LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 78
Chapter 78
[After all that effort, it all came to nothing.]
On the way out of the exhibition, Yomi giggled, seemingly entertained by the fact that my advice had been ignored.
“I never intended to persuade her in the first place. She was never the kind to listen to me.”
[That I can’t quite understand.]
Yomi, having climbed up to my neck, rolled around.
[So you endured this trouble and humiliation just to speak to that girl?]
“Well, something like that.”
There wasn’t much else I could add.
That was truly the only reason I had come here, giving up a precious part of my weekend.
I never harbored any expectation that I could influence Ise-ah’s actions or thoughts at this point.
“It’s just a setup.”
[A setup?]
“Yeah. That way, I can say, ‘See, I told you so’ later on. That’s the justification I need.”
That was my goal in coming to the exhibition.
Ise-ah will surely ignore my advice today and spend a fortune on a fake. Soon enough, she’ll realize that this exhibition was a trap set up to lure her.
‘And when that time comes, she’ll know.’
That I was right.
She may not believe me now, but when that moment arrives, even if she doesn’t want to, she’ll have to listen to what I have to say.
Ultimately, today was a kind of build-up for the not-so-distant future.
[So, where to now?]
“Let’s see…”
Anyway, all I need to do now is wait patiently.
“Shall we go get some meat?”
[Steak!]
So, I decided to enjoy the outing for a change.
* * *
“So, is it true?”
“…Yes, Miss.”
The weekend after next.
In front of Ise-ah, who had returned to her family’s home, stood a line of men in suits. Each one looked as pale as a mouse before a cat.
“I’m asking about the artifact appraisal results, not anything else.”
“Yes, that’s what we’re talking about—”
“So, it is true?”
“…”
These men were all artifact appraisers Ise-ah had employed. They were seasoned veterans with experience appraising S-rank artifacts. Yet, in front of the young girl, they hesitated to deliver the appraisal result.
“It’s the truth.”
The eldest appraiser finally spoke.
“The Sword of Lee Do-hak, which you purchased, was unanimously determined to be a counterfeit by all appraisers.”
“Is that so?”
Ise-ah twitched her fingers as she rested her chin on her hand.
“And have you found out anything about the exhibition?”
“All the artifacts displayed were found to be counterfeits.”
“No, not that. Have you discovered who orchestrated this shoddy scheme?”
Ise-ah scanned the line of appraisers. Despite her blank face, cold fury emanated from her.
“They made sure to cover their tracks well, making it difficult to trace. The invitations and building lease were all under pseudonyms…”
“So, you couldn’t find out who did it?”
No one answered.
Using pseudonyms for invitations and building rentals was surprisingly common when auctioning artifacts from the black market.
“Do you know what really infuriates me about this?”
Ise-ah rose from her chair and approached a rolling cart behind the appraisers. This cart was their portable appraisal cart.
Covered with a white cloth and equipped with a handle for maneuverability, the cart held the Sword of Lee Do-hak.
“Why are all of you so silent? Give me an answer.”
Ise-ah lifted the sword from the cart. One appraiser, visibly terrified, let out a small gasp.
“…Losing a fortune on a counterfeit?”
“Not finding out who orchestrated it?”
A few appraisers timidly offered their opinions.
“No.”
But they were all wrong.
Thud!
Ise-ah slammed the sword onto the floor. The loud noise left a dent in the carpet.
“You’re all wrong. What really infuriates me is…”
Teeth clenched, Ise-ah repeatedly slammed the sword down.
Thud!
“That I could think such rubbish was the real thing, that’s what infuriates me!”
Bang!
“If I had brought such a fake to my father, I would have been dismissed on the spot!”
Crack!
“Arrgh, this is so frustrating!”
Ise-ah indiscriminately flung the greatsword. A sizeable dent was carved into the floor, yet her rage showed no signs of subsiding.
‘Wait a minute.’
As she was fuming, a face flashed through Ise-ah’s mind. It was the face of her classmate who had sneaked into the exhibition and denounced the displayed artifacts as replicas.
‘How did he know?’
At the time, she dismissed it as spite, but now it seemed more like an incredible foresight. When he talked about the dagger, she thought he was just fitting his words to the situation, but upon reflection, his analysis was considerably credible.
“It’s like saying, ‘Those grapes must be sour,’ right?”
What had she said in return to him? Hadn’t she mocked his ignorance, even bringing up fables?
Her cheeks burned with a sudden flush.
How smugly had he looked at her, thinking her foolish? The reversal of their usual roles made Ise-ah feel a wave of hot embarrassment wash over her.
‘And that guy seemed to know something about the exhibition, too.’
She recalled how he had alluded to suspicions regarding the exhibition itself, mentioning authenticity and more. At the time, she hadn’t taken it seriously, but now it seemed to have been another display of foresight.
“There’s new information for you all to investigate.”
Ise-ah sat back down in her chair. Her anger had sufficiently cooled. At least she was not irrational enough to let personal rage interfere with business matters.
“If it’s about the exhibition—”
“No, it’s about a person.”
Ise-ah waved her hand dismissively.
“I’d like you to investigate a classmate of mine.”
“Excuse me?”
The appraisers exchanged bewildered glances. It wasn’t just that they weren’t private detectives; they simply couldn’t understand why she’d ask for an investigation of a fellow student in this context.
“You don’t need to understand why I’m asking. However…”
Ise-ah furrowed her brow.
“What was that guy’s name again?”
* * *
Nearly two weeks had passed since that incident. There was no need to ask how things turned out.
“Ugh.”
Every time I accidentally made eye contact with or passed by Ise-ah, she blatantly avoided me. Previously, she would merely grimace at me as if looking at an insect, so this stark change in attitude was clear.
“You, what the hell are you!”
Then, one day on my way home, Ise-ah approached me first.
‘She took the bait.’
It sure took her a long time.
I turned around as nonchalantly as possible.
“What’s up?”
“How did you know all the artifacts on display were fakes, and how did you know about the exhibition itself?”
“Hold on. If you’re going to ask questions, do it one at a time so I can understand—”
“Your middle school records are unclear, your residence is vague, and there’s almost no information on you! Who the hell are you?”
“You even did a background check on me?”
I let out an involuntary laugh. I hadn’t expected her to look into me.
“Shouldn’t the first thing you do after investigating someone be to apologize?”
“I did it because I could. Why should I apologize?”
Well, she’s even more of a brat than I thought. Maybe it’s time to correct her attitude a bit.
“Tell me everything you know about the exhibition. You obviously know something.”
“Oh, I get it.”
Ignoring her question, I clapped my hands together.
“You checked my background to blackmail me, right? You needed some pretext to squeeze information out of me.”
I could see right through Ise-ah’s reasoning. Of course, she was curious about my identity too, but she also needed an excuse to force me to spill the beans.
“So what are you going to do? Expose me to the media without any evidence?”
“You’re not denying it.”
Ise-ah shrugged.
“Fine. I acknowledge that it might be upsetting. So, name your price. I’ll pay whatever you want for the information.”
“No need for that.”
I set down my bag and training sword on the ground and then threw off my school uniform jacket on top of them.
“Let’s do it this way. Neither of us likes the other, so why don’t we settle it here and now? The first person to surrender has to give up the information the other wants.”
Ise-ah scoffed at my proposal.
“Are you underestimating me because I’m a girl? I got into this school by passing the same entrance exam as everyone else. I won’t take more than 10 seconds to—”
“So, are you in or out? Just answer that.”
“……”
Ise-ah narrowed her eyes.
She seemed to be gauging something but soon let out a dry laugh.
“Fine! If you won’t take the money, that’s better for me. But are you sure you want to face me without a weapon?”
She glanced at the training sword on the ground. In contrast, Ise-ah was unarmed.
I mimicked tapping my temple with my index finger, just like I did back at the exhibition.
“What, is that thing on your head just a decoration? It means you’re not even worth me picking up a weapon. Please try using your brain for once.”
Grit
Ise-ah was highly susceptible to this kind of provocation. True to form, she made the first move.
“Fine, I’ll beat you like a dog on a hot summer day!”
Whoosh—!
As Ise-ah swung her hand, a fierce wind erupted, much like it did in the dorm lobby last time.
‘Here it comes.’
I never underestimated her because she was a girl.
Starting from the second semester, Ise-ah isn’t just a side character added for the sake of the original storyline’s credibility. If anything, her combat prowess rivals that of Shin Seo-ha within the narrative.
Crack—Snap!
I dodged, and the tree behind me was shredded. The shredded pattern was peculiar; the thick tree trunk looked as if it had been twisted by an invisible hand.
“Huh, you dodged?”
Ise-ah frowned, seemingly surprised that I dodged the attack. The invisible attack was fundamentally different from Kim In-seong’s invisibility or Faust’s telekinesis.
Crash!
Dust rose from the ground where I had just been standing. When the dust settled, there was a large imprint, as if it had been hammered by a giant fist.
‘Invisible Hands.’
Ise-ah’s unique ability creates up to two invisible hands with tangible mass.
The destruction of the tree and the impact on the ground were all caused by these invisible hands.
“Let’s see how long you can dodge.”
The hands are large but unseen.
These massive hands, imbued with virtual mass, fly through the air, unrestricted by gravity, to crush their target.
Whoosh!
The fierce sound of wind being cleaved fills the air. The invisible hands, diligently aiming to tear me apart, were coming. I lifted my arms at a right angle as if to welcome them.
“Why dodge when you can catch?”
Clank!
A tremendous weight pressed down on my arms, but it was well within my expectations. Han Yu-seong often used his abilities to multiply the weight of the dumbbells I held, and this was not even half of that weight.
“What, what are you—”
Ise-ah’s face contorted in confusion, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Why not just grab them?”
This was no more challenging than a children’s game.
—-
(T/N): “I’ll beat you like a dog on a hot summer day!” (복날 개 패듯이 패주마)
– It’s a common saying in Korean that means to give someone a strong beating or punishment, usually out of anger. The mention of “복날” (the hottest days of summer) highlights how intense the beating is.