Time passed after my conversation with Jo Hye-Jin. We officially started working and even though I had been looking around for a while, Song Jung-Wook of the Small Stone Guild was working harder than me, which made the contract progress even faster. He started promoting the potion I made to other guilds and clans as if he had pledged his loyalty to me and before I could give them the contract, he brought me their signed contracts. It seemed like he only visited the castle to get closer to Lady Marilyn and the other nobles, but it was up to him how he spent his free time. I did introduce him to a couple of low-ranked nobles and I was sure he felt that his work was paying off. Of course, that wasn’t the reason why he constantly visited the castle.

‘Lady Marilyn.’

Song Jung-Wook was moving cautiously and even though I knew a long time ago that he was trying to use Lady Marilyn, seeing him openly target her made me laugh.

‘Good luck...’

If Song Jung-Wook and Lady Marilyn ended up together, he would gain a lot of things. He could become a noble, buy land, and be a bit freer from the tax issue. It was none of my business whether he really loved her or not, but the closer he got to Lady Marilyn, the more he was into the big capital I spoke of back then. I didn’t really need to say anything to him since he wasn’t rebelling against me, but I knew his intentions weren’t good.

Song Jung-Wook wanted to become closer to me, but he didn’t want the Blue Guild to have influence over the Small Stone Guild. He carried two faces under the same hood-on the outside he was acting like he was loyal to me, but inside, he was trying to find ways to turn the tables around.

‘Dishonorable bastard.’

I wasn’t planning on taking care of him until the end. I just needed to keep my distance and wait for the moment to cut my ties with him. Of course, I need to take advantage of him as much as I can for the time being.

Naturally, Song Jung-Wook wasn’t the only busy person. Kim Hyun-Sung’s party was also busy since they constantly went outside. Since I came here to do business, I went out every other day, but Kim Hyun-Sung was concentrating on growing Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri. His other task was to bring a sign that a monster wave was coming and convince people that it was going to come.

“We’ll be heading out, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“Okay, Mr. Hyun-Sung. Take care of yourself, Deok-Gu,” I said.

“Geez, you don’t have to worry. We’re just taking a walk outside and doing a survey on the surroundings,” Park Deok-Gu remarked.

“As long as you’re safe. You should be careful too, Miss Hee-Young…” I said to her.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“You too, Ha-Yan,” I said to Jung Ha-Yan.

“Okay… heuk.”

I was able to leave this to Kim Hyun-Sung because I knew he could take care of it without me getting involved. Having a comrade you could trust was a very fun thing. Kim Hyun-Sung was going to gather data based on the event that was going to happen in the future and that data was going to be announced to everyone in Castle Rock. When Castle Rock entered into a state of war, it would be different from his past life because we would stop the monster wave or the named monster’s attack and our regressor could become renowned as the hero who saved Castle Rock. I wasn’t sure if it would go as planned, but it was up to me to make that a reality. I was busy with different things, but I could take care of that at the least.

“Wait, Mr. Ki-Young...”

“Yes, Mr. Hyun-Sung?”

“Um… did something happen between you and Miss Hye-Jin?” he asked.

“Excuse me?”

“It seemed like you two aren’t getting along recently…” he explained.

“Oh, there was a momentary conflict related to work. It was something trivial so you don’t have to worry about it,” I told him.

“I see…”

“I know what you’re worried about, but that won’t happen,” I said, reassuring him.

“Oh, right… well… I just want the two of you to…”

“I also want to become friends with Miss Hye-Jin. Since she’s not participating in this expedition, I’m planning on approaching her cautiously. Haha,” I said with a chuckle.

“Haha. That’s a relief. I feel reassured after hearing you say that. We’ll be off then,” Kim Hyun-Sung said happily.

“Okay, please be careful…”

“Of course…”

‘I guess he’s worried.’

I was also worried because Jo Hye-Jin started to treat me coldly after the incident, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t talk to her at all. A silent cold war was more frightening than a petty quarrel. The fact that we were still talking was a sign that there was still a chance.

When I waved to the party members as they left, I saw them doing the same. Time passed since we arrived in Castle Rock and I had an idea of the things I had to resolve.

‘The first thing is stopping the danger that the city is going to face.’

This was the main goal of this expedition. It was our lovely regressor’s goal as well and it was the reason why our party came to Castle Rock in the first place. Additionally, we would inform Castle Rock of the upcoming danger and strengthen our influence over Castle Rock. I couldn’t really do much since Kim Hyun-Sung was currently working on this goal, but I had to thoroughly prepare for whatever might happen to the city.

‘Second is Song Jung-Wook of the Small Stone Guild.’

I had to think about whether I should keep working with him or cut him off when I no longer needed him. Finding out how Jo Hye-Jin was going to act was probably the first thing I should do before deciding, but as of right now, preparing cards I could use while maintaining the current situation was the right thing to do. Moreover…

‘The third thing is improving my relationship with Miss Jo Hye-Jin.’

It was creating a bond of friendship between her and me. Unlike the first task, the second and third task was something I had to do on my own. If I had to continue working with Jo Hye-Jin, then I needed to know how to control her, at the least, so the key point here was being a reliable friend. Getting closer to her was going to be kind of difficult since she somewhat knew about who I was, but it wasn’t impossible because I already had a plan. In that sense, this was my chance since the other party members weren’t here. Trying to talk to her to get closer was the right thing to do and even if we didn’t become friends, making her either indebted to me or changing her mind about me was important. While Song Jung-Wook was working for me, I didn’t just stand by and watch. When I looked up ahead, I saw Jo Hye-Jin seeing the party members off.

“Mr. Hyun-Sung seemed worried,” I said to Jo Hye-Jin.

“...”

“He was worried that you and I might fight,” I added.

“Unless it’s related to work, I don’t want to have any other conversation with you, sub guild master,” she said coldly.

“This conversation is related to work, Miss Hye-Jin. It’s important to promote friendship between the guild members,” I told her.

“If you’re going to say something strange again…”

“No, it’s nothing like that. There seems to be a slight misunderstanding between us, but don’t you think it’ll be good to talk about it?” I asked.

Her reaction was kind of cold, but she had been acting this way recently. I was sure she was thinking about different things because the things I said before must still be lingering deep inside her mind.

“When I talked about getting revenge, I said it for you, but it’s also part of my work. Regardless of your personal grudge, if the Small Stone Guild is still doing illegal work, then I need to step in and take action,” I explained.

“...”

“If you’re not busy, I’d like you to come with me, but if you decline, then I’m planning on going by myself. It’s a pretty dangerous place, but I’m sure we’ll come back alive. If I get kidnapped due to bad luck, I’ll probably lose an arm or a leg. I’m sure Mr. Hyun-Sung will be very happy,” I told her with a sarcastic smile.

“You’re just…”

“I’m not a bad person, Miss Hye-Jin. This is all related to work. Since the other party members are out working hard, don't you think we need to work hard as well? Ahem. Will you go with me?” I asked once again.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re giving me much of a choice. I’ll go with you then,” Jo Hye-Jin replied.

“Thank you…”

I was lucky in a way because Kim Hyun-Sung had asked Jo Hye-Jin to escort me. It basically meant that we would have a wider range of movement.

“Oh, you shouldn’t go there in the clothes you’re currently wearing, so please change your clothes,” I told her.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve already prepared the clothes for you, so you don’t have to worry,” I added.

“Can I ask where we’re going?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you on our way there because it won’t be fun if I tell you ahead of time. We’ll leave an hour later, so please prepare as soon as possible,” I said, rushing her.

“You have already made up your mind. You’re really demanding,” she remarked.

“I’m good at taking the initiative, so thank you for the compliment,” I replied.

Jo Hye-Jin still didn’t look happy, but when she went in without much complaint, it seemed like she was willing to obey me. She did frown, but since it was going to be a date with a woman who was beautiful in her own way, I thought that it wasn’t so bad. While she was getting ready, I decided to prepare as well. I changed into the clothes I prepared earlier and fixed my hair. Even though it wasn’t the same outfit I wore during the party at the castle, I couldn’t help but smile at how decent I looked.

While waiting in the lobby, I noticed a familiar face. I guess Jo Hye-Jin liked the outfit I prepared for her because she was blushing.

“Do I really have to wear this?” she asked.

“You already changed into it so you don’t have to be embarrassed, Miss Hye-Jin,” I answered.

“B-But it’s… really revealing…” she stuttered.

“You look beautiful so don’t worry,” I said, complimenting her.

I knew the blue dress would look good on her. I felt like I did a good job when I told the receptionist at the castle to decorate it appropriately. It didn’t matter whether she put on makeup or not, but her elegantly tied hair matched the dress very well. Jo Hye-Jin had a hard time adapting to the dress that showed one of her legs and back, but she looked sexy overall.

‘I didn’t think this woman had a feminine side…’

She was charming in her own way.

“Are we going to a party or something? If you needed company, you could’ve found someone…”

“It’s not just any party, so trust me. The carriage outside is waiting, so let’s go,” I said, interrupting her.

“Okay,” she said.

“Before we go, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Yes?”

“About the Small Stone Guild… have you ever seen them trade monsters illegally or trade race slaves?” I asked.

“I have. I saw them being locked up in a carriage,” she answered.

“Then that means you don’t know how they actually do the trade. Did you find out about the tax issue and the monster trading when you looked at the ledger?” I asked.

“How did you…”

“Don’t you think the reason why the guild was cleared of all charges was because of insufficient evidence?” I asked her.

“...”

“You asked about our destination earlier, right?”

“Yes...”

“We’re going to the site right now; we’re going to witness it,” I said.

“What…”

“Basically, we’re going there to see for ourselves how the illegal trading is done,” I explained.

Jo Hye-Jin must be at a loss for words because she looked at me with a blank stare. I didn’t need to convince her because she would realize it once she was there.

I took out masks and wore one of them.

“Here’s your mask.”