Chapter 80 – Divorce (6)

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“I believe you now.”

The player of the Love Zone, who witnessed my supernatural power, said she would no longer doubt me.

That I had eaten the Snow Giant’s gem to obtain the supernatural power was something no one knew except for Luna.

Since it was a setting that had never appeared in the game, no matter if she was a player, she would not have thought this was a power obtained through a method other than the perk.

So she had no choice but to believe me.

‘Right… it’s good that she came to believe me, but…’

An unexpected problem arose.

“Are you… not going back to your zone?”

“I just arrived today, so there’s no way I can leave right away.”

She declared that she would stay in my zone for a few more days before leaving.

Of course, even if she was a player, since there was a distance from the Love Zone to here, fatigue could have accumulated.

Since the Commander and Meursault also knew her as my guest, even if she said she was going back, I would have first advised her to stay a few more days before leaving.

Nevertheless, the reason why her remaining in my zone left a bad aftertaste was.

Because although she still feared me, I felt that fear was somehow subtly different from before.

For example, when I called her ‘Shin,’ she shook her head and told me not to call her that in the future.

“Then what should I call you? Shaman?”

“Shin Eun-jo.”

“What is Shin Eun-jo?”

“My real name.”

“You want me to call you by your real name?”

“Because calling me ‘Shin’ is confusing.”

Was she telling me to call her by her real name because her player name was confusing with ‘God’?

[It is confusing, though.]

‘That’s true, but.’

I had no idea what kind of change of heart had occurred, considering she hadn’t cared in the slightest until now.

“Why don’t you stop thinking useless thoughts and just return to your zone?”

“I will leave one of the earrings with you when I go. Isn’t that enough for a few days’ lodging fee?”

It was a lodging fee too sufficient to refuse.

[Let’s let her stay here and take both!]

This fellow Luna had become quite shameless by now.

Instead of letting Shin Eun-jo stay at the Commander’s residence unchecked, I decided to entrust the surveillance to Taejeong.

Since Taejeong had become much more taciturn than at first and left almost no trace of presence, he exuded an atmosphere similar to the other servants of the Commander’s residence.

Whether she had opened the character profile as soon as she ran into Taejeong, Shin Eun-jo murmured Taejeong’s nickname.

“Taejeongtaesebeyonce?”

A girl he was seeing for the first time called his nickname, but Taejeong did not look particularly surprised.

He must have expected her to be a system-unlocked player after hearing from others that a girl of his age from another zone had come.

Unexpectedly, Shin Eun-jo showed interest in Taejeong.

“I know you. You are one of Dopamine Addict’s followers, right?”

“So you know me. Though I don’t know who you are, sister.”

Calling her sister right off the bat without even knowing who she was?

“I am Shin Eun-jo. But why are you here? Wasn’t your main base Chicken?”

Was Taejeong’s main base Chicken?

Come to think of it, while most of the other players knew about me.

I knew almost nothing about the other players.

T-Bastard remained in my mind because he was the guy running a sniper walkthrough against me, and that was why I lied to CornerHoney that I was T-Bastard.

‘Does Taejeong also know something about the Salvation Project?’

As my thoughts reached that point, I recalled that there was a question I had not received an answer to from Shin Eun-jo.

I had asked one thing when I sent Shrike back to the Love Zone.

“Do you know about the Salvation Project?”

Shrike seemed not to know, and although I didn’t go so far as to advise him to ask Shin Eun-jo.

I assumed it would naturally reach Shin Eun-jo’s ears if Shrike was in a position to report to her.

However, to my proposal to ‘talk about more important things,’ Shin Eun-jo brought up the ‘all-zone clearer perk’ rather than the Salvation Project.

In other words, the probability was high that Shin Eun-jo also knew nothing about the Salvation Project.

‘But…’

[Since that girl looks cautious, the probability that she is hiding that she knows something cannot be ignored either.]

That was true.

At least while she stayed here, I could slightly test her to see if she knew anything about the Salvation Project.

Having decided so, I looked at Taejeong.

“I ask you to look after this fellow while she stays here. Don’t worry, I will send her back before the entrance exam.”

“Just leave it to me, big brother.”

“Entrance exam?”

Shin Eun-jo stared at me as if curious about what this entrance exam story was.

Instead of explaining what the entrance exam meant, I spoke in a deliberately warning tone.

“If you want to stay here, it would be best not to take interest in my zone’s affairs.”

“Even with such power, you are guarding against a mere player like me?”

I didn’t expect her to downplay herself as a ‘mere player’ just because I showed her one supernatural power.

[Though I don’t know if she is sincere.]

‘Do you have no power like detecting lies?’

[As if I would…]

I was about to caution Shin Eun-jo once more, but before I could speak, Shin Eun-jo spoke first.

“Being cautious is a good thing. I won’t step out of the room unless you call me.”

I mean.

“It’s suspicious that you are suddenly following my words so obediently.”

“But I am sincere. Is there any good in antagonizing a player with such nonsensical power? I don’t think so.”

My gut told me those words were entirely sincere.

Why was I so uneasy?

“Then I will stay holed up in the room, so if there is anything I can help you with, feel free to call me anytime.”

After saying so, Shin Eun-jo really went to the room assigned to her under Taejeong’s guidance and did not step outside.

Telling me to call her anytime if I needed help was an amusing statement.

What reason would I have to need a Love Zone player’s help?

* * *

“Lady Daphne refused to meet Meursault?”

“Yes.”

The Commander, who conveyed that news to me, looked at me in wonder.

“Why are you so surprised? Daphne is my wife. It is only natural for her to refuse to meet Meursault privately.”

“…”

“But she did not reject meeting you. She said you may visit if you do not bring Meursault along.”

She would meet him if he didn’t bring Meursault along?

‘What on earth kind of change of heart occurred while we went to the subjugation battle?’

Anyway, I promised to take Meursault along to tea time with Daphne, only for Meursault to get rejected at the door.

How should I convey this to Meursault?

‘Unless my memory is wrong, Daphne definitely said she would confess her feelings to Meursault back then.’

Even if that sounded like a death flag, it was by no means a word blurted out impulsively.

Yet now she refuses even to meet him?

As I agonized with a serious expression, the Commander asked with a face that could not understand.

“Haydam. Why are you trying so hard to connect Meursault and Daphne? Is it perhaps something related to the future?”

‘If I say it is something needed for the future, the Commander will actively help me.’

However, even if I lied here that there was a reason those two must marry… I would eventually be seen through by the Commander.

It was better not to tell a lie that would be caught quickly.

“Just because they are pitiful.”

“Daphne?”

“No. All of them.”

It was to some extent a deflecting word, but also to some extent sincere.

Daphne, who married someone she didn’t even love.

The Commander, who married Daphne because the person he loved wanted him to.

And Meursault, who had to serve as a subordinate to the man who married the person he loved.

Their fates were truly tragic, so now I wanted to return everything to its proper place.

And make them indebted to me as a bonus.

I didn’t know what the Commander thought upon hearing my words, but he merely smirked.

“It’s not something for you to agonize over alone. Go see Daphne. Since she said she wanted to meet you if you’re alone, she must have something to say.”

“Yes. I also have something to verify.”

As our conversation seemed to end, Luna, who was receiving strokes on the Commander’s lap, slowly stood up and began to stretch herself.

Staring at Luna, I asked the Commander.

“Ah, by the way. It was only Meursault she refused, right?”

“Yes, but… why?”

“Because I have another companion.”

“Another companion?”

The Commander tilted his head slightly as if he didn’t know who I meant, and soon wore an incomprehensible smile on his lips.

“Come to think of it, you had that Love Zone girl stay at my mansion.”

“I can’t just kick a guest out in a single day.”

“So, are you not going to tell me what kind of relationship you share that she came looking for you all the way here?”

“We share no relationship.”

“No relationship, yet she seeks you out specifically? A child from another zone?”

“It seems you haven’t received a report from Meursault.”

At the mention of a report, the Commander raised one eyebrow.

“During the last subjugation battle, I once rescued a lost child.”

“Ah… I think I heard about that. Did they say you sent him back gently, quite unlike you?”

“The guest who came looking for me is that lost child’s older sister.”

“Older sister?”

“She only came to express her gratitude to me, so I hope you don’t make any strange misunderstandings. Tell Meursault that as well.”

Only then did the Commander nod with a face that understood what I meant.

“I tell you repeatedly, I also was rescued from another zone by Luna Moon’s hands—”

I fled from the office, even forgetting to take Luna along.

* * *

And so.

I came to ask Shin Eun-jo for help.

My first words when I came to ask for help were as follows.

“By the way, are you really a girl? You’re not a catfish, right?”

“…Do men originally ask such pathetic questions?”

She had a face that looked as if she had already heard the same question from someone else.

Was it HomeProtector?

“Why is it important whether I am a real girl?”

“Because you, being a girl, seem more likely to connect with Daphne than I am.”

“Daphne?”

Shin Eun-jo looked at me with interest.

“So you didn’t keep only the Commander and Meursault alive. Have you decided not to kill Daphne either? Are you planning to run a pacifist route?”

“I will get her divorced from the Commander.”

“…”

Shin Eun-jo stared at me with a dumbfounded face for a moment, then asked.

“You’re settling for getting her divorced instead of killing her?”

“As you will see once you meet Daphne yourself. The divorce is something Daphne wants.”

“I still don’t know what you mean, but… what should I find out when I meet Daphne?”

As expected, she is quick-witted.

Shin Eun-jo immediately caught what I wanted.

What I wanted was for Daphne to pour out her inner thoughts to Shin Eun-jo.

It was clear that Daphne was hiding something she couldn’t tell me.

Whether the reason she couldn’t tell me was because I was Luna Moon’s child, because I was close to Meursault, or simply because I was a boy.

Therefore, what Shin Eun-jo had to find out was.

“Her feelings for Meursault.”

“…Huh?”

Shin Eun-jo frowned deeply.

Since Meursault appears in the Safe Zone game as a budding adulterer who unilaterally craves Daphne, asking Daphne about her feelings for Meursault must have felt somewhat absurd to her.

…But that thought completely vanished due to the words that popped out of Shin Eun-jo’s mouth a moment later.

“Meursault shouldn’t be a capture target, though?”

“I know that too… wait, what?”

She knew Meursault was not a capture target?

Perhaps I should withdraw my thought that Shin Eun-jo knows nothing about the Salvation Project.