You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 155

James Chen blinked upon hearing my words.
âAre you talking about Theodora Yobanovich...?â

âYeah, do you know her?â
âYes, I do.â
I had thought she might be a famous figure, but I never expected James Chen to immediately claim to know her.

When I silently urged him to continue, James Chen spoke up. He seemed rather intrigued by my question.
âHave you never heard of her, master?â
âThis is the first time I'm hearing about her.â

Although I have a bit of interest in the hunter world, and I have more knowledge than the average person, I had never heard of the name Theodora.
âAh, I guess it might be a name thatâs less known in Asia... but sheâs a well-known figure in the European hunter community.â
âCan we contact her directly?â

âAh, if contacting her is the goal, then that might be difficult. Iâve only heard of her by name, never actually met her.â
âIs she some kind of unicorn?â
âThe last time she was officially active was about 15 years ago.â

This was the information James Chen had on Theodora.
Itâs a story from about 20 years ago, before the hunter community was organized and dungeons started appearing. It was during the time of the sudden monster wars when everyone was in a state of chaos.
âMoreover, most of Europe was in a very serious economic crisis back then. Many countries were destroyed after purchasing weapons for the monster countermeasures, and entire cities were obliterated. Itâs said that borders themselves essentially collapsed.â

Now, the system provides tutorials and has streamlined learning for combat, and an international hunter association has formed. But thatâs the story of today, around 20 years after all of this started. In the early stages, it was bound to be chaotic.
âAnd then, Theodora Yobanovich appeared.â
I furrowed my brow.

âThis doesnât feel good...â
Normally, it would be the appearance of a hero, but now that I know Theodora has ties to Orbis, I canât shake off an uncomfortable feeling.
âShe was the first hunter in Europe to teach organized combat to ability users. She gathered talented individuals, regardless of nationality, and trained them, then systematically accepted government requests to raid dungeons. Sheâs the hunter who contributed the most to stabilizing Europe.â
âTeaching combat... If that was possible, she probably wasnât an ordinary person to begin with.â

âWell, itâs unclear what she did before that. Some say she was from a small country that was in conflict, and her birth wasnât even registered, while others say she was from a special forces unit and her previous records were erased.â
Thatâs the kind of background youâd expect in a movie.
But what stood out was the unclear birth... that was very suspicious.

âStill, with such fame, surely someone would have known about her past. Didnât anyone come forward?â
âWell... actually, it might be more accurate to say no country ever questioned her origin. After Theodoraâs achievements, European countries offered her citizenship, guaranteeing her identity, but Theodora rejected all of them and retired.â
âA figure of that stature just retired immediately?â

âYes, I heard she retired right away despite everyone trying to persuade her. Many were quite disappointed. A lot of the second-generation European hunters of the hunter association speak of having been taught by her.â
So, putting the information together, it seems sheâs from an older generation of hunters, even before someone like Han Hyeong-hwa or Lee Hyun-jun. Someone who made quite a significant contribution, like a hero. But after the chaos settled, she just disappeared into seclusion without any hesitation.
âAnd Orbis said that such a person would help Margarita...â

I could speculate many things, but for now, nothing can be confirmed. Iâll have to meet her in person to be sure.
âSo, can you find her whereabouts now?â
âIf I went to Europe and searched myself, Iâm confident I could find her...â

James Chen trailed off.
Thatâs understandable. Given the work James Chen has already done in Korea, itâs hard to pull him away from here to go to Europe. For someone of her stature, finding traces of her would require a full-scale effort, so a few daysâ business trip wouldnât be enough.
âWell, forget about finding her location for now. Gather the stories from those who were taught by her. Even the smallest anecdotes will do.â

For now, itâs important to find out who Theodora really is.
James Chen nodded.
âYes, of course. Iâll do my best to gather information that could help you. By the way... should I also order Lopez to find her whereabouts?â

âThatâs the plan.â
At that, James Chenâs eyes narrowed slightly. There was a hint of urgency and jealousy in his gaze.
It seems he still feels a sense of competition with Layla Lopez, despite the situation. After all, thereâs no difference between them in terms of serving the same master.

âIn Hanbi-ja, thereâs a story like this.â
I wasnât sure what he was trying to get at with such a dramatic introduction.
I didnât know it before, but I learned from James Chen that Chinese people really enjoy quoting ancient proverbs in daily conversation.

âA man from Chu, Hua Xi, presented a precious jade to the king, but the king judged it to be a fake stone. Enraged, the king had Hua Xiâs legs cut off.â
â...â
âThis man presented another stone to the next king, but again, it was judged to be fake, and his legs were cut off once more. Years later, when a new king ascended the throne, Hua Xi cried for three days, shedding tears of blood.â

If both of his legs were cut off, itâs understandable heâd cry, right?
âThe new king asked him why he cried, even though he had been punished for deceiving the king.â
This king wasnât in his right mind either.

âHua Xi replied that the stone was definitely a treasure, but it was mistaken for a fake, and that it was sorrowful that a truthful scholar was called a liar. The king then split the stone in half and found that it was indeed the most precious jade with a beautiful color.â
âQuite the long-winded tale. So, whatâs the point?â
âJust as the king could mistake even the finest gem for a fake, I hope you can distinguish the true jade, master.â

His ability to sow discord is a natural talent.
Essentially, heâs telling me that even the most trivial piece of information might be a hidden gem.
Since he probably thought I gave the important task of gathering information to Layla Lopez instead of him, he mustâve said that to make sure I understand his point.

âItâs annoying, but letting them compete a little isnât a bad thing.â
Han Jae-young does maintain good relations with his subordinates while running the guild, but I think thereâs no real benefit in letting subordinates get too close.
Itâs better to have them keep their distance and compete with each other.

â...Is this why Yoo Han-ul said Iâm not a very good superior?â
Well, even if thatâs the case, thereâs nothing I can do.
If they followed me because they were inspired by my beliefs, thatâs one thing, but these are people Iâve forcibly subordinated through bloodlines.

I gave James Chen a few more minor instructions before leaving the building.
Since the street was bustling with people, many recognized me.
âIâm glad I set up an alibi.â

On another floor of the building James Chen rented, thereâs a rather large English academy. So, I had one of the people with a similar physique to mine put on a hood and attend a class under my name while I was in the office. Since the class was full of people, no one would be able to tell who they were if they wore a mask and a hood.
The buildingâs CCTV system is quite outdated due to cost issues, and the footage isnât even stored properly.
If someone investigates my whereabouts, the alibi should hold up as a reasonable explanation.

If Iâm going to deal with Orbis, I had to prepare for things like this.
âNow, one more thing to take care of.â
On my way home, I put in my earphones and called Layla Lopez.

Layla Lopez answered right away. After all, she had set up a separate phone just to answer my calls.
When I switched to video call, Layla Lopez looked flustered, and a mechanical voice from a translation app echoed through the line.
[Hello?]

âHey, Layla. How are you? Just speak in English.â
Itâll look like Iâm having an English conversation class while walking down the street, right?
[Yes, thatâs fine. I was just about to send an email about a few items I recovered.]

I could tell from her tone that she was a little anxious, as if she thought I was going to interrogate her.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Currently, I had ordered Layla Lopez to find Orbis-made items.

So, Layla had returned to the Hunter Associationâs headquarters after the kidnapping incident, but to follow my orders, she transferred to the International Cooperation Department.
Thanks to that, sheâs been traveling around different countries and making frequent media appearances.
Well, the real job is recovering Orbis items from the black market.

Sheâs succeeded in recovering several items.
But even though she succeeded, she was probably anxious because she hasnât found the creator yet.
[A little more time and Iâm sure I can...]

âThis time, Iâm calling about something else. Look into Theodora Yobanovichâs current whereabouts.â
[...Theodora Yobanovich?]
Layla Lopez gave a similar expression to James Chen. It seemed like I was asking her to find a legendary character from a fairy tale.

[On top of collecting old items from the black market, now you want Theodora Yobanovich... Are you interested in old hunters?]
âYou donât need to know where my interest lies.â
Compared to James Chen, I wasnât ordering Layla Lopez around.

But, especially since she seems to have a lingering resistance toward bloodlines, she still has some rebellious attitude.
Thatâs fine, though.
Layla frowned.

[Of course, Iâll do as instructed... but there are very few people who know about Theodora now. Donât get your hopes up too much.]
âFind something, anything.â
[In that case...]

After hesitating for a moment, Layla asked.
[If itâs okay for the fact that youâre looking for Theodora to be known, should I ask Estella?]
That was an unexpected name. The president of the Hunter Associationâs headquarters, Estella.

Sheâs a first-generation hunter, so she might know about Theodora if you consider the timeline...
âIs there a connection between Estella and Theodora?â
[When establishing the first-generation hunter system, she said she consulted Theodora. I donât know if she knows her current whereabouts, but as the president of the Hunter Association, sheâs probably one of the most knowledgeable about this kind of information.]

Laylaâs reasoning made sense.
But the problem is that Estella is a very difficult person in many ways.

And sheâs a huge figure too.

After looking into her soul, it doesnât seem like she has any connection to Orbis, but I still canât be sure.
And if Estella and Theodora are personally close, thereâs a risk she might inadvertently reveal that Iâm searching for Theodora.
I ultimately shook my head.

âIâll hold off on asking Estella directly. Oh, if you ever meet her privately, try to casually bring it up. Something like youâre curious about the old stories. You can manage that, right?â
[Yes, understood. Then, Iâll...]
Layla quickly hung up the phone, as if she was afraid of hearing more.

I didnât care and just put my phone back in my pocket.
Iâve used up all my cards to find Theodora. All thatâs left now is to wait.
Now, I need to solve the current issue at hand.

âToday, Iâm really going to do it.â
As usual, Lee Pyeong-hwa was burning with determination before entering a low-level dungeon.
I honestly told him.

âYouâre already doing it well.â
âIf thatâs the case, you wouldnât have taken me to high-level dungeons!â
â...â

So, Lee Pyeong-hwa was still...
He was angry that I had left him behind and went to the dungeon with Han Jae-young and Yoo Han-ul.
Not exactly angry, but... he looked impatient.

There was certainly a lot of enthusiasm, but...
âJust wait. Iâm going to set a record today!â
After shouting this, Lee Pyeong-hwa went off to find a communal sharpening stone in front of the dungeon, saying he needed to sharpen his sword more.

Itâs not bad to get familiar with oneâs own sword, but it seemed a little too nervously obsessed.
âJeong Da-on Hunter and him seem to match well... but I can tell heâs getting anxious.â
Shin Ji-eum shrugged as she watched him.

âI might have to separate them for training soon.â
âI agree.â
Lee Pyeong-hwa has potential, but his impatience could become a poison rather than a growth engine.

And most importantly...
âIf heâs getting close to Shin Ji-eum, thereâs a chance he could approach Lee Pyeong-hwa too.â
If the government really is investigating me, itâs better for Lee Pyeong-hwa and me to stay apart for now.

Back when I was in the military, I once dragged Lee Pyeong-hwa into a dungeon incident, and if anyone mistakenly thought we were close and dragged him into some separate incident...
Thereâs no guarantee Lee Pyeong-hwa wouldnât end up like Lee Seung-hee.
Itâs not that Iâm really worried about it.

If Lee Pyeong-hwa dies, it would leave a bad aftertaste, but itâs not like I care too much.
âWell, Iâll discuss it with Guild Leader Han Jae-young later... Huh?â
Shin Ji-eum widened her eyes and automatically reached for her swordâs scabbard.

âOh, no. Ji-eum, isnât that a bit too aggressive?â
Just then, a man approached, and Shin Ji-eumâs face twitched.
It was the first time Iâd seen Shin Ji-eum, known for her good social skills, behave this awkwardly.

And the man who called her âjuniorâ was none other than...
âRelax. I just came to greet you. Why are you acting like that?â
Seeing the man walk over without any sense of urgency, Shin Ji-eum bent her head slightly.

It was a very forced greeting.
â...Hello, Lee Un-kyul Hunter.â
Then, despite Shin Ji-eumâs forced attitude, the manâno, Lee Un-kyulâsmiled and extended his hand.

âItâs been a while, junior. How have you been?â
âYes.â
After the awkward handshake, Lee Un-kyul turned to look at me.

Of course, he was looking at me because I was his target.
âDidnât expect him to approach me directly.â
I wonder what his intention is. As I caught his eye, Lee Un-kyul narrowed his eyes and smiled softly.

It was a smile as sweet as summer ice cream.
âAnd this beautiful junior... Oh, sheâs even prettier in person. Hello?â
I unconsciously glanced at the system.

The system quickly displayed a message.
The quest âYou Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds?â is currently in progress.
âMurder by Impulseâ is considered socially unjust behavior.

 
...Right. Got it.