still, I’m confident about running away, so you don’t need to worry about Yerim.”

Invincible was nonsense. There were quite a few people stronger than me, and stronger magical beasts and undead too.

Still, looking at how I’d survived until now, I was much better than others at running away and surviving.

Moreover, my enhanced mana detection and senses since coming to this world enormously increased my chances of survival.

“I believe you.”

Saying that, Seo Eun headed to the museum where the management department was with Jin-su.

We moved toward the student center building where our quarters were.

While going to the student center, Yerim kept looking back.

She kept showing worried expressions watching the two people getting farther away.

At behavior everyone couldn’t help but notice, Hoffman asked.

“Worried?”

Yerim nodded right away.

“Yes. A little. He was someone the team leader really disliked. When I first saw him, I didn’t know he was that person she talked about, but now that I know, I can’t help but worry about them being alone.”

At Yerim’s immediate outpouring of worry, Hoffman stroked his chin with a troubled face.

“He’s a natural awakened one of the stealth type, so it’s hard for me to secretly watch with my skills…”

Yerim shook her head at Hoffman’s words.

“No. I was just worried. You don’t need to help.”

However, Yerim’s expression was different from her words saying it was fine.

Before Zahina could open her mouth seeing her expression, I spoke first.

“Go on ahead. I’ll take a short walk and come back.”

Yerim’s expression changed completely at my words.

She ran to my side and thrust her face in front of me.

“You’ll go?”

I nodded seeing her sparkling eyes.

“I’ll at least check if everything’s okay while taking a walk.”

Hoffman snickered at my words.

“Hehe, Sir Yeager always acts like he doesn’t care but is actually a very caring knight.”

Yerim also looked at me with a moved expression.

Though I actually had different intentions, I turned around letting team members think that way.

My stepping up this time was partly due to Yerim’s worry, but there was a bigger reason.

It was because I was curious why the relationship between those two had changed like that after my death.

At first I planned to ask directly, but it wasn’t easy to ask since it was unrelated to me now. I had no answer if asked why I was asking.

Even if I asked, with Seo Eun’s personality she clearly wouldn’t answer properly.

In my previous life too, she didn’t like telling others about herself.

I couldn’t ask Jin-su either. He would clearly add his own embellishments.

In the end, to hear that story, I had no choice but to secretly listen when they were alone.

And now was the opportunity to listen secretly.

Now, with the Apostle rampaging, the Demon King’s army invading, and the octopus coming down, there wouldn’t be another chance like this.

I moved in the opposite direction from my companions, walking into thick bushes beside the road.

Though I wore armor, no one noticed me hiding in the bushes.

I was worried since I hadn’t used it in a while, but the mana moved well as intended.

The technique of hiding presence and muffling sound using mana.

Though it was a thief’s technique that Hoffman used, it wasn’t one knights couldn’t use.

Actually, except for magic used by mages, anyone who could use mana could use mana-utilizing techniques.

Thieves who use mana could use mana-imbued swords like knights,

And with proper training, I could probably use mana-imbued arrows and bullets like Zahina too.

Of course, considering difficulty, imbuing bullets with mana wasn’t easy.

Anyway, knights could sufficiently use thieves’ presence-concealing techniques.

If that weren’t possible, incidents of knights sneaking into enemy castles and slitting lords’ throats wouldn’t have happened.

And the hero being able to sneak into the Demon King’s castle was because all hero party members could hide their presence.

Of course, knights extremely disliked using thief techniques.

The reason being honorable knights couldn’t do what petty thieves do.

Of course, it sounded like nonsense to me.

Knights being honorable – that wasn’t something medieval thugs should say.

Of course, I couldn’t say such things in front of other knights.

I couldn’t have duels every time I met knights.

Whatever the case, I could hide my presence as well as most awakened thieves.

Plus, I could move more stealthily thanks to enhanced mana abilities since coming to this world.

‘At this level, they won’t notice?’

I put my armor in my pouch and started moving wearing just light clothes.

Though I moved easily with mana even wearing armor, without armor I felt like I could fly.

I could reach the museum building with the management department without being noticed by people.

Watching through windows from far away, I could see two people in the office.

Seo Eun and Jin-su.

Though I couldn’t hear sound, they clearly didn’t seem to be doing a handover.

No one else was visible in the office, and fortunately there was a window open to outside.

I slipped into the office through the window silently, like a snake crossing a wall.

I worried Jin-su might notice, but it was needless worry.

Jin-su was so focused talking with Seo Eun, he didn’t notice me entering at all.

I didn’t even need to get close to hear their conversation.

I could eavesdrop on their conversation hiding behind a partition far away.

“Didn’t you come for the handover? If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, I’m leaving.”

I didn’t know how long they’d been talking, but Seo Eun was already angry.

But Jin-su paid no mind.

“Even if there was a misunderstanding, you shouldn’t treat me like this. Our relationship isn’t like that.”

Maybe because they were alone, Jin-su had shed all his previous courtesy.

My brow furrowed involuntarily seeing behavior he hadn’t shown even in front of me in my previous life.

“What relationship? We have no relationship. Besides, I have a husband now!”

Seo Eun got angrier at Jin-su’s disrespectful behavior.

As Seo Eun kept getting angry, Jin-su also raised his voice.

“What do you mean no relationship! I’m the one who protected you after Seonwoo died. We were so good then, just because there was a misunderstanding in between doesn’t mean that time disappears!”

“No, why bring up Mr. Seonwoo! Even then, you just kept pursuing me using Mr. Seonwoo’s death as an excuse!”

“What are you saying? You didn’t reject me either. Besides, even before Seonwoo died, when he was in the hospital, I kept helping. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have helped like that!”

“Right! That’s why I couldn’t completely reject everything. But to say it was all because of me. Weren’t you his closest friend?”

“I was his close friend, until I saw you.”

I sighed inwardly.

What kind of makjang drama story was this.

My previous life where I had an accident at work, was hospitalized, and died without recovering as time passed.

Though I had bad luck getting into an accident, I received good compensation and treatment, so I wasn’t too sorry for Seo Eun who was left behind, but to think such things happened behind my back.

“As you know, even after seeing you, I did my best for Seonwoo. I was the first to rush to the hospital after he got hurt.”

“I acknowledge you treated Mr. Seonwoo well. But to say it was all because of me… That’s why I hate you more! My husband will be here soon. Since it seems we won’t do the handover anyway, let’s end this conversation.”

“Your husband won’t come right away. He has a lot to talk about too.”

Good heavens, so this was why Jaeha stayed behind.

Jin-su really was someone who broke my expectations.

“What do you mean! Did you deliberately separate us?”

“Killing two birds with one stone. Actually, I’ll tell you now, I saw Seonwoo die too. I was the first to rush there, and I called the ambulance. I kept it hidden until now worried it might cause problems with workers’ compensation.”

“No, even so…”

Though Seo Eun’s voice lowered at his sudden words, my face became serious.

Something seemed wrong with the story.

Jin-su was there when I had my accident?

Though it was a very long time ago for me, I remembered clearly.

Before the accident, I had last spoken to Jin-su on the phone.

At that time, Jin-su definitely said he was somewhere else.

And it was Jin-su who had called.

I remembered clearly because the accident happened before hanging up.

Though I hadn’t told anyone about it since it wasn’t a good thing.

Why was Jin-su lying like this? To win Seo Eun’s favor?

Or perhaps, was what he said on the phone in my previous life the lie? Was he really at the accident scene?

I took out my sword from my pouch.

It seemed I needed to hear about this directly from him.