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

James Chen blinked upon hearing my words.

“Are you talking about Theodora Yobanovich...?”

“Yeah, do you know her?”

“Yes, I do.”

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.

“Have you never heard of her, master?”

“This is the first time I'm hearing about her.”

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.

“Ah, I guess it might be a name that’s less known in Asia... but she’s a well-known figure in the European hunter community.”

“Can we contact her directly?”

“Ah, if contacting her is the goal, then that might be difficult. I’ve only heard of her by name, never actually met her.”

“Is she some kind of unicorn?”

“The last time she was officially active was about 15 years ago.”

This was the information James Chen had on Theodora.

It’s 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.

“Moreover, 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. It’s said that borders themselves essentially collapsed.”

Now, the system provides tutorials and has streamlined learning for combat, and an international hunter association has formed. But that’s the story of today, around 20 years after all of this started. In the early stages, it was bound to be chaotic.

“And then, Theodora Yobanovich appeared.”

I furrowed my brow.

‘This doesn’t feel good...’

Normally, it would be the appearance of a hero, but now that I know Theodora has ties to Orbis, I can’t shake off an uncomfortable feeling.

“She 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. She’s the hunter who contributed the most to stabilizing Europe.”

“Teaching combat... If that was possible, she probably wasn’t an ordinary person to begin with.”

“Well, it’s unclear what she did before that. Some say she was from a small country that was in conflict, and her birth wasn’t even registered, while others say she was from a special forces unit and her previous records were erased.”

That’s the kind of background you’d expect in a movie.

But what stood out was the unclear birth... that was very suspicious.

“Still, with such fame, surely someone would have known about her past. Didn’t anyone come forward?”

“Well... actually, it might be more accurate to say no country ever questioned her origin. After Theodora’s achievements, European countries offered her citizenship, guaranteeing her identity, but Theodora rejected all of them and retired.”

“A figure of that stature just retired immediately?”

“Yes, 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.”

So, putting the information together, it seems she’s 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.

‘And Orbis said that such a person would help Margarita...’

I could speculate many things, but for now, nothing can be confirmed. I’ll have to meet her in person to be sure.

“So, can you find her whereabouts now?”

“If I went to Europe and searched myself, I’m confident I could find her...”

James Chen trailed off.

That’s understandable. Given the work James Chen has already done in Korea, it’s 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 days’ business trip wouldn’t be enough.

“Well, forget about finding her location for now. Gather the stories from those who were taught by her. Even the smallest anecdotes will do.”

For now, it’s important to find out who Theodora really is.

James Chen nodded.

“Yes, of course. I’ll do my best to gather information that could help you. By the way... should I also order Lopez to find her whereabouts?”

“That’s the plan.”

At that, James Chen’s 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, there’s no difference between them in terms of serving the same master.

“In Hanbi-ja, there’s a story like this.”

I wasn’t sure what he was trying to get at with such a dramatic introduction.

I didn’t know it before, but I learned from James Chen that Chinese people really enjoy quoting ancient proverbs in daily conversation.

“A 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 Xi’s legs cut off.”

“...”

“This 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.”

If both of his legs were cut off, it’s understandable he’d cry, right?

“The new king asked him why he cried, even though he had been punished for deceiving the king.”

This king wasn’t in his right mind either.

“Hua 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.”

“Quite the long-winded tale. So, what’s the point?”

“Just as the king could mistake even the finest gem for a fake, I hope you can distinguish the true jade, master.”

His ability to sow discord is a natural talent.

Essentially, he’s 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 must’ve said that to make sure I understand his point.

‘It’s annoying, but letting them compete a little isn’t a bad thing.’

Han Jae-young does maintain good relations with his subordinates while running the guild, but I think there’s no real benefit in letting subordinates get too close.

It’s better to have them keep their distance and compete with each other.

‘...Is this why Yoo Han-ul said I’m not a very good superior?’

Well, even if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.

If they followed me because they were inspired by my beliefs, that’s one thing, but these are people I’ve 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.

‘I’m glad I set up an alibi.’

On another floor of the building James Chen rented, there’s 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 ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a mask and a hood.

The building’s CCTV system is quite outdated due to cost issues, and the footage isn’t even stored properly.

If someone investigates my whereabouts, the alibi should hold up as a reasonable explanation.

If I’m going to deal with Orbis, I had to prepare for things like this.

‘Now, one more thing to take care of.’

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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?]

“Hey, Layla. How are you? Just speak in English.”

It’ll look like I’m having an English conversation class while walking down the street, right?

[Yes, that’s 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 Novelight.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 Association’s headquarters after the kidnapping incident, but to follow my orders, she transferred to the International Cooperation Department.

Thanks to that, she’s been traveling around different countries and making frequent media appearances.

Well, the real job is recovering Orbis items from the black market.

She’s succeeded in recovering several items.

But even though she succeeded, she was probably anxious because she hasn’t found the creator yet.

[A little more time and I’m sure I can...]

“This time, I’m calling about something else. Look into Theodora Yobanovich’s current whereabouts.”

[...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?]

“You don’t need to know where my interest lies.”

Compared to James Chen, I wasn’t ordering Layla Lopez around.

But, especially since she seems to have a lingering resistance toward bloodlines, she still has some rebellious attitude.

That’s fine, though.

Layla frowned.

[Of course, I’ll do as instructed... but there are very few people who know about Theodora now. Don’t get your hopes up too much.]

“Find something, anything.”

[In that case...]

After hesitating for a moment, Layla asked.

[If it’s okay for the fact that you’re looking for Theodora to be known, should I ask Estella?]

That was an unexpected name. The president of the Hunter Association’s headquarters, Estella.

She’s a first-generation hunter, so she might know about Theodora if you consider the timeline...

“Is there a connection between Estella and Theodora?”

[When establishing the first-generation hunter system, she said she consulted Theodora. I don’t know if she knows her current whereabouts, but as the president of the Hunter Association, she’s probably one of the most knowledgeable about this kind of information.]

Layla’s reasoning made sense.

But the problem is that Estella is a very difficult person in many ways.

And she’s a huge figure too.

After looking into her soul, it doesn’t seem like she has any connection to Orbis, but I still can’t be sure.

And if Estella and Theodora are personally close, there’s a risk she might inadvertently reveal that I’m searching for Theodora.

I ultimately shook my head.

“I’ll hold off on asking Estella directly. Oh, if you ever meet her privately, try to casually bring it up. Something like you’re curious about the old stories. You can manage that, right?”

[Yes, understood. Then, I’ll...]

Layla quickly hung up the phone, as if she was afraid of hearing more.

I didn’t care and just put my phone back in my pocket.

I’ve used up all my cards to find Theodora. All that’s left now is to wait.

Now, I need to solve the current issue at hand.

“Today, I’m really going to do it.”

As usual, Lee Pyeong-hwa was burning with determination before entering a low-level dungeon.

I honestly told him.

“You’re already doing it well.”

“If that’s the case, you wouldn’t have taken me to high-level dungeons!”

“...”

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...

“Just wait. I’m going to set a record today!”

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.

It’s not bad to get familiar with one’s own sword, but it seemed a little too nervously obsessed.

“Jeong Da-on Hunter and him seem to match well... but I can tell he’s getting anxious.”

Shin Ji-eum shrugged as she watched him.

“I might have to separate them for training soon.”

“I agree.”

Lee Pyeong-hwa has potential, but his impatience could become a poison rather than a growth engine.

And most importantly...

‘If he’s getting close to Shin Ji-eum, there’s a chance he could approach Lee Pyeong-hwa too.’

If the government really is investigating me, it’s 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...

There’s no guarantee Lee Pyeong-hwa wouldn’t end up like Lee Seung-hee.

It’s not that I’m really worried about it.

If Lee Pyeong-hwa dies, it would leave a bad aftertaste, but it’s not like I care too much.

“Well, I’ll discuss it with Guild Leader Han Jae-young later... Huh?”

Shin Ji-eum widened her eyes and automatically reached for her sword’s scabbard.

“Oh, no. Ji-eum, isn’t that a bit too aggressive?”

Just then, a man approached, and Shin Ji-eum’s face twitched.

It was the first time I’d seen Shin Ji-eum, known for her good social skills, behave this awkwardly.

And the man who called her “junior” was none other than...

“Relax. I just came to greet you. Why are you acting like that?”

Seeing the man walk over without any sense of urgency, Shin Ji-eum bent her head slightly.

It was a very forced greeting.

“...Hello, Lee Un-kyul Hunter.”

Then, despite Shin Ji-eum’s forced attitude, the man—no, Lee Un-kyul—smiled and extended his hand.

“It’s been a while, junior. How have you been?”

“Yes.”

After the awkward handshake, Lee Un-kyul turned to look at me.

Of course, he was looking at me because I was his target.

‘Didn’t expect him to approach me directly.’

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.

“And this beautiful junior... Oh, she’s even prettier in person. Hello?”

I unconsciously glanced at the system.

The system quickly displayed a message.

The quest ‘You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds?’ is currently in progress.

‘Murder by Impulse’ is considered socially unjust behavior.

...Right. Got it.