“…Have you ever heard of the Villain Killer?”
Gong-yeon abruptly questioned me, asking if I knew anything about the Villain Killer.
Though I revealed nothing outwardly, I felt as if my heart had plummeted.
Gong-yeon was the Villain Killer, or rather, the one who had been trailing me.
While her reasons for persistently following me remained unknown for now, the mere fact that she was trailing me offered ample cause for caution.
‘Hmph… I need to pull myself together.’
Even if I moved discreetly, I had anticipated that someone would eventually appear to openly pursue me as long as I continued hunting villains.
However, I never expected to encounter such a person at my workplace, especially in the guise of a customer and bartender.
‘Was her earlier meandering among the hunters simply a ploy to extract information about me?’
Most likely, that was the case.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have inquired about the Villain Killer the moment our conversation began.
Could even the question she posed to me this morning have been part of her scheme to uncover the Villain Killer’s identity?
Now, I was starting to lose track of what was what.
‘Who exactly is she?’
Who was this woman, Gong-yeon, before me, and why was she trailing me?
Was she affiliated with the Hunter Association? Or was she, too, a villain?
First, I needed to answer Gong-yeon’s question.
Should I simply claim ignorance, as expected?
No, the Villain Killer was now a concept that had gained considerable public recognition, even being mentioned frequently on the internet.
In such circumstances, feigning ignorance would only arouse suspicion.
“The Villain Killer, you say? I’ve heard of them. I’ve seen them mentioned a few times on the internet. A killer who specifically targets and murders villains, is that right?”
I responded calmly, continuing to mix the ordered Faust.
“Hmm, just as I thought. So you have a general idea, right? That’s correct. They haven’t been reported in the news yet, but their existence has spread quite a bit through word-of-mouth.”
Gong-yeon nodded, sweeping her hair to the side.
“So, is that truly all you know?”
“I wish I could be of more help to you, customer, but regrettably, that is all.”
“Hmm…”
Gong-yeon tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed intently upon me.
Soon, a faint chuckle escaped her lips, and she spoke as if I were utterly adorable.
“As expected, you do know something, don’t you?”
Her sharp observation deeply unsettled me internally.
‘Could my poker face have been broken?’
‘No, don’t panic.’
‘She might just be testing the waters.’
‘Here, I must counter with composure.’
Skillfully pouring white rum into a glass, I turned the question back to her.
“What makes you think that?”
“Hmm, just a hunch, I suppose? A gut feeling.”
“You’re an interesting person. It’s not the first or second time I’ve seen people utterly ruin themselves by relying solely on their gut feelings.”
As I retorted, Gong-yeon’s gaze turned slightly colder, and a wry smile played on her lips.
“…Oh, really? It seems you’ve witnessed quite a spectrum of human nature. Tell me, how old are you this year?”
‘My age.’
‘If counted by the years I’ve lived, I’d be thirty-one.’
“I am twenty-two.”
“Pfft!”
When I stated my age, Gong-yeon burst into laughter, as if tossing away any pretense of seriousness.
“Ah… Ah, my apologies. It’s just so amusing to hear such words from a mere babe who hasn’t even had the blood dry on their head yet… Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this. You’re quite the funny one, aren’t you?”
“Would it be rude if I were to inquire about your age here, customer?”
“Hmm, it’s generally considered rude to ask a lady her age, but I asked yours, so why shouldn’t you ask mine? I’m twenty-seven this year. Oh, wait, my birthday hasn’t passed yet, so perhaps I should say twenty-six?”
She was certainly older than my acquaintances.
Still, she was younger than the total years I had lived.
“You’re quite young yourself, customer.”
“Oh my, are you trying to flatter me? How unfortunate. I’m not swayed by such old-fashioned tactics.”
Yet, Gong-yeon’s lips were unmistakably curved into a smile as she spoke.
“So, you genuinely know nothing? That’s strange. I have a really good intuition, you see. My gut feeling is telling me you definitely know something, but your reaction is like someone completely oblivious. I’ve never met anyone as peculiar as you.”
“Please visit often. Should I learn anything further about the Villain Killer in the future, I will inform you. Here is your ordered Faust.”
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it. By the way, remember what I just said? No taking back your words, got it?”
With a relaxed grin, she sipped the Faust I had served and nodded her head.
To drink such a potent beverage without even a flicker of a change in her expression—she was indeed unlike Sakura.
“Ah~ It feels good to have a drink after so long.”
Gong-yeon murmured, swirling her glass with a light flick of her wrist.
Seizing the opportunity afforded by her cheerful mood, I considered it might not be a bad idea to try and extract information about why she was trailing me.
“By the way, customer, why are you pursuing the Villain Killer?”
“Hmm, I’m afraid that’s difficult to explain due to certain circumstances. You understand, don’t you?”
“Of course. I merely asked out of curiosity.”
Gong-yeon’s resolute refusal revealed her impenetrable demeanor.
Perhaps she strictly separated her personal and professional life, regardless of her mood.
If I had my way, I would get a definitive answer right then and there.
“Hmm~ You’re surprisingly easygoing today, aren’t you? For my next drink, could I trouble you for a Blue Sky?”
“Of course.”
It seemed this would be no easy battle.
****
‘It seemed this would be no easy battle.’
I distinctly remember a time when I thought exactly that.
“…So, you’re pursuing the Villain Killer because of what, exactly?”
“Oh, for goodness sake… How many times do I have to tell you, huh? None other than the Hunter Association President himself, you see? He personally asked me to catch that fellow? That’s why I’m personally going around gathering information~ That’s what I mean.”
Gong-yeon, her face flushed like a ripe tomato, giggled and rambled on.
Watching her scatter information so freely now, information she had claimed was difficult to disclose just thirty minutes prior, I quietly thought to myself:
‘This person is no different from Sakura.’
‘I felt like an idiot for bracing myself for a difficult battle.’
‘So, she really is affiliated with the Hunter Association after all.’
I had always expected the Hunter Association to take action eventually.
They wouldn’t simply put a bounty on me as an A-rank monster and then twiddle their thumbs, doing nothing more.
So they had taken action, and Gong-yeon was the result?
“But… something feels off. It feels a bit bland, you calling me ‘you’ when I’m older.”
Gong-yeon, sipping her Apple Martini, looked at me with an expression that suggested something displeased her.
She remained silent for a moment, then her face brightened as if a brilliant idea had struck her, and she spoke:
“Since your skin is so fair, how about ‘Whitey’? How does ‘Whitey’ sound?”
“By whose authority am I ‘Whitey’?”
“Why not? It rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it? And it’s fun. You can call me whatever you want too, Whitey.”
“I’ll simply call you Ms. Gong-yeon.”
“How boring.”
Gong-yeon shrugged, muttering, and drained her Apple Martini.
Seeing her so unguarded, I felt I could extract even more information if I put my mind to it.
Should I probe a little further?
“By the way, you’re quite impressive. To be personally asked by none other than the Association President himself. It seems he relies on you a great deal, Ms. Gong-yeon?”
Upon my slight compliment, Gong-yeon giggled with delight and began spilling information freely.
“Well, something like that. Not to brag, but I’m an S-rank hunter, you see. If not me, then who would he rely on?”
…S-rank.
Wait a minute, S-rank?
Is she serious?
“…Really?”
“Of course. What, you don’t believe me? Hmph, this won’t do. I didn’t want to bring this out.”
Saying this, Gong-yeon’s lips curved into a wide smile as she pulled out her Hunter Registration Card from her wallet.
Clearly etched upon it was the ‘S’ emblem, unequivocally proving her status as an S-rank hunter.
No, she’s actually S-rank?
So, the Hunter Association has unleashed an S-rank hunter to capture me?
This is no ordinary grave matter.
S-rank hunters are not common.
In my entire life, the only S-rank hunter I’d ever seen was Gong-yeon right before my eyes…
‘…That’s not right.’
Come to think of it, there was one more.
The youngest S-rank hunter, and the only friend I had before going to another world…
Yes, she was a friend.
A bitter memory surfaced, leaving me feeling rather melancholic.
In any case, an S-rank hunter pursuing me is no small matter.
‘…I should reduce my hunting frequency.’
From now on, even if I sense the aura of prey, I should probably just endure the thirst and pass it by.
If I were to encounter Gong-yeon during a hunt, that would be the end of my life.
But wait a minute…
Weren’t there only five S-rank hunters in our country?
I don’t recall the name Gong-yeon among those five.
“Weren’t there only five S-rank hunters in our country? I don’t recall seeing your name among them, Ms. Gong-yeon.”
“Hmm, that’s because, you see? I’m a very special kind of hunter.”
“A special hunter?”
Gong-yeon nodded at my rephrased question.
She glanced around, then rose from her chair, leaned in, and whispered into my ear:
“I’m not about gate raids; I’m a special hunter who covertly apprehends dangerous monsters and villains roaming the city. A guardian of shadows, whose identity no one knows… That’s the kind of existence I am. You get the vibe, right?”
Ah, I see…
I generally get the vibe, but…
Is that really okay?
She’s talking about being like a secret agent.
Is it really okay to reveal that so easily?
After all, we just met today.
“…But I just found out your identity.”
“Oh, well. For now, it’s only important that the Villain Killer doesn’t know. Our Whitey is good, so you won’t tell anyone, right?”
Gong-yeon grinned, lightly tapping my nose with her index finger.
“If you tell… you know what will happen, right? It’s our little secret.”
Congratulations.
You’ve shared a secret with the Villain Killer.
