Chapter 193. Pleading
A quiet afternoon.
“Oh my, what in the world?”
In the meantime, some unfamiliar objects had appeared in the representative’s office.
The most noticeable change was the table they were sitting across from each other, having a shine that seemed to hold power within the material itself—not glass, not quartz, but something that was distinctly magical stone.
Esther placed her coffee cup on that table and continued the conversation.
“To be honest, I was surprised when you contacted me, Mr. Gi-ryeo. You called out of the blue saying you needed help. Is there some troublesome situation going on?”
“A bit, yes.”
“Well, go on and tell me! I’m always willing to help Mr. Gi-ryeo if it’s his wish. Honestly, I’m glad I can repay last time’s favor!”
And shortly after, a line contradictory to the grand atmosphere of the representative office slipped out.
“Are you happy about that? But what I’m asking for is… dealing with a person, which might be a bit bothersome…”
The visitor had dropped a shocking request.
However, Esther’s reaction was monotone.
With a smile still on her face, she immediately replied, “Who do you need to kill?”
The blond man quietly stared at the ground, and only after a long while did he correct himself.
“Wait a moment. What I just said was meant as a ‘social’ affair…”
“Aha.”
“Well, of course, I thought you were joking, but the way you said it made it sound so real…”
Not joking at all.
Esther blinked her droopy eyes, swallowing her afterthought. Meanwhile, Gi-ryeo continued the conversation.
“Anyway, truth be told, I’m quite worried about something lately.”
Soon enough, the true nature of the request was revealed.
“Suddenly, President Go Byeong-do sent me a request for an Awakened. With the intent to completely harm someone. What on earth should I do in this situation?”
Indeed.
After much contemplation, Kim Gi-ryeo had decided to spill everything to the Curse Mage…!
But this time Esther raised an objection.
“Wait a minute. Go Byeong-do?”
Are you saying the troublesome issue you want to resolve involves the current president of the association, borrowing the power of the Korean Magic Tower?
Expressing her curiosity, the man sitting on the sofa explained.
“I was just about to tell you. Hunter Esther, do you know what happened to me last week because of that president?”
He rattled off the conflict between him and Go Byeong-do like a rapid-fire gun.
Apparently, Go Byeong-do had sent overseas errand boys.
And when he finally went to confront him, he brazenly pretended to know nothing.
A mere F-class Hunter like him wouldn’t have a chance against the world’s powers.
Therefore, the only option left for the weak at times like this was to shed tears of lament.
Of course, he hadn’t actually tried to cry, but he did pour out his woes with as much emotion as he could muster for a superior.
“Oh my goodness! That Go Byeong-do sent overseas Awakened to harm you?”
Esther was enraged.
How could the Hunter Association, an institution that should protect their Awakened above all, allow such an outrageous crime to occur!
“But why on earth did they involve that researcher’s relative?”
“It’s a bit of a complicated matter…”
Gi-ryeo touched his head while continuing the conversation.
“Actually, I’ve had a personal contract with the Hunter Association. They tried to use that to kill me.”
And then he revealed the Knight’s Pact he had with the president.
However, it wasn’t a matter that would significantly harm him.
Originally, the plan was to coerce Go Byeong-do into giving him 3 billion won and then escape by going under a different identity, but he had been unconsciously fulfilling his duties in the meantime.
“I didn’t want to be interfered with by selfish people. After all, I’m a Hunter who does what I need to do without orders, so it’s fine, right? So when my Awakening level was revealed, I made a contract to not be bothered by the association.”
His growing linguistic ability…!
He had never thought about the safety of citizens, but he boldly claimed he hadn’t meant to make a bad contract.
Taking examples like the Siren and Kagoshima raid, he insisted that he hadn’t entered into such a pact with any malicious intent either.
“Ha, besides, I only agreed not to harm the president just to reassure the association. I didn’t want my personal data reparations to go to waste, so I’m not really sure why I’m doing this now.”
At this point, it was a situation where lies were more natural than breathing.
Fortunately, the plan was successful.
Esther trusted Gi-ryeo’s words and soon reached a conclusion.
“Well, there you go! How dare he repay a Hunter’s kindness like this! Just how much has Mr. Gi-ryeo done for Korea since the day he came here?”
Thud.
Esther placed her coffee cup down and declared.
“Well, it seems like it was bound to explode. The previous president didn’t do this, but Go Byeong-do shows unnecessary Awakened hate to his subordinates…”
“Uh?”
“Moreover, it was shocking that he used reporters to incite public sentiment against Mr. Gi-ryeo.”
“Well, that’s…”
“When he had just been inaugurated. He actually dared to say such things to me after I had been so generous up to that point.”
That was a strikeout.
Esther mumbled to herself and then fell silent for a while.
The silence didn’t last long. It seemed like she had soon made a decision and nodded her head.
“Alright, leave this to me.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“You’re worried that the president might act up oddly again, aren’t you, Mr. Gi-ryeo? I’m going to put a stop to that. With the Knight’s Pact.”
Of course, for a good contract, it was necessary to lower the opponent’s authority first.
The source of the president’s powers to do foolish things was, in fact, wealth, so perhaps after inflicting a little damage to that dirty money, the agreement could be smoothly executed.
Esther confidently claimed that she would make it so that the former president wouldn’t act up anymore.
However, Gi-ryeo briefly showed concern.
“Hunter Esther. But are you perhaps thinking of doing something physical…?”
“Haha. Why, is that not allowed?”
“Well, considering the president’s position…”
“Hmm.”
“If you touch it carelessly, it’s bound to get noisy. Honestly, while I’m asking you for help, I have complicated feelings about it.”
But the woman with violet hair maintained a relaxed expression.
“Hmm. It’s certainly different from dealing with a confirmed criminal, so I should choose my methods carefully this time.”
Thud.
She put down the empty coffee cup and smiled broadly.
“But it’s alright. I didn’t want to do this at my age, but if push comes to shove, I can always ask my grandfather for help.”
Grandfather?
The blond man paused, bewildered by the sudden topic.
Then Esther added an explanation.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Do you remember that story I mentioned when I was stranded last time?”
“What story?”
“The unfortunate fact that my family is somewhat well-off. But there’s more to it than just financial meaning.”
Gi-ryeo, still gulping down his cool coffee, suddenly choked on the next words.
“Just to clarify, my grandfather is a member of parliament. A prestigious one, with a career that can’t even be compared to Go Byeong-do. So if we start an all-out war, the president won’t be able to easily bury me.”
At that moment, Gi-ryeo realized.
“What?”
Not just a simple psychic, but a tremendous power base.
It seemed that he had come to find someone very reliable indeed for the task.
*
A few days later.
The second president of the Korean Hunter Association, Go Byeong-do.
He had recently been suffering from a series of unexplained misfortunes.
[Complaining about being short-handed… Then again, the ‘executives’ are throwing a performance bonus party?]
[(Exclusive) Evidence revealed of manipulating magic stone evaluations at the Korean Hunter Association’s ○○ branch; investigations of staff and appraisers involved begin… ]
Suddenly, the association’s dirty laundry was being printed in articles one after the other. He was plagued by headaches all day long.
Long story short, things had escalated to a point where “unlucky” was the best way to describe it.
Even after a thorough examination, the hospital only told him there was nothing wrong with his body.
But amidst all this bizarre trouble, an unexpected visitor came, and one could only imagine his mood.
“Hello, President! It’s been a long time since we met in person, not over the phone!”
One day.
Seo Esther, the guild master of the Korean Magic Tower, had suddenly requested a meeting with Go Byeong-do.
“Haha, right. With our S-Class Hunter visiting, how could I not make time for that?”
Of course, the president responded deftly to such a visitor.
As mentioned before, Esther’s Awakening level being S-class meant he couldn’t treat her lightly like other hunters.
President Go Byeong-do pointed to the seat across from him and sat down heavily in the higher chair.
“Hmm, time…”
But just as he did, as soon as Esther sat down on the sofa, she blurted out.
“Let’s skip that; the truth is I came here to ask the president to resign.”
“What, what did you say?”
“It seems like you haven’t caught on to anything yet.”
With a languid expression, she spoke with a calm demeanor.
“The recent reports regarding the association. I’m the one who’s been leaking that information.”
How could she be so straightforward in unveiling her fangs toward him?
Esther’s tone remained unwavering even after that.
The magic stone evaluation manipulation from the ○○ branch. You must have used that method too.
Who doesn’t know that you’re colluding with the head appraiser to swindle clueless hunters and amass slush funds out of the difference?
‘What? How does this Hunter know…’
This was something he had not anticipated!
The formerly calm gaze of the president began to shake.
But thinking about the opponent’s Awakening property, perhaps it was something expected.
Just like with one of his partners before, Seo Esther was someone who couldn’t easily forget her grudges by nature.
“Wait a moment. Hunter Esther, why on earth do you have my backstory?”
Indeed, Esther had disliked him since the inauguration ceremony three years ago.
The previous president, who had sincerely placed himself at the forefront of creating the present association system, had been a diligent and good person.
Then one fateful day, he had tragically died after being bitten by a monster he encountered while visiting a disaster site.
Esther had felt a human measure of sadness upon hearing of the previous president’s untimely demise.
– I’m not like that stunt president Yoon. I’m flexible. Let’s have a good relationship moving forward. You understand what I mean, right? Master of the Korean Magic Tower.
That was why Esther had come to dislike the person sitting across from her now.
When everyone was reluctant to step into that position due to the previous president’s lamentable death.
That was when Go Byeong-do dared to propose a corrupt scheme during the inauguration ceremony.
He had suggested that he would protect various interests of the Korean Magic Tower Guild as president, but in exchange, they had to treat him well.
But because Esther wasn’t so socially detached as a Curse Mage, she had managed to endure everything.
‘After all, he did his job just fine.’
The embezzled amounts by Go Byeong-do could honestly be considered a cute level, really.
While it was a downside that he sometimes played golf during work hours, he had still kept the organization centered as a leader.
Even when he failed to deploy an S-Class Hunter during situations like the Kagoshima raid, he had managed to negotiate diplomatically to avoid international issues. Even if that little rat was devouring the treasury, it hadn’t been a problem until now.
“Is there any way a person who holds the position of president of the Hunter Association can manage to keep their seat when they are in fact abandoning the Hunters?”
When Esther mentioned that, Go Byeong-do quickly grasped the severity of the situation.
Upon reflection, even during the so-called unavoidable malice incident, their connection had seemingly been evident.
“Did that Kim Gi-ryeo spread rumors to you as well?”
There must have been a reason behind why Kim Gi-ryeo, who believed in the doctor’s innocence, ultimately came to seek him out.
For instance, maybe his Awakening ability actually had a favorable attribute for interrogations.
But the skills related to the mental realm were ultimately the invisible power of the individual, weren’t they?
“Hey, Esther, I don’t know what you heard from him, but it’s all misunderstandings. I’m just as innocent as you think.”
The current president of the Hunter Association desperately tried to dodge the situation with a sob story.
No matter what skill Kim Gi-ryeo had, it would all be over as long as Esther didn’t believe it.
“I had a feeling you would say that, so I just applied to borrow Justitia from the UK on my way here. Moreover, they’re holding two epic items as collateral.”
But honestly, who would have thought they would come out swinging like this?
“So from now on, I’d like you to be as careful as possible in your arguments.”
“….”
“Oh my, judging by that reaction, it seems Kim Gi-ryeo’s words are indeed not a lie? Until now, I had kept all possibilities open.”
It was just then.
Go Byeong-do interrupted Esther’s words, speaking hurriedly.
“Wait! First, let me explain. Would I want to do something to a precious citizen like you?”
“…….”
“Look, I don’t know what Kim Gi-ryeo whispered to you, but I also have circumstances to explain.”
Not knowing that her face had turned cold, Go Byeong-do continued.
“This is a serious matter. I was just worried that that scammer kid might harm this country, and I had to act out of concern.”
“A scammer?”
“Don’t be surprised, just hear me out. That kid… is not really an S-Class!”
But for some reason…
He thought he had taken out an ace to change the situation around.
“Kim Gi-ryeo isn’t classified as an S-Class?”
Hahahaha!
As soon as the guild master of the Magic Tower heard this, she threw her head back and laughed until her jaw was almost unhinged.
