101 – Dinner with Roxanne and the Subjugation of Villains (3)
101.
“Ah, s-sorry, I said something weird…”
Roxanne, who was flustered and fidgeting, finally lifted her head.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her blue eyes were lost and wandering.
She glanced at me sneakily and when our eyes met, she flinched and lowered her gaze again.
I had never seen Roxanne, who always appeared calm, so flustered before.
It was somewhat embarrassing to realize what I had assumed.
Well, it was understandable.
“Did I misunderstand something and make you think that way? If so, I’m sorry.”
I don’t know why, but it seems like I had mistakenly assumed that I was going to confess.
Why did such a misunderstanding occur?
I haven’t shown any rational interest in Roksan, and Roksan doesn’t seem like the type to misunderstand such things…
Could it be because we had something important to discuss privately?
Upon careful consideration, it seemed slightly insufficient as a reason for misunderstanding.
‘Could it be that Cynthia spread some strange rumors?’
Considering Cynthia’s personality, it seemed plausible.
When we first met today, she looked at me and said something like my personality seemed not bad, and my face seemed okay at least to this extent.
Come to think of it, didn’t she leave while smiling subtly earlier?
Is it really because of that lady?
“But, what do you mean by the organization that made Seyura die?”
Suddenly, Roksan turned the topic.
It was a bit of an unnatural shift in the conversation, but since I had no intention of making Roksan uncomfortable, I simply nodded without saying anything.
“The villains who attacked Seyura were probably members of the organization Seyura belonged to.”
“Seyura belonged to… an organization?”
“Yeah.”
Roksan blinked her large eyes several times.
It seemed she hadn’t considered the possibility that a villain of Seyura’s caliber could belong to any organization.
Well…
To begin with, calling it an organization might be somewhat amusing.
It’s more like a club or a gathering, if anything.
It was a somewhat hierarchical relationship, but fundamentally, they did not interfere with each other.
If I were to say it half-jokingly, it felt like “Judah and the Villains”?
“How did Jinho know about that?”
It was a natural question.
There was no credibility in saying such a thing out of the blue.
“Before that, can you put up a barrier so that my voice doesn’t leak out?”
“Sure.”
Roksan nodded after looking at me for a moment.
She seemed slightly puzzled, but for now, she seemed willing to go along with my request.
“Then, just a moment.”
Roksan used her psychic ability between blinks.
Her psychic ability allowed her to create various types of barriers. The opaque barrier slowly enveloped the reception room, a sound-blocking barrier.
“Thank you.”
I asked for the barrier for two reasons. There was a possibility of eavesdropping from outside, and I wanted to imply to Roksan that I would be saying something important from now on.
“As for how I knew about that…”
I hesitated slightly about saying this, but I concluded that it would probably be okay with Roksan. After all, given Roksan’s character, she would never disclose it to others.
Roksan’s character setting and her behavior so far made me trust her.
“Actually, I’m a future foreseeing ability possessor.”
“Ah.”
Roksanne let out a short sigh.
I carefully examined Roksanne’s face.
I couldn’t understand why she suddenly said that, and her expression seemed to question whether she really had the ability to foresee the future.
“I guess it’s hard to believe unless I just say it.”
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Come to think of it, was this the third time I lied about being a future foreseeing ability possessor?
Yuseolhyun, Soyeon, Roksanne…
At this point, it was almost a public secret, but none of them seemed like the type to tell anyone.
Soyeon and Roksanne were too kind to reveal it to others, and Yuseolhyun would think it’s not beneficial to her and would have nothing to gain from it.
Well, honestly, I’m a little uneasy about Yuseolhyun, but considering everything she’s done for me so far, it might be somewhat believable.
“Future foreseeing ability… Jinhyuk, what about you?”
I slowly opened my mouth in response to Roksanne’s surprised question.
“Do you think it was just a coincidence that I saved you from the forces of Seongyu when we were attacked on the mountain and during the midterm Battle Survival?”
“Ah… certainly not.”
Roksanne absentmindedly nodded as she recalled the past events.
It was too suspicious to dismiss as mere coincidence, and the timing was just right.
Thanks to those two incidents where I had saved Roksanne in the past, it seemed like I had gained some credibility from her.
…But was that really just a coincidence?
It might seem a bit absurd, but when Roksanne was attacked by villains disguised on Mount Yookseong in Chungnam, I didn’t even know it was her at first because her disguise was so convincing.
And again, what saved Roksan during the midterms was merely a bonus, a mere bonus. Initially, my goal was to rescue Soyeon. I never expected you to be with Soyeon.
“When I asked you before, you said it was for personal reasons, but was it actually to save the temple?”
“Well, um, that’s right.”
No, that’s not it.
I feel a twinge of conscience.
At that time, I didn’t really think about saving Roksan.
Instead, I was afraid of getting involved with Seong Yura and tried to stay as far away as possible.
So, could you not look at me with that expression?
It hurts my heart for no reason because of my conscience.
“As you know, even with future foresight abilities, you can’t see everything you want. But still, it’s not that you can’t see anything at all.”
“Then why did you save me? Even getting involved with Seong Yura.”
“I saw a future where you would face a bad outcome because of Seong Yura.”
“If you say it’s a bad future….”
“Well, I won’t say that far. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.”
It’s true that I faced a bad outcome.
If I hadn’t intervened, Roksan would likely have fallen into corruption.
“I intervened without thinking and ended up with Soyeon being kidnapped.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not your fault.”
“No. I promised to protect Soyeon, but she was kidnapped despite that. Even though I was in a state of being kidnapped before I sent people, considering my position, I can’t avoid responsibility.”
Bowing her head, Roksanne.
She could truly be described as naive.
And because of this personality, there was a high possibility of receiving help regarding this matter.
“What, again? You’ve already received an apology before. Soyeon said she’s fine too.”
“…Yes.”
“Anyway, can you believe that I have the ability to see the future?”
“To be honest, it’s a bit surprising, but I don’t think Jinho would lie… Oh, by the way, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“During the ranking match… you seemed to use some kind of special ability…”
“Oh, that.”
Because of that, there has been some talk within the Academy.
While it’s common for heroes to hide their special abilities from the outside world, not registering the existence of such abilities is illegal.
All individuals with special abilities had to go to the authorities and register.
I managed to pass by claiming that I awakened the ability to absorb magical power, but there were still many people who looked at me with suspicion.
They couldn’t quite understand how I blocked Bai Yurin’s final thrust attack.
That’s why rumors had spread, saying that I possess various special abilities or even artifacts.
It’s relatively quiet now, though.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That was an impolite question.”
Before I could say anything, Roksanne quickly apologized.
“You’ve already mentioned it at the Academy, so I won’t ask any further.”
Basically, it seemed that Roksanne had made up her mind not to delve deeply into supernatural abilities, as it was impolite to do so and she no longer had any unnecessary curiosity.
Whether she had multiple supernatural abilities or had broad versatility to utilize them in various ways, she didn’t care.
As long as she didn’t commit any wrongdoing, that is.
“Anyway, I have another reason for helping you. I’ve been chasing after the organization that Sung Yura is affiliated with.”
“Sung Yura was part of an organization… Oh, it’s not that I don’t believe it, but it’s quite surprising.”
“They’re dangerous criminals that cannot be left alone.”
I continued to speak.
“So, I want your help in apprehending them.”
It’s difficult to involve Yoo Seol-hyun in this matter.
Above all, Yoo Seol-hyun doesn’t move unless there’s a benefit for her.
Apprehending criminals is not the job of Yoo Seol-hyun and the Gaon Nuri Clan, and even if they were to arrest them, there wouldn’t be any significant benefits.
Although the Gaon Nuri Clan is considered a group of heroes, they fundamentally pursue the public interest.
Of course, I can provide some benefits.
But there aren’t many clan members that Yoo Seol-hyun can use at her discretion.
Moreover, they weren’t strong enough to apprehend Rebellion members without any harm.
At the very least, they would have to deploy members equivalent to a first-team leader or deputy leader, but would those people truly listen to Yoo Seol-hyun?
Furthermore, if not careful, Yoo Seol-hyun could become a target of Rebellion.
Unless there is a high-ranking powerhouse by her side, surviving against Rebellion would be impossible.
On the other hand, Roksanne has Cynthia by her side.
Not only Cynthia, but there are also quite a few individuals who are at a similar level.
Many people were completely captivated by Roksan’s charm, so there is a high possibility that they will listen to her words very carefully.
In other words, she has an easy way with people.
“Of course, it might be difficult to believe my story right now.”
Roksan is an aspiring idol and a priest.
She doesn’t hesitate to help and save others, regardless of the cost.
For her, human life is the most important, and she is willing to sacrifice herself for it.
… It was somewhat ironic that Roksan, who was like that, ended up corrupting and harming people.
“Can you take a look at this?”
I quickly showed her a few photos.
They were pictures taken secretly of a diary that had been hidden in a house through the informant.
“It’s a photo of a diary?”
“Not just an ordinary diary.”
“Wait, could this be…?”
“That’s right.”
Commonly known as the Murder Diary.
It was a record of the experiences of the member of Rebellion who was the culprit of the serial murder cases in Gyeonggi Province, describing the murders in detail.
This necrophile had a habit of writing a diary after killing someone.
So, at the time of the game, many people referred to this criminal as a madwoman, an artist, an essayist, and so on.
“The culprit behind the notorious murder cases that have been causing a stir in Gyeonggi Province for the past few years is a woman named Han Ji-hyo. She is in her early thirties and is active as a novelist.”
“Shouldn’t we report this to the police…?”
“The police have no reason to listen to me, and there is no concrete evidence. This murder diary? It could just be an excuse for writing a murder case in a diary format, right? Of course, it might be suspicious, but suspicion is just suspicion.”
It means that circumstantial evidence could be possible, but it is unreasonable as substantial evidence.
“This person is an unregistered person with supernatural abilities. It will be difficult for the police to catch them with their skills alone. Only victims will come forward? To apprehend them without any harm, multiple heroes will be needed.”
And those heroes should have exceptional abilities.
According to the game setting, they would be one of the members who recently joined Rebellion, but they had the potential to make even Yoo Da-hee, the best idol, amazed.
Well, for now, they must be at a level stronger than Baek Yoo-rin.
Anyway, they must be caught before they can grow any further.
“I understand that it’s difficult to believe me without any significant evidence, but as time passes, more victims will occur.”
“….”
“Can I give you a chance to find out if Han Ji-hyo is really involved with the organization and if she is the culprit of the serial murder case?”
“…. Jin-hyuk.”
After a moment of silence, Roxanne slowly pursed her lips.
“I can’t move people with uncertain information.”
Even if Roxanne is a saint candidate, it’s quite a burden for her to move the church members with just a few words from a peer.
Moreover, she was currently expanding her influence, so she might not want to get involved in unnecessary trouble.
“But.”
Roxanne looked at me with determined eyes.
“As a fellow aspiring hero, I can’t just sit still after hearing this kind of news. And the church has an obligation to protect people from evildoers. Not just me, but everyone in the church.”
“Roxanne.”
“And… we can’t just leave the organization that Seong Yoo-ra was affiliated with alone.”
“I know it might sound strange for me to say this now, but are you really okay? You could become a target for them if you mess up.”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
Roxanne nodded without hesitation.
“Jinhyuk, you mentioned that you are pursuing the organization that Sungyura was involved in, right?”
“Huh? Um, yeah.”
“I don’t know the reason behind your pursuit, but… I promise to do my best to help. Just as you helped me.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I didn’t expect her to go that far.
“Well, it’s all good now. I’ve even secured Roxanne’s promise, so I can start the partial suppression operation of the rebellion villains.”