Entering the Orhe Academy after a long time, I felt a sense of unfamiliarity from the main gate.
It had only been a little over a month since I last came here, but still.
“Doesn’t it seem like something has changed a bit?”
Choi Hyunwoo asked with a puzzled expression, and Han Suyeong answered.
“Look, they must have replaced all the windows in that lab. They’re so shiny.”
“Oh, really.”
Ivan squinted his eyes and looked at the building in the distance.
“That education hall seems to have suffered a lot of damage. It’s still under construction.”
As he said that, I looked around and saw that there were indeed many buildings that were being repaired or renovated.
There were holes or cracks on the roads here and there, and some trees were withered or broken.
“How far is it from the Fifth Street to here…”
Lee Yuna, who was pushing the wheelchair behind me, muttered as if she was horrified, and Svengali replied.
[You know, I feel it anew, but we were lucky. How long did she rampage for, and this is all we got…]
‘What do you mean, that?’
I asked him to explain more as if I didn’t understand his mumbling, and he snorted.
[If Minerva had wanted to, she could have wiped out this country and the neighboring ones from the map by now.]
He said to me with a confident voice.
[If she had decided to go berserk, the academy on the Fifth Street would have been nothing… Maybe a whole continent would have been poisoned and become a barren land where no life could survive for at least decades. Didn’t I tell you over and over that even among the Seven Evils, those three, including Minerva, were real monsters with different standards?]
He shivered and whispered.
[It’s just a hypothetical scenario, but if they all had time, they could have destroyed humanity and even scraped off the surface of the earth. They just didn’t have the will to do so.]
Svengali said that Minerva was already the strongest, and she didn’t need to prove her supremacy by such means. She was too proud to do such a thing.
Venus was too lazy to do anything else but sleep all day, and she didn’t have time for that. And finally, Uno was annoyed by humans as if they were bugs or dust, and he couldn’t find a reason to exterminate them.
[More than anything, when one of them acted strangely, the other two immediately intervened. They kept each other in check, and that created a balance. Besides, when Minerva lived in the high mountains, Venus was in the sea, and Uno was mostly in the deep underground. The places they stayed were very different, and that also contributed.]
‘…What about the others?’
Svengali was silent for a moment at my question.
[Well… Ahriman always appeared only when I needed him, and he never interfered with the world affairs, so I can’t say anything about him… But to be honest, me, Margo, and Milted. These three couldn’t make much of an impact no matter how much they rampaged.]
He grumbled as if he was displeased.
[Margo bastard was always playing with humans, and I was looking for volunteers to help me hone my skills or meditating, and Milted bastard was obsessed with conquering lands.]
‘So… You’re saying that Minerva spared me, in a nutshell?’
[Yes.]
He affirmed with a calm voice.
[To be honest, if she wanted to kill you, why would she bother to come at you with a human body? She could have just breathed from the sky with her true form, and you would have been dead in no time, without a trace. I don’t know why she acted so coy and meek with you. I can’t figure out the reason…!?]
Suddenly, Svengali screamed like a shriek.
As I wondered what was wrong, Jinyesul gently touched my arm and asked.
“Jihyuk, what’s wrong?”
“Huh? Nothing, nothing’s wrong. Why?”
“Well…”
She glanced around and whispered in my ear.
“Since a while ago, Henir’s shadow has been restless.”
As soon as she met Han Suyeong’s eyes, Jinyesul smiled slightly and added.
“I can tell, you know, that you’re wavering right now. Henir’s shadow reacts to the owner’s emotional state.”
I’ve been watching you all this time, so I know.
As she said that, another Henir’s shadow at her feet wriggled for a moment as if mocking.
“…”
Han Suyeong’s quiet breathing was heard next to me.
“By the way, today they said there’s no class, just a meeting, right?”
Lee Yuna pushed the wheelchair I was riding a little forward and said.
Thanks to that, she took my place between Jinyesul and Han Suyeong, and her voice was slightly but surely trembling.
“I heard that the commemoration ceremony was canceled and Urea also abruptly cut off the exchange, and, well, yeah, the schedule was messed up because of the temporary closure. I think they’ll tell us about that.”
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, the commemoration ceremony was one of the biggest three events and schedules at the academy, right?”
Choi Hyunwoo quickly agreed and nodded.
“Guild invitation, commemoration ceremony, final exam. These were the three, right?”
Ivan shook his head regretfully.
“I was really looking forward to it, you know. The last invitation was ruined by some weirdos, and this time the commemoration ceremony was completely gone… The final exam is just taking a test, you know. What kind of event is that?”
“Yeah, the commemoration ceremony was really fun and huge, and there was a lot to enjoy.”
“…It’s a shame.”
As Han Suyeong and Jinyesul uttered a word each, Lee Yuna secretly sighed in relief.
“Then we won’t have any practice for a while, right? The buildings are all smashed up here and there.”
“That’s secondary, but we’ll have to do a lot of lectures for a while because of the backlog.”
At that, Choi Hyunwoo closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Ah, I hate it.”
“I like it…”
We moved on, exchanging trivial stories.
And a little later, when we arrived near the classroom, Lee Yuna let go of the wheelchair and tapped my shoulder.
“I’ll be back right after it’s over.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The first principle that Lee Ye-eun gave me was to never walk alone.
That was surprisingly easy to solve, because Lee Yuna was my attendant and caregiver in name.
She had already sent all the documents to the academy and finished everything.
And when Lee Yuna and I were separated because we were in different classes, Han Suyeong, Jinyesul, and Choi Hyunwoo volunteered to help me.
Ivan Hunt also said he would gladly help if he could, and besides, Lee Ye-eun’s friend and attendant, Kang Yeonkyung, and Shin Woosuk, who had somehow become an external advisor to the academy, were also there, so don’t worry, Lee Ye-eun patted my back with a confident attitude.
Then suddenly, she muttered, ‘I wanted to go to school with you too…’ and sighed like a weary office worker… Well.
“Hey, Jihyuk. Just stay still for a moment.”
“Okay, okay.”
Choi Hyunwoo lifted the wheelchair I was riding in.
Then, without any sign of difficulty, he walked up the stairs and put me down in front of the desk.
“I’ll have to sit in the front row for a while.”
As he said that and tried to put down his bag, he looked at Han Suyeong and Jinyesul, who were sitting on either side of me, with a dumbfounded expression.
And then he realized that he was the weak one and sat down next to Han Suyeong with a lonely look.
As we waited for a while, the other kids in the same class started to come in.
“Since a while ago, Henir’s shadow has been restless.”
As soon as she met Han Suyeong’s eyes, Jinyesul smiled slightly and added.
“I can tell, you know, that you’re wavering right now. Henir’s shadow reacts to the owner’s emotional state.”
I’ve been watching you all this time, so I know.
As she said that, another Henir’s shadow at her feet wriggled for a moment as if mocking.
“…”
Han Suyeong’s quiet breathing was heard next to me.
“By the way, today they said there’s no class, just a meeting, right?”
Lee Yuna pushed the wheelchair I was riding a little forward and said.
Thanks to that, she took my place between Jinyesul and Han Suyeong, and her voice was slightly but surely trembling.
“I heard that the commemoration ceremony was canceled and Urea also abruptly cut off the exchange, and, well, yeah, the schedule was messed up because of the temporary closure. I think they’ll tell us about that.”
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, the commemoration ceremony was one of the biggest three events and schedules at the academy, right?”
Choi Hyunwoo quickly agreed and nodded.
“Guild invitation, commemoration ceremony, final exam. These were the three, right?”
Ivan shook his head regretfully.
“I was really looking forward to it, you know. The last invitation was ruined by some weirdos, and this time the commemoration ceremony was completely gone… The final exam is just taking a test, you know. What kind of event is that?”
“Yeah, the commemoration ceremony was really fun and huge, and there was a lot to enjoy.”
“…It’s a shame.”
As Han Suyeong and Jinyesul uttered a word each, Lee Yuna secretly sighed in relief.
“Then we won’t have any practice for a while, right? The buildings are all smashed up here and there.”
“That’s secondary, but we’ll have to do a lot of lectures for a while because of the backlog.”
At that, Choi Hyunwoo closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Ah, I hate it.”
“I like it…”
We moved on, exchanging trivial stories.
And a little later, when we arrived near the classroom, Lee Yuna let go of the wheelchair and tapped my shoulder.
“I’ll be back right after it’s over.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The first principle that Lee Ye-eun gave me was to never walk alone.
That was surprisingly easy to solve, because Lee Yuna was my attendant and caregiver in name.
She had already sent all the documents to the academy and finished everything.
And when Lee Yuna and I were separated because we were in different classes, Han Suyeong, Jinyesul, and Choi Hyunwoo volunteered to help me.
Ivan Hunt also said he would gladly help if he could, and besides, Lee Ye-eun’s friend and attendant, Kang Yeonkyung, and Shin Woosuk, who had somehow become an external advisor to the academy, were also there, so don’t worry, Lee Ye-eun patted my back with a confident attitude.
Then suddenly, she muttered, ‘I wanted to go to school with you too…’ and sighed like a weary office worker… Well.
“Hey, Jihyuk. Just stay still for a moment.”
“Okay, okay.”
Choi Hyunwoo lifted the wheelchair I was riding in.
Then, without any sign of difficulty, he walked up the stairs and put me down in front of the desk.
“I’ll have to sit in the front row for a while.”
As he said that and tried to put down his bag, he looked at Han Suyeong and Jinyesul, who were sitting on either side of me, with a dumbfounded expression.
And then he realized that he was the weak one and sat down next to Han Suyeong with a lonely look.
As we waited for a while, the other kids in the same class started to come in.
And then, someone called my name.
“Is Yu Jihyuk here?”
I turned my head and saw Ando Hun standing at the front door, holding something.
Some of the students who recognized him flinched and pointed at me with their fingers.
He spotted me and walked over without hesitation.
And then he handed me what he was holding.
It was a paper bag with a big can inside.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing weird, just take it.”
I took the bag, feeling suspicious.
Ando Hun didn’t seem to care about the attention he was getting.
“It’s a supplement… It’s a bit different from the ones you can buy. Hunters and heroes use it a lot for recovery when they get injured.”
“Oh… Thanks.”
I thanked him and he raised one eyebrow.
And then.
“I hope you get well soon.”
He said that and turned around and left the class.
As soon as he was gone, everyone’s eyes were on me.
At that moment, Jinyesul, who was sitting next to me, spoke in a serious voice.
She had a silver rod in her hand that she had pulled out of nowhere.
“Let’s check if there’s any poison in it first.”
“Hey, come on. Jinyesul, Ando is not that kind of guy.”
Choi Hyunwoo tried to stop her, but Jinyesul looked at the bag with displeasure.
In the meantime, the silver rod in her fingers snapped in half with a click.
“…I can get you something better, you know. How dare he not bring you anything when he doesn’t know? What if there are any side effects? And he just brought you something that you can buy anywhere? How dare he?”
She muttered in a low voice, and someone gasped behind her.
“Wow, shit! That’s something you can’t get even if you have money, right? He just gave you this precious thing as a gift…!”
As he turned his head, Jinyesul’s eyes met the boy’s, who froze like a frog in front of a snake.
“You…”
“Sorry, sorry. I was just talking too loud…”
The boy apologized hastily, raising his hands, as Jinyesul growled at him.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
The man who had become our teacher instead of Alice Blessbuck, who was now more familiar to us than Alice herself, walked in slowly.
At the sight of him, Jinyesul stuck out her tongue and turned her head.
“…Huh?”
And behind him, a girl was following him.
She walked softly, with a confidence that couldn’t be hidden.
“Hey, is that…?”
“That’s right, that’s her!”
“Wow, crazy!”
The kids around us started to buzz as soon as the girl appeared.
She was definitely very pretty.
But that didn’t mean she was worth making such a fuss over…? I thought.
“Yoon Seulhye.”
Choi Hyunwoo whispered.
As I looked at him for an explanation, Han Suyeong answered instead.
“…She’s one of the ones they’re cultivating. A supporter called the Divine Healer.”
I frowned at the word ‘cultivating’.
They’re really playing dirty now, I thought, as the teacher stepped forward and spoke.
“Everyone, for a while, Yoon Seulhye will be joining us in the same class. As you all know, Yoon Seulhye is the same age as you, but she’s already an active hero, so I hope this will be a good opportunity for you.”
As soon as he finished, Yoon Seulhye bowed her head next to him.
“Hello, I’m Yoon Seulhye! I look forward to working with you!”
At her words, cheers erupted everywhere, and I lowered my head.
Spangali chuckled as if he agreed with me.
[This is not some cheap comic…]
I agreed with him vehemently and sighed quietly.
I never expected them to be so blatant.
“What a bunch of crap.”
As soon as I saw Yoon Seulhye’s eyes looking right at me, my head started to throb.
