White Castle.

Office of the royal advisor.

Through a call, Orenha, the representative of the Elf King, received a mission report.

"We have ensured that Baek Yu-Seol possesses the Soul Compass. Unless any unexpected variables occur, he will carry it with him for a month."

Upon hearing Jeliel’s voice through the communicator, Orenha’s lips curled up slightly.

"That's right. You've done well. I will fulfill the promise soon."

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I had an enjoyable experience."

"Please proceed."

Click!

Orenha hung up the call and rubbed his temples.

Things were going smoother than he had anticipated.

If Baek Yu-Seol wore the Soul Compass for a month, the fact that he was a "Divine Slayer" would be revealed sooner or later.

Now, the remaining task was... creating the necessary stage and instilling anticipation in the invited audience.

"I'll step out for a moment; so don't clean up."

After giving a short instruction to his secretary, Orenha headed for the remote mountain range, deep in the mountains.

Here, the mana flow was entirely blocked, making even phone calls impossible unless one visited in person.

A small castle hidden in the thickets appeared like trees, rocks, or waterfalls. This castle was used solely by the Elf King Florin to hide away.

Orenha entered the castle and ascended the spiral stairs to the top.

A guard was protecting Florin during her seclusion. He nodded respectfully at Orenha before vacating the spot.

Orenha cleared his throat and knocked.

"What's the matter?"

Even just hearing Florin’s voice caused gentle waves to ripple in his chest.

"Your Majesty, it's Advisor Orenha. I have something important to discuss."

"Oh, is it Orenha?”

The voice that had sounded distant gradually approached until it was right against the door.

Beyond this thin wall, Florin’s breathing could be heard.

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, I have known that you have been looking for a certain criminal for a long time.”

"Ah... I see."

"And, today, I... found that criminal."

"W-wait, what are you saying? Tell me quickly!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. We haven't gathered enough evidence yet. However, it's alright. We have given him the 'Soul Compass.'"

"Ah...!"

If he possessed the Soul Compass, it was now as good as confirmed.

In one month, the truth would be revealed without a doubt.

Moreover, the fact that Florin’s trusted advisor Orenha had come to speak to her directly about this matter was a clear indication of its importance.

"One month. Please wait for exactly one month. On that day, I will offer you the detestable Divine Slayer."

"... Alright."

The voice sounded as if it was holding back, as if restraining itself with strength.

After all this time, he could tell since he had been listening to her voice for a long time.

‘She's shaken.’

He could feel the fluctuation of her emotions all the way there. The fact that the once impenetrable wall of emotions was fluctuating … meant that cracks were appearing.

Digging into those cracks would be easy.

"Thank you... Thank you so much, Orenha. I didn't know you cared about me this much."

"The matters of Your Majesty are my own as well. I am willing to stake my soul on anything related to you."

"If you weren't here, I don't know what would have happened to me..."

As expected, when Orenha heard Florin’s trembling voice, he couldn't help but let a small smile appear at the corners of his lips.

Capturing her heart was still a long and treacherous path, but by offering her the Divine Slayer, he could take the first step.

———

After classes, when Edna returned to Classroom S, she replayed the Magic Screen borrowed from her friend.

She watched it again and again, and each time, it was undeniably a presentation filled with Earth's knowledge.

"...”

As she continued to watch it silently, several students in Classroom S began to gather around.

And just as they waited...

"Ahem..."

Finally, the long awaited Baek Yu-Seol appeared. He had naturally taken a seat next to Edna to take a rest, but this time, as soon as he sat down, he froze for a moment.

He had noticed the video played by Edna.

After a brief silence, Baek Yu-Seol was the first to speak.

"Uh... watching that?"

"Yeah."

Baek Yu-Seol scratched his cheek for a moment, and then appearing uneasy, he asked, "Uh, well... How was that presentation?"

What should she respond with?

After a moment of consideration, Edna gave a very ordinary answer.

"It's cool."

She didn't want to give him any hint, any insight into her thoughts.

Once again, perhaps finding that response unsatisfactory, Baek Yu-Seol scratched his cheek, and then asked once more.

"Do you like it?"

... What?

It was such a strange question that she narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you asking that?"

"Uh... well, um, you normally like this kind of stuff, right?"

"What are you talking about? Why would I..."

Hastily about to make a remark, Edna abruptly stopped and closed her mouth.

‘You like this kind of stuff?’

It was true.

She genuinely liked the presentation by the CEO of that Apple Company.

However, since she was reborn in this world, she had never once brought up Earth's stories.

She had been this way up until now, and she would continue to be.

The fact that she was a person from another world was a secret she would carry with her for life.

‘But how does he know...?’

She had never mentioned anything about Earth to Baek Yu-Seol.

Thump! Thump!

Edna’s heart rate gradually quickened, and her thoughts spun in all directions.

Since there was no magic to know someone else's thoughts, there was only one possibility.

‘Baek Yu-Seol has already met me. If that's really true, then it wouldn't be in the past. It must be... he met my future self.’

Why hadn't she thought of this possibility before?

‘Baek Yu-Seol was an extra in the original story but returned through time.’

In that simple and clear proposition, she hadn't inserted the fact that Edna herself was already in this world.

So only then did the minor doubts that had never been resolved start to make sense.

‘Why did an existence like Baek Yu-Seol, who wasn't even mentioned in the original story, suddenly appear and return through time?’

‘He must have seen my future self. He has always known about me from the beginning.’

But... even if that were true, her suspicion wasn't completely erased.

‘How on earth did he find out my secret?’

Even if Baek Yu-Seol had met her future self, she wouldn't have easily mentioned Earth.

There was only one possibility.

‘Did I... tell him myself?’

The fact that she was from Earth and a transmigrator was a secret she would carry with her to the grave.

Even if she found someone trustworthy enough to confide in, she had vowed never to reveal this secret.

But... What if there was someone so important that she wanted to lay everything bare?

If she had someone she wanted to share her deeply hidden secret with, someone she wanted comfort from... then maybe, just maybe, she hadn't kept the secret from them?

‘I'm actually from another world. And if that precious person... was Baek Yu-Seol. The current situation makes sense.’

‘No, that's too speculative.’

Edna lowered her head slightly, trying hard not to meet Baek Yu-Seol’s gaze, and asked, "... Ahjussi."

"Hm?"

"Have we... known each other for a very long time, even before... I mean, even before entering this academy this year?"

"Um... Yeah..."

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "Something like that."

That was the right answer.

As Edna’s thoughts became clearer, her heart burned with excitement.

She tried to conceal her excitement as much as possible and forced herself to ask, "So, what was our relationship back then?"

It was the most important question and the evidence that would solidify her speculation.

If Baek Yu-Seol gave a definite answer...

"There was nothing between us."

"What?"

What did he say?

Raising her head, Edna involuntarily met Baek Yu-Seol’s eyes and asked in a bewildered voice, "We weren't... anything?"

However, as soon as she saw his bitter smile, she knew.

It was a lie.

For some reason, Baek Yu-Seol was lying right now.

‘Why?’

He already knew all her secrets.

If he could perfectly recreate the presentation of some Earth company, then she must have talked to him frequently, and in great detail, about all her secrets and preferences.

Maybe even the fact that she was a transmigrator.

So why didn't he reveal that ‘Baek Yu-Seol and she were close back in the day’?

‘In the first place, why did Baek Yu-Seol... regress?’

At first, she thought it was because he loved Eisel.

But as time passed, it became clear that it wasn't just that.

He had significantly changed all the main characters, including Eisel, Hong Bi-Yeon, Alterisha, Hae Wonryang, Mayuseong, and so on.

She knew very well how they would face a difficult and disastrous future in the original story, and could see the profound impact it would have.

‘If there's another reason for the regression…’

Baek Yu-Seol had shown a lot of interest in Edna from the very first meeting.

Starting with trying to interfere when she was choosing a wand, he had done a lot of things to draw her attention.

Eventually, he came to her and asked about her secrets.

‘Let's both keep 50% of our secrets.’

He kept his distance, pushing her away so that she couldn't get close to him.

Come to think of it, she had thrown a question at him before, saying, ‘Don't you have someone you like, Mister?’

But he replied, ‘I don't have anyone.’

At the time, she thoughtlessly asked the question, assuming he liked Eisel, but if he interpreted the question differently and answered with the intention of keeping his distance from her...

When Edna thought that far...

‘Wait a minute.’

Edna’s heart began to pound.

She knew that Baek Yu-Seol had put a lot of effort into helping her.

But intentionally keeping his distance like this meant there must be a reason.

‘What will happen to the future me?’

It was only then that she could understand how the situation was unfolding.

Why Baek Yu-Seol was building a wall in this relationship and not getting too close.

‘Is everything he's doing for me...?’

Edna couldn't remember anything about him, but he seemed to remember a lot about her, missed her, yet deliberately kept his distance.

With that thought, she felt relaxed and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Haha.”

“What’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing, really. I just feel really sorry."

After saying that, Edna quickly left her seat. She couldn't bear to face him any longer.

"Hey, wait!"

Baek Yu-Seol watched her hurrying out of the classroom with a bewildered expression.

"What's going on...?"