Chapter 400: If he were an enemy (2)
“What do you think? If Kim Hyunsung were our enemy, do you think we could handle him?”
She didn’t ask the question as a joke. It occurred to me that that was what she had been thinking about all those times. I could roughly understand what Lee Jihye was thinking, considering the scene she just witnessed probably felt too much of a shock to her.
Looking at her, I could see her anxiety displayed on her face. Her eyes were shaking, and her skin had a bluish tint to it.
‘So that’s what she’s worried about.’
She must have thought there was a high probability of Kim Hyunsung becoming an enemy. Honestly, it was an idea that one would typically think about at least once. I had also thought about it. It was even more impactful due to Hyunsung’s performance. Any influential person who saw him would be reacting the same way as Lee Jihye. What he showed was phenomenal and game-changing.
He was the epitome of how far a human could climb. In my case, since I was with light, I looked less different from the others, but the complete dominance he displayed on the battlefield was enough for him to be warranted to be kept in check.
For her, who had many useless worries, it wasn’t unusual to seriously think about what it would be like if Kim Hyunsung became an enemy.
“Could we handle him?”
“I don’t know.”
“…”
“…”
“I told you not to look at me strangely. I asked that with confidence. Honestly, I never thought he would be that powerful. Imagining Kim Hyunsung as an enemy, I suddenly got an anxiety attack. If I had to fight him, I would straightaway just say ‘GG.’ Even if I were to assume that I would be with you, I don’t know how we could be a match for him. It’s impossible to fight someone like that with just us alone.”
I thought so, too. If he suddenly flew in and swung his sword, there was no way I could avoid it.
“We live in a world where today’s friend can easily become the enemy of tomorrow… It won’t happen, but if Hyunsung tried to push you down, there’s nothing you can do, right? Of course, I know that he is stupidly kind, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a pushover or would do something that would put him at a disadvantage. Just think about the tutorial. I understand that you trust him, but considering that human greed can change anytime, it’s not like there’s not even the slightest chance that you two can be torn apart.”
“Well, I don’t think we’re going to be torn apart… and why are you talking about this while we’re in a dire situation?”
“I am telling you this because of the current situation. Just be prepared for it. If you prepare for it after it happens, it’ll be too late. I’m sorry for saying something so senseless, but I just suddenly thought about it. It’s something to be insanely anxious about. I understand now why the cliché about purging a group of warriors that finished an adventure was born. A dagger too sharp is dangerous to its owner, right?”
“That won’t happen.”
“Can you be sure? You’re someone who has a lot of doubts.”
“…”
“I’m not saying this because of my greed. It’s based on heartfelt worry. I’ve never said anything about beating a rival because I want to see my man be the number one. It’s true that I’m a little bit greedy, but I’m not that psychotic. I just want to hear your answer. If you can be torn apart and meet him as an enemy, can you handle him? If there is a means to control him, what is it?”
Naturally, I started to think.
‘You don’t have greed, my ass…’
To be honest, I couldn’t believe that even 1% of Lee Jihye’s greed did not go into it, even more so when I thought of Lee Jihye’s disposition. She wouldn’t really like that there’s someone with the power to keep me in check or put a brake on me. After the war was over, the continent would be on the path of peace. Of course, I didn’t know if there would be quests remaining, but it would surely look like that in her eyes, who had no way of knowing about the first round.
When the fight was over, there’s only one thing to do: share what we got.
Considering that, Kim Hyunsung’s position was ambiguous. Until now, he was just the Blue Guild Master. The power he had was limited, but no one would believe that it would continue that way after the war. Even then, the achievements in that battle deserved points. The public had already learned how strong Kim Hyunsung was.
I’ve heard that great power came with great responsibility, but I had a thought that was a little different.
Great power came with authoritative power.
The power Kim Hyunsung had would inevitably bring authoritative power.
Even if it’s not in the State, he had a high probability of getting a position somewhere. Externally, he would be known as the Guild Master of the guild to which the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung belonged, so he was already set to receive a suitable position. There, Lee Jihye’s worries were bound to appear on the surface.
She felt unpleasant about someone who had a transcendental force beyond control getting authoritative power. Considering her personality, it would be weirder if she stood still seeing someone who could keep us in check and cut our throats at any time, growing.
Of course, she was worried about me. I had thought about that a few times, too. It was no wonder that I recalled Kim Hyunsung’s face. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine him pointing his sword at me. There was a chance that he would misunderstand me as the trash of the first round, but I had many insurances for my life in that case, so I had the confidence to get away with it.
‘If I can just finish this, things might go well…’
It’s also ridiculous that he would abandon me because of his greed. At least, the Kim Hyunsung that I had seen so far was far from being that type of individual. Of course, we never really knew when or how human relationships would change until it’s already right in front of us.
‘There’s no way he would do it.’
Organizing my thoughts quickly, I spoke slowly, and Lee Jihye looked at me as if she was still suspicious.
“There’s no way we’ll be torn apart.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. There’s no way we’ll split up, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You know that if you’re too greedy, you’ll get burned, right?”
“W-What did I say? I know that. It’s something that I can fully say, seeing how you’ve acted so far.”
“As you said, I’m not without ambition, but I’m well aware of my place and limitations. Even if Hyunsung wanted us to become enemies, I wouldn’t want that. Think a little differently. What can our enemies do to me if that kind of thing is on my side?”
“Hmm…”
“That person is on our side… I bet there won’t just be one or two individuals who’d tremble just by having my fingertip move. I’m the one with the nuke button, after all.”
“How can you be so sure? Even if you think that way, there is no guarantee he won’t suddenly change his mind about being allied with us. And I’m not telling you to be greedy. I’m just telling you not to take away what we already have.”
“Jihye.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m the kind who losses what I have?”
“…”
“Do I really look that way?”
“No.”
“Then the conversation ends here. There’s no problem. Don’t talk about that in the future. Whether in front of me or front of others. Never say anything about what’s right or wrong about this. If that situation ever comes, I’ll take care of it. I believe you know better that we can’t cause trouble in the current situation. I think my head will explode just thinking about being the demon summoner.”
“Okay. So don’t look at me like that. I was really worried. If you don’t have a problem with it, then I’ll trust you. Yes. I have to trust you.”
“If you have time to think about senseless things, finish the battle ahead, Jihye. The same goes for organizing troops to go to Castle Rock.”
“Yes, yes. Okay. I got it.”
The conversation ended with that. Lee Jihye nodded as if she got it by closing her mouth tightly, but her lips pouted as if she were still somewhat dissatisfied. She understood it deep down, but it felt like she was still unhappy about something. I wondered if she’d do something useless without my awareness, but she wasn’t stupid enough to do that.
“Don’t do anything dumb, Jihye.”
“I said I got it, so stop. I won’t do anything. Instead, don’t regret it if you get backstabbed.”
It was then when I heard a knock on the door.
“Speaking of the devil.”
Who knocked on the door was obvious. Lee Jihye slowly opened the door, and I could see Kim Hyunsung quietly waiting outside.
“Oh! Hyunsung!”
“I’m sorry to come here so suddenly.”
“No. Thank you for your hard work. You were really amazing.”
Looking at Lee Jihye smiling brightly after changing her face in an instant was a bit scary.
‘There is no fox like her.’
She changed her behavior so much I couldn’t even find any traces of her worries about not being able to handle him. If I had to pick a faster converter than me, I could assure anyone that Lee Jihye would be at the top of the list.
“You must be busy…”
“No. Not at all. The battle is coming to a close. But why did you come…”
“There’s no exact reason… I’m just curious how things are going.”
“Ah… Yes. Yes. Sit. Want me to prepare some tea?”
“No. It’s fine, Jihye-ssi.”
While having a brief conversation with Lee Jihye, Kim Hyun-sung, who entered the room, glanced at me. He must be curious about the command and control room quite a bit. I didn’t know why, but he seemed a little excited. It felt like seeing a child in an amusement park. In particular, it was a bit funny to see him snoop at the seat where I sit.
“So, this is your battle station.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Hyunsung.”
“No. Kiyoung was… greater than me. Were you controlling of all of this?”
“It’s too much to say I was in control. I think it’s more accurate to say I was just analyzing the situation and delivering information…”
“Why are you saying like that? Kiyoung-ssi. You even had a nosebleed. I’ve never seen anything like that. You were staring at the magic hologram throughout the entire battle without stopping your hands and eyes. Hyunsung should have seen it…”
“Ah…”
It was disconcerting to see her performing as if she thought that was the chance. I was a little embarrassed, but it was a nice assist because I suddenly saw Kim Hyunsung looking at me with worry.
“I see. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. There’s no problem. I overdid it for a moment, but it doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong with me. It’s because… Jihye helped a lot.”
“I’m glad then…”
“Hey. Still, all the decisive things were done by Kiyoung. All I did was focus on some annoying chores. Oh. What’s in your arms?”
“Oh. I forgot. Actually, I came because I wanted to deliver this.”
When I looked at Lee Jihye as if I was telling her to look at it, she nodded as if she understood. There’s a small shield in Kim Hyunsung’s hand. It was the legendary armor that the named enemy had.
‘Don’t worry, Jihye. That won’t ever happen.’
Naturally, I smiled.
‘I’ve never doubted you, Hyunsung.’