chapter 125

That was the only way I could express this situation.

After Lee Jihye’s grand speech, the guards ran off to find their superiors.

Unsurprisingly, she laughed and turned back to me.

“Well then. Shall we tell each other what we’ve been thinking? I think you’ve just noticed it… Is the answer a little easy?”

“Yes.”

“When I count to two, we will speak at the same time.”

“One, two.”

“Safety is the priority.”

“Safety is the priority.”

“It worked. You know that the public’s opinion of us is not very good, right?”

“Of course.”

“The first thing we need to do is to get Juliana back. Aren’t you the victim? | actually think it might be quite difficult to retrieve it. As the next best thing, it would be better to get help from a powerful person from the Holy Empire…”

“Victor Hart.”

“Is he someone you know?”

“He is close to Hee-ra. I don’t know exactly, but he seems like the type of person who would feel sad if he were to be the second in the Holy Empire. With just this guy, we can get what we want. No, he’ll be more than enough.”

Of course, what Lee Jihye and I wanted was not simply safety. What we really wanted was…

‘To overturn public opinion.’

That was the first goal.

Changes came even with the littlest things.

Public opinion was concentrated in the royal castle due to the sudden murder case. Knowing that I was being held in custody by guards was not very pleasant news.

‘However…

Everything would change when the perception that I was being protected would spread, not by the guards, but by Victor Hart, one of the Empire’s best.

This was my only option, but it would be enough to flip the tables.

“That’s because it is you whose life is threatened.”

“Since I’m in a very dangerous situation, I can’t help it. It would be effective to be protected by a Mercenary Queen or a shaman, but it would be better if my protector came from the side of the Holy Empire. I don’t know when Yamato’s assassin will come, so it would be better to use that as an excuse.”

“Do you intend to touch Lindel too?”

“That’s correct.”

“If you use the press, it’s not hard to even develop anti-Japanese sentiment However, what you’re planning worries me.”

“The Yamato Guild, who was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident, persecuted and threatened the guiltless Blue guild member Lee Kiyoung. In the process, an unavoidable incident occurred, and the victim, who had been condemned, went on the verge of being tried. I think that’ll be fine. If you want it said in a more provocative manner, an innocent Korean would be in danger of climbing the guillotine. How about putting it like that?”

“That’s not so bad. However, the reactions will be big. You know that, right?”

“Sure, that’s what I’ve been aiming for in the first place. If you punish me, you will soon be punishing Lindel.”

“And thus, the Holy Empire, who prefers avoiding trouble, won’t dare mess with you. You take care of your life properly. I like that, but…”

“You have a strange taste for men.”

“I told you. Ambitious men are my thing. I like a dirty, powerful man like you.”

“You’re just the same.”

“They’ll be a little reluctant to touch you. Well, it would be better to wage a war than have you dying.”

“War doesn’t happen that easily.”

“I think so, too… Come to think of it, it’s not my business. In fact, it didn’t seem like it would matter if you prepared it alone, but if you are using me as a representative, I think you have something else in mind.”

“Of course. I’m sorry, but I hope you can do this.”

“I was already going to. In fact, rather than the victim doing this by himself… It is more effective to have a large guild’s representative. Take a good rest.”

“It’s okay if I don’t help?”

“Of course. I feel more comfortable when I work alone when it comes to this sort of thing.”

Of course, I already know that Lee Jihye was competent. However, I couldn’t help but admit that I still felt nervous. This wasn’t something I could easily control. In particular, I felt like it would be better if I could contribute in being able to have Victor Hart vouch for us.

Less than two days passed, and I had no choice but to admit that Lee Jihye’s influential power was indeed impressive.

“Will you take responsibility if there becomes a problem with my client’s health? No, it looks like he’s already come down with something…”

‘That’s right.

“Ah. Are you Kendrick-nim? Are you in charge of this place?”

‘Well done, well done.’

“How are you going to compensate for the mental damage of his halfimprisonment?”

‘You’re the best, Lee Jihye.’

“Is the investigation of the Yamato Guild being done properly?”

‘Way to go!

As she went about with her complaints, Jihye Lee’s appearance reminded me of a particular foe from the previous Three Kingdoms period.

I predicted, but couldn’t even imagine, that she would be able to rob them right from the very bottom. In fact, I even felt sorry for Kendrick and the other guards. I knew how much they cared about me.

They were innocent, but I knew what Lee Jihye was trying to do.

‘We are the victims.

She was emphasizing this fact.

This press play, which started with the rumors that Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild had tried to assassinate Lee Kiyoung of Blue for some reason, had been very effective.

No, simply describing it as ‘effective’ was not enough.

Knowing that a member of the Black Swan had chosen to represent me, that the Red Mercenary Queen protected me, and the shaman continued to testify in my favor will not be pleasing to them.

The keywords we held were safety, threats, and life.

‘She is definitely talented.’

It was amazing as to how Lee Jihye knew what areas to tackle on. This allowed me to focus on my own personal matters.

If it weren’t for her, it would have been a little more difficult to deal with the Yamato Guild.

“My client is in a very stressed state.”

“Considering that we also give the most convenience…”

“Is this the best you can do? If you check the notes released by the Priest of our Black Swan Guild, you can see how mentally uneasy the client has been feeling. If I think about the post-trauma, I can see how much you pressured and persecuted him.”

“But…”

“Why is Juliana so late? Is there any problem?”

“I’m looking for a room right now. The upper level is also having various meetings… We would appreciate it if you could give us a little more time.”

“How long do you intend to repeat the same words? It’ll become really hard if you keep doing this. Is there any problem with Juliana?”

“There is nothing wrong with the weapon.”

“That’s a problem we need to check, Kendrick-nim. Once again, Juliana is my client’s private property and is the only way to protect him. We can’t guarantee that there will be no second threat when he has already been threatened once. It is undeniable that the Yamato Guild tried to threaten my client’s life due to the circumstances of the incident. It would be nice if you could fix this somehow.”

“In case you don’t know, we are on guard 24 hours a day.”

“Assuming Ito Souta is coming to hurt my client’s life, I don’t think you have the power to stop him. Excuse me, but given the possibility that some of the Holy Empires might have collaborated with them, we need a little more absolute protection. The protective measures requested by Victor Hart are still there. What should we do if you say that we can’t even get Juliana back?”

“That is…”

“Are you saying that, if the villains come here like this, he must submit to his death? It has already been 18 hours since the formal request for protection. Our client is still very uneasy.”

“Well, that’s…”

“If a request from Victor Hart-nim is impossible, isn’t it natural to show minimal sincerity? The Mercenary Queen is also very worried. With a repetitive situation where you have to stay away from your desk, the victim’s personal protection who is threatened with murder in the castle is so inadequate. If I could, I would take my client to Lindel right now.”

“We are also making our requests as much as possible. Oh, as you may know, Victor Hart is also very busy…”

“I feel like you’re just making up excuses.”

Lee Jihye had also been working hard, but Cha Hee-ra was also busy with secretly asking the old man, her old friend.

I felt nervous, for it was taking such a long time, but I knew the end was near.

Of course, it didn’t take too long for the first piece to be completed, as expected.

“P-permission has been passed. Kendrick!”

I could see a very happy expression from the guard who had made the announcement. At this, the once-sweaty Kendrick began to smile.

“Victor Hart said himself that Lee Kiyoung was in his protection. Juliana is also scheduled to be shipped again today.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all, Kendrick-nim.”

“It’s a relief, Lee Jihye-nim. It seems that the permission has been passed. In the future, Victor Hart will formally protect Lee Kiyoung. As you heard, the investigation into the cursing sword is also over, so I will return it for now… We believe that you will understand that in some areas, it will not be allowed to be taken in. Especially when you are away from Victor Hart-nim, Juliana should…”

“The first thing is to completely separate the guild members of the Yamato guild from him, Kendrick. They are undoubtedly threatening my client’s life. It is not Lee Kiyoung that must be repressed, but they.”

“Yes. I will try my best.”

I got a better result than simply getting Juliana.

After I heard the door closing, Lee Jihye popped her head back in. I smiled.

“Good work.”

“I didn’t know if you would be able to get Juliana back, but the results were not bad. In the future, Victor Hart will protect you.”

“Just listening to that makes me feel better.”

One of the things we worried about the most since we came here had been dealt with

“I’m worried about the movement restrictions, but it’s not a bad deal. Anyway, our Jihye is on the move and the fact that Victor Hart will be useful for my plans.”

“You won’t tell me about it yet?”

“It’s better if only I know. It’ll work better. As things go on, you will naturally know.”

“I’m disappointed… Well, anyway, as you’ve heard, the restricted areas will also start to loosen up, little by little. If you go out with Victor Hart, it will be possible to go worship at a social church.”

“Doesn’t old man Victor have a close match with Yamato?”

“I know a little bit about that… Would you like me to tell?”

“Of course.”

“Did you know that the Holy Empire is divided into emperors and popes? That old man is on the emperor’s side. As Yamato sticks to the Pope’s side, they obviously don’t have a good relationship.”

“Well, that’s an interesting story. What happened to Lindel?”

“Causing some anti-Japan disputes won’t be a problem. If you are treated unfairly, you don’t have to worry about it, because even war could happen. Perhaps, with the old man sticking to your side, Lindel will have some background.”

“Please keep track of the public opinion back in Lindel.”

“You don’t have to worry about it as it’s progressing quickly. But, more than that, shouldn’t you go outside? They were working hard too… I’ve been working on the Vatican’s side, but it’s not easy since they settled there first.”

“On the emperor’s side, we will meet secretly one by one. You didn’t get the composition of the delegation, did you?”

“The imperial figures are still working on it. I’ll leave this task to you. Anyway, if you go with them, they will inevitably stick to you. It won’t be difficult… Since we’re going to be with Victor Hart, it would be better to maintain a close relationship with him.”

“You already seem close to Hee-ra… It won’t be that difficult.”

“Hmm… Then, are you coming to the party tomorrow?”

“I probably will.”

“A killer attending a party with an escort…”

“If anyone hears, they will misunderstand. I’m the only victim… You can be proud of this. This is the result of your achievement.”

At this, a hint of a smile appeared on Lee Jihye’s face