"Shh..."

Lee Hui-hyeon pointed at the exorcists with his finger, signaling me to be quiet.

Maybe because Hui-hyeon was standing in a peculiarly dark spot, almost hiding behind me, it seemed they hadn't noticed him yet.

I looked forward again and whispered softly to Hui-hyeon.

"Hui-hyeon, how did you get in?"

"Jeon In-hwa's residence has many hidden passages. I snuck in through one of them."

I briefly wondered how he knew about them, but then remembered he was a Regressor, so it made sense. I asked him:

"There must have been other exorcists outside, right?"

"I knocked them all out."

"..."

How did he manage that?

I guess a Protagonist really is a Protagonist.

After this brief exchange with Hui-hyeon, I confronted my other self.

*Hey, why didn't you tell me Hui-hyeon was coming?*

*He's on our side, so why bother?*

...I guess that's true?

When the exorcists outside noticed my sudden silence and started to move in, I shouted at them again.

"I told you not to come closer! I just broke one of Jeon In-hwa's fingers! If you come any closer, I'll bend her middle finger outward so she'll have to walk around with just her middle finger sticking out!"

I hadn't actually broken anything, but as I said before, what matters is making them believe it.

Sure enough, when I shouted, the exorcists backed away again.

After confirming they'd retreated, I said to Hui-hyeon:

"I almost died because of Jeon In-hwa. See those talismans on the floor? She tried to kill me with them."

Hui-hyeon glanced briefly at the talismans scattered on the floor, then said to me:

"But you handled it well, I see. You've taken Jeon In-hwa hostage."

"Yeah, she was weaker than I expected."

"She was... what?"

Ah, I got too excited and let a harsh curse slip out.

Hoping Hui-hyeon wouldn't remember what I'd said, I corrected myself.

"I just meant she was weaker than I thought. Or maybe I've gotten stronger."

I puffed up with pride.

"...Even in this situation, you're still the same."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a compliment."

Hmm.

Somehow disliking Hui-hyeon's manner, instead of hitting him, I grabbed Jeon In-hwa's hair and spun it around.

Hope she gets a neck disc herniation from this.

"So now we escape through the secret passage?"

"No."

Surprised by this unexpected answer, I asked in confusion:

"What? Weren't you planning to take me through a secret passage?"

"I came to secure your safety first. Besides, the secret passage is too narrow—we'd be caught immediately."

"Then what's the plan?"

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

Moving so quickly that even the Baek Clan's special peripheral vision couldn't track him, Hui-hyeon instantly pinned down the exorcist at the front.

"What the—!"

Starting with that startled voice, I could hear the sounds of fighting continuing in the corridor outside.

"I wonder if he'll be okay."

I said this while still holding Jeon In-hwa's neck, but strangely, I wasn't particularly worried.

*Only Hui-hyeon could charge straight at a group of exorcists like that and still subdue them non-lethally.*

I nodded quietly.

Hui-hyeon returned to the room about 15 minutes later.

"Let's go now. Put down Jeon In-hwa and come out."

He spoke as if he'd just returned from a casual stroll, except for the blood on his knuckles.

...What kind of monstrous strength does he have? He fought all those exorcists and didn't get injured at all?

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

I felt grateful that Hui-hyeon was on my side.

I laid Jeon In-hwa down on the floor and picked up the talisman from the ground.

"You're taking that with you?"

Hui-hyeon asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, this talisman. It looks ordinary, but it's actually quite valuable."

If Jeon In-hwa had used this talisman to set up a formation to restrain my movements more strongly instead of trying to stab me in the chest from the beginning, I might have been in real danger.

This talisman had been passed down since the time of Jeon Yun-hwa, the first head of the Jeon Clan when Magical Engineering was at its peak.

Of course, I wouldn't have died anyway because of my other self.

It was disappointing that I couldn't see detailed information with my All-Seeing Eye sealed, but judging by its shape, it was definitely the talisman I knew.

"Really? Then do as you please."

Hui-hyeon spoke as if leaving it entirely to my judgment, then took the lead.

"You're not going to ask more about it?"

"I already know what it is."

"...Really?"

Come to think of it, he knew about the secret passages in Jeon In-hwa's residence, and he knew about this talisman too.

What kind of relationship did Hui-hyeon have with Jeon In-hwa in the other cycles?

*Hey, do you know what kind of relationship Hui-hyeon had with Jeon In-hwa?*

When I asked my other self, he replied as if annoyed:

*Why don't you just ask Hui-hyeon directly?*

"Let's get out now. Before others come."

Hui-hyeon said to me, unaware of what I was thinking.

Though I felt somewhat uneasy, I decided to let it go for now and turned around to look at the unconscious Jeon In-hwa.

When she wakes up and realizes her inherited talisman is gone, she'll definitely have a fit, right?

I couldn't help but laugh imagining Jeon In-hwa's reaction when she realizes she was not only beaten by a "Vessel" but also had her talisman stolen.

Feeling disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see that reaction with my own eyes, I took the talisman and followed Hui-hyeon out.

Even after escaping from the residence, Hui-hyeon and I had to walk for a long time to get back to the academy area.

"Hui-hyeon, what do we do now?"

I suddenly asked while walking.

"About what?"

"Well, I feel like the situation is spiraling out of control lately. Just look at today—it's better than being captured and killed, but we still knocked out Jeon Clan exorcists and Jeon In-hwa to escape. If this becomes widely known, won't people think it's strange?"

After considering my concern briefly, Hui-hyeon said:

"Is there any need to be careful about our actions anymore?"

"Huh?"

"I think being careful about our actions doesn't mean anything anymore."

"Why do you think that?"

To my question, Hui-hyeon turned to me and said:

"No matter how careful we are now, people like Jeon In-hwa and Jin Seo-yeon will continue to think you're a Vessel, and Yuna and the others have grown more suspicious since the last team exercise due to various incidents. In other words, it's already become an open secret."

After hearing Hui-hyeon's words, I sighed softly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I already knew the kids had noticed something since before. I even had a conversation with Yuna about it."

"Yuna is particularly perceptive. She just doesn't dig deeper because of her consideration and strong faith in her friends."

"Come to think of it, you recommended Yeon Ho-jin and Han Su-a as squad members besides Yuna, right? Did you recommend them anticipating this situation?"

Hearing my words, Hui-hyeon nodded and said:

"Yes, I suppose so."

"I thought as much..."

Realizing how much help I'd received from Hui-hyeon all along, I said to him:

"Then maybe it's better to definitively prove I'm not a 'Vessel' during this Calling and be confident about it. Since exorcist talents typically bloom at 17 anyway, the reason for my improved skills can be explained away."

"That's probably the right approach."

"But the problem is you, Hui-hyeon. Won't you get in trouble later for knocking out all those Jeon Clan exorcists?"

When I asked worriedly, Hui-hyeon nodded lightly and said:

"Yes. But I've decided not to worry about it. If necessary, I can just receive the 'Calling' too. It's about time I stopped moving with concern for others' eyes."

Hearing Hui-hyeon's words, I felt strangely reassured.

It might be difficult alone, but having this honest conversation together somehow felt comforting.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Perhaps this wasn't Hui-hyeon's original plan.

The old me might not have realized it, but now I could tell.

This incident was burdensome for Hui-hyeon too.

Looking at the ring attached to the talisman, I turned to Hui-hyeon and said:

"Hey, Hui-hyeon. If things don't work out, want to go wild together?"

"Wild?"

"Yeah, wild. Remember what I said when we first met in the previous cycle?"

Hearing my words, Hui-hyeon briefly searched his memories and said:

"Yes, I think you did say something like that back then."

"Right, if things go south, I'll transfer half my assets to Yuna to make her the team leader, and we'll drop out and head to the Outlands. Or we could go to Ikseonju where Yu Ji-a has settled."

"Why are you suddenly thinking about this?"

"I just thought it might be better to deal with the World-Ending Cult while traveling through the Outlands or other regions rather than staying in a place full of enemies. What do you think?"

After hearing me out, Hui-hyeon remained silent for a moment.

When he spoke again, he was smiling slightly.

"Let's receive the 'Calling' first and decide based on how things go. From my experience, there are many advantages to staying at the academy too. So let's think about it later."

Hui-hyeon's answer was noncommittal.

Since I wasn't planning to push strongly right now either, I smiled at Hui-hyeon and said:

"Sure, it's better to decide later based on the situation. These kinds of decisions should be made carefully."

The conversation ended there.