I never thought from the start that just flapping my mouth would solve the situation anyway...
In the end, Kim Giryeo couldn't utter a single word in front of the rejected suitor.
A mont later, he quietly moved his feet and stepped out of the restroom. Surprisingly, at the very mont when the two Awakened had completely separated, a new developnt began.
Well, since I've already co face-to-face with the real thing, why not take a mont to see what kind of mage they are?
In fact, the alien hadn't strayed far from the corridor with the restroom. Sowhere quiet in the northern part of the building, a place most other VIPs rarely ventured, the blond finally ca to a stop.
Sssh.
Kim Giryeo sharpened his senses and quietly slid his phone behind the white wall. His plan was to capture the sounds made by a European, then use the recording to translate the language and glean a little insight into the person's personality.
"Huh? It's a Korean hunter."
"What's he doing all alone in the corner?"
"Thinking?"
"Nope. Looking closely, it seems he's just waiting to enter the nearby shop."
Fortunately, by standing there with his arms crossed and a stern expression, he successfully pulled off the act of doing nothing.
"Seems like there's no information I can get using magic alone."
However, even though he had finally used [Invisibility] and [Telekinesis] together for reconnaissance, strangely, the target didn't co out of that corridor for quite so ti.
Leo!...... ich habe dir gesagt, dass du dein Handy nicht ausschalten sollst......
It was because he had run into a friend in there.
"They're talking already? Well, I'm still tracking their positions through mana, and my phone's well hidden by refracting the light, so it should be fine even if the recording runs a bit long."
Kim Giryeo slipped into a spot where he wouldn't run directly into the foreigners. As he leaned against a pillar and waited, the target finally finished his conversation and ca out.
"Alright, let's see what that guy was talking about."
The miracle of Earth is that even German, which the corpse's brain held no knowledge of, could be interpreted with just the press of a "play" button. Using this uniquely human translation technology, Kim Giryeo was able to comprehend the everyday conversation people had been having.
"It's not a 100% perfect translation, but..."
The first sentence seed like a scolding about why he was so late. The second was a reprimand not to turn off his phone alarm. And the last one...
"Oh."
Kim Giryeo imdiately stopped holding his phone and translator up. This one was a naturally strong soul, so he hadn't often been the one to start slander or intrigue. But given the years he had lived, he was now able to grasp situations fairly well through even simple conversations.
"Perhaps the one who spread the rumor about Esther... wasn't actually the suitor himself."
And that's how this suggestion soon ca up.
***
Not long after he had finally finished in the restroom and returned.
"Esther-ssi."
"Yes."
One afternoon, Kim Giryeo, upon eting the [Korean Magic Tower] guild master again, began making a certain statent.
"By the way, I just have a quick question—what exactly does Esther want to do with that hunter in the end?"
"And suddenly, what's this about?"
"Thorough factual confirmation? Receiving an apology? Reconciliation? Or what else..."
"Hmm."
"Things like never having to see that person again for the rest of your life. Anyway, there are plenty of options, but I'm curious what the hunter actually wants."
After hearing the archmage's question, the woman answers.
"To be honest, I'm not thinking of going to such extres as what you just ntioned at the end."
A calm tone. An expression that showed no particular change.
It was quite annoying to be rumored overseas as a 'superpower who harasses others', but Esther calmly revealed her true feelings as if it didn't go to the point of killing the other person.
"On the contrary, as long as I can face them and resolve the conflict, I'm more than willing."
"So in the end, the thing is resolving it?"
"More precisely, it's clarification. I just want the baseless rumors to stop spreading."
But [Justitia] is unavailable for use due to various circumstances...
"If the focus is solely on a battle over the truth, couldn't [Knight's Oath] also co into play?"
Kim Giryeo, having been inford of the concerned party's intentions, imdiately made a proposal. He suggested, 'If that's the case, how about using a famous contract item and sohow bypassing the conditions to create a simplified investigation tool?'
• I will truthfully answer one question from this man from now on, and if it is false I will pay the price.
Co to think of it, by inserting the relevant clause, [Knight's Oath] could serve as a substitute for [Justitia]. No, in fact, considering only the penalty for violating a clause, this was the more powerful artifact. However, the mont [Knight's Oath] was ntioned, Esther flinched and shook her head.
"Uh, of course, if you look at it step by step, that would be the rational choice. But there are far more issues between and that Awakened than you might think..."
What followed was the explanation from the purple-haired Earthing. In fact, they had thought of using a contract item at least once, but in the end, they ran into several practical obstacles.
• Using the word "curse" in the oath could leave room for a broad interpretation of the matter.
"So that ans it would even include the malice that humans normally possess, not just Awakened skills."
For now, it seems this first obstacle can be managed with the added clarification that it only covers the modern mystique of physics.
"True, that clause also covers the physical abilities of Awakened, so it could be problematic if there was ever an incident in the past, like bumping shoulders and causing harm. So adjustnts will definitely be needed."
The real problem started with this.
• [Knight's Oath] cannot make promises regarding events that have already occurred.
Due to the nature of the item, Esther ultimately had no choice but to sign under the condition that she would sincerely declare she hadn't used her abilities on a specific person, and that she would face a penalty if that statent proved false.
The more they tried to word around it like this, the more [Knight's Oath] grew even complexity in effort. But as everyone—hunter or civilian—knew, any docunt that could bring about a creature's death must never be ambiguous...
"Why on earth should I trust that man and sign that kind of paper? Even worse, I'm sure he's going to die feeling so wronged because he's almost been frad!"
That's why even an S-rank hunter like Kang Changho didn't carelessly handle trivial clauses. [Knight's Oath] is an item that becos even harder to seal when there's no minimum level of trust between the parties.
"This is based on the assumption that the two people are on equal footing and sign without threats."
The guild master of the Korean Magic Tower was worried that a trap might be hidden sowhere within the contract's inevitably lengthy wording.
"On top of that, that rumor-spreading brat now wants the docunt to be written entirely in German!"
"Korean is absolutely out of the question? And what about English?"
"To be clear, the gentleman said he dislikes having docunts written in a language other than his native tongue, as the subtle nuances of the words could cause him trouble."
"He's not in a very different position from Esther, then."
Wordplay. Normally, it wouldn't cause any issues, but if carelessly applied to an artifact, it could lead to fatal consequences.
"Alright, I roughly understand the situation. With misunderstandings tangled like this... I suppose it makes sense that neither would want to face each other directly for the contract."
Moreover, there were countless other reasons why they didn't use the contract item workaround.
Money, money, money.
That very thing, in which modern society would be endlessly ntioned until civilization nearly collapsed, once again held them back.
'I had a feeling when I saw the price tags in the shopping district earlier. But it turns out the artifact's market value really did rise quite a bit in the anti.'
Knight's Oath. Specifically, it's a fixed drop from a monster nicknad Tristan. However, that creature has a long respawn cycle, so only a small number of them exist at any given ti, and its spawn areas are extrely limited, making it practically monopolized whenever it appears.
In other words, sudden price spikes were a common occurrence. But now, using such an expensive item to settle scores with an enemy made it impossible not to feel that spending the money would be a waste.
"Now, even missing a single disposable contract item would drain a significant portion of the guild's operating funds."
"Hmm."
"Of course, it's still within what I can afford. But even as an S-rank, no matter how much my spending habits have changed, I still find myself hesitating over ten or twenty thousand won."
" too."
"But how could soone who hasn't even done anything wrong possibly stomach spending that much hard-earned money?"
"I understand everything."
"This is why I have not been able to negotiate with that person until now."
She and the foreign hunter had differing opinions about the considerable cost that would go into uncovering the truth. First, Seo Esther believed that once her innocence was proven, the other party should cover all expenses caused by the dispute... Conversely, the hunter nad Leo claid he had his own share of unfairness in the situation.
'So he thinks we're about 20% at fault too?'
After proposing to Seo Esther overseas and being rejected, misfortune struck without warning. And if it had been a completely upright person, perhaps it would've been different—but Esther was known as a bit of a troublemaker who had used her awakened powers for pranks more than once. So then, could soone like that really have not placed a [curse] on soone she'd fallen out with?
"He said he thought he'd been hit by a powerful curse back in Korea, so he took holy water and every kind of potion on his own. Seriously! I just get why he's still suspicious of ."
"He must think pretty highly of your abilities."
"He probably just doesn't understand how curse-type skills work at all, since his awakening attribute is completely different."
At any rate, judging from the flow of the conversation, the man had every reason to be distrustful. Thus, it seed he also wanted to hold the Guild Master of the Korean Magic Tower accountable for the actions that had deepened his suspicions to this extent.
'He's just as frustrated as she is. Even if the curse user's innocence is proven, he's insisting he can't be the one to shoulder the full cost of the contract...'
In a capitalist world like this, it was only natural that few people would be willing to spend billions on sothing that wasn't even their fault—especially if that money had to be paid on behalf of a hunter they personally despised.
So in the end, what?
"One way or another, the situation will not improve with just two Earthlings."
Sssh.
Before long, the young man's samboegan eyes shifted slightly toward the air. Kim Giryeo began to ponder sothing deeply.
"Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. I an, at this over one little proposal to rge our families that didn't work out—what is this, so grown man throwing a tantrum to get back at ?"
Beside him, Esther was voicing her complaints about sothing, but fortunately, like a true archmage, his deliberation ended quickly.
"Please calm down. As I said earlier, I completely understand why you're so upset, Director."
"Is that so?"
"Still, I don't think you can stay distant from that hunter forever."
Kim Giryeo said quickly.
"Besides, this is sothing I happened to find out earlier when I went to the restroom, but it seems there's a fair chance that the one who deliberately spread the rumor throughout the European S-rank community wasn't actually him..."
"Yes?"
"Honestly, I don't have any solid evidence yet. But my gut tells sothing, so I think it's worth looking into."
"N, no. Wait. Are you saying you actually just t Hunter Leo?"
"Just for a little while."
Right now, it might look like nothing more than a petty quarrel between two S-ranks hunters. But letting this situation drag on—while the reputation of a Korean hunter continues to plumt in real ti—would hardly be a wise choice.
"But the exact ti I ran into him isn't really important. And honestly, there's no real need to dig into what kind of person he truly is, either..."
Kim Giryeo got straight to the point.
"The only thing I really need to confirm is this—Hunter Esther, you've never lied, right?"
More precisely, it was an act of confirming once again—swearing to know whether she had ever missed a [Curse].
"Are you asking whether I've used my skill or not?"
"Yes."
"Then of course I haven't lied. Giryeo-ssi, I really didn't use my skill."
If you keep questioning the truthfulness of soone's words, it can make them feel distrusted — and that might often lead a curse user. However, Kim Giryeo didn't give up on this task, even while fully aware of that risk.
"Never—absolutely never, not even once?"
"Yes, yes."
Well, since he'd gotten a clear answer straight from the person involved, that settled it.
"Alright. I understand. From this point on, I'll step in under the assumption that I have complete trust in you, Director Seo."
"What do you an, step in?"
"I've thought of a way. I'll prove your innocence without using [Justitia], so how about eting that Awakened just once?"
To prove innocence effectively even without the Scales of Truth? At his words, Esther blinked in mild confusion. At that mont, she had no particular thoughts about what was about to happen next.
.
.
.
.
But she never imagined that the thod he had co up with would be sothing like this.
"Okay."
"..."
"Take it."
A few minutes later—specifically, just before [Hydra] was about to find its new owner. With the auction drawing near, even the S-rank hunters who had been leisurely sightseeing began to gather one by one in the trading area.
"What did that Awakened just say? Is my translator working properly?"
"Won't you take it?"
First of all, to understand the situation the Guild Master of The Korean Magic Tower was in, you had to know these three concepts.
Kim Giryeo. Commission-free brokerage. And finally, gate spoils — known for clearly distinguishing superiority between contractors.
"You want to take this?"
[Fairy's Promise].
"And I have to use it? ?"
Esther, staring blankly at the control lever of the item before her, asked in disbelief. Kim Giryeo had just carefully explained how to use the material in detail. What's more, he had even brought along a magic solution that could resolve both Esther's and the foreigner's complaints at once.
"Yes! Just like that, hold the control stick and place the item around your neck."
The clever trick that slipped out of his mouth was, overall, hard for humanity to accept.
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