After meeting with Baek Ye-a, Huye Jin left the house with a smile, but soon her expression turned glum.
In truth, Huye Jin had been hesitating all along.
She recalled what Jeon In-hwa had said during their previous meeting.
But as soon as Huye Jin heard that Jeon In-hwa had gone ahead and filed a complaint against Baek Ye-a, she began taking action to help her "friend" Baek Ye-a.
Everyone needs to experience someone up close to know their true nature.
At first glance, there were certainly suspicious elements just as Jeon In-hwa had said, but in the end, Baek Ye-a had killed Honwon and saved her once again.
Based on this fact alone, Huye Jin felt she couldn't turn her back on Baek Ye-a out of moral obligation.
That's why Huye Jin informed the Baek Clan about Baek Ye-a's difficult situation and secured a promise of legal defense through Baek Ye-na.
Of course, it would be a lie to say she had no doubts during the process.
From the beginning, this wasn't something Huye Jin should have been involved in, and the Baek Clan should have taken action before she had to step in personally. The fact that they only moved when another great exorcist family intervened showed Huye Jin how serious the internal strife within the Baek Clan had become.
She thought this behavior was quite serious for a faction of a great exorcist family, but then again, weren't they the group that had engaged in a grand suicide drama through mutual slaughter in the past? So Huye Jin decided to just be grateful that her request was being honored at all.
Beyond that, Huye Jin went around finding people who had been quietly favorable toward Baek Ye-a and advocated for her. Being the successor of the Huye Clan, the most powerful family of Exorcists, she was able to secure promises of support for Baek Ye-a from these people.
During this process, there was subtle pressure from the Jeon Clan, but she dismissed it by saying this was purely her personal initiative.
After all that effort to help, Baek Ye-a's reaction was, how should she put it...
Right, "ambiguous." It was ambiguous.
Was it because they had competed over Lee Hui-hyeon last time?
Even if that wasn't the case, the Huye Clan was closer to the Jeon Clan than to the Baek Clan, and moreover, they had seized the position of the number one great exorcist family by taking advantage of the gap created during the Baek Clan's Fratricide.
Of course, they say nobody cares about that anymore, but Baek Ye-a was still a successor candidate of the Baek Clan, despite being ostracized.
So she might be sensitive about that point.
"Was I too insensitive?" Huye Jin muttered worriedly, unaware of Baek Ye-a's true feelings.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
<>
When I chose silence instead of pleading innocence while running around the Council, the other side seemed to be getting impatient.
My thorough strategy of ignoring them was somewhat successful.
The investigation team that had left for the Outlands returned and remained silent, saying they were preparing their announcement. As time passed, the initially murderous atmosphere, where it seemed like I could be cut down with just the touch of a blade, eased slightly.
Let's set aside the minor incidents—protest signs appearing in front of my house, letters flying in from all directions, and occasional eggs or stones being thrown. I had chosen a moderate approach anticipating these things would happen.
One puzzling thing was that Jin Seo-yeon, who I expected would run around like a rabid wolf cub following Jeon In-hwa, was strangely quiet.
According to Hui-hyeon, even when Jeon In-hwa contacted her under the table asking for help, she repeatedly said she couldn't help without definitive evidence. That Jin Seo-yeon.
Honestly, it was hard to believe, but I decided to just accept it. Jin Seo-yeon is the successor of the Jin Clan, another great exorcist family, so maybe she realized something. That this situation isn't just a poisoned chalice—it's pure poison.
Having bought time this way, I met with various people through introductions from Hui-hyeon and Huye Jin, who had joined to help me despite not being part of the original plan.
"To bring down Jeon In-hwa in one go, a few pieces of evidence won't be enough. We need clear proof that Jeon In-hwa framed you with malicious intent to make her shut up."
After saying this, Hui-hyeon seemed to be preparing something while personally meeting with various people.
It's probably better not to ask what exactly he's doing.
The people I met through Huye Jin's introductions were investigators who had gone to the Outlands and returned with investigative authority.
"Huye Jin, who are these people?"
"They're the investigators in charge of Ye-a's case."
"...Is it okay to call such people here like this?"
"I figured that if they investigated Ye-a publicly, there might be external pressure, and it wouldn't be good for Ye-a either, so I pulled some strings. You can be comfortable being investigated here."
Isn't this... clearly overstepping authority?
It was really unexpected since Huye Jin wasn't usually someone who liked to throw her power around.
When I asked why, Huye Jin smiled and said:
"I personally owe Ye-a many favors. Above all, I believe in Ye-a's innocence. Are you uncomfortable with this?"
Despite doing all this, Huye Jin looked at me nervously as if something was bothering her.
No, how can someone be such a dork to be nervous after helping this much?
If by any chance I were found guilty, Huye Jin would have to deal with the appropriate backlash. This was far too much assistance to be considered ordinary help.
"Not at all. Thank you for your consideration."
"Good, I'm glad. There will be several more investigations scheduled, so please try to keep this time slot open."
"I will."
Thanks to Huye Jin's help, I was able to be investigated in a relatively friendly atmosphere, but separately, the charge against me was the terrifying accusation of "treason against humanity."
Actually, I had planned to voluntarily appear and request an investigation from the beginning, but having it conducted secretly in a friendly atmosphere like this wasn't a bad thing.
And so, the stones were gradually being placed on the Go board to crush Jeon In-hwa.
While Jeon In-hwa was self-destructing with her reckless moves, I was preparing a heavy, decisive blow.
Jeon In-hwa's fate was already sealed.
Her fate? As I said before, she'll be summoned by me, get publicly beaten down, then make excuses about taking time for self-reflection before running back to the Jeon Clan's headquarters like a pig with fireworks stuck up its ass.
For this born-wrong mental case fanatic, what could be worse humiliation?
Living in seclusion at her headquarters, having lost all credibility and persuasiveness.
Of course, even a rotten croaker is still a fish—after some time passes, she'll crawl out of her headquarters and start strutting around again, but by then, I'll have built up my strength.
I'll have put down deep roots that Jeon In-hwa won't be able to push away no matter how hard she tries.
Perhaps realizing that her time of destruction was approaching, Jeon In-hwa desperately threw cat punches at me, hoping for some reaction by using the Won-gak Cult to incite people.
If you ask whether cat punches hurt or not. Of course they do.
Even though it was just a Won-gak Cult branch still under the Jeon Clan's influence that hit me, the Won-gak Cult is still the Won-gak Cult.
Just as the West has Christianity and the Middle East has Islam, the Human World has the Won-gak Cult, and when that cult is clearly targeting and inciting against me, how could there be no impact?
They're cat punches, but they're cat punches thrown by a tiger. Damn it.
But the reason I called them cat punches was to avoid taking the situation too heavily.
There's a barrier around the house anyway. Whether crowds occasionally pass by demonstrating or not, as long as I stay inside except for brief outings, it's not dangerous. The investigation is already proceeding smoothly, so there's no need to take it too seriously.
"The people of the Human World demand an investigation!"
"Bring the mastermind to court!"
Another noisy group of protesters passed by outside.
Sometimes they would pass by several times a day or even camp out in front, which meant I couldn't go outside carelessly.
The protesters seemed to believe they were fulfilling their duty by restricting my movements like this.
But I didn't feel like blaming those protesters who believed I was the mastermind.
Even if Jeon In-hwa made the worst possible move, she's still Jeon In-hwa.
She has the ability to incite people by packaging her arguments well using concepts like justice and cause, and on top of that, she has the power of being the Jeon Clan's successor.
So even the supposedly educated Council members are busy following Jeon In-hwa's words and running around in confusion—how much worse must it be for those people?
Above all, these are the people I've decided to save, so I can't just say, "These people are turning against me? Ye-a is upset. I won't do anything now," just because they're swayed by such incitement.
Those people are just anxious... and I already have more than enough children I couldn't save.
Still, I occasionally had nightmares where someone broke through the barrier, led the protesters in, and I was subjected to public humiliation.
Yes, that dream I have from time to time.
Being dragged around wearing a sign saying "I have committed a great sin against the Human World. I will accept my punishment," then being looked down upon by Jeon In-hwa with a mocking expression in the courtroom as she sentences me to death.
Each time, I would wake up screaming "Aaaack! Kyaaak!" with my body drenched in sweat, and feel relieved that it wasn't reality.
And what's frightening is that this might not be completely impossible.
As Jeon In-hwa's windmill spinning gains more centrifugal force, I had only one thought:
I really need to send Jeon In-hwa back to her hometown quickly.
After raising the stakes a bit more so I won't be called a "vessel" again in the future.
As time passed and my story spread so widely that no one was unaware of it, and after I judged that I had gathered enough allies and evidence, I consulted with Hui-hyeon and Huye Jin and made my move to destroy Jeon In-hwa.
Just before the investigation results were to be announced, I passed through the protesters and attended the Council meeting.
"From now on, I will clarify all the suspicions surrounding me."
Standing on the Council podium, I opened my mouth toward the people.
It was time for Jeon In-hwa to get fucked.