I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 45: A Teacher’s Duty (2)

Little Yoo Ji-eun widened her eyes upon seeing me.

“What brings you here?”

Her carefree response was somehow annoying.

The presence of the suspicious woman, who was secretly scrutinizing me, made me feel even worse.

“……”

What should I do with her?

I came to stop her before she did something foolish, but seeing her innocent face rendered me speechless.

Is it okay for me to interfere in Yoo Ji-eun’s life?

I prevented the death of Yoo Hye-eun, which would have had a significant impact on Yoo Ji-eun’s personality formation. With that alone… haven’t I done everything I could for Yoo Ji-eun? Is it really alright for me to interfere further in her life? Is this the right thing to do?

Didn’t I say it already? Yoo Ji-eun will grow up well on her own, even without her sister, even without me. Anyway, Hong Seok-young will take care of Yoo Ji-eun from next year….

“Could you be the teacher of this student right here?”

The suspicious woman spoke to me with a bright smile.

A gentle tone. A smiling face. Clothes adorned with sparkling cheap cubic zirconia decorations.

An impression so ordinary that you wouldn’t turn back even if you passed by on the street.

Yeah. Let’s just confirm that little Yoo Ji-eun isn’t being swayed by a cult and then step away.

I steeled my resolve.

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

Pretending to be a guardian for the young girl is best done by a teacher. It’s not entirely unrelated, so it’s not a lie.

“My, my, look how tall and handsome you are, teacher. What kind of teacher are you? You look like you might do some sports… a P.E. teacher?”

In the grand scheme of things, it is physical education, since the targets are prospective hunters. Don’t I teach them how to move their bodies efficiently?

When I didn’t deny it and stayed silent, the woman seemed to take it as she wished and became more excited.

“Oh my, with such a handsome teacher, the students must be so pretty and smart. Having students like this must make teaching so enjoyable, right?”

“…Who are you?”

I asked again.

The woman, with an ‘oops’ expression, covered her mouth and laughed.

“Look at me. I’m not a suspicious person, just passing by and noticed the student seemed to be worrying about something….”

Usually, the most suspicious people are the ones who claim they aren’t suspicious.

The woman took out a business card from a wallet adorned with decorations. Curious about what it said, I examined the card filled with suspicious phrases.

National New Heart and Spirit Association. Gyeonggi Branch. Team Leader Jung Yeon-hwa. Phone number.

“Just from the name, it’s hard to tell what we do, right?”

It’s not hard to tell. It’s a cult.

“We mainly conduct various activities for children.”

“By various activities, you mean….”

“Well, you know, things like experiential activities, volunteer work, summer camps….”

The woman smiled sweetly at Yoo Ji-eun.

“These days, with so many Dungeon Breaks happening, there are a lot of people struggling, right? Both adults and children. So, we also provide counseling. These things require professional help, don’t they?”

She speaks very well.

“Oh, of course, it’s not just for children. People like you also come a lot.”

“People like me?”

“Those who work with children. People who worry about how to help children better often come to us.”

Her words flowed like water.

If I didn’t know her true nature, I might have been taken in by her words. Even if not, I usually don’t entertain such nonsense.

But.

“……”

But you see.

“The world is so dangerous nowadays, there are many suspicious places. I know. But we’re really not like that. See, the Gyeonggi Branch? We have branches nationwide. We even receive government support.”

Listening to her so enthusiastically rambling on, I began to think, isn’t there a way to use this?

The other day, when talking with Kim Chae-min, I half-jokingly mentioned using Yoo Ji-eun. Sending Yoo Ji-eun to the training center, etc., etc.

Of course, knowing what might happen, I wouldn’t send this innocent and proactive little Yoo Ji-eun. I never intended to execute such a plan in the first place.

However, if it’s not little Yoo Ji-eun but me, the story is different. I’m not saying I would infiltrate in her place, but it doesn’t mean I can’t utilize this situation.

I fiddled with the business card while half-listening to the woman. If she was indeed engaged in cult, she would quickly notice the small signal that I was interested.

“Yoo Ji-eun.”

“…Yes?”

First, I should send her away.

The woman had been talking to me, not Yoo Ji-eun, since earlier. From Ark’s perspective, a school teacher would indeed be more appealing than a sixteen-year-old girl.

“Didn’t your sister tell you to come home directly after school?”

“Ah, um….”

“Don’t stray and go straight home.”

“Okay….”

“Go quickly.”

Yoo Ji-eun subtly hid the paper she was holding behind her back. Seriously, that girl….

I almost lost my temper for a moment, but I held it in. Right now, it’s crucial to keep her away from this woman. I can inform Hong Seok-young or Kim Chae-min about it later. If necessary, I can call her to the school and pretend to teach her. Kids that age are all the same.

“Goodbye….”

Yoo Ji-eun disappeared, still glancing at me and the woman with lingering curiosity. I let out a sigh.

The woman, who had been observing me cautiously, slowly opened her mouth.

“You seem to care a lot about your students, Teacher?”

“…She’s not my student.”

“Oh, she’s not?”

“She’s the younger sister of one of my students.”

“Really? The student seemed so happy to see you earlier…. I thought you were her teacher.”

The woman exaggeratedly laughed.

“Kids are the cutest at that age. I see a lot of kids that age in my work, and it’s such a good time. Seeing those kids struggling really breaks my heart.”

When she first approached Yoo Ji-eun, it was to talk about some absurd nonsense about purifying waste in blood vessels with mana, but now the topic had completely changed.

I pondered what position this woman might hold in Ark. Could she be just a civilian tricked into working for the suspicious National New Heart and Spirit Association? Or was she connected to Ark within it?

Although the business card said ‘team leader,’ it doesn’t reveal her exact position. We don’t even know which team she leads.

Seemingly interpreting my silence, the woman took out a tablet PC from her bag.

“Look, look. I understand your concerns given how dangerous the world is, but check this out. This is our association.”

A plausible website appeared. There were many other related organizations.

“These are our sponsors. Many well-known companies support us. They all know a good cause when they see one.”

I shouldn’t be fooled. Just because a government or company supports something doesn’t guarantee it’s legitimate. Seeing her speak so confidently suggests there’s some connection, but wherever there are people, there are gaps, and there’s often a lot of blind money.

But I kept my suspicions to myself. I just tapped the tablet PC screen, browsing the National New Heart and Spirit Association’s website as if I were genuinely interested.

Then, I casually dropped a remark.

“I’m not actually a teacher by profession.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed.

“So, how did you… end up teaching?”

“Well, I’m temporarily teaching, but originally, um.”

I paused, pretending to choose my words.

“Have you heard of the Hunter Training Pilot High School? You know, where they train young Awakened ones….”

“I’ve seen it on the news! Are you a teacher there?”

“Somehow, I ended up teaching, which wasn’t my original plan…. Given that some of the kids have gone through tough experiences since a young age, it’s not easy to take care of everything for them.”

“Oh, I know, I know. You must have had a hard time as a young teacher. So, are you also a Hunter?”

“Yes, well… my rank isn’t that high, though.”

“What use is a high rank in teaching? The important thing is your heart for the kids!”

The woman beamed.

“Let’s see… right, could you get me a cup of coffee from over there? I can explain what activities we do and how we can help the students….”

“Taking the kids somewhere is a bit….”

“That’s not what I mean. I think it’d be good for you to take some courses with us to better help your students. You know, child psychology and the like. We specialize in those areas.”

The woman gently smiled as she held my hand.

“We need more people like you. Let’s talk and see what would be best for the kids after you hear my explanation.”

* * *

A naive young Hunter with a low rank.

It’s been just over a month since I unexpectedly became a teacher at a pilot high school. It still feels awkward and unfamiliar to be called a teacher.

From a cult’s perspective, how great of prey would I be? If I were Ark, I wouldn’t want to miss out.

What? A Hunter directly connected to the top and strongest Hunter in South Korea?

The old man has been operating as a one-man guild for over ten years. Initially, his main stage was abroad, making his domestic presence limited. It’s no different now. He only started establishing himself domestically because of the pilot high school.

Think from Ark’s perspective. Isn’t it an opportunity to extract information on the Hunter chasing them? Even if they don’t know Hong Seok-young is after them, they wouldn’t want to miss the link to him.

Well, it’s unlikely they don’t know. They would’ve known when Mr. Kim, who infiltrated Ark, got caught and killed.

It doesn’t matter if this woman, Jung Yeon-hwa, isn’t directly related to Ark. No matter how decentralized Ark operates, there are places that gather information and heads to manage them.

Just as Ark would want a connection to Hong Seok-young, I could also form a connection to Ark….

What good is having such a connection, you ask?

You never know how things will unfold. It’s better to hold all the cards.

Of course, there are concerns.

“National… what was it again?”

Hong Seok-young frowned and looked up at me.

“National New Heart and Spirit Association.”

“Right, that place.”

Hong Seok-young looked at the business card I handed him.

“Why do you have this?”

“I picked it up on the street.”

“…I know this place, and it wouldn’t be lying around on the street like trash.”

“Oh. You know this place?”

I replied slyly.

“Where did you get it?”

“A woman on the street gave it to me.”

Only then did I frown.

“You know Yoo Hye-eun’s younger sister? She was stopped by someone and talked to, so I intercepted.”

“What? Ji-eun?”

“Take better care of her. Aren’t you her guardian?”

“Technically, I’m more like her proxy guardian.”

“Anyway.”

I tapped the business card.

“She started talking about how they’re concerned about the kids’ mental health and such, and she just fell for it. She even gave me some lecture plans. Told me to come out if I had time.”

“Hmm. You told her you’re a teacher at the pilot high school?”

“Even though I’m not a real teacher, what good is pretending to be one?”

Hong Seok-young stroked his chin.

“So, are you asking for permission to contact this National… whatever?”

“National New Heart and Spirit Association.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

I shrugged.

“That’s part of it, but I thought we could send someone else since I established the connection. Say they’re another Hunter teaching at the pilot high school….”

“Why? You do it. You started it.”

“I’m under probation right now, aren’t I?”

“That’s right?”

Why is that a question?

When I openly frowned, Hong Seok-young scratched his head.

“Well, it’d be troublesome if you disappeared without a word because of classes, but as long as you inform me in advance, it’s fine.”

“…….”

Is he… trusting me? If so, I appreciate it. But still. Isn’t he trusting me too much?

I couldn’t hide my reluctance and stared dumbly at Hong Seok-young. He looked puzzled by my expression.

“Is there a problem?”

“No… it’s just. I…”

As I began to hesitate, Hong Seok-young frowned again. He seemed to think another issue had arisen.

“It’s just that I… uh, I’m not good at this sort of thing.”

“This sort of thing?”

“You know, sneaking around and investigating people… that kind of stuff.”

My job is to analyze dungeons and come up with raid guides, not this kind of fieldwork. In the first place, I never did this kind of undercover work at the Agency.

“Why not? Why can’t you do it?”

Does there need to be a reason? I can’t do it because I can’t.

I answered honestly.

“I have no talent for it.”

“……”

“……”

Hong Seok-young stared at me in silence. I stared back at him in silence.

“……Pfft.”

Hong Seok-young’s face twisted strangely, and then an unpleasant sound leaked out between his tightly pressed lips.