Whistleblower (1)
Kim Hyunsung was not used to receiving gifts.
I didn’t know how it had been like for him during the first timeline, but if one were to think about his high-level talents, it would seem like he was the giver rather than the receiver.
This seemed to be the reason as to why he was unable to hide how he felt. He wasn’t wearing a smile, nor was he laughing, but his expression was one of pure joy.
‘He likes it.’
This was a well-maintained black griffon. I would have been disappointed if he had not made that expression. Because of its rarity, you couldn’t dare to measure it by value. If this was rated using artifact ranks, this would obviously be a legendary-grade gift.
This was also the reason why everyone around us looked very surprised.
“Wow…”
It was hard to accept the fact that this gift had come from me, and not from a guild. It had been quite easy for me to acquire, which wasn’t the same for the others. The fact that I had made my gift public meant there was a lot for me to gain.
‘In this way, I’m able to show how good the relationship between the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master are.’
This was also a reaffirmation of my power. It meant I was very loyal to Hyunsung, and this would be the image engraved on everyone’s minds.
As expected, Kim Hyunsung shook his head, looking as if he was overwhelmed.
“l-I’m fine, Kiyoung-ssi. I am grateful for the offer… but it’s too overwhelming.”
‘You should definitely be overwhelmed. This is very expensive…’
“You don’t have to be overwhelmed, Hyunsung-ssi. Since I have received so much from my trip, it was only right of me to do so. Ah! And I’ve received this through sheer luck, so…”
“Nevertheless…”
Of course, I knew he would react like this. This was a very big gift, after all. However, anyone could see that he really wanted it, and that he was only refusing out of courtesy.
Hyunsung simply refused because he knew he would still get the gift, nevertheless.
“This is also for letting me acquire Juliana. I have my own griffon, so don’t worry!”
“Ah…”
‘Take it quickly, you bastard. You’re going to take it anyway.
In the end, Hyunsung conceded. “If you say like that, l-I will take it gratefully.”
‘Do not stutter…
“You don’t really have to feel overwhelmed. Haha. You can think of it as my payment for the things you have given me.”
“No. The one I’m receiving is bigger. I will definitely repay this kindness.”
‘That’s how it should be!’
As I slipped over the black griffon, I saw Kim Hyunsung stroking him happily. As the giver, I felt pretty good about myself, and it wasn’t just Hyunsung who had such a happy expression.
Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, Kim Ye-ri, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Lee Sanghee all wore a similar glow on their faces.
I thought that, with the gift ceremony done, the party would also end, but it appeared that this was not the case.
“We have to party all night today since we’re here. Ah! Hyunsung hyung-ssi, can we do that?
“Sure. Let’s just resume working tomorrow afternoon!”
“Ah…”
“It’s a joke. It wouldn’t be bad to take a day off. It’s a great day, so we can get a little drunk. Hyejin-ssi, come here and hang out with everyone else.”
“Yes, Master.”
I actually felt tired from the trip back, but I knew I could hold out for a little longer.
“Ah! Oppa. Try this too.”
“Okay.”
“Kiyoung-ssi, about the next volunteer schedule…”
“Yes. I’ll try to make a schedule and go.”
“Can’t you tell me about what happened first?”
“It’s a bit too long to talk about.”
The night was long, and we had time, drinking the whole time and catching up on each other. Kim Hyunsung did not say much, but he kept looking at us whilst smiling. Park Deokgu busied himself with dancing.
Though Cho Hyejin was unable to adapt, she got along very well with everyone in the end.
Both Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young bombarded me with questions, and Kim Ye-ri was forced to head to her room by Hyunsung, seeing as she was still a minor.
For a while, I forgot about all my worries.
It was only after I saw the sun beginning to rise that the party ended, and I closed my eyes, indulging myself in the happiness that I felt.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
After a while, I woke up at a sound from outside the window. I thought, It would have been nice if I slept a little more’, but I had to lower my head because I felt heavy for some reason.
“Ah…”
Half of Jung Hayan’s body was on me.
I seemed to remember taking her to her room yesterday. I didn’t know why she was here now, but she probably snuck here under the guise of being drunk.
Perhaps she thought I wouldn’t remember, but I didn’t care at that point. My body was tingling. I didn’t know how long I had maintained this posture, but my arm felt hopelessly numb.
I didn’t feel embarrassed as she had already pulled this tactic during our expeditions, but seeing as she was still pretending to be asleep, it seemed like I had to lie like this for a little longer.
Tap.
Tap.
In the meantime, the sound continued to echo through the window. As I turned to look for its source, I saw a little bird constantly pecking at the window.
It appeared that Marlin Young-ae’s letter had already arrived.
‘Good.’
I knew her reply would be quick, but not this quick. This proved to be quite advantageous for me, as I had so much I wanted to learn about Cho Hyejin. What had happened at Castle Rock was a mystery I wanted to unravel.
I didn’t want to pinpoint her weakness; I just wanted to know what she was
hiding.
I quietly opened the window so as not to wake Jung Hayan, and the bird entered the room. After I took the letter that was tied to one of its feet, quickly wrote down my reply, telling her I would meet her soon, and sent the bird out once more. That would surely satisfy Marlin Young-ae.
I then opened the letter carefully.
[I am very happy that you gave me this sudden letter shortly after goodbye. It was less than a day, but I was secretly thinking about you in my heart. In such a situation, this letter moved me as if it was warming my heart that was abandoned by the bleak winter breeze. Is it my mistake that you read my mind?]
‘Why is this so long?’
I felt expectant upon seeing how long the letter was, but most of the contents were written in this manner. It seemed that Marlin Young-ae had exerted a lot of effort writing this.
[I am ashamed to say this as an aristocrat, but the dreamlike times I had with Lee Kiyoung in the royal castle keep replaying in my head. What if I could have been able to fly in the sky like a bird? Please, I hope that my heart will be conveyed with this letter.]
‘What the hell is this…’
I didn’t understand. We’d never met alone. Duchess Catherine was always with us.
Of course, considering the number of times we’d met, it could be a possibility. However, there was no incident wherein I could’ve possibly captured her heart. I had tried my best to be on my most polite behavior, but it appeared that my efforts were not effective.
The more I read through the letter, the more disconcerted I felt. I skimmed through the pages before finally finding what I had wanted to know about.
[I haven’t been able to research much because of the lack of time, but I think this is the information Lee Kiyoung wants. Since I was in a hurry, I gathered the free people and conducted an investigation. I called upon an employee who formerly belonged to Cho Hyejin’s guild and asked about her. With this, I learned that the Little Rock Guild was closely related to our Castle Rock Estate.]
Oh’
Things were getting more interesting.
[To conclude, the inspectorate of our estate has investigated the Little Rock Guild to which Cho Hyejin belonged. Although it was an investigation involving various things, I remember that the guild was mainly suspected of smuggling monster by-products and tax evasion.]
Considering Cho Hyejin’s disposition, it didn’t seem like her at all. I continued reading through the letter in order to find more information.
[The reason for the investigation was that a conscientious free citizen belonging to Little Rock first made a report to the inspectorate. At that time, I was too young to participate in the family event, so I only heard about it, but I know it was Cho Hyejin who helped at that time. Even though she belonged to Little Rock, I heard that for the sake of her conscience, she reported directly to our estate.]
‘Whistleblower?’
I was able to realize why Cho Hyejin came to Lindel, especially Blue.
For me, this was a bit of a headache. I didn’t mean to blame or criticize her actions. She did the right thing and deserved to be praised. It was indeed a courageous act.
However, the problem is that her former guild members did not think so.
The story must have come out.
Some free people don’t think they must obey the laws of the Holy Empire. That was why they did not become imperial citizens.
It would be easy to understand if you were to think that the Free City of Lindel was created for such people. Due to the nature of these people, they were often stingy about taxes.
To some extent, a lot of people resorted to tax evasions, and ignored most of the imperial laws. Cho Hyejin’s old guild was probably the same – or even worse. If they committed the act of smuggling monster by-products, then they must have dabbled in worse things.
‘For example, the trade of interracial slaves…’
The truth remained unknown, but the important thing to note was that Cho Hyejin was a whistleblower who reported her guild’s internal corruption. What happened to her after was obvious.
She was probably branded as a traitor, and was used as the scapegoat for many of their failures.
‘That’s how our society works.’
And, with that line of thought, that was also how whistleblowers were treated
in modern society.
Because of this, she probably couldn’t join any other guild, as everyone else saw her as a potential harm to their own groups.
Even those who knew she had done the right thing would still hate to be seen with her. I was completely sure of this.
Shaking my head, I continued reading.
[In fact, the Little Rock Guild was able to avoid punishment due to insufficient evidence, but when I asked the former guild staff, I heard that Cho Hyejin left the guild because of unavoidable circumstances. The last thing I heard was that she left for another city because she couldn’t find a place at Castle Rock. I thought she would have gone to Lindel, but I couldn’t even imagine that Lee Kiyoung knew Hyejin. I think it can be called fate.]
“So, I’m right.”
Cho Hyejin acted according to her conscience, and it ended her reputation. Everyone had seen her as a dangerous bomb, ready to expose the guild’s secrets should she deem it fit to do so.
Though I personally understood and respected her way of life, it would be a lie to say I did not think the same as these people.
‘Ha… We’re in trouble…’
Due to my anxious nature, worry began to bubble up inside me.