Only I Am A Reader

"Do you know something?"

"I'm not sure how to explain this, but I was already having a bad feeling about this."

Awkwardly scratching the back of his head to keep up with his acting, Leo turned his eyes to the ground embarrassedly, his play was just about to start!

"I didn't share it with anyone else back then because I was unsure of what it was, but I felt the exact same thing back when we were told to head to Mount Hua. In any case…"

Leo made sure to show vivid expression by using whatever little 'acting experience' he gained from reading and comparing it with his observation ability. He didn't say everything, but he was clearly pointing at the fact that he wasn't given the choice to refuse back then.

"You were uneasy?"

"...I know it sounds strange, but I really felt like I shouldn't go. Thankfully, once we departed the uneasiness seemed to fade away as soon as I noticed someone was observing us."

He obviously didn't possess the ability to perceive Cheon Jeong's observation. In fact, Leo didn't even know that Cheon Chang had come until he saw him at the stage. However, he was precisely using that factor to strengthen the listeners' belief in his mysterious 'sixth sense'.

"Hmmm? Then couldn't this be a similar case?"

The Blade Spirit didn't seem convinced, but she humored Leo's little act. Regardless of whether he did really notice them back then or not, wouldn't this supposed gut feeling also disappear since they were accompanying them from the very beginning?

"The point is that the uneasiness that I felt since we were alerted to go back only seemed to increase when I heard that both masters are coming along… I really am sorry for being this vague, but I can tell even more than before that something bad is going to happen, possibly even to one of you two."

It was just okay if they were going to go and return empty handed, but Leo wouldn't have risked being suspected by sneakingly revealing his 'foresight' for just that! This adventure beaming with the shining light of opportunity was one of the major tragic events in the history of the Heavenly Strength Society!

"Us two? That's quite a bold guess, isn't it?"

Just as Cheon Jeong looked like she was about to take Leo seriously, her expression turned weird at the ridiculous claim. Was he just messing with her for the light crush she gave them earlier?

"Uhmm… Just give me a chance to explain my thoughts. I said that I felt uneasy before we started the journey back, right? So I acted upon these suspicions of mine."

Naturally, Leo wasn't just going to act ignorant while pinning everything on uneasiness. Since he already knew the outcome and how it came to be, he just had to redirect their thoughts into that specific direction!

"It's strange, but one of the people I saved during a recent monster hunt had recommended a certain information collecting front. When I received the call, I went to check with them if anything notable had happened and I received a peculiar hint that seems to match with the Azure Tree's emergence. Right, I think their name was… Shadow Star?"

No matter how hidden Shadow Star was, at least one of the two standing in front of Leo had to know it, especially Cheon Chang who had to act outside under a new identity.

"Shadow Star…?"

The one to react first was still Cheon Jeong. Although she appeared half unsure, her face showed that she could recognize that name.

"I'm not betting everything on my gut feeling or their information, nor am I doubting your strength that I had yet to see the limit of. However…"

Since Leo had already used Geochin's cheat code to trick Shadow Star, it wasn't too much of a stretch to use them as an excuse. Even if Cheon Jeong or Cheon Chang actually knew the keyword and went there, it wasn't like they could actually ask them if what Leo said was true.

Other than their one core rule of providing 100% trusted information, Shadow Star's deals could always go both ways. Let alone the fact that they wouldn't reveal their clients, they might not answer the same inquiry if it wasn't the same client…

"If other humans know about it, then the chances that the monsters could hear of it is existent. If they do another large attack to reduce the humans' core forces like they did on Mount Hua…"

In reality, the situation was the other way around. It was by relying on a unique monster with some special detection ability that some particular 'humans' would manage to discover the Azure Tree's emergence. In the end…

"You fear that the monsters will overwhelm us? Can't we just-"

The more Cheon Jeong heard Leo's words, the more her expression changed. From being slightly convinced, to finding the whole conversation ridiculous before lastly feeling slightly disappointed. Prudence was necessary, but balancing both cautiousness and courage was important.

'Perhaps?'

However, even she couldn't help stopping her words to consider things from Leo's point of view. Ever since their Society had stolen the limelight at the very beginning, showing that their blades weren't dulled by the years, animosity had started accumulating once again.

Although it would be different in a normal situation, the stress of being under otherworldly invasion made the human mind too unstable. If this turned out into a situation where they would be the ones on the receiving end…

<Please, senior brother.>

Cheon Chang looked into Leo's eyes that seemed to stare deep into his soul. He knew that the junior brother he chose was strange, but today was a completely new experience. Unlike what one would expect from a coward, his eyes only contained fear for Cheon Chang rather than himself.

"Let's just listen to him for now, setting off a day or two should not be a problem if his expectations turn out to be nothing but nonsense…"