SWNOVELXO Chapter 137 - Sekyung Walker (3)
Chapter 137: Sekyung Walker (3)
Theresia tilted her head as she watched a woman, who resembled a white rabbit, bouncing around and waving both hands.
“Yulia?”
Hearing her name, Yulia finally noticed Theresia standing next to Yuri, and she flinched.
However, as if she had never reacted that way, she gave a big grin.
“Hello, Theresia?”
“……”
Theresia said nothing. She only looked a little uncomfortable.
Yulia, who had looked away from the silent Theresia, now grumbled at Yuri.
“How long do I have to stand here? Let me in already!”
Yuri firmly shook his hand in refusal to her demand.
“That’s not going to happen. It’s not appropriate to talk here… Let’s go somewhere else.”
Even though it was still in the early construction stages, there was no way he could show this place to someone he didn’t trust.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
Leaving those words with the group, Yuri stepped off the wooden barrier and descended next to Yulia.
“Follow me.”
Yuri gave Yulia a brief gesture to follow, then began walking first. She glanced back wistfully at the wooden barrier, but soon followed behind Yuri.
As the two of them gradually walked away, Arin, who had been watching them, asked Theresia.
“Who is she?”
“…Yulia Singh.”
“Singh? Singh…?!”
Arin’s eyes widened instantly at Theresia’s answer.
“Is it that Singh? The Sage of Silver Ring?”
Theresia silently nodded, confirming Arin’s reaction.
Arin clicked her tongue.
“Wow… The Cradle is truly something, even having sages from the Silver Ring. Judging by the epaulet, she seems to be from the 49th class. What kind of person is she?”
“I don’t know her well, so I’m not sure…”
“You never really get close to anyone, Senior Tesha.”
“…Why are you starting to talk more like Yuri?”
“Just insult me already. Anyway, this Yulia person, what do you think? Do you really know nothing about her?”
“She’s smart.”
“…Of course, she would be, since she’s from the Sages.”
“And she’s dangerous.”
“……?”
“She’s someone you can never figure out what she’s thinking.”
Even though quite some time had passed since Theresia had known her, this was the first time Arin had heard her evaluate someone this way, and she looked surprised.
It was then that Arin realized Theresia had been looking tense for a while.
Arin glanced towards the direction Yuri and Yulia had disappeared and cautiously asked.
“Are you worried?”
“Huh?”
“About Yuri leaving with that Yulia person.”
At that question, Theresia’s expression became even more serious. She glared at Arin, as if to ask how she could be so ridiculous.
“Why would I worry about Yuri?”
“You said that Yulia person is dangerous, so of course…”
“In terms of danger, Yuri is dozens, if not hundreds of times more dangerous than Yulia, right? If anyone should be worried, it should be Yulia, not Yuri.”
“Oh? That’s true.”
Realizing Theresia was right, Arin was momentarily at a loss for words.
Though she hadn’t lived that long, Yuri was by far the most dangerous person she’d ever met.
Scratching her cheek in embarrassment, Arin questioned again.
“Then why do you look so displeased?”
At Arin’s question, Theresia gazed in the direction where Yuri had gone and spoke.
“…He used honorifics.”
“……?”
“With me, he used informal speech the first time we met…”
“…….”
“He never once treated me as a senior…”
Theresia pouted slightly.
As Arin looked at her sulking profile, she thought.
‘…This person has changed too.’
When she first met her, Theresia seemed perfectly fine. How did she end up like this?
“This must all be because of him.”
There was no doubt that Yuri’s strange mentality was seeping into those around him. It was 100% certain!
“I have to keep my head straight at least!”
Arin clenched her fists tightly.
Yuri led Yulia to a location far from the fortress.
He spread out the spiderweb of his magic flow to confirm that no one else was around, then turned around.
There, trailing behind him, was Yulia.
“You said it would take a while, and it really did, huh?”
He had given her the assignment in early March. Now, it was already well past mid-March.
At Yuri’s words, Yulia shrugged her shoulders.
“This is actually pretty fast. I made a special effort.”
“It was just an offhand comment. I expected it to take a while anyway. But how did you find out that I live there? Are you spying on me?”
Yulia had clearly come knowing exactly where he lived.
In response to Yuri’s sharp look, Yulia smiled broadly.
“Hmm… is this spying? Well, it’s true that our Bluebird keeps track of most of the cadets’ residences. But we don’t really need to monitor you specifically, do we? You’re quite conspicuous.”
“……?”
“Our Bluebird wouldn’t ignore the bizarre wooden structure that popped up in the northern area, right? As I dug into that, naturally, your name came up.”
Yulia shrugged as if to say, “I did nothing wrong,” and then cast an intrigued glance at Yuri.
“You asked me to look into the Bone Clan… is it because of that wooden structure? What are you planning to do with it?”
Yulia’s probing tone didn’t elicit much of a reaction from Yuri. He simply shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“That’s none of your business. So, what about the information?”
At Yuri’s impatient tone, Yulia pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. When Yuri reached for it, she quickly pulled it back.
It was only natural that Yuri’s eyes narrowed at this.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You didn’t forget about the payment, did you?”
“…Of course not.”
How could he forget? It had been quite the shock.
As Yuri nodded, Yulia smiled and extended the paper again.
“Make sure! You absolutely have to get his handwritten signature for me, okay?”
“Yes, yes, I got it.”
Responding half-heartedly, Yuri took the paper and immediately reviewed it.
On it were the basic details of one person.
Name: Sekyung Walker
Affiliation: Facility Management Team, Contract Position.
Age: Estimated between 70 and 90 years old.
Special Notes: Arrived at the Cradle 5 years ago, with 5 years remaining on the assignment.
Though the information was brief, it contained everything Yuri wanted.
As he stared at the paper, he repeated the name written on it.
“Se-Kyung Walker…”
“It’s an ancient Eastern-style name. Is this your first time seeing one?”
“No, I’ve seen a few before, though not many.”
Over the long years, the ancient Eastern lands had had a profound influence on the continent. Consequently, people with Eastern-style names occasionally appeared.
As Yuri acknowledged this, Yulia added more information.
“There are many people with Eastern-style names in the Bone Clan. It’s good to know. Got any other questions?”
Yuri answered immediately, as if he had been waiting for that question.
“Plenty.”
“Plenty?”
“First of all, is this person really the one I asked about? Estimated age between 70 and 90? When I saw him, he looked at most to be in his 50s.”
“The average lifespan of the Bone Clan is double that of normal humans. If the person you saw looked to be in their 50s, then the information here is likely accurate.”
“Really? Then what about the assignment mentioned here?”
“Oh, that? I found out about it during this investigation too. It seems that the Cradle and the Bone Clan have a pact. The Bone Clan sends members to provide technical support.”
“Oh?”
“They say once those dispatched can’t return to their clan until they’ve completed the 10-year term.”
“They’re dispatched but can’t return? That sounds more like punishment than a proper dispatch, doesn’t it?”
“Your insight is impressive.”
“…?”
“Actually, everyone dispatched from the Bone Clan to the Cradle is someone who committed a crime.”
“So, they were really convicts?”
“Well, they’re not criminals who’ve committed heinous crimes; they’re more like misdemeanants. But technically speaking, they are still convicts.”
Yulia nodded deeply, then turned to Yuri with a question.
“Have you had enough time to ask about the assignment? Anything else you’re curious about?”
“No, nothing else.”
“Are you satisfied with the request?”
“If this really is information about the person I’m looking for?”
If this information was truly accurate, then Bluebird’s intelligence capabilities would be at an extraordinary level.
Noticing the somewhat skeptical expression on Yuri’s face, Yulia displayed her confidence.
“You can trust Bluebird’s information. It’s been cross-verified multiple times.”
“Well, I’ll take your word for it.”
“So, is that the end of the request?”
“It’s finished.”
“Then, thank you for your business! Feel free to come back anytime you need something!”
“Sure.”
“Oh! When that wooden structure is complete, let me take a look too!”
“No.”
“…Can’t you at least think about it before rejecting me? It’s embarrassing for the person who asked.”
“There’s no need to even consider it.”
“You’re firm.”
“It’s my charm.”
“I can see that.”
Yulia smiled broadly and was about to leave when—
“Oh!”
She suddenly stopped, turned back, and asked,
“So, how do you plan to win over the Bone Clan? They’re inherently very reclusive, so it won’t be easy.”
“By talking?”
“Talking? With the Bone Clan’s habit of keeping to themselves, they probably won’t even meet you.”
At Yulia’s question, the corners of Yuri’s mouth subtly lifted.
“I’ll just have to make them want to meet me. They’ll probably come to me first.”
“…?”
With that, Yuri walked away, leaving Yulia with a puzzled look and countless question marks floating above her head.
* * *
After finishing his meeting with Yulia, Yuri returned. He brushed off Arin, who was hovering around curiously, eager to know what had happened, and secluded himself in his hideout. There, he spread twelve sheets of paper on the table.
Twelve lecture request forms.
Yuri looked at them and smiled contentedly.
‘Finally, the day has come when these will shine.’
Who would have thought that a piece of trash worth 10,000 points would come in handy like this?
Yuri was glad he hadn’t thrown them away.
Then, he pulled out an additional sheet of paper.
[Non-Negotiable Lecture Request Form]
A mere scrap worth a staggering ten million points.
Yuri planned to use this for the current matter, making him proceed with caution.
‘I can’t use the non-negotiable request form right from the start.’
If Bluebird’s information were incorrect, he’d end up wasting ten million points.
That’s why he first needed the twelve lecture request forms—to confirm the accuracy of the information.
‘Considering the Bone Clan’s nature, if I keep pressing them, they’re bound to react in some way.’
Once Bluebird’s information was verified, that would be the time to use the non-negotiable lecture request form.
Yuri smiled as he began filling out the lecture request form.
* * *
**▶ Lecture Request Form**
**- Applicant:** Yuri Holland / Cradle 50th Class
**- Recipient:** Sekyung Walker / Facility Management Team, Contract Position
* * *
As Yuri filled in the details of the lecture request form, he paused at the ‘Reason for Request’ section.
‘What should I put here?’
How could he write this to instantly annoy the reader?
After pondering for a while, Yuri wrote a short line.
– Reason for Lecture Request:
Bored.
‘For now, that’s one.’
Yuri quickly completed the lecture request form and submitted it that very night.
The next day—
Your lecture request has been denied.
—read the note delivered to Yuri by a member of the Black Sword Corps.
Yuri scratched his cheek.
“…Was the provocation too weak?”
At the very least, he needed a response with some profanity to confirm if the person was who he suspected by their handwriting.
Then, there was only one thing left for him to do.
‘Alright, let’s dial up the provocation.’
With a sly grin, he started filling out the remaining 11 lecture request forms.
One by one, the completed forms piled up on the table.
Each time, the reasons for the lecture request grew increasingly provocative.
Scratch, scratch—
Was it just his imagination, or did the pen tip dancing across the paper seem oddly enthusiastic?
Finally, Yuri finished writing the reason for the twelfth request. His face looked so refreshed it practically sparkled.
“This should do it, right?”
Smiling contentedly, he carefully folded the 11 completed lecture request forms and tucked them into his pocket.
“Hmhm~.”
Humming a tune, Yuri submitted the forms at eight-hour intervals.
Thus, over the course of four days, all the request forms were submitted.
Then, early on the morning after the submission of the eleventh request—
Still having received no response, Yuri pondered.
‘Hmm… Is the information wrong after all? Or maybe the provocation was still too weak?’
Just as Yuri was considering, ‘Should I send a few more?’
BOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion rocked the ground.
“What, what’s going on?!”
“I-I’m hungry!”
Startled awake by the sudden chaos, Yuri and his group hurriedly armed themselves and rushed outside.
At that moment, they saw it.
One side of the wooden barrier they had painstakingly built was completely demolished.
“You damn bastard! Get your ass out here now!”
Beyond the shattered barricade—
They saw a dwarf, eyes blazing with fury, wildly thrashing about.