How the Villain Lives

38. I don't know anything.

"What's wrong? Do you remember anything?"

"I have to remember something, ha, hahahaha."

Yooseong, who vomited a clumsy laugh, or Seong-hoon, turned to him with a grumpy smile. Fortunately, Choi Chul didn't feel strange, but Sung-hoon didn't. If he wasn't by his side right now, he would have uttered all kinds of curses against himself in the past.

No matter how much I lost my memory, I was so far from my original plan. I broke up in the early days without any reward for bringing Myrina, accompanied by people from other cities who had never seen her face, and walked into the forest of Elves. Besides, the first thing I remember is that the person in front of me is Choi Chul, one of the top rankers?

At least the mask had a cognitive impairment option, so it was hard to remember even the masked face properly, and Choi Chul was comforted that he had to meet only once or twice in a ghostly situation. But I couldn't be more reassured. I didn't have anything better to tell important people about my face.

'Why are you only responding so rudely? You were just being dragged into a whole mess! How do we do that? Do you want to join Mirina after you get out of here and still have your memories back? No, the sword of Arben..'

"I think I have a face to worry about. If there's anything I can do to help, don't worry and tell me."

'What is it? Was Choi Chul the one who was so good at sticking together?'

I knew that the most uncharacteristic and unstoppable personality of the top-rankers was Choi Chul. In some cases, Sung-hoon thought that he could not be brought under his head. He tried to embrace him a few times, but he thought that he lacked information so much that he could not touch it. Instead, he concluded by just letting it go, and Choi Hyeol revealed his friendliness toward himself.

"Nothing else. I lost my memory, but I was a little worried that I could get this mission going."

"What is it? Was that the only problem? You know who I am, right? One of the six top-rankers and the best inspector is Choi Chul. I can help you with one thing. Don't worry too much."

"Well, I appreciate it, but it's too much, isn't there something else you need to do? It seems like a top-ranker.."

"Heh, I do what I want to do. I've decided to help you and I'm just acting accordingly."

'I don't know the details, but Choi Rail also seems to have a strange corner. I thought it was the worst case scenario, but in a way, could it also be called a phone suit?'

If I didn't have short-term amnesia, I would have gone looking for Myrina, so I would never have joined Arben's group and come into the middle of an Elf faction. And I wouldn't have made anything to do with a top-ranker like Choi Hyeol. These were rather possible because he lost his memory.

Nothing will change if you hold on to what has already happened and resent it. The important thing is to create the best possible situation given to you now.

'I lost touch with Mirina, but I have established some friendship with new powers called Arben and Lucia. I don't know how you did it, but Choi Chul seems to see me quite well.'

Sung-hoon honestly thought about not expecting a big reward in this compulsory mission. Do your best to reach the limit of your abilities, but if anything goes wrong, you will decide to stay alive and escape immediately in advance. But now the goal has changed slightly.

Pragarach.

The fresh-grade sword Arben was holding. It is a sword that you can check the options with your own eyes and try to catch it once. If you didn't know, would you be able to move on without knowing the existence of that sword?

Seacock.

'You can't do that.'

"I just want to ask you a few more questions. I think you would know if you were Choi Chul..."

"Of course. Ask me anything!"

'You're too late to think.'

When I looked up at the sky that had already become awkward, Sung-hoon smiled strangely.

I haven't had a chance to talk to him before. When I finally got a place, I was able to figure out what kind of man Choi Hyeol is. Many people were mistaken because of their reputation as top-rankers and were unwittingly prejudiced even by Sung-hoon, but Choi Hyeol was rather weaker than normal.

It's not his personality that he's usually overly nervous and overly overwhelmed. Because of their reputation as top-rankers, people raised their expectations and became restless. Having correctly grasped that point, Sung-hoon was able to build a considerable intimacy by showing his words and actions as if he had honey on his tongue.

"Where does a guy who's lost his memory shoot like that?"

"You must be Arben. Luckily, I met someone from the same city and talked about it. And I came back a little bit because of that."

"... Hmm."

Arben, who was staring at something suspicious, soon lost interest. It's just a temporary relationship with Yooseong anyway. I helped you because of Lucia, who had a lot of troubles, but now I don't have much to look at.

"Meteor. You can go back to your original city sooner or later if you can't, even if it's sand."

"Yes? What does that mean?"

"My brother Arben has received a mission that rewards me quite a bit. If we do that together, we'll get enough Mission Points to get Yooseong back to her original city. You're lucky, right?"

"You don't have to be so considerate. There are so many favors you've given me so far.."

"It's not a big deal because it's not an important or dangerous mission anyway, it's just about being a humble teacher. And most of all."

Arben, who had cut off his words appropriately, laughed bitterly at Lucia, who had long fallen into her own world.

"You don't have to be so overwhelmed. It's natural to help each other in times of trouble. If you see someone who is in trouble later, it's enough if you help them like us."

"I see."

I didn't know it when I didn't remember it, but it was Lucia who was the most clumsy to deal with it in some way. I only stayed with him for a day, but I had enough time to get to know him approximately.

Arben had a clever head and a cold judgment, separate from his personality. On the contrary, Lucia was really all she could see. It was such a nice woman who could come out of the story that the only purpose was to help the poor person with a look that seemed completely absent. Such a woman would fit the word Saint.

'I don't fit in perfectly.'

"I'll let you know the mission for tomorrow. Tomorrow's task is to attack the villages of Dark Elves that are blocking important points in the Elf Kingdom."

"It would be quite dangerous to attack a village in a forest like this. Besides, isn't the Elf known to be invincible in the woods?"

"You don't have to worry about that. The raid will be accompanied by a constellation of elves and many users like us will be involved. Besides, the mission's rank is only C rank."

The grade does not mean the difficulty level of the mission soon.

Of course, if you wake up in the right way, some grades can serve as a reference, but depending on the situation, it is the mission that can be much lower or higher. Nevertheless, Arben saw a rating of C and decided that it was not a difficult mission.

'Because you have enough confidence in your abilities.'

I did not fight sincerely, but even if I only saw the sword Pragarah possessed, I can guess his skill. I don't think Class B missions are that difficult because there are a lot of people in the yard who can break up on their own.

"And Lucia. I want you to follow me for tomorrow's meeting. I think I need your abilities."

"How much."

"Anybody hurt?"

It was Sung-hoon who nodded when he said he was taking Lucia, a non-combat occupation. I didn't ignore her, but I couldn't understand why I was taking her to a meeting where she didn't even have a good head.

"Hehe, I can tell if a person is telling the truth or lying!"

"Wow, that's a great ability. What kind of skill is that?"

"It's not a skill, it's my intuition. No one has ever deceived me with a lie in front of me."

"It's not a skill, it's an intuition. Is that possible?"

Lucia's words about being able to distinguish others' lies were less heartbreaking, but Sung-hoon tackled Lucia's ability with the least possible attitude.

'If that's true, you have to think it's true. There are people who have talents like Myrina, who have absurd computational abilities like Yu White Woo. Ability to find out lies? How do we deal with that?'

Unlike the obvious appearance, unlike Sung-hoon, who was in a hurry, Arben nodded and confirmed her words again.

"I didn't believe it at first either, but Lucia's abilities are real. Lucia knows how good it is to read people's emotions naturally, no matter how trivial it may be to know if it's true or false."

"Oh, I remember Yooseong a little bit. Yooseong must have been a good person. That's what he said. He helped us bring the poor people together to live, right? I don't remember coming back completely, but I'm sure Yooseong is as good as I am."

"Be a little more ashamed to say you're nice to yourself."

"Hmph, Arben's brother is always nice, praising others all the time."

In the background between the two people, it seemed as though the flowers were affectionate, but Sung-hoon could not be relieved. His deception does not work in the presence of a person who can detect lies. It was really sad for Sung-hoon, who was thinking about trapping his group using his memory loss. But the real problem has not yet begun.

"Really? Really?"

Non-algebraic questions. However, Sung-hoon was forced to stiffen as if struck by lightning. It was a test, although I'm asking it with an attitude that doesn't matter as much as passing by with a vigorous attitude. Sung-hoon, who tried not to answer, swallowed up a dry spit, even though he was swept away by the atmosphere.

It was because of his two eyes that Arben realized he was trying to test himself. Feels like looking into his eyes with a mirror. On the one hand, people take the attitude they want, but on the other, everything is analyzed and judged calmly.

'Basically an eye that doesn't believe in people and always doubts. This guy's the opposite of me, but he's got a corner that looks like me.'

I don't know if I'm even postponing it.

Arben has his own sense of justice and tries to act on it. Although, of course, Sung-hoon seemed to be an infinitely hypocritical and nauseating act. The two are quite alike, but one considers himself a good man and the other considers himself a wicked man.

It was a different horror than when I saw Jack Apron. If Arben was terrified by his incredible power and the madness that makes people sick of him, he was terrified because he seemed to see the same doppelganger as himself.

"Oh, that's exactly what I said. I said that earlier."

"I'm sorry to say something, but Yooseong. I want a clear answer, not an ambiguous one."

"Where was my answer that was vague?"

"Tell me again that you helped the unfortunate with your own mouth."

"... It's a little weird to say. Do you think I'm cheating on you right now?"

When it came out so strongly, people were usually prepared to step back as they walked away. But Arben didn't back off. Rather, it was as if I was waiting to say that.

"To be honest, I don't trust you. An unidentified man who suddenly fell from the sky by the word amnesia. And tomorrow we must take the unidentified man to the battlefield where life comes from. I don't want much from you. I don't want a reward after my memory comes back, I don't want to help when I'm in crisis."

Arben, who raised his index finger, said with a serious expression.

"All you have to do is give me trust. If you can trust me, I will absolutely guarantee your safety in this mission and will not doubt you in the future."

'You're making me say that.'

There were corners that resembled themselves, from the minor to the minor.

It simply goes beyond the level of good speech skills and creates a situation in which the other party is forced to accept it somehow. Sung-hoon glances at Arben's eyes for a moment and shifts his gaze toward Lucia. Then take a little deep breath and say,

"I'll be honest with you. I've lost my memory, and I've had a lot of help, but I'm frankly embarrassed to say that I'm suspicious in this way. All right, I'll tell you again. Mr. Lucia."

"Yes, yes!"

Reading the cold air between the two, Lucia replies in a high voice, nervous. Then Sung-hoon took a small breath and looked straight at her eyes.

"I certainly helped a lot of people who were unhappy in the more missionary world. We brought together the elderly, boys and girls, the fallen who couldn't adapt to the system of the world, we funded them, we carried out missions together, we helped them. And I'll tell you what else I remember. Some have crossed the line with people from other cities who met for the first time to provide food to people who didn't have anything to eat in the mission and save the dying. You were wondering why my notoriety was so high?"

The voice of Seonghyun, who became more emotional as he took out his words, was growing louder and louder. But Arben and Lucia didn't even think to stop him.

"I have falsely surrendered and destroyed people from other cities to save the dying city. I fought on behalf of the general public and beat them to destruction. But I have no regrets about what I did. I did what I thought was best for every moment. This is all I can tell you, and I have nothing more to say. Ask for trust? Trust is not something that can be reduced. It takes time to prove it!"

"Yoo, Yooseong. I think you're too excited..."

"… Sorry. Wait, wait, I'm going to go out a little bit more."

After wiping his face and red bloody eyes, Sung-hoon closed the visit without giving the two of them a chance to dry. He seemed to have gone out to show no crying, but the fact was to prevent Arben from ignoring his actions and trying to be more specific and to set up traps or kits all over the place so that if something went wrong he could run away immediately.

It was Arben's sigh that broke the static that one person left and was heavily laid.

"Huuuuuuuu."

"Honestly, I think my brother did something wrong this time. He's so nice, and he's so open-minded and suspicious that he would be angry with me."

"Lucia. What he said. Is it all true?"

"… Yes, I felt like I was telling the truth."

"……."

Arben looks out at the door of the meteor with a deep eye and is submerged in thoughts. In fact, he didn't know why he was doing this. I didn't always miss my feelings. And he was designating Yooseong as an unbelievable person.

When I first met him, I had the impression that he still didn't like him. However, Yooseong felt 'unbelievable' for a while. That's why I asked so persistently not to fit in with myself. However, when I looked at the last tablets, things turned out strangely.

'Maybe I'm just feeling this anxious because I don't like Yooseong?'