Theo took one last look at Cheok's unconscious body, a pile of exhausted muscles on the sand, and clicked his tongue, feigning slight irritation.
"Tch! What a shame. I thought I could teach him a lesson for breaking his word and using aura... I guess I'll have to do that another day."
Jain raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She didn't know what was more absurd: his calmness or the fact that Cheok had lost like that.
"Um! Were you two fighting without using your Gifts?"
"Yes. Before we started, we agreed to fight without our abilities. But when I was about to put him to sleep, he used his aura and threw me away... You already know the rest."
Boss and Jain's minds struggled to keep up with those words.
Hearing him say that he faced Cheok without even using his magical power... was almost unbelievable.
They had both assumed that he would have resorted to his Gift at some point, and only because of that managed to defeat him. But, to their surprise, he had done it without using anything.
"Hehehe! You really are quite a boy."
Jain commented, laughing, as she lightly patted Theo's broad back.
Theo broke free from her with his free arm, maintaining a serene expression, not caring much for the compliments.
"And so... We've talked a lot, and we've even fought each other, but so far, we haven't talked about something that any normal person does."
With a slightly dejected expression, Jain walked back to Boss's side.
Even after seeing her like that, Theo's expression remained unchanged. After all, trusting what Jain said and showed on the surface was something he certainly wouldn't do, even if he wanted to. Not when he knew who she really was beneath that mask of a fun and charismatic woman. He knew the real Jain, and her current facade didn't fool him.
Taking a step forward, his eyes fixed on the two women, Theo opened his mouth.
"Are you members of some famous guild?"
It was time to put his intention for everything he had done so far into practice.
Author mode activated.
Yes, it might not seem like it, but Theo only agreed to fight Cheok Jungyeong because of the chance, however slim, to attract the attention of the black-haired woman now standing before him.
After all, it wasn't every day that he could come face to face with her through "normal" means.
He spoke, addressing Jain, but his eyes swept over both of them, a glint of calculated curiosity in them.
"I suppose you two are heroes just guy here, am I right?"
With a casual and theatrical tone, Theo feigned genuine curiosity, as if he had only met them all that day.
To them, Theo was really just a boy who knew nothing, and who possibly saw in them only the interest of some guild members in a rising cadet.
"...Leave it to me, Jain. I'll take care of it."
Jain, who was about to take the reins and begin the false introduction, was stopped by Boss, who finally decided to speak to Theo.
Boss's voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable authority, a sign that she was taking control of the situation.
"That's Cheok Jiwoo, and she's Yuna Sahy... And I'm..."
Boss began, using fake names, just as Theo had expected.
"...Li Xiaopeng, level 3 hero of Desolate Moon, someone who is certainly familiar to you in appearance."
She finished, eliciting a slight arch of Theo's eyebrow, the only visible reaction of surprise.
Theo quickly understood what she was talking about, and with a short laugh, he nodded in confirmation.
"Yes... We've certainly met once before. It was shortly before the events at the National Museum. Isn't that right?"
The question was not a doubt, but a confirmation, a mutual recognition of a previous encounter that, for Theo, was already almost forgotten. He really didn't expect her to mention that day now.
"Oh! You've met him before, Boss? Why am I only hearing about this now?"
Boss replied without looking at her, her eyes still fixed on Theo.
"Yuna, you don't need to know everything I do, go mind your own business."
"Urg! What a petty boss."
Jain retorted, grumbling.
She clearly didn't want to talk about why she had gone to Seoul.
'Just as I thought. She was there for another reason...'
It wasn't just Jain who was curious, but Theo himself as well.
If she wasn't there because of him, then why?
Boss, who appeared calm on the outside, was cursing herself on the inside for mentioning that meeting with Theo.
"I'll never tell anyone that I went there just to buy web novels. If I do, my leadership in the Troupe will be completely tarnished."
If she did that, her entire profile as a proud and pragmatic leader would be ruined.
So to prevent that from happening, Boss coughed, returning to her presentation in a formal tone:
She approached and continued.
"Yuna and Cheok are also heroes from the same guild as me. We are all members of Desolate Moon."
Jain smiled mockingly and made a "peace and love" sign with her hands, as if it were something trivial.
"Yo! Nice to meet you, cute cadet! Oh! The name that guy over there called me earlier was just a pseudonym, okay."
Since she was using a false identity, it was only right to leave no room for doubt, and to that end, she made sure to tie up any loose ends, including the one Cheok had created earlier.
The brute, still lying on the floor, remained in the same place.
Boss continued, ignoring Jain:
"First of all... I apologize if my companions caused you any trouble."
"Don't worry. They didn't do anything too bad. But tell them that approaching a teenager late at night on a deserted street could be misunderstood by other people..."
Joking, Theo replied.
"Okay! I'll have a long talk with them... But taking advantage of this coincidence of our meeting... The Desolate Moon is interested in you, Theo. Everything you've shown so far has caught the attention of all the Guilds around the world, including ours."
"Oh? Interested in me?"...