Chapter 624: That’s a lie (2)

‘I shouldn’t get used to his kindness.’

‘You have to be suspicious.’

‘He’s poison.’

“I have to remain vigilant to the end.”

‘Don’t ever trust him. That’s what I learned.’

‘Everything is acting, and it’s all calculated behavior.’

Occasionally, there were times when Lee Kiyoung showed similar behavior.

Either he looked at a distant place, or he had a grim face. That was obvious, but I’d never taken it seriously.

I judged it as a habit when he was deep in thought, and he actually looked like he was.

However, what I saw at that moment was different from what he’d been doing.

‘There is something there.’

What I thought not to be a big deal and that it wouldn’t be much different from his habit of tapping his thighs with his long fingers had more to it than I was aware of.

‘What? What the hell is it?’

The way he was still holding his head carefully as if the pain did not go away was hard to describe. He was even at that moment looking like he was out of his mind.

I couldn’t help but speak up. If I didn’t talk, I felt like he would continue to stay that way.

“Kiyoung…”

“…”

“Kiyoung, are you okay?”

“…”

“Kiyoung!”

“Oh…! Yes?”

“Just now…”

“Yes… Oh… Did I… something…”

“…”

“Yes… I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“But…”

“I’m really fine. I haven’t been able to sleep properly lately… I just felt a bit dizzy. So you don’t have to worry about it. If I take a rest, I’ll get better. It occasionally happens when I’m busy… You can think of it as a habit, a habit. I… Looks like I frightened you. I’m sorry, Raphael. Ha… Hahaha.”

‘That’s a lie.’

I wasn’t certain.

However, I could tell that he was lying.

The human named Lee Kyoung reacted very sensitively to what I just said. He looked a bit different from the way he always looked perfect.

His unnatural face and unnatural behavior. I didn’t know what he’s wary of, but I felt that he became very cautious. I hadn’t spent a long time with him. However, based on my experience, I could be sure of one thing.

The present Lee Kiyoung was taking off his mask.

He threw away his mask, which had only wrapped himself in perfection, revealing his real weaknesses.

What I saw in front of me right at that moment was the real Lee Kiyoung.

The true him hidden under the mask of the Honorary Cardinal, the Chairman, the Blue Vice Guild Master, the hero who saved the continent, the one chosen by the dragon, and the incarnation of Benignore.

‘This is an opportunity.’

It deserved to be an opportunity.

The Honorary Cardinal, who seemed to have no flaws, was revealing his only weakness.

I didn’t know how long I had been waiting for that day. I approached him because I thought there would be such an opportunity.

However, my mouth felt bitter. Even I couldn’t figure out why, but the thought that it wasn’t a pleasant action began to wander in my head.

“Are you really okay? Just now, definitely…”

“Yes, I’m fine. You don’t have to be bothered at all.”

“But Kiyoung…”

“You don’t have to worry about it. Really. More importantly… We were talking about…”

‘He’s changing the subject.’

“Where were we?”

‘He’s nervous.’

“…”

“Oh… Yes, I told you about that. I felt you were tired today, so I reduced your schedule a bit. And… Yes, also, maybe next week, we will visit the soldiers for consolation… So, I think you will take a tour of the forward bases with me, so I think you should get ready.”

‘What?’

“This way, you’ll be able to find out what the troops in the forward base need the most and which ones will help the most… The opinions reported by those in charge will be very different from the feeling of being in the field itself. Not only can you feel what the troops really need…”

‘What are you talking about?’

“I… can guarantee you… Raphael’s visit will be a great help to them.”

‘What are you saying…’

I naturally fell silent on my own.

Didn’t he say something similar just a few minutes ago?

It even had the same meaning and idea.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to be unable to keep a straight face for a moment in that unexpected situation.

I smiled again, but… I couldn’t figure out if he noticed my face.

“That’s fortunate.”

“…”

“You seem to have a little bit of energy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a smile.”

Who would judge that strange situation as normal?

“Then today, as scheduled… yeah… Would it be okay to do as I said? I think it would be okay to spend time playing chess after work is all over. As a matter of fact, you can think of it as a day off.”

“…”

“You must have been mentally exhausted so far, so I hope you can rest comfortably, at least for today. If you have a place where you want to go, you can tell me. Just as long it doesn’t interfere with training tomorrow… with training… interfere… yes, just as long it does not interfere…”

“…”

“Er… wait.”

“Kiyoung?”

“Wait… wait a minute…”

“Kiyoung.”

“Today’s… all schedules… yes, wait… I remembered something urgent…”

It was then that something even more strange happened.

Lee Kiyoung, who stumbled for a moment, hurriedly turned around.

I could see with my own eyes that he was trying to run as fast as possible.

My body reacted before I could think.

I was nervous about what kind of event would happen, and I was unwittingly chasing the target of my revenge. Didn’t it seem like he wanted to get out of that place somehow?

The close walk on the wall made him look even more uneasy.

He was gasping for breath, and with one hand, he continued to hold his head.

He struggled to take one step after another, and he sounded as if he was nauseous.

Eventually, he turned around the corner, becoming out of sight.

I had to move a little faster.

It was because anyone could see that he seemed to be in a precarious situation.

‘Is he okay? Isn’t… Isn’t he sick?’

He was definitely hiding something behind everyone’s backs.

Perhaps it was his weakness that I so wanted to find.

This was the card that would win the game for me.

The piece of the puzzle to complete my revenge.

However, I couldn’t really think of anything. As I turned up the speed and turned around, the scene that caught my eyes was Lee Kiyoung lying alone in a long corridor.

‘Huh?’

“Kiyoung?”

‘What the…’

“Kiyoung… are you okay?”

I naturally ran eagerly to check his condition.

However, I had no choice but to swallow hard at the shadow that seemed to disallow anyone from approaching him.

Standing in front of him was a short woman. It was not clear where she came from, but she was standing as if she had been at that place from the beginning.

Of course, I knew who it was.

There was no way I wouldn’t know the name of the existence that followed Lee Kiyoung like a shadow. The woman holding her twin words stood in front of him defensively.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Park Li-ahn?”

“I will use force if necessary.”

“What?”

“Go back the way you came quietly. Today’s schedule will be delivered separately later.”

“That’s… that’s not the problem now. Kiyoung is… for now… for now…”

“I won’t tell you twice. Please go back quietly.”

“Please, step aside. I have to call a priest. I have to call someone right now.”

“This is none of your business. I’ll take care of the Chairman so don’t worry about this. Raphael just has to do what I told him to do.”

“Step aside…”

“Go back. I have made it clear that I am not taking any risks here.”

“I said… step aside!”

Craaash!

I ran in without knowing, but I felt myself falling instead.

Something cold pressed against my throat.

I was badly crushed against the floor, and the woman named Park Li-ahn was pressing me down from above.

She didn’t even notice when it happened.

My body turned around in the air in no time.

I felt the cold floor in contact with my crushed face.

I somehow tried to move my body, but there was no way I could move under such restraints.

The sword hanging from my waist didn’t respond to my words as if it were just mere decoration.

As I turned my head and looked straight ahead, I saw Lee Kiyoung quietly lying down.

Looking back, I still couldn’t believe the scene.

That Lee Kiyoung lost his mind and fell awfully.

‘You, what are you doing?’

Why was he on the floor like that?

‘You’re the villain.’

Why was he lying flat and gasping for breath as if he was in pain?

‘You’re the dictator trying to devour the continent.’

He shouldn’t look like that right in front of me…

‘Stand up. Stand up right now.’

‘I know you’re pretending to be weak. I know you’re just acting.’

‘So stand up.’

He looked very small.

The one whom I was so scared and afraid, who believed without a doubt that he was the incarnation of the demon, seemed strangely too small.

He seemed like he would break with a little push.

He even looked like a sick bird, so what else did I need to say?

Why hadn’t I noticed? It wasn’t unreasonable to wonder why I hadn’t seen such a figure until that moment.

“Move…”

“If you affirm that you are going back, I will release your restraints.”

“I said move…”

“Please forgive me…”

“I said move!!”

Baaaaaanng!!

What popped out was a gray light.

I could feel, with a loud noise, that the one pressing me bounced off. I immediately tried to stand up to move, but I immediately saw two swords coming in at my throat.

‘She’s fast.’

She was so fast that I couldn’t even react.

Unintentionally, a million thoughts raced through my head.

“Please stop it.”

Then I heard that voice.

It was familiar.

Supporting Lee Kiyoung, who completely lost his mind, was a woman with a long spear on her back.

“I will take care of it. Park Li-ahn, please take control of the surroundings. The same goes for Raphael. Go back to your room quietly. And…”

“…”

“You haven’t seen anything today.”

A truth that the world would never know.

I directly confirmed some of the secrets he wanted to hide.

“That’s a lie…”

“…”

“That’s… a lie…”