Chapter 152 : Chapter 152
Chapter 152: School Starts (2)
"Are you really going with that timing?"
This was during my meeting with Baek Ha-seong a few days ago.
I could not help but be a bit surprised by his words.
"It is not certain yet, but for now, the October Grand Festival seems like the most opportune time."
That was because the day he mentioned was the October Grand Festival.
One might wonder why I was so surprised about a simple festival day, but the significance of the October Grand Festival in this world was immense.
In terms of meaning and symbolism, it was a day even more important than the Thanksgiving Festival in March.
The October Grand Festival was the day humanity first declared victory after overcoming the threat of the Gates in the past.
However, Baek Ha-seong replied nonchalantly, as if that were of no consequence.
"Does commemorating that day change anything? In the end, what matters is the present as we move forward."
"Well... you have a point."
"Well, perhaps in a different sense, it could become a festival day for me too."
There was nothing wrong with what Baek Ha-seong said.
I also lived by the principle of utilizing whatever I could.
I was simply surprised that Baek Ha-seong, who had lived in this world his entire life unlike me, would say such a thing.
Regardless, that was not what was important right now. There had to be a reason why Baek Ha-seong chose that day for his plan.
As if he did not want to waste time either, Baek Ha-seong immediately explained the reason.
"First of all, that is when the security defenses will be at their weakest."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Since they at least carry the name of a prestigious family, they will be deploying personnel for the official October Grand Festival events."
That made sense.
It was standard for those bearing the name of a prestigious family to make an official appearance at every October Grand Festival to show that their faction was still going strong.
However.
"I heard the Baek Family reduced their numbers after your incident, Mr. Baek Ha-seong."
There was a slight exception for the Baek Family.
Since they had suffered significant losses at the time, I knew they had reduced the number of personnel who participated in public affairs since then.
This was something I knew because it appeared in the novel.
At my words, Baek Ha-seong nodded readily.
"That is true. It is a fact that their vigilance is stronger than before."
"Then, even taking that into account, that day is the best time?"
"It is true that their vigilance is stronger than before, but at the same time, it is also true that it will be at its weakest then."
Hmm, certainly.
Even I thought it was the most sensible judgment.
Then, let's just move past this part for now...
"Then how much power do you estimate will remain there at that time?"
"First, is the place we need to go the main house?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Then it should be around 500."
I see. Roughly 500 people...
"...Pardon?"
"Based on my prior investigation, there will be around five S-ranks and about 100 A-ranks. The rest are not particularly worth knowing."
"Excuse me??"
No, wait a second.
The power level makes no sense.
But Baek Ha-seong's explanation did not end there.
"If the battle drags on for a long time, reinforcements will also arrive."
"What is your standard for 'dragging on'...?"
"At the minimum, an hour. At the most, an hour and a half."
"Then what is the level of the reinforcements?"
"Once they receive word that I have appeared, will they not all come swarming in? Considering the size of the family, it will surely exceed a thousand."
Ah, I see.
A number well over a thousand.
'Dammit. I thought you said their momentum had weakened compared to the past?'
It was a number that made it impossible not to curse.
How could over a thousand people be mobilized from just one family?
And this was even after accounting for the fact that Baek Ha-seong had swept through them in the past?
Seeing my expression of disbelief, Baek Ha-seong slowly explained the reason.
"Even if they have lost some influence compared to before, they do not use the name of a prestigious family for nothing. Besides, the Baek Family was the largest among the prestigious families."
"......"
"The number of direct lineage members is not large, but the Baek Family tends to pay a lot of attention to their branch families as well."
"...I see."
"Yes, that is how it is. And on the day I killed everyone and left, there were not many particularly strong individuals except for a few. They probably did not expect they would die by my hand in the first place."
That was not exactly something I wanted to hear.
They say to stay away from sweet words and stay close to bitter ones, but could I not hear some sweet words at a time like this?
Sweet things like how the Baek Family became a joke after that day, or how their power had weakened so much that the name of a prestigious family was now a waste on them.
'They say a wealthy family lasts three generations even if they go bankrupt...'
This was not even at the level of three generations.
In my opinion, the Baek Family looked like they would last for over thirty generations.
Why on earth did the author write down all that useless information in the novel but fail to mention such important details?
However, I could not just stay frustrated forever.
Therefore, I spoke up to try and find a way somehow.
"Then, if you were to block that many people by yourself, Mr. Baek Ha-seong, what would the winning rate be?"
"In my heart, I want to say one hundred percent, but realistically, it would not be high."
"...Even for someone of your caliber, Mr. Baek Ha-seong?"
"I do not mind the A-ranks, but from the S-ranks onward, they become a nuisance to me too. On top of that, the opponent starts with a geographical advantage, so what can I do?"
This was not good news.
It meant that Baek Ha-seong had to block them alone, but that would be difficult.
'Since I have separate work to do...'
What was the ultimate goal we had?
It was not to flip the Baek Family upside down, but to rescue and bring out that person named Seora.
Thus, I was in a position where I had to move separately while leaving the combat side to Baek Ha-seong.
Well, to be blunt, even if I fought alongside him, I would only be a hindrance.
"It seems like we need a good strategy right about now."
"It would be doable if I fought with the determination for a suicide attack."
No, what is this person saying right now?
The whole reason I am doing this is to keep you alive.
"...What happens if you die, Mr. Baek Ha-seong? That cannot happen until you grant my request."
"Hmm, you are right. It would be a bit much to make a promise and then run away using death as an excuse."
"So please stop saying such strange things."
"Hmm, it feels quite fresh to be worried about by someone weaker than me."
Was he perhaps offended?
Fortunately, I could tell from his following words that he was not.
"Still, I do not think it is a bad feeling."
"...I am glad to hear that."
"My feelings are not particularly important, so let's move on. How about it? Do any good ideas come to mind?"
I am not exactly a blue cat that can pull anything out of a pocket, you know?
'...Even so, it is not like I have not thought about it at all.'
The problem was whether Baek Ha-seong would accept the method I had thought of in preparation for an unexpected situation.
After all, the method I had in mind involved getting help from others.
When I conveyed those thoughts exactly as they were, Baek Ha-seong unexpectedly made a gesture indicating it did not matter to him.
"If that is the best way."
"...Are you sure you are okay with that?"
"Is there any reason why I would not be?"
"This must be an important matter for you, Mr. Baek Ha-seong, but it means a third party is intervening."
"When I saw you before, you seemed reckless, but you unexpectedly have a lot of useless worries."
"If I am going to be reckless while being weak, I should at least have a lot of worries."
"Hmm, it sounds like a contradiction, but it is not wrong."
It hurts my feelings a bit that you agreed so naturally.
"At any rate, I am not in a position to be picky. If it were just my problem, it might be different, but for me, this is far more important than that."
"......"
"So, who is this other person you are talking about? Based on what I have seen from meeting you briefly, you seem like the type to have a person in mind already."
From here on, I had to choose my words carefully.
Since it might be someone Baek Ha-seong would not approve of, I had to speak while providing appropriate reasons.
"First of all, the selection of people I can ask for help from is limited, right?"
"That is true. It is not an ordinary situation."
"First, it has to be someone who does not care about becoming an enemy of the Baek Family. Second, it must be someone who can cooperate with you, Mr. Baek Ha-seong, and whose skills are certain at the same time."
"And it must be someone who is willing to get involved in this matter for whatever reason."
"...That is right."
"I do not know who you are thinking of and why you are doing all this groundwork, but I do not really care, so you can just say it. Is it not a matter I can just think about after hearing it anyway?"
He was right.
By the way, he noticed right away that I was doing groundwork.
They say that the strong do not have much intuition because they do not need to read the room, but I guess that is not a completely accurate saying.
"For now, I am thinking of about two people."
"Two people?"
"Yes. One of them is likely someone you know well, Mr. Baek Ha-seong."
At my words, Baek Ha-seong pondered for a very brief moment before sharing his guess.
"Is one of them perhaps the Puppeteer?"
"...How did you know?"
"Because she fits all the conditions you just mentioned."
That was true.
One of the people I had in mind was the Mad Puppeteer.
Not only did she show a favorable attitude toward me, but she was also someone who would not refuse if I requested help.
She would probably gladly accept, saying it was another bit of enjoyment in her boring daily life.
Baek Ha-seong also knew that fact.
"If it is her, she will probably jump at it, saying it looks fun."
"If it makes you uncomfortable..."
"No. She is not bad and is a suitable person. Why would I be uncomfortable?"
"Really?"
"Calculating people are actually the more difficult type. The Puppeteer is quite good because she shows significant firepower in battles against many opponents."
As if his previous words were not a lie, Baek Ha-seong's expression was incredibly serene.
It was a matter of utmost importance to him, so if the other person joined in just because it looked fun, honestly, wouldn't anyone feel bad about it?
When I thought about that, I realized once again that although I had known it before, Baek Ha-seong was an incredibly rational person.
"Then I will try to ask her separately. When I met her a while ago, she was complaining about being bored, so she will not refuse."
"That sounds good. It will be much better since she always giggles about whatever is so good when she is with you."
...I think she is giggling because she likes the incidents happening around me rather than because she likes me.
"Then who is the other person?"
"There is someone named Yu-hyeon."
"Yu-hyeon?"
"Yes. I cannot tell you the details because I am in a cooperative relationship with him, but he is a skilled individual."
"Since you say it like that, I am curious. Just how skilled is he?"
"Well... even though he wears an inverted cross around his neck and mimics a cult-like way of speaking, his skills are certainly legitimate."
At my words, a slight glint of interest appeared in Baek Ha-seong's eyes.
"I think I know who that is."
"Pardon? You know him?"
"Yeah. He is the guy who pretends not to have a weapon and then scams people with a cross, right?"
Uh... saying it like that makes him sound like a really sneaky guy, but nothing he said was wrong.
But how does Baek Ha-seong know Yu-hyeon?
"We fought once in the past."
"Pardon?"
"It was not a battle with any hard feelings. It was just a fight that broke out because of a minor misunderstanding."
Even if it was a fight over a minor misunderstanding, it was a battle between Baek Ha-seong and Yu-hyeon.
However, I could not help but be even more surprised by his next words.
"I did not know you were acquainted with him. Regardless, if it is him, his skills are certainly certain."
"Was it such a fierce battle that even you would say that, Mr. Baek Ha-seong?"
"No. The battle itself ended lightly. Still, there is a lot you can tell, even if it is just for a split second."
"Is that so?"
"If we were to fight in earnest, I think I would have to be prepared to die."
To the extent that even Baek Ha-seong would have to be prepared to die.
Because I knew what that implied, even if I did not show it on the outside, I was unable to stay calm on the inside.
'I vaguely knew that Yu-hyeon would not fall behind compared to Baek Ha-seong, but...'
They say knowing it in your head and hearing it directly are two different things.
As expected, that saying was true.
"...Then we can prepare for the side that will provide help like this?"
"If anything, I should be the one asking. You do not need to be so humble. Anyway, if those two are there, creating an hour of leeway will not be a problem."
"I understand for now."
"Right. Then I should probably head out soon. Considering the people around you, there is a chance I might get caught."
As Baek Ha-seong spoke, a breeze began to blow gently once again.
Within that wind, Baek Ha-seong delivered his final words.
"For now, I will continue to monitor the situation on my end and come to deliver any important information."
"Is there a need for you to come in person? If we used a separate way to contact each other..."
"I have not used communications in a long time. Since there was no one to talk to, I did not see a need to set one up."
Well, if that was the case, there was nothing to be done.
"I understand. Then I will see you again later."
"Right. And since this is an equal contractual relationship, it would be better if you did not act so submissively. I do not mind, but someone else might ignore you for behaving like that."
Considering my relationship with the Puppeteer or Yu-hyeon, they obviously would not do that.
The reason I acted that way was simply because the other person was Baek Ha-seong.
It was partly because he was someone I personally liked, but well...
'He is also a bit difficult to deal with.'
On top of that, his expression was always indifferent, making it hard to read his thoughts.
Well, even so, I was grateful that he said those words with my best interests in mind.
"Thank you for your concern."
"Then the next time we meet, try to treat me more comfortably, boy."
With those final words from Baek Ha-seong, the gentle breeze instantly turned into a howling gale.
I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, Baek Ha-seong had vanished without a trace, just as expected.
"Anyway, the last thing he said reminds me of Shin Yu-hwan."
Though the only thing I could really recall was the part where he called me "boy."
Thinking that, I looked at the spot where he had been standing and whispered quietly.
"He truly is a man like a storm."
I think Baek Ha-seong might be the only person who is like a storm when he arrives and even when he leaves.
And... I was truly glad that a storm close to a natural disaster was on my side.
***
Yes, I definitely thought that a few days ago.
But now, my thoughts could not help but change just a little bit.
'What does it matter? In the end, I am still caught up in a storm just the same.'
I would not change my choice to help Baek Ha-seong, but still, being caught up in a storm was not exactly a pleasant thing.
With so many things to think about, my head could not help but become a mess.
It was right then, as I was debating when I should talk to Yu-hyeon and the Puppeteer.
"Everyone, pay attention."
The voice of Im Seong-cheol, who had entered to do the afternoon assembly after all classes were finished, echoed through the classroom.
At that voice, I also stopped my thoughts for a moment and looked toward the podium.
"A transfer student will be joining our class. They were originally scheduled to arrive today, but due to unavoidable circumstances, they will be coming tomorrow. Make sure to give them a grand welcome then."
At the following information, my head began to throb once again.
'A transfer student?'
Originally, there were no transfer students in the second semester.
Then what on earth was this information Im Seong-cheol just delivered?
'Dammit...'
It seemed the storm heading my way was not over yet.