TRPM 335

chapter 335

To get straight to the point, the guy who claimed to know us was immediately arrested by the police.

“Wait?! Why?!”

“Well… you see…”

It turned out he really did know us, but ironically, that made him even more suspicious.

He had a history of harassing Ryu Ah-young because he liked her, and he had also been repelled by her before.

What were the odds of running into someone like him in a completely different area, not even in our neighborhood?

“I mean, we know he’s not a pervert, but now he looks like a stalker.”

I thought meeting him was a coincidence, but Ryu Ah-young thought differently. She seemed convinced that he hadn’t just randomly come to the Hanok village festival but had followed her there intentionally.

‘If it really was stalking, that would mean he followed her even when we went camping two days ago, and again when we went to the rose festival yesterday…’

If that were the case, he must have been watching Ryu Ah-young from a distance, and there’s no way I wouldn’t have felt the gaze of such an amateur. I considered mentioning this to help him…

‘But then he’d get cocky…’

My intuition said that shouldn’t happen, and even without intuition, I wasn’t inclined to help him. He might have matured a bit since middle school, but his reckless behavior back then had left a strong impression.

Even if I tried to see him in a better light, a bias lingered from that first impression.

“Hm… but do you think he came alone?”

Watching him being dragged away, Ryu Ah-min muttered.

True. At his age, it wouldn’t be unusual to come to a festival alone. Still, most people come with family or friends. Maybe his family or friends were nearby?

“…The best way to clear the stalking misunderstanding now would be to find his family or friends, but since no one’s looking, maybe he came alone?”

Lee Ha-eun said this.

…That guy really is unlucky. Or… could it be that he really did stalk her?

‘Nah… no way.’

If that were true, he’d be sent straight to prison. But that seemed highly unlikely. If he really were a stalker, there’s no way he could know our destinations unless Ryu Ah-young’s phone had a listening device.

‘…He didn’t. Yesterday’s rose festival and today’s rest stop are easy to trace with a little investigation.’

All of us, except Teacher Son Ji-hye, are well-known. Naturally, people who saw us would post about it on social media, making it easy to track our movements. If he had taken the train while we were having lunch at the rest stop, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to be here. Unlike the highway blocked by an accident, the train would have run smoothly.

‘Maybe he really did follow Ryu Ah-young?’

It’s just a possibility, though.

“…He really was a stalker?”

“Yes… looking at the student’s phone we arrested, it was full of photos that seem to have been taken secretly of your student.”

Really, a stalker.

I thought this as I listened to the police explaining the situation to Teacher Son Ji-hye, who was acting as guardian.

“The dates of the photos are all either Wednesdays or weekends. He probably couldn’t stalk during Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday because of academy, but on Wednesdays and weekends, he would always find your student and take photos.”

His skill seems specialized for staying hidden, which he apparently used.

“Today, at the festival with so many people, he probably got a little too bold and got caught.”

“Yes…”

Hearing this, Teacher Son Ji-hye turned to look at Ryu Ah-young, whose face had gone pale. She had been unaware all this time, meaning he had been stalking her and taking pictures continuously.

‘…Good thing I didn’t defend that guy earlier.’

However, this incident created another issue.

“…Does anyone know how to sue a stalker?”

Because of what Ryu Ah-young went through, she wasn’t in the mood to enjoy festivals or relax by the stream. She asked us about the legal process, sending messages to people she knew—skilled individuals worldwide—to ask what should be done in such cases.

‘…That guy’s life is probably ruined now.’

Thanks to Ryu Ah-young, he’s lost opportunities, and now people worldwide who can implement abilities have learned he stalked her? These implementers are highly respected, able to handle work that would take dozens of magicians, so they’ll try to ruin him. Unless there’s an Aura Master, archmage, or association head behind him, this won’t be resolved easily.

“So… you’re saying civil suits in addition to criminal charges? Yes… but how… are you going to help personally? Aren’t you busy?”

I stepped back, watching Ryu Ah-young on the phone with someone who seemed to be an implementer.

I thought to myself,

‘I really wanted to check out the latest weapons exhibition and combat rations discount…’

I glanced at Teacher Son Ji-hye, who also wanted to see those, but she was restraining herself, knowing it wasn’t the right time. After all, her student had been stalked, so she couldn’t enjoy herself freely.

‘…Even if they usually fight, Ryu Ah-min stays close to Ryu Ah-young to keep her calm…’

Only Lee Ha-eun and I decided to keep a bit of distance, uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

“?”

“…Why?”

“I thought you’d stay close to comfort Ryu Ah-young.”

Lee Ha-eun is friendly with everyone at school but especially close to Ryu Ah-young. So it was surprising she wasn’t sticking by her side during this stressful moment.

“But it’s our chance to be alone, right?”

“…What?”

“You and I, just the two of us.”

“No, wait. You really want to do that now…?”

Lee Ha-eun was basically asking me on a date—in this situation.

“But staying here doesn’t make sense either.”

“That’s true…”

It was awkward to stay in the room, so it seemed better to quietly leave for a ‘date.’

“…Let’s go.”

I realized she was right; there was nothing to gain by staying. So we went outside.

Lee Ha-eun and I headed to the latest weapons exhibition.

Despite the small commotion with the stalker’s arrest, festivals usually have all sorts of incidents, so it was continuing normally.

“Wow…”

Lee Ha-eun’s eyes lit up as she looked at the new weapons from a nearby defense company.

“Gun-woo, look at that. It’s a sniper staff.”

“Yeah. Let me see too.”

A staff with a range over 2 km. Not just called a staff—it actually is a staff. It has a scope like a sniper rifle, a magic storage cylinder like a magazine, and a trigger to fire. It looks like a sniper rifle, but it’s definitely a staff.

‘Pulling the trigger releases compressed magic from the tip of the staff.’

Of course, it’s useless for strong users like me or Lee Ha-eun, but still a decent weapon. If supplied to the military, it would likely be used to stop monsters.

‘The magic fired may not be highly destructive, but it will still affect the monster’s body.’

The staff’s magic accumulates in the monster, causing some effect. If the magic is potent like Yeon Mirae’s magi, it could stop or even kill monsters. There’s potential for further enhancements.

‘AM ammo dominates the market for monster-specific bullets, so it might be hard for this staff to be adopted by the military.’

I moved to the next display. The exhibition had many advanced devices, from small rods that automatically expand into temporary barricades to auto-targeting systems that detect only monster magic.

‘…Should I invest? The auto-targeting system might be tricky, but the staff and barricades are useful.’

As we explored, I noticed a display with no crowd.

“Huh? Why is no one here?”

Lee Ha-eun thought the same. Every other display had at least two people reading or observing, but this one had no one.

“…This is…”

Curious, I looked inside the display and was shocked.

“Smooth stones? If you leave them where monsters pass, they explode after a set time? Isn’t that just a mine?”

Unlike me, Lee Ha-eun read the description and said that. It’s definitely a mine, but the question is…

‘How, and with what power, does it explode?’

Before the regression, the smooth stones—mines—were known among those in the know as:

“You get one hit, I get one hit.”