Chapter 42
Jung Ha-yeon quietly studied Baek Seung-hyun’s face. Yes, she had expected this. He still hadn’t changed at all. She knew that, as he was, he would definitely let her go.
Lee Su-hui spoke to him with a startled expression.
“But, but…!”
“It’s okay, Su-hui. Honestly, it’s true that I’m lacking in some aspects right now. And while what Mirinae did was… unpleasant, it’s also a good opportunity.”
Baek Seung-hyun’s gaze was fixed on Jung Ha-yeon as he spoke. …A cold gaze, devoid of any warmth. However, Jung Ha-yeon calmly met his eyes. There was no other choice, not right now.
“One month isn’t that long, after all. And more than anything, it will help Su-hui grow. What do you think?”
“Well… I don’t really know. To be honest, I’ve gotten so used to having you by my side, I’m not sure I can handle things on my own…”
Hearing this, Jung Ha-yeon bit her lip slightly. But now wasn’t the time to show such things. Baek Seung-hyun looked at Lee Su-hui and spoke.
“It’s okay. You managed just fine before we signed our contract, right? I believe you’ll do well.”
Watching this exchange, Park Su-rin leaned close to Jung Ha-yeon’s ear and whispered.
“Wow, this is so sweet. But why do they speak so formally to each other?”
Jung Ha-yeon shot a sharp glance at Park Su-rin.
“Stop talking nonsense and focus. Unless you want to leave Busan and help catch the Unicorn.”
“Ah, no, I can’t do that. I’m a Busan local, and I can’t concentrate well in other places.”
“Then just stay quiet.”
Lee Su-hui seemed to still be struggling with her decision. As everyone watched her quietly, she finally opened her mouth.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
Jung Ha-yeon raised an eyebrow, turning her full attention to her. Something to ask, huh. What could it be?
“Go ahead. I understand this is a difficult decision for you. Feel free to ask anything.”
With that, Lee Su-hui quietly began to speak.
“You mentioned earlier that Mirinae had launched a malicious public opinion campaign against my manager and me. How can I be sure they won’t do something like that again after my contract with Mirinae ends?”
“Hmm.”
“To be honest, it’s hard for me to trust Mirinae. Especially since I don’t know what they might do during the month I’m separated from my manager.”
Jung Ha-yeon fell silent for a moment before responding.
“I understand. But that won’t happen. After all, I was the one who ordered them to stop those public opinion attacks.”
“…What?”
“Exactly as I said. Mirinae has no choice but to listen to me, so you don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think there’s much more that needs to be said on the matter.”
Lee Su-hui stared blankly at Jung Ha-yeon. What did that mean? Was it simply because she was an S-rank magical girl, or was there something else behind it?
Baek Seung-hyun, meanwhile, looked at Jung Ha-yeon with a cold, emotionless gaze… and then spoke.
“It seems like we’ve wrapped up the discussion.”
Lee Su-hui glanced at Baek Seung-hyun and then nodded.
“In that case… yes, I’ll do it.”
With that, she clenched her fist tightly and spoke again.
“Seung-hyun, I’ll work hard over the next month and come back much stronger!”
Baek Seung-hyun let out a small chuckle at her words.
…
Lee Su-hui headed to the Mirinae-owned building to sign a short-term contract. For the next month, she would likely stay in a lodging provided by Mirinae, dedicating herself to becoming stronger.
I drove back to Seoul with a smile. It was perfect. There couldn’t be a better outcome.
From the beginning, there were limits to what I could do as an independent manager. With a large company like Mirinae, it was obvious that they could take much better care of Lee Su-hui than I could.
The initial reason I wanted to become Lee Su-hui’s manager was to gain access to the restricted areas in North Korea. Now that my work in the North Korean region was complete, the manager role wasn’t as appealing.
Not that I plan to quit being her manager entirely. Mirinae is the type of entity that shouldn’t be given too much power. After a month, I’ll have to take up the role of her manager again.
But for now, it was much better not to be her manager.
Why, you ask? Well, it’s simple… I wouldn’t have to worry about fitting into Su-hui’s schedule, nor would I have to worry about her discovering my identity as the Black Knight. It means I’ll have much more freedom.
After finally parking my car in the garage of the house where Su-hui and I lived together, I entered the empty home.
For a month, Lee Su-hui would not be in this house.
I quietly observed the scene outside the window, then stepped out of the house and headed to the rooftop.
Then, I transformed into the Black Knight. I had already checked that there were no CCTVs around.
There was a lot to do. I quickly leapt into the urban landscape.
…
Unicorn, stunned, returned to his base.
The Unicorn’s domain, the Infinite Labyrinth, matched his authority to dominate space, making it a place undetectable by anyone and capable of storing an almost infinite number of followers.
At least here, he could feel safe.
[Damn… damn it.]
What shocked the Unicorn was the power of the Black Knight.
It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t surprised by the Black Knight’s hostility towards him, but it wasn’t so shocking that it left him speechless.
The problem was the power. Even if he unleashed all his forces, he couldn’t be sure of victory.
If such a monster were to turn against him, it would be nearly impossible to fight off the magical girls as well. He even started to question if his plan to overturn Korea was a mistake. Bing Seol Hwa was tougher than he had expected. If the Black Knight hadn’t intervened, he might have actually died.
But if he missed this chance, when would the opportunity come again? Two A-ranks were out overseas, and the other two were tied up in the North Korean region. This meant that apart from Bing Seol Hwa in Seoul and Ha-eun in Busan, there were no notable magical girl forces.
If he couldn’t do it now, would there be a chance when all four A-ranks returned to the country?
Unicorn’s personality leaned towards perfectionism, being exceptionally cautious. This trait made even an S-rank monster hesitate before attacking.
And while the monster grappled with hesitation, someone appeared before the Unicorn.
[…Who are you!]
The Infinite Labyrinth was practically an extension of the Unicorn’s body. Yet he hadn’t noticed this presence until they made themselves known. It was impossible unless the other party was at least equal to him in power.
In front of him was a humanoid figure with the head of a lion, goat-like legs, and a snake for a tail.
[It’s a pleasure. Are you the monster known as Unicorn?]
Unicorn glared at the monster in front of him. Should he summon his forces and attack all at once? Damn, the damage could be considerable. Of all times, why now…!
As if sensing the Unicorn’s thoughts, the monster raised both hands playfully and spoke.
[Whoa, whoa. I didn’t come to fight. I was simply impressed by your achievements. Turning Seoul into a wasteland and making Busan a battlefield, all in a country known for having the world’s strongest concentration of magical girl power.]
Unicorn observed the monster in front of him. Though this creature was about the size of a human—much smaller than himself—it felt far more imposing.
[What do you want to say?]
[How about joining forces with us?]
[‘Us’?]
[That’s right. We are called the ‘New Humanity Association.’ It’s an organization that aims to create a world for monsters. I’m Chimera, an executive of the organization.]
[…So, you’re suggesting that I join this ‘New Humanity Association’? What would I gain from doing that?]
Chimera smirked at the Unicorn’s question.
[You would gain power. You’re already a mighty monster, aren’t you? With power bestowed by ‘that one,’ you can become even stronger than you are now. And… we would also support your project.]
Unicorn’s heart skipped a beat at those words.
Become even stronger? Ever since reaching S-rank, his growth had stalled. If a monster with that kind of power offered cooperation, even with the Black Knight as an adversary, his chances of success would increase.
[So… are you saying you could stop the ‘Black Knight’?]
[The Black Knight, yes. We know of him too. Ideally, we’d like to recruit him, but… stopping him wouldn’t be difficult.]
Hearing this, Unicorn looked at Chimera and spoke.
[Let’s hear more.]
And hidden from view, someone quietly observing the two slipped out of the Infinite Labyrinth.
[That’s some useful information.]
Draped in black armor, with a sword at his side.
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