Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿

The phone rang for the first time in a while. It was the call he had been waiting for all day.

But everything has its proper timing. Only after the phone had rung three times did the man finally answer. Even then, the person on the other end did not speak right away, choosing instead to let the silence linger. They were probably stalling. Considering this was no ordinary business call, it was only natural.

So the man waited patiently as well until the prey, exhausted on its own, revealed itself. It was the composure of someone certain of victory.

“…Prepare a fake identity and some money for me.”

And, as expected, the one who had lost was the other party. A thrilling sense of triumph crept up his spine, but James Chen restrained himself and asked in return, “What money?”

“There’s no way I can make a comeback now, right?”

“Oh, for such a brilliant Hunter as Lopez, you figured it out rather late.”

The person on the other end of the line was, of course, Leila Lopez. As the head of the Hunter Association’s Development Division for nearly a decade, she had long been a thorn in James’ side.

“I’ll leave just as you want. I’ll hand over Jeong Daon too.”

Just a few hours ago, she had been threatening to expose James’s corruption to the press and demanding that her name be cleared. It seemed she had only now grasped reality.

Yes. For Leila Lopez, a comeback was practically impossible. At present, the media was busy tearing apart the vile truth behind Leila Lopez, the once-proud symbol of the Hunter Association’s dignity.

Sometimes fools believe that the truth will one day come to light, but in reality, truth never existed in the first place. Facts are like a prism; people can only observe the facets closest to themselves. And human beings, by nature, are far more fascinated by the fall of someone they once revered like an idol. Public opinion was so vicious that for someone like Leila, who valued honor and conviction, it must have been all the more unbearable.

“If you turn a blind eye, I’ll move to a third country and live quietly.”

“Hm…”

“Of course, you probably want to kill me outright while you have the chance. But there will definitely come a time when you need me.”

“Why would I ever need you?”

“Because among the people you have, there’s no one who can replace me.”

Even driven into such a corner, Leila remained confident. It was likely the pride of someone who had risen to her position through sheer ability alone. And to some extent, she wasn’t wrong.

James fell silent for a moment before replying, “Where’s the exchange location for the hostage and the money?”

The place Leila designated was one of the dungeons in East New York.

“I thought you’d have gone farther.”

“You’re my trading partner anyway. See you in two hours.”

Click. The call ended.

After the line went dead, James Chen drew in a breath and then—

“Ha ha ha! You really haven’t changed since you were twenty.”

He burst into loud laughter. After all, the “deal” Leila Lopez had brought to him was utterly laughable. What on earth was she relying on to try negotiating with him in person? Unless she had made a pact with the devil and suddenly become an S-rank Hunter, there was zero chance she could defeat James.

“I can’t tell if she’s naive or just foolish.”

“What will you do?” his secretary asked from beside him, having listened to the entire call. “Shall I prepare the money?”

James chuckled. “There’s no need. Leila is going to die anyway.”

From the beginning, he had never intended to make any deal. Leila seemed confident in her own skills and assumed he would keep her alive and under his control rather than kill her, but—

It’s better to eliminate even the smallest spark of potential trouble.

Just as she herself had said, Leila was exceptionally capable. Right now, having been pushed to the edge of a cliff, her judgment seemed impaired. But as long as she lived, it would not be strange for her to rise again someday. If that was the case, James’ course of action was clear. No matter how small the spark, you crush it underfoot and extinguish it. Especially since she knew that he had siphoned off several items.

“Are you going in person?”

“Yes. No matter how cornered Lopez is, if my face doesn’t show up at the designated location, she’ll bolt.”

The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be. Matters like this had to be handled quickly before the fuse of suspicion was lit.

“Then how many men should accompany you?”

“Prepare about fifteen. Make sure they’re the tight-lipped type.”

Leila had told him to come alone, but he had no intention of honoring that request. Promises are only kept when breaking them carries risk.

And the current Leila Lopez had nothing.

Nothing at all.

“Meeting inside a dungeon, is it? Perfect. What better place to dispose of a body?”

“Then what about Jeong Daon…?”

“We secure her. No matter what.”

To be honest, it felt like an unexpected windfall. Even after all his efforts, he had found no way to get his hands on Jeong Daon, and now she would fall right into them like this. He would examine her down to the last fine hair and uncover how she was able to use incantation magic. After all, how could it be that something such a young girl could do was beyond him? Jeong Daon had clearly discovered some kind of shortcut related to incantation magic. Or perhaps she possessed an unusual constitution.

“Once we secure Jeong Daon… after things settle down a bit, we’ll say Leila killed her while fleeing. It’ll be a massive scandal.”

For now, the focus was on Leila’s personal misconduct, but soon enough the arrows of criticism would turn toward the Hunter Association for failing to manage her properly. And if Jeong Daon’s abduction surfaced, the backlash would be even worse.

The Korean government won’t stay quiet either.

For a small country like Korea, a potential S-rank talent like her was extremely precious. And if such a talent were to die at the hands of a criminal affiliated with the Hunter Association? They would undoubtedly protest fiercely.

Of course, from the United States’ perspective, protests from a country like Korea wouldn’t amount to much. The dead could not be brought back; it would likely end with appropriate financial compensation. But at the very least, to save face, there would inevitably be voices demanding that the leadership take responsibility.

“A perfect opportunity to clean house internally.”

And that was exactly the situation James wanted.

“If I step forward and show myself resolving the crisis at that point, my recognition will skyrocket in an instant… hm?”

His phone rang. It was a different device from the one that had rung earlier. Naturally so. The number of this phone had been given to only one person.

James answered quickly, almost habitual. Like a dog rushing toward food at the sight of it. Feeling a flicker of humiliation at himself, he spoke. “Estella, what is it?”

“You’ve heard the news, haven’t you? About Leila.”

“I heard she’s on the run…”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You’re past the age where playing innocent is cute, James.”

James was already a seasoned executive at the Hunter Association headquarters. Wherever he went, he was treated as a prominent Hunter. Yet there was only one person who treated him like a child.

Association President Estella.

“…Yes, I heard she kidnapped someone.”

“That’s right.”

“So, are you calling to order me to bring Lopez in?”

Frankly, that would make things easier. He wouldn’t even need to fabricate routes or alibis. He could officially pursue Lopez and simply report that an accident occurred.

But the voice on the other end was dismissive. “Specialists are already involved in the investigation. There’s no need for you to lend a hand.”

“Then why are you calling me?”

“Before she fled, Leila claimed she was being wronged.”

“Well, of course she wouldn’t readily confess to her own crimes—”

“At the same time, she claimed that you were the one who framed her.”

So quietly that it wouldn’t carry over the phone, James ground his teeth.

The setup had been flawless. While Leila Lopez was under investigation, he had cut off every possible means for her to contact Estella. So how in the world had she managed to reach her?

“That’s what you’d call a false accusation. There was so much evidence, she’s still denying it?”

They had already gathered more than enough evidence and testimony showing that Leila had been regularly smuggling out various items. At the very least, those circumstances had been clearly laid out during the investigation.

“And with Leila guarding everything so closely, how exactly would I have embezzled the items? Surely you don’t actually believe something like that, Estella—!”

“Calm down, James. If I truly suspected you, we wouldn’t be having such a relaxed conversation over the phone right now.”

James, who had risen to his feet in indignation, felt reassured by Estella’s words and sat back down. To anyone watching, he would have appeared completely sincere. “Then why bring that up to me at all?”

“Since she claimed you were the culprit, I thought she might try to contact you. Has she reached out?”

“Why would she contact me? Unless it was for an assassination attempt…”

“Is that so?” After saying that, Estella paused for a moment. “How ironic. I remember the two of you being rather close when you first arrived here…”

“Did you call just to reminisce?”

“…So you’re saying she hasn’t contacted you at all?”

At the repeated, confirming question, James answered steadily and without the slightest tremor, “No, she hasn’t. If Leila does try to contact me, I’ll inform you immediately.”

“I’d appreciate that. Sorry for taking up your time. You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? With the Development Division’s vacancy and all.”

Even if responsibility had to be taken, Leila, who had been a central pillar of the research division, was now gone. And James was currently filling that gap. It was something he had long wished for.

“This is nothing. You know me. Before long, no one will even notice Lopez’s absence.”

“Is that so? Still, don’t overestimate yourself. The devil is in the details, after all.”

Leaving behind that subtle piece of advice, Estella ended the call.

Once the line went dead, James took a deep breath.

His secretary looked at him with suspicion. “For her to speak so meaningfully like that… do you think the Association President might—”

“No. Estella has always enjoyed speaking in riddles.”

They had worked together for over ten years. James was long past being tired of Estella’s way of speaking. She never explicitly asserted her authority or pressured others, yet her words lingered strangely in the mind, compelling people to dwell on them unconsciously. Perhaps that was why, even after all these years, James still felt like a teenage rookie standing in front of her.

Damn it. How long does she intend to treat me like a child?

It had been the same just now. Why go out of her way to inform him by phone that Leila had named him as the culprit? Wasn’t it essentially a sign that if there were even the slightest chance of overturning this situation, she would bring Leila back?

She’s favoring Leila again. That’s the only explanation.

James bit his lip. All this time, Estella had shown particular favor to Leila Lopez. Thanks to that, Leila had become widely known externally as a senior executive of the Development Division, while James had been shuttled from branch to branch, struggling to produce results by any means possible.

I can do as much as Lopez—no, as much as you can.

Estella was still beautiful and in her prime, but time was impartial to everyone. Someday, she too would have to step down. And the name Leila Lopez had begun to surface more and more often as her successor. Cautiously, but persistently. Given that she stood at the center of the Development Division, which controlled the flow of funds, and enjoyed a strong reputation outside, it was only natural.

And James hated it.

It’s not fair.

If James Chen had been given the opportunity to prove his ability, he could have done so just as well. He had simply never been given the chance. The one who would inherit everything from Estella should not be Leila, it should be him. And if Estella failed to realize that obvious truth…

Once Leila disappears, she’ll understand.

After all, you cannot pass something on to someone who no longer exists.

James slowly curled his lips into a smile.